Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 11:24
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty.
24. scattereth ] Comp. Psa 112:9 (where the same Heb. word is rendered dispersed); 2Co 9:6.
yet increaseth ] Rather, increaseth yet more, R.V. , LXX.; Alii dividunt propria et ditiores fiunt, Vulg.
more than ] This, with A.V. and R.V. text, is the best rendering here, of the Heb. particle. It may, however, mean from, and be taken with the verb (keep from = withhold), and then we have the rendering of R.V. marg. withholdeth what is justly due.
The two clauses of this verse are expanded into separate proverbs in the two verses which follow.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Withholdeth more than is meet – i. e., Is sparing and niggardly where he ought to give. The contrast is stated in the form of a paradox, to which the two following verses supply the answer. Some render, There is that withholdeth from what is due, i. e., from a just debt, or from the generosity of a just man.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 11:24
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.
The tendency of liberality to riches, and of covetousness to poverty
The words of this text carry an air of improbable and surprising paradoxes to the covetous and worldly-minded, who naturally imagine that scattering tends to poverty, and withholding to increase. But if we take them to be allusive to the management of a husbandman in sowing his seed, the sense will stand as easy as the thought will appear to be beautiful and just (compare 2Co 9:6).
I. The description of persons of very opposite characters. Scatter is the same word as disperse (Psa 112:9). He that scatters is the liberal soul; the man who, with a free and generous spirit, labours to spread the most useful and extensive influence, by all manner of means; the man who is ready to distribute of his temporal substance for promoting religious and civil liberties and interests, for doing good to the souls and bodies of men, and, particularly, for relieving the necessitous and the distressed. We should manage our religious and charitable distributions, not with contrivance how to shift off our obligations and opportunities for them, but with devising how in the best manner to improve them; not with a grudging, but with a free and cheerful heart. On the contrary, he that withholds, keeps back, or spares, more than is meet or right, is the covetous man, whose narrow, selfish spirit will not suffer him cheerfully to pay his personal or his public debts, much less to practise beneficence at an expense that cannot be demanded by human laws. No arguments derived from humanity or Christianity can work his heart up to bear his proper proportion in generous and beneficent acts.
II. What is affirmed of these persons respectively. We might consider this increase and want with respect to our best interests, that relate to the enrichment of the soul in goodness. Distributing enlarges the heart, and makes it open, free, and generous, with growing propensions to every good work. The man who withholds is poor-spirited; he has a contracted soul; he is destitute of those amiable graces by which our God and Saviour are most conspicuously imitated and glorified. We may also consider this increase and want with respect to our worldly substance. That is not lessened but improved by distributions on all proper occasions. Withholdings, more than is meet, ever tend to poverty and want. Gods blessing on the generous comes either as a visible increase of their outward estates, or as a secret increase of the inward contentment of their own minds. Those who are of a covetous temper, do not enjoy what they possess. According to a just estimation of things, they are no richer by all their silver and gold than if it still lay in the ore of the Indian mines.
III. Account for the truth of both these propositions. Every virtuous, spiritual, and holy disposition of the soul increases by frequent and proper exercise; and loses its force and vigour, and aptness for action, by disuse and neglect. This is common to all principles and habits of the moral or religious and supernatural kind.
1. The blessing of God is upon them that scatter, and His blast is upon them that withhold more than is meet.
2. The friendship of men is toward them that scatter, and their disaffection toward those who withhold more than is meet. (J. Guyse, D.D.)
Wise philanthropy
To distribute portions of our wealth in schemes and acts of wise philanthropy is like casting into the ground as seed a proportion of the last years harvest. It goes out of your sight for the moment, but it will spring in secret, and come back to your own bosom, like manna from heaven. An unwise man may indeed scatter his corn on barren rocks, or on equally barren sands, and though he sow bountifully he will reap sparingly there. So, in the moral region, the increase is not absolutely in proportion to the profusion of the scattering. When a man lays out large sums on unworthy objects, to feed his own vanity or gratify his own whim, he neither does nor gets good. The outlay is in its own nature and necessarily profitable. In educating the young, in reclaiming the vicious, in supporting the aged poor, in healing the sick, and in making known the gospel to all, we have ample fields to cultivate, and the prospect of large returns to cheer us in the toil. (W. Arnot, D.D.)
The profit of liberality
The Bible gives us plain view of the character and mind of God; and that view sets Him before us as a Being interested in promoting the happiness of His creatures. It presents Him as establishing, by His wise decree, that order of things which places men in different classes and circumstances of life; it shows us that high and low station, wealth and poverty, affluence and dependence, are the result of Divine arrangement, and so far it discourages pride and envy, and teaches thankfulness, contentment, and resignation, in the several conditions of human life. God, in His care of all His creatures, has made it binding on the rich, by an express enactment, that they should see to, and provide for, the wants of the poor. There is nothing more frequently, nor more strongly spoken of in the Word of God, than that assistance, arising out of the fact of their brotherhood, which man should render man. The text sets before us two different modes of dealing with our property, in reference to our fellow-creatures.
I. The liberal man, and what he gets from his liberality. The man here is living in the midst of dependent fellow-creatures, and uses his property in relieving them. Here seems to be the idea of a husbandman throwing his seed in every direction where it may be profitable. The liberal man looks abroad, and where his money is wanted, and where it is likely to do good, there he gives it with the greatest cheerfulness of mind. This is what ought to be. We are not required to give away when we have not in reality the power to do so; but when we possess the power the duty is incumbent. We must scatter for the blessing of others. A notion prevails that if we give liberally to others, we hurt ourselves. We are, indeed, told to do good, hoping for nothing again, yet we may urge as an encouragement that, in sowing the seeds of kindness, we are sure to reap a personal benefit. The men who have been most liberal have, in a general way, prospered most in their worldly undertakings; and certainly they have been rewarded with growth in grace, and a large measure of peace, confidence, and joy in their own souls.
II. The mean man, and the result which follows his meanness. To withhold is not always wrong. It may be a right thing, a positive duty. But some men are wretchedly mean; they have not a spark of kind sympathy or of generous sensibility in their souls. They are over-full of their own things. These the text speaks about. There is a measure in the amount of almsgiving which is to be determined by a persons circumstances. To whom much is given, from the same will much be required. If you give God less than God requires of you, then instead of a blessing there will rest on you a curse. God has often taken away from a man the riches which he would not use rightly when he had them. Poverty of pocket is not the worst kind of poverty. It is poverty of soul that is so deplorable. (William Curling, M.A.)
The use and abuse of poverty
Nothing is wanting to the right direction of human conduct, but a clear perception of mans own interest, and a correct estimate of mans own responsibility. In the text a contrast of two characters and of two consequences.
I. Two opposing characters. One is said to scatter. Of the blessed man it is said, He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor (Psa 112:9). The apostle says, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Faithfulness implies two things: first, a clear perception, a just apprehension of the purposes for which we are put in trust; and secondly, a conscientious employment of those means by which the purposes are to be accomplished, according to the dictates and directions of the supreme Lord of all. Neither indiscriminate almsgiving nor improvident expenditure derive any countenance from the rule of Christian practice, as finally and unalterably settled in the epistles to the infant Churches. The man who scattereth is the man who gives, whether to the service of his God, or to the succour of his fellow-men, on principle; the man whose charities, as they are called (though the term religious obligations would be far more applicable), bear some definite and assignable proportion, not only to his present expenses and indulgences, but to the provision for the family; the man, who devotes to purposes of philanthropy and piety such a proportion of his worldly increase, as his own conscience, enlightened and directed by Gods Word, accounts an offering expressive of his gratitude to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The contrary character to this is he who withholdeth more than is meet ; he who is actuated, alike in what he saves, and in what he spends, by considerations purely selfish; who professes, indeed, that he accumulates upon principle, but whose principle will not endure the application of the standard of the Word of God, his object being to found or to aggrandise a family, while in prosecuting this object he overlooks or undervalues the salvation of the soul. Many are the subterfuges and evasions by which men endeavour to justify, or at least to palliate, their own conduct in withholding more than is meet, e.g., difficulty of detecting imposture; perversion of benevolent funds; and the excuse that whatever is spent is a contingent evil, while whatever is hoarded is a certain good.
II. Two opposing consequences. True wisdom involves the consideration of our latter end. If the habits and actions of the life that now is can exert any influence upon the destinies of that which is to come, the counsel given by our Lord would be the dictate of policy, as well as the command of authority: Walk while ye have the light. Temporal blessings do usually wait upon the discreet and conscientious dispensation of Gods bounty. He that scattereth increaseth even in this worlds goods. But Christian benevolence for Christs sake must not be taken for the whole of the system of Christian practice, of which it only constitutes a part. Towards poverty of soul tendeth that mistaken and short-sighted policy, which men are wont to term prudence and forecast. But to have made no use of Gods property for Gods purposes will be a ground of judgment and condemnation, as much as to have abused it for our own. (Thomas Dale, M.A.)
How to gain by spending
The text is generally true, if we confine its application to money. In a moral and spiritual sense the proverb is universally true. The man who gives bountifully loses nothing by his gifts, but gains much. The first thing that strikes us when we consider the nature of property is its exclusive character. Every pound we call our own, and every shilling we reserve for our own use, is so much less for other people. The higher wealth of the intellect is not so exclusive in its nature. You do not lose your gift as an artist if you teach a class to paint. Only in a limited degree do you increase your mental endowments by imparting them to others. But we actually increase our spiritual riches by spending them. The more of the bread of life you give away, the more you will find in your store. Spiritual wealth is like money wealth in this respect, that we must invest it if it is to increase. Hoarding money never adds to the heap. Two practical lessons.
1. We see the absolute necessity of some form of spiritual activity to the increase of the Christian life.
2. The course of thought we have been pursuing suggests to us the spiritual nature of the Divine rewards. We need, badly need, a revision of the vocabulary of the Divine rewards. Too often those rewards are spoken of in terms which degrade rather than honour the high service of God. The reward and the service are one. The rewards of Christ are not less service, but more service and higher toil. (G. S. Barrett, D.D.)
Discreet liberality
Of all the rich men that have come to poverty, I never heard of any that was ruined by a discreet liberality. (G. Lawson.)
