Proverbs 15

Proverbs 15:1

15:1 Much of chapter 15 is devoted to the subject of speech. A gentle or conciliating answer prevents wrath from bursting forth or from increasing. If you answer a man with a harsh word, it stirs up his fleshly nature, and pretty soon you have a violent quarrel on your hands. Spurgeon gives a charming illustration: I once lived where my neighbor’s garden was divided from me only by a very imperfect hedge. He kept a dog, and his dog was a shockingly bad gardener, and did not improve my plants. So, one evening, while I walked alone, I saw this dog doing mischief and being a long way off, I threw a stick at him, with some earnest advice as to his going home. This dog, instead of going home, picked up my stick, and came to me with it in his mouth, wagging his tail. He dropped the stick at my feet and looked up to me most kindly. What could I do but pat him and call him a good dog, and regret that I had ever spoken roughly to him? 15:2 A wise man’s tongue pours forth helpful information. He knows what, when, where, and how to speak. Foolishness gushes like a torrent from the mouth of fools. 15:3 God is omniscient, that is, He knows everything. His eyes are in every place. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is keeping watch over every word, act, thought, and motive, both on the evil and the good. This caused David to exclaim, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it” (Psa_139:6). 15:4 Wholesome, gracious speech refreshes, soothes, and revives. Perverse, malicious talk breaks the spirit. 15:5 We have met this fool before. He considers his father outdated, his ideas old-fashioned, and his instruction worthless. The wise son receives parental correction and benefits by it. He is prudent and becomes even more so. 15:6 Those who were reared in a godly home can testify to the truth of the first line. Even though the parents might not have been affluent, they left their children a spiritual heritage of immense value. The ill-gotten gain of the unscrupulous man brings trouble on himself and his family. A good illustration of this is Achan (Josh. 7). 15:7 A wise man’s conversation is full of helpful knowledge. The foolish man can’t edify anyone else because his own mind is empty. 15:8 The first line teaches the worthlessness of ritual without reality. A wicked man may bring costly offerings to the LORD but God despises them. He wants the man’s life to be clean first. “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1Sa_15:22). God delights in the humble prayer of the upright person; “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heartthese, O God, You will not despise” (Psa_51:17). 15:9 The way of the wicked displeases the LORD greatly. He loves the person who lives in obedience to His Word. 15:10 There are two ways of looking at this proverb. It may be describing two different menthe wayward (him who forsakes the way) and the unteachable (he who hates correction), and the punishment they earnharsh discipline and death respectively. Or it may be describing the same man in both lines. At first his waywardness brings him severe harsh discipline. But he refuses to learn from it and so plunges on to death. Hebrew poetic structure (parallelism) favors the second interpretation. 15:11 Hell and Destruction (Heb., Sheol and Abaddon) are symbolic of the unseen world beyond the grave. If God knows all about what transpires in death and in the hereafter, how much more does He know the thoughts and secrets of the sons of men on earth? “All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb_4:13). 15:12 A scoffer resents being corrected. Nor will he go to the wise person for advice, but to someone who he thinks will tell him what he wants to hear. Such a policy is self-defeating; it only confirms him in his obstinacy and leaves him in the grave of stagnation. 15:13 A merry heart is reflected in a smiling face, but a broken heart has deeper effects. It causes despondency and despair. 15:14 The most knowledgeable people never stop in their pursuit of knowledge. The mouths of fools chew vacantly on foolishness. “The wise grow wiser, the foolish more dense.” 15:15 This seems to contrast the pessimist and the optimist. The first is always down-in-the-mouth. He is gloomy, fearful, and negative. The optimist always seems to be on top. He enjoys life to the full. 15:16 A poor believer is better off than a wealthy worrywart. Wealth has trouble attached. The life of faith is the carefree life. 15:17 A plate of vegetables in an atmosphere of love is . . . better than a filet mignon roast where there is strife. Moffatt says, “Better is a dish of vegetables, than the best beef served with hatred.” A fatted calf is one that has been raised in a stall and given the best feed; its meat is tender and delicious. Joseph R. Sizoo says: In a nearby city I visited one of the most luxurious estates I’ve ever seen in America. Within the house were Italian fireplaces, Belgian tapestries, Oriental rugs, and rare paintings. I said to a friend, “How happy the people must have been who lived here!” “But they weren’t,” he replied. “Although they were millionaires, the husband and wife never spoke to each other. This place was a hotbed of hatred! They had no love for God or for one another” (Our Daily Bread). 15:18 A hot-tempered man is always spreading strife. A wiser man knows how to avoid contention or cool it down after it has started. 15:19 The way of the lazy man is beset with all kinds of difficulties. Maybe he tries to use these as an excuse for doing nothing. The way of the upright is a smooth, well-paved highway. 15:20 A clean-living son brings great satisfaction to his dad. But the wayward son treats his mother with contempt by disobeying her will and disregarding her tears. 15:21 A stupid man enjoys his stupidity. He has never known anything better. The wise man gets his joy out of a life of sobriety and morality. A pig enjoys wallowing in the mire, whereas a sheep wants the clean pasture. 15:22 When men act singly, without counsel of others, their programs often go awry. It is safer to get a broad range of information and advice. Men who have had experience can warn against dangers to be avoided, can suggest the best methods, etc. 15:23 There is genuine satisfaction in being able to give an honest, helpful answer. Also a timely wordspoken at just the right time to meet a particular needhow good it is! Compare Isa_50:4, “. . . a word in season to him who is weary.” Jesus knows how to speak that word. 15:24 The wise person’s pathway winds upward toward life, that he may avoid the pathway that leads downward to death and destruction. Once again we are reminded of the two roads and two destinies of the human race. 15:25 The LORD will destroy the estate of the haughty and highhanded, but He will protect the boundary of the oppressed widow’s little farm. 15:26 The LORD detests the wicked plans of unscrupulous men, but He is pleased with the words of the pure. 15:27 This proverb may refer primarily to a judge or other public officer who swells his bank account by accepting bribes. In so doing he perverts judgment and corrupts his conduct. But even worsehe brings trouble unlimited on his own household. The man who refuses to have anything to do with bribes is the one who enjoys life. 15:28 A good man thinks before he speaks. He meditates on how to answer. An ungodly man opens his mouth and out comes a torrent of profanity, filth, and vileness. 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked in the sense that He does not enjoy fellowship with them, and they are not in touch with Him by prayer. Believers have instant audience with the Sovereign of the universe in the throne room of heaven by prayer. “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him” (Joh_9:31). 15:30 A person’s beaming countenance is contagious. It gladdens the heart of everyone he meets. Also, good news makes a man’s whole being feel good. 15:31 The man who heeds counsel that leads to the true way of life takes his place among the wise of the earth. The teaching of the Bible in general and the gospel in particular is life-giving counsel. 15:32 If a man won’t listen to godly instruction, it means that he despises himself because he is plunging over the cataract to ruin. He who heeds rebuke promotes his own best interests. 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the discipline that leads to wisdom. Humility is the way to honor.