Proverbs 29

CHAPTER 29

Proverbs 29:1

God has so many ways of reproving a man; yet the man can keep going on in sin. In my own experience I have known so many folk who were warned before judgment fell upon them; they ignored the warning, and judgment fell upon them in this life. In Dallas, Texas, one night I was walking down the street with a friend. A big crowd was gathered around out in front of a theatre. There was a wrecked automobile there and, believe me, it was really in a sad condition. When I got back to the seminary, one of the students told us the story of that car. It had been driven by a high school student and his girl friend. They had stopped to invite another girl to call her date and go out with them.

She said, “No, I can’t go with you tonight,” but she asked them to come with her to a Bible class. They finally agreed to take her to her Bible class, but they would not go in with her. On the way over, this girl presented Christ to them. She told them that she had accepted Christ through the Bible class and that they needed Him, too. They just laughed, and let the girl out of the car. Five minutes later as they were speeding down the street, they were both killed instantly when they collided with another car. There are many examples of this in the Bible. We think of Korah, and Dathan and Abiram, Belshazzar, Jezebel, and others. “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

Proverbs 29:2

We’ve seen before that when the wicked are in power, they never solve the problem, but one righteous man is able to bring blessing to a nation. That is what we need in this nation of ours above everything else. We don’t need men who say they have solutions for every problem. No one has the solutions for the problems of this world, and if anyone says he does, he must say it with his tongue in his cheek. What we need today are righteous men who will stand for the right at any price. I believe just one such man is better than a whole party, regardless of what party it might be. When the wicked rule, everyone suffers. Incidentally, for whom did you vote?

Proverbs 29:4

David was a good king. He was a righteous ruler over men, a ruler in the fear of God. Yet David made the confession that his house was not sound. Only Christ is the King who by judgment will establish the land. The coming of Christ to this earth is the only hope the world has. Thank the Lord that the church will leave before He comes to judge the earth. That is the promise that He has given. Politicians today are influenced by the giving of gifts. That has always figured in the politics of both parties. The Lord Jesus will reign in righteousness.

Proverbs 29:5

Applause for a man who is doing a good job is certainly in order. Merit should be recognized. I think there is a time to stand up and cheer for an individual. But when flattery is used, it is like the overdose of honey that we have read about in this book. It seems there are some people who are just given to flattery. They do not really tell the thing that is upon their hearts. When I was a pastor, there was a man who was always making requests and asking favors. I knew the minute my secretary said that he was on the phone that he wanted something. He always began the same way: “Oh Dr. McGee, I was listening to you on the radio this past week, and I want to tell you I never heard a message like that. I hope you are putting that message into print.” The more flattering the things he said, the bigger the favor he was going to ask. Flattery is a dangerous thing because sometimes people believe it. It is tragic when we believe flattery.

Proverbs 29:10

We might translate it like this: “Men of blood hate the perfect, but the just seek [or care] for his soul.” The bloodthirsty man has murder and hate in his heart. The Lord Jesus said that if you hate your brother, you are guilty of murder. Cain was a murderer, and the murder began in his heart. It shows how far and how quickly man fell. Remember that God created Adam and Eve perfect. When they fell, the only thing they could bring into the world was a sinner. They brought forth sons and daughters in their own likeness. Cain was one of them. He was a boy born with murder in his hearthe hated his brother.

Proverbs 29:11

You talk with a fool, and he will tell you everything. A wise man will hold back. He will be very careful what he says.

Proverbs 29:12

Parents need to discipline a child faithfully and set an example before him, because a child will imitate his parents. And the people will imitate their rulers and men in high position. The conduct of a ruler will be reflected in those who are under him. That is the picture we have here.

Proverbs 29:17

Again we have before us the importance of discipline.

Proverbs 29:18

“Vision” is actually spiritual understanding. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer to give him understanding of the Word of God. We read in 1Sa_3:1 “…And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” The Word of the Lord was precious, or rare. There was no understanding of the Word of God, and therefore, it was precious in those days. God had to raise up Samuel, a seer, to meet that need. You may remember that Joshua was disturbed because some of the men prophesied in the camp. But Moses said, “…would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!” (Num_11:29). Spiritual discernment is one of the gifts that God has given to the churchthat is, an understanding of the Word of God. This chapter concludes the collection of proverbs that were copied out by the men of Hezekiah. It concludes all the proverbs which are attributed to King Solomon. However, I believe that the final chapter of Proverbs was also written by Solomon and that he is King Lemuel.