Generosity
I. Generosity exemplified.
1. In nature. Clouds give rain, sun gives light, earth gives fruit. The heart does not receive the blood to store it up, but while it pumps it in at one valve, it sends it forth at another.
2. In the example of Christ (Gal 1:4).
3. In the early Church (Act 2:44-45).
4. In modern times. Peabody, Morley, etc.
II. Generosity extolled.
1. It is unstinted (Isa 32:8).
2. It is profitable. One who has had experience in giving systematically, says, It pays as an investment, and is a fortune in business. Mr. Haig Miller tells of a gentleman who, on starting in life, said, I determined that for every 10,000 I made 1,000 should be given back to God and works of charity, and I have had ten times to fulfil my vow. If temporal gain is the motive which inspires giving, the act will be spoiled by the motive; but giving from right motives is often honoured by a present and a bountiful return. The converse of this is true. Withholding tendeth to poverty. If not poverty of purse, as is often the case, there will be poverty of soul.
3. It is hearty. God never sent us into this world to do anything into which we cannot put our hearts.
4. It is healthy. If a man is growing large in wealth, nothing but constant and generous giving can save him from growing small in soul.
5. It is refreshing.
6. It wins the heart. Edward Payson said, when dying, I long to give a full cup of happiness to every human being. The benedictions of his people were a chief part of his rich reward (compare Job 29:13).
7. It is painstaking. The true friend of the needy does not wait till misery presses its claim at his door; he goes and looks first (compare Luk 19:10). (H. Thorne)
Profitable scattering
Every year George Moore wrote these words in his pocket-book. They became engraved on his soul, and to an extent formed his creed: What I spent I had: What I saved I lost: What I gave I have.
Benevolent activity
One would say that to scatter anything is to part with it without advantage; and that to withhold, to keep back, is undoubtedly to save and to retain. The text teaches that this may be quite a mistake on our part. There is reckless scattering and there is wise withholding. The text is not to be taken in its literalness; it is to be examined in its spirit. Happily we have no need to go further in search of illustration of the truth of the text; we find it on every farm, in every business, in every school. The text calls to benevolent activity founded on religious faith. The doctrine enlarges and glorifies life by calling into life elements and considerations which lie beyond the present and the visible. The very exercise of scattering carries blessing with it, breaks up the mastery of selfishness, and enlarges the circle of kindly interests. Beneficence is its own compensation. Charity empties the heart of one gift that it may make room for a larger. But if any man think to give God something with the idea of having it back again, that man will be disappointed and humiliated, and justly so, The other side of this text is as emphatic and as often illustrated in practical life as the first. Selfishness is suicidal; selfishness lives in gloom; selfishness injects poison into every stream of life. Selfishness is most intensely selfish when it assumes the name of prudence. When selfishness chatters proverbs, it has reached the depth beyond which there is no death. God can turn the wicked mans very success into failure, and out of selfish ambition He can bring the scorpion whose sting is death. Though this text is found in the Old Testament, the principle is distinctly held by Jesus Christ. It is a moral principle, universal and unchangeable in its force and application. (J. Parker, D.D.)
Liberality
This is one eminent branch of the character of the righteous, but because there are many objections in the heart of man against the practice of it, urgent motives are here addressed to us. The instructions delivered in this and the four following verses, will, if they are but believed, be a sufficient answer to every objection. There is that scattereth his substance by profusion and luxury. That man diminishes his substance till it comes to nothing. But he that disperses by giving to the poor, by liberal distributions for the support of the commonwealth in times of danger, or for the service of religion, shall increase his substance. He is like the husbandman, who sows with good-will and unsparing hand that precious seed which is to produce a joyful harvest. It is God who gives all that we enjoy, and by His secret blessing, or by remarkable interpositions of providence, the liberal man is often made to abound in riches, and enabled more and more abundantly to serve his fellow-men. Abraham sat at his tent door to watch for passengers, and those who came he urged to partake of his bounty, with more earnestness than other men beg an alms. (G. Lawson.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 24. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth] The bountiful man, who gives to the poor, never turning away his face from any one in distress, the Lord blesses his property, and the bread is multiplied in his hand. To the same purpose the following verse.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That scattereth; that giveth liberally of his goods to the poor; for so this Hebrew word is used, Psa 112:9, He hath dispersed, which is explained in the following words, he hath given to the poor.
Increaseth, through Gods secret blessing upon his estate.
More than is meet, Heb. from what is right or just, i.e. what by the law of God, and the rules of general justice, he is obliged to give; of which see Pro 3:27.
It tendeth to poverty; by Gods providence secretly blasting his estate, either in his own or his childrens hands, as it very frequently befalls covetous wretches.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24-31. The scope of the whole isa comment on Pr 11:23. Thusliberality, by God’s blessing, secures increase, while penuriousness,instead of expected gain, procures poverty.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth,…. That scattereth “his own”, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions add: that disperses his money here and there, among many poor objects, plentifully and liberally; and his substance is so far from being lessened by such a conduct, that, by the blessing of God, it is increased more and more; or “become richer”, as the Vulgate Latin; see Ps 112:9. So he that disperses and dispenses the word of God, and spreads the truths of the Gospel, and freely and fully preaches them, increases himself in spiritual knowledge and understanding;
and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet; or, “right” or “just” a, by the, laws of God and men; from himself, from his family, from his friends and relations, and from the poor of the church and of the world; and from the cause and interest of Christ, and what is necessary to support that, according to his ability;
but [it tendeth] to poverty, or “want” b: such a man is often brought to beggary; there is a moth and rottenness sent into his substance, which secretly consume it: so he that withholds any truth or doctrine, that keeps back anything that may be profitable to the saints; this tends to the impoverishing: of his soul, and the souls of them that attend on his ministry.
a “plus aequo”, Vatablus, Mercerus, Gejerus; “plus quam aequum est”, Cocceius; “prae quam rectum est, seu plus aequo”, Michaelis. b “ad egestatem”. Junius Tremellius, Picator “ad penuriam”, Cocceius; “ad rasam egestatem”, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Three proverbs regarding giving which is not loss but gain.
24 There is one who giveth bounteously, and he increaseth still more;
And (there is) one who withholdeth what is due, only to his loss.
The first of the proverbs with (there is), which are peculiar to the first collection ( vid., p. 32). The meaning is, that the possessions of the liberal giver do not decrease but increase, and that, on the contrary, the possessions of the niggardly do not increase but decrease. is not to be understood after Psa 112:9. Instead of the three Erfurt codd. have (with retrogression of the tone?), which Hitzig approves of; but the traditional phrase which refers ( et qui augetur insuper ) not to the possession of him who scattereth, but to himself, is finer in the expression. In the characteristic of the other, is commonly interpreted comparatively: plus aequo (Cocceius) or justo (Schelling). But after is to be regarded as governed by it, and denotes not competence, riches, as Arab. yusr (Bertheau, Zckler), also not uprightness = beneficence (Midrash, ), but duty, uprightness, as Job 33:23, where it denotes that which is advantageous to man, as here that which befits him: he who holds back, namely himself, from that which is due to himself, and thus should permit to himself, such an one profits nothing at all by this (17b, Col 2:23), but it tends only to loss to him, only to the lessening of that which he possesses. We shall meet with this ( ) Pro 14:23, and frequently again – it is a common Mashal formula (cf. , Sir. 11:11). The cause of the strange phenomenon that the liberal gains and the niggardly loses is not here expressed, but the following proverb gives the explanation of it:
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Praise of Liberality. | |
24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
Note, 1. It is possible a man may grow rich by prudently spending what he has, may scatter in works of piety, charity, and generosity, and yet may increase; nay, by that means may increase, as the corn is increased by being sown. By cheerfully using what we have our spirits are exhilarated, and so fitted for the business we have to do, by minding which closely what we have is increased; it gains a reputation which contributes to the increase. But it is especially to be ascribed to God; he blesses the giving hand, and so makes it a getting hand, 2 Cor. ix. 20. Give, and it shall be given you. 2. It is possible a man may grow poor by meanly sparing what he has, withholding more than is meet, not paying just debts, not relieving the poor, not providing what is convenient for the family, not allowing necessary expenses for the preservation of the goods; this tends to poverty; it cramps men’s ingenuity and industry, weakens their interest, destroys their credit, and forfeits the blessing of God: and, let men be ever so saving of what they have, if God blast it and blow upon it, it comes to nothing. A fire not blown shall consume it,Hag 1:6; Hag 1:9.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Gaining By Giving
(Pro 11:24-26)
Verse 24 declares that the generous giver increases, even though giving away a substantial amount, and the stingy who withhold what should be given lose even more than that withheld. Pro 13:7; Pro 19:17.
Verse 25 restates the same principle: be generous and reap bountifully; be stingy and reap sparingly, 2Co 9:6-9.
Verse 26 denounces greed that ignores human suffering and unjustifiably increases prices or withholds from market for that purpose. Blessings are assured for those who act to prevent or relieve such, Psa 41:1; Psa 112:9; Isa 58:10-11; Job 42:10; Mat 5:7.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 11:25. Liberal soul, the soul of blessing, i.e., the soul that blesses others.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 11:24-26
THE LIBERAL AND THE NIGGARDLY MAN
We have here a twofold contrast under two similitudes
I. A man who withholds what he ought to give out. He withholdeth more that is meethe withholdeth corn when he ought to sell it.
1. He is a sinner against the law of necessity which runs through all human things. The earth will only yield of her good things by first having good things cast into her bosom. The farmer who is sparing of labour and of money in the tillage of his fields will never be a rich man. The same principle is at work in the mart and on the exchange. There must of necessity be a wise scattering of wealth before there is any increase.
2. He is a sinner against the Divine ordination and commandment. When God organised the Hebrew commonwealth he ordained that the poor should not cease out of the land (Deu. 15:2), and that they should be helped by the rich. The same principle was proclaimed by Christ, when he said Freely ye have received, freely give (Mat. 10:8), God has given to you that you may give to others. This is the fast that Jehovah has chosen, Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thine house? When thou seest the naked that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thy own flesh (Isa. 58:7).
