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Wednesday 09/03/25
Thru the Bible: Proverbs 11
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The actions and rewards of the righteous & the wicked
Proverbs 11
Tonight we are going to take an instructional detour before diving into Proverbs 11.
I haven’t mentioned this many times in the past, in fact in searching our website for it I only found it referenced 4 times in the past 15 years. Even still, I’m sure several of you remember it.
I am talking about the 613 commands given in the Pentateuch which are in addition to the 10 commandments. What I am about to teach you about them, is more than I’ve ever said about them.
There is much misinformation about these commands including two things I said in the past.
I’ve told you that the identified 613 commands in the Old Testament were simply 613 ways in which the 10 commandments are realized in everyday life and in extraordinary circumstances.
While very generally put this is true, it fails to represent them completely.
Additionally, I was previously under the assumption that these 613 commands were scattered throughout the Old Testament in the real life stories of Israel. That is completely wrong. The 613 commands are actually all within the first 5 books of the Bible written by Moses which we call the Pentateuch. Instead of offering you a 37 page handout, I have taken the conservative approach of placing it on our website for your reference.
What you will see on the website are the 613 commands divided into man made categories. These categories are not iron clad. They could be arranged in any number of ways but this one is as good as any. Also there are a good number of repeated commands and a fair amount of bleed over so that in the end there are considerably less than 613 in all reality, and I will illustrate this for you in a moment.
For our purposes as New Covenant believers these should be arranged in two categories – laws to which we are bound and laws from which we have been loosed.
For the sake of illustration and further instruction I will offer you some examples which apply to us and our first verse in Proverbs 11. Then I will show you a few which no longer have any application under the New Covenant.
Our first verse in Proverbs 11 says,
“(1) Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.”
These are represented in the following passages
- To love God (Deut. 6:5)To fear Him reverently (Deut. 6:13; 10:20)
- Not to defraud (Lev. 19:13)
- Not to covet what belongs to another (Ex. 20:14)
- Not to crave something that belongs to another (Deut. 5:18)
- Not to do wrong in buying or selling (Lev. 25:14)
- Not to commit fraud in measuring (Lev. 19:35)
- To ensure that scales and weights are correct (Lev. 19:36)
- Not to possess inaccurate measures and weights (Deut. 25:13-14)
Now these are not NEW commands but simply a retelling of some of the 10. Namely these are retellings of the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 9th and 10th commandments which are:
- I am the LORD your God; you are not to have ANY other gods before me.
- You are not to take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- You are not to steal.
- You are not to slander (which by extension includes any time of lie or misrepresentations of the truth)
- You are not to covet your neighbor’s goods.
Additionally, we are told several times in scripture that God loves righteousness and justice like in Psalm 33:5,
“He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.”
All of these are examples of laws we are bound to keep, but which are really nothing more than a retelling of some of the 10 commandments.
The following however, represent special laws. They either only applied under the Old Covenant or during ancient times.
- Not to wear garments made of wool and linen mixed together (Deut. 22:11)
- The priests are to wear the sacred priestly garments vestments for the service (Ex. 28:2, 40-41)
- Laws regarding the passover lamb: (Ex. 12:6, 8-10; 43, 45,46,48; 23:18; 24:25) each of which represent one of the 613 laws.
Since Jesus Himself is our Highpriest, and since He became the passover lamb Who was offered up so that death might never touch us again these laws regarding the passover lamb and the priests and their garments are no longer relevant.
This is an example of the 613 ways in which the law is kept.
Now in the coming weeks I am going to create an article on our website which I will link to this message which covers this subject in detail so you will have it for future reference, but that is all I will go into tonight on the subject.
Suffice it to say that Proverbs 11:1 is a statement about God who cannot lie and is therefore a statement about the actions of His people. Because if it is true of God in Christ, it is true of His children!
Proverbs 11:1-31,
“(1) Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.”
Notice that God delights in truth, but as a reality and when it is exemplified in the hearts and actions of His children!
“(2) When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”
This is another connection to the warning and promise in James that God “give grace to the humble, but resists the proud”. Other passages of note are that “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” which we will see when we get to Proverbs 16:18 and Proverbs 6:16-17 which includes pride as one of the 7 things which are an abomination to God.
“(3) The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”
I have found this true so many times in my life. Because I have a desire to live with integrity before God, it will often make my decisions for me. There are some things which are simply off limits to you if you walk in integrity.
Thoughts like, “well it wont do any real harm and they won’t even notice” are usually a prelude to sin in that it is to contemplate acting in a way other than what should be expected. Integrity will not allow for such allowances.
“(4) Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. (5) The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.”
Though it’s unclear if these are to be taken together, they do paint a larger and more complete picture when viewed and considered together rather than apart.
The teaching is that while wealth offers only temporary freedom, aid and relief – when the wrath of God or man is kindled against you, it affords you no help whatsoever!
Righteousness or actions which are in “right standing with God”, will deliver from death. Like integrity, righteousness will show you the right way and lead to deliverance.
The wicked and unfaithful however, will fall by their own devices and be caught in their own lusts.
It is important here to remind you of the meaning of the words wickedness and righteousness.
Here the word wickedness appears as an adjective as it does 264 times in the Old Testament and many more times as a verb.
Literally, it stands as an antonym to the Hebrew word for “righteousness” which is why they are used in contrast here.
Righteousness here is a noun and means blameless conduct and integrity. It describes justice, right actions and attitudes as exemplified in the person of God and which He expects from mankind. So it is often stated that to be righteous is to be “right with God”.
Therefore, by extension “wickedness” is to act out of accordance with God’s character and expectations of mankind. That is why we often say that wickedness is to do OUR OWN thing, our own way rather than to live in agreement with God’s ways. The root of the word is associated with evil or wrong doing. In English it shares a root with the word wicker which is a flexible branch or twig such as willow used in weaving furniture and baskets. It is with this in mind that we have often connected the words wicked and wicker in a loose root which would imply a twisting or bending. To make this connection between the words requires a fair amount of twisting itself since the root of these words and their incorporation into English come from many languages each with slight variations in meaning. What IS known however is that in English the word wicked seems to come from the word for wicca which has to do with witchcraft.
“(7) When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of the unjust perishes.
(8) The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.
(9) The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.”
Verses 8-9 seem to be connected in that deliverance is given to the righteous while destruction comes to the wicked.
If they ARE to be connected, then the progression would likely be something like this –
Hypocrisy is a trait of the wicked and it comes back to tell on them, but the righteous live what they know and so are delivered from such ensnarements.
“(10) When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. (11) By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.”
These two verses ARE to be held in tension together since taken together they make a singular point. The idea being set forth needs no further illustration than the current news. Almost daily we are learning of deceptive conniving of previous administrations and how deep it goes even across party lines. When these things are brought to light, if not to justice – the city or nation rejoices.
Just to be clear here – this is not a broad-stroked endorsement of Trump and all he does. No human being is perfect and our president, for all the good I believe he is doing as well as expunging of past evils, is still a flawed human being like us all.
“(12) He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace.”
This one brushes up against us all in one fashion or another. Most people have lived near a person who is either annoying or somehow otherwise undesirable, but such does not usually rise to the level of despising. The word here means to hold in contempt. As such it is little wonder this verse says it is the expression of an unwise heart.
The idea of contempt is hard to even say. It is a hateful thing to exist in the heart for it means to entertain thoughts and feelings regarding something or someone as being beneath consideration. That they are worthless and even deserving of scorn. While no doubt such people exist, that our hearts could sustain such strong feelings of animosity against anyone says more about our hearts than it does theirs. So while the words “holds his peace” is literal, the spirit of the proverb would include what we allow our hearts to contemplate.
It is a solid truth that we understand NOTHING completely. Therefore to make such a lasting and final inward judgment of another is a fool’s errand. As we will learn later in Proverbs 18:13, “A fool answers a matter before he has heard it.”
Proverbs 11:13,
“(13) A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”
Now this has been misquoted and abused before as meaning that it is a noble thing to conceal sin. Such is NOT the intended meaning of this proverb. The word “talebearer” comes from two Hebrew words meaning to carry around gossip. To spread rumors, misrepresentations or lies about another.
The word “matter” is very broad and can include anything from reports you have heard to business affairs and legal matters.
In context, it would seem this proverb is referring to “inside information” given by someone in trust regarding a private matter – thus the idea of faithfulness. Therefore what the faithful person is concealing is something which should remain private and will, if they have any integrity!
Verse 14,
“(14) Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
This too has been misquoted and misapplied as saying that if most people believe it, it must be true. However, most people do not qualify as “counselors” – especially the kind Solomon was referring to. As a king, within his cabinet, he had those who were wise and could offer sound and even shrewd advice. And while one wise person might offer bad advice, in the company of many wise advisors a matter is able to be viewed from nearly all angles and will lead to safe and morally right decisions more times than not.
Verse 15-16,
“(15) He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, But one who hates being surety is secure.”
We covered this in some detail back in Proverbs 6 under the message title of “The Proverbial sluggard… are you Lazy or Content?”.
“(16) A gracious woman retains honor, but ruthless men retain riches.”
Verses 17-21 may be taken as one thought developing throughout. It says,
“(17) The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh. (18) The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. (19) As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death. (20) Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their ways are His delight. (21) Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.”
By “merciful” it includes the idea of loyalty and faithfulness. It may have been the intention of Solomon to contrast the soul with the body in verse 17. The idea is that one who is faithful, kind and loyal deals adequately or fully with their own soul, but if they are heartless, merciless and inhumane will bring trouble to his own flesh. The idea is not unlike the inspired counsel of Paul who told the Galatians,
“(7) Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, (8) because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” – Galatians 6:7-8
Likewise the wicked earns vanity and death through his dishonest dealings but the righteous reaps genuine rewards and life.
To have a crooked and perverse heart is hated by God, since the soul of man is from God’s Own breath, but those whose ways without blame are a delight to Him.
This last verse in the Holman is very clearly put,
“Those with twisted minds are detestable to the LORD, but those with blameless conduct are His delight.”
Notice that the hearts of the wicked are contrasted with the actions of the righteous.
Again this is a form of parallelism where the complete understanding of the first stanza is made clear by the second. Good and bad actions from good or bad thoughts and hearts. As Paul says in Romans 8:5-7,
“(5) For those whose lives are according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those whose lives are according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. (6) For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. (7) For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. (8) Those whose lives are in the flesh are unable to please God.”
Proverbs 11:22-23…
“(22) As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.”
“(23) The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.”
This supports what I pointed out last week when we are told that the desire of the righteous will be granted (Proverbs 10:24). The reason being is because what they desire is good!
Proverbs 11:24-26,
“(24) There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. (25) The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. (26) The people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.”
There is so much wisdom in scripture regarding provision and perhaps no other arena of our lives see His hand as clearly as in provisions He makes. His involvement is so clear in these areas since it is so dear to His heart and His involvement turns actions which otherwise make no sense, the very embodiment of wisdom!
There are those who give and yet don’t lack. This is seen in the wisdom God imparted to the Corinthian church in their abundance saying,
“(13) It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality– (14) at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may also become available for your need, that there may be equality. (15) As it has been written: The person who gathered much did not have too much, and the person who gathered little did not have too little.” – 2 Corinthians 8:13-15
And Jesus’ words saying,
“Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together will people give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38
Wrapping up the last verses of Proverbs 11…
“(27) He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
“(28) He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. (29) He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
(30) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
(31) If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner.”
Blessings!
Tri
