Proverbs 17:11-19

TEXT Proverbs 17:11-19

11.

An evil man seeketh only rebellion;

Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

12.

Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

13.

Whoso rewardeth evil for good,

Evil shall not depart from his house.

14.

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:

Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.

15.

He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

16.

Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,

Seeing he hath no understanding?

17.

A friend loveth at all times;

And brother is born for adversity.

18.

A man void of understanding striketh hands,

And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.

19.

He loveth transgression that loveth strife:

He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 17:11-19

1.

Rebellion against what (Proverbs 17:11)?

2.

What is a whelp (Proverbs 17:12)?

3.

Cite two Bible examples of people's rewarding evil for good (Proverbs 17:13).

4.

The lesson in Proverbs 17:14 is Don-'t begin ............... lest it lead to ...............

5.

The wicked are to be ............., not ................. (Proverbs 17:15).

6.

The righteous are to be .................., not .................... (Proverbs 17:15).

7.

Cite two Bible examples of justifying the wicked (Proverbs 17:15).

8.

Cite two Bible examples of condemning the righteous (Proverbs 17:15).

9.

Is fool in Proverbs 17:16 one who is mentally deficient or one who does not use his head?

10.

What kind of friends did the Prodigal Son have (Proverbs 17:17)?

11.

What is surety (Proverbs 17:18)?

12.

What is meant by raising high one's gate (Proverbs 17:19)?

PARAPHRASE OF 17:11-19

11.

The wicked live for rebellion! they shall be severely punished.

12.

It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool caught in his folly.

13.

If you repay evil for good, a curse is upon your home.

14.

It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so don-'t let it begin.

15.

The Lord despises those who say that bad is good, and good is bad.

16.

It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel who has no heart for truth.

17.

A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

18.

It is poor judgment to countersign another's note, to become responsible for his debts.

19.

Sinners love to fight; boasting is looking for trouble.

COMMENTS ON 17:11-19

Proverbs 17:11. The rebellion here under consideration was anarchy against the existing government. With the monarchical form of government of those days, this was common and accounted for may assassinations (see the Northern Kingdom history for numerous instances of this). When any such rebellion was detected, the rebellion was immediately put down (a cruel messenger shall be sent against him).

Proverbs 17:12. The fierceness of a bear who has lost her young (whelps) is also referred to in 2 Samuel 17:8 and Hosea 13:8. One who is unfortunate enough to come along to become involved in some fool's folly may suffer all the way from embarrassment to being murdered. Thus, one may have his car pelted by rock-throwing children as he drives by, his tires slashed because he lives in a neighborhood of no-goods, or his life taken by hoodlums who kill him to see what he had in his billfold.

Proverbs 17:13. It is contrary to nature (an extreme wrong) to reward evil for good. It is bad enough not to receive thanks from those helped, but it is even worse for the blessed to repay evil to the giver of good. When this occurs, the promise is that evil will abide upon such a one and his house. Instances of repaying good with evil: 1 Samuel 25:21; Psalms 109:4-5; Jeremiah 18:20.

Proverbs 17:14. Clarke: As soon as the smallest breach is made in the dike or dam, the water begins to press from all parts towards the breach; the resistance becomes too great to be successfully opposed, so the dikes and all are speedily swept away. Such is the beginning of contentions, quarrels, lawsuits, etc. Pulpit Commentary also interprets the statement as when one letteth out water. It is possible, though, that the expression referred to is the plain type of talk that they used in those days, talk that our society does not look upon as acceptable. Regardless of the figure and its interpretation, its application is unquestioned: cut off strife before it gets started.

Proverbs 17:15. In God's books the wicked are to be condemned and the righteous commended (Matthew 25:34-36; Matthew 25:41-43 and many, many others). Proverbs 17:26 of this chapter says, To punish the righteous is not good, Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness. Exodus 23:7: The innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked. Proverbs 24:24: He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, People shall curse him, nations shall abhor him. Isaiah 5:20: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.

Proverbs 17:16. Why pay out money for books and then not read, study, or use them? Why pay tuition fees to go to school when one does not really want to study and learn? Pulpit Commentary: A fool thinks that there is a royal road to wisdom, and that it, like other things, is to be purchased with money. One who has a heart for learning will treasure and value every opportunity for learning (books, lectures, films, travel, etc.), such as Abraham Lincoln, and they rise on the wings of acquired knowledge and bless others with the knowledge they have gained. But pupils are not all students, teachers soon discover.

Proverbs 17:17. A friend is one who loves. A true friend loves at all times, even in times of adversities and reverses and health-failures. They are contrasted with fair-weather friends such as the Prodigal Son had (Luke 15:13-16; Luke 15:30). Ruth represents inseparable love (Ruth 1:16). David and Jonathan also (1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 18:4; 2 Samuel 1:26). Brothers may live at a distance and not get to see each other very often, but times of adversity bring them together to help each other. Proverbs 18:24 speaks of the friend that is even closer to us than a brother.

Proverbs 17:18. Clarke: Striking each other's hands, or shaking hands, was anciently the form in concluding a contract. This was just as binding as our signing our names to a contract today. Surety was when one obligated himself for the debts of others. Proverbs gives strong warnings against this (Proverbs 6:1-2; Proverbs 11:15).

Proverbs 17:19. One who loves strife must love transgression for strife produces many violations of God's law (such as jealousies, envyings, evil surmisings, hatreds, anger, malice, evil speaking, etc.). Such is carnality: Ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of man? (1 Corinthians 3:3). James 3:16: Where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. Pulpit Commentary on exalting one's gate and its consequent destruction: He who builds a sumptuous house and lives in a way that his magnificent surroundings demand draws ruin on himself...The entrance to a Palestine house would usually be of humble dimensions and sparse ornamentation; any doorway of great architectural pretensions would be uncommon, and would be regarded as a token of extraordinary wealth or reprehensible pride...which he is unable to support or...provoke reprisals and injurious consequences. A saying: One who makes an unusual success in life makes many false friends and true enemies. Build something great, and the world will not only notice it, but someone will try to destroy it. See Proverbs 16:18 also.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 17:11-19

1.

What kind of rebellion does Proverbs 17:11 have particularly in mind?

2.

What existing form of government made that a rather common occurrence (Proverbs 17:11)?

3.

What fierce animal is better to run into than a fool in his folly (Proverbs 17:12)?

4.

What are some examples of personal danger involved in meeting a fool in his folly (Proverbs 17:12)?

5.

What two possibilities are there for the expression, as when one letteth out water (Proverbs 17:14)?

6.

What is the lesson of Proverbs 17:14?

7.

Why does God pronounce a woe upon any who condemn the righteous and commend the unrighteous (Proverbs 17:15)?

8.

Why does an opportunity for learning sometimes not profit a person (Proverbs 17:16)?

9.

What is the difference between a true friend and a fair-weather friend (Proverbs 17:17)?

10.

If brothers don-'t get together often, when are they the most apt to get together (Proverbs 17:17)?

11.

What warnings does Proverbs give about surety (Proverbs 17:18)?

12.

What are some of the transgressions that grow out of strife (Proverbs 17:18)?

13.

Why does exalting one's gate often lead to destruction even in this life (Proverbs 17:18)?