3. He is, as a necessity, a sinner against his fellow creatures. He sins against their need. In times of scarcity those who have abundance and will not give of their abundance are guilty, how much more those who have the material to feed the people and will not even sell it, but withhold it to raise the price. Such men are robbers and murderers. They murder by refusing the means of life.
4. He is a sinner against himself. He will not be so rich as he would have been if he had used what he had in accordance with the laws of nature and morality. A man who does not put his money out to a lawful use cannot make more by it. More than this, he is a stranger to that blessedness of which Christ spake when He said It is more blessed to give than to receive (Act. 20:35). But this is not all, he is under a Divine and human curse. Gods ban is upon him. If a tree is constantly receiving from the fatness of the earth and the heavens and yet brings forth no fruit for the service of man, it is marked for the woodmans axe. The message of God to such cumberers of the ground is, Go to, now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire (Jas. 5:1-3). The people shall curse him. How can they do otherwise? They feel that he has robbed them of their rights when he will not even sell what they are willing to buy.
II. The man who gives out liberally of that which he possesses. He yields first of all to the necessity of things. He scatters his wealth wisely in order to increase it. But this is his lowest motive and his smallest blessing. So far as mere trading goes this scattering to increase is a mere matter of necessity. He knows he must cast a bushel of corn into the ground if he would have it increasethat he must spend a thousand pounds before he can gain ten thousand. In this way he shows that he has faith in the ordinary law of multiplication. But he goes further than this. He selleth corn at a fair price, when, by withholding it, he might exact more. This is a sample of all his dealings with his fellow-men. He does not take advantage of their necessities to enrich himself (see Homiletics on Pro. 11:1). He goes beyond thishe not only sells at a fair price, but he is a giver. He scatters in the way of giving out of his abundance, looking for nothing again (Luk. 6:35). But he is a great gainer.
1. He will very likely get richer in material wealth by giving. This is not positively affirmed in the text there is that scattereth and yet increaseth. But he will certainly never be the poorer, for he makes God his creditor. He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord (chap. Pro. 19:17).
2. He will certainly be richer in more precious wealth. He will be watered himself. He will have a double blessing. Men will call down blessings on his head. Those who partake of his wealth will give him in return love, honour, and respect. God will add to his personal character that which will increase tenfold the blessedness of his existence. He will, according to the apostolic promise, make all grace to abound toward him, that he, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. He will increase the fruits of righteousness (2Co. 9:6-11), and water his soul with His own Divine influence. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, aud make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, whose waters fail not (Isa. 58:11).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 11:24-25. Is not this just one of the appropriate ways of putting faith to the test on Gods part, and showing its reality on ours? Is it not precisely the defectiveness of this faith that makes us timid, cautious, parsimonious in giving? ever fearing that we may stint ourselves and feel the want of what we expend on suffering humanity and on the cause of God? Is it not thus by unbelief that we are tempted to sow sparingly? And ought it to be, that the husbandman trust more to the laws of nature than the Christian does to the covenant of his God.Wardlaw.
The Jews in Haggais time had no prosperity till they made the house of the Lord their chief object (Hag. 1:6; Hag. 1:9-11; Hag. 2:15-19). So far is the true wealth of the withholder from being increased by withholding what is meet to be given for the glory of God and the good of man, that he is at last deprived even of that which he had (Mat. 13:12).Fausset.
Men may scatter in improvidence and sin, and it tendeth to poverty (chap. Pro. 21:17). But the man of God, dispersing abroad the seed of godliness (Psa. 112:9), consecrating his substance and influence to the Lord, as he has opportunity, doing good unto all men (Gal. 6:10), shall receive a plentiful increase.Bridges.
The liberal man will ever be rich; for Gods providence is his estate, Gods wisdom and power are his defence, Gods love and favour are his reward, and Gods word is his security. Barrow.
The liberal soul is made fat in the healthful vigour of practical godliness. The minister is refreshed by his own message of salvation to his people. The Sunday-school teacher learns many valuable lessons in the work of instruction. The Christian visitors own soul glows in carrying the precious name of Jesus to a fellow-sinner. Every holy temper, every spiritual gift, every active grace is increased by exercise. Bridges.
Give, and thou shalt receive. John Howard, when he grew sad about his piety, put on his hat and went about among the poor. He came back a gainer. He diverted his mind from his own interests, and yet promoted them in a higher assurance. Religion being benevolence, as well as a love of holiness, doing good to others is a philosophic way of ripening it in ourselves. Pro. 11:24 has its Poor Richard phrase as well as a higher one. Being penny wise and pound foolish is understood even in our shops. But the grand sense is evangelical. Inserviendo allius consumor may be true of poor impenitents, but a candle is no emblem for a Christian. He is a glorious sun who, by some strange alchemy, brightens by shining. Watereth refers to the ground, or to animals. Giving plenty to drink is the meaning of the word as applied to men.Miller.
Wherefore doth the Lord make your cup run over, but that other mens lips might taste the liquor? The showers that fall upon the highest mountains should glide into the lowest valleys.Secker.
Man is Gods image, but a poor man is
Christs stamp to boot; both images regard.
God reckons for him, counts the favour His:
Write, so much given to God; thou shalt be heard.
Let thy alms go before, and keep heavens gate
Open for thee, or both may come too late.
The last clause of Pro. 11:25 is literally he that raineth shall himself become a river. The water that falls in refreshing and fertilising irrigation is not lost, but becomes a fair stream. So the bounty of the liberal man, which rains down blessings, will flow on for ever in a beautiful river.Wordsworth.
The well-being of all is concerned in the right working of each. One necessarily affects for good or evil all the rest in proportion to the closeness of its relations and the weight of its influence. You draw another to keep him from error: that others weight which you have taken on keeps you steadier in your path. You water one who is ready to wither away; and although the precious stream seems to sink into the earth, it rises to heaven and hovers over you, and falls again upon yourself in refreshing dew. It comes to this, if we be not watering we are withering.Arnot.
Poor men are not excluded from the grace and blessing of being merciful, though they attain not to the state and ability of being wealthy. Mercy is not placed with money in the purse, but dwelleth with loving-kindness in the heart. He that can mourn with such as do mourn, he that can pray for them that be in distress, has a soul of blessing.Dod.
St. Gregory applieth the words particularly unto ministers, and saith, He that by preaching doth outwardly bless, receiveth the fatness of inward increase. And to this sense the Chaldee reads it, saying, He that teacheth shall himself also learn. And then the former part of the verse may be taken thus, the soul that bestoweth abroad the blessings of a wise instruction shall profit much in his wisdom, according to a common saying among the Jews, I have profited more by my scholars than by all things else.Jermin.
Bounty is the most compendious way to plenty; neither is getting, but giving, the best thrift. The five loaves in the Gospel, by a strange kind of arithmetic, were multiplied by a division and augmented by subtraction. So will it be in this case. St. Augustine, descanting upon Psa. 76:5, says, Why is this? They found nothing in their own hands, because they feared to lay up anything in Christs hands. The poor mans hand is Christs treasury, saith another Father.Trapp.
Pro. 11:26. He that withholdeth corn holdeth, as it were, the gracious hand of God, yea, pulleth it back by his covetousness, when God in bounty hath stretched it forth unto a land. Now, what is said of a countryman concerning his corn, let the citizen also mark concerning his wares, Let not profit overcome honesty, but let honesty overcome profit. And what is said to the citizen let the minister also observe, and bind not up by a damnable silence that good word which may profit many.Jermin.
The point of antithesis apparently fails only to give stronger security to the blessing. The curse comes directly from the people; the blessing from above.Bridges.
The prevailing maxim of the world, ever since the first murderer gave utterance to the tendencies of human nature, after its fall, in the question, Am I my brothers keeper? has been, Every man for himself. The identity of human nature in all ages is stamped upon the book of Proverbs. What presented itself to view in Solomons days is no rarity still. There can hardly be a more affecting exemplification than this of the power of an avaricious disposition in hardening the heart.Wardlaw.
Such a man, like a corrupt, imposthumated member, would draw all the nourishment to himself, and cares not, though the other parts of the body perish. This oak, which will suffer no small trees to thrive near it, will in time fall with the breath of so many curses.Swinnock.
Modern political economy may have taught us that even here the selfishness of the individual does, in the long run, by limiting consumption, and maintaining a reserve, promote the general good, but it is no less true that men hate the selfishness and pour blessings upon him who sells at a moderate profit. Our own laws against forestalling and regrating schemes for a maximum price of bread, as in the famine of the French Revolution, histories like that of M. Manlins, legends like that of Bishop Hatto and the rats, are tokens of the universality of the feeling.Plumptre.
Literally, breaketh it, like Joseph to his brethren and the people in Egypt. In a spiritual sense this verse may be applied specially to pastors and to churches. He that withholdeth cornhe that keepeth back from others the bread of life, which is the Word of God, the Holy Scripturesthe food of the soul, he shall be accursed; but blessings are upon him that fully and freely dispenses it.Wordsworth.
To be an object of aversion among his neighbours is a heavy infliction upon a human being. No man can despise it. This, in the last resort, is the protection of the poor and the punishment of the oppressor. The mightiest man desires the blessing of the people, and dreads their curse. Wealth would be a weapon too powerful for the liberty of men, if he who wields it were not confined within narrow limits by the weakness of humanity, common to him with the meanest of the people.Arnot.
Here is consolation to them that bring an upright heart to selling, though they cannot be large in giving: therein they do a service to God and perform a work of love to their neighbour.Dod.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(24) There is that scatterethi.e., with bounteous hand (comp. Psa. 112:9), and yet increaseth in wealth and blessings (comp. Pro. 19:17, and the old epitaph, What we spent, we had; what we saved, we lost; what we gave, we have.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Is scattereth Distributes liberally of its substance.
Increaseth Addition is continually made to its wealth.
Is meet Is right, proper, fitting.
It tendeth to poverty Literally, but for lack; that is, this lack is the result of undue parsimony; sometimes the natural result, sometimes providential, or both. Compare Pro 13:7; Psa 112:9; 2Co 9:1; Gal 6:8; Mat 13:12.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Generosity Of Spirit Will Bring Blessing And Plenty, But Niggardliness Will Bring Want And Cursing ( Pro 11:24-26 ).
We now have three proverbs in a minimal chiastic form which deal with the question of generosity and niggardliness. Those of a generous spirit will prosper and be blessed. Those who are niggardly will themselves suffer want and be cursed.
This can be presented chiastically:
A There is that scatters, and increases yet more (Pro 11:24 a),
B And there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends only to want (Pro 11:24 b).
C The liberal soul will be made fat (Pro 11:25 a).
C And he who waters will be watered also himself (Pro 11:25 b).
B He who withholds grain, the people will curse him (Pro 11:26 a)
A But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it (Pro 11:26).
Note that in A there is one who generously scatters his kindness, with the consequence that he becomes even better off, and in the parallel there is the man who sells his grain at a time of want rather than keeping it in the family. In B the one who withholds more than is necessary will find that his parsimonious attitude results in want for himself, and in the parallel the one who withholds grain at a time of hunger will find himself cursed. Centrally in C the one who is liberal will become wealthier, and in the parallel the one who ‘waters’ others will himself be ‘watered’.
Pro 11:24
‘There is that scatters, and increases yet more,
And there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends only to want.’
There is a connection here with Pro 11:23 where the desire of the righteous is only for good. This is now expressed in more concrete form. The picture is of a man of generosity and compassion who liberally dispenses his kindness towards others without restraint, and the consequence of this is that he finds himself even wealthier. We can compare the proverb, ‘cast your bread upon the waters for you will find it after many days’ (Ecc 11:1). The thought is not of profligacy (it is not true of all who scatter) but of open-hearted generosity. ‘Withholding more than is meet’ in the second part suggests that public duty is in mind. In Israel the wealthy were seen as having a responsibility to the poor. Thus this man goes well beyond his public duty. In contrast is the one who is tight-fisted, and clings on to all that he has. He fails to fulfil his public duty. As a consequence he may well later find that he himself is in want. Note that he is not being called on to give sacrificially. He rather withholds more than can be considered reasonable given his circumstances. He is niggardly. Thus when he himself is in need no one is concerned for him or can be bothered with him.
Pro 11:25
‘The liberal soul will be made fat,
And he who waters will be watered also himself.
The central point in the chiasmus expresses a similar idea in two different ways. The one who is liberal (one who bestows blessing) will find that he himself will enjoy ‘the fat of the land’ (Gen 45:18). To be ‘made fat’ is to enjoy ample provision, to enjoy the very best, to prosper greatly (compare Deu 31:20).
‘He who waters’ may refer to the wealthy landowner who uses his irrigation resources in order to supply water to the land of those who are not blessed with his resources, or who opens his springs to others so that they and their herds can refresh themselves at them (it was quite common for ample springs to be privately owned and limited to the use of the owner(s)). Or it may have in mind the watering of the parched in Israel, that is ‘the poor’ (compare Isa 41:17). Whichever way it is, the idea is that his efforts will be rewarded by himself prospering and being refreshed. What he dispenses will return to him. Generosity will be rewarded. We are reminded of the words of Jesus, ‘with what measure you mete it will be measured to you’ (Mat 7:2 b)
Pro 11:26
‘He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.’
The thought here is of the wealthy man or trader who has filled his barns or his storage cisterns (huge grain pits have been discovered at Gibeon and Megiddo) only for a time of want to come along. Those less fortunate find themselves short of food and look to those more fortunate to sell them grain from their own ample resources. The one who withholds grain in those circumstances will find that the people who are starving will curse him, especially if he does it with the hope of increasing the price. But on the head of the one who willingly sells grain will come blessing, which includes the thought of increasing prosperity in the future.
It is noteworthy that both men cause people to look to God, but on the one hand those who are deprived do so by calling down curses because of the inhumanity of the person involved (thus wishing want and hunger on him), whilst on the other hand those who are provided for call down blessing because of the man’s humanity (thus wishing that he will be prospered in future).
One good example of this was Joseph who on behalf of Pharaoh stored ample grain in times of plenty, in order, when the time of want came, to be able to sell it to those who were without grain because of famine (Gen 41:46; Gen 42:4).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Pro 11:24-31 Wealth Gained by Sowing and Reaping This section in Pro 11:24-31 places emphasis upon man’s financial realm, as the previous sections have placed emphasis upon the heart (Pro 10:1-9), the mind (Pro 10:10-32) and the body (Pro 10:27 to Pro 11:22).
This passage in Pro 11:24-31 deals largely with the rewards of those who give liberally. It teaches us about sowing and reaping. These verses tell us that those who give will be blessed with an increase of the same (Pro 11:24), with fatness (or more than enough) (Pro 11:25), with blessings from others (Pro 11:26), with favour (Pro 11:27), and with God’s divine recompense (Pro 11:31). In other words, we will be blessed in every area of our lives: spiritually, mentally, physically and materially. We will receive blessings from other people as well as from God above. The theme of this passage can be seen in Luk 6:38.
Luk 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Pro 11:24 compares a generous heart with a covetous heart. In Pro 11:25, we see the liberal heart of a giver, while Pro 11:26 shows us the heart of a covetous person. Pro 11:24 emphasizes the quantity of giving, while Pro 11:25 emphasizes the quality of the giving, by revealing the heart of a giver. A true giver does it with a liberal heart. These same two aspects of giving are also seen in 2Co 9:6-7, where Pro 11:6 tells us that God rewards us according to the quantity that we give, while Pro 11:7 tells us that God looks on the quality of our heart when we give.
2Co 9:6-7, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
Pro 11:24 also mentions the covetous person who will not give in times of need. Pro 11:26 reveals the true heart of covetousness in someone who will not give. One man seeks the good of others as well as himself, while the other seeks mischief and both receive God’s divine payment for their behaviour (Pro 11:27). The problem is further revealed in Pro 11:28, where one man trusts in his riches, while the other place their trust in the Lord.
Illustrations – Job was a man with a liberal soul.
Job 29:11-17, “When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.”
Job 31:16-21, “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;) If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering; If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:”
This was the things that God called Israel to do as a method restoring the people’s health and their land to prosperity.
Isa 58:7-8, “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.”
In the parable of the Judgment of the Nations (Mat 25:31-46), Jesus teaches us that these are the conditions by which God will judge a man’s soul.
Mat 25:34-36, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”
Generosity leads to prosperity in this life and a reward in eternity. Selfishness and stinginess lead to poverty, lack and curses in this life and punishment in eternal life.
Pro 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
Pro 11:24
Pro 11:24 “and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” Word Study on “there is that withholdeth” Strong says the Hebrew word “withholdeth” ( ) (H2820) is a primitive root that means, “to restrain, or (reflexive) to refrain.” The Enhanced Strong says this Hebrew word is used 28 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “spare 8, keep back 3, withhold 3, refrain 3, asswage 2, reserved 2, hold back 1, variant 1, forbear 1, hindereth 1, kept 1, punished 1, withholdeth 1.”
Word Study on “more than is meet” Strong says the Hebrew word “more than is meet” ( ) (H3476) word means, “right,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H3474) meaning, “to be straight or even; figuratively, to be (causatively, to make) right, pleasant, prosperous.”
Comments – Rotherham reads, “who withholdeth of what is due. ” For example, the tithe is due to God, and those who do not pay a tithe to their church have destruction and lack in their lives. In other words, God gives us seed enough for bread and seed for sowing. If we consume all of our seed, we will soon have no harvest to meet our needs. Note:
2Co 9:10, “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)”
Just as there is a proper amount of seed to hold back for sowing, so is there always a proper amount to give to others.
Word Study on “it tendeth to poverty” Strong says the Hebrew word “it tendeth to poverty” ( ) (H4270) means, “deficiency,”, hence, “impoverishment.” The Enhanced Strong says this Hebrew word is used 13 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “want 8, lack 1, need 1, poor 1, poverty 1, penury 1.”
Comments – The Hebrew text literally reads, “to only lack.”
Pro 11:24 Comments – The Hebrew of Pro 11:24 literally reads, “There is him who distributes and increases yet more, and there is him that holds back (what is) right, but to poverty.” The contrast of this verse is clearly seen in that a person who liberally gives what he has will always be increasing in substance. But the person who holds back what should be given will never have enough. God rewards such a person according to how much he gives. The more he gives, the greater the increase. Note:
Luk 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Pro 11:24 Scripture References – Note a similar verse:
Pro 28:27, “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.”
Pro 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Pro 11:25
Word Study on “fat” Strong says the Hebrew word “fat” ( ) (H1878) is a primitive root meaning, “to be fat,” and it means figuratively, “to satisfy.” The Enhanced Strong says this Hebrew word is used 11 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “made fat 6, wax fat 1, take away ashes 1, anoint 1, receive his ashes 1, accept 1.”
Comments – In the phrase “the liberal soul,” the Hebrew reads literally, “the soul that blesses.” This person blesses those in need with gracious lips and generous hands.
Regarding the phrase “shall be made fat,” in developing countries, the lean, skinny person represents the poor man, who lives off of scarcity of meals. The fat person represents one who has plenty of substance and wealth. The phrase “ shall be made fat” is used in other Scriptures.
Pro 13:4, “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat .”
Pro 15:30, “The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat .
Pro 28:25, “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat .”
Deu 32:15, “ But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness ; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.”
Deu 31:20, “For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat ; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
Psa 22:29, “ All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship : all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.”
Isa 10:16, “Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness ; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.”
Pro 11:25 “and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” – Word Study on “he that watereth” Strong says the Hebrew word “watereth” ( ) (H7301) is a primitive root meaning, “to slake the thirst.” The Enhanced Strong says this Hebrew word is used 14 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “water 4, make drunk 2, fill 2, satiate 2, bathed 1, satisfied 1, abundantly satisfy 1, soaked 1.”
Comments – Note other similar figurative uses of this same Hebrew word in the books of Psalms and Proverbs.
Psa 36:8, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.”
Psa 65:10, “ Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly : thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.”
Pro 5:19, “Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.”
Pro 7:18, “Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.”
