Proverbs 20-21

Proverbs 20 - People wrestle with many kinds of sins, many of which are mentioned herein. Not an exhaustive list of the seven deadly sins (traditionally: pride, avarice, wrath, lust, envy, gluttony, sloth), but this chapter includes alcohol abuse, anger, quarreling, laziness, cheating, and gossip.

• 20:1 Wine can be enjoyed without being abused, but for some it is a path to ruin. We have hard liquor now, much stronger than wine; the risk is greater but the principle is the same.
• 20:2 Anger can lead to fights; don’t provoke a king. Especially the King of kings.
• 20:3 A fool does not know how to settle a dispute peacefully, or doesn’t care to.
• 20:4 Plowing after autumn prepares the ground for the next planting. Not doing it results in poor harvests the following year.
• 20:10 The Lord despises having scales and measuring cups that cheat buyers, and it grieves Him when people do so.
• 20:19 Even associating with a gossip encourages the practice. Don’t.

Proverbs 20:6 Jesus discussed God’s unfailing love in His last supper discourse (John 17:23) We can trust our fellow believers when we become one with them, just as Jesus and the Father are one. This is not automatic but depends on developing a relationship based on mutual values and joint activities. 

Proverbs 20:9 is echoed in Romans 3:23. All have sinned….

Proverbs 20:12 & 22 touch on divine and human interaction. The Lord made our eyes and ears, and we should listen to His voice; He will save us from evil, we are freed from the need to repay it.

Proverbs 20:15 was fulfilled by Jesus at the Last Supper; Jesus’ words that made the Father known to the disciples were truly a precious gem.  (John 17:25-26)

Proverbs 20:20 pronounces punishment for those who reject the command of Exodus 20:12 to honor father and mother.  Ephesians 6:2-3 contains the promise, but the consequences of rejecting it are both natural and spiritual, as stated here.

Proverbs 20:21 was illustrated in Luke 15:11-32. Although Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son to illustrate God’s forgiveness of and love for the wayward, the natural consequences of a young person receiving a large amount of money before he is ready can be catastrophic. 

Proverbs 20:22 repeats Moses’ saying “Vengeance is Mine” (Deuteronomy 32:35-36), repeated by Paul (Romans 12:19) and in Hebrews 10:30. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, went beyond leaving revenge in God’s hands, to turning the other cheek, and prescribing forgiveness. (Matthew 5:38-42) We have ample opportunity to practice this while driving in heavy traffic.

Proverbs 20:24 was later echoed in Isaiah 50:10. The  prophet speaks for the Lord to tell the listener to obey His servant and walk in the dark by trusting in the name of the Lord and relying on God. 

Proverbs 20:30  By Jesus’ stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5;  1 Peter 2:24)

Proverbs 21 A lifestyle that does not honor God does not take into account that Jesus is always with us and beside us.

Proverbs 21:2 The Lord weighs the heart, and found in David a man after His own heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Proverbs 21:3 & 27 The Lord accepts the doing of what is right more than sacrifice, and detests the sacrifice of the wicked, brought with evil intent. We can’t bribe God with sacrifices, nor could the ancient Israelites. Why sacrifice at all? The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. (Psalm 51:16-17) The Mosaic ritual sacrifices were evidently meant to be a sign or symbol of repentance from sin and restoration of relationship with God. Sadly, just as they became empty rituals or attempts to bribe God into excusing continued sin, so is much of modern religion. God isn’t fooled. (Isaiah 1:11-15; Hosea 6:6)

Proverbs 21:5 Haste makes waste; some observations are timeless. In war there are tactics and strategy, and then the fog of war. Decisions made on the field of battle are important, but wars are won by strategy. 

Proverbs 21:9 & 19: With 700 wives, Solomon doubtless had a few that were contentious. Hence, his conclusion about the superiority of living in the corner of an attic or in a desert.

Proverbs 21:12 It is doubtless with sadness that Jesus allows the wicked to ruin their lives, perhaps hoping that reaping the fruit of wickedness will bring them to repentance. 

Proverbs 21:13 & 17 Jesus reflected on the rewards of giving to the poor in the sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 6:2-4) as a contrast to the warning that those who refuse to hear the pleas of the poor will not be answered by Him. But Solomon also reflects that one the causes of poverty is loving luxury items. People who could afford those things but buy them beyond their means become poor, and then plea for basic necessities. (There are other paths to poverty.)

Proverbs 21:21 The pursuit of God’s virtues - holiness and love - yields the best things in earthly life as fruit.

Proverbs 21:22 Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down. (Joshua 6) His wisdom was to obey the Lord and do the foolish thing of marching around it for seven days.

Proverbs 21:30 Satan thought that his plan would succeed against the Lord, but he was defeated at Calvary. And he is far more powerful and crafty than any human. “Wisdom” apart from God is foolishness. 

Proverbs 21:31 Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem in 701 BC, but God supernaturally provided for the annihilation of his army. (2 Kings 18:17-19:36) There are so many factors in war that it is humanly impossible to control all of them. A seemingly invincible army can be wiped out by an infection. The homeland of a powerful empire can be decimated by a new weapon. An invasion by a mighty army can collapse due to logistical and supply bottlenecks. Internal political disagreements can unseat the ruling clique. War is hell and it is better not to start one unless it is the least worst alternative, or the Lord speaks unmistakably to start it. (Joshua 1:1-9)