Proverbs 17:14-19 Trouble Brewing
Solomon gives us a ‘strife sandwich’ in these verses. He warns that trouble brewing under the surface can cause big problems. Foolishness causes them too!
My bible helps puts this group of verses together because they start and stop with advice about strife. Two of the verses in between have to do with a “fool” and his money. One speaks of God’s opinion on he who is condones and condemns wrongly. And the remaining one deals with the opposite of strife; a friend who loves at all times. Let’s see what the Spirit would have us learn from these proverbs today.
I want to look at verse 15 first. This is the one about condoning and condemning wrongly. “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” This verse, to me, sets the stage for the others. It lays the groundwork of telling us to judge rightly what we see. We aren’t supposed to “pass judgment” on anyone but we can observe the actions of a man. Your ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ of a person should not color your view of their actions. If a friend is engaging in corrupt actions, DON’T excuse those actions simply because they are your friend. Likewise if an enemy is engaging in righteous actions, DON’T condemn those actions just because you don’t like the person. Good men fall and evil men occasional do good things.
Your perceptions of a man have an impact on how you view his actions. A case in point is the presidents we have recently had here in the United States of America. Donald Trump’s actions, for example, are the same no matter your perception of them or approval of him. Some claim he was a just man and worked to “make America great again” while others see him as the worst president ever (or close to it). I will say he probably did some good things AND some bad things while in office. We cannot excuse everything he did just because we ‘like the man’ or rally against everything he did because we ‘hate the man’. The same goes for our current president, Joe Biden. Let each action speak for itself as evidenced in their results. And let God judge the heart of each man.
After laying this ‘groundwork’ let’s look at the other verses. Let’s check out the two verses on a “fool” and his actions with money. Verse 16 asks why a “fool” should even have money. It presupposes that he will spend it foolishly. Verse 18 goes along with that conclusion. Instead of investing his money, caring for the needs of his household, or caring for the poor, verse 18 has him promising to buy or support something in the presence of others. The key here I think may be that the “fool” makes a public commitment and is therefore bound by it in Israeli law. I’m going to throw out some examples that come to my mind for these two verses.
I have a certain family member who lives down to this example on a daily basis. This person is married, has a child and has a limited income. One would think that this person & spouse would budget funds from that income to pay rent, buy propane, and other regularly occurring bills BEFORE spending money on “fun” purchases (i.e. a gun, going 4 wheeling in the desert, buying gifts,…). But they don’t. Time and time again, they reach out for help with meeting their obligations. I don’t mind helping when it is an emergency event, like their stove going out, but the daily expenses NEED to be taken care of BEFORE anything else. This is certainly NOT a “wise” way to live. Sorry to say, I have a son who lives close to this example, but things ARE changing in his life.
For the second verse, what comes to mind is gambling or pledging support for different organizations without first making sure you have the funds to meet those new obligations.
I had to run away for a moment before continuing on with this example. I needed to KNOW if the Bible specifically condemns gambling. According to my quick research, the Bible does not specifically condone or condemn gambling. It does warn about foolish uses of our money and the love of money. That being said, let’s get back to the example.
I have heard from the pulpit on more than one occasion to “make a pledge”, KNOWING that you don’t have it and “watch God provide the money” to make good on that pledge. I’m going to say right now NO to that!!! I won’t say it never happens but God calls us to be good stewards of what He places in our hands. Promising what you don’t have means you will either have to divert funds from where they are needed for daily life or break your word. This kind of behavior is VERY risky and it presupposes that you can make God work how YOU want Him to.
Many people get into deep trouble with gambling. I have a family member, again, who falls into this category. He is relatively homeless because as soon as his money comes in, he gambles it away. The only reason he has a guaranteed place to sleep is because my parents have provided that small measure.
I’m PRAYING my parents are not supporting this family member’s daily “wants” too! I LOVE how they love ALL of us but we are old enough that we should be able to stand on our own feet. That statement goes for ALL the family members I have used as examples.
The above problems with money brings us to the subject of strife. As you can probably guess, the above examples produce “strife” (conflict, antagonism, quarrel, struggle, clash, competition, disagreement, opposition, fight). And when that “strife” is expressed it alters the relationship, especially if it is expressed long-term. The analogy in verse 14 says it all! It’s like water; it cannot be recaptured and put back. Verse 19 shows this quarrel from the ‘offender’ side of the equation. To fit the examples used earlier, verse 19 says that these family members enjoy their ‘freedom’ to do as they please, knowing that it will cause “strife” and actually being happy with those results.
Verse 19 ALSO reminds me NOT to become proud about what I have or how I have learned to manage it. Which brings us to the final verse in our reading today. Verse 17 speaks of love, even when the actions are unlovable. I LOVE EACH of the family members mentioned today! I would ‘give my right arm’ if it meant they would be saved from their troubles. I love them unconditionally, even when I don’t like what they are doing. And when we share in an adversity we are actually brought closer together.
Verse 17 actually says that a brother is born for adversity. This means that God places people in our lives for a reason. He knows our needs LONG before we do and He provides for them. I have heard it said that God brings people into our lives for a reason and for a season. The word “brother” though means a LONG TERM relationship. Brothers and sisters are lifelong relationships. They don’t end when the going gets tough or even when strife enters the picture. Friendships may come and go but blood brothers and sisters cannot be unmade. This includes brothers and sisters born of Jesus’ blood. We are family and family finds a way to work things out! It is NOT disposable, contrary to the world’s view with split and blended families, and estrangements. Sometimes it requires that bond to carry us through the hard parts together.
Father God, thank You for EACH of my family members, even the ones that are hard to live with. I want to pray for each of them right now that You would work in their lives. The ones I mentioned specifically, I pray that You would help them grow in the areas identified. I can’t do it for them nor can I offer advice. It would be seen as condemnation instead of instruction. Bring someone into their lives who can help them in their struggles. Help me know what to do AND what to NOT do in ‘helping’ them. I leave them in Your hands. Thank You for the work You have already done in their lives. I shudder to think where any of us would be without You!
Holy Spirit, thank You for opening my eyes to God’s word. For bringing to my mind examples so I could better understand. And for all that flowed out from that learning; especially the LOVE and better understanding of being a ‘brother’ with a lifelong commitments.