Word Study on “shall be watered” Strong says the Hebrew word “shall be watered” ( ) (H3384) is a primitive root meaning, “to flow (as water, i.e. to rain),” and it can mean, “to lay or throw (an arrow, i.e. to shoot), and figuratively used, it means, “to point out (as if by aiming the finger), or to teach.” The Enhanced Strong says this Hebrew word is used 84 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “teach 42, shoot 18, archers 5, cast 5, teacher 4, rain 2, laid 1, direct 1, inform 1, instructed 1, shewed 1, shooters 1, through 1, watered 1.”
The common meaning “to teach” led the Targum to translate this phrase as, “and he that teacheth, also he himself shall learn.” [97]
[97] John Gill, Proverbs, in John Gill’s Expositor, in e-Sword, v. 7.7.7 [CD-ROM] (Franklin, Tennessee: e-Sword, 2000-2005), comments on Proverbs 11:25.
Comments – He that refreshes the souls of others, both spiritually, mentally and physically, will also himself be refreshed. This phrase may carry the concept of the early and latter rains that refresh the dry land. Note:
Job 29:23, “And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.”
Psa 72:6-7, “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.”
This figurative language of waters representing blessings is used earlier in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 5:15-18, “Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”
The Lord will bring the dew in the mornings and showers of blessings in the evening. In every season, everything we do and every place we go will abound with divine blessings. Note:
Deu 28:12, “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.”
Pro 11:25 Comments – Pro 11:25 emphasizes the attitude of the heart in giving, while the preceding verse emphasizes the quantity of giving. A man who always tries to bless and benefit others as an act of worshiping God will always have enough to satisfy his needs plus an abundance for others. The person giving will receive more blessings than the one who receives.
Act 20:35, “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Pro 11:26 He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
Pro 11:26
Amo 8:4-6, “Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?”
Pro 11:26 “but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it” – Word Study on “of him that selleth” Strong says the Hebrew word “of him that selleth” ( ) (H7666) means, “to deal (in grain).” The Enhanced Strong says this Hebrew word is used 21 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “buy 15, sell 6.”
Pro 11:26 Comments – Joseph certainly did not withhold the corn. Because of his wise planning and generous heart, he fed the nations during a famine. In contrast, when Nabal was given the opportunity to give bread to David and his men in their time of need, he withheld his abundance and brought a curse upon himself (1Sa 25:1-44).
Scholars also interpret this verse symbolically to say that the corn represents the Word of God and those who withhold the message of the Gospel from the people will bring a curse upon themselves, but blessed is the man who liberally declares the knowledge of the Most High.
Pro 11:27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
Pro 11:27
Word Study on “procureth” Strong says the Hebrew word “procureth” ( ) (H1245) is a primitive root that means, “to search out,” and it implies, “to strive after.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 225 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “seek 189, require 14, request 4, seek out 4, enquired 3, besought 2, ask 2, sought for 2, begging 1, desire 1, get 1, inquisition 1, procureth 1.”
Comments – This statement describes a man who sets priorities in his life to choose good above his own desires. He makes a conscience effort to do the right thing at all times.
Pro 11:27 “but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him” Word Study on “seeketh” Strong says the Hebrew word “seeketh” ( ) (H1875) is a primitive root that means, “to tread, or frequent,” it also means, “to follow (for pursuit or search),” and it implies, “to seek or ask.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 164 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “seek 84, enquire 43, require 12, search 7, misc 18.”
Word Study on “mischief” Strong says the Hebrew word “mischief” ( ) (H7451) means, “bad, evil.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 663 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “evil 442, wickedness 59, wicked 25, mischief 21, hurt 20, bad 13, trouble 10, sore 9, affliction 6, ill 5, adversity 4, favoured 3, harm 3, naught 3, noisome 2, grievous 2, sad 2, misc 34.”
Scripture References – Note similar verses:
Est 7:10, “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.”
Psa 7:15-16, “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.”
Psa 9:15-16, “The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.”
Psa 10:2, “The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.”
Psa 57:6, “They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.”
Pro 17:11, “An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.”
Pro 11:27 Comments – We have just been told of the righteous man who desires only good (Pro 11:23).
Pro 11:23, “The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.”
Pro 11:27 tells us that he will be given favor, both with God and man. We have been told about this favor to those who walk in mercy in truth earlier in Pro 3:3-4.
Pro 3:3-4, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”
For those who seek to mistreat others, this mistreatment will come upon him from both God and man. Note:
Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Jas 2:13, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
Note the contrast in this verse between those who “diligent seek” good and those who “seek” evil. We are seeking either of the two and there are only two paths to follow.
The emphasis in Pro 11:27 is the divine justice that invades man’s plans. God brings blessings upon those who pursue good and He brings problems to those who cause problems in other people’s lives. This law of divine rewards in clearly stated in Pro 11:31.
Pro 11:31, “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.”
Pro 11:28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Pro 11:28
Deu 8:12-14, “Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;”
Psa 52:7-8, “Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.”
Psa 62:10, “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.”
Mar 10:24, “And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”
Luk 12:20-21, “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
1Ti 6:17, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”
Pro 11:28 “but the righteous shall flourish as a branch” Word Study on “branch” Strong says the Hebrew word “branch” ( ) (H5929) means, “leaf, foliage.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 18 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “leaf 12, branch 5, branches + 06086 1.”
YLT, “Whoso is confident in his wealth he falleth, And as a leaf, the righteous flourish.”
Scripture References – Note other similar verses regarding the righteous.
Psa 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Psa 52:8, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.”
Psa 92:12-14, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;”
Isa 60:21, “Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.”
Jer 17:8, “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
Pro 11:28 Comments – Allen Ross says the leaf the leaf was a symbol of prosperity in the Middle East, while the image of a person falling symbolized ruin. [98] We can also use Isa 34:4 as an illustration of a falling leaf representing destruction. This would stand in direct contrast to the flourishing branch in the second part of this verse.
[98] Allen P. Ross, Proverbs, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5, ed. Frank E. Gaebelien, J. D. Douglas, Dick Polcyn (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1976-1992), in Zondervan Reference Software, v. 2.8 [CD-ROM] (Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corp., 1989-2001), comments on Proverbs 11:29.
Isa 34:4, “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”
The contrast is seen in the fact that a person who trusts in riches will fail at some point in his life, but he that puts his trust in God will find that he flourishes, even in times when others fall. Those who grow their roots in the things of this world will soon wither and dry up, but those who plant their roots in the living waters will always come through in seasons of trouble. Even in death, the righteous will be ushered into the presence of Almighty God so that in life and in death, the righteous flourish, for they have been grafted in Christ Jesus.
Php 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Pro 11:29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
Pro 11:29
Job 7:7, “ O remember that my life is wind : mine eye shall no more see good.”
Ecc 1:14, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit .”
Psa 78:39, “For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away , and cometh not again.”
Psa 103:16, “For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”
Ecc 5:16, “And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?”
Pro 11:29 Comments – The first part of this proverb says that those evil men who mismanage their own households will cause their own ruin. The second part says that those who mismanage their relationships with their neighbours will become servants to those who are wise. For the effects of a home that is out of order will overflow into the community.
There are several similar verses in Proverbs that tell us we will trouble ourselves and our own homes if we are cruel (Pro 11:17) or if we are greedy and do not learn to give (Pro 15:27).
Pro 11:17, “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh .”
Pro 15:27, “ He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house ; but he that hateth gifts shall live.”
Pro 11:29 Illustration – Simeon and Levi troubled their family and clan by killing the men of Hamor and Shechem.
Gen 34:30, “And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.”
Therefore, they did not receive an inheritance, but were scattered like the wind among their brethren.
Gen 49:5-7, “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”
When Achan committed a trespass against the Lord by stealing a garment with gold and silver, he caused much troubled for the children of Israel. Therefore, he and his entire household were slain.
Jos 7:24-25, “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.”
Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
Pro 11:30
[99] F. W. Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, 2nd English ed., eds. E. Kautzsch and S. A. E. Cowley (2003), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 396 (section 124.1.d).
Comments – Trees symbolized “life” in the arid Middle East. This phrase tells us that a person who lives a life of righteousness will receive the fruit of this lifestyle, which is called “a tree of life”, meaning abundant life: a life of peace, health and prosperity. Righteousness proceeds from the heart, but affects the entire man. It gives him a peace of mind, health in his body and financial prosperity. These are the “fruits” of righteousness.
The phrase “tree of life” has been used in Pro 3:18 earlier to describe the benefits of wisdom.
Pro 3:18, “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.”
Scripture References – Note a similar verse:
Psa 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Pro 11:30 “and he that winneth souls is wise” Word Study on “winneth” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “winneth” ( ) (H3947) means, “to take, receive.” Strong says it is a primitive root meaning, “to take (in the widest variety of applications),” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 965 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “take 747, receive 61, take away 51, fetch 31, bring 25, get 6, take out 6, carry away 5, married 4, buy 3, misc 26.” This Hebrew word is used 19 times in the book of Proverbs.
Comments – Because of the wide application of this common Hebrew word ( ), the meaning of this phrase has been subjected to a variety of interpretations.
(1) Literal Translation of Taking – Some translate its literal meaning.
LITV, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he who takes souls is wise.”
YLT, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And whoso is taking souls is wise.”
(2) The Destruction of Life – Other translations interpret the Hebrew word ( ) to mean, “to take a life” in the sense of “to destroy.” This is the way these same two Hebrew words “winneth souls” ( ) are used together in two other Scriptures.
1Ki 19:4, “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life ; for I am not better than my fathers.”
Psa 31:13, “For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life .”
Therefore, a number of translations, including the LXX, follow this meaning.
BBE, “The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life, but violent behaviour takes away souls.”
Brenton, “Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time.”
RSV, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but lawlessness takes away lives.”
(3) Conquering a Battle – However, most translations follow the KJV, in which the English word “win” carries the meaning of conquering a battle or the gaining of a possession.
ASV, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise winneth souls.”
DRC, “The fruit of the just man is a tree of life: and he that gaineth souls, is wise.”
Rotherham, “The fruit of the righteous, is a tree of life, and, he that rescueth souls, is wise.”
