February 1, 2024
Humility Looks Good on Everyone
Proverbs 25
Rob Guild
Big Book Idea
Living wisely—God's way.
Key Verse | Proverbs 25:6-7
Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
or stand in the place of the great,
for it is better to be told, "Come up here,"
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
Proverbs 25
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
2
It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
3
As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4
Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
5
take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6
Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
or stand in the place of the great,
7
for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seen
8
do not hastily bring into court,
1
25:8
Or presence of a noble, as your eyes have seen. 8Do not go hastily out to court
for
2
25:8
Hebrew or else
what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9
Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another's secret,
10
lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
11
A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
13
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14
Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
15
With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
16
If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
17
Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
18
A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19
Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
20
Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
21
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22
for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.
23
The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
25
Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.
26
Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27
It is not good to eat much honey,
nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.
3
25:27
The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
28
A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Proverbs
Timeline
Author and Date
Proverbs itself mentions Solomon (reigned c. 971–931 B.C.) as author or collector of its contents (1:1; 10:1), including the proverbs copied by Hezekiah’s men (25:1). There are also two batches of sayings from a group called “the wise” (22:17–24:22; 24:23–34), and “oracles” from Agur (30:1–33) and Lemuel (31:1–9). No author is named for the song in praise of the excellent wife that ends the book (31:10–31). Although Proverbs was begun in the time of Solomon, it probably was not in its present form until the time of Hezekiah (reigned c. 715–686 B.C.).
Theme
The goal of the book is stated right at the beginning (1:1–7): to describe what wisdom is and to help God’s people become wise. Wisdom is founded in the “fear of the Lord,” and it enables believers to express their faith in the practical details of everyday life.
Audience
The book is addressed to a young man. The situations he will face while he is young receive much attention. These situations supply concrete examples from which all readers can apply lessons to their own lives. Anyone who is wise and who pays attention will benefit (1:5) from this instruction.
Reading Proverbs
The reader of Proverbs must seek to understand the various types of people the book describes. The most obvious characters in the book are the wise, the fool, and the simple. Proverbs urges its readers to be wise, which means embracing God’s covenant and living out the covenant in everyday situations (compare 2:2; 10:1). The fool is the person who constantly opposes God’s covenant (1:7b). The simple is the person who is not firmly committed, either to wisdom or to folly; he is easily misled (14:15).
The first nine chapters of Proverbs are “wisdom poems” that urge the reader to pursue wisdom. The main section of Proverbs—the concise, memorable statements of two or three lines—begins in 10:1. Proverbs often seem to be mere observations about life, but their deeper meanings will reveal themselves if the following questions are kept in mind: (1) What virtue does this proverb commend? (2) What vice does it disapprove of? (3) What value does it affirm?
Key Themes
Proverbs offers wisdom on a wide array of topics from daily life: diligence and laziness (6:6–11); friendship (3:27–28; 18:24); speech (10:19–21); marriage (18:22; 19:14); child rearing (22:6); domestic peace (15:17; 17:1); work (11:1); getting along and good manners (23:1–2; 25:16–17; 26:17–19; 27:14); eternity (14:32; 23:17–18); and much more. It shows that “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).
- God’s will is intensely practical, applying to every aspect of life. A proper relation to God involves trying hard to understand his truth, and then embracing and obeying that truth.
- A life lived by God’s will is a happy life (3:21–26).
- A life lived by God’s will is a useful life (3:27–28; 12:18, 25).
- A life lived by God’s will does not just happen. One must seek after it (9:1–6).
Outline
- Title, Goal, and Motto (1:1–7)
- A Father’s Invitation to Wisdom (1:8–9:18)
- Proverbs of Solomon (10:1–22:16)
- The Thirty Sayings of “the Wise” (22:17–24:22)
- Further Sayings of “the Wise” (24:23–34)
- Hezekiah’s Collection of Solomonic Proverbs (25:1–29:27)
- The Sayings of Agur (30:1–33)
- The Sayings of King Lemuel (31:1–9)
- An Alphabet of Womanly Excellence (31:10–31)
Fact: Wisdom
Wisdom is a key term in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The word can mean “skilled at making sound decisions in life.” Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
Fact: A different kind of security
A different kind of security. In biblical times, if a person was unable to pay his debt, the consequences could be serious. The whole family could be sold into slavery. If someone put up “security” for another person, he promised to pay that person’s debt if he was unable to do so himself. Proverbs teaches that putting up security for another person is generally unwise, since those who do so risk losing everything if the other person cannot pay his debt (11:15).
Fact: Hezekiah’s contribution to Proverbs
Hezekiah’s contribution to Proverbs. Although most of the Proverbs were collected or written by King Solomon, who reigned from 971–931 B.C., the book of Proverbs did not exist in its present form until the time of King Hezekiah, some 200 years later. Hezekiah and “his men,” probably his scribes, recorded chs. 25–29.
Fact: Rock badgers
Rock badgers are small cliff-dwelling animals closely resembling guinea pigs. They live and forage for food in large groups and are good at hiding. They are best known for posting sentries that alert the group when danger is near. Perhaps it was this mark of wisdom that earned them a mention in Proverbs (30:26).
