Proverbs 28:16

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:16, “The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.” This is another verse about leaders and tells us how important it is that a leader has wisdom. Without wisdom the leader will make decisions that will oppress the people. Leaders that choose socialism have this problem. Socialism might sound good in a classroom when the full story of human life and human needs are not told. But socialism does not work for one thing because in order to implement it, the rights of people to make their own decisions must be taken away. Socialism does not work because competitiveness and innovation are smothered. Socialism does not work because it brings everyone down to a low common existence with little chance to advance one’s situation unless you become one of the elite. Capitalism has its problems because of human selfishness, but capitalism works because it gives freedom to people to make their own decisions about everything in life: where they work, what occupation they train for and pursue, and what they do with the stuff they acquire in life. Capitalism encourages competition and innovation, and thus brings out the greatest effort and the best results. A leader who lacks “understanding” will definitely “oppress” the people because the circumstances in such a country with such a leader will be terrible.

Notice that in talking about a bad leader, the last part of Proverbs 28:16 says, “but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.” Covetousness is associated with being a bad leader. When a person’s goal is to obtain money through their position of leadership, they will be corrupted. The New Testament puts it this way: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” One of the problems that we have in Washington is that the people we send there settle down into a very nice life, and then they want to get reelected so they will not lose the prosperity they now have; and so they do not want to do anything to mess that up for themselves. In other words money becomes the driving force, and they end up fighting for themselves instead of for the country.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:17, “A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.” God loves every person on the earth. And therefore, so should we. Causing someone harm physically is not the will of God. That is why one of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Jesus expanded upon God’s will on this subject and Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:[22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” The word “Raca” means worthless. It is so important that we treat others properly that Jesus said three more things will get you into hell as well as murder: 1. Being angry without a cause, 2. Telling someone that they are worthless, 3. Calling someone a fool. By the way, if someone commits murder, that person should be quickly sent “to the pit.” Punishment should be swift. No one should try to prevent a swift capital punishment. Waiting thirty years is ridiculous and is an evil in itself.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:18, “Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.” The word “saved” does not always refer to the soul: sometimes it refers to the life. This verse talks about one of the benefits of coming to know Jesus as Savior: you will have a much better life and will experience the good consequences of doing good. Those who go away from God will “fall.” They will suffer. They will lose. Their life will be a sad story of failure and loss. God wants to keep us all from such a fate. That is one reason that Jesus offers to become your Savior and your Shepherd.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:19, “He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.” This theme is found often in Proverbs, and it is found in the rest of the Bible also. It has to do with the practical side of this life. You must work in order to earn your crust of bread in life. You must work to survive. Those who do not work are called “vain persons.” The word “vain” means empty. If you do not have your work that you do, then you have an empty life. Your life is in effect of no value. Your work defines who you are. Your work allows you to accomplish something. Your work allows you freedom and self-determination. Your work allows you to be somebody. Your work is what God has given you to do. Jesus said, “I must work the work of Him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work.” Concerning you and me and our work, Jesus said in Mark 13:34, “For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:20, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” This verse is about the importance of being faithful, and about having one’s priorities right. If you are faithful, then you are consistent. If you are faithful, you are a person that can be counted on. That is the kind of person that God wants you to be in service to Jesus. God needs people that if He touches their heart about something, they are going to do it. A person who is faithful understands what is really important. What kind of a person does not understand what is most important in life? The second part of verse 20 tells us the answer to that: someone who is hasty to be rich. Their interest in making money is more important than their desire to become a better person. They become willing to do what they have to do and say what they have to say to get that money. The way the New Testament puts it is this: “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:21, “To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.” If you know and understand the Bible, and practice what it teaches, you will have no problem showing the proper “respect” for people. Of course, verse 21 is talking about treating people differently: having one way of treating some people, and having another way of treating other people. Those that have racial prejudice do this. Some do it regarding rich people over poor people, etc. We find in the Bible a tremendous number of similarities between all human beings. No matter what is their race, color, gender, or national origin, every person can trace their lineage back to Adam and Eve. Every person is a sinner. And God loves everyone. Jesus died for everyone on the cross. We all can get saved the same way: by turning from our sins and turning to Jesus. Once we are saved, we are all members of the family of God and of the kingdom of God. Once we are saved, we all go to heaven and will live together with Jesus forever. That is a lot of equality. If you understand these truths and believe them, you will treat everyone equally.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:22, “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.” What are you looking for? If you are looking for the right things, then you will be the right kind of person: one who seeks God and finds Him. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Money is one of the things that people will seek after instead of seeking God. That motivation makes them evil.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:23, “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.” It is good to be a positive person: to think positively and to speak positively. If you are a person of faith in Christ, then you will be a positive person. You do not want to be someone who is always looking on the negative side. But there is a time to use rebuke. Notice that the New Testament says to Christians in Second Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Because we are all sinners, and no one has arrived to where they need to be, sometimes we need to be reproved. It is the only thing that will help us to wake up to where we need improvement. And the Word of God is our guide. Some people need to be reproved. If you are led by the Spirit, and if it is done in the right way, the reproof will have a good impact on someone’s life. If you use godly reproof, it is part of being a truthful person. