Provérbios 15
Adam Clarke · Citado em PreceptAustin
Provérbios 15
Clarke - Gentleness will often disarm the most furious, where positive derangement has not taken place; one angry word will always beget another, for the disposition of one spirit always begets its own likeness in another: thus kindness produces kindness, and rage produces rage. Universal experience confirms this proverb. Coffman - Quiet, inoffensive speech has been effective in preventing many a violent encounter. John
Provérbios 15
Clarke - He not only sees all things, by His omnipresence, but His providence is everywhere. The the consideration that His eye is in every place has a tendency to appall (discourage with fear) those whose hearts are not right before Him, and who seek for privacy, that they may commit iniquity. On the other hand the fact that His providence is everywhere, has a great tendency to encourage the upright, and all who may be in perilous or distressing circumstances. Albert
Provérbios 15
Clarke - No religious acts will do in place of holiness to the Lord. John
Provérbios 15
Clarke - where the fear of God is, there are moderation and contentment of spirit. Lawson - It is the blessing of God that makes any thing pleasant and satisfying. It is sufficient alone to make the beggar rich, and without it the man is poor who calls whole counties his own. And his blessing is upon his own people, and upon their basket and store, whilst the wicked and all they have are under his curse. It is God that gives both food and gladness, and without gladness, what good can our food do to us? and this gladness is ordinarily given to him that is good in his sight; but to the sinner he giveth travel, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. If a Christian has but little, it is pleasant to him; because he considers it as the gift of his heavenly Father, and tastes in it the love of his Saviour, through whose grace every thing is pure and sanctified to him. The wicked have their food from the providence of God which rules over all, the righteous have their bread by covenant and promise‡. If they have little in possession, they know that they shall have every thing necessary and good for them, from, the possessor of heaven and earth; and when they are pinched with straits, it is not for want of good will in their heavenly Father, but because his goodness to them is directed by wisdom. If they have scarcely any food at all, they have promises on which they can feed, with a pleasure never tasted by the men of the world when their corn and wine do most abound. Wiersbe on great treasure - "When you fear the Lord, you keep your priorities straight....One of the subtle dangers of wealth is a false sense of security. “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage” (Pr 11:28). After all, riches won’t save the sinner on the day of judgment (Pr 11:4); they can’t buy peace (Pr 15:16-17) or a good name (Pr 22:1). Riches have a tendency to fly away when we least expect it (Pr 23:4–5; Pr 27:23-24)." Great treasure often brings great turmoil. One is reminded of Solomon the very one who penned this proverb. He seems to have fallen "prey" to his own proverb! He was wiser than any man of his day but he also had greater treasure and in the end his life was filled with unimaginable turmoil, trouble and tumult, ultimately resulting in the Kingdom of Israel being divided (Read 1Kings 11:1-12). Proverbs does not deprecate great treasure per se, for Pr 10:22 says "It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it." Indeed, when Jehovah gives a man great treasure, that treasure is truly "great!" Temper Longman notes that the Book of Proverbs "often suggests that wealth is the reward of the wise, it also makes it clear that sometimes one must choose between fear of Yahweh and wealth." Beloved, is there some "fork in the road" you are facing in your life even as you read this note? Perhaps one fork guarantees great material wealth, but at the potential expense of sacrificing great spiritual wealth. Let me encourage you to pray this proverb to the Lord of the harvest, asking Him to make it very clear whether you are to seek great treasure or be soul satisfied with "little." It could make all the difference in the world (and in the world to come!) Turmoil (04103)(mehumah from hum = to disturb greatly) is a feminine noun which means tumult, disturbance, confusion, disquietude, vexation, trouble, wild, confused disorder, extreme discord. Swanson says mehumah describes "confusion, i.e., a state of discomfiture (uncomfortableness) and consternation because one is not understanding a situation, and so implying turmoil and panic." There is "anxiety attending the pursuit and preservation of wealth." Kitchen adds that mehumah "is a word often associated with holy war and describes the confused and frantic state of the enemies of God when faced with His holy presence and power (Dt 7:23; 28:20; 1Sa 5:9, 11; 14:20; 2Chr 15:5; Isa 22:5; Amos 3:9).The English