Proverbs 21:1-10

CHAPTER 21
TEXT Proverbs 21:1-10

1.

The king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the water courses:

He turneth it whithersoever he will.

2.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes;

But Jehovah weigheth the hearts.

3.

To do righteousness and justice

Is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice.

4.

A high look, and a proud heart,

Even the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

5.

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness;

But every one that is hasty hasteth only to want.

6.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue

Is a vapor driven to and fro by them that seek death.

7.

The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away,

Because they refuse to do justice.

8.

The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked;

But as for the pure, his work is right.

9.

It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,

Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.

10.

The soul of the wicked desireth evil:

His neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 21:1-10

1.

Is Proverbs 21:1 always true or only when God specially wills it for the fulfillment of some special purpose?

2.

Does Proverbs 21:2 imply that God draws a different conclusion from us in the matter?

3.

Is Proverbs 21:3 frowning on religious ceremony or stating that such is not a substitute for righteousness but a supplement to it?

4.

What does lamp of the wicked mean (Proverbs 21:4)?

5.

What is the main contrast in Proverbs 21:5?

6.

How could one get treasures by lying (Proverbs 21:6)?

7.

What are some examples of Proverbs 21:7 from history?

8.

Illustrate Proverbs 21:8 by Herod and Herodias.

9.

How could one live in the corner of a housetop (Proverbs 21:9)?

10.

Is the second clause in Proverbs 21:10 one of the evils of the first clause, or is it the result of that clause?

PARAPHRASE OF 21:1-10

1.

Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king's thoughts. He turns them wherever He wants to.

2.

We can justify our every deed but God looks at our motives.

3.

God is more pleased when we are just and fair than when we give Him gifts.

4.

Pride, lust, and evil actions are all sin.

5.

Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.

6.

Dishonest gain will never last, so why take the risk?

7.

Because the wicked are unfair, their violence boomerangs and destroys them.

8.

A man is known by his actions; an evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life.

9.

It is better to live in the corner of an attic than with a crabby woman in a lovely home.

10.

An evil man loves to harm others; being a good neighbor is out of his line.

COMMENTS ON 21:1-10

Proverbs 21:1. Clarke: There is an allusion here to the eastern method of watering their lands. Several canals are dug from one stream; and by opening a particular sluice, the husbandman can direct a stream to whatever part he pleases. We should not conclude from this that everything any king does is of the Lord (this would make God responsible for the many evils of government); yet when God gets ready to affect a king's heart, He is able to do so (Ezra 1:1; Ezra 7:6; Ezra 7:27; Nehemiah 1:11; Nehemiah 2:4-8).

Proverbs 21:2. This is very similar to Proverbs 16:2. Most people are too quick to claim credit (and are offended if they are not given it) and too slow to accept guilt. That God accurately weighs each person (beginning with the heart) See Proverbs 24:12; Luke 16:15; Daniel 5:27.

Proverbs 21:3. There are all kinds of people in the world: some who are both righteous and religious (the godly); some who seek to be righteous but are not religious (the moralist); some who are not careful about righteousness but do try to be religious (the hypocrite); and some who are neither righteous nor religious (the out-and-out wicked). This verse is dealing with the third-listed group above (the hypocrite). We all fall short of the perfection of God (Romans 3:23), but with our religion we are to be as righteous and as just as we can be, and if we aren-'t, God is highly displeased with us (Isaiah 1:11; Isaiah 1:15; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:7-8) Proverbs 15:8).

Proverbs 21:4. This verse deals with pride and the prosperity of the proud. A high look is one of the outward expressions of a proud heart. Over and over does God speak His displeasure with man's exalted opinion of himself (Proverbs 6:16-17; Daniel 4:29-37). Pulpit Commentary: Lamp is...a metaphor for prosperity and happiness (2 Samuel 22:29; 1 Kings 11:36); and it is here said that the sinner's outward prosperity and joyousness, springing from no good source, being founded in self, and not resting in virtue and godliness, are in themselves sinful and displeasing to God.

