Book of Proverbs
Chapter 19:16-29
The first three verses in this section deal with obedience to God’s Word, benevolence to the needy, and child discipline, three very important and practical topics. The Book of Proverbs gives practical insight for living. But even the most practical teaching must be practiced every day if it is to be useful.
19:16 – Be good to yourself and obey God’s Word
This verse reveals the benefit of keeping God’s commands and the consequences of rejecting them. There is the path of preservation and the road to ruin. Many people do not consider which road they are travelling. We are free to choose, but we are not free to choose the consequences of our choice. The choice is clear: obey or disobey. The choice is serious: life or death. We cannot despise God’s ways and avoid the consequences.
19:17 – Giving to the poor is a wise investment
We must remember that the poor are also God’s creatures and therefore precious to Him. See Prov. 14:31. When we give to the Lord we are giving to the Lord, and our gifts will be repaid to us. Sir Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” See Luke 6:38.
19:18 – Child discipline should begin early and remain consistent
Unlike other proverbs, this verse is a command. Our saying goes, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” We should chasten our children when they are young, while there is yet hope of training them. It is easier to bend the twig than to bend the tree. We should spank our children even though they cry. D. L. Moody said, “Better for the child to cry than for the father to sigh.” It is far better for a child to cry under the rod than to suffer under the punishment of law or under the wrath of God. For other proverbs on child discipline see Prov. 3:11-12; 13:24; 22:6, 15; 29:15, 17.
19:19 – A hothead will suffer a hard life
A person of great wrath is a person with an uncontrollable temper. He has a short fuse and is quick to blow up (compare to the wise person in verse 11). His temper gets him in trouble and, if someone bails him out, he will do it over and over again. One commentator said, “Repeated acts of kindness are wasted on ill-natured people.” Anger issues are often the cause of many crimes. It is a true saying: “Hurting people hurt people.” The Bible warns us about being friends with a hothead, Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go.
19:20 – Wisdom pays off in the end
A person who is willing to listen and learn from wise instruction will eventually become a wise person. The Bible speaks of wise virgins, wise builders, and wise stewards who were all wise in their latter end. Some proverbs remind us to take the long look and see where something will lead (“at the last” Prov. 5:8-13; 23:31-32). The Bible describes those who were foolish in their latter end (Jer. 17:11; Lk. 12:20).
19.21 – God’s purposes override our plans
See Prov. 16:1. Someone said, “Man proposes, but God disposes” (see Isa. 14:24, 27). The word “nevertheless” is a small hinge on which a big door swings. Remember how the plans of Babel (Gen. 11:4), Balaam (Num. 23:8), and Haman (Esth. 7:10) all came to naught. Gamaliel’s wise statement to the Jewish council may have been based on this verse (Acts 5:38-39). This verse is a concern to all who make their plans contrary to God’s will, but it is a great comfort to those who walk in God’s ways.
19:22 – God is pleased with compassionate desire and character
This verse is somewhat difficult. The full thought seems to be: “A person with a heart to do acts of kindness and no ability to do it is better than a rich person who has the resources but no heart or intention to do it.” In other words, we can do without money better than to live without character. If a person has the genuine intention to do good, but does not have the means, the desire itself is counted as fulfillment (see 2 Chron. 6:8). God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.
19:23 – The fear of God brings many blessings
See Prov. 22:4. The fear of the Lord brings three specific blessings: life, true satisfaction, and security. Fearing God is the solid foundation for a good life and it is the theme of Proverbs (1:7; 9:10).
19:24 – Laziness has no limits
This proverb borders on the ridiculous. The lazy person hides his hand in his bosom either to pretend he is disabled and can’t work or to keep warm and stay comfortable. Some people are so lazy that they will not so much as lift food to their mouth (see Prov. 26:15).
19:25 – Learn from the punishment of others and also from personal correction
Three kinds of people are found here: 1) a simple or naïve person; 2) a scorner or arrogant person; and 3) a wise person with understanding. A simple (naïve) person will learn when an arrogant person is severely punished and a wise person will become wiser when someone corrects him. We say, “A word to the wise is sufficient.” We can learn a lot from the mistakes and consequences of others. There is an easy way and a hard way to learn. It has been said that “experience is the best teacher,” but the tuition is very high. See Deut. 17:13; 19:20; 21:21.
19:26 – Mistreating your parents is a shameful and terrible sin
Few things were considered worse in ancient times than mistreating parents. This was an act of rebellion and a crime against nature. The word “wasteth” means “robs” and “chaseth away” means seizing the family home and running parents off. It is a terrible thing to disobey parents, but to mistreat them is far worse.
19:27 – Be careful what you listen to
We must not listen to teaching that leads us away from the truth and godly wisdom. We must not listen to instruction that violates the Word of God. This kind of instruction leads to destruction. See 1 Cor. 15:33.
19:28 – An ungodly witness mocks justice and feeds on sin
The ungodly witness (literally, “witness of Belial,” worthless witness) is a person who has no regard for right or wrong and he is only interested in more sin.
19:29 – Arrogant and evil people will be punished
We have a saying, “If you do the crime, you do the time.” Scorners and fools are stubbornly confirmed in their wicked ways. They don’t respond to verbal correction, so they must suffer severe punishment (see vs. 25; 10:13; 26:3). Matthew Henry wrote: “Those that scorn judgments cannot escape them.” This verse is a good reminder for our modern justice system. We would probably be better off if we punished crime with stripes.
