Proverbs 12:1-12--The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 12:1-12
English Standard Version
12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates reproof is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
    but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3 No one is established by wickedness,
    but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are just;
    the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
    but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    but the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man is commended according to his good sense,
    but one of twisted mind is despised.
9 Better to be lowly and have a servant
    than to play the great man and lack bread.
10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
    but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,
    but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

---

We continue in the Proverbs of Solomon today (Solomon is the author until chapter 30, and there may only be one new section heading between now and then).  A [son] who loves [his father's] discipline loves [his father's] knowledge.  Discipline is one of the ways in which we learn from our parents, and hopefully we learn those lessons early so that we don't have to learn by harsher methods used by those in authority over us as adults (beatings, fines, or imprisonment, or even the death penalty).  A [son] who hates [his father's] correction is stupid.  I have a feeling this is Solomon saying this directly to his son that he has in mind, which is why I took some liberty with the parts that you see in brackets--making it speak directly of the relationship between Solomon as father and his son Rehoboam (who this was probably written to, as he was the one that was presumed to be heir to the throne of David).

Once again, we see the general principle that right living leads to peace with God and God's favor and blessings being poured out on you.  However, the evil man is condemned, is not at peace, cannot rest well, and is afflicted by both himself (his own conscience) and the LORD.

Solomon says that no one has a sure and steady foundation that they have built upon wickedness.  Such a man is like the man who built his house on the sand in Jesus' parable of the two foundations.  It is the righteous man who built his house on the Rock, and when the rains came and winds blew and waves crashed against that house, the house of the wicked man fell with a great crash, but the house of the wise and righteous man stood firm on the foundation.  It was built on the Rock (that is Christ).

What seems like a change of topic here, Solomon tells his son that if he is wise, he will find a good wife for himself.  I think Solomon has in mind all the wives and concubines that he married that were a source of temptation for him and led him into all kinds of evil.  This was foolish.  Solomon knows that the heart of his son will also be vulnerable to the influences of the one that he marries (and Solomon is telling him to only marry one woman here).  Make sure that person is a good and godly woman who will help lead you into righteousness and not wickedness, that will encourage you to be wise, and not foolish.  Such a woman is like a crown that adorns the head of a king for the man who desires to lead his household according to God's plan.  However, if his wife acts in ways that are shameful and deplorable it will make everything that seemed good about him feel like it is rotting from the inside out (and probably will "stink" like rottenness and dead man's bones too).

The wicked man speaks of being excited for their next "kill" whether that is to physically draw blood or to assassinate someone's character and reputation.  They brag about such things like it is a feather in their cap or a notch in their belt.  The mouth of the upright delivers them.  I know that is true, but it is one of those things that doesn't make sense.  The evil people plot to do harm with all kinds of violence and weapons, yet it is the prayers and praises of God's people that defend them.  Just look at Paul and Silas when they were beaten and then thrown in jail without a trial in Phillipi.  The LORD came and shook the prison and opened all the cell doors in the midst of their singing praises to God and praying to Him.  It was unmistakable that the LORD saved them and led to all the prisoners staying in their cells even after the doors were flung open by the shaking that the LORD sent.

The wicked man loses power or influence or dies and is usually forgotten. Since this doesn't always happen in this life, I think this points to a greater truth in the coming kingdom that God will cause all the wicked people and their wicked deeds (and even the failures of the righteous) to be forgotten so that we only remember Him and His perfect creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth.  This happens from time to time in this earth, but we know plenty of wicked people who have had monuments built to encourage people to be like them, though people look at them to remember what to avoid--Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and other evil men come to mind.  They are not forgotten, but, one day, they will be.  In that day, only the deeds of the LORD will be retold throughout all time.  It is His "house" that He has established that will stand forever and ever.

​A wise man acts in a way that leads to commendation, but a foolish man acts in such a way that his name and actions are despised.  People often won't even speak the name of the wicked person, yet a good man need not sing his own praises, for everyone else will speak well of him to everyone else.

It is foolish to think too highly of oneself, even if you are in the position like Solomon of king of the largest, richest, and most powerful empire in the world at the time.  It is better to view yourself as God's humble servant as your Master will fully take care of your provision and protection than to imagine yourself as your own master and to be shown by God that you cannot provide for yourself or take care of your own problems.  There was a direct connection at the time of Solomon (and there still should be today) that the righteous were taken care of by God, and if there was any need within their community, they took care of each other.  The others who were cast out of that community because of their wickedness went hungry and had no social safety net because it was God's hope that their empty stomachs would encourage them to repent and turn back to both faith and obedience.

​The righteous man is kind to the innocent, including animals.  However, the wicked man is cruel to defenseless people and animals.  This is not talking about hunting for food, but instead probably speaks of the psychopathic person who "enjoys" abusing animals as much as they can "enjoy" anything as the pleasure-center of their brain is usually broken and they feel "numb," feeling neither pain nor pleasure.  They then move on to abusing other victims--children, women, and maybe even graduating to be serial rapists and serial killers.  Often such people are described as "pure evil" or "evil incarnate" and may even be described as "soulless" by some.  It is as if they have no conscience Maybe this is an extreme example, but I think it's probably what Solomon has in mind here.  Those who abuse animals, children, women, the disabled, the elderly, and other such innocent, defenseless people are wicked and evil.

The diligent worker should receive enough from his work to feed himself and his family, and then some to share with others.  The example here is given of a society that is agrarian where each man works his own land to feed himself and his family.  The wicked man is a sloth and a sluggard who doesn't even provide from himself, let alone his family, and tries to leech off of everyone else who had worked hard for what they have.  This man has usually wasted all of his money on what Solomon calls "worthless pursuits" (gambling, drugs, alcohol, women, and other fleeting moments of pleasure).  In the end, Solomon will later call this type of foolish behavior like trying to grasp and hold onto the wind.  There is nothing there to hold onto.  The wicked man then covets what the prudent man has and has worked hard for.  The fool feels entitled to it even though he has done nothing to work for it or earn it.  This often leads the lazy fool to turn to a life of stealing or living off of "government welfare" which in many ways is just legalized theft which takes from those who have worked to earn for themselves and their families and gives it to people who have not worked for it.  (Note that I'm not talking about charities where people willingly give out of the abundance that God gave them to help those with actual needs in times of crisis and might actually work to help promote the gospel in doing so--I'm talking about forced taxation and redistribution of wealth in a way that is godless, and I think Solomon would call it wicked).  And, no, I'm not saying all taxation is theft--there are plenty of places in the Bible where God commands His people to pay taxes or similar financial obligations like the required tithes and offerings that were paid in the theocratic Old Testament system that acted much like a system of taxes (though different).  That's another topic for another day, and probably lends itself to a Faith and Culture blog at some point where I can elaborate more on why charity is good, but in most cases a "welfare system" is bad.