Proverbs 29:10-18

TEXT Proverbs 29:10-18

10.

The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect:

And as for the upright, they seek his life.

11.

A fool uttereth all his anger;

But a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it.

12.

If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, all his servants are wicked.

13.

The poor man and the oppressor met together;

Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both.

14.

The king that faithfully judgeth the poor,

His throne shall be established for ever.

15.

The rod and reproof give wisdom;

But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother.

16.

When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth;

But the righteous shall look upon their fall.

17.

Correct thy son, and he will give thee rest;

Yea, he will give delight unto thy soul.

18.

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint;

But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 29:10-18

1.

What two things does Proverbs 29:10 say the bloodthirsty do?

2.

What does Proverbs 29:11 say about losing one's temper?

3.

Why would this be the case (Proverbs 29:12)?

4.

Why does Proverbs 29:13 say, Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both?

5.

What promise does Proverbs 29:14 contain?

6.

Differentiate between rod and reproof (Proverbs 29:15)?

7.

Describe a child left to himself (Proverbs 29:15).

8.

What increases transgression (Proverbs 29:16)?

9.

Comment upon the truthfulness of the first statement in Proverbs 29:17.

10.

What two things will a properly trained child bring to his parents (Proverbs 29:17)?

11.

What is meant by vision in Proverbs 29:18?

PARAPHRASE OF 29:10-18

10.

The godly pray for those who long to kill them.

11.

A rebel shouts his anger; a wise man holds his temper in and cools it.

12.

A wicked ruler will have wicked aides on his staff.

13.

Rich and poor are alike in this: each depends on God for light.

14.

A king who is fair to the poor shall have a long reign.

15.

Scolding and spanking a child helps him to learn. Left to himself, he bring shame to his mother.

16.

When rulers are wicked, their people are too; but good men will live to see the tyrant's downfall.

17.

Discipline your son and he will give you happiness and peace of mind.

18.

Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild; but what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep His laws!

COMMENTS ON 29:10-18

Proverbs 29:10. One must pause to analyze this verse. It is Hebrew parallelism in which the latter statement is a restatement of the first. Let us rerun the verse in our own understanding of it: The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; they (the bloodthirsty) seek the life of the upright. Why do they do this? Some out of envy (like Cain1 John 3:12). Some because they are rebuked by the upright (like Ahab1 Kings 22:7-8). Some because the upright are an abomination to them (see Proverbs 29:27 of this chapter). Some because they fear the upright (like King Saul1 Samuel 18:5-9; 1 Samuel 24:17-20; 1 Samuel 26:1-2). Some because they can more easily get what the perfect have than they can what others have (see Proverbs 1:11-13). Three times does Psalms 37 refer to the wicked seeking to devour the righteous: The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth (Psalms 37:12); The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as are upright in the way (Psalms 37:14); The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him (Psalms 37:32).

Proverbs 29:11. A fool does not exercise self-control, for self-control is based upon wisdom which he does not have. Therefore, a wise person quiets his spirit when it could erupt, but a fool doesn-'t. Compare Proverbs 14:33: Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding; but that which is in the inward part of fools is made known.

Proverbs 29:12. This verse pictures a wicked ruler of which there have been many. Both their advisers are wicked (he hearkens to their falsehood), and his servants are wicked. A wicked ruler, wicked counselors, and wicked servants can only add up to a wicked reign.

Proverbs 29:13. Proverbs 22:2 is similar. Whether a man is poor or an oppressor, God has made him (Proverbs 22:2), he lives in God's world, and he is a recipient of God's good whether he makes good use or it or not: He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). This does not say that God is pleased with both (or with either).

