GOD’S WISDOM FOR YOU
PROVERBS 29:5-8
5 A man who flatters his neighbor
is spreading a net for his feet.
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a trap,
but a righteous man will sing and be glad.
These two proverbs are probably paired together because they both refer to a trap. In both verses we must ask, is the trap for the sinner, or the one sinned against? Are “his feet” in verse 5 the feet of the flatterer, or of the one flattered? Both might be true. But we should especially beware the man who tries to flatter us. The picture is of the friendly type who comes to you and puts his arm around you and begins to butter you up with all kinds of compliments. Don’t be taken in by them; question what it is he is really trying to sell you, or to take from you. The net spread at your feet might cost more than money. It might cost reputation, family, position, life itself, or, worse than all of these, your faith.
In verse 6, the righteous man is glad of his faith and happily sings about it. He has a clear conscience and a clear path of faith. He or she wants to do the will of God, and can stand upright and secure in the forgiveness of Jesus: “God’s solid foundation stands firm” (2 Timothy 2:19). The wicked lay traps with their transgression. Those might be temptations for the innocent who slip into sin, but the wicked have to see that they only set a trap for themselves when they sin and sin. Hypocrites, Paul warns, sear their consciences by their continual sinning “as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). Man becomes numb to a temptation and its danger when he goes through its door too often.
7 A righteous man cares about justice for the lowly,
but a wicked man has no wisdom at all.
Throughout Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, wisdom and faith are virtually interchangeable terms. This is especially true of faith put into action, a faith that is a way of life to the believer. “Wisdom preserves the life of its possessor” (Ecclesiastes 7:12). Here, the righteous believer cares about (Hebrew “knows”) justice for the weak, the poor, the lowly, the reduced, the helpless (all these are possible definitions of dalim). But a wicked person? His actions don’t matter at all with regard to his soul. Notice that no actions are mentioned in the verse for the wicked; the only thing that God sees in the wicked is a lack of faith. Where believers are concerned, God sees faith and he sees faith put into action. The sins of the righteous vanish in Christ, and we are left with faith, and the way we live our faith, in God’s eyes. This is the victory of the cross!
8 Scornful men set a city aflame,
but wise men turn away anger.
This proverb isn’t necessarily talking about an arsonist, but of course it applies to sinners who destroy property in that way and other ways. The idea is that certain man bring grief and destruction wherever they go. They can change everyone’s emotions just by walking into a room. Fear follows them around like a lingering reek; they drive away joy and pleasure, and they make you wish you had stayed home. In some cases, these are family members or coworkers who thrive on making other people upset, probably because they themselves are miserable, and they don’t see any reason why the rest of the world shouldn’t be miserable, too. In the movies, they are the cowhands who throw back the swinging saloon doors wearing black hats, and their entrance makes the piano player stop playing. “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:14-18).
The wise man is like the good guy in those old Westerns with the white had. The wise man stands up, talks down the bad guy, and the piano player starts a-playin’ again (“Begin the music, strike the tambourine,” Psalm 81:2). Wise men, men of faith, are men who put out fires, for it is faith that extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). They calm fears just as God calms fears (Psalm 34:4). They soothe guilty consciences with the same comfort God brings to soothe guilty consciences (Hebrews 10:22). Their tool is the gospel, their guidebook is the law of God, and their hero is Jesus Christ. Jesus is more that a role model to them; he is the Savior, the Son of God, the Lord and the King. It is God who gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:26), and it is God who brings forgiveness (Micah 7:18).
God preaches the law in these verses as a condemnation of the wicked and as a warning to the faithful, especially with his words about traps. He preaches the gospel in these verses by reminding us of the priceless treasure of faith, the wisdom that comes from heaven (James 3:17). Such godly wisdom is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of goof fruit, impartial, sincere, and full of mercy. God was merciful to us, and he invites us to respond by being merciful to one another. This is faith showing itself and inviting the world to trust in God as we do.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: www.wlchapel.org/connect-grow/ministries/adults/daily-devotions/gwfy-archive/2020
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Wisdom for You – Proverbs 29:5-8 Faith that shows itself