He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish. Proverbs 22:8
The other day something truly amazing happened. I had planted a batch of tomato seeds, and after a couple of months I went out and harvested a whole bucket full of orages from the vines that grew there. Now if you are someone who is even the least bit familiar with agriculture, you know that this last statement was false. If I planted tomato seeds into the ground - the only thing I will harvest from them is tomatos. There is an unbending principle at work here - whatever you sow is what you will reap. That principle is what is at the core of what is taught in today's proverb. Here we have a man who is sowing iniquity. The word used here is a pretty tough word. It means unrighteousness, injustice, or wrong. This doesn't sound too bad until you begin to look a little deeper into the word and its usage. It is used to describe violent injustice and outright wickedness. Keil and Delitasch state that this word means, "unsympthizing tyranny, cruel misconduct toward a neighbor." It describes the actions of one who wants the person who feels his wrong to feel the fury of his anger. The second half of this proverb makes that clear. The iniquity that he is sowing is manifest in the "rod of his fury," which is felt by those unfortunate enough to be his victims. These kind of actions are usually those of a despotic king - or a person who is misusing their authority. When one sows like this - they are going to reap vanity. The word for vanity here is the Hebrew word "aven" which means emptiness or nothingness. It can also mean sorrow, trouble, evil, or mischief. The idea here is that this despotic individual thinks he is going to reap the power of his authority - when in reality he is going to reap nothingness. The thought behind this nothingness is that of utter destruction. We've watched as this has happened right before our eyes. Saddam Hussein thought he was building an empire - but what he received in the end was a rude awaking in a hole - and the end of a hangman's noose. The Word of God warns in Galatians 6:7 that God will not be mocked - whatever a man sows he shall also reap. If he sows to the flesh, as he is here, he will from the flesh reap corruption. No one can outrun the hand of God and the principles upon which the Lord has founded this world. The wicked man thinks that the rod of his fury will make others bow down and obey him. He rules only with fear - and trusts that fear alone will bring him the results that he desires. But the proverb tells us that this man - after all his furious tiraids - will perish. All his fury will do for him is ensure that his place in history is set as a terrible ruler or leader. His memory will not be blessed - men will curse it and use it as a byword. They will remember him not as a wise man - but as a fool. There lies the man who thought he could rule the world through wickedness and through fear. No one fears him now - and what awaits him is the utter vanity for which he worked. Having spent his life living for himself and for his own arrogant pursuits - he will die facing the fury of the One before Whom he will stand and give an account for his actions. Having rejected His love and His offer of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, unfortunately for him, the fury of God will never cease.
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The violence of the wicked will drag them away, Because they refuse to act with justice. Proverbs 21:7
When a man is unjust an violent, he is headed for disaster. Although at first it may look like his ungodly ways are a means of getting somewhere in life at first, his violence will eventually drag him down to destruction. In today's proverb, God makes it clear that the violent man is headed no where fast - and that a life of injustice and wickedness will not prosper in the end. The first half of today's proverb speaks of how the violence of the wicked will affect the wicked man. We are told that his wickedness will drag him away. The word for violence here can point to violence itself - but it can also mean robery and a whole host of other socially unacceptable behavior that causes havoc in people's lives. The wicked think that they can use violence to get what they want. The extreme examples of this are people who rob others violently - either beating their victims or even shooting them and killing them. Their actions trigger a man-hunt that works to bring them to justice for their wrong. In the end, their violence drags them away - and they are either arrested and sentenced to prison for a long time - or in some cases are killed while trying to be apprehended by the police. Others violently misuse their power to gain things. The number of CEO's that have gone to jail for abusing the law - and violently stealing the money from their clients and companies is too numerous to list here. But one thing is for sure. The violence of their wicked behavior dragged them down in the end. The whole problem with these individuals is that they refuse to act justly. They ignore the laws of the land as if they are immune to them and to the consequences they promise. They see them and may have even read them - but they think they are above them. Their refusal to act with justice will destroy them. That is how God has set things up in this world - that laws are given to identify lawbreakers and bring them to justice. He even puts the rod and the sword into the hands of government to punish those who do wrong. The truly wise man sees the laws of society and realizes they are there for the purpose of protecting and keeping people safe from the sinfulness of man. He does not refuse to act with justice . . . he chooses a just and righteous lifestyle for the wise one knows that it is the way of life. The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, But the poor hears no rebuke. Proverbs 13:8
We see the typical scene in movie after movie. The wealthy man has someone in his family - even himself - taken captive. The FBI is in the home awaiting the fateful phone call. When it comes there comes with it the call for ransom. They knew he was wealthy - and therefore he was their perfect target. Now that they have his life in their hands - he must pay and pay handsomely if he wants to preserve his life or the life of a loved one. Who would have thought that thousands of years ago God gave this wisdom to Solomon to warn the rich that due to the sinful, selfish tendencies of fallen man, they would at times have to realize that their riches would be the ransom for their life? Here we have a proverb that simply states human nature. Very seldom do we read of a poor man who is held ransom for his good name and his hard work ethic. We don't see him held ransom for the simple way that he works and lives and loves his family. There is no demand for the happiness of a poor family who is content with the little they have - because they have each other. Men may covet such things when they realize that money really doesn't make a person happy, but seldom do they think that such basic joys can serve as a ransom for another's life. This is a problem for the rich and not the poor. They have spent a great deal to get what they have. But there are those who would take them captive, even threatening their lives, for the purpose of extracting as much money from them as they can. Sin and rebellion to God make evil men think that they will be happy if they get enough money. They think no matter how they get it - they will have it made once they escape. Fascinating that the movies don't really follow these crooks to their fateful end. They show us the really cool ways they do their crimes - and how clever they are as they get away. They have the closing scene where they toast one another with champagne and talk of what they'll do with their loot. They don't show us men and women who are hunted for life - and who are looking over the shoulder at every turn. But then again, that wouldn't sell in a movie would it? The rich have much - but they also have the struggle to keep what they have. Since their lives are bound up in their bottom line, they spend much of their lives protecting it any way they can. They do all they can do to protect their money - and they also have to spend a pretty penney on security to protect their lives and their families. When you look at all they do - and how they have to deal with fear of losing it all - you have to wonder, is it worthy it? The poor man hears no such rebuke. He does not live in fear of having his family, friends, or himself taken captive for ransom. Now I am not against wealth or riches - because there are many who are very godly to whom God has given riches. There are those who use their riches wisely - and to the glory of God. But then again, we see them making wise choices and seeing wealth through the eyes of God. They may have the money of the rich man - but they most likely have the values of the poor content man at their core. They live for simple things even though they are wealthy. In fact some of the most precious people I've ever known were wealthy - but did not come close to living like it. Just about everyone they knew had no idea how wealthy they were - because they chose a very modest lifestyle. Interestingly, they probably heard no rebuke either - since they did not flaunt their wealth. Makes you think about how you are living. It also makes you think in one more way as well. Even though the rich may have their wealth to pay their ransom here on earth - it will do them no good at the end of the age. Just a closing passage of Scripture that rings in my ears as I think about this proverb. It is from the Psalms . . . Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever—that he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay. Psalm 49:5-9 There is NO ransom for a man's soul. There is only ONE acceptable price paid for sin. That price is what Jesus Christ paid with His blood at the cross. The redemption of a man's soul is indeed infinitely costly. Maybe money can buy "everything" here on earth according to sinful men - but the second a man passes from this life, he better not be deceived into thinking that his wealth can be the ransom for his eternal life. Thinking like that can cost you . . . literally everything! Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Proverbs 10:6
Proverbs often compares the righteous and the wicked. Here is no exception. This passage speaks of what covers the righteous man and what covers the wicked as well. Whereas we read that blessings are on the righteous man's head - the wicked have something far different covering them. The head of the righteous receives blessings. Why the head? The Hebrew culture viewed the head as the most important part of a person. Cut off the head and the body is dead. The head is also considered the leader. It represents what truly is leading us in our lives. So, when we read here that the "head of the righteous" has blessings poured out upon it, we see that when what leads us - what drives us in life is geared toward righteousness (just think simply - doing what is right in God's sight - doing what pleases Him). There is wonderful blessing when we choose God's way. We need to know this. When our "chooser" (yes I know that this is not a word - but it works here) functions according to God's way and God's direction - blessings ensue! Make your choices according to his Word and according to His ways. You will never regret it - especially in light of the fact that these choices go beyond the grave - while others only last in this life (unless you consider punishment and hell for those who reject Christ altogether). But there is actually even more to this. There is blessings not just in eternity - there are blessings here and now. The way of God may be difficult at times - but it is also filled with joy and peace. The Scriptures warn us that it is the way of the transgressor that is hard. Remember this when you get ready to set a direction with your head - with your "chooser." The second part of this proverb is a little more difficult to understand because it involves a hebraism - a saying that makes perfect sense to a Jewish person - but does not exactly transfer with words alone. It is like us saying, "a stitch in time saves nine." That won't make sense to most people unless they know something about sewing. This hebraism says, "the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." The meaning here has the idea of covering something or someone. The words of the wicked - what comes out of his mouth - is both covered in violence - and due to what he says makes it inevitable that he himself will be covered in violence as well. The simplest way to grasp what this means is when someone speaks violently to another with their words. Not only are they speaking violence - but whan the other person responds, they are pretty much going to guarantee violence as a return for their violent words. The wicked, due to their ungodly choices and ways, are