The merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm. Proverbs 11:17

There is a way to live that will guarantee that we will be greeted with good from others.  There is also a way of living and interacting with others that may give us an advantage in the short term, but in the long term will do us tremendous harm.  The difference between these two lifestyles is found in how they treat others - especially when someone has done something wrong to them.

Our proverb begins by introducing us to someone called "the merciful man."  This is the man who is gracious to others when they wrong him.  He is called the "merciful man" because he delights in showing mercy to others.  Mercy is best described this way.  Not getting what we deserve.  That may not sound all that great until you realize that the context for mercy is when you do something wrong, or act in a way that merits punishment.  The man who shows mercy to others is willing to endure beging wronged.  He does not always demand "fair" treatment when it comes to himself.  He does not demand his pound of flesh whenever he is wronged.  By doing this the Bible says that he does himself good.  The literal Hebew here reads, "he does good to his own soul." 

There are actually two benefits to being a "mercy-man."  The first benefit is that others who receive mercy from you are far more likely to show you mercy as well.  Jesus, in the Beattitudes, said this same thing.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."  When we show mercy, others are more apt to show us mercy as well.  The second benefit is one we receive inwardly.  The passage says that we do our souls' good.  When we react with anger to every supposed slight and wrong, our spirit and our emotions are in a constant turmoil.  That is not healthy for us - because stress levels will be elevated all the time.  But when we learn to show mercy (and not take ourselves so seriously in the process) it will do wonders for our stress level.

The end of today's proverb deals with the problems that the "cruel man" brings upon himself.  We read that the cruel man does himself harm.  The Hebrew word for "cruel" here means someone who is fierce and who lacks any kind of sensitivity, compassion, or mercy towards others.  Since we have an example from our news, I will use it to illustrate this.  Ghadaffi was the leader of the nation of Libya.  He was a living example of a "cruel man."  He ruled with an iron fist over his people.  He was not known for his wonderful acts of mercy, but rather for his horrible acts of cruelty.  The day came when he no longer had an army to protect him.  The media informed us of his last moments on this earth.  He hid in a drainage pipe, hoping to escape those who were hunting him down.  When they found him they treated him just as he had treated others.  I won't go into detail as to what was done to him, but it was a horrible end.  His cruelty was the example that was set for the people of his country.  No wonder when he was caught he was subjected to the same lack of compassion and kindness he was known to use upon others. 

The way we respond to others will prepare the way for our own treatment in life.  That is why the man who chooses to show mercy will have good come upon him for his choice.  The cruel man has a much different end.  Having chosen a lack of compassion throughout his lifetime of interaction with others, he has nothing except the overflow of his own cruelty awaiting him in this life - and the full measure of God's wrath in the next.

Do  not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:31-32

Ours is a society that is enamored with violence.  We glorify it daily in our entertainment mediums - movies, television, magazines, books, and newspapers.  It is interesting that we also try to sit in judgment on cultures like Rome, saying that they were barbaric in their gladiator games and other forms of public violence.  Yet, if we were to look at what we do and how we consume it - there is little difference in our two cultures. 

God says not to envy a man of violence or to choose any of his ways.  The word for violence is very telling in this passage.  It is the word "hamas" in the Hebrew - and it means to do violence or wrong.  The word implies not just violence - but also cruelty, damage, and injustice as well.  We are to stay away from people who are like this - who are violent - and whose violence is manifested in being cruel, unjust, and in doing damage to that which belongs to others.

The reason some might "envy" this violent man is because of the gain that it brings him in the short term.  Think about the people who in history have gained money, influence, and power because of their violence.  Many of the world's most heinous dictators used violence to their advantage.  But Scripture tells us not to choose ANY of the violent man's ways.  This is because everything these men do is tainted by their violence.  This is why I've included verse 32 with verse 31.  There is another reason to reject the ways of the violent man - which is shown to us in verse 32.

The violent are also "devious."  The word devious here is the Hebrew word "luz" which means to be crooked or perverse.  God is telling us here that when a man is a violent man - he will also be a perverse or crooked man as well.  The idea behind this word is that being crooked and perverse is what a person is trusting in - as a way of walking through life.  This word is used in Scripture to describe those who are wicked, perverse, and who reject God.  They reject His ways - things like righteousness and truth - and choose instead to twist the truth to their advantage. 

When someone wants to trust devious and violent ways - they do not have a heart to seek God - or to learn from His Word.  They do not want to walk with Him.  That is why God says that these devious ones are an abomination to Him.  This is because they utterly reject Him and His ways.  We should also note the word, "for" that begins verse 32.  This links what is said here to the previous verse.  The devious are the violent ones - and the violent ones are those who function with a devious and God-rejecting mindset.  They choose violence and deceit because they do not want to trust God with their plans and purposes.  Since they do not have God's power at their disposal, they have to trust their own thinking (which is fatally flawed due to sin) and their own power. 

The last thing said in this verse is that God is "intimate" with the upright.  What a wonderful thought this is for us - that God is intimate with us when we walk in His ways and choose His paths.  The word "intimate" here actually means intimate counsel - and has the idea of being brought into a kind of inner circle where God shares His wisdom with us.  So God is promising us that if we reject the violence and deceit of this present world's ways - that God will bring us into the inner circle with Himself for the purpose of teaching us. 

This particular proverb is one we should consider - especially when we consider the way our current society is so enamoured with violence.  We see it in just about every form of entertainment we consume daily.  When there is not violence in a movie or television show - it is almost completely ignored.  We are inundated with violence - and the tendency is for this violence to more and more graphic in nature.  This is happening at a time when we are watching a corresponding decline in our desire for intimacy with God.  Is this just a coincidence - or - is it exactly what God is trying to get us to see in this proverb?    The more we embrace violence - the more we will embrace deception and a rejection of God and His ways.  The more we embrace violence - the less we will embrace God Himself - and with this we will also place a lesser value on the counsel of His Word.  May God bring to us a return to Him and a corresponding turn from loving violence.  Remember Jesus' name is the prince of peace - and His Word tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  (Matthew 5:9, NASB)

The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.   Proverbs 21:10

Have you ever considered the thoughts and desires of a very wicked man - who seems to truly consider nothing other than himself.  I realize that theologically we all are wicked and we all are consumed by our own selfishness.  Yet God in His mercy has blessed us with societal restraints and parental restraints - and even conscience-driven restraints that keep us from fully manifesting our wickedness.  But there are those who whether by searing their conscience as with a hot iron - or by giving themselves to every wicked impulse of their hearts - have unlocked the depths of wickedness in their hearts like no one else.  They may be the mass murderers or the wicked rulers of a nation - or just someone who seems to not have an ounce of mercy in their being.  Whatever it is - it is truly terrifying to think what it is that brings someone to that level of having their wicked desires rule their thinking and their heart.

The wicked man has a soul that desires evil.  That means he desires it at the level of his mind in his thinking, at the level of his will in how he chooses to live his life, and in his emotions in that he truly delights in evil and in what is contrary to God's Word.  It should be no shock to us then to see that his neighbor finds no favor whatsoever in his eyes.  He has no proclivity to show grace and favor to anyone except himself.  Ultimately his desire is for himself and what he wants.  If it looks like he is showing favor - it is only because that is what will get him what he wants in the end. 

Wisdom realizes that we need to shun evil - and have nothing to do with it.  The reason that this is so is because evil will never be neutral in our lives.  If we give in to it, evil will seek to expand its influence in our hearts and minds - and ultimately will work its ways in our wills.  You cannot choose to do evil and have evil be sequestered to only that area of your life.  Evil will expand - evil will grow - and left undealt with - it will eventually dominate our lives.  This proverb should be sufficient to remind us that this is true.  That the wicked man's appetite for evil will end with there being no favor for anyone or anything except that which will support the expansion of evil in his doings.  Steer clear of evil - reject it - hate it - that is the course of the wise.

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel. Proverbs 12:10

Finally, a proverb dealing with animal rights!  Now we can blast all those who choose to wear fur as a covering for themselves!  Oh, but wait a minute - God covered Adam and Eve with the skins of animals.  Oh, snap - we've got another problem because John the Baptist wore a leather girdle - the hide of a cow.  So, what exactly is God speaking about here when He advocates having regard for the life of his animal?

A righteous man regards the life of his animal.  He is concerned for it - and cares for it.  Even though we cannot biblically justify the extreme of the animal rights movement - we can see that God is not pleased when we treat animals cruelly.  Yet in the worship of God Himself - there were required sacrifices of animals.  But there is a difference between rearing animals for the purpose of meat and clothing - and someone just being cruel to an animal while it is alive.  God does not forbid us to eat meat.  Many of the men He used greatly were shepherds.  Their purpose and job was to work with livestock and raise it to be a food source for their family and for other families.  So we can rule out the idea that God is against all killing of animals for the purpose of eating meat - and creating clothing. 

But, we cannot look at this passage and justify someone treating their animals with cruelty and indifference.  Someone who would beat an animal just because they want to - or because they are mean - will not find justification for their actions from the Word of God.  God desires for us to treat our livestock as well as our pets with the kind of compassion and kindness that is indicative of His own nature.  When we become cruel and unkind to animals - that displeases God.

What we read about the wicked though, is that even their compassion is cruel.  This is an interesting oxymoron.  Compassionless compassion is what we can expect from the wicked man.  The wicked don't care about animals - and will whip them mercilessly.  It is a sad thing to watch a wicked man abuse an animal.  I remember when we were given a beautiful Labrador Retriever.  We did not know the people who gave it to us - and were truly grateful for the dog.  But soon after receiving him, we could tell that they were abusive toward the dog.  Any time we would even approach him, he would cower and yelp - fearing that he was about to be hit.  We loved him - and eventually he knew that we were not going to strike him.  Still it broke my heart to think how cruel someone had to be to get a dog to respond like that. 

The true believer realizes that all creation belongs to God.  Thus as we walk through this life we want to treat what is God's respectfully.  That does not mean that we don't use nature as God intended (which means that hunting and fishing, and raising livestock is not evil).  It does mean that we are not cruel and evil with it.  Those kind of actions are reserved for those who are wicked, and who do not fear God.