Proverbs chapter 11 (part 4) - One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer. Wise sayings of Solomon

Proverbs chapter 11.

Summary: Evildoers will be punished. Righteous people desire what is good, and eventual outcome is all good. The wicked will end up with God's wrath and punishment. Kind-hearted givers will be rewarded with riches and wealth. Generous person will prosper. Hoarding is bad business practice. Seeking the good, heavenly things will make the righteous prosper. Do not overly trust on world riches. Righteous will gain the tree of life.

21 21 Be assured, an evil man will not go unpunished,
    but those who are righteous will be delivered.
22 22 Like a gold ring in a swine’s snout    is a beautiful woman without discretion.  (RSV)

21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
    but those who are righteous will go free.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.  (NIV)

We are reminded that those who do evil and live sinful lives will be punished eventually. Those who live righteous lives will be delivered and be saved.

A foolish woman without discretion is compared to a pig, which is a most disliked animal of the Jews. A foolish woman without discretion is figurative for carnal and worldly desires, fleshly lust, lust of the eyes.

23 23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
    the expectation of the wicked in wrath.  (RSV)

23 23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.  (NIV)

What is wanted by the righteous person are beneficial, and will be granted by God. All good things come to the righteous person. Multitude of blessings will come upon the righteous.

For the wicked person, his future will be the wrath of God. God will punish the bad, the wicked, and the evildoers.

23
24 24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  (NIV)

24 24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,But it leads to poverty.  (NKJV)

God rewards the person who gives freely for worthy causes. The person who gives freely his money, time and effort to the needy will receive much more, and reap abundantly. On contrast, the person who sees a need and withhold from aiding that need...may eventually have less, because the less he sows, the less blessings he will reap.

It is possible a man may grow rich by prudently spending what he has, may scatter in works of piety, charity, and generosity, and yet may increase; nay, by that means may increase, as the corn is increased by being sown. By cheerfully using what we have our spirits are exhilarated, and so fitted for the business we have to do, by minding which closely what we have is increased; it gains a reputation which contributes to the increase. But it is especially to be ascribed to God; he blesses the giving hand, and so makes it a getting hand, 2 Cor. 9:10. Give, and it shall be given you.

25 25 The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.
26 26 The people will curse him who withholds grain,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.  (NKJV)

25 A generous person will prosper;
    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
    but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.  (NIV)

A generous person will be favoured by other people; this is beneficial for business. A favoured businessman may get repeated business, many repeat orders. Hence, his business may prosper and continue to grow and expand. Generosity is a good business principle!

Luke 6:38 is one of my all-time favorite verses.
give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”  (NIV)

Hoarding of goods to force the shortage of goods and increase the market price of goods is a bad business practice. Businessman should carry out business in fair and win-win scenario. We must remember that God hates businessman who cheats and deceives others.

We have to wise and careful with our abundance. When in crisis situation, do we take out our abundance to help and benefit others in the crisis? Do we offer our help? Do offer our professional advice when required? Do we lend when there is a pressing need?

27 27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,
But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.  (NKJV)

The person who seeks good things will favour from God and men. We must seek things which are good, pure, noble, right. "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these shall be given to you." We should put God first, and seek first the heavenly assets. When we prioritize on God and heavenly matters, all our worldly needs will also be fulfilled.

But for those who seek evil (fleshly lust, worldly and carnal desires, lusts of the eyes) and live sinful lives, evil (troubles, tribulations, tragedies, disasters, mishaps) may happen to them.

28 28 He who trusts in his riches will wither,[a]
    but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.  (RSV)

28 28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,
    but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.  (NIV)

The righteous person will put his trust in God, and will always continue to live on in peace, in joy. But for the person who trust in riches and money. this is futile because money and riches are only for this world. Money and riches cannot be brought forward to heaven. So we believers must live with proper balance, priority to God, yet diligent and hardworking in our work and business to enable us to earn a decent income with money to spare. Though we should pay attention to heavenly treasure, we must not be lazy and slothful because God hates laziness. Though we need heavenly treasure, we also need to earn money and lay up some world treasure for our livelihood.

29 29 He who troubles his household will inherit wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise.  (RSV)

29 29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise.  (NIV)

29 29 He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind,
And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.  (NKJV)


Whoever is causing conflict and discord in his family, whoever is causing family feuds, whoever creating chaos in his family, he will cause himself much trouble and unrest. Like to effect of strong wind, his family will not be stable, will be shaken. Much unhappiness will be experienced by him and his family.

We need to be wise to handle various matters and issues in our family. We need to maintain love, joy, peace and harmony in the family.

The foolish person will eventually become as servant to the wise person. The wise person will earn more money and gather more riches and wealth than the foolish. The wise will be honoured by God and men, the foolish may not necessary be respected. The wise will eventually be much better off than the foolish.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and the one who is wise saves lives.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
    how much more the ungodly and the sinner!  (NIV)

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise.

31 If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth,
How much more the ungodly and the sinner.  (NKJV)

The righteous person will gain the tree of life, with many good fruits for a good life on this earth, as well as good fruits for the eternal life. Those who win souls (bring over the wicked/bad person to the path of righteousness) are wise, and doing correctly. The righteous will be much rewarded, not only in heaven, but also in this world. We believers have many incentives, benefits, and blessing for living righteous lives in this world.

On the contrary, those who live foolish and sinful lives, will also be rewarded but in a negative way. Punishment is waiting for those choose to live wickedly.


Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014.
Michael Yeap.

NIV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=NIV

RSV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=RSV

NKJV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=NKJV

Commentaries:
19)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.21
20)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.22
21)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.23
22)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.24
23)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.25
24)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.26
25)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.27
26)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.28
27)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.29
28)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.30
29)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.31

Proverbs chapter 11 (part 3) - Victory is won through many advisers. Wise Sayings of Solomon.

Proverbs chapter 11.

12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
    but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

13 A gossip betrays a confidence,
    but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. (NIV)

12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace.

13 A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.  (NKJV)

The unwise, foolish person may despise or belittle his neighbour, friends or relatives. But the wise person will keep quiet and not criticize, not condemn his friends and relatives.

In people interrelationship, it is important not to criticize other people. Criticism will not invite resentment and enmity from other people. The person criticized will eventually want vengeance, and will criticize us in return. This may lead to more argument and quarrel.  Reminds me of what I read in Dale Carnegie's book on How To Win Friends and Influence People.

Avoid gossips, rumours and tale-telling. All these will cause more trouble. Let the secrets that we have the privilege to know remains a secret. Do not expose our people's secrets, otherwise we will lose our trustworthiness.

14 14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls;
    but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.  (RSV)

14 14 For lack of guidance a nation falls,
    but victory is won through many advisers.  (NIV)

14 14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.  (NKJV)

Clever minds, wise decisions, sound advice are important for important decisions. No Leader is so good and perfect that he doesn't need the advice and counsel of his assistants, subordinates, team members. All top leaders listen to their advisers. Kings have several/numerous advisers. We must listen to professional advice, ideas and suggestions. We must also be open to diverse and differing points of view. We must be open-minded to diverse opinions.

15 15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
    but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.  (NIV)

15 15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer,
But one who hates being surety is secure.  (NKJV)

We must not be surety or financial guarantee for a stranger or an acquaintance. If he does not pay up his loan or loan instalment, we will be forced by the bank/lender to pay in lieu. Whoever listens to this instruction of not becoming surety or loan guarantee will be financially secured from this risk.

16 16 A gracious woman gets honor,
    and violent men get riches.  (RSV)

16 16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.  (NIV)

16 16 A gracious woman retains honor,
But ruthless men retain riches.  (NKJV)

If we are kind-hearted and gracious, we will be honoured by God and men. If we are ruthless and bad in our business practices, all we get is only the money and riches, we will not be honoured by God, not favoured by men.

17 17 A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.  (RSV)

17 17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.  (NIV)

Kindness is returned with kindness. If we are kind and good to others, our good deeds will please other people. Other people will also be kind to us. Do others a favour, the favour will later be returned to us.

Similarly, cruelty and wicked deeds will also return to the cruel man. If the cruel man is cruel and acts wickedly toward other people, somehow he will suffer some bad fate.

18 18 A wicked man earns deceptive wages,
    but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.  (RSV)

18 18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
    but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.  (NIV)

A bad, wicked person who deceives and cheats others will not received much; he gets only the monetary wages. But the righteous person who conducts his business in integrity and fairness will make a definite profit and gain his reward (money, honour, respect, treasure in heaven).

19 19 He who is steadfast in righteousness will live,
    but he who pursues evil will die.
20 20 Men of perverse mind are an abomination to the Lord,
    but those of blameless ways are his delight.  (RSV)

19 Truly the righteous attain life,
    but whoever pursues evil finds death.

20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
    but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.  (NIV)

The righteous person will attain life....a fuller and meaningful life in this world, and eternal life in heaver. The Lord loves the righteous person who lives a godly and blameless life. We must avoid sinful habits, and control our carnal/world desires.

Those who live sinful life will eventually lead to spiritual death. Perverse and bad-hearted people are hated by God.


Monday, Jan 20, 2014.
Michael Yeap.

NIV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=NIV

RSV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=RSV

NKJV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=NKJV

Commentaries:
11)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.12-Prov.11.13
12)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.14
13)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.15
14)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.16
15)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.17
16)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.18
17)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.19
18)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.20
19)

Proverbs chapter 11 (part 2) - Wise Sayings of Solomon. The righteous is rescued from trouble,

Proverbs chapter 11.

Summary: Hope and ambition dies when the wicked, godless and unjust person dies. The righteous will be able to overcome troubles, the wicked often goes into troubles caused his sinful mouth.  The righteous is popular in the community, the wicked unpopular.


7 7 When the wicked dies, his hope perishes,
    and the expectation of the godless comes to nought.  (RSV)

7 7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them;
    all the promise of[a] their power comes to nothing.   (NIV)

7 7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of the unjust perishes.  (NKJV)

There seems to be differing meaning of NIV versus RSV/NKJV.

When a wicked, unjust and sinful man dies, everything ends. All his expectation, unfulfilled dreams (such as greater wealth, enlarge his business empire) will all stop. He also has got  no hope, no eternal life in heaven.

Even as believers, we must remind ourselves that whatever we gather in this world (e.g. fame, riches, power, honour) and whatever we aspire and aim for, will all come in to an end when we die. For us believers, we have hope on our afterlife, in heaven. So let us gather treasures in this world as well as in heaven.

8 8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked gets into it instead.
9 9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.  (RSV)

8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
    and it falls on the wicked instead.

9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
    but through knowledge the righteous escape.  (NIV)

When the righteous is in trouble, he will be able to overcome it. When the righteous has problem, with wisdom and knowledge, he will be able to solve the problem.

God will save the righteous from distress. God saved Mordecai from Haman's gallows, saved Daniel from the lion in lion's den.

On the contrary, the wicked and godless gets into trouble easily. With mouth that lies, slanders, stir up up conflicts, the wicked and godless will often cause problems and tensions with friends and relatives.

10 10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
    and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11 11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,    but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.  (RSV)

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
    when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.  (NIV)

The good and righteous person is well favoured by the community. The success of of the good person is celebrated and honoured by the community. The good man is a public blessing. His good deeds will bless his friends and relatives, through prayer, his help, etc.

But the wicked and bad guy will be disliked by the community. When he dies or when he fails, the  community will think "He deserves it because of his badness." The mouth of the bad guy will destroy his reputation and being him dishonour among the community. His mouth is full of lies, deceit, fraud, slander.


Saturday, Jan 18, 2014.
Michael Yeap.


NIV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=NIV

RSV:   http://www. biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=RSV

NKJV:   http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+11&version=NKJV

Commentaries:
7)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.7
8)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.8
9)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.9
10)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.10-Prov.11.11
11)

Proverbs chapter 11 (part 1) - Wise Sayings of Solomon. God hates dishonest businessman.

Proverbs chapter 11.

Summary: Honesty in business. Humble gains wisdom. Integrity is guide. Straight path of the righteous. Rewards of the righteous vs the wicked. Mouth can bless and curse. Success of righteous, death of the wicked. 

Overview of Proverbs chapter 11

V. 1. Yahweh demands honesty in business practices.

V. 2. The egotist does not learn except in disgrace, but the humble gains wisdom.

Vv. 3, 5-8, 18, 19, 21, 23, 31. These verses contrast the rewards of the righteous and the wicked. Wisdom concentrates on this world and has little to say about a future life. Therefore, each must receive the fruit of his or her ways in this life. The wicked will be trapped by their evil desires and destroyed. When they die, all is lost. The integrity of the righteous guides them in life, rescuing them from trouble and granting what is good.

Vv. 4, 28. Wealth has limitations that are exceeded by righteousness.

Vv. 9, 12, 13. The mouth has the power to bless and curse. It can destroy, denigrate, and disclose confidential material. The wise know what to say, when to say it, and when to be silent.

