CRITICAL NOTES.— PROVERBS 22:1. A GOOD NAME. Literally “_a name_.” LOVING FAVOUR, or “_grace,” “goodwill_.” _MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:1_ BETTER THAN GOLD The second clause of the proverb explains the meaning of the _name_ in the first clause—it is evidently a good reputation that is gained... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:2_ LEVELLING DOWN AND LEVELLING UP I. THE RICH AND THE POOR HAVE MUCH IN COMMON. They have, in fact, everything in common which is independent of silver and gold. At first sight this seems to include almost everything worth having, and it does include the best and mo... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL NOTES.— PROVERBS 22:3. ARE PUNISHED, rather “_must suffer injury_.” PROVERBS 22:4. BY HUMILITY, rather “_The end or reward of humility_,” etc. Delitzsch reads “_The reward of humility_ IS _the fear of the Lord_,” etc. PROVERBS 22:5. SHALL BE, etc., or LET HIM KEEP, etc. PROVERBS 22:6. T... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:7_ AN ANALOGY AFFIRMED AND A CONTRAST SUGGESTED I. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE POOR MAN AND THE BORROWER. The proverb at least _suggests_ that the poor man and the borrower are not necessarily convertible terms—that a poor man may owe no man anything, and that a man ma... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL NOTES.— PROVERBS 22:8. THE ROD OF HIS ANGER, or, as Zöckler, the “_staff of his haughtiness_.” PROVERBS 22:16. Zöckler reads this verse “_One oppresseth the poor only to make him rich_,” _i.e.,_ “the oppression which one practises on a poor man rouses his moral energy, and thus, by means... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:9_ THE BOUNTIFUL EYE I. THE EYE IS AN INDEX OF THE SOUL. This is true, not only of the _expression_ of the eye but of its _direction_. What is in the mind can often be read in the eye; both evil passions and divine affections reveal themselves through it, but sometim... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:10_ A MAN WHO OUGHT TO DWELL ALONE I. THE SCORNER SHOULD BE DISMISSED FROM SOCIAL BODIES FOR HIS OWN SAKE. It is better for the man himself that his power to do evil should be as limited as possible. If we could know beforehand that a man intends to commit a great cr... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:11_ A ROAD TO ROYAL FRIENDSHIP I. THE PURE IN HEART DESERVE TO BE HONOURED WITH THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE KING. Where there is purity of heart, the springs of moral life are healthy—the whole man is an embodiment of truth and goodness. Such a man is worthy of the honour... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:12_ THE PRESERVATION OF KNOWLEDGE I. GOD PRESERVES KNOWLEDGE BY PRESERVING THE MAN WHO POSSESSES THE KNOWLEDGE. The preservation of the life of the man of science who has discovered some secret of nature is a preservation of the knowledge that he has gained. If the d... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:13_ AN ACTIVE IMAGINATION I. INACTIVITY OF WILL MAY CAUSE A TOO GREAT ACTIVITY OF THE IMAGINATION. Man is made for action, and if he refuses to employ his powers in doing some useful and real work, it is probable that he will put forth some morbid effort in another d... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:14_ A DEEP PIT This verse treats of two classes of character, both of which have been depicted before. (See on chaps. Proverbs 2:16, page 24, Proverbs 6:24, page 89, Proverbs 6:6, page 15). I. THE TEMPTER. The _strange_ woman—the woman who has been so deaf to the vo... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:15_ A FACT STATED AND A DUTY INFERRED I. HUMAN NATURE IN ITS MOST ATTRACTIVE FORM CONTAINS LATENT DEPRAVITY. The flower of the thistle is beautiful to look upon, and its downy seed is an apparently harmless object, and one worthy of admiration, as it rears its head a... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:16_ OPPRESSION AND SERVILITY I. OPPOSITE ACTIONS PROCEEDING FROM THE SAME MOTIVE. This proverb seems to be directed against a man whose mastering passion is the unworthy one of amassing material gain and ministering exclusively to his own enjoyment. This is the commo... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL NOTES.— PROVERBS 22:21. THEM THAT SEND UNTO THEE, rather “_them that send thee_.” “The senders here,” says Zöckler, “are naturally the parents, who have sent their son to the teacher of wisdom, that he may bring back thence to them real culture of spirit and heart.” _MAIN HOMILETICS OF TH... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:22_ GOD THE SPOILER OF THE SPOILER I. ROBBERY IS OF THREE KINDS. 1. _There is the open and unlegalised thief_. There are men who do not pretend to respect the rights of others and who openly live in violation of Divine and human laws. They differ somewhat in their... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:24_ AN INFECTIOUS AND DANGEROUS DISEASE I. FRIENDSHIP INFLUENCES HABIT AND THUS MOULDS CHARACTER. The reason given here for avoiding the companionship of an angry man is, “_lest thou learn his ways_.” This subject has been treated at length in chap. Proverbs 13:20, p... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:26_ SURETYSHIP AND ITS DANGERS I. A COMMAND TO AVOID A PERILOUS HABIT. We cannot, in the light of the spirit of Bible teaching—especially that of the New Testament—regard this proverb as forbidding all suretyship. It cannot mean that one honest man when he has ample... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL NOTES.— PROVERBS 22:29. DILIGENT, rather “_expert_,” _apt_.” _MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 22:29_ THE DESTINY OF THE DILIGENT I. THE DILIGENT MAN MEETS WITH DIVINE APPROVAL. The repeated commendations of diligence and condemnations of slothfulness which we meet with in this book show the... [ Continue Reading ]