Proverbs 11:17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.
21 Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
22 As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
The merciful man cannot hold grudges. Bitterness is an emotional weight/sin that destroys the health and mental stability of those who hold on to it. The saved person cannot keep bitterness in his heart. The soul of the merciful man seeks to forgive and live peacefully.
The cruel person troubles his own flesh. The cruel person losses out in many ways.
In verse 18 we are reminded that the wicked person works at deceitfulness. That is his occupation. This is what he lives for. Wickedness takes control of a person the longer he remains that way. Older people can get saved, but the longer a person lives as a wicked person, the harder it seems for them to be broken. Pride develops strong roots.
The righteous person is involved in sowing righteousness. The wicked cannot see this. The one that sows righteousness will have a sure reward. It is never a waste of time to live for God.
Verse 19 God continues the same teaching. The righteous person can go to bed at night and rest. He gets up and he is rested and he can look at his new day with a hopeful attitude. By the same token, the wicked person shortens his life. Some people take a fatalistic approach to life and figure that God is an oppressive God and He has everything pre-programmed and we cannot do anything about it. That is the lie of Calvinism. That is the lie that too many hold to.
Verse 20 speaks of the froward heart. The froward heart is the twisted heart. It is a heart that works on imaginations, not truth. God hates this heart. He did not design man to have such a heart. Cain had such a heart and regardless of what God said to him, he just kept pushing his agenda. He set up his own false religion. Then he murdered his brother. He raised his children to defy God. Of course his children could choose differently, but they chose not to.
No one is preprogrammed by God to sin. God created man free from sin. After man’s sin, He promised a Saviour. When Cain sinned, God reached out to him, giving him an opportunity to repent and follow God. It was Cain that was stubborn. He chose a path of evil that leads to death.
The upright person is at peace with God. As we mentioned, he can go to sleep at night free from guilt. He does not need a cigarette or booze or other drugs to try to calm his nerves. He delights the LORD with his life and choices, and that is the sure way to know God’s peace.
Life is about choices. Adam was given a clear choice before he ever sinned. He knew the consequences of the wrong choice before he ever made his choice. He found out the hard way that God means exactly what He says. He did not need to experience that.
Today, we are all born as lost sinners. We need to listen to God’s Word and repent toward Him and be saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other hope for man.
In verse 21 we are reminded that the wicked think there is safety in numbers. Actually too many “saved” people think the same way. Jesus calls each person as an individual. If you are waiting for someone else to choose right before you do, you are a fool and you are wasting your time.
You also should not look at the bad example of Christianity and reject God. Christians need to live for the Lord. One of the problems we are facing in these times is that there are many who profess to be saved, but they are not. They cause others to reject God. However, we must also understand that God has given us His Word, and He will hold each person accountable according to His Word. No one can hide behind someone else’s bad testimony.
The seed of the righteous shall be delivered. The righteous person can sow good seed. He can give a good testimony. He can show others the right way to live. It is up to the person to choose wisely.
In verse 22 we are reminded that it is foolish to stick a jewel in a swine’s snout. The pig likes to root in the ground. In earlier times, people would put what was called hog rings into the snout of the pig. They did not want the pigs to root so much so they would clip these “rings” into the edges of the nose and it would hurt the pig to dig. Most pigs are raised in a barn now and they do not have the opportunity to dig.
It is foolish to put a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout. In a greater way, a fair woman without discretion is in much bigger trouble. Our world is obsessed with outward beauty. Makeup companies make lots of money selling makeup to women who think they do not look good enough on their own.
God tells us the wise woman is the one who works on her heart. The only way she can do that is by being saved and then serving the Lord in humility. A woman does not need to “put herself out there”, to try to find a man. A godly woman needs to know the Lord and a godly man will be drawn to a godly woman for much more than just outward looks.
The fact is that we all age. As we age we get wrinkles. Some might get involved in a car crash or something else like that and they get scars on the face, etc. The woman that lacks discretion is the woman who has bought the lie that outward “beauty” is all that matters. It is important to remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Don’t throw yourself out there for others to slobber over. Trust in the Lord and know His peace and blessing.
Pastor Bartel