Lord’s Day, Vol. 11 No. 49
Discipline & Dedication (Proverbs 19:17-29)
Proverbs 19:17-29 17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. 18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. 19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again. 20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. 21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. 22 The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar. 23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. 24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. 25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge. 26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach. 27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. 28 An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity. 29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
INTRODUCTION
The Christian life is abundantly fulfilling and rich. Not so much in the material sense but this richness of life is the assurance of God’s presence resting and abiding strong, blessing and enriching the heart. The assurance that the treasures in Christ are ours when we yield our hearts to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, in poverty of spirit, mourning for our sins, repenting of them, yields great refreshing to the soul choked full with the filth of sin.
In our text in Proverbs 19:17-29, Solomon gives instructions for the Christian life can prosper and flourish.
This passage begins with a gracious thought.
17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
God takes note of our acts of kindness that bubble up from the heart toward those who cannot repay. The lender to the poor is practically in a “no-win” situation. The poor can hardly have the means to repay the kindness of the lender. And yet the lender filled with compassion, filled with love willingly opens his hand to help. It is an expression of God’s love, unconditional and sacrificial. Selfishness would cause the heart to want to withhold and evade giving.
Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We experience the greater blessing of giving by exercising our faith, desiring nothing in return.
The widow of Zarephath was not the poorer for ministering to Elijah in his distress, but found an unfailing cruse of oil and an unending supply of meal.
1 Kings 17:10-16 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
This passage of 13 verses contains 4 commands – “chasten” in verse 18, “hear and receive” in verse 20 and “cease” in verse 27.
In verse 18, “to chasten” is “to correct”, “to discipline” and “to admonish”, it means both instruction and discipline. This is the first imperative that is found in these verses. It is an instruction for every father to take action.
Verse 18 says “18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.”
This command is given with urgency. It is telling us that there will come a time when this grace period of disciplining the child will end. This is the sacred duty vested in fathers to teach their children in the ways of God. When they have erred, the father must not abdicate his responsibility. Parents abdicate their sacred responsibility by not having the courage and strength of heart to carry out this duty in the guise of “love”. Chastening is painful but necessary is the sense of this verse. Fathers are commanded not to neglect this sacred duty of disciplining the child in God’s ways.
Discipline that is firm but gracious should characterize the home. It should not be brutish such that the child’s life is in danger. Oftentimes, it only serves to harden instead of recovering a wayward son.
Unreasonable demands, and punishments all out of proportion to the offence committed, should be avoided. [H.A. Ironside, Proverbs and Song of Solomon, Kregel, 1920, 157]
19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
Here is described as one given to uncontrolled and unrestrained anger. If we are to give in to him and allow him to throw tantrums, like a spoilt child, this will not do him good. He will repeat his destructive temper. But if we do not restrain, stop and punish him, he will get into bigger trouble. Vices that begin in the nursery that go unchecked and unrestrained manifest themselves in troubled teens and young adults. When the law has to be used to restrain them, often the consequences have become grievous.
20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. 21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
The admonition is that we be teachable, and be willing to attend to godly counsel. Hear and receive are the imperative. If we are willing to humble ourselves to receive discipline and instruction, there is hope for us in the future. We may not have started well. Foolishness has bound our heart, verses 21a describes that well “there are many devices (many thoughts and plans and inventions) in a man’s heart.” Man’s way is a way devised by human weakness and folly. (Bridges)
How well are we acquainted with God’s Word? Have we spent time to seek God’s counsel before we would make a decision? Oh, how important this is!
22 The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.
A kindly, benevolent spirit appeals to all men, and it is a desirable trait to be unselfish and thoughtful of others. To be what you are and not pretend to be what you are not is a sound principle. [H.A. Ironside, Proverbs and Song of Solomon, Kregel, 1920, 159]
It is the principle of integrity that God honours. A man who is poor in his integrity is better than one who has to cheat and lie to receive unjust gain!
23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
The fear of God does not just mean being in awe of or revering God. Fear of God also means literally “scared to death” of God. He is the all-powerful Creator of the universe and can end our lives at any moment.
By way of application, Israel is commanded by the LORD to remember to give their tithe because they realize that all they have comes from God. If God withholds, we have nothing.
Deuteronomy 14:22-23 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
Here is a negative example. A man walking in God’s wise way is a diligent worker. He is not a lazy sluggard who refuses to lift his hands to work. Here is given the man of ultimate sloth. He will not even bring his hands to take the nourishing food to help himself. It may seem comical but the reality of it is that it is not. We have the Bible with us but if we do not take time to read it, to eat of the goodness and nourishment, we will be malnourished and not grow.
25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.
Whereas the man of God will not hesitate to repent when reproved, for he knew it is for his good. Notice the contrast of treatment.
The simple; who sin through ignorance, imprudence, and infirmity, is possibly drawn to sin by the scorner’s evil counsel or example. (Poole)
26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.
This is a most unwise son who squanders away his father’s hard-earned estate and repays his mother’s love with unkindness. He certainly brings shame.
27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
This is the fourth imperative in this series of verses. Be careful to shun the counsel of evil men. False teachings destroy. It will trip you and will cause you to fall.
28 An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
“Belial” is the word for “worthlessness”. This is applied to the hard-hearted who does not care about justice. Here is a picture of one who will greedily devour, bent on sin or sinful ways.
29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
Beware for a time of reckoning is coming. There is no way of escaping God’s all-seeing eyes. One who refuses God’s way faces heavy consequences for God Himself will deal with such a one. It is a frightening thing to fall into the hand of the living God.
CONCLUSION
Discipline and dedication are the way of the godly. May we take heed by the way we relate to the poor, to our wayward children, to unrestrained anger, godly counsel, and the sad plight of those who refuse God’s Word. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee
