Proverbs 28:19-28

TEXT Proverbs 28:19-28

19.

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;

But he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

20.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings;

But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.

21.

To have respect of persons is not good;

Neither that a man should transgress for a piece of bread.

22.

He that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches,

And knoweth not that want shall come upon him.

23.

He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor

Than he that flattereth with the tongue.

24.

Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression,

The same is the companion of a destroyer.

25.

He that is of a greedy spirit stirreth up strife;

But he that putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be made fat.

26.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool;

But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

27.

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack;

But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

28.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;

But when they perish, the righteous increase.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 28:19-28

1.

Describe one who is following vain persons (Proverbs 28:19).

2.

Why will the man seeking to be rich hastily suffer punishment (Proverbs 28:20)?

3.

What does a piece of bread in Proverbs 28:21 imply?

4.

Connect evil eye of Proverbs 28:22 with lust of the eye of 1 John 2:16.

5.

Who believes and who does not believe the statement in Proverbs 28:23?

6.

How perverse is one described in Proverbs 28:24?

7.

Why would the greedy stir up strife (Proverbs 28:25)?

8.

Cite a contrast between statements in Proverbs 28:25-26.

9.

What wonderful promise does Proverbs 28:27 contain?

10.

Rise where (Proverbs 28:28)?

PARAPHRASE OF 28:19-28

19.

Hard work brings prosperity; playing around brings poverty.

20.

The man who wants to do right will get a rich reward. But the man who wants to get rich quick will quickly fail.

21.

Giving preferred treatment to rich people is a clear case of selling one's soul for a piece of bread.

22.

Trying to get rich quick is evil and leads to poverty.

23.

In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.

24.

A man who robs his parents and says, What's wrong with that? is no better than a murderer.

25.

Greed causes fighting; trusting God leads to prosperity.

26.

A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God's wisdom are safe.

27.

If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty.

28.

When the wicked prosper, good men go away; when the wicked meet disaster, good men return.

COMMENTS ON 28:19-28

Proverbs 28:19. Proverbs 12:11 is very similar: He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding. A double contrast: he that tilleth his land vs. he that followeth after vain persons and shall have plenty of bread vs. shall have poverty enough. The normal and expected reward of honest labor is to be supplied from it (bread). Thus, Proverbs 14:23 says, In all labor there is profit. Getting in with the non-working bunch, with the play-around group, with the no-good element is a good way to have poverty enough instead of plenty of bread. One's companionships will often affect his working-outlook.

Proverbs 28:20. This is one of several verses dealing with getting-rich-quick: see Proverbs 28:22; Proverbs 28:25. Another double contrast: a faithful man vs. he that maketh haste to be rich and shall abound with blessings vs. shall not be unpunished. Notice in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 the promises that God made to Israel if they were faithful. Abound is related to abundant. God will punishnot blessone who hastens to be rich, for he has the wrong goal in mind, and he will likely sin in pursuing his goal: They that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

Proverbs 28:21. The first statement is found in Proverbs 18:5 also. We should not have respect of persons when it comes to right and wrong, truth and error. Wrong is wrong even if our best friend does it, and right is right even if somebody does it who doesn-'t like us personally. God will not save those who have not obeyed the gospel even if they are our relatives or friends. He has no respect of men's persons (Romans 2:11). The second statement of our verse is probably mentioning another thing that should not be done; namely, transgressing for a paltry gain. Of course, the two statements might be related as when a judge would show respect for persons for a small bribe.

Proverbs 28:22. Hastening after riches is also mentioned in Proverbs 28:20. Lust of the eyes in 1 John 2:16 is desiring something that we should not have: it might be to desire one who is not our mate or to desire earthly gain at the expense of one's spirituality. This is an evil eye for it leads one into sin. Jesus mentions evil eye in Mark 7:22 and says it is one of the things that proceed from within man. We know that the eye feeds the heart, and the wicked heart prompts the eye to be evila vicious circle! Our verse is warning against getting-rich-quick, saying that such a one will in time lose it (want shall come upon him).

Proverbs 28:23. Proverbs 27:5-6 praises open rebuke as better than love that is hidden. Such wounds of a friend are said to be faithful. Our verse says that one that rebukes a man will later find more favor than those who flattered the man when they should have been rebuking him. If a preacher believes this, he will be more faithful to God's Word and will not let the people be lost without saying something about their sins. The smooth talkers who never say anything about the sins of the people will really do the people no good. In time to come (sometimes years later) people will look back and have more respect for the honest, outspoken, plain-spoken man than for the coward who was full of good words and fair speeches.

