This verse reminds us of the limitations of human planning, Psalms 30:6-7. We should plan, but do so with the realisation of our lack of ultimate control, James 4:13-17.
The wise person doesn’t try to build their reputation by praising themselves. In other words, never praise yourself, but let others do it.
Henry, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These two verses show the intolerable mischief, 1. Of ungoverned passion. The wrath of a fool, who, when he is provoked, cares not what he says and does, is more grievous than a great stone or a load of sand. It lies heavily upon himself. Those who have no command of their passions do themselves even sink under the load of them. The wrath of a fool lies heavily upon those he is enraged at, to whom, in his fury, he will be in danger of doing some mischief. It is therefore our wisdom not to give provocation to a fool, but, if he be in a passion, to get out of his way.
2. Of rooted malice, which is as much worse than the former as coals of juniper are worse than a fire of thorns. Wrath (it is true) is cruel, and does many a barbarous thing, and anger is outrageous; but a secret enmity at the person of another, an envy at his prosperity, and a desire of revenge for some injury or affront, are much more mischievous. One may avoid a sudden heat, as David escaped Saul’s javelin, but when it grows, as Saul’s did, to a settled envy, there is no standing before it; it will pursue; it will overtake. He that grieves at the good of another will be still contriving to do him hurt and will keep his anger forever.’
Nothing is harder to bear than the uncontrolled and misguided anger of a fool. The question asked here is a question which assumes there is no answer. We cannot adequately protect ourselves from anger and fury, but with the Lord’s help, we can.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following concerning an open rebuke.
‘Yet it is a rough medicine, and none can desire it. But the genuine open-hearted friend may be intended, who tells you your faults freely but conceals them from all others.’
It’s better to have a friend whose honest confrontations leave their wounds than kisses from those who hate us. Real friendship cannot exist when a person must be constantly restrained and timed. This was how Judas betrayed Christ, Matthew 26:49. True friendship should have room for constructive criticism, Romans 12:9-10.
The application here is far-reaching. Need creates desire, while an abundance may lead to the rejection of that which is wholesome and good.
Henry, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Solomon here, as often in this book, shows that the poor have in some respects the advantage of the rich; for, 1. They have a better relish of their enjoyments than the rich have. Hunger is the best sauce. Coarse fare, with a good appetite to it, has a sensible pleasantness in it, which those are strangers to whose hearts are overcharged with surfeiting. Those who fare sumptuously every day nauseate even delicate food, as the Israelites did the quails; whereas those who have no more than their necessary food, though it be such as the full soul would call bitter, to them it is sweet; they eat it with pleasure, digest it, and are refreshed by it.
2. They are more thankful for their enjoyments: The hungry will bless God for bread and water, while those who are full think the greatest dainties and varieties scarcely worth giving thanks for.’ The Virgin Mary seems to refer to this when she says, Luke 1:53. The hungry, who know how to value God’s blessings, are filled with good things, but the rich, who despise them, are justly sent empty away.’
This is an observation of the stress and strain of moving. Leaving the familiar can be traumatic, Genesis 4:12-16.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Anointing the head and various parts of the body with aromatic oil is frequent in the East, and fumigating the beards of the guests at the conclusion of an entertainment is almost universal; as is also sprinkling rose-water, and water highly odoriferous.’
Solomon is saying that friendship is better than the joy that sweet perfumes bring.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘A well and long tried friend is invaluable. Him that has been a friend to thy family never forget, and never neglect.’
‘Nearby’ implies near enough to help a neighbour on the day of calamity. Sometimes our friend or our father’s friend can do more for us than a relative.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Two other proverbs are concerned with the admonition we have here. They are Proverbs 17:17 and Proverbs 18:24. Also, Proverbs 19:7 explains how it is that brothers may hate each other. What is related here is a sad fact that brothers (or sisters) may sometimes be quite unwilling to aid each other in times of misfortune or distress. Cook revised the proverb here as follows: ‘Better is the neighbour who is really `near’ in heart and spirit than a brother who is ‘near’ by blood but ‘far off in brotherly feeling’.’
Solomon is simply saying that sometimes a teacher can answer critics by pointing to the accomplishments of their students.
Henry, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Children are here exhorted to be wise and good, 1. That they may be a comfort to their parents and may make their hearts glad, even when the evil days come, and so recompense them for their care, Proverbs 23:15.
2. That they may be a credit to them: “That I may answer him that reproaches me with having been over-strict and severe in bringing up my children, and having taken a wrong method with them in restraining them from the liberties which other young people take.’
Henry, in his commentary, says the following.
1. Evil may be foreseen. Where there is temptation, it is easy to foresee that if we thrust ourselves into it there will be sin, and as easily to foresee that if we venture upon the evil of sin, there will follow the evil of punishment; and, commonly, God warns before he wounds, having set watchmen over us, Jeremiah 6:17.
