Proverbs 25:21-28

Proverbs 25:21-28English Standard Version
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
    and the LORD will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
    so is good news from a far country.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat much honey,
    nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.
28 A man without self-control
    is like a city broken into and left without walls.

---

The words from today's section of Proverbs sound much like The Sermon on the Mount.  Do good, even to your enemies.  Give him food when he is hungry and drink when he is thirsty.  In all this, you will heap burning coals on his head and the LORD will reward you.

A "north wind" is usually cold and bitter.  If someone has that kind of air about them, then they should expect "stormy weather" to always be around them.  The person who backbites and backstabs should expect angry looks wherever he goes.

Solomon tells us that it is better to live on the corner of the roof (outside) than to live inside with an angry, quarrelsome wife This is Solomons form of the saying, "Happy wife, happy life."  He will also compare a nagging wife to the constant drip of water.in other places.  If we read about how many women he had relationships with, it is no wonder that he had some opinions on this matter.

Solomon then switches to how it is refreshing to hear good news, even from a far-away land.  It is like a drink of cold water when you are hot and parched.  On the theme of water, the righteous who gives into the plans of the wicked is like a polluted spring that no one should drink from and brings sickness and disease instead of refreshment.  Avoid such people that are unwilling to have conviction when it matters most.

We already spoke yesterday about it not being good about eating too much honey, but Solomon also warns about not seeing one's own glory.  The only exception here would be Jesus who was perfectly righteous in asking the Father to glorify Him in John 17, but for His entire ministry up to that point, He sought only to glorify the Father.

A man without self-control is defenseless against the attacks of the evil one.  He is compared to a city whose walls are broken down and has been broken into.  Free access has been given to the enemies that you normally would want to keep out, and there is nothing keeping the citizens within safe.