NIV, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”
(4) Doctrine – John Gill notes how the noun form of this Hebrew verb ( ) (H3948) is used in Pro 4:2 to means “doctrine,” thus supporting the interpretation of winning or teaching souls. [100] We clearly see this fourth meaning in Dan 12:3.
[100] John Gill, Proverbs, in John Gill’s Expositor, in e-Sword, v. 7.7.7 [CD-ROM] (Franklin, Tennessee: e-Sword, 2000-2005), comments on Proverbs 11:30.
Dan 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Pro 11:30 Comments – Just as foolishness brings one to ruin in Pro 11:29, so righteousness causes one’s life to be both long and fruitful. The blessings that come in his life overflow into the lives of those under his influence.
Pro 11:29-30 Comments – As the fool is unable to manage his own household and this mismanagement is reflected in his business affairs so that he becomes servants to the wise (Pro 11:29), so righteousness brings fruitful blessings into one’s personal life as well as gaining an influence in the lives of others so that he wins them by his pure conduct and godly testimony.
Pro 11:31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.
Pro 11:31
Deu 15:10, “Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.”
Pro 19:17, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
Pro 11:31 Comments – Pro 11:31 tells us that divine providence will repay both the righteous and the wicked. God judges the righteous in this life so that he will not have to be judged at the Great White Throne. Peter quotes this same verse in his first epistle from the LXX, “If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” ( Brenton)
1Pe 4:18, “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Pro 11:31 is quoted within the context of the suffering Christian, where it tells us that the righteous will be judged first in order to encourage the saint to endure the hardships of life out of reverence and fear of the Lord.
1Pe 4:16-17, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Moses was within held from the Promised Land and David received the judgment of Nathan’s prophecy that destroyed some of his children. Although God’s process of judging His children may seem difficult at times, it is nothing to compare to the judgment that will be inflicted upon the sinners.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
v. 24. There is that scattereth,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
The Spirit of Cruelty, Etc.
Pro 11:17-29
We have already dwelt upon this sacred and useful thought, that a man cannot be good without enriching his own soul. Whatever we do in the way of mercy does not terminate upon the object to which it is addressed, but it comes back to the soul itself, enlarging its capacity and refining its whole nature. The cruel man is always inflicting trouble upon himself; when he thinks he is injuring others he is in reality thrusting the iron into his own soul. This is the dispensation under which we live. Blessed be God for its severity as well as its gentleness, for its awful spirit of judgment as well as for its sacred spirit of benediction. The cruel man creates his own hell; and, in a sense, the merciful man creates his own heaven. He wishes to repeat his acts of mercy because he is made glad by the happy issues of all his efforts to relieve the misery and lighten the burden of mankind. He that watereth others is watered himself; he that giveth away has most; he that would save his life shall lose it; he that would lose his life for Christ’s sake shall find it. May we all enter into the mystery of that profound philosophy which says that our gain is what we lose for Christ. No man envies those who are cruel in spirit: cruelty does not always show itself in the same way, by harsh blows or by cold neglect; it expresses itself in many subtle forms, many of which cannot be expressed in words, but all of which can be felt in infinite bitterness. He is cruel who does not speak the right word on behalf of the speechless and the downtrodden; he is cruel who withholds help when he can give it to deserving causes; he is cruel who selfishly seeks slumber for himself whilst others are sitting all night long in coldness and pain, and expectation that is full of torment. Only the spirit of Christ can cast out the spirit of cruelty. The cruel man cannot be cured by the schoolmaster; no amount of knowledge which he acquires will have any effect upon his cruelty; he can only be made clement, tender, sympathetic, and really human by communion with the Son of God.
“As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death” ( Pro 11:19 ).
Thus the way of the Lord is equal. When we complain of the severity of law we should remember the graciousness of mercy. When we see how evil-doing results in perdition we should balance the thought by thinking how good-doing always tends upwards, and finds its proper resting-place in heaven. Both the righteous man and he that pursueth evil will bear testimony to the truth of the doctrine of this text The righteous man knows that the more good he does the more obedient he is to law, and the more tender-hearted to his fellow-creatures the more his sense of vitality increases, so that he abounds in life, and indeed touches the passion and the joy of immortality; on the contrary, he that pursueth evil is well aware that he is inflicting wounds upon his own soul, depriving himself of all the blessings of this life, concealing from his vision all beauty, and driving back from his ear all music, and evermore tending towards narrowness of view, and to all that is depraving and debasing in the most contracted prejudices. It is instructive to observe how even in the Proverbs we are kept closely to the twofold division namely, life and death: there is no middle course; it is a question of heaven or hell, the right hand or the left, God or Satan, eternal bliss or eternal destruction. With so vivid a distinction before us every man has it in his power to elect his destiny. Thank God, it is not a question of circumstances, of inborn faculty or genius, but a question of character; and surely over the formation and direction of his own character man has great power.
“Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered” ( Pro 11:21 ).
The uselessness of opposing God must be manifest from every point of view. God is omniscient, and knows all things; is almighty, and can do all things; is omnipresent, and is everywhere; so that no device or counsel or plot can succeed against him. The image of the text is that of conspiracy, wicked men combining, saying to one another in effect, If each of us cannot succeed singly, we may by combination succeed as a unity: the possibility of such a conspiracy was foreseen, and the issue of it is foretold in these plain terms. Let men add money to money, genius to genius, influence to influence, counsel to counsel, still it is but like the addition of so many ciphers the number being very great but the value being absolutely nothing. What one man cannot do in this direction a thousand men are unable to do. Fool, then, is he who supposes that because he has followed a multitude to do evil, therefore no harm will come to him. Every man in the multitude will be judged as if he were alone responsible for the whole mischief. Hands that are joined together in wickedness may be dissevered on any occasion and for the flimsiest reasons. It is folly for any wicked man to trust in a man as wicked! as himself, for the very fact that wickedness renders security impossible, and turns all manner of association into a mere matter of temporary convenience, which may be varied or destroyed according to a thousand contingencies. All evil partnerships in business are doomed to failure. All irregular alliances in the household must come to confusion and disappointment, and may end fatally. The same law holds good in the state, and indeed in every department of life. There can be no security but in righteousness, in high wisdom, in unselfish enthusiasm; where these abound the security is as complete as it is possible for man to make it. Men cannot be joined wisely and permanently together unless they are first joined to the living God. Men can only be joined to the living God through the living Christ; he is the vine, men are the branches, and unless the branch abides in the vine it cannot bear fruit, but is doomed to be burned. True union, therefore, must be religious or spiritual before it can be human and social. Neglect of this great law has ended in inexpressible disappointment and mortification on the part of statesmen, reformers, and propagandists of every kind.
“He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it” ( Pro 11:26 ).
Truly this Bible is a people’s book. It is not a book of the landlord as against the tenant, or of the proprietor as against the peasant, or of the few as against the many. The Bible everywhere speaks for the people, giving them wise counsel, protecting their rights, and promising to them the largest blessings as a consequence of their obedience and loyalty to God. The text may be regarded as suggestive of a still higher thought than the one to which it is limited. If men have no right to withhold corn, what right can they have to withhold knowledge? If it is an evil thing to injure the body or expose it to danger, what is it to injure the soul or to expose it to the peril of eternal loss? If it is wrong to keep back bread from the body, what must it be to keep back bread from the soul? An important doctrine is involved in the whole text; there are some things which a man may possess, as it were, for himself, and enjoy without sharing his delight with others; a man may have many precious stones, and may conceal them, and permit no eye but his own to look upon them, or hand to touch them but his own: so be it; the pleasure is a narrow and selfish one, and no great social consequences attend its enjoyment. On the other hand, it would seem as if no man could have private property in corn or in bread, in the sense of saying to the people, I have it, but you shall not possess it; though you offer double its price I will not allow you to take it from me unless you multiply the price five-fold. A man may talk thus about diamonds and rubies, but he is not at liberty to talk thus about bread. A man may have great property in pictures, but it is questionable whether he should have any property in land in any sense that makes the people dependent upon his caprice as to whether it shall be cultivated and turned to the highest uses. It would seem as if light and air and land were universal possessions, and that all men were equally welcome to them. In the case of the land, it may be necessary that there should be temporary proprietorship, or some regulated relation to it so as to prevent robbery; but with such regulated relation proprietorship might well terminate. All this issue, however, can only be realised as the result of the largest spiritual education. It is difficult to persuade any great landed proprietor that he ought to surrender his rights for the good of the commonwealth. This can only come after years, it may be even centuries, of education of the most spiritual kind; or if it come earlier by statesmanship it must also come justly, for even good rights may be created by faulty processes, and by mere lapse of time ownerships may be set up which have no original force. We shall never have a commonwealth founded upon righteousness and inspired by the spirit of patriotism until we are just to every interest which immediately stands in the way of its realisation.
“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart” ( Pro 11:29 ).
Not only is the Bible a people’s book, it is also the book of the household; it would keep families right; it would direct parents and children and servants, and send light and sweetness throughout the whole dwelling. When a man troubles his own house he has no profit in his labour, except the “wind,” which is here used as a term representing the utter nothingness of all unwise trouble. A man may trouble his house by his extravagance or by his niggardliness; by his arbitrariness and selfishness; by his continual meddling and fretfulness; by discussions and contentions which are wholly needless; by thwarting the will of others simply to gratify personal vanity, or by setting up laws which are not based upon reason, and which cannot be approved by utility. The end of all such household government is the wind, or nothingness an empty, impalpable, worthless reward. “The fool shall be servant to the wise of heart;” that is to say, the wise of heart will know exactly what to do with the fool, shall yoke him to his chariot as a beast of burden, shall make use of him, shall curb him by discipline, and shall restrain his folly by the imposition of wisely-regulated labour. The wise of heart will be master at the last, for knowledge is power, genius is influence, sagacity is dominion. They who can see furthest will have a most ample dominion over which to reign. The proverb is, “He who reads rules.” It is another form of the proverb that “The fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.” We are to observe that it is not a wisdom of the mind only, but a wisdom of the heart; that is to say, a moral wisdom, a benevolent wisdom, as well as great intellectual faculty and power. A man may be intellectually wise and morally tyrannical. It is only where the intellect and the heart are in well-balanced relation that proper service can be demanded from others, and so administered and controlled as to be of happy effect on all sides.
Prayer
Almighty God, we cannot understand the Cross of thy Son; yet we feel that we need it all. It is thine answer to our sin. We stand before it, and wonder much, and sometimes cannot speak; yet our heart goes out in desires of love and in expressions of trust, and when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we feel that we are saved. We know not how; we cannot follow thy mind in all these things: but there comes into the heart a sweet sense of forgiveness and adoption, and we hear in the upper places music and dancing and songs of praise, because thy son which was dead is alive again, which was lost is found. May we live in this faith. It nourishes the heart, it strengthens the life, touches the hand into new industry, it makes the whole life beneficent, beaming with kindness, fruitful in holy works; and we know by these testimonies that the work which is being accomplished within us is not a work of human hands or of human device, but is verily of God. We know that the tree is good because the fruit is good. A bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit: it is corrupt in itself, and all its fruitage is also corrupt. We bless thee that we love the Saviour, for in such love we love all other men better than ourselves; we are no longer exclusive in thought, but we go forth in holy solicitude, in redeeming desire, wishing to do good unto all men, and to make all the earth glad with the joy which thou hast created in our hearts. Thus we know that the work is good because the fruit is good; the one seals the other. This is no vain argument in words to which thou hast called us, but to noble self-sacrifice, to heroic defence of truth and righteousness, and to beneficence, so that we become fathers to the fatherless, eyes to the blind, hands to the helpless man. Surely, this is God’s miracle the very token and sign of God’s presence in the soul. Accomplish all thy work in us; make us pure, true, simple, self-forgetting, loving, always devoted to thy service, always asking, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Thus lead us on, through morning dawn and growing light, until the time of the midday glory in thine own heavens the home of the pure and the blessed. Comfort our hearts wherein we need special solace. Speak graciously to those who are in some difficulty and perplexity in life, not knowing which is the right road, and not being quite certain as to whether the door is this or that. Direct all men whose eyes are lifted up towards thee. Our life is short at the best; it shortens as it grows: may we look onward to the future rather than backward to the past; and, seeing all heaven opening and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God, may a spirit descend upon us which shall by its fire and purity convince us that it is none other than the Spirit of God. Be with us evermore. This prayer we say in the name of Jesus, once crucified, now crowned. Amen.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Scattering and Withholding
Pro 11:24
Two of the principal words in this text are of course “scattereth” and “withholdeth.” We ought to be on our guard against mistaken definitions and incomplete meanings of such words. We ought also to be on our guard against shortsightedness and ill-managed perspective in the consideration of doctrines and the planning of life. Half a meaning may amount to a falsehood. A wrong angle of vision may deceive as to distance, magnitude, and proportion.
For example one would say that to scatter anything is to part with it without advantage, to lose it; and that to withhold, to keep back, is undoubtedly to save and to retain. The text teaches us that this may be quite a mistake on our part. It must further be understood that all scattering is not advised, nor is all withholding condemned. The word scatter and the word withhold must therefore be regarded with modifications. There is reckless scattering and there is wise withholding. It will be seen, therefore, that the verse is not to be taken in its literalness; it is to be examined in its spirit. We must get into the method of the counsel, and understand the genius and scope of the doctrine. Happily we have no need to go farther in search of illustration of the truth of the text; we find it on every farm, in every business, in every school. The farmer will tell us that if the land be starved the crop will be starved as well. The merchant will tell us that if he be not often liberal in his outlay liberal almost to the point of apparent recklessness he will be short in his income. Some crafty persons will even give subscriptions to societies which they would gladly sink to the bottom of the sea, because these subscriptions come back to them in the way of patronage. Their donations are investments. Their charities are speculations. They turn benevolence itself into merchandise; they yoke generosity to the chariot of Mammon. Still they are preachers, and preachers of wisdom. If they abuse the principle, they exemplify it by thinking that scattering may mean getting. Their charities, their gifts, their plaudits, and their liberalities are often so much manure with which they hope to enrich the harvest of their own fortunes. All these considerations show us the importance of understanding what is meant by scattering, and what is meant by withholding. Let us seek with all eagerness of Christian hope to know the meaning of both parts of the text, that we may order the scheme of our life by its profound and most excellent wisdom.
The text calls us to benevolent activity founded on religious faith. Not to activity only, but to benevolent activity; not to a benevolent activity only, but to a benevolent activity founded on a religious basis and not a religious basis as the expression of a selfish sentimentality, but the only true and abiding religious basis, that which we find in the Cross and in the life of Jesus Christ. The doctrine enlarges and glorifies life by calling into play elements and considerations which lie beyond the present and the visible. The very exercise of scattering carries blessing with it, brings with it a peculiar and special benefit. Observe the very exercise of scattering, without pointing in a religious or Christian direction, the very act of scattering breaks up the mastery of selfishness, it enlarges the circle of kindly interests, it shows that there is something in the world beyond our own personal concerns. It were better, therefore, better for man, better as a discipline, better for his heart, better for every quality that is worth having, that a man should go to the river so many times a year and throw his money into it, than that he should never, never give anything away! Is that a hard saying? It is perfectly true, that rather than never part with anything except in the way of mere bargain-making it were better to go to the river and to throw some part of our property into it. What, then, of the benefit which accrues upon wise giving, upon philanthropic service, upon activities which bear the dear name and are inspired by the blessed spirit of Jesus Christ? Take a case. A man gives away a sovereign in Christ’s name and for Christ’s sake. Look at the elements which constitute that act and give it value. The man made the sovereign honestly; it is his, in point of fair service, by what is called right. If he keeps that sovereign he will break no law in commerce; if he will it away to his family he will violate no law in social equity; if he spend it upon himself society will not condemn him. Yet the man deliberately gives that money away to a poor child, to a friendless stranger, to a Christian society. See what lies behind the deed. The man says, in effect if not in words, “The money may be mine, but I myself am not my own. How then can anything be mine, except temporarily, and under laws of stewardship and responsibility? I have no property in myself; I am bought with a price; I am God’s agent. So far as I have given society an equivalent for this sovereign it is mine; but the strength, the skill, the knowledge by which I gained it are the gifts of God. The image is Caesar’s, but the gold is God’s. I will hold what I have as Christ’s; holding it so I instantly yield it at his call, saying, Thine O wounded, blessed Christ thine is the right!” So this giving away of the sovereign is not an off-hand deed; it is not done flippantly; it is not done to save appearances; it is not done from external social pressure; it becomes a great religious act, a solemn sacrifice, a holy thank-offering. So to give, so to scatter, is to increase. In many cases the man gets back two sovereigns for one, or fifty for one; but if he did not get a penny back he always increases in heart-volume, in joy, in love, in most mysterious and hallowed peace; the heavens become brighter; his cup of comfort is sweetened; he walks on a greener earth; he looks up to God through a bluer sky. Beneficence is its own compensation. Charity empties the heart of one gift that it may make room for a larger. He who lives towards God, whose life is an ascending line, will meet God coming to him with blessings unimagined and unceasing. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
Some of you may think that it is a dangerous doctrine to preach that if a man give away one sovereign he may get two, and perhaps he may get fifty back. Understand, however, that if any man shall give God anything in the way of having it back again that man will be disappointed, humiliated, and justly so. It is not an investment; it is not an appeal to some greedy, crafty one who says, “Well, if that be the way, I shall give away a sovereign just to try if I can get two back for it.” Will you? Try it! and you will never see your sovereign again. Then you will not try it? Do not! We cannot have the footsteps of such evil men upon the floor of God’s sanctuary. It is when we give alms free from all self-consciousness in the deed, when there is no calculation about it, when under the inspiration of love we touch the very holiness of God it is then that the grain of corn cast into the earth dies, germinates, fructifies, and returns a hundredfold. I bear witness, simply and solemnly, without affectation and with the emphasis of thankfulness, that I never yet, in any happy moment of sympathy with the dear Christ of God, did a generous deed without God hastening, as it were, to repay the deed, to make me a wiser, stronger, tenderer man. “Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” No man works for God for nothing. His water is turned into wine, and that wine flows in unceasing blessed streams of divine love and comfort.
Two men started business with this vow: “We shall give to God one-tenth of all our profits.” The first year the profits were considerable; the tithe was consequently considerable. The next year there was increase in the profits, and of course increase in the tithe; in a few years the profits became very, very large indeed, so that the partners said to one another, “Is not a tenth of this rather too much to give away? suppose we say now we will give a twentieth?” And they gave a twentieth, and the next year the profits had fallen down; the year after that they fell down again, and the men said to one another, as Christians should say in such a case: “Have not we broken our vow? Have we not robbed God?” And in no spirit of selfish calculation, but with humility of soul, self-reproach, and bitter contrition, they went back to God and told him how the matter stood, prayed his forgiveness, renewed their vow, and God opened the windows of heaven and came back to them, and all the old prosperity. I do not wish to make too much of this story, but I know it as a fact. There is no occasion to fear superstition in making such vows. If they be made in the spirit of selfishness, they will end in nothing; if in the spirit of little children, no man can tell the blessing.