Proverbs 21:5. This verse speaks of the thoughts of the diligent, Proverbs 10:4 of the hand of the diligent, and Proverbs 13:4 of the soul of the diligent, and all three verses testify to their mutual prosperity. Diligent (as it stands in contrast with hasty) evidently means the honest, hard-working, patient person who steadily builds up his holdings; hasty evidently applies to the person who is a get-rich-quick-any-way type of person condemned by 1 Timothy 6:9-10. Even small communities have known examples of those who were out for the fast-buck who ended up in poverty and want, and cities contain many such examples.

Proverbs 21:6. Connect this verse with Proverbs 21:5. Getting treasures by lying would be parallel to treasures of wickedness in Proverbs 10:2 and wealth gotten by vanity in Proverbs 13:11. In all three verses the result is similar: vapor driven to and fro (this verse), profit nothing (Proverbs 10:2), and shall be diminished (Proverbs 13:11). Such people come to seek death (this verse), and the suicide-rate is exceedingly high among the world's wealthy.

Proverbs 21:7. Even this verse may be related to Proverbs 21:5-6. The violent are those who injure others; such refuse to think of justice. They that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Matthew 26:52). Is this not the story of conquerors who later find their own type of violence sweeping them helpless away?

Proverbs 21:8. Evil men wax worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13). Such was the story of King Ahab, Herod and Herodias, and many others. One fellow was said to be so crooked that when he died, they didn-'t dig a grave for himthey just screwed him into the ground! Laden shows that guilt is a terrible load. Jesus said to the sinfully weary, Come unto me, all ye that...are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...unto your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). The pure present a welcome contrast; Much is said in a few words: his work is rightit is like it ought to be. And may such increase!

Proverbs 21:9. Their housetops were flat. Gathering his few things together and living in the corner of the flat housetop, inconvenient as it would be, is proverbially said to be preferred to living down in the commodious house with a woman who is cantankerous. Proverbs 25:24 and Proverbs 21:19 of this chapter are similar. The unpleasantness of dwelling with a contentious woman is also mentioned in Proverbs 19:13 and Proverbs 27:15. Some women can be blessed with the very finest of material things and yet be anything but happy; they can be anything but a joy to come home to. In our day of permissive divorce courts such contentions lead to divorces.

Proverbs 21:10. The wicked man does not respect God's law, for he desireth evil instead of good, nor does he respect his fellow-man, for his neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes. The wicked man is not prompted by a reverence for God, by a respect for God's law, by holy aspirations. He has his desire set upon evil. They that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh (Romans 8:5); The mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God (Romans 8:7). The wicked...sleep not, except they do evil; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall (Proverbs 4:14-16). The person who has no good word for anyone is not honorable himself; this is why his neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 21:1-10

1.

What is meant by watercourses in Proverbs 21:1?

2.

Cite Bible instances in which God turned the hearts of kings in the direction He wanted them to go (Proverbs 21:1).

3.

Is God's evaluation of a person always the same as the person's own evaluation of himself (Proverbs 21:2)?

4.

What kind of person is Proverbs 21:3 dealing with?

5.

When do the wicked have a high look (Proverbs 21:4)?

6.

Contrast diligent and hasty as used in Proverbs 21:5.

7.

Contrast their outcomes (Proverbs 21:5).

8.

How can Proverbs 21:6 be related to Proverbs 21:5 and also to Proverbs 10:2 and Proverbs 13:11?

9.

In keeping with Proverbs 21:7 what usually happens to conquerors?

10.

Name some crooked characters in the Bible (Proverbs 21:8).

11.

Comment on laden in Proverbs 21:8.

12.

How could one dwell on a housetop (Proverbs 21:9)?

13.

How terrible does Proverbs show a contentious wife to be (Proverbs 21:9)?

14.

How does a man's wickedness show up in Proverbs 21:10?