Proverbs 29:14, There will be the poor in every king's realm, and the law of God is to care for them: The poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, -thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land (Deuteronomy 15:11). This verse makes a special promise to the king who obeys God's will in the matter as does Psalms 72:2-3: -He will judge thy people with righteousness, And thy poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. Other factors establishing one's throne: Kindness and truth (Proverbs 20:28); Righteousness (Proverbs 25:5),

Proverbs 29:15. When children misbehave, they need correction (Correct thy son, and he will give thee restProverbs 29:17), If you don-'t, if you let him keep on in his ways, he will bring shame to his mother and other heartaches to both parents: A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother (Proverbs 10:1); He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow; And the father of a fool hath no joy (Proverbs 17:21); A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him (Proverbs 17:25). In correcting, some merely talk to their children, and others merely whip them. But this verse points out the necessity of doing both properly, for it speaks of the rod (whipping) and of reproof (talking) giving wisdom. Don-'t you want your child to be wise? Then wisely reprove him and wisely whip him. This is Bible: Proverbs 19:18; Proverbs 22:15; Proverbs 23:13-14; Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:9. A child left to himself is one who is neglected, whose parents have not taught him, have not overseen him, have not been with him, have not loved him, and have not corrected him. Pulpit Commentary: The verb translated -left-' is used in Job 39:5 of the wild ass left to wander free where it wills. No child is capable of self-rearing. Such neglected offspring causeth shame. His parents who neglected him will be ashamed of him, and his desire to get away from home will probably be matched by their relief to see him go!

Proverbs 29:16. The more wicked those people are, the more sin there will be. Sin spreads like a mighty contagion: Because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many will wax cold (Matthew 24:12). John tells us that there has been a big take-over of this world by sin: The whole world lieth in the evil one (1 John 5:19). Paul speaks of this present evil world (Galatians 1:4). If you follow the crowd, you will be lost, for Jesus said, Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby (Matthew 7:14). Knowing the tendency of mankind to do whatever the crowd does, Exodus 23:2 says, Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest justice. Thank God, there will always be some who will not give in to the ways of the world. They are the righteous. There will always be a Noah or a Jeremiah or an Elijah or a Daniel or a Caleb and Joshua to uphold what is right and who will be spared when the wicked fall: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall surely abide under the shadow of the Almighty...A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked (Psalms 91:1-8).

Proverbs 29:17. Any godly parent is grieved at the wrongdoing of a child. And an undisciplined child will go from bad to worse until his parents-' nerves can take no more. Correct him, and he will give you rest; yes, and more: he will actually grow out into something good to bring Delight to your heart. Your author observes in his book, Simple, Stimulating Studies in the Proverbs: Some parents have no rest because of the misdeeds of their children. They are always into something, always tearing something up, always breaking something, always doing something the parents don-'t want them to do; in short, they weary the parents going from one thing to another. The right kind of correction...will not only give you rest concerning your child, but the child will actually be a delight to your soul. What a difference!

Proverbs 29:18. The word vision here implies the inspired message of God (often by a living representative of it). When there was not prophet to reveal God's will to the people or no preacher to hinder their going into sin, people get into sin with nothing to restrain them. We note the license of Eli's time, when there was no open vision (1 Samuel 3:1); in Asa's day, when Israel had long been without a teaching priest (2 Chronicles 15:3); and when the impious Ahaz -made Judah naked-' (2 Chronicles 28:19); or when the people were destroyed by reason of lack of knowledge of Divine things (Hosea 4:6) (Pulpit Commentary). Yet, even in those days there would still be some who would keep the law, and those who did would be blessed of God: Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it (Luke 11:28); If you know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them (John 13:17); He that looketh into the perfect law...and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing (James 1:25).

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 29:10-18

1.

Why do the wicked seek the life of the upright (Proverbs 29:10)?

2.

Self-control is based upon what which a fool lacks (Proverbs 29:11)?

3.

Locate three wicked persons or groups in Proverbs 29:12.

4.

Where did Jesus show that God makes earthly benefits available to both just and unjust (Proverbs 29:13)?

5.

What is God's promise for the king who properly regards the poor in his realm (Proverbs 29:14)?

6.

According to Proverbs 29:15, where do some parents fail?

7.

Who have been some of the righteous when sin has flourished (Proverbs 29:16)?

8.

Correction of a child can change a parent's disgust to ----. (Proverbs 29:17).

9.

Comment upon the first statement in Proverbs 29:18.

10.

What are some Bible promises to the obedient (Proverbs 29:18)?