19 A slave will not be instructed by words alone;
For though he understands, there will be no response.
20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
21 He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will in the end find him to be a son.
22 An angry man stirs up strife,
And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
23 A man’s pride will bring him low,
But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life;
He hears the oath but tells nothing.
25 The fear of man [m]brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
26 Many seek the ruler’s [n]favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.
27 An unjust man is abominable to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.
There are, as always, some good nuggets in these verses. The example of a slave at the beginning, though it seems foreign, is one of them. Why doesn’t the slave take instruction? Because he’s a slave, he does what he has been conditioned to do. And sadly, in that day, that was often to be driven by the whip, or nothing at all–that is, without supervision, you’re not going to get a hard day’s work out of a slave.
We have plenty of those around, even though we don’t call them slaves. Lots of folks in debt, or subservient to the government, they do what is required to get by, and no more. Or, they constantly want more, so they work themselves to the bone to pay for it–plus the extra interest that comes with their lack of patience.
It’s what they’ve been conditioned to, debt/subservience is normal, just a fact of life… How many expect the government to bail them out, and then are disappointed (or worse) when things don’t pan out. They vote for one party, hoping that will get them “favor”, and then the other, back and forth we go.
Solomon tells us there is a better way, and it starts with this. Stop acting like a slave! Did you notice in v. 21 what happens to a slave who is treated favorably? They think they are a son, and they aren’t far off, even if not by blood. Guess what? You were never meant to be a slave, but rather a son or daughter of the Most High.
Let it sink in for a minute… Now, don’t get puffed up (v. 23), you and I don’t deserve it, but God has given us the gift of adoption. What happens to those who live in fear of others, or put their hope in the government (vv. 25-26)? They land in a snare, they fall for the trap, and empty promises. But those who trust in the Lord will be exalted, they will become children of the King, and justice will be done.
You are a child of the King of the Universe, everything you do should represent that fact. Now go out and live it, with the humility and grace and love that has been poured out upon you.