main homiletics of verse17.
Obtrusiveness.
I. We may by indiscretion close a door which we have ourselves opened.There are many things which are pleasant and wholesome occasionally, which become not only unwelcome, but annoying, if we have too much of them. We do not desire to hear the sweetest song every day and all the day long—that which is refreshing and delightful now and then become wearisome if constantly repeated. We must apply this rule to ourselves in relation to our fellow-men. While we rejoice to feel that there are those who love us so well as to desire our presence upon all occasions, we must remember that most of our acquaintances will not set so high a value upon us, and that to be seen too often where we should be welcome if seen but seldom, is by our own act to shut our neighbour’s door upon us.
II. Our neighbour’s objection to our constant visits may rise from no unkindly feeling.Men who have work to do in the world cannot give all their time, or much of it, to the entertainment of visitors. There are those who, living to no purpose themselves, forget that others feel themselves accountable to God for the use they make of their lives, and such idle people often sorely vex and hinder their busy neighbours by their thoughtless and unseasonable visits. The man who enters a house and takes from a diamond necklace one precious stone after another until he has taken the whole, is doubtless no friend, but a thief and a robber, and is punishable by the law of the land; but the man who enters his neighbour’s house and robs him of hour after hour, steals property which probably cannot be redeemed, or redeemed only by encroaching upon the hours which ought to be given to rest. So that such a thoughtless intruder steals not only his neighbour’s time, but indirectly his health and power to work. Surely such pests of society ought not to have the name offriendbestowed upon them, but deserve to be branded with a name more befitting their character, and more in accordance with their actions.
For Homiletics of verse 18, see on chapxii. 18, page 274.
main homiletics of verses19and20.
Misplaced Confidence and Unseasonable Songs.
The day of adversity is, as we saw on chap.xxiv. 10, a testing time for the man who is the subject of the calamity, and it is also a season in which he tests the worth of those who have called themselves his friends in the time of his prosperity. These verses deal with two varieties among many who intensify his affection and deepen his grief, instead of bringing him help and comfort. There is—
I. The faithless friend.This phrase is a contradictory one, but it is used for want of a better. The word friend, in its highest and best sense, denotes one who is worthy of trust and who never fails in the hour of trial. But there are many who assume the name who are unworthy of it, and whose failure when they are most needed is one of the most bitter drops in the cup of calamity. If the cable breaks in a calm sea the vessel and the crew may escape serious injury; but if it gives way amid storm and tempest, the consequences are most disastrous. It is hard to find a professed friend failing us when we are sailing in calm waters, but it may then be borne without entirely crushing the spirit. But when such a discovery is first made in the day of trouble, it is enough to break the stoutest heart.
II. The undiscerning friend.There are many real friends who lack the ability to discern how best to help the sorrowful and heavy hearted. They sing a song with the intention of giving cheer when tears, or at least silence, would be far more acceptable to the wounded spirit. Songs of gladness, such as are doubtless here intended, fit the spirit when it is walking in the sunlight, but they aggravate the suffering of those who are in darkness of soul. He who aspires to the name of friend must learn to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those that weep.
outlines and suggestive comments.
Verse 19. The greatest disaster, in proportion to the number of men engaged, that befel our arms in the Eastern insurrection, was the direct result of confidence in an unfaithful man. At Arrah-on-the-Ganges three or four hundred soldiers were sent to attack a body of the rebels, and relieve some British residents who were in danger there. A native was employed to ascertain the position of the enemy. In consequence of his report, the man left the river and made a night march into the interior. The messenger was false. The little army fell into an ambush prepared for them in the jungle. Two-thirds of their number were shot down in the dark by unseen foes. The remnant escaped to their ship when the day dawned. As they lay in that fatal valley getting their wounds in the dark, and helplessly wishing for the day, how exquisitely bitter must have been the reflection that a too ready trust in a faithless man had wrought them all this woe.—Arnot.
The God of nature hath placed the teeth in two jaws, that the one may be helpful to the other; and he hath supported man withtwo feet,that the one may be a succor to the other. From hence, to teach us the help and support which one man ought to yield to another. It is by means of this mutual support in the feet that we pass over the blocks that lie in our way; for while the one foot is lifted up to step over them, the other bears up the body. It is the mutual help of the jaws, and by their meeting together, that we break hard things and make the fit nourishment for us. In like manner, therefore, when a block lies in the way of anyone, another should be ready to support him until he get over it. When a hard distress lieth upon anyone, another should be ready to help him for the better breaking through it. But in this point too many are like a broken tooth, and he that looketh to meet with them for help in his distress, findeth them not to answer his expectation . . . and too many are like a foot out of joint, and he that thinketh to rest upon them in time of need, is sure to fall by them.—Jermin.
Verse 20. He that taketh away a garment from another may think to ease his burden, but it being done in cold weather, it addeth to his coldness; he that putteth vinegar upon nitre may think only to break the hardness of it, but he dissolveth it. In like manner he that singeth songs to a heavy heart may think to ease the burden of sorrow, may think to break the hardness of grief, but such is the force of the sad contraposition, such is the power of the contrariety between singing and sorrow of heart, that the ease of one’s heart being able to sing, increaseth the weight of the other’s trouble that he cannot do so.—Jermin.
main homiletics of verses21and22.
A Blessed Recompense.
I. A recompense which is difficult.No one can affirm that it is an easy thing to minister help and comfort to one who has done us an injury, but it is more difficult in some cases than in others. Men are not bound to us by equal ties: some are merely related to us because they partake of the same common humanity; others are our kinsmen according to the flesh; while others stand in an equal nearer relation, and are brothers in a spiritual sense, being partakers with us of what is called in Scripture language the new birth. According to Christ’s teaching this is the nearest and closest bond which can unite men, and yet it cannot be denied that we sometimes have to exercise the grace of forgiveness even towards these brethren. But the motive power which prompts us to return good for evil is certainly stronger in this latter case than in the others, or at least it ought to be so. For when we reflect that the brother who has wronged us stands in the same relation to Christ as we do ourselves, it ought not to be at all difficult for us to feed him when hungry, or in any other way in our power to minister to his needs. There will also in most men be found more or less natural promptings to succour an enemy who is related to them by ties of blood—the nearer the natural relationship the more easy will it be, as a rule, to comply with the command given by the Wise Man. But the greatest difficulty will be found in obeying it when the enemy is one who is altogether unlike us in character, and who is only related to us in the broad and universal sense of being human. To be active and earnest in our endeavours to relieve the necessities of such an one needs often much Divine help, but it is demanded of us by Him who dies for a world at enmity with Him.
II. A retaliation which is blessed in its results.We understand with Zöckler, the figure here used to “describe the deep pangs of repentance which one produces within his enemy by rewarding his hatred with benefits.” This is a result most desirable and blessed for him who has been the offender. For it is the only road by which he can regain peace of mind and self-respect, as well as the esteem of all right-minded people. This restoration of an erring brother would in itself be a great reward to the good man, but it is not, according to Solomon, the only one which is accorded to him who thus recompenses good for evil. A special reward for the special act is promised by Jehovah. There is one which is the outcome of the laws by which He governs men. If a traveller in a cold region finds a fellow traveller lying benumbed and forsaken by the roadside, and does what he can do to raise and restore him, the effort makes his own blood circulate more quickly, and his own frame glow with warmth. This it the outcome of a natural law of God, and there is the spiritual one akin to it. For whenever an effort is made to raise and restore one who has morally fallen, he who makes the effort feels a reflex glow of moral life and health in his own spirit. This is the certain effect which must follow every act of goodwill towards an enemy, as surely as the shadow follows the substance. But there are probably other rewards of an external nature—many blessings that come to a good man’s life may be direct and special gifts from His Father above for deeds which, like the one now under consideration, are especially pleasing to Him.
outlines and suggestive comments.
We may profess our goodwill towards our enemy, that we forgive and pray for him from our heart. But unless we are ready with the practical exercise of sympathy, we are only the victims of our own moral delusion.—Bridges.
It is action, not affection, that is here spoken of—not the disposition of the heart, but the deeds of the hand; and if it be a more practicable thing that we should compel ourselves to right bodily performances than call up right mental propensities, this may alleviate somewhat our dread of these precepts, as if they were wholly unmanageable or incompetent to humanity. Before, then, taking cognisance of what should be the inward temper of Christians towards those who maltreat or oppress them, we would bid you remark that the outward conduct towards them is that which forms the literal subject-matter of the commandments here given. The disciples are in this place told that . . . hard as it may be under their cruel provocations to keep unruffled minds and tofeelpeaceably, they, as much as in them lies, are tolivepeaceably . . . while it may not be the tendency of nature so todesire,our bidden obligation is so todo,for inso doingthou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.—Chalmerson Rom. xii. 20.
Now, we know that if a coal or two of fire be laid on the hearth of the chimney below, he that is cold cannot be wholly warmed, or receive much good thereby; but if one basketful be poured on the fire after another, so that the coals are heaped up to the mantel-tree, or are as high as his head that fain would warm him, then he waxeth thoroughly hot and beginneth even to burn. It seemeth then that by this borrowed speech is meant, that if a man shall be very bountiful even unto his enemy, and heap upon him one good turn after another, this will cause his affection, which before was cold, to burn within him. Thus dealt David with Saul, who spared his life when he might have slain him, and only cut off a piece of his coat when he might have cut off his head.—Muffett.
I take for granted, that I believe to be the truth, that the words“for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head,”have reference, not to the fires of Divine-vengeance, but to the influence of kindly treatment melting down the enemy to conciliation, as fuel heaped on the ore fuses it from the hardness, and sends it forth in liquid streams, to take the features and impress of the mould.—A certain prince, on leading his generals and his army against an advancing host of invaders, declared his resolution not to leave a single enemy alive. He sent an embassy to treat with them. He made proposals such as subdued and attached them, and rendered them valuable allies. On astonishment being expressed that he should have thus failed in his determination and promise, his ready reply was—“I have not failed: I have kept my word. I engaged not to leave aliving enemy;nor have I. They are enemies no longer—they arefriends.” He had “heaped coals of fire on their head.”—Wardlaw.
For hunger and thirst are common enemies, both to thee and him. And therefore, as where a common enemy invadeth, particular enmity is laid aside, and all join there to help and withstand him; so here lend a hand to resist these common enemies, which though now have seized on thine enemy may quickly seize on thee. Besides he is hungry as a man, he thirsteth as a man—not as an enemy—and therefore as a man give him bread to eat, give him water to drink. This may also quench the hunger of his enmity, and satisfy also the hunger of his hatred.—Jermin.
If anyone desires to try this work, he must bring to it at least these two qualifications, modesty and patience. If he proceed ostentatiously, with an air of superiority and a consciousness of his own virtue, he will never make one step of progress. The subject will day by day grow harder in his hands. But even though the successive acts of kindness should be genuine, the operator must lay his account with a tedious process and many disappointments. . . . The miner does not think that his coals of fire are wasted, although he has been throwing them on for several successive hours, and the stones show no symptomsof dissolving. He knows that each portion of the burning fuel is contributing to the result, and that the flow will be sudden and complete at last. Let him go and do likewise who aspires to win a brother by the subduing power of self-sacrificing love.—Arnot.
main homiletics of verse23.
The Way to Treat a Backbiter.
It will be seen from a reference to theCritical Notes, that nearly all modern commentators render this verse quite differently from the common version, and so reverse the meaning. It will, however, bear the common rendering, “I confess,” says Wardlaw, “that if the word will bear it at all, our version seems decidedly preferable. There is something tame, commonplace, and of little practical consequence—hardly worth forming the subject of a proverb—in saying that as the north wind brings rain, ‘a backbiting tongue’ brings anger. But the verse as it stands in our translation inculcates a most important lesson.” We therefore take the proverb as we find it in our Bible, as setting forth—
I. An unrighteous action producing a righteous emotion.We have before had brought before us in this book the peculiar iniquity of backbiting and its evil results (seech. xii. 17–19, 22, page 274). The special unrighteousness of the act lies, of course, in the fact that the person who is the subject of it, being absent and ignorant of the charge brought against him, has no opportunity of defending himself. A feeling of indignation against such an act, and an expression of it in the countenance, is therefore demanded from every lover of truth and justice. He who will calmly listen to a tale of slander and show no token of disapproval, makes himself a partaker of the sin. But it is impossible for a righteous man to act thus. When a putrid body is presented to our bodily senses, if we are healthy men we experience a feeling of revulsion which we cannot conceal. And so if a man is morally healthy he must experience and reveal a strong dislike to the backbiting tongue.
II. The unrighteous action overpowered by the righteous emotion.When the heavy rain-clouds which overspread the sky are dispersed and driven away by the wind, they show themselves to be the weaker of the two contending forces. And so when the backbiting tongue is silenced by the look of righteous indignation, it gives proof that, however strong the workings of evil are, the power of goodness is stronger. Those who set their faces against this or any other vice, may always draw encouragement from the fact that there is a reprover within the breast of the wrong-doer, which in spite of all efforts to stifle it, seconds the reprover from without—wherever the conscience is at all awake, it says “Amen” to a faithful rebuke, whether administered by word or look. And so it is that a countenance upon which is written righteous anger is so potent a check to a backbiting tongue.
outlines and suggestive comments.