Vv. 10, 11. The life-styles of the righteous and the wicked directly affect the well-being of their communities. They can be blessed or destroyed. Thus they rejoice in the success of the righteous and in the death of the wicked.

V. 14. The security of a people lies in the wisdom of their leaders.

V. 15. See 6:1.

Vv. 16, 17, 24-27. Kindness and generosity not only help others, but they rebound to expand the quality of one's own life. The cruel and ruthless who hoard their resources earn the curses of the people and store up destruction for themselves.

V. 20. Behind the moral order of the universe stands a God who takes pleasure in those who are blameless and is displeased with those whose values are perverted. This is the basic theology of the wisdom teacher.

V. 22. Physical beauty unmatched by moral purity is as incongruous as a gold ring in a pig's snout.

V. 29. A fool destroys his own inheritance, and instead of becoming the head of his own family ends up serving one who is wiser.

V. 30. RSV follows the Greek, while the NIV attempts to make sense of the Hebrew. “Wins souls” means preserving lives.

1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,    but a just weight is his delight.  (RSV)

1  Lord detests dishonest scales,    but accurate weights find favor with him.  (NIV)

1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight.  (NKJV)

God hates people who are dishonest in their business activities. God likes those who are honest and just in business deals. So as godly believers, we must always be fair, ethical, win-win in all our business dealings, so that God will bless our business.  From worldly point of view, fairness and win-win are also secular wisdom for business practices which will lead to more business deals, being favoured by customers and vendors alike.

God hates deceit in business, an abomination to the Lord. We must not have ill intent to be deceitful. Cheating and fraud are no-no, that we should not touch.

2 2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace;
    but with the humble is wisdom.  (RSV)

Pride will eventually bring about disgrace and dishonour. But the humble will gain wisdom. To be wise, we need to learn. To be an effective learner, we need to humble ourselves and unlearn in order to learn and relearn. Humble heart and open mind enables us to learn knowledge, and gain wisdom.

Pride is one of the abominable sins. If we are Leaders, we must be careful to avoid being proud. We become Leaders because God wills it, God has given us certain talents, gifts and knowledge. Let's not be proud of our achievements, our leadership, our success. But we should humbly thank God for God's hand in enabling us to be leaders.

If we are rich and wealthy, we must remember our success is from the Lord. If God has blessed us much in material things, riches and wealth, let us remember to thank and praise God, and continue to humbly walk in Godly ways and in wisdom.

3 3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.  (RSV)

3 3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.  (NIV)

3 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.  (NKJV)

Integrity should be our guiding principle in business dealings and all aspects of our lives. Crookedness and perversity would be counter-productive and destructive. Nobody likes to do business with a crooked and dishonest businessman. Hence, integrity, honesty, fairness, win-win should be our guiding principles for our business and general life.

4 4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.  (RSV)

4 4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.  (NIV)

Riches and wealth are only good for our lives in this world. In the life after, whatever riches and wealth we have now is worthless and useless in heaven. But righteousness is valued highly in eternal life. Hence, we must have a good balance. We must not be lazy, we must be diligent and hardworking in our work and business, to make a decent living for ourselves and our families. Yet we must also build and store up "treasures" in heaven. We must live in wise manner, godly and righteous ways, having a close relationship with God. As much as we need to invest wisely in this world, we must also invest in and for our eternal life.

5 5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.  (RSV)

5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
    but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.  (NIV)

Righteous way is the straight way, the shorter route, the simpler and happier way. In the desert, taking the straight way is advantageous because the straight way is the shorter way. Shorter way is very important in the desert because there is scarcity of water in desert. If excessive time is spent in travelling, the travellers may run out of water and this is dangerous, so the direct and straight path is essential.

For those who choose live a sinful life, they will be troubled by the effects of their evil doing (e.g. fraud, deceit, adultery, extra-marital sex, stealing, assault).  They will be trapped by evil desires, by greed, by lust, by pride, etc.

Let us pray to God for a good control of our life. Let us pray that we do not end up submitting to Greed, Lust or Pride.

To be continued the next day.

Friday, Jan 17, 2014.
Michael Yeap.

NIV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2011&version=NIV

RSV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2011&version=RSV

NKJV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2011&version=NKJV

Commentaries:
1)  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov%2011:1
2)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.1
3)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.2
4)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.3
5)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.4
6)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.11.5-Prov.11.6
7)