19 The evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins,
But happy is he who is gracious to the [k]poor.
22 Will they not go astray who devise evil?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [l]mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who [m]utters lies is [n]treacherous.
26 In the [o]fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And [p]his children will have refuge.
27 The [q]fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.
This morning, v. 21 jumped out at me with, “He who despises his neighbor sins…” And you might say, “I sure don’t despise my neighbor!” Ok then, you’re clear, I guess… But is there anyone you do despise? What do you think of folks on the opposite side of the political spectrum? Is there a group that you just can’t stand, or a church/religion that rubs you the wrong way?
Hmm, I know it’s easy to slip into the very first one, especially with our country so divided on politics. For my part, and your part, it ought not to be so. Not that we give up our beliefs and capitulate, but we should not despise others for their beliefs–or for anything else. Solomon gives us a better mindset, “But happy is he who is gracious to the poor (also translated ‘afflicted’).”
Who in our lives needs grace right now? I don’t think we need to look far, but if you do, then ask God to show you who you can be gracious to. Ask him who needs a bit of generosity, or an act of kindness, and bring some happiness to their lives and yours.
Like I said, none of this means we give up our beliefs, but our only non-negotiable ought to be, per vv. 26-27, our fear of the Lord. He is our foundation, he is our refuge, our strong confidence, and our fountain of life. Nowhere here does Solomon recommend putting our trust in the king, our government, some social movement, or anything else. There is only one, who is strong enough to save: Jesus. He is our example in all we ought to do, there is no other.