It is a great encouragement to tale-bearers, to observe their wicked stories are heard with attention. If a man looks upon them with a cheerful countenance, and listens to their tales, and makes them welcome to his table, they naturally conclude that the person to whom they speak has as bad a heart as themselves, and they will not fail to bring him new stories of the like kind, as soon as they have got an opportunity to learn or to make them. But if the receiver of stolen goods is a sharer with the thief in his guilt, and if any man that encourages another in evil partakes inhis sin, then he that hears the backbiter with complacency is little better than himself, and would probably follow the same trade if he had the same talents for it. We cannot, therefore, clear ourselves from the sin of backbiting, unless we refuse to receive a bad report of our neighbour, and testify our displeasure, by all proper methods, at the base conduct of the assassins that would murder in the dark the good-name of their fellow-creatures. When the murderers of Isbosheth brought their master’s head to David, judging from their own disposition that it would be an acceptable present to him, he treated them in such a manner that no man ever sent another present of the like kind to him.—Lawson.
There is a place for anger as well as for love. As in nature, a gloomy tempest serves some beneficial purposes for which calm sunshine has no faculty; so in morals, a frown on an honest man’s brow is in its own place, as needful and useful as the sweetest smile that kindness ever kindled on the human countenance. . . . We don’t want a fretful passionate man; and if we did, we could find one without searching long or going far. We want neither a man of wrath nor a man of indiscriminating, unvarying softness. We want something with two sides; that is, a solid real character. Let us have a man who loves good and hates evil, and who, in place and time convenient, can make either emotion manifest upon his countenance. The frown of anger is the shade that lies under love and brings out its beauty.—Arnot.
For Homiletics on verse 24, see on chapterxxi. 9, page 613.
main homiletics of verse25.
Cold Water and Good News.
I. Two blessings often ardently longed for.In these days of travel, many more can enter into the spirit of this analogy than in the days of Solomon—the comparative ease by which men can reach the most distant lands, and which in one aspect brings all places and people so much nearer together than in ancient times, is on the other hand the cause of far more separation between those who are bound together by tender ties, and fills far more hearts with an anxious longing for tidings from far countries. No more apt illustration could be used to picture such a condition of spirit than that ofthirst;for asit,if of long duration, prostrates the frame and renders every other blessing of life incapable of affording any comfort, so often does a long delay of tidings concerning those most dear paralyse all the energies of the soul, and render it unable to gain comfort from any other source. The wife whose husband has been long fighting for his country on the distant battle-field, or the father whose son has been for years seeking his fortune in some far-off land, turns often with distaste from all the comforts and interests which surround them, and would willingly sacrifice many near blessings in exchange for cheering news from those beyond the seas. They are like the traveller in the desert, whose gold cannot allay his consuming thirst, and who would willingly give a bag of pearls for a cup of cold water.
II. Two blessings bringing like results.Hagar and her son wandered in the desert till the water was spent in the bottle, and then mother and son gave up all for lost and lay down to die. We may take it for granted that neither the youth nor his mother were easily overcome or quickly daunted, but thirst and its attendant evils would soon have slain them as certainly as a band of desert robbers. But when God showed to Hagar the well, and they had drunk of itswaters, it was as though a new life had entered into them, and hope and energy returned. This is a type of what has happened to many a heart-sick soul since those days. Jacob was going down to his grave still mourning for the son lost so many years ago, and life, we may well believe, had lost its interest for him when his sons brought the astonishing tidings, “Joseph is yet alive, and is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And the old man renewed his youth, and, so to speak, began to live again, so life-restoring often to a thirsty soul is good news from a far country.
outlines and suggestive comments.
A far-off landsends speciallygood newsbecause we faint the more, and long the harder, for the very reason that it is so distant. They come more seldom. And our relations with far-off lands are weightier and more critical than those beside us. So much for the secular significance. But oh! the spiritual! The righteous scarcely are saved (1 Peter iv. 18). We are in a wilderness (Rev. xii. 6, 14). Our enemies are legion (Ephes. vi. 12). We run the gauntlet with daily foes (Ephes. v. 16); and that with daily changes in their attempts to trip us (Prov. v. 6). The sinner, wherever he may be met, is faint with fatigue. Our Saviour knew this when He shaped His appeal “Come unto me, all that labour,” etc. (Matt. xi. 28). Now, high over all the odes of comfort is the“good news from a far-off land.”All right there, come anything! A man’s life may have been a perfect failure,quoadthe opinion of the world; but if he have Heaven it has been the very best—there has not been an hour of it that has not been “marshalled by a Divine tactic,” the best for the man and the best for his part in the war.—Miller.
We shall especially apply the subject—toheaven—good news from heaven. There are several things that make good news from a far country as grateful as “cold waters to a thirsty soul.”I. If the country reported is altogether unlike our own.The human mind is always interested in what is novel and romantic—strangeness has a strange fascination for the soul. What charms have the reports of Captain Cook, Moffatt, Livingstone, for all minds. . . .II. If the country reported has conferred an immense benefit on us.Supposing that we had once been in a state of abject slavery, and that the far country reported to us had effected our emancipation and guaranteed our liberty, with what interest should we listen to everything about it—the act that served us would invest all the incidents connected with this history with a special charm. . . .III. If the country reported contained any that are dear to us.New Zealand, Vancouver’s Island, and many other countries, are extremely interesting to many families in this land, on account of the friends they have living in them. . . .IV. If the country reported is a scene in which we expect to live ourselves.With what interest does the emigrant listen to everything referring to that land whither he is about to be wending his way, and which he is adopting as his home. Heaven as a far country pre-eminently meets all these conditions of interest. There is theNovel.. . . How unlike that country is ours. Here is a sphere for the play of the romantic. There is theBenefactor.What benefits that far country has conferred on us! Thence we have received Christ the Redeemer of the World, and the Blessed Spirit of wisdom, purity, and love. There are ourFriends.How many of those who we have known and loved are there. How many such are going there every day. Some of us have more friends in heaven than on earth. There weexpect to live.There we expect an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.—Dr. David Thomas.
main homiletics of verse26.
The Evil Result of Moral Cowardice.
I. There can never be a good reason why a good man should waver or bow down before a bad man.Many reasons often exist why one bad man should fear another bad man, they are both on the wrong side, both arrayed against the moral order of the universe, and therefore are on theweakestside, and cannot count upon the support of any superior and all-powerful force. Neither of them has conscience or God upon his side; each one has to fight his battle on his own charges, and can with no confidence foretell the result. But the want of firmness on the part of a righteous man in the presence of wickedness—even when that wickedness is allied with all the power that it can arrogate to itself—is contrary to reason. For as surely as light must defeat the darkness, so surely must right in the end prove itself victorious over wrong. A good man has the whole force of the moral universe upon his side, and is assured both by experience and by Divine promise that if he holds fast to the end he shall be more than conqueror.