word turmoil describes disturbance; tumult; harassing labor; trouble; molestation by tumult. It is a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion. Is that not what great riches often bring, especially if not accompanied by godliness! The NET Note adds this thought on mehumah - Turmoil refers to anxiety; the fear of the LORD alleviates anxiety, for it brings with it contentment and confidence. Not all wealth has turmoil with it. But the proverb is focusing on the comparison of two things – fear of the LORD with little and wealth with turmoil. Between these two, the former is definitely better. (Amen!) Allen Ross - “Turmoil” (mehumah) is anxiety; the reverential fear of the Lord alleviates such anxiety, for it causes contentment and tranquility, the opposite of “turmoil.” Not all wealth has this disadvantage, but when it does, it is undesirable. Pulpit Commentary - The trouble intended is the care and labor and anxiety attending the pursuit and preservation of wealth. "Much coin, much care" (comp. Ecclesiastes 6:4). POSB - Notice that the contrast is between the fear of the Lord and trouble. In all but two of its Old Testament uses, the word translated as trouble refers to some destruction or turmoil sent by the Lord in judgment. Though the ungodly rich may not suffer the worldly problems the godly poor endure, they doubtless have immeasurable trouble awaiting them in eternity. Their riches can buy them no favor with God. Their wealth will be of no value to them in hell (Lu.16:22-25).
Provérbios 15
Clarke - Because he is slothful, he imagines ten thousand difficulties in the way which cannot be surmounted; but they are all the creatures of his own imagination, and that imagination is formed by his sloth. John
Provérbios 15
Clarke - before honor is humility - That is, few persons ever arrive at honor who are not humble; and those who from low life have risen to places of trust and confidence, have been remarkable for humility. We may rest assured that the providence of God will never elevate a proud man; such God beholds afar off. He may get into places of trust and profit, but God will oust him, and the people will curse him, and curse his memory. So will it ever be with bad ministers and advisers of the crown. Jamieson on before honor is humility - not, humility is preferable to honor; but "humility," under the Lord's discipline or correction (as the parallel clause requires) goes "before honor," just as "before destruction the heart of man is haughty" (Proverbs 18:12; Proverbs 22:4; Zephaniah 2:3). Arnot - You must go to humility before honor. This is the law—the law of God. It cannot be changed. It has its analogies in the material creation. Every height has its corresponding depth. As far as the Andes pierce into the sky, so far do the valleys of the Pacific, at their base, go down into the heart of the earth. If the branches of a tree rise high in the air, its roots must penetrate to a corresponding depth in the ground; and the necessity is reciprocal. The higher the branches are, the deeper go the roots; and the deeper the roots are, the higher go the branches. This law pervades the moral administration as well as the higher works of God. The child Jesus is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel; but it is first the fall and then the rising; for "before honor is humility." Fall they must at the feet of the Crucified before they can rise and reign as the children of the Great King.… There are two mountains in the land of Israel, equal in height, and standing near each other, with a deep, narrow valley between. At an interesting point in the people's history, one of these mountains bore the curse, and the other received the blessing (Deu ). If you had stood then on Ebal, where the curse was lying, you could not have escaped to Gerizim to enjoy the blessing without going down to the bottom of the intervening gorge. There was a way for the pilgrim from the curse to the blessing, if he were willing to pass through the valley of humiliation; but there was no flight through the air, so as to escape the going down. These things are an allegory. All men are at first in their own judgments on a lofty place, but the curse hangs over the mountains of their pride.… All the saved are also on a lofty height, but God dwells among them, and great is the peace of His children. All who have reached this mountain have been in the deep. They sowed in tears before they went forth rejoicing to bear home the sheaves. Honor (03519) (kabod) describes glory (Josh 7:19), esteem, respect, high regard and reward. Webster says honor is esteem due or paid to worth, any expression of respect or of high estimation by words or actions In the context of this passage humility could be described as exhibiting a willingness to listen to instruction (discipline, correction). Humility is equated with fear of the LORD in Pr 22:4 - The reward of humility [and] the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life. John