The other side of the text is as emphatic and as often illustrated in practical life as the first: “There is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.” Selfishness is suicidal; selfishness lives in gloom; selfishness injects poison into every stream of life; selfishness actually makes the world less and less every day, degrades man, dishonours life; it is blasphemy against the infinite goodness and mercy of God! Selfishness is most intensely selfish when it assumes the name of prudence. When a man says he must be just before he is generous, that man cannot be just, that man is a thief in his heart. Selfishness is often most base when it calculates aloud at the dinner-table and the tea-table arithmetically, and shows the world the whole process of its dry arithmetic. Souls cannot be trained on arithmetic. When selfishness chatters proverbs, which are but half truths; when in the interests of so-called honesty it robs God with both hands, then it has reached a depth beyond which there is no depth. Let it be known that upon such God has branded the stamp of failure. God is against thee O selfish heart! There may be great accumulation, may there not? Yes yet not one moment’s enjoyment of it all! There may be good standing at the bankers, may there not? Yes, and no foothold in any human heart The property may outweigh the proprietor. As the stuff increases the man diminishes. As the deposit enriches the depositor impoverishes. “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” When God blows upon a man, who can find him? The whole universe is a protest against the selfish man. The light-streaming sun, the former and the latter rain, the odorous flower, the gift-bearing seasons, and yonder dear Father giving himself away in every pulsation of his being, these are against thee, O selfish heart! and when thou totterest towards the gate of dismission to find thine own place, thou shalt depart without regret as thou hast lived without love. Such is the picture. Yonder he is at the further end of life. Room for the leper! It is singular that men by grasping lose; that by scraping they get nothing; that by having great bunches of keys to lock up seven-fold doors they cannot find what they have locked away, there must be some way inside from the back; some way spirits get into it; at all events the thing goes. God has many ways of turning the selfish man’s success to failure and disappointment. The darkness, the mildew, the locust, the frost, the lightning, the winds, are his servants. Thou shalt carry much seed into the field, and shalt gather but little in, for the locusts shall consume it. “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” “Ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.” How God mocks the bad man! How he can turn the wicked man’s very triumph into failure, and how out of selfish ambition he can bring the scorpion whose sting is death!
We must be careful to observe that though the text is found in the Old Testament the principle is distinctly held by Jesus Christ. It is not a temporary law, it is a moral principle; it is universal and unchangeable in its force and application. “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” What do you think of that in the light of common-sense? To non-Christian men it must sound very foolish. A man that gains his life loses it. A man who rises early and strives hard all day to maintain himself is actually diminishing the very quality of his manhood, the very volume of his being.
A man says that he is going in for influence. He dresses for influence, smiles for influence, turns round and round for influence, and after awhile people are laughing at him, and saying, “What an extraordinarily foolish man that is!” He has all the influence he deserves, and that is no influence at all. All great life, divine life, life like God’s, is not to be calculated about, and argued out, and worked out in that ridiculous fashion. Self-forgetfulness coming out of self-crucifixion, and then you will have blessings until there is not room to contain them. By all means get out of yourself, if you would really do yourself the greatest possible service. Scatter liberally with the right motive if you would gather in the harvest, before which you may say truly not with atheistic insanity, but with Christian reverence “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.”
Some of you have your scheme of life yet to begin. Do not be narrow; do not be little; do not be what is termed prudent, in the poor shallow sense of that word. Be true, be noble, be self-oblivious. Have you natural amiability and philanthropic love of others? Encourage that. Do not live inwards; live from your hearts outward. And who knows but that Jesus Christ may meet you and show you the higher way, the only true and living way? All schemes which are mere schemes, mere programmes and methods of our own, are self-defeating if they are not conceived and executed, in the spirit of self-crucifixion. Do not be a mere plan. Be a great soul, live a holy life, and may the great Father gather you to his heart and bless you evermore!
Prayer
Almighty God, all souls are thine: may all souls be won to thee, for all we like sheep have gone astray; now may we return unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. Without thee our souls have no light, no hope, no rest; with thee our souls seize the inheritance of immortality, and are already clothed with heavenly victory. Now that we know thee through Jesus Christ thy Son, our blessed and only Saviour, we are in heaven: our citizenship is there; all the subjects which excite our best thinking are there; all the ambitions that stir our noblest impulses descend from heaven. We thank thee that we have been won to Christ, drawn to him, persuaded by him to accept the great priesthood which he represents. Once we had no wisdom; we were not only in dark night, but no star gleamed upon us from the frowning clouds: now we are at least in the dawn, now we have hope of advancing light, now we think that noonday may be accorded to us; and as these thoughts burn in our hearts we are filled with thankfulness, we are lifted out of the limitations of time and sense, and for one brief moment we breathe the air of heaven. May our souls be faithful to thee; may they know the truth, and obey it; may they love wisdom, and increase in it; may they follow after understanding, and secure the infinite prize. For all thy mercies we bless thee; for our assurance that in Christ Jesus we are saved souls we magnify thy grace: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Thou hast saved us, and not we ourselves. We are saved by faith, and not by works; because our confidence has been given to thee in Christ Jesus thy dear Son we are saved, and no man can pluck us out of the Father’s hand. Give us to see more and more of the mystery of thy love its infinite range, its ineffable tenderness, its mysteriousness of pathos; then shall we be melted, bowed down in contrition, lifted up in praises, and our whole life shall be one solemn triumphant song. Take away from us everything that is hateful in thy sight; give us the clean linen of the saints, white and pure; grant unto us the Spirit of God, that he may dwell with us a purifying fire, an enlightening glory, a daily monitor and guide, and thus bring our life to the fulness of thine own purpose. Hear us for all for whom we ought to pray: where then, Lord of heaven, would our prayer cease? When we think of all the millions upon the face of the globe, of all who are old and young, rich and poor, in joy, in sorrow, in strength, in weakness, in peril on the sea, and in strange lands working out some mystery of providence, our imagination is overwhelmed. But thou seest all things, for thou dwellest in eternity. Have respect unto those for whom we ought specially to pray, and grant unto them such blessings as their lives particularly need. Help us by all means to become men in Christ Jesus wise, understanding, strong, patient men, knowing thy will and doing it, accepting thy purpose and suffering it; and at last may we be found to have glorified thee, whether in life, or in death, or in heroic service, or in heroic endurance. As for our sin, we will not name it, for whilst we pray at the Cross the miracle must be ever Christ’s, and he has completed it, in that he has said to contrite and believing souls, Your sins which are many are all forgiven thee. Amen
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Pro 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty.
Ver. 24. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth. ] Bounty is the most compendious way to plenty; neither is getting but giving the best thrift. The five loaves in the Gospel, by a strange kind of arithmetic, were multiplied by a division and augmented by subtraction. So will it be in this case.
But it tendeth to poverty.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
poverty = want. Hebrew. heser. See note on Pro 6:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 11:24
Pro 11:24
“There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want.”
“One gives away, and still he grows richer: Another keeps what he should give, and is the poorer. This corresponds exactly with the promises of God in the New Testament (2Co 9:6-11).
Pro 11:24. Scattereth here has reference to giving to the needy (Psa 112:9). Judiciously helping the needy does not impoverish us (God blesses us), but if we withhold from them, God will withhold from us. 2Co 9:6 : He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. An old epitaph: What we spent, we had; what we saved, we lost; what we gave, we have.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
that scattereth: Pro 11:18, Pro 19:17, Pro 28:8, Deu 15:10, Psa 112:9, Ecc 11:1, Ecc 11:2, Ecc 11:6, Luk 6:38, Act 11:29, Act 11:30, 2Co 9:5-11
but: Hag 1:6, Hag 1:9-11, Hag 2:16-19
Reciprocal: Lev 23:22 – General Deu 14:29 – that the Lord Deu 15:4 – greatly bless Deu 24:19 – may bless Rth 2:14 – At mealtime Job 22:7 – not given Pro 3:10 – General Pro 10:4 – becometh Pro 14:21 – he that hath Ecc 5:13 – riches Isa 32:6 – empty Isa 32:8 – the liberal Isa 58:10 – thou draw Eze 18:7 – hath given Mat 5:42 – General Mat 14:16 – they Mat 25:35 – I was an Luk 6:30 – Give Luk 9:13 – have Joh 6:13 – and filled Act 2:45 – parted 2Co 9:6 – He which soweth sparingly 2Co 9:8 – God Phi 4:19 – supply 1Ti 6:18 – ready
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
GAINING BY LOSING
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.
Pro 11:24
I. This scattering is a conception borrowed from the husbandman.From out his barns he takes the precious seed and scatters it broadcast. The child of the city might wonder at his prodigality, little weening that each of the scattered seeds may live in a hundred more and perpetuate itself for successive autumns.
II. We are bidden to measure our life by its losses rather than by its gains; by the blood poured out rather than by its storage in the arteries of life; by our sacrifices rather than its self-preservation; by its gifts rather than its accumulations. He is the richest man in the esteem of the world who has gotten most; he is the richest in the esteem of heaven who has given most.
III. And it is so ordered that as we give we get.If we miserly hoard the grain, it is eaten by weevils; if we cast it away it returns to us multiplied. Stagnant water is covered with scum, flowing water is fresh and living. He who gives his five barley loaves and two small fishes into the hands of Jesus sees the people fed and gets twelve baskets over. Tell out all you know, and you will have enough for another meal, and yet another. Set no limit to your gifts of money, time, energy; in the act of giving the whole that you have expended will return to you, and more also. Freely ye have received, freely give. There is no limit to your supplies in Jesus.
Illustration
Where you get, be sure to give. Remember the golden rule in Pro 11:24; as you scatter you will increase. Be liberal to water others, and you shall be watered yourself. Give your barley loaves and fish, and you shall gather twelve basketfuls. Never be drawn into the rings of salt or corn or ice, lest you incur the curse of the people. Above all, do not trust in your riches, then will you flourish as a green branch, heavy with foliage and fruit.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Pro 11:24-25. There is that scattereth That giveth liberally of his goods to the poor; for so the word , here used, signifies, Psa 112:9; and yet increaseth Through Gods secret blessing on his estate; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet Hebrew, , than what is right, or just, that is, what, by the law of God, and the rules of general justice, he is obliged to give: of which, see on Pro 3:27. But it tendeth to poverty By Gods providence secretly blasting his property, either in his own or his childrens hands: as it frequently happens to covetous persons. The liberal soul Hebrew, the soul of blessing, the man who is a blessing to others; who prays for the sick and needy, and provides for them; that scatters blessings with gracious lips and generous hands, the word blessing being often used for a gift; shall be made fat Shall be enriched both with temporal and spiritual blessings. And he that watereth, &c. Possibly this is a metaphor taken from a fountain, which, when it pours forth its waters, is instantly filled again; whereas, if it be stopped, it grows empty, the water seeking another course. Some render the last clause, , he shall be a rain, that is, he shall receive such liberal supplies from God, that he shall be able to pour forth showers of good things upon others.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11:24 There is that scattereth, {n} and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more {o} than is right, but [it tendeth] to poverty.
(n) Meaning they who give liberally, whom God blesses.
(o) That is, the miser.