Proverbs 14:19

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:19, “The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.” There are many benefits in seeking to do the right thing as we serve Jesus. One of the benefits is that human beings will honor us. That is what so many people do not understand. People think they will lose friends and lose honor if they follow the Christ, but the opposite is true. The more wicked that you are, the more that people will hold you in dishonor and will not think well of you. In the competition of life you win by not trying to win, but instead by trying to serve the Lord.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:20, “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.” This is a simple statement of human nature. At least God is not like this. God loves everyone equally. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…” We need to make sure that we are more like God and that we show the same honor and respect to all human beings no matter what is their financial status nor any other attribute that differentiates people.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:21, “He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.” This verse is associated to the previous verse. Love is the greatest commandment. That is what Jesus said. Love God with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength. And then love your neighbor as yourself. Probably the reason that the poor are mentioned specifically in Proverbs 14:21 is the fact that the poor are the ones who are the most commonly abused or taken advantage of in any society. That is because people think the poor are vulnerable and have no power to defend themselves. They certainly cannot go get an expensive lawyer to help them. Humans can be cruel, but once you come to know Jesus as Savior, you learn to treat people honorably and fairly.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:22, “Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.” Human beings fail easily and often. We are all sinners, that is for sure. But some people have gone so far into evil that they actually “devise evil.” That means that they think about it and plan it. Can you get any more evil than that? One reason that evil things happen in the world is because evil people planned to do that evil. But God knows, and the judgment is coming. When you turn to Christ, you find mercy. When you desire to turn to Christ, part of your motivation is the desire to start doing the right thing, and so you are devising good. Your plan is to do the right thing and the good thing, and thus God is merciful to you.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:23, “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.” In this life God wants us to work. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, God said to them in Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…” Jesus said about His own life, “I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work.” Those who do not work tend to be talkers and not doers. They will tell you that they are going to do something, but then they do not follow through on it. Talking about what you will do never plowed a field, or reaped a harvest, or built a house, or wrote a computer program.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:24, “The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.” If you have wisdom, then your wisdom is your wealth. You do not need much money if you have wisdom because with wisdom you will know what must be done to meet your needs. Many people have fallen into riches such as by winning the lottery or by being given a large salary suddenly as is done for some athletes. But without wisdom on what to do with that money, they can waste everything and live miserable and unhappy lives.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:25, “A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.” Truth is so important. The first statement of this verse certainly applies to Jesus. Jesus is the truth. And Jesus will save your soul if you call upon His name for the forgiveness of your sins.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:26, “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” Some people have a lot of confidence, but if your confidence is in yourself, you have the wrong kind of confidence and it will not end well for you. You need “strong confidence.” That is the kind of confidence you will have when you learn to trust in the Lord. You might be a person with no confidence at all, but your confidence can grow just by trusting in the Lord. Your confidence will not be based upon what you can do, but what the Almighty God can do for you. When you trust in the Lord, God is your refuge.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:27, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” Once again the scriptures remind us that you are going to benefit if you fear the Lord and follow Him. Yes, we are talking about the fear of the Lord. God punished sin. God brings negative consequences to the wrong actions, and therefore you better have the right actions or you will suffer. It says in the New Testament, “The wages of sin is death…” That is why you need to repent and ask for forgiveness before it is too late.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:28, “In the multitude of people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.” This verse seems to state that a ruler’s power is at the will of the people. The government of the United States is based upon that precept: government can only continue when it is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” One reason that dictators turn to violence and cruelty to stay in power is that they know their days are numbered, and they are trying to keep the people from making a change. Burning in hell will be a high price to pay to keep power for a few more years. If you are a leader and the people honor you, and keep you for that reason, then you have achieved the most that can be hoped for.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:29, “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.” The theme that is found in this proverb has already been mentioned several times in the book of Proverbs. Anything said once in the Bible is very important. Therefore, anything that is repeated over and over in the Bible is really, really important. Be careful about anger. Stay away from anger. Avoid it whenever you can. Do not be quick to be angry. After you have time to think about it, you will realize that the situation is not worth the anger. And the anger might make you do or say something that you will regret.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:30, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.” If your heart is taken care of, then the rest of you will be fine. The heart is the problem. That is why it says in the New Testament, “If you will believe in your heart.” Jesus talked about evil coming out of the heart of man. People need Jesus. Of all the problems in the world, the greatest is the need for people to have their hearts fixed through faith in Christ. Interesting that verse 30 chooses “envy” as the one sin that will manifest itself in the heart if the heart is not sound. Instead of celebrating someone else’s success, an evil heart will be jealous and envious of others. That is the main reason that poor people hate rich people. That is one of the reasons that some of the nations of the world hate America: envy. If your heart is right with God, then you will trust Him for what things you have and for what He has chosen to bring into your life.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:31, “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.” Some people have a calling in life that has certain burdens to it that others do not have. Those that are poor sometimes fit that category. There are those who oppress the poor. They take advantage of them. They use them. They lie to them. But God loves the poor. God loves everybody. An opportunity to show your true opinion of God’s creatures is how you treat those who are less advantaged. Treat everyone with the same honor and respect and politeness. That is what God wants. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor.” Of course, the spiritual meaning to this is that everyone is poor spiritually speaking until you come to know Jesus as Savior.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:32, “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.” This verse is talking about the future, and it is talking about the fact that where you end up depends upon the route that you are on. If you have not repented of your sins and turned to Jesus, then you are on the wrong path that leads to destruction. Jesus said, “Broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that go in thereat.” If you are on the wrong path, then turn to Jesus and get on the straight and narrow way. That way has a future: all the way into eternity. That is why it says in verse 32, “the righteous hath hope in his death.” Death is not the end for believers in Jesus. Death is the doorway into a glorious future in heaven with Jesus and all the other Christians.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:33, “Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.” What happens in the heart of people? If you have understanding from God, you have wisdom in your heart and the wisdom will be growing as you follow the Lord. If you have foolishness in your heart, that foolishness will constantly come out for others to see. Which one of those two people do you want to be? Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you can be the one with wisdom.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” What is wrong with this country? What is the greatest problem? Sin is the problem because sin separates from God, and because sin leads to more sin. Also, God is over all nations. God is in charge. Jesus is the King of kings. And Jesus is the Judge. For this very reason, sin will have and must have its terrible consequences. What will exalt a nation? Will having a great economy with much prosperity exalt a nation? Will having a very strong military where you are ready to go to war exalt a nation? “Righteousness exalts a nation,” because God is holy and God’s will is for us to do the right thing. If only we had better people, then we would be a better nation. That is the key: more people need to turn from their sins and turn to Jesus, and then we will have a better nation. Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

And so the question must be asked: do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you repented of your sins? If not, today you can fall at the feet of Jesus, call upon His name, and He will forgive you and save you from your sins. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

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