Proverbs 27:1-9

CHAPTER 27
TEXT Proverbs 27:1-9

1.

Boast not thyself of tomorrow;

For thou knowest now what a day may bring forth.

2.

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth;

A stranger, and not thine own lips.

3.

A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty;

But a fool's vexation is heavier than they both.

4.

Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming;

But who is able to stand before jealousy?

5.

Better is open rebuke

Than love that is hidden.

6.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.

7.

The full soul loatheth a honeycomb;

But to the hungry every bitter thing is sweet.

8.

As a bird that wandereth from her nest,

So is a man that wandereth from his place.

9.

Oil and perfume rejoice the heart;

So doth the sweetness of a man's friend that cometh of hearty counsel.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 27:1-9

1.

What would boasting consist of in Proverbs 27:1?

2.

What New Testament passage elaborates upon Proverbs 27:1?

3.

Why is such instruction necessary (Proverbs 27:2)?

4.

Why does God not want us to praise ourselves (Proverbs 27:3)?

5.

Heavier than what (Proverbs 27:3)?

6.

Do you detect the similarities and differences in the structure of Proverbs 27:3-4?

7.

Better in what sense or senses (Proverbs 27:5)?

8.

Faithful in what sense (Proverbs 27:6)?

9.

What does profuse mean (Proverbs 27:6)?

10.

What does loatheth mean (Proverbs 27:7)?

11.

What is the comparison in Proverbs 27:8?

12.

What does the last statement of Proverbs 27:9 mean?

PARAPHRASE OF 27:1-9

1.

Don-'t brag about your plans for tomorrowwait and see what happens.

2.

Don-'t praise yourself; let others do it!

3.

A rebel's frustrations are heavier than sand and rocks.

4.

Jealousy is more dangerous and cruel than anger.

5.

Open rebuke is better than hidden love!

6.

Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy!

7.

Even honey seems tasteless to a man who is full; but if he is hungry, he-'ll eat anything!

8.

A man who strays from home is like a bird that wanders from its nest.

9.

Friendly suggestions are as pleasant as perfume.

COMMENTS ON 27:1-9

Proverbs 27:1. James 4:13-16 is an elaboration upon this verse: Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. The rich fool in the parable was boasting himself of tomorrow (The ground of certain rich men brought forth plentifully: and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry Luke 12:16-19) when actually he had no tomorrow (God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of theeLuke 12:20). Pulpit Commentary: He boasts himself of tomorrow who counts upon it presumptuously, settles that he will do this or that, as if his life were in his own power, and he could make sure of time. This is blindness and arrogance.

Proverbs 27:2. An old German proverb: Self-brag stinks. How much better it sounded for the elders of the Jews, when entreating Jesus to come heal the centurion's servant to say, He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him (Luke 7:4), than for the man himself to have said, I am worthy that thou shouldest do this for me. There is that element of society that seems to think, If I don-'t toot my own horn, it won-'t get tooted. We reply in the words of Clarke (Self praise is no commendation). Jesus recognized the general truthfulness of this statement when He said, If I bear witness of myself, (that is, if I am the only one saying good things about myself), my witness is not true (John 5:32). Remember, too, that Proverbs 25:27 frowned upon men's searching out their own glory.

Proverbs 27:3. Work with stone or sand very long, and your hands, your legs and your back (in fact, your whole body) soon become weary and exhausted, But to be around a fool when vexed is even more wearying and exhausting. Pulpit Commentary: The ill temper and anger of a headstrong fool, which he vents on those about him, are harder to endure than any material weight is to carry. Job 6:3 speaks of his grief and trials being heavier to bear than the sand of the sea. And Jewish literature contains this statement: Sand and salt and a mass of iron are easier to bear than a man without understanding.

Proverbs 27:4. Wrath and anger may arise and subside, but not so with jealousy. Pulpit Commentary: These may be violent for a time, yet they will subside when they have spent themselves. It was such non-dying jealousy that caused Joseph's brothers to sell him: The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt (Acts 7:9). One who commits adultery with another man's wife will probably encounter the never-dying jealousy of her husband mentioned in Proverbs 6:35; Proverbs 6:35: Jealousy is the rage of man; And he will not spare...He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Proverbs 27:5. Christ said, As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten (Revelation 3:19). Proverbs 13:24 says, He that spareth his rod hateth his son (no matter how much pretension of love he may claim); But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. It is in such a consideration that our verse exalts the love that rebukes over the love that does not. Thus gospel preachers and godly people who rebuke people for their sins really and truly love people more (and what they do is better) than their pretended friends who say nothing about their sins and let them die and be lost.

Proverbs 27:6. Therefore, this verse exalts the same love that administers correction over the deceitful kisses of an enemy. Judas's kiss didn-'t fool Jesus, but people have been fooled by the nice treatment of people who really didn-'t love them like the person who corrected them. Time will sometimes open people's eyes as to who were their true friends: He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor than he that flattereth with the tongue (Proverbs 28:23). Notice the triple contrast in this verse: faithful vs. deceitful; wounds vs. kisses; and friend vs. enemy.

Proverbs 27:7. Benjamin Franklin: A hungry man never saw poor bread. People who complain about food would probably not do so if really hungry. When one is really hungry, just plain bread or dry crackers taste good, but after one has eaten a big meal at a family get-together, just to mention eating will fulfill the fact of this verse: The full soul loatheth a honeycomb. In a sense this is why some are not hungry for the gospel: they feel no need, so they have no desire.

Proverbs 27:8. Though we do not think of it as normal, there are birds who abandon their nest, their natural surroundings, and go elsewhere with sad results. In like manner do some men become wanderers and prodigals (like the Prodigal Son in the parable, Luke 15). Time has proven that strength of character is more often developed in a family and in children if they settle down to one community and make it their home than to move about from place to place. This general observation reflected itself in our forefather's maxim: A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Proverbs 27:9. They anointed their faces with olive oil and put on perfume to make themselves happy and light-hearted and carefree. Psalms 104:15 refers to this practice. What is sweeter and more burden-lifting than the good advice and counsel of a trusted friend? How much better one feels who has been burdened!

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 27:1-9

1.

What man in a parable of Jesus boasted himself of tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1)?

2.

What did the German proverb say about the person who brags on himself (Proverbs 27:2)?

3.

How wearying can a fool be to those around him (Proverbs 27:3)?

4.

How do wrath and anger differ from jealousy (Proverbs 27:4)?

5.

What unusual fact is stated in Proverbs 27:5?

6.

What is the triple contrast in Proverbs 27:6?

7.

How can the first part of Proverbs 27:7 be applied to people's appetite for the gospel?

8.

Is it advisable to be a rolling stone in society (Proverbs 27:8)?

9.

How do friends help lift our burdens (Proverbs 27:9)?