Proverbs 19:4

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:4, “Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor.” This verse is a sad commentary on human nature. Do you mean to tell me that there are people who treat others differently based upon how much money that they have? If we are rightly related to Christ, we should treat everyone equally: rich or poor, black or white, Christian or Moslem, left or right: we should offer the same politeness, the same consideration, and the same kindness no matter who they are. Is not God like that? Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” When it says that God loves the world, it means that He loves everyone in the world. Jesus died for everyone, and Jesus wants everyone to be saved. That person in whom you see so many faults and errors just might decide to turn to Jesus some day before it is too late.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:5, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” There are many ways in which a person will be punished if they lie. A liar will become a person that people do not like and do not trust. A liar can find themselves in legal trouble because there are laws against lying, especially lying under oath. Someone who lies is setting a trap for himself or herself because the truth eventually comes out. That is why it says that a liar “shall not escape.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:6, “Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.” This is not a good commentary on human behavior. It speaks of selfishness in motivation. The key to understanding this is that people are often out for themselves. What can they get out of a relationship? How can they get more for themselves? When they see someone with power, they ask the question, sometimes subconsciously, “What do I need to say to this person to win their favor and in order to gain what they can get for me?” Many people have compromised themselves terribly because of such a motivation. Of course, be polite and be respectful, but trust in the Lord. God will give you what He wants you to have.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:7, “All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.” This is another commentary on the human race looked at from the opposite way that a couple of the previous verses had stated. In this case often poor people are disrespected only because they are poor. That is a terrible twist to what ought to be. God loves every person equally. At the judgment we will all stand there with no material possessions whatsoever, and no bank account. If you want to be more like God, treat all people the same with the same consideration, the same courtesy, and the same respect. Treat a poor man the same way that you would treat a rich man.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:8, “He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.” One of the important goals of life is to get wisdom. If you get wisdom, it will be because you understand wisdom’s importance, and you sought wisdom. Jesus is the personification of wisdom. The wisest thing that you will ever do is accept Jesus as Savior. That will also be the best thing that can be done for your soul because your eternal destiny will be heaven instead of the other place. Another goal of life is to do the right thing. Bob Jones said, “Do right until the stars fall.” If you have wisdom, you will do right. For example, the Bible says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” A person who understands life, understands the true results of adultery: shame, regret, jealousy, disease, unwanted pregnancy, divorce. A wise person will keep such terrible results out of his or her life, and therefore do the right thing. Wisdom leads to a good life. Wisdom leads to the best that life can be.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:9, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” The Bible says, “Thou shalt not lie.” Just like all the other commandments, if you break this, you will suffer for it. Jesus is the truth. When we come to Jesus, we are finally telling the truth: the truth about ourselves (we are sinners), the truth about what we need to do (turn from our sins and turn to Jesus), and the truth about Jesus (He is Savior and we need Him to forgive our sins.) Always tell the truth. Even if you think you will lose by telling it. It is more important to tell the truth than to gain anything. Of course, you will gain if you tell the truth: you will gain the will of God, you will gain a good character, you will gain a good conscience, and you will gain a good reputation with men. Lies lead to death and hell. Liars go to hell.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:10, “Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.” A fool will not have a pleasant life. That is one of the reasons to seek wisdom. Things are just not going to work out well for a foolish person. It just will not happen. This is just as true as other facts of life, such as the fact that servants are servants. Servants do not tell the masters what to do. It just does not happen that way. Fools will not have a pleasant life. They say the wrong things, they do the wrong things, they interpret their situations of life incorrectly, and they make the wrong decisions. It will not work out well for a fool.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:11, “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” Some people become too angry, and then their anger spurs them on to do terrible deeds that they would have never done had they not become so angry. The Bible advises anger management. If you are wise, you will not be soon angry or easily angry. One of the most common reasons for anger is lack of faith. Do we believe that God is all-powerful, or do we not? Do we believe that God uses all people for all things or do we not? Therefore, how can we be angry if things do not work out the way that we had wanted? Usually, we are angry based upon what someone else has done that we consider to be evil or sinful. Have you ever heard of just letting something go? Try passing over a transgression. Just to be civil, we must pass over transgressions. Everyone fails in some way easily and often. And so if you notice every fault and comment on it, you will spend your whole life criticizing, condemning, judging, and in other ways being negative and only talking about the negative side of things. Good luck with that. God is forgiving towards us, and so we should be forgiving towards others too.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:12, “The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.” This is a verse about authority structures. God has created this world with a hierarchy of authority. Those that have power will use their power, and so you would be well-advised to stay on the good side of those who are over you. Rebellion is not God’s way. Disrespect to authority-figures is not God’s will. It says to Christians in Romans 13:1-7, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.[2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.[3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:[4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.[5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.[6] For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.[7] Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:13, “A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.” This verse is about the Christian family. Everything can fall apart in regards to your children and your spouse. Your greatest sorrows and your greatest regrets just might come from your own family. A child can go absolutely crazy in any age and especially in the age in which we live. People are like sheep. They follow others, and if your child follows the wrong group or the wrong person or the wrong idea, the parents will live to see the terrible results. There are women who make good wives, and there are other women who do not make good wives. If every woman made a good wife, then you could marry anyone and be happy. One of the things that can make a man absolutely miserable are “the contentions of a wife.” A man’s home is his castle, and the man is the king. God said to the woman in Genesis 3:16, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” The word “rule” in the last phrase is correctly translated. It means to rule over. The Hebrew word is commonly used in the Old Testament when talking about a king ruling and reigning over his subjects and over his kingdom. Of course, in the marriage relationship we are not talking about a king-servant relationship, but we are talking about a king-queen relationship. A queen can have a lot of power. A queen can have all power when the king is not present, either temporarily or permanently. Just read the last half of Proverbs chapter 31. A woman in control of her household has many of the same responsibilities that are found in the modern business world. Every organization has a hierarchy. A woman can be at the top of any of those organizations. The home has a hierarchy too. If a woman is married, the husband is at the top. The husband is like the CIO of the home. He has the final say. The wife is under His authority: under his “rule.” Of course, if he is smart, the husband will delegate as much as possible to his wife. She was given to him to be a help-meet.

It is not just one isolated scripture that talks about the husband-wife relationship. It says in Ephesians 5:22-24, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.[23] For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.[24] Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every way.” Where does the modern women’s liberation movement fit in with this teaching of a husband and a wife? That is the point: it does not. It is true that women should have equal rights and equal opportunity in the workplace and in the business world, but in the home the man is the CEO. This does not mean that the woman has to subject herself to any kind of physical abuse. Talking about the marriage relationship and divorce, it says in First Corinthians 7:13-16, “And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.[14] For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.[15] But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases; but God hath called us to peace.[16] For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” What bond is being talked about here: the marriage bond. God wants there to be peace, and not war in a family. This passage gives two justifications for divorce: desertion and lack of peace. Jesus gave a third in His teachings: adultery.

The Biblical concept that a man is a king in his home does not mean that he can be a brute. As a matter of fact, the husband is commanded to always show great love for his wife. It says in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” That is a lot of love. That kind of love means that the man wants to please the wife and make her happy. He wants to make decisions for her benefit and happiness.

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