using violent words - and in the process are guaranteeing a culture of violence that will surround them. Take a look at our society for a moment or two. I'll use two examples to explain this. First is the abortion industry. They use extreme violence to end the life of an innocent child. They choose to execute the baby - who has done nothing wrong. Those in the industry say that they are preventing child abuse by those who don't want an unexpected child (Interesting to me that they don't get that sex produces pregnancy - which by the way - makes a child - guess what they were expecting was sex without consequences and without the biological process of reproduction being a result - hmmm). The fact though is that since we've begun throwing away children in this way - child abuse has risen exponentially. Kind of looks like the violence with which they cover themselves with their words and actions - is now covering them too - just like God said. The second example is the way that violence is glorified by our culture. We see it everywhere. The most obvious example is in television, movies, and the video game culture. We are encouraged to deal with our problems with violence. We've actually gotten to the point where we see violence and violent acts as a form of entertainment. There seems to be no limit to how graphic and how grotesque we will get when it comes to these things. The result of our violence? We have watched an explosion of violence consume our culture and our relationships in society - just like God said. Wisdom tells us very plainly here that what abounds in our words and with our choices is what is coming back upon us. It is almost like God is saying here in the Old Testament what He says in the New Testament. What a man sows, that he will also reap. Sow righteousness - sow doing what is right in God's eyes - you receive blessings here - and even greater blessings in eternity. Sow violence now - you will reap an ever increasing harvest of violence as well. May God give us true wisdom that does not embrace the fullness of our culture - but the harvest of righteousness and blessing that comes from choosing His way at every turn. Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; 2 For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble. Proverbs 24:1-2
There are certain things that are repeated in Proverbs - certain aspects of life - certain issues that require reminders. One of those areas is the one addressed in these two verses. We need to beware of envying the wicked. But why would we envy them? One of the best places to grasp why is in Psalm 73 where the Psalmist temporarily lost his footing while envying the wicked. We envy wicked men because in this world their lives seem to be much easier and better. Often wicked men are successful in this age. Some achieve this because they cheat, steal, and claw their way to the top. Others just set their hearts on this world and what it offers - and don't take no for an answer till they have what they want. The psalmist looked at their lives and wondered why things were like this - how come the wicked seem to be catching all the breaks? The answer he came to only arrived when he went into the sanctuary and remembered God. Remembering God and the end of things brought sanity back to the psalmist. He considered the end of such men. They fell all at once - and their fall was often spectacular. They were consumed in an instant by death - and what awaits them beyone the grave is true, absolute justice. After seeing such horrific sights in God's presence the Psalmist decided it was better to serve God without all the worldly success - than to be evil, successful now - but ultimately impoverished and destroyed. God forbids jealousy toward evil men. Jealousy is easy when you see the successes here and now of the wicked. Their lives seem to be paved with butter and pastries. They have things we'd like to have - they have pleasures we think we would want. But God forbids this. When we become envious of the wicked - we start to want what they have. We think they have it made. Then we decide to hang around them because we like their stuff - their lifestyle - their buttered steps. Spiritual reality tells a different story though. The things they have that we want - how many of those things are the will of God for us? Men look at the playboy - or more recently the bachelor - and think, "Man, I'd love to have all those women fawning over me!" We look at the rich and famous and think, "If only I could have their wealth, their fame, their stuff - then I'd be happy." Here's a truth to remember - even they are not happy! They have their emptiness. At the highest point of my life in sin - I would come home from the parties - from the sex - from the pinacle of popularity and turn my face to the wall at night and long for something real. I would call out to God - asking Him to take away the emptiness of my heart. But here is another truth to remember - the more we look at them - and focus our thoughts and desires on what they have - the more we feed our flesh. In time, we will walk away from God, thinking that if we had a little of what they have - we'd be better off - happier. Oh, the devastation that comes from learning otherwise. I'm sure David thought that a night with the lovely Bathsheba would spice up his life. Samson proabably figured that a new relationship with that fox named Delilah is just what he needed to shake things up a bit. Absalom probably thought that being in charge himself would make his life better. Ahab figured that if he could just get Ahab's great garden spot he'd be content. Finally, Judas probably figured that he had those 30 pieces of silver coming to him after following Jesus 3 years - Jesus didn't seem to be offering a pay raise any time soon! Envying the wicked, their lifestyle and their stuff will get you into a load of trouble - because that's usually where they're headed - for trouble. Verse 2 here puts it bluntly to us. Their minds are working to devise violence - the word for mind here is the Hebrew "leb" which speaks of the heart. The Jewish concept of the mind is that it flows from the workings of our heart - our innermost desires. What a great picture is painted for us by the words used here. Devise is "hagah" and it means to growl, sigh, or mutter. It spoke figuratively of the meditation of the mind. In the wicked mind we hear growling. What are they growling about? We learn that their growling has to do with violence. The word here means violence, destruction - and