2. It will be well or ill with us according as we do or do not improve the foresight we have of evil before us: The prudent man, foreseeing the evil, forecasts accordingly, and hides himself, but the simple is either so dull that he does not foresee it or so wilful and slothful that he will take no care to avoid it, and so he passes on securely and is punished. We do well for ourselves when we provide for the hereafter.
3. It shows who those are that are hastening to poverty, those that have so little consideration as to be bound for everybody that will ask them and those that are given to women. Such as these will take up money as far as ever their credit will go, but they will certainly cheat their creditors at last, nay, they are cheating them all along. An honest man may be made a beggar, but he is not honest who makes himself one.
4. It advises us to be so discreet in ordering our affairs as not to lend money to those who are manifestly wasting their estates, unless they give very good security for it. Foolish lending is an injustice to our families. He does not say, ‘Get another to be bound with him,’ for he that makes himself a common voucher will have those to be his security who are as insolvent as himself; therefore, take his garment.’
If we are this type of person, Proverbs 22:3 / Proverbs 20:16, we need to take what security we can, while we can, because even that will soon be gone, 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
This is appealing to common sense, i.e. do not call at 6 A.M.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The picture of the ostentatious flatterer going at daybreak to pour out blessings on his patron. For any good that he does, for any thanks he gets, he might as well utter curses.’
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Here, as in the marginal reference, the flat, earthen roof of Eastern houses, always liable to cracks and leakage, supplies the groundwork of the similitude.’
Nobody likes a nag, especially when that’s all they do. We become dull without the sharpening of our minds and character in studying with and associating with others.
We need our friends, but not those who constantly nag us; we need good friends so that we can run ideas and understanding by each other and so grow in our knowledge.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The proverb expresses the gain of mutual counsel as found in clear, well-defined thoughts. Two minds, thus acting on each other, become more acute. This is better than to see in ‘sharpening’ the idea of provoking, and the point of the maxim in the fact that the quarrels of those who have been friends are bitter in proportion to their previous intimacy.’
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Just as the fig-tree requires constant care, but also yields abundant fruit, so the ministrations of a faithful servant will not be without their due reward.’
We make the mistake of rebuking the wrong people. We talk to those who come to church about the importance of coming to church, whilst at the same time those who don’t come to church never hear those same words spoken to them, etc, John 12:26 / 1 Corinthians 9:7 / 2 Timothy 2:6.
We begin to know ourselves through our relationships with others. This is an observation of the nature of our heart’s desire; we never have enough of anything we really want.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘As we see our own face when we look in the mirror-like surface of the water, so in every heart of man we may see our own likeness. In spite of all diversities, we come upon the common human nature in which we all alike share. Others see in the reference to the reflection in the water the thought that we judge others by ourselves, find them faithful or the reverse, as we ourselves are.’
‘Hades, the world of the dead, and Destruction (Death, the destroying power, personified) have been at all times and in all countries thought of as all-devouring, insatiable (compare the marginal reference). Yet one thing is equally so, the lust of the eye, the restless craving which grows with what it feeds on, Ecclesiastes 1:8.’
Our character is cultivated by the praise we accept from others. Also, we are judged by what others praise us for. Who likes receiving praise? We all do. The problem comes when that praise takes over and goes to our heads.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘As silver and gold are tried by the art of the refiner, so is a man’s heart by the praise he receives. If he feels it not, he deserves it; if he be puffed up by it, he is worthless.’
Even though the imagery is unclear, the message is not. It is almost impossible to remove folly from a fool.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘To pound wheat in a mortar with a pestle, in order to free the wheat from its husks and impurities, is to go through a far more elaborate process than threshing. But the folly of the fool is not thus to be got rid of. It sticks to him to the last; all discipline, teaching, experience seem to be wasted on him.’
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The directions to the end of the chapter refer chiefly to pastoral and agricultural affairs. Do not trust thy flocks to the shepherd merely; number them thyself; look into their condition; see how they are tended; and when, and with what, and in what proportion, they are fed.’
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The money which men may steal, or waste, is contrasted with the land of which the owner is not so easily deprived. Nor will the crown (both the ‘crown of pure gold’ worn on the mitre of the high priest, Exodus 29:6 / Exodus 39:30; and the kingly diadem, the symbol of power generally) be transmitted (as flocks and herds had been) “from one generation to another.’
‘Stress is laid on the regular succession of the products of the earth. The ‘grass’ (‘hay’) of the first clause is (compare Psalm 37:2 / Psalm 90:5 / Psalm 103:15 / 2 Kings 19:26) the proverbial type of what is perishable and fleeting. The verse gives a picture of the pleasantness of the farmer’s calling; compared with this, what can wealth or rank offer? With this, there mingles (compare Proverbs 27:23) the thought that each stage of that life in its season requires care and watchfulness.’
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It seems that bread, with goat’s milk, was the general article of food for the master and his family; and for the servant maids who assisted in the household work, and performed the operations required in the dairy.’
This is all about thinking ahead, preparing, and not neglecting our future responsibilities. We need to work to feed our families and pay the bills. The idea is simply this: Will we have enough food in the house to feed our families next week? Genesis 2:15.