God’s Word for You

Proverbs 29:9-12 The cruel and the upright

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, December 29, 2020

9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
  the fool either rages or laughs, but there is no peace.

This is a common theme in Proverbs. There is little hope of reasoning with a fool, and especially in court. Jesus warned, “Do not throw your pearls to swine” (Matthew 7:6), and spending money or time trying to convince a fool of his foolishness is the same thing. Jesus also gave a good example by “staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life” (John 7:1). He knew he couldn’t reason with them, and it wasn’t yet time to give up his life. So why bother going at all? Those were fools who were raging against him. And as for fools who laugh, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep” (Matthew 6:25). That weeping will last into eternity. But here in the moment of this lifetime, there is still the problem of the idiotic fool who can’t be reasoned with and who is unwilling to let go of his unbelief. Better to avoid him, if possible, expend as little time and effort on him as you can, but punish him if necessary. “A rod for the backs of fools!” (Proverbs 26:3, 19:29). There might be no other way to have peace with such a person apart from avoiding him or punishing him. True peace, spiritual peace between man and God, comes only through Jesus the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He brought mankind real peace through his glorious sacrifice (Haggai 2:9).

10 Bloodthirsty men hate someone who is innocent,
  but the upright seek his soul.

This verse is perfectly straightforward in the first line but then quite vague in the second line. Without any polish, the second line says, “But the upright / they seek / his soul.” Some translators take “The upright” to be the object of the verb “they seek,” but then what is to be done with “his soul”? Normally the two terms would be more closely connected. I have taken the verse the way many older translations understood it, with the second line showing the antithesis of the first. Certainly wicked bloodthirsty people (not all who are murderous are male) hate the innocent. The innocent are easy targets, but their lives also enrage the wicked because their tormentor the devil hates everyone who is right and holy in God’s sight (see comments on verse 12 below).

On the other hand, those who love God also seek the souls of other people. They want to offer God’s salvation because God doesn’t want anyone to be condemned. He says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11), and he is both Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). So as we seek to bring God’s word to people we know, to people we love, we want to let Jesus speak his true words. The healing of a wounded conscience is one of the greatest miracles, and this is done through the word of God, whether through the written word of the Bible, the preached word from the pulpit, or from Jesus directly, who is the Word of God in person (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13). He seeks all our souls.

11 A fool lets out all his emotions,
  but a wise man holds his temper.

Releasing emotions is healthy. But dumping all of our emotions out on the people we love is not healthy for them. This proverb is especially about holding one’s temper, which is best done with five pillars: (1) The word of God, especially the law as a curb, (2) prayer (3) physical exercise (to expend pent up energy), (4) a healthy diet, and (5) sleep.

The benefits of the last three fall under the Fifth Commandment, since loving one’s own life and the lives of the people around us will spur us to seek a healthy diet, exercise and rest. The word of God focuses our attention on our Savior rather than on our own needs and troubles. The word encourages us to “love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19).

Prayer is a vital part of a healthy Christian life. “May what we ask be sure and happen. This prayer of ours is not empty noise. We are proclaiming that our prayers are heard and that we certainly are receiving the blessings we have asked for according to God’s promises” (David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith). With regard to one’s temper, the time for a prayer for patience is whenever you arrive back home again, as you are about to lay your hand on the doorknob of your own house. Pray for patience with everyone inside, because they’re the people you love the most. Don’t bring your frustrations across that threshold. The Lord is slow to anger (Nahum 1:3), and we should be slower. The same is true today as we hold our quivering fingers above the “send” button on a text or email. Maybe it doesn’t need to be sent. It’s hard to unsay a thing. A wise man holds his temper.

12 If a ruler listens to lies,
  all his officials will become criminals.

Godless rulers and unbelieving businessmen are enemies of God and of Christ (Psalm 2:2). When they surround themselves with lies, flattery, and only those things that they want to hear, then their advisors will all end up as nothing but criminals and wicked sinners. An honest advisor will either find himself or herself fired, or unable to work for such a maniac.

Now, this is certainly true of a business or a government, but it is even more true in the church. “How long will you love delusions,” David asks his people, “and seek lies (false gods)”? (Psalm 4:2). Just seven generations after Adam and Eve, the great Enoch looked around himself and condemned ungodly acts, ungodly intentions, and ungodly words (Jude 1:15), and flattery and lies were as much a problem in Enoch’s time as now: “They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage” (Jude 1:16).

These criminal lackeys will begin to be cruel copies of their master, out-Heroding Herod by becoming their own idea of a better tyrant than the one they serve, as far as they believe it is to their advantage. They will oppress the innocent and crush the Christian. Why? Luther understands with his usual insight: “The big offense of the pious consists in this that they seek and hear God’s Word, or that they desire the works and creations of God (like marriage) or His ordinances and Sacraments. The fact that they are obedient and serve most quietly and willingly with body and goods doesn’t help… Therefore [such cruel officials] take pleasure in shedding innocent blood and in persecuting the saints of God and members of Christ, so as to preserve their lies and transgressions by violence. David complains about this in many psalms, especially in Psalm 12:8: ‘The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.’ But let it be” (LW 13:182).

The Christian’s role is first of all to give glory to God (Isaiah 42:12) and second of all to take care of one’s family and animals (Proverbs 12:10). So each one looks to the condition of their soul, and then to the needs of everyone in their household. We pray to God to provide for us during the storms of life, and to help us always to give him thanks for his many gifts.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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