God’s Word for You
Proverbs 29:1-4 Sin to be confessed
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, December 26, 2020
This is the last chapter of the collection titled “More Proverbs of Solomon” (Chapters 25-29).
1 Someone who is often rebuked but stays stiff-necked
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
This chapter begins with a frightening picture of the price of sin. A man who is called to repentance is offered the chance to turn back to God. If he listens, he has been won over (Matthew 18:15). If he continues to sin, and is rebuked again, he must understand that “every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15), and two witnesses have been brought against him. If he still continues to sin, despite many rebukes, he will be treated the way God commanded his Old Testament people to treat the pagans: “You must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy” (Deuteronomy 7:2). The price of unrepentance is condemnation to hell. Unrepentance is a sign of unbelief, and whoever does not believe stands condemned (John 3:18).
2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.
3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes will lose his wealth.
4 A king gives the land stability with justice,
but one who demands bribes tears it down.
These three proverbs present similar views of the results of wickedness, and all three have to do with the fourth commandment. First, wicked rulers cause the people to groan. A righteous ruler might hardly be recognized by his people, especially if he brings peace and justice. There will always, always be people who are dissatisfied with their leaders, because sin causes malcontent. But when a truly wicked man rules, then people will understand just how bad things can get for a nation. He will cause chaos for the sake of covering up his own evil and wickedness, and he won’t care how many people suffer as long as he can get what he desires.
Second, a sinful son who knows his Savior and trust in God will make his parents happy. But a sinful son who chases after more sins, who ignores rebukes, and who becomes the best friend of prostitutes (by employing their services) will lose everything. Verse 3 isn’t just about money, but everything can be lost: time, reputation, career, family, and one’s place in the kingdom of God. This is the son in Jesus’ parable who wasted his whole inheritance while his father was still alive (Luke 15:13,30). If he fails to turn back to his heavenly father, he will lose his soul as well.
Third, a wicked ruler who governs through bribes and extortion will ruin whatever he governs, whether it’s a nation, a city, or a business. His own sin will set a standard that will compound and multiply as everyone does what they see being done. Murder and destruction will follow, and that ruler will have destroyed what was given to him to rule.
Unless sin is exposed, it will fester. The man who doubts God is condemned no matter what he does, because everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). But as Joel says (Joel 2:32), “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” All of us have sinned. The man is blessed, truly blessed, when he has a friend who loves him enough to ask whether any sin is worth it compared to the eternal destruction of his soul. Festering sin will only drive a man to despair. Confessed sin looks to God for his grace, and the grace of God is the gift he offers through Christ our Lord.
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.