is used to describe violence and havoc as social sins. This makes more sense to us when we put two and two together biblically. The evil man is living out the desires of his heart. His heart is given to himself and to the world and its desires. What he wants - he goes after - and he is absolutely committed to getting. Now take this reality and put it in the context of James chapter 4. "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel." (James 4:1-2, NASB) The evil man growls violence in his meditations because he cannot have what he wants - what he is lusting after - so he is willing to do violence (does not have to just be physical, could be moral as he does unethical things) to get them. This is the modus operadi for the evil man. Also his lips talk of trouble. Here is another interesting word in the Hebrew that describes the inner working of the evil man. Trouble is the word "amal" and it means something troubling. What is meant is that the evil man is constantly speaking of causing trouble. This guy is headed for trouble - and you hear him speak of it a lot. If you hang "with" him - you may "HANG" with him. Evil men exist. One of the facts of life is that there are those who are looking for trouble - and who cause it in life. What is fascinating is that we cannot relegate this to a socio-economic status or race. There are poor and rich alike - people of every racial background who just seem to breed trouble with their actions and attitudes. Some of these people can also have a life that may look glamourous and exciting on the outside - but beware - to travel with them or envy their outward status will only lead you into the same trouble and disaster. Better to steer clear of having them as close friends - or of desiring what they have. In the end - what they have is a coming disaster. Ask David - question Samson and Absalom - queerie Judas on this one. They'll all have the same answer - guard your heart! Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. Proverbs 20:1
What does the Bible say about alcoholic drinks? That is what we face here in Proverbs 20:1. The first thing we need to do is to define what is referred to as wine and strong drink. There are some who try to make a distinction between these two words saying that wine is not alcoholic, but strong drink is. Problem with that view is that wine is referred to at least 20 times as having intoxicating properties. It is paired with the other word used here 12 times in a negative context - each time indicating that one is likely to be drunk if they drink it to excess. The word for "strong drink" is even more explicit. It means in every situation a very intoxicating substance. It is difficult to try to make a direct correlation between the levels of alcohol in these drinks and those of today. What you can say with confidence is that both wine and strong drink when not controlled properly will cause intoxication - which the Bible strictly prohibits both in the Old and New Testaments. You can also be confident in saying that one would get drunk faster when drinking strong drink rather than wine. About the only comparison you could make this way would be comparing wine to the alcohol levels of win and beer - and strong drink to stronger intoxicants like whiskey, vodka, and other higher proof drinks. Here is what we learn though about both wine and strong drink. Wine is called a "mocker" in this passage. A mocker is one who boasts and scorns. This person is given to deriding others. Their actions lead us utter contempt toward someone. The idea therefore here is that when a person drinks wine to the point of being deceived by it (the NASB calls this decieved state the point of intoxication) he is not wise - he is a fool. Think a moment about this - when someone is intoxicated by wine - he no longer thinks clearly and can say and act in ways that he regrets later. The alcohol deceives his mind - making it stray from wisdom - wander from godliness - and to make major mistakes. Want to avoid being deceived and erring badly from the way of the Lord? Then stay away from wine. That is the implication made by this verse - this wisdom from God. What is strong drink? It is a brawler according to Proverbs 20:1. This word is very illustrative of the drunk. It is "hamah" and means to murmur, growl, roar, or howl. When refering to the drunken fool it means to be a fighter - to be a boisterous, roaring, howling fool. We all know that many who are affected by alcohol wind up becoming more agressive. This is especially true of the "fighting" drunks who go home and beat family members when under the affect of wine and strong drink. Why should we avoid strong drink of every kind? Because the effect of this poison is to deaden our minds to kind and gracious behavior and turn us instead into a brawling, fighting fool. The wise man would avoid these things altogether. The Christian community has those who want to preserve our ability to have a glass of wine or a social drink. They state that they have freedom in Christ to do so. While I cannot categorically say that all alcohol is utterly forbidden by Scripture, I can say that the wise person would stay away from it. I will give a couple of reasons for this. First - to drink is to place yourself in a situation where it is far more possible to sin by becoming drunk. Considering what the law considers drunken driving, the amount which a person can drink before they are considered drunk is minimal. Why put yourself in that kind of jeopardy when there are plenty of beverages that pose no danger whatsoever? Second - outside of a glass of wine with a meal at home - the usual places where drinking takes place also include a hedonistic lifestyle as well. Bars, last time I checked, have not been traditional centers of godliness and holy living. Why endanger your witness and testimony by drinking in these places? Why endanger your heart by placing yourself in such places where far more than drunkenness is the possibility? This verse deals with being intoxicated and therefore deceived by wine and strong drink. If you get the drift of the writer of Proverbs - the wise man would avoid these things altogether. This should even more be the case in our day when the ability to purify water has led to a multitude of drinking options that do not have the danger of alcohol in them. Truly - the wise man - just stays away from this. You would be wise to do the same. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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