Proverbs 28:24. Why would somebody rob his father and mother? First of all, it would be easy to do as compared to robbing anybody else, for he would know where everything was, he would be present in the house at times when they weren-'t, etc. Or, he might think they would be more lenient upon him than upon somebody else, if what he did was ever found out. Or, he might salve his conscience by saying, It's all going to belong to us children in time anyway. This last thought could account for his saying to himself, It is no transgression. But as long as one's parents live, it is still theirs, and to take from them is robbing, and the whoso of our verse shows that it doesn-'t matter who does it, it is still robbing. How perverse to rob the very ones who gave him life, provisions, and rearing.! He is a companion of a destroyer because he is destroying their financial holdings. A similar expression (brother to him that is a destroyer) is said of a lazy person (Proverbs 18:9).

Proverbs 28:25. He that is of a greedy spirit is put over against he that putteth his trust in Jehovah. Most people who have lived on the earth could have used more than they had, especially at times. Some have been able to content themselves with the bare necessities (having food and covering we shall be therewith content1 Timothy 6:8), trusting the Lord to take care of them through the situation. But others of a greedy spirit will not thus content themselves. They fret under their situation and will do anything to get their hands on more, and their greediness usually results in trouble (stirreth up strife), for in order for him to get more, it usually means that somebody else has less. He usually outwits somebody else, and hard feelings result. But in the long run, who ends up better? The one who trusts in Jehovah shall be made fat (be prosperous).

Proverbs 28:26. This may or may not be connected with Proverbs 28:25. If it is, it talks of the greedy one trusting in his own schemes rather than in God, and the one who walks wisely is the one who trusts in God. Likely, though, it is not connected but is another saying all by itself. If so, what does it mean? Always should one trust God and what He says. When one's heart says to do something but God says not to, we should do what He says. This is walking wisely, and he will end up blessed (he shall be delivered). But oh, how many will go their way instead of God'S! That is why God said, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways (Isaiah 55:8). He calls upon those thus living to forsake his way, and...his thoughts; and...return to Jehovah (Isaiah 55:7). Jeremiah knew the human heart when he said, O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23); and, The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

Proverbs 28:27. Jesus said there will always be some poor among us (Mark 14:7), and He went on to say, Whensoever ye will ye can do them good (same verse). As we have opportunity, therefore, to give to the poor and needy, we are to do so (Galatians 6:10; 1 John 3:17). Deuteronomy 15:7 says, If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, not shut thy hand from thy poor brother. Proverbs 22:9 also says a man shall be blessed who giveth of his bread to the poor. God will repay all that we give to the poor (Proverbs 19:17). Our verse talks about hiding one's eyes from the poor. This is what many do as they merrily go on their own way or busily pursue their business interests. Listen to Proverbs 29:7: The righteous taketh knowledge of the cause of the poor; The wicked hath not understanding to know it. So Jesus made a helpful Samaritan the hero of His parable and the heartless Jewish priest and Levite the goats (Luke 10:30-37). The ultimate blessing and curse to come upon us for our dealings with the poor will be at the Judgment (Matthew 25:34-46).

Proverbs 28:28. Rise to power is the thought. How tragic that in the world's history there have been so many wicked as rulers! This may be partly due to the humility of the godly, causing them to be meek among men, not seeking places of eminence even though they be places of service to mankind. But the wicked are often graspy, covetousness, and proud, and they by nature seek such places of prominence. The first statement of our verse is also found in Proverbs 28:12. Proverbs 29:2 says, When a wicked man beareth rule, the people sigh. Israel probably liked the first years of Solomon's reign, when he was seeking to do God's will, better than his latter years, when he was idolatrous. They demanded a more civil rule from his son Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:4). Our verse shows that when the wicked leadership passes, righteousness increases to the true exaltation of the nation (Proverbs 14:34). Pulpit Commentary: The overthrow of the ungodly adds to the prosperity of the righteous...promotes their advancement in influence and numbers.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 28:19-28

1.

What word or thought is emphatic in Proverbs 28:19?

2.

What about getting in with the non-working, play-around group (Proverbs 28:19)?

3.

According to the contrast in Proverbs 28:20, one hastening to be rich is probably not a --- man.

4.

What New Testament passage shows the dangers of desiring to be rich (Proverbs 28:20)?

5.

Should we put persons before principle (Proverbs 28:21)?

6.

What vicious circle was discussed under Proverbs 28:22?

7.

What are the wounds of a friend (Proverbs 28:23)?

8.

In what sense is companion used in Proverbs 28:24?

9.

Comment upon Proverbs 28:25.

10.

Does Proverbs 28:26 show that our thoughts are sometimes wrong?

11.

What is the double contrast in Proverbs 28:27?

12.

Why have so many rulers been wicked men (Proverbs 28:28)?