II. The wavering of such a man pollutes the very sources of social morality.Unreasonable although it is, yet it is not out of the range of human experience. “The best men are but men at the best” says an old writer, and in times of great trial they often give evidence that it is so. Good and noble men have sometimes trembled and given way before the terrors of the stake, and far less terrible suffering has often sufficed to shake the constancy of true men who were less courageous. But whenever such a fall takes place it is a heavy blow to the cause of right and truth upon the earth. A good man is like a fountain of pure and living water. He is a source of moral life and health in the circle in which he moves; even if he does not put forth any direct or special effort for the advancement of morality, his life will as certainly have an influence for good as the lighted candle will illumine the darkness around it. But if he shows himself a coward when exposed to loss or danger for the sake of right, it will do as much harm to the moral health of the community in which he lives as would be done to its bodily health if the stream from which its members drink were polluted at the fountain head. The mischief done in each case may not show itself by any startling results. The poison in the water may notkill,but only lower the standard of health in those who partake of it, and so a moral fall in a good man may not lead other men to open apostasy from the right path, but it may make the walk of many unsteady. Christ tells His disciples this same truth when He calls them the“salt of the earth,”and asks“if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted”(Matt. v. 13). In other words, the good are the conservators of the moral purity of the world, and if any one among them ceases to sustain this character he is not only a loser himself but a source of loss to others.
outlines and suggestive comments.
Lord Bacon gives this proverb political application: “It teaches that an unjust and scandalous judgment in any conspicuous and weighty cause is, above all things, to be avoided in the State;” and in his Essay (lvi.) of Judicature, he says; “One foul sentence doth more hurt than many foul examples; for these do but corrupt the stream, the other corrupteth the fountain”—Tr. of Lange’s Commentary.
Easternfountain and springs(where the rains are only periodical, and at longer intervals) are of no common price. The injury ofcorruptingthem is proportionate. The well is therefore a blessing or a curse, accordingto the purity or impurity of the waters.A righteous manin his proper character is “a well of life, a blessing in the midst of the land.” But ifhe fall down before the wickedby his inconsistent profession, the blessing becomes a curse,the fountain is troubled, and the spring corrupt.What a degradation was it to Abraham tofall downunder the rebuke of an heathen king; to Peter, to yield to a servant maid in denying his Lord! How did David’s sintrouble the fountain,both to his family and his people! How did the idolatry of his wise soncorrupt the springthrough successive generations!
When a minister of Christ apostatises from the faith (and mournfully frequent have been such spectacles) or compromises his principles from the fear of man, thesprings and fountainsof truth are fearfully corrupted. When a servant of God, of standing and influences, crouches andfalls down under the wicked,the transparency of his profession is grievously tarnished. Satan thus makes more effective use of God’s people than of his own.—Bridges.
main homiletics of verse27.
Too Much of a Good Thing.
For Homiletics on the first clause of this verse, see onverse 16, page 703. A reference to theCritical Noteswill show that, owing partly to its elliptical form, the rendering of the second clause has been much disputed. The reading found in our version is, however, quite admissible on the principles of Hebrew interpretation, and accords well with the first clause. The analogy teaches—
I. That a desire for the good opinion of others is right and salutary.As honey is not only a pleasant but a wholesome article of food, so the wish to stand well with our fellow-men is a God-implanted feeling which is very beneficial both to the individual man and to society as a whole. He is a churlish being who does not care what other people think about him, who sets at nought their esteem or their blame, while a right regard to their judgment of us insensibly produces a beneficial influence upon our conduct and temper.
II. But it is a desire which must not rule our life.Just as honey must not be substituted for plainer food, or made the staple article of diet, so a desire for the good opinion of others must not be put before higher motives—must not be made the ruling principle of life. This proverb may be linked with the preceding one to some extent, for the lack of firmness which good men sometimes display in the society and under the influence of worse men than themselves is often due to a desire not to lose their good opinion—not to be thought obstinate, or morose, or conceited. But when any question of right or wrong is at stake the approval or disapproval even of those whose goodwill is most precious to us must be cast aside.
outlines and suggestive comments.
There is such a thing asvain glory.There is such a thing as a person’s indulging an insatiable appetite for applause or honour. There is such a thing as“searching it out,”looking ever after it, eager to get it, and touchily jealous of every omission to bestow it and every deficiency in its amount; exploring for it in every possible direction; listening with an ear on the alert to catch every breathing of adulation;fishingfor praise; throwing out hints to draw it forth; eulogising others, to tempt a return; saying things in disparagement of oneself, for the sake of having the contradicted—things which, said by another, would stir the hottest of hisblood. The temper of mind may be put in exercise, in regard to greater and to smaller matters. It may assume the form of a proud ambition, or of a weak-minded vanity. But in either case it may with truth be said that“it is not glory.”A man’s honour should rathercome to him,than be eagerly solicited and searched for. It should not be madehis object.—Wardlaw.
main homiletics of verse28.
A Defenceless City.
The other side of this picture is given in chap.xvi. 32. (See page 497.)
I. Such a city as is here described proclaims the lack of a wise and powerful governor within.The walls and buildings of a city are constantly exposed to influences which promote decay, even if no hostile military force attacks them. The everyday exposure to storm and sun and rain will have a tendency to make the mortar crumble, and the bricks or stones to become loose and fall away. Hence, if a wise man governs a city he will make it a part of his constant duty to watch for the first signs of weakness, and if he has the authority which his position ought to put into his hand, he will cause each breach to be repaired as soon as it is discovered. And when we see a city whose walls are in a perfect condition—where there are no fallen stones and no crumbling mortar—we feel at ease that there is rule and authority residing there. But“a city broken down and without walls”tells plainly the opposite story. Now every human spirit in this fallen world is exposed daily, and sometimes hourly, to influences which tend to irritate and vex it, and so to destroy its means of defence against temptation, and lower its dignity and mar its moral beauty. And if a man yields himself up to these influences, and allows them to hold undisputed sway over his life, he proclaims himself to be without those essential elements to his welfare and happiness—wisdom to see his danger, and power to guard it.
II. Such a city gives an invitation to the invader without.If a fortress is known to be well fortified, if there is no weak or unguarded point, an enemy will not hastily try to take possession of it. Its strength will oftentimes be its security against attack. But if its fallen towers and tottering defences tell of weakness and anarchy within, its condition will tempt the foe to enter. So if a man gives evidence that he has no control over his passions, both evil men and evil spirits will mark him for their prey, and will make it their business to lead him from one sin to another—to make him not only a negative but a positive transgressor. Such an one, in the language of Paul,“gives place to the devil”(Eph. iv. 27).
outlines and suggestive comments.
To come to particulars; if any be angry or given to wrath, will he not quickly be led captive to revile and commit murder? If the affection of covetousness possess any, will he not easily be drawn to deceive and steal? The like is to be said of all the passions of the mind, which, if a man cannot bridle or govern, they will carry him headlong with violence into all mischief and misery, as wild and fierce horses oftentimes run away with an unguided coach or waggon.—Muffett.
Critical Notes.—2.The first clause of this verse should be,As the sparrow flitting, as the swallow flying,etc.Causeless,i.e., “undeserved”—i.e.,Such a curse is but transient—it alights for the moment, but, like a bird, does not stay long. Miller and others, however, understand the comparison to carry an entirely opposite meaning. (SeeSuggestive Commentson the verse.)3.To our English ideas, the whip and bridle are assigned respectively to the wrong animals, but it must be remembered that the Eastern ass is often quite as spirited an animal as the horse.6. Drinketh damage,or“injury.”As in Job xxi. 20, the verb“drinketh”seems to express suffering in a large measure.7. Are not equal.The Hebrew word, so rendered, is a very obscure one, and is rendered by Delitzsch, Gesenius, and others,“hang down.”Zöckler and Stuart give the sentence the imperative form, and read,“Take away the legs from the lame, and the proverb in the fool’s mouth.”Parable.This is the common word for proverb—the word that gives the title to the book. On its real meaning, see theIntroduction.8. Sling.Gesenius, Zöckler, and many other commentators, adopt the reading in the margin of the English version, and translate this word, which is very obscure,“a heap of stones.”Stuart, Ewald, Delitzsch, and others, retain the word“sling,”which is the reading of the Septuagint. Stuart thus explains the verse,“It would be absurd tobind a stone in a sling,and then expect it to do execution. Equally so it is tobestow honour on a fool,and expect any good consequences from it.”If the first reading is adopted, the word stone must be understood to refer toa precious stone.9. A thorn.This is generally understood to mean a thorny stick or staff, which is a mischievous weapon in the hands of a drunkard.10.This verse is very difficult and obscure, and has many and entirely different renderings. Luther, Elster, and others, translate the subject of the first clause,“A master, an able man, formeth all aright,—or all himself.”Delitzsch, Umbreit, and Hitzig, read,“Much produceth all.”The French version is in substance the same as our English marginal rendering. Perhaps the greater number of Hebrew critics favour the rendering of Zöckler, Ewald, Stier, etc., who read,“As an archer, who woundeth everything, so is he who hireth fools and vagrants”(or wayfarers). Stuart and Miller translate the first word,“arrow,”and the former thus explains the proverb,“He who employs fools and vagrants to do his work, will injure himself.”15. In his bosom.Rather,In the dish,as in chap. xix. 24.17. Meddleth,rather,“is excited.”21. Coals to burning coals—i.e., “black coals to burning,”etc.22.A repetition of chap. xviii. 8. (See onthat verse.)23. Burning lips—i.e.,“lips whence some ardent expressions of friendship.”Silver dross.Impure silver not freed from the dross.24. Layeth up,rather,“prepareth,”or“mediateth.”26. Congregation—i.e., “before the people assembled for judgment.”(Zöckler.)
main homiletics of verse1.
A Gift Wrongly Bestowed.
I. To honour some men is both seemly and right.The snow and the rain come from heaven by Divine command, and are indispensable to the beauty and fruitfulness of the earth. So to accord honour where it is due is a Divine command (Rom. xiii. 7), and is indispensable to our social well-being.
II. But honour accorded to a fool (i.e.,a bad man) is incongruous and hurtful.Snow in summer is an exception to the rules of nature. It would indeed be a surprise to our reapers when they were about to gather in the grain, to find the fields white with snow, and such an event would be most mischievous in its effects. And in Oriental countries rain in summer would be equally surprising, and probably as hurtful, since the rain in those lands generally descends in torrents and not in gentle showers as with us. So, although God has commanded us to“honour all men”(1 Peter ii. 17), the wicked man, by his wickedness, puts himself outside this rule, and to place him in a position of honour, or to give him reverence, is entirely out of place, and an act which can only produce evil consequences. 1.It does harm to the man who gives it.The heavy rain or snow falling upon the ripened cornfield, takes away all its beauty and lessens its worth—it may make it utterly valueless. And so it degrades a soul to bow down where it oughtto stand erect and firm, and a man who will from cowardice or any other cause cringe before a moral fool is a man who is of no use in the world from a moral point of view. (See on this subject, onverse 26of the preceding chapter, page 711.) 2.It injures the man who receives it.It makes him feel as if there was no difference between vice and virtue, when he finds himself receiving that which ought to be given to a good man only, and so he is confirmed in his wickedness. This will be the case especially if the person who does him honour is a better man than himself, it is such a case as is described in the verse referred to above. 3.It has a bad influence upon men around them.It is an encouragement to bad men to continue in their evil courses when they see wickedness enthroned in high places, and worthless men receiving honour instead of the scorn which they deserve. Such an elevation makes all bad men more shameless and daring, and it also discourages and depresses better men. Although the truly good man’s actions spring from a deeper source, and have their origin in a higher motive than the praise or blame of their fellow-men, yet there are many who are not firmly rooted in the practice of virtue, who are much influenced by the moral atmosphere in which they live. If they see their fellow-men doing as God does, and being a respecter of persons in regard tocharacter,and to characteronly,their better nature will be strengthened, and their efforts to be upright and godly will be encouraged, but if they see“the wicked walk on every side,”and“the vilest men exalted”(Psalm xii. 8), they may give up the struggle after a higher and better life in despair. And thus the effect upon the moral tone of the community will be as blighting and destructive as floods upon the growing corn, or as snow upon the ripening fruits. It is, therefore, the solemn duty of every man in this respect to“discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth Him not”(Mal. iii. 18).
outlines and suggestive comments.
Honour is unfit for a fool, in two respects especially; the one, for that punishment is properly due unto him; the other, for that he abuseth his authority, be it civil or ecclesiastical, unto the hurt of those that are subject unto him.—Muffett.
main homiletics of verse2.
The Causeless Curse.
A reference to theCritical Notesand theSuggestive Commentswill show that different meanings are attached to this proverb.
I. Men often utter causeless curses.In whatever country of the world we travel, and among whatever society, we are liable to hear men pouring forth maledictions against their fellow-creatures. There are places and circles where such imprecations are never uttered, because a better spirit rules those who belong to them, but there are, alas! exceptions to a rule. Curses without cause are uttered by masters against servants, and by parents against children, and by men in every condition and relation in life—curses prompted by passion and falling from the lips of men who answer to the description of the Psalmist—whose“inward part is very wickedness,”and, as a consequence, whose“throat is an open sepulchre”spreading unhealthy and loathsome influence around (Psa. v. 9).
II. Such a curse is harmless to its victims.A curse which is undeserved has no sting; it is as powerless to injure as the bird that flits over the traveller’s head and soon disappears. Even if the creature attempted to harm the manit is too weak, but not weaker than thecurse without cause.It may cast a passing shadow in its passage, but there is no substance in it—it consists of words without weight, and wishes that have no power to fulfil themselves.
