Proverbs 25:11-19

TEXT Proverbs 25:11-19

11.

A word fitly spoken

Is like applies of gold in network of silver.

12.

As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold,

So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

13.

As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,

So is a faithful messenger to them that send him;
For he refresheth the soul of his masters.

14.

As clouds and wind without rain,

So is he that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely.

15.

By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

16.

Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee,

Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

17.

Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor's house,

Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee.

18.

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor

Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

19.

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble

Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 25:11-19

1.

What quality do some words possess (Proverbs 25:11)?

2.

Is Proverbs 25:12 related to Proverbs 25:11?

3.

How would the cold of snow be refreshing in harvest (Proverbs 25:13)?

4.

What do people think of a person who boasts (Proverbs 25:14)?

5.

Contrast the action mentioned in Proverbs 25:15 with that of Proverbs 25:8.

6.

Why are there several proverbs (Proverbs 24:13, this verse, and Proverbs 25:27) about eating or not eating honey (Proverbs 25:16)?

7.

Have you ever known a person to wear his/her or even their welcome out (Proverbs 25:17)?

8.

Comment on the 3 items mentioned in Proverbs 25:18.

9.

What do you get from Proverbs 25:19?

PARAPHRASE OF 25:11-19

11.

Timely advice is as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket.

12.

It is a badge of honor to accept valid criticism.

13.

A faithful employee is as refreshing as a cool day in the hot summertime.

14.

One who doesn-'t give the gift he promised is like a cloud blowing over a desert without dropping any rain.

15.

Be patient and you will finally win, for a soft tongue can break hard bones.

16.

Do you like honey? Don-'t eat too much of it, or it will make you sick!

17.

Don-'t visit your neighbor too often, or you will outwear your welcome!

18.

Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting him with an axe, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a sharp arrow.

19.

Putting confidence in an unreliable man is like chewing with a sore tooth, or trying to run on a broken foot.

COMMENTS ON 25:11-19

Proverbs 25:11. A word fitly spoken would be the right thing said at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, in the right way, and for the right purpose. For something to be right, everything about it must be right. Is it any wonder, then, that James 3:2 says, If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man? Reseach on apples of gold in network of silver is in order. Many contend for a silver basket containing beautiful orange fruit. Most writers contend that apples from the Hebrew word tappuach) was not our apple but possibly the orange, or more probably the apricot. Tristram (writing in Land of Israel) says, I have no hesitation in expresing my conviction that the apricot alone is the -apple-' of Scripture...Everywhere the apricot is common; perhaps it is, with the single exception of the fig, the most abundant fruit of the country. In highlands and lowlands alike, by the shores of the Mediterranean and on the banks of the Jordan, in the nooks of Judea, under the heights of Lebanon, in the recesses of Galiliee, and in the glades of Gilead, the apricot flourishes and yields a crop of prodigious abundance. Its characteristics meet every condition of the -tappauch of Scripture. Then a word fitly spoken is as perfect as a beautiful, delicious group of golden apricots in a basket made of silver. See also Proverbs 15:23.

Proverbs 25:12. Just as they bestowed comeliness upon their faces by golden ornaments, so listening to parents-' wise counsel and to wise reproofs would grace one's life (Proverbs 1:9 and this verse). In the New Testament women especially are instructed to adorn and ornament their lives with spiritual beauty instead of majoring upon physical beauty (1 Peter 3:3-5; 1 Timothy 2:9-10).

Proverbs 25:13. Not a snow storm (which would not occur at the season of harvest and which would be a calamity rather than a refreshing blessing) but likely a snow-cooled drink for the harvest workers. How would that be possible? Clarke: In the East they have snow-housesplaces dug under ground where they lay up snow for summer use. This snow was used to cool their summer drinks. To have a faithful messenger who could be counted upon was as refreshing to those who would send him as a cold drink in hot weather. Proverbs 13:17 likens such a messenger to health.

Proverbs 25:14. Boasteth himself of his gifts falsely is translated by Coverdale: Whoso maketh great boasts, and giveth nothing, and the Vulgate translates: A bragging man, who does not fulfill his promises. Such promises remind one of clouds and winds in dry weather, but no rain results. Jude 1:12 also refers to these clouds without water, carried along by winds people. Some people make a big show with their words, but they do not come through with what they have promisedand sometimes they were premising to give it to God! Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Therefore Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.

Proverbs 25:15. One can defeat himself sometimes by being too pushy. By being hasty of spirit we can sometimes exalt folly (Proverbs 14:29) instead of success. We are commanded to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2). We are told in 2 Timothy 2:24-25 that the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth. And we are told in Proverbs 15:1 that a soft answer turneth away wrath.

Proverbs 25:16. Among the many spiritual and moral instructions we have in the Bible, there is an occasional instruction with reference to the physical or health-side of mankind. Such is this verse. Honey is good, actually great, for health (Proverbs 24:13), but one should not eat so much of it that he gets turned against it permanently and thereafter wants none of it. Proverbs 25:27 warns, It is not good to eat much honey. We should do that which is wise even in the physical realm of our being.

Proverbs 25:17. Our common expressions, Don-'t wear your welcome out and Familiarity breeds contempt, carry the same message. People have work to be done and business to be seen about. One who has nothing to do and keeps running over to the house of those who do soon makes his/her appearance an unwelcome sight. It is better to have the others say, Come over, than to have them think, I wish they would leave. The marginal reading is interesting: Lest he be full of thee.

Proverbs 25:18. The paraphrase says, Telling lies about someone is as harmful as hitting him with an ax, or wounding him with a sword, or shooting him with a sharp arrow. Psalms 57:4 speaks of people whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword. Psalms 120:3-4 speaks of the tongue as sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. and Proverbs 12:18 speaks of the rash tongue as the piercings of a sword.

Proverbs 25:19. Putting one's trust in an unreliable person lets him down in the day of trouble. This is why some people should not be given a church class to teach, why some people should not be entrusted with important business, etc. You cannot use a broken tooth nor count on a foot out of joint. Each person should want to be reliable, responsible, and trustworthy And each of us should be wise enough not to count upon the irresponsible.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 25:11-19

1.

Comment upon the apples of gold of Proverbs 25:11.

2.

What does God say in the New Testament about ornamenting (Proverbs 25:12)?

3.

Comment upon snow in the time of harvest in Proverbs 25:13.

4.

Comment upon boasteth himself of his gifts falsely (Proverbs 25:14).

5.

Elaborate upon long forebearing and a soft tongue in Proverbs 25:15.

6.

What is different about the instruction in Proverbs 25:16?

7.

What does the margin give in Proverbs 25:17 for lest he be weary of thee?

8.

How is the destructive tongue compared in Proverbs 25:18?

9.

What lesson do you receive from Proverbs 25:19?