God’s Word for You
Proverbs 28:22-24 Fourth and Fifth Commandments
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, November 6, 2020
22 A man with an evil eye races toward wealth
but does not know that poverty awaits him.
We have a couple of expressions in English like this, such as the rat race, or life in the fast lane. The idea is that the quest for wealth is meaningless because of the final reward, which is poverty. If financial poverty doesn’t overtake a miserably greedy man, then a worse poverty and ruin will be his in eternity. This is what Jesus was describing in the Parable of the Rich Fool, which is short enough to retell in full:
He told them a parable: “The fields of a certain rich man produced a very good crop. He started thinking to himself, ‘What will I do? I don’t have room to store my crops.’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. Then who will get what you have provided?’
“So it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
The Holy Spirit promises: “Evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:9). Notice that there is no mention of the degree of goodness in those who will inherit eternal life (“the land”). Our salvation is not based on how well we obey the law of God, but rather on how perfectly Christ obeyed in our place. We are all sinners, but we who trust in Jesus are redeemed for his sake, storing up treasure for ourselves in the vault of heaven rather than in the paper sack of this life.
23 He who rebukes a man will gain more favor in the end
than he who has a flattering tongue.
Unlike most of the Proverbs, this saying is simply a comparison or contrast. The point is that honesty is better than flattery, especially when flattery is not a true compliment but instead hides the truth (like telling your boss he’s brilliant). A true compliment, such as telling your spouse that they’re attractive, is a blessing for you both. Meaningless flattery is like spreading rancid butter on your bread.
24 He who robs his father or mother and says,
“It’s no sin”—
he is a companion of the man who destroys.
This is a sin so unthinkable that there isn’t even a specific mention of it in the Law of Moses. But Jesus acknowledged that some of the Pharisees were doing it under the cloak of giving gifts to God. Wanting to use their money to gain a reputation for themselves, they would devote a huge gift to the temple, such as their home or estate. They could continue to use it as long as they lived, but it was now dedicated to the Lord. This meant that they couldn’t use profits from the estate’s income to take care of their parents since they had ‘promised’ it to the Lord, although this abuse of the system (called Corban, a devoted gift) violated the will of God that children should care for their parents (Mark 7:11-13).
The proverb before us describes an even more blatant sin, outright robbery. Whether a child steals from his parents or a parent steals from his children, there is a terrible sin going on. God established the family for the stability and peace of the human race. The family is the basic building block of civilization. God even calls himself our Father, and we are his children. We would never think of Jesus robbing his Father; it would be so unthinkable that we wouldn’t even have a name for it. It should be that way with our own parents, and with any of the people God has placed in our lives. Peter said, “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).
This proverb also takes us from the arena of the Fourth Commandment into the Fifth. How? By saying that a man who robs his parents is “a companion of the man who destroys,” that is, a madman, a terrorist, an enemy soldier, or a villain such as an arsonist or some other wicked criminal. When a person attacks his parents, he is doing worse than cutting off his own limbs. He is violating every facet of God’s will. Luther said, “It is God’s real intention that we should allow no man to suffer harm, but show to everyone all kindness and love. And this kindness is directed especially toward our enemies. To show kindness to our friends is but an ordinary heathen virtue, as Christ says in Matthew 5:46-47” (Large Catechism, Fifth Commandment, par. 193-194).
What is God’s will about our parents? “We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority, but honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect.” (Small Catechism, Fourth Commandment). Everyone has sinned against this commandment in some way, large or small. Those sins are forgiven in the blood of Jesus, who kept the commandment perfectly in his lifetime, even seeing to the needs of his mother while enduring the punishment of the cross (John 19:26-27). His obedience replaced our disobedience, and his blood covered over our sins, every single one. Out of love for Jesus, when we speak respectfully to our parents and look after them, we are showing our love not only for them, but for our heavenly Father as well.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.