Fact: Rains from the north
Rains from the north. In Palestine, winds from the north usually bring good weather. When the north wind brings rain, as in 25:23, the rain can be sudden and damaging. Thus it is compared here to a “backbiting tongue.”
OT Testimony that All Are under Sin (3:9)
| Romans 3 | OT Reference |
|---|---|
| Sinful Condition | |
| v. 10, none is righteous | Ps. 14:3/53:3; Eccles. 7:20 |
| v. 11a, no one understands | Ps. 14:2/53:2 |
| v. 11b, no one seeks for God | Ps. 14:2/53:2 |
| v. 12, all have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one | Ps. 14:3/53:3 |
| Sinful Speech (note progression from throat to tongue to lips) | |
| v. 13a, b, their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive | Ps. 5:10, Septuagint (English, 5:9) |
| v. 13c, the venom of asps is under their lips | Ps. 140:3 |
| v. 14, their mouth is full of curses and bitterness | Ps. 10:7 |
| Sinful Action | |
| v. 15, their feet are swift to shed blood | Prov. 1:16/Isa. 59:7 |
| v. 16, in their paths are ruin and misery | Isa. 59:7 |
| v. 17, and the way of peace they have not known | Isa. 59:8 |
| Summary Statement | |
| v. 18, there is no fear of God before their eyes | Ps. 36:1 |
Prov. 25:2–3 God is greater than human beings. He deserves fame, or glory, because he knows things mere humans cannot know (Deut. 29:29). Kings deserve glory for searching for as many answers as possible (Prov. 25:2). But just as no king may know God’s mind completely, no other human can know a king’s mind completely (v. 3). God and human rulers are both mysterious in their own way.
Prov. 25:4–5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king. The close advisers of a ruler must be chosen with careful attention to their moral character (see 13:20).
Prov. 25:6–7b These verses encourage proper humility (see Luke 14:7–11).
Prov. 25:7c–10 This section encourages working out conflict with a neighbor rather than presenting a case in court or reporting a grievance to others (vv. 9b–10). See notes on Matt. 5:25–26; 18:15–20.
Prov. 25:13 The time of harvest for the various crops in ancient Israel ran from June through September, and the heat could be withering. At such a time, the cold of snow—however it was brought—would refresh the workers. A literal snowfall is probably not in view, as that could have been a catastrophe; see 26:1.
Prov. 25:16–17 In context, v. 16 is a metaphor leading into v. 17. One’s presence, even though it may be pleasant, may last too long.
Prov. 25:20 This verse gives three examples of using the wrong solution to a problem.
Prov. 25:21–22 The image of burning coals on the enemy’s head does not imply doing something that harms the enemy, because the phrase further explains the bread and drink, which do him good. Also, the LORD will reward you implies a good result from these “burning coals,” which is most consistent with leading the person to repentance for his or her earlier hostility.
Prov. 25:23 The north wind is not the usual source of rain in Palestine. When it is, it brings unexpected and damaging rain. This is like a backbiting tongue, which brings sudden anger and damage.
Fact: Rains from the north
Rains from the north. In Palestine, winds from the north usually bring good weather. When the north wind brings rain, as in 25:23, the rain can be sudden and damaging. Thus it is compared here to a “backbiting tongue.”
Prov. 25:28 Self-control relates to the passions (such as anger or love), the desires (for food, sex, etc.), and the will (as illustrated by impulsive decisions). Lack of self-control is a mark of a fool. He is like a city . . . left without walls, that is, with no means of defense against enemies.
S3:024 Proverbs 25
Listen NowDive Deeper | Proverbs 25
"Of course he's awesome. Just ask him, and he will tell you." We all know "that guy" or "that girl." Our culture tells us to be our own cheerleader and promoter. Workplace evaluations, social media, dating, making sure my wife knows I did the dishes without being asked . . . . We are constantly encouraged to make sure others know how important we are, what we have done, and how well we are doing. But this is all worldly thinking and not biblical wisdom.
In the key verse, God tells us it is better to be humble than to be humbled, and He also showed us. In His human form, Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death as an atonement for our sin. As a result, God highly exalted Jesus, giving Him the name above every name at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:8-11). This kind of fits hand in hand with the key verse, huh? Good thing for me—the Bible is a bunch of small stories that point to the one, big, true story of God's redemption plan through Jesus. This devo pretty much wrote itself.
So what's the takeaway? Accept no kind words and hide in the shadows? Not at all! Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but instead thinking of yourself less. At this point in my life, God hasn't asked me to die for Him, but to live for Him. We can either tell others that WE are awesome, or we can tell others that HE is awesome. Our actions should point others to Christ. Being humble isn't making yourself invisible. We are supposed to be seen. Matthew 5:14 says, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." We should live our lives out loud for Christ. Therefore, we should graciously accept praise when we receive it in this world, but not live our lives seeking that worldly praise.
This month's memory verse
Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
– Exodus 34:6b
Discussion Questions
1. What is your personal definition of humility? Is it a biblical definition?
2. How do you think of yourself? How do you think others perceive you? How do you think God thinks of you?
3. Recall a time when you were humbled. How did you handle it? What was the impact on your future actions?
4. In practical terms, what does it mean to think of yourself less without thinking less of yourself?
5. How can your community or other spiritually mature friends help you pursue humility in your life?
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