Peace Through Righteousness
29: 8-15
A proverb is a short and memorable saying designed to be our blueprint for living in the world that ADONAI has created. It is important to note that proverbs are not promises; they are generally true principles, all other things being equal.
Mockers can get a whole city agitated, but the wise will calm everything down (29:8 Hebrew). Mockers are radical fools. They not only lack wisdom; they also ridicule those who do. When they have influence over a city, whether officially or by their own allegations, they get the whole city agitated. They are those who would take a bad situation and intensify it into a riot. On the other hand, the wise are coolheaded. In a bad situation, they would calm everyone down for the good of the community.
The result of righteousness will be peace, quietness, and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest (Isaiah 32:17-18). This is seen more clearly in the progressive revelation of the B’rit Chadashah. The person who has received the grace of ADONAI’s forgiveness is at peace with Him. For He Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14a). When Yeshua’s character is central in our lives, we don’t have to lean upon others to supply our own needs. The fact that this has not produced significant long-term changes in the world is a testimony to the extent of our old sin nature. I don’t know about your neighborhood, but there is no “Garden of Eden” sign posted in mine!
The wise debate the stupid, and there is agitation and scoffing with no rest (29:9 Hebrew). When the wise and fools get into a debate, this proverb asserts, there is not a reasoned, logical discussion that leads dispassionately toward resolution. Rather, there is chaos. The fool (here called stupid) will not listen to corrections (29:1) and will just cause more trouble. For this reason, Proverbs allows for the possibility of not entering into a debate with a fool to begin with (to see link click Dj – How to Deal with the Fool).533
The bloodthirsty hate the innocent, but the upright seek to preserve his life (29:10 Hebrew). In the first colon, bloodthirsty men loathe the integrity of the upright. Because the wicked despise all sense of decency or integrity, they seek to destroy it. The second colon forms a contrast; literally it reads, as for the upright, they seek his life. Normally this is a hostile act, but here the contrast requires the idea of seek to preserve his life. Seek here means to seek the welfare of someone. As a result, it means that the upright have a high regard for people of integrity.534
A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man quietly holds it back (29:11 Hebrew). Fools may not listen well, but they certainly talk a lot. But their talk gets them into trouble and also agitates others. They are not emotionally intelligent, and their talk will often inappropriately express emotions that will only inflame a situation (see 29:8 above). On the other hand, the wise, who are coolheaded, speak only when necessary and are helpful. They can also clean up the mess started by the agitation of fools.
If a ruler listens to liars, all his advisors will be wicked (29:12 NLT). According to this proverb, it all begins with the ruler’s lax ethics. If the ruler shows himself open to unethical influence, then everyone will take advantage of that fact. A wicked ruler leads to wicked officials serving under him. This proverb puts the ultimate blame for a troubled reign squarely with the person at the top. In psalm 101:6b-8, David declares that he would not tolerate deception or fraud: Only the one walking in blamelessness will serve me. No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Each morning I silence all the wicked in the Land; I will cut off every evildoer from ADONAI’s City (see the commentary on Psalms Zd – Pledge of Integrity).
The poor and the oppressor have this in common: ADONAI gives light to the eyes of both (29:13 CJB). On the surface of things, nothing could seem to be farther apart than the rich and the poor, especially the rich who exploit the poor in order to get rich. The rich live lives of luxury and ease, while the poor are dirty and scrape by in life. But this proverb points to a very important truth: they are both created in the image of God. So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them (see the commentary on Genesis Ao – Let Us Make Man in Our Image, In Our Likeness). We might imagine that the intention of this proverb is to bring hope to the poor. Perhaps, however, it is meant to serve as a warning to those who exploit them and treat them like dirt under their feet. Perhaps this proverb serves both purposes. In any case it fits in with a group of proverbs that urge care for those who are poor (29:7 and 13 for example). The proverb 22:2 closest to it in concept as well as form: The rich and poor have this in common – ADONAI made them both.535
If a king judges the poor fairly (29:14a NLT). This verse protects verse 13 against the misinterpretation that since God gives life to the oppressor, a king, who is supposed to represent God’s rule on earth (16:10-15 and 24:21-22), may be indifferent to the oppression of the powerless. In the first colon, the king is charged by ADONAI to care for all the socially vulnerable. In Jeremiah 22:16, when describing good king Josiah, the prophet noted: He did what was right and just, so, as a result, all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy (see the commentary on Jeremiah Ai – Josiah Ruled For 31 Years from 640 to 609 BC). Those in power are not to exploit those who are weak, but rather to take care of them. The second colon refers to the permanence of God (Psalm 111:3; Isaiah 57:15; Micah 7:18), notably His throne, the symbol of the king’s authority to rule (Psalm 111:3; Isaiah 57:15; Micah 7:18), which will last forever (29:14 NLT).536
The rod and correction produce wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child (29:15 Hebrew). Through progressive revelation, the B’rit Chadashah will eventually reveal that we are all sinners from birth (see the commentary on Romans Bm – The Consequences of Adam), but the sages believed that people, having a choice in the matter, would do bad things. Thus, modern Judaism says you are a sinner because you commit acts of sin; but the B’rit Chadashah says you commit acts of sin because you are a sinner. Nevertheless, in the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah), the youths were anything but innocent. It takes energy to move from being a fool to being wise. Correction is required, and that often will have to be accompanied by the rod of correction. Physical punishment in gaining wisdom is a common theme in Proverbs (see Cf – Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child). With the strong emphasis on kindness throughout the book, this teaching certainly doesn’t encourage parental abuse. Indeed, this proverb raises the question whether abuse is suffered where there is no discipline in a young person’s life. Parents are motivated to do the hard work of correction in order to avoid the detrimental effects of rebellion on one’s life, and the shame that a wayward child brings on a family.537
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