III. But such a curse will fall upon him who uttered it.We know that every bird who casts a shadow over our path will presently settle down again—it will find its nest whence it started, and there take up its abode. And so every curse uttered without a cause will return upon the head of him who uttered it—upon him will come the same, or worse, ills than those he has called down upon another. “Cursing men,” says Trapp, “are cursed men.”
outlines and suggestive comments.
(This comment, it will be seen, rests on another interpretation of the verse.) The type is graceful. The“bird”is so little, and his flight and roaming about so graceful, that we never think of him as having an aim. And yet, the wildest sport upon the wing is continually directed, and obeys the mind of the humblest voyager in the heavens.“Curses;”of all other things not aimless. “He doth not afflict willingly” (Lam. iii. 33). And so whether large or trivial; the one great curse, or its numerous army of descendants; none are without apurpose.In each gentle pulse upon the wind the twittering“swallow”has no more clear a meaning than these flying griefs, as they float fitfully toward them who are to bear them. This Hebrew has two meanings. . . . We have selected“to no purpose”here, because the preposition isלand notבּ. Had we selected “for no cause,” there would have emerged a beautiful sense. The meaning then, as birds do not make their appearance in the spring as apparitions, starting up ghost-like in the fields as they seem to, but have come long journeys, many of them in the night, and have reached us by honest flying, so the cursedoes not comewithout acause.The meanings, as will be seen, are very different. One is, that the curse has acauseon our part; the other, that it has a reason on the part of our Creator. Now, both are true. Both are very expressive. Both have a fitness in the passage. . . .“To no purpose”yields the wider truth, and, moreover, is the bolder mystery. The curse had a subsistence earlier than we, and a“cause”later than it had areason.It was pre-determined from the very beginning. And, therefore, ours is the bolder grasping of the cavil, and replies to the sinner more deeply.—Miller.
Powerless was Moab’s curse, though attempted to be strengthened with the divination of the wicked prophet. Goliath’s curse against David was scattered to the winds. What was David the worse for Shimei’s curse; or Jeremiah for the curses of his persecutors? Under this harmless shower of stones we turn from men to God, and are at peace. “Let them curse; but bless thou; when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice” (Ps. cix. 28).—Bridges.
main homiletics of the paragraph.—Verses3–11.
A Low Level.
I. A moral fool puts himself on a level with the brute by turning a deaf ear to the voices of reason and conscience.That which above all other characteristics distinguishes man from the lower animals is the possession of a moral sense and a reasoning faculty; these are the great lights which God has given him for his guidance, by the use of which he may ever be rising to a higher moral and intellectual level. But the moral fool does not listen to them, and even afterhe has tasted the bitterness of disregarding them, and even while he is suffering from the evil effects of his folly, he gives evidence of his moral stupidity byreturning to it(ver. 11). This is a plain proof that he is“as the horse or the mule, which have no understanding”(Psa. xxxii. 9).
II. Having chosen his position he must be treated accordingly.When men act like men—when their conduct is such as befits responsible and rational creatures—they are open to reason and persuasion, and their fellow-men are bound to use such means in their intercourse with them. They are bound to listen to what they have to say, and to reply to their questions and consider their objections. But to do this with such a person as is here called afoolwould be to disobey our Saviour’s injunction, and to“cast our pearls before swine.”It would be letting ourselves down to his level and encouraging him in his self-conceit. This, we think, is the meaning of verse 4. But, on the other hand, we are not always to be silent when the fool is talking. This also might lead him to think that his foolish arguments were unanswerable—that we thought him as wise as he thinks himself to be. He is to receive sometimes the stern rebuke that his folly deserves; the manifestation of our displeasure is to be in proportion to his manifestation of weakness and wickedness. This will also be“answering a fool according to his folly,”as in verse 5. But a fool must be checked by means that will perhaps make more impression upon him than mere words. Therodmust be applied—coercion and punishment must come into use where reason and moral persuasion are useless. Having placed himself on a level with the brute, he must be ruled sometimes by brute force—by the whip of compulsion, by the bridle of restraint. Men have the power of doing this to a certain extent, and it is their duty to use it. But whether they do or do not, God will certainly visit such an offender with the rod of punishment. Whether this is the truth contained in verse 10 or not, revelation and experience affirm it, and we have met with it repeatedly in this book. It is a great offence against Him who called us into being, and who desires His creatures to be worthy of their Creator, when men thus in practice count themselves unworthy of their destiny. The Hebrew nation, in the bygone ages, was called by God to occupy a higher moral level than the surrounding nations, but by its own stubbornness and self-conceit it made the purpose of God to none effect, and was therefore necessarily made to feel the bitterness of being treated like a wild and refractory animal (Jer. xxxi. 18). And so it is with men in general. God would treat them as His sons, but their moral foolishness compels Him to make them feel the whip, the bridle, and the rod. One other thought is suggested in verses 7 and 8—
III. That even the fool will sometimes adopt the speech of the wise.Aparable,or a wise saying, will sometimes be found in his lips, he will be sometimes heard to utter words of wisdom and give good advice. But precept is of little avail if not backed by a good example; the words and the deeds of such a man are as ill-matched as those of a cripple who has one sound and useful limb, but whose other is shrunken and useless. The gait of such a man is awkward and uncertain, the malformed and the healthy limb do not well balance his body. This is an apt illustration of the incongruity which often exists between the words and actions of a moral fool.
(For Homiletics on verses 6 and 8 considered separately see onverse 1, page 714, and on chap.x. 26, page 179.)
outlines and suggestive comments.
Verse 3. The rod is needful for the fool’s back. Are you the unhappy fathers of foolish children? you must make use of the rod and reproof to give them wisdom. Are you authorised to bear rule in thechurch? the rod of church discipline must be applied to offenders, that they may be reclaimed, and others warned. Are you magistrates; the rod which God has put into your hands may be a means of preserving young malefactors from the gibbet at a more advanced period of life. Are you wise? beware of turning aside unto folly, that you may never need the rod. Are you fools? learn wisdom, or do not blame those whom duty and charity will oblige to use the rod for your correction.—Lawson.
