9 It is better to live in a corner of a roof
Than [b]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the [c]naive becomes wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous one considers the house of the wicked,
Turning the wicked to ruin.
13 He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be answered.
14 A gift in secret subdues anger,
And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
15 The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous,
But is terror to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding
Will rest in the assembly of the [d]dead.
There are some hard truths in this passage, though at first glance it might seem pretty innocuous. First, we have the wicked who doesn’t care two hoots about his neighbor (v. 10). Sure, that makes sense, and I think it even ties into v. 9 with the contentious woman. There are two sides of the contentious woman: one that she is likely so focused on her wants and needs that she doesn’t consider that of her husband (whether her intent is evil or not, is not for me to say). The other is a man who isn’t paying attention to her needs either, and is hoping to just do his own thing and not be bothered too much.
So we have a whole bunch of folks not caring about others when we get to v. 12. What’s that about, the righteous one turns the wicked to ruin? Well, that’s kind of rude! But should the righteous protect the wicked? No, that would be showing a decided lack of concern for those the wicked are harming, and ties right into v. 13. Should the righteous have it in his power to bring justice, and decide not to rescue the poor and oppressed, his cries will also not be answered.
Then we come to v. 14, which I think has somewhat poor wording, as the term ‘bribe’ has totally different connotations than the intent. A gift is a wholly other thing, but what is the point here? Someone has done something wrong, and there is anger and wrath as a result. There are two options, you settle it out of court, or it goes public and your name is ruined.
Naturally, Solomon says you should choose the former. If you’ve wronged someone, and you’re not the kind of person in v. 10–that is, you’re not a terrible crook just taking advantage of people–then make it right, posthaste. Go above and beyond even, so that its not just repaying the damage, but it is truly seen as a gift. Don’t just clear your name, go the extra mile and leave them thinking better of you than before.
Plenty of businesses could learn a thing or two from Solomon, and all of us can learn from this. Seek justice, not just rescuing people from harms way, but walking and dealing justly yourself. Make sure whatever you do is motivated by the best interests of others, and not self-serving. There’s nothing wrong with making a profit, but to do it at the expense of someone who cannot afford it is hardly honorable.
No one need know your “virtuous deeds” when they are done with the right motivation. As Jesus said (multiple times, almost like there was a point to be made…), “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” If you see someone trumpeting their virtue, look out for what they are hiding. Don’t be them, be like your Father, and He will take care of you every day.