Book of Proverbs
Chapter 19:16-29
The first three verses in this section deal with obedience to God’s Word, benevolence to the needy, and child discipline, three very important and practical topics. The Book of Proverbs gives practical insight for living. But even the most practical teaching must be practiced every day if it is to be useful.
19:16 – ______
This verse reveals the benefit of keeping God’s commands and the consequences of rejecting them. There is the path of preservation and the road to ruin. Many people do not consider which road they are travelling. We are free to choose, but we are not free to choose the consequences of our choice. The choice is clear: obey or disobey. The choice is serious: life or death. We cannot despise God’s ways and avoid the consequences.
19:17 – ______
We must remember that the poor are also God’s creatures and therefore precious to Him. See Prov. 14:31. When we give to the Lord we are giving to the Lord, and our gifts will be repaid to us. Sir Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” See Luke 6:38.
19:18 – ______
Unlike other proverbs, this verse is a command. Our saying goes, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” We should chasten our children when they are young, while there is yet hope of training them. It is easier to bend the twig than to bend the tree. We should spank our children even though they cry. D. L. Moody said, “Better for the child to cry than for the father to sigh.” It is far better for a child to cry under the rod than to suffer under the punishment of law or under the wrath of God. For other proverbs on child discipline see Prov. 3:11-12; 13:24; 22:6, 15; 29:15, 17.
19:19 – ______
A person of great wrath is a person with an uncontrollable temper. He has a short fuse and is quick to blow up (compare to the wise person in verse 11). His temper gets him in trouble and, if someone bails him out, he will do it over and over again. One commentator said, “Repeated acts of kindness are wasted on ill-natured people.” Anger issues are often the cause of many crimes. It is a true saying: “Hurting people hurt people.” The Bible warns us about being friends with a hothead (Prov. 22:24).
19:20 – ______
A person who is willing to listen and learn from wise instruction will eventually become a wise person. The Bible speaks of wise virgins, wise builders, and wise stewards who were all wise in their latter end. Some proverbs remind us to take the long look and see where something will lead (“at the last” Prov. 5:8-13; 23:31-32). The Bible describes those who were foolish in their latter end (Jer. 17:11; Lk. 12:20).
19.21 – ______
See Prov. 16:1. Someone said, “Man proposes, but God disposes” (see Isa. 14:24, 27). The word “nevertheless” is a small hinge on which a big door swings. Remember how the plans of Babel (Gen. 11:4), Balaam (Num. 23:8), and Haman (Esth. 7:10) all came to naught. Gamaliel’s wise statement to the Jewish council may have been based on this verse (Acts 5:38-39). This verse is a concern to all who make their plans contrary to God’s will, but it is a great comfort to those who walk in God’s ways.
19:22 – ______
This verse is somewhat difficult. The full thought seems to be: “A person with a heart to do acts of kindness and no ability to do it is better than a rich person who has the resources but no heart or intention to do it.” In other words, we can do without money better than to live without character. If a person has the genuine intention to do good, but does not have the means, the desire itself is counted as fulfillment (see 2 Chron. 6:8). God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.
19:23 – ______
See Prov. 22:4. The fear of the Lord brings three specific blessings: life, true satisfaction, and security. Fearing God is the solid foundation for a good life and it is the theme of Proverbs (1:7; 9:10).
19:24 – ______
This proverb borders on the ridiculous. The lazy person hides his hand in his bosom either to pretend he is disabled and can’t work or to keep warm and stay comfortable. Some people are so lazy that they will not so much as lift food to their mouth (see Prov. 26:15).
19:25 – ______
Three kinds of people are found here: 1) a simple or naïve person; 2) a scorner or arrogant person; and 3) a wise person with understanding. A simple (naïve) person will learn when an arrogant person is severely punished and a wise person will become wiser when someone corrects him. We say, “A word to the wise is sufficient.” We can learn a lot from the mistakes and consequences of others. There is an easy way and a hard way to learn. It has been said that “experience is the best teacher,” but the tuition is very high. See Deut. 17:13; 19:20; 21:21.
19:26 – ______
Few things were considered worse in ancient times than mistreating parents. This was an act of rebellion and a crime against nature. The word “wasteth” means “robs” and “chaseth away” means seizing the family home and running parents off. It is a terrible thing to disobey parents, but to mistreat them is far worse.
19:27 – ______
We must not listen to teaching that leads us away from the truth and godly wisdom. We must not listen to instruction that violates the Word of God. This kind of instruction leads to destruction. See 1 Cor. 15:33.
19:28 – ______
The ungodly witness (literally, “witness of Belial,” worthless witness) is a person who has no regard for right or wrong and he is only interested in more sin.
19:29 – ______
We have a saying, “If you do the crime, you do the time.” Scorners and fools are stubbornly confirmed in their wicked ways. They don’t respond to verbal correction, so they must suffer severe punishment (see vs. 25; 10:13; 26:3). Matthew Henry wrote: “Those that scorn judgments cannot escape them.” This verse is a good reminder for our modern justice system. We would probably be better off if we punished crime with stripes.