Verses 4 and 5.Answer a fool,not with any dream that you thoroughly answer him,lest you be like him,and a fool yourself. And yet, by all meansanswerhim.Answerwherever you can, lest he think you can’t; exploding all baseless heresies and mistakes; lest, hardening himself where he might be convinced, and defrauding himself where there is everything to be said, he erect himself against facts where he has not been taught, andbecome wise in his own eyes. . . . Answer not a fool,because much mystery does not admit of answer, and you will be a fool yourself. But more. The natural man does not discern the things of the Spirit of God. If you answer a natural man with the idea that mere answers can turn him, you must“be like him,”as having no sense yourself of what is purely spiritual. Notice here a grand rebuke of reason in all attempts to convince the sinner. Neverthelessanswer a fool,and bow to just as great a rebuke to reason. We use reason far too gingerly. Reason is a Divine creation. It is an instrument. There is a thought as though it were wicked to go too deep. On the contrary, we are to out-think the fool. If we leave science to work her way, she will growwise in her own conceit. Answerher. Rationalistic infidelity is by no means an infidelity in reason. And the church should make that to be seen. Scripture has been belied in the direction of Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor. ii). Nothing is more irrational than rationalism. And one of the firstanswers to the foolwhich he shall receive in the judgment will be, that he had all thereasonfor believing Christ which he had for anything beside, and a host of greater ones peculiar to the Gospel.—Miller.
These two sentences may seem at the first blush to be contrary . . . but this knot will be easily untied if it be observed that there are two sorts of answers, the one in folly, the other unto folly. A fool is not to be answered in his folly, or according unto his folly, that is to say, in such vanity as he useth, or after such a raging manner as he speaketh. . . . A fool is to be answered unto his folly; that is, by reasons to be confuted, and by reproofs that are wise to be bridled.—Muffett.
Generally speaking, it would be better to follow Hezekiah’s command concerning Rabshakeh’s blasphemy—“Answer him not.”Jeremiah thus turned away in silence from the folly of the false prophets (Jer. xxviii. 11). If however we are constrained to reply—Answer him not according to his folly;not in his own foolish manner; “not rendering railing for railing” (1 Pet. iii. 9). Moses offended here. Heansweredthe rebelsaccording to their folly—passion for passion, and thushe became like unto them.David’s answer to Nabal was in the same humiliating spirit. Theanswererin this caseis likethe fool. He appears at the time to be cast in the same mould.—Bridges.
Verse 7. Uniformity and ubiquity of obedience are sure signs of sincerity; but as an unequal pulse argues a distempered body, so doth uneven walking a diseased soul. A wise man’s life is all of one colour, like itself, and godliness runs through it, as the woof runs through the warp. But if all the parts of the line of thy life be not straight before God, it is a crooked life. If thy tongue speak by the talent, but thine hands scarce work by the ounce, thou shalt pass for a Pharisee (Matt. xxiii. 3). They spake like angels, lived like devils; had heaven commonly at their tongue ends, but the earthcontinually at their finger ends.—Trapp.
Verse 9. When a drunkard carries and brandishes in his hand a sweet briar, he scratches more with it than he allows the roses to be smelled; so a fool with the Scriptures or a judicial maxim oft causes more harm than profit.—Luther.
Proverbs have sometimes been hurtful even in the mouths of wise men, through the imperfection of their wisdom. Job’s friends dealt much in parables, which they had learned by tradition from their wise ancestors, but they misapplied them in the case of Job; and although they meant to plead the cause of God, yet they displeased Him so much by their uncharitable speeches against Job, which they drew by unjust inference from undoubted truths, that He told them they had not spoken the thing that was right concerning Him as His servant Job had done. If Job had not been a strong believer, their management of truth must have sunk him into despondency.—Lawson.
Verse 11. The emblem is a loathsome and sickening one. It is meant to be so. It would not have been appropriate, had it been anything else. There aretwoideas conveyed by the comparison. Thedispositionortendency,on the part of the fool or vicious man, to return to his folly; and the loathsomeness—the vileness—of the thing itself, when it does take place. There are persons of great pretensions to refinement, who affect great disgust at the comparison. They wonder how anybody of ordinary delicacy can utter it. They would think their lips polluted by the very words. It were well for such persons to remember, that there is no comparisonsoodious as the thing itself which is represented by it. It were well if such persons would transfer their disgust and loathing at the figure to that which the figure represents:—if they would cherish a proper loathing ofsin.That is whatGodholds in abhorrence:—that is what should be abhorred byus.Persons may affect to sicken at the comparison here used, and yet be themselves exemplifying the very conduct it so aptly represents. Folly and sin are incomparably more polluting and debasing to the nature of man, than the vilest and most disgusting practices in the inferior animals.—Wardlaw.
And is this the picture of man—“made a little lower than the angels” (Ps. viii. 5)—yea—“made in the likeness of God?” (Gen. i. 26). Who that saw Adam in his universal dominion, sitting as the monarch of creation; summoning all before him; giving to each his name, and receiving in turn his homage (Ib. ii. 20)—who would have conceived of his children sunk into such brutish degradation? The tempter’s promise was—“Ye shall be as gods” (Ib. iii. 5). The result of this promise was—“Ye shall be as beasts.” . . . Thus greedily did Pharaohreturnfrom his momentary conviction; Ahab from his feigned repentance; Herod from his partial amendment; the drunkard from his brutish insensibility—all to take a more determinate course of sin; to take their final plunge into ruin.—Bridges.
According to the usual method of the Scriptures, a known thing is here employed to teach an unknown. The taste which inheres in nature is used as an instrument to implant the corresponding spiritual sensibility. The revulsion of the senses from a loathsome object is used as a lever power to press into the soul a dislike of sin. . . . The lines are strongly drawn, that the lesson may be clear and cutting. There must be a rude hearty blow, for there is a hard searing to be penetrated. Those who go back to suck at sins, which they once repudiated, may see in this terse proverb a picture of their pollution; only the Omniscient perfectly knows and loathes the vile original.—Arnot.
main homiletics of the paragraph.—Verses12–16.
Self-Conceit and Indolence.
I. The ruinous effects of self-satisfaction.In the preceding verses Solomon has drawn a picture of the moral fool—of the man who seems to have no moral sensibility, and who is a slave to evil habits and degrading vices. At first sight it would seem that no one could be in a more hopeless condition, but a little consideration will convince us that the wise man is right when he declares that it is easier to convince a fool of his folly, than a self-conceited man of his ignorance and weakness. For there are many men who know that they are not what they ought to be, although they have not the moral courage to quit their sinful courses; and sometimes the very depth of degradation in which such men find themselves, and the strong contrast which exists in their outward life between themselves and more respectable citizens, startle them into a vigorous and successful effort to break their chains. But a man who is wise in his own eyes is generally outwardly decorous in his behaviour—is what has been called arespectable sinner—and it is this very outward propriety which lulls his conscience to sleep. Like the Pharisee in the temple, he thanks God that he is not as other men (Luke xviii. 11) who are outwardly immoral, and forgets that if he is notsensualhe may bedevilish(Jas. iii. 15), may be under the dominion on the sin that made the first and greatest sinner in the universe. It was men of this class, and not the openly profane and sensual, whom Christ declared to be in danger of committing thesin which should not be forgiven(Matt. xii. 31), and on another occasion he shows that their hopeless condition arose from the fact that they did not realise that they were in any spiritual need.“If ye were blind we should have no sin, but now ye say, we see; therefore your sin remaineth”(John ix. 41). This moral blindness is so hopeless because it is self-originated and self-sustained—because the subjects of it love darkness rather than light, and even call their darknesslight,and their evil,good.
II. Self-conceit is both the child and the parent of indolence.If a man feels certain that he is far in advance of his competitors for any prize or position, his efforts to gain it will be very feeble and intermittent. And on the other hand, if he is indolent he will be content with very low intellectual and spiritual attainments, and inclined to place a very high estimate upon the very little mental or moral wealth that he possesses. Being unwilling to labour after more, he makes the most of what he has, and so his sloth keeps him ignorant, and his ignorance confirms him in his slothful habits.
III. The indolent man has spasmodic and fruitless seasons of activity.He turns upon his bed of sloth as though he were going to rise, and he puts his hand in the dish (seeCritical Notes) of human enterprise and activity as though he intended to take a prize, and to taste the sweets of honest and earnest toil. But his resolutions are broken almost before they are formed, and his moral courage is not strong enough to carry him through the first difficulty, or make him willing to undergo the least self-denial. And so he ever remains a stranger to the sweetness of repose honestly earned, and to the relish of good things gained by industry and perseverance. On this subject see also on chap.xii. 27, page 289, and on verse 13. (See Homiletics on chap.xxii. 13, page 647.)
outlines and suggestive comments.
Verse 12. The publicans and sinners went faster to heaven than the Pharisees; yea, there may be a greater nighness between the things when there is a greater distance between the working of them and the bringing them together.Thus, brother and sister are nigher in blood yet farther off marrying each other than two strangers; and thus two men upon the tops of two houses opposite to each other in one of your narrow streets—they are nearer each other in distance than those below are, yet in regard of coming each to other they may be said to be farther off, for the one must come down and then climb up again. Thus now a moral man, though he seems nearer to a state of grace, yet is really farther off; for he must be convinced of his false righteousness, and then climb up to the state of grace.—Goodwin.
Verse 16. There is no refuting a man who says nothing. Nonsense is unanswerable if there only be enough of it. Who would dispute against a pair of bagpipes, or against a company of boys that hoot at him? If you will make a match at barking or biting, a cur will be too hard for you. And if you will contend with multitudes of words, or by rage or confidence, a fool will be too hard for you.—Baxter.
main homiletics of verse17.
Needless Interference.
The wise man may here be regarded as passing from one extreme of character to the other—from the man who is too indolent to mind his own affairs, to one whose activity is so great that it leads him to unnecessary interference with his neighbour’s business. Or he may intend to suggest that indolence and meddling are very closely allied—that he who is not usefully occupied in doing his own work will be very apt to interfere impertinently with the concerns of others.
I. Such a meddler brings trouble upon himself.It is a dangerous thing to take a strange dog by the ears, and he who does it will be very likely to suffer for it in his own person, for the creature will probably wound him. But he who meddles impertinently with those who are at strife has to deal, not withoneangrybrute,but withtwoangrymen or women,and will very likely bring down the wrath of both upon his own head. For it is to be noted that the strife with which it is mischievous to intermeddle is that “which belongeth not to” a man—a quarrel in which an outsider has no right to take a part.
II. He may do harm to others.To take a dog by the ears is at least a foolish and useless act, and will certainly not increase the comfort or peace of anybody. But it may so enrage the beast as to make him a general disturber of the public peace and safety. And the same holds good in relation to meddlers; the mischief that they do may extend far beyond themselves, and their action may form a centre of a wide circle of mental disquietude and moral mischief.
outlines and suggestive comments.
A wide difference is made between “suffering as a busy-body, and suffering as a Christian.” It is alarming to those who have no adequate sense of the criminality to find the apostle classify the one with “murderers, and thieves, and evil-doers.”—Bridges.
For Homiletics on verses 18–22, see on chap.xvii. 14, page 513, and on chap.xviii. 6–8, page 539.
main homiletics of the paragraph.—Verses23–28.
Counterfeit Friendship.
I. Because there are true friends in the world false men sometimes put on the garb of friendship.Because there is an abundance of genuine coin in thecountry men take the trouble to make counterfeit imitations of it; the existence of the good money is the cause of the existence of the bad, and the great preponderance of the good over the bad is the reason why men sometimes get imposed upon and take the bad for the good. So there is much real and true friendship in human life, and there is therefore an opportunity given to wicked men to imitate its outward expression—there are many “burning words” uttered from the depths of a sincere heart, and therefore a wicked man will sometimes utter such words for the purposes of deception. The vessel of clay covered with silver may be taken for silver, because its shape and external appearance are close imitation of the genuine article, and the fair words of the false man may effectually deceive the listener, but it is because some thingsare what they seem,that other things are madeto seem what they are not.
II. The words of true friendship are used to reveal, and those of the false friend are employed only for concealment.There were many silver vessels in Solomon’s palace, and their bright splendour was a true revelation of their intrinsic worth and genuineness; the shining surface reflecting the light was an indication of the preciousness of the entire article. But when a clay vessel is covered with silver, the external coating is used only to cover what is beneath, and perhaps to deceive those who look on it. So when the friendship is real the ardent expressions of affection which are uttered are only a revelation of the emotions which are experienced, but when it is only a counterfeit the words are like the silver which hides instead of revealing what is beneath it. Solomon’s father thus records his experience of the language of a counterfeit friend:“His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords”(Psalm lv. 21).
III. Because counterfeit friendship is opposed to human happiness it shall be publicly arrested and condemned.Every counterfeit has arrayed against it the force of human interest. It is to the interest of the general community that the forger should be brought to justice, and that the coiner of bad money should be severely punished. It is only by rigidly enforcing the law against such criminals that they are kept in check, and the safety of the public made tolerably secure. When such offenders are discovered their wickedness is condemned by the united voice of the commercial world. But the man who betrays another by false words is quite as great an enemy to his brother man, and ought to be as severely dealt with and as publicly and universally condemned. But it can hardly be affirmed that such is the case. If every such betrayer were dealt with by human laws we should need a large increase of judges and gaolers and prison-cells, and should find within the walls of the latter many men who are now living in mansions. And if it were only punished by being shut out from the favourable notices of their fellow-men, many would be missed from their present positions in commercial and fashionable circles. Although they are shunned, and their wickedness is abhorred by all lovers of truth and honesty, they are far from meeting at the hands of man with the contempt and condemnation which they deserve. But the forces arrayed against such men are nevertheless in operation, and though they often work secretly and slowly they are most certain to find their object and to make him conscious of their existence. There are other agencies at work in the universe besides human agencies, and a Divine lawgiver as well as human lawgivers. And although the latter may fail to discover those who break their laws, no offender against the law of God will be able to escape public arrest and condemnation, if not before a human congregation, before a higher and more august assembly.