Proverbs 11
1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.
This verse tells us something important about God – God finds it repulsive to see a person treating someone differently just because that person is (or isn’t) your friend or relative.
For example, if you are a manager at work, and you are lenient to a subordinate just because you like him, but very strict towards another subordinate just because he has rubbed you the wrong way in the past, then you are making God very upset.
2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.
Dishonor is shame or embarrassment. It comes about when you do something stupid.
If you are proud you will end up doing something stupid and it will result in dishonor. but just because you have dishonor it doesn’t mean that you were proud. Therefore, whenever we find dishonor in our lives we need to examine whether it is due to pride, and then repent of that pride.
In the same vein, if there is no dishonor in our life then it is a good sign – it means that God is not opposing us and that we are in a state of humility.
Humility is a necessary condition for getting wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
People often want to know God’s will for them. This verse tells you how to end up in God’s will – be a person of integrity.
Integrity means doing the right thing even if no one (but God) is watching.
For example, suppose you are a young man or woman and want to go to the university God has in mind for you. If you do all your homework and exams and projects without cheating then you will get a certain grade, and God will make sure that that grade guides you into the university He wants you to be in, and ultimately in the job and location He wants you to be in.
On the other hand, if you are crooked and cheat in your exams then you will end up in a place where you are not supposed to be and result in destruction of your ability to fulfill God’s plan for you.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
There is day when God’s wrath will be poured out on the unrighteous. In that day, it won’t matter how rich you are but only how righteous you are (and were).
Therefore, don’t trade righteousness of riches.
Here is an example of how one can trade righteousness for riches – if you copy software or songs or movies from others without having paid for them then you have traded righteousness for riches. If you have sold a car to someone for more than it is really worth, without disclosing all its flaws to the buyer then you have traded righteousness for riches.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
If we desire to walk with God, then when we do something that dishonors God and needs to be repented of then God will try to get our attention to it by putting a bump in our way.
The bump might be something inconvenient – like our car going bad, or our computer going bad, and so on.
If we are blameless (i.e. someone with a clear conscience) then as long as we are doing what is right (i.e. as long as we are righteous) there will be no such bumps and our way will be smooth. but if we fall from righteousness then God will send the bumps.
If we are wicked, and are not interested in walking with God then we won’t have God’s support and we will be left to our own devices and we will ultimately do stupid things resulting in our own doom.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of strong men perishes.
Suppose you want your children to have good jobs, and you do what you can to make that happen.
If you are wicked, then God won’t support you, and you alone will be trying to help your children, and once you die your hope and expectation regarding good jobs for your children will end.
However, if you are righteous, then God, who is alive even after you die, will take note of your expectation, and will continue to work with your children to provide good jobs for them.
8 The righteous are delivered from trouble, but the wicked takes his place.
When the wicked try to get the righteous into trouble, God ensures that the righteous escape and that the wicked end up in trouble instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
If you say things to unnecessarily or selfishly make your neighbor look bad then you are behaving as if God doesn’t exist.
But if you have the knowledge of God then you will refrain from putting people down. Instead, you will realize that that is God’s job and you will let Him do it, and thus you will be delivered from the wrath of God that comes upon people who engage in such behavior.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
People like the righteous because the righteous help others and are not selfishly lining their own pockets at the expense of other people.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
For a city to become great, the righteous people in it must do great things. A city can be destroyed when the wicked people in it speak what’s on their mind.
12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding keeps silent.
13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.
When the faults and limitations of the person you live with or work with or hang out with become evident to you, you can do several things: you can accept them or you can despise that person and try to change him. Despising the person and trying to change him is not the sensible thing to do.
Worse still, you can tell others about his faults and limitations, and show yourself to be an untrustworthy person.
14 Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.
No one is smart enough to figure out everything on their own. It makes sense to hear what others have to say on a topic. If you are in charge, you need to give people guidance so that they don’t make mistakes that could have easily been avoided. You also need to allow wise people to speak words of wisdom to others.
15 He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it, but he who hates being a guarantor is secure.
Sometimes, we try to help others when we shouldn’t be helping them. It only makes sense to help those who will use the help wisely and not waste it away. If you help the wrong person you will end up compromising your own status, and that is not wise.
16 A gracious woman attains honor, and ruthless men attain riches.
17 The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm.
People think highly of a woman who is helpful to others.
It is easier to become rich if you are willing to do it at the expense of others. But if you want God to think highly of you and bless you, it is better to be merciful to others.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.
19 He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, and he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
When you make money at the expense of others, you may think you have something of value, but in eternal reality, you don’t. To truly get something of value you must do what is right in God’s eyes.
If you keep doing what is right, you will see a change in your character and perspective. On the other hand, those who keep doing what is wrong will self-destruct.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.
21 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, but the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
God delights in people who apologize and make restitution when they do wrong. However, those who think it is okay to do wrong and not rectify it are an abomination to Him. He will not let them go unpunished.
22 As a ring of gold in a swine's snout so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
A woman’s beauty is like a ring of gold; it is just an external decoration, and doesn’t necessarily reflect her character or wisdom. If you select her just because of her beauty you are making a big mistake.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
A righteous person has the good of his fellowman in mind, but a wicked person wants to get you into trouble.
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
25 The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
When you help others with what you have, you find that you mysteriously receive more. However, if you don’t pay up what you owe, you find that you don’t have enough. God works in the background to make this so.
26 He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
If you have something that people need, be willing to sell it to them for a reasonable price. Be willing to help others. If you try to take advantage of others in their time of need, you will bring problems upon yourself.
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
Don’t think that all your problems will be solved using money in your bank account. Use your money to help others in need, and you’ll find that doing these righteous deeds will benefit you in the long run.
29 He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, and the foolish will be servant to the wise hearted.
If you trouble your own family, you will receive nothing valuable from God. Instead, God will make you a servant to those who are sensible.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.
In other words, wise people teach others how to live righteously, who then go on to do the same (forming a ‘tree of life’).
For example, a righteous man teaches righteousness to his children, and they in turn teach righteous to their children, and so on.
Also, wise people help others in spiritual things (such as getting saved).
31 If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
The right or wrong that you do will affect your life on the earth, not just in eternity. So even if you don’t believe in God and in eternal destiny, it still makes sense to do what is right.
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