“Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.” Proverbs 19:6-7 (KJB)
Bribery
Between the Rooftop and the Desert…
“It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.” Proverbs 21:9
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.” Proverbs 21:19 (KJB)
Between the Rooftop and the Desert – Proverbs 21:9-19
Verses 9, 19 – In the days of ancient Israel rooftops were flat, and used quite often for relaxing in the evening, or early morning. The husband or wife could go to the rooftop, without leaving home, to get away from the other.
The desert or “wilderness” was not home. This is leaving the house entirely.
Verse 10 – Between home and the wilderness are many temptations. The wicked desire evil, and one of those evils is no love for their neighbor.
Verse 11 – There is also much learning. The “simple” (Naive, foolish, open minded) learn by seeing the “scorner” (One who mocks God and religion) punished for their evil mouth and behavior. The wise seek every opportunity to learn of God, holiness, righteousness, salvation- through the writings of others and reading them and applying them to their own lives.
Verse 12 – “The righteous maketh the house of the wicked to prosper.” Gersom from John Gill Commentary e-Sword. A good example is the house of Potipher with Joseph (Genesis 39:1-7). God has blessed the United States of America because of the Righteous. In the end the wicked will be overthrown. Not by the United States, but by the breath of the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes again.
Taking out the italicized words consider this for verse 12…
“The righteous wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for wickedness.” v.12
Verse 13 – A stern warning about turning away from the cries of the poor. To willfully neglect to hear and help the poor when it is in the power of our hand to do it could bring the same judgment on ourselves. Luke 16:10-31
Verse 14 – See Proverbs 17:8; 18:16. “The Bible often reports facts without approving them. Thus it observes that an angry man will quiet down if the offender slips him a gift, and a man who is in a rage is appeased by a bribe tucked in his pocket.” From Believer’s Bible Commentary
Verse 15 – People who are just rejoice when Judgment or justice is done. There is ruin or destruction to those who work iniquity. It is proper to rejoice in righteous judgment. It is iniquity to rejoice when evil is done.
Verse 16 – 18 – The wandering individual, the one who goes astray from the paths of God and understanding find themselves with the dead. When pleasure is all that one seeks they will not be rich.
For verse 18 consider Haman’s taking the place of Mordecai (Esther 7).
Verse 19 – Between the Rooftop and the Desert there are many things to understand and learn. There are sometimes troubles at home, and there are in the desert as well; with or without a spouse. The thing is for the people of God to be faithful and true to Him who is with us always.
A Merry Life
Having a Merry Heart – Proverbs 17:21-28
21 He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.
28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding
Verses 21, 25, 28 – To beget a fool seems to be a doing of the father in the context of this verse. The NKJV refers to this son as a “Scoffer”; the Hebrew “kes-eel’
From (Strongs’ Concordance) H3688; properly fat, that is, (figuratively) stupid or silly: – fool (-ish).” No joy for the father of the fool.
22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
24 Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
Verses 22, 24, 27 – There are three things mentioned in these verses (20-22) which are devastating to a “Merry heart”: 1) A crooked and deceitful life; 2) A foolish son; and 3) Discouragement.
Having a “Merry heart” requires that one have these: 1) A sound and guiltless heart and mind; 2) Children growing and walking in the grace of God; and 3) Encouragement by the Spirit, the Word and others.
23 A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
26 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.
Verses 23, 26 – These two verses speak of perversions of justice. Bribery is a culprit of an evil giver and an evil judge. It blinds what could have been righteous judgment. Bribes take place in many forms.
One could be a friendship with strings attached. Another could be a job which requires lying on forms of acquisition or payroll. Still another could be… ______________________ I will let you fill in the blank.
It is a grave and evil thing when evil judges and evil people call evil good. It is evil when good people are punished for what evil people have done. On this think of the only good man who ever lived. His name is Jesus. He went to the cross, suffering at the hands of evil men; and in His death He took the penalty for sin, bearing the wrath of God the Father, and was buried; then three days later arose from a borrowed grave justifying forever all who will believe.
The Time for Wise Actions
For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; ‘Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, ‘Alas! alas!’ and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.” Amos 5:12-17 (KJV)
If you will note the way of things as the prophet Amos declares them. Bribery, the poor cannot get a fair deal. His word is to “Seek good, not evil” and to “Hate the evil,…Love the good, establish judgment in the gate…” We live in an era of decay; moral decay and depravity, injustice in the courts, through wrong and at times idiotic rulings by corrupt judges.
“Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.” It could be that the prudent or wise, need rather than speaking, just need to act on doing the right things. Something to think about. There is of course a time to do both.
-T.A.
Greed is Not Good
In my way of thinking “Greed” is the unethical gain of power and wealth. Gain by unethical means is always evil. Unethical could be defined as taking from those who cannot afford the loss. Using words of malice to destroy another’s reputation, character, or taking life to gain their possessions or power.
The desire to earn for the purpose of caring for your family is a god-given desire; and even to better one’s own situation in life. The object is being content with what you are doing and your present situation. Content with God’s direction for your life is probably what is meant by being content.
The writer of Proverbs; probably Solomon says,
“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” Proverbs 15:27 (KJV)
This coming from a man who had more wealth than, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates combined, for the time he lived in.
It is implied by the latter part of the verse that this “greedy gain” has been gotten by the receipt of “gifts” or “bribes”. A bribe is given to get an individual or possibly a company, or someone in power to “look the other way” when an evil deed is taking place, is about to take place or will take place. A decision by a judge, law enforcement officer, or business associate, etc. Sometimes even a friendship can cause one to be “bought”; or even a family relationship.
It should be the heart of the Righteous to hate “Gifts”; the giving or receiving of “bribes”. Bribery will destroy the giver and the receiver ultimately. It may line the pockets of the bank account temporarily; but it will also work as a cancer in the heart, and destroy that life and loved one’s lives.
The following is commentary from Matthew Henry of Proverbs 15:27,
Note, 1. Those that are covetous entail trouble upon their families: He that is greedy of gain, and therefore makes himself a slave to the world, rises up early, sits up late, and eats the bread of carefulness, in pursuit of it—he that hurries, and puts himself and all about him upon the stretch, in business, frets and vexes at every loss and disappointment, and quarrels with every body that stands in the way of his profit—he troubles his own house, is a burden and vexation to his children and servants. He that, in his greediness of gain, takes bribes, and uses unlawful ways of getting money, leaves a curse with what he gets to those that come after him, which sooner or later will bring trouble into the house, Hab. 2:9, 10. 2. Those that are generous as well as righteous entail a blessing upon their families: He that hates gifts, that shakes his hands from holding the bribes that are thrust into his hand to pervert justice and abhors all sinful indirect ways of getting money—that hates to be paltry and mercenary, and is willing, if there be occasion, to do good gratis—he shall live; he shall have the comfort of life, shall live in prosperity and reputation; his name and family shall live and continue.
FROM Matthew Henry Commentery; e-SWord edition
Even if someone has fallen for the lie and given in to the temptation of this greed, there is forgiveness and cleansing through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; His death, burial and resurrection. Be clean and go and sin no more in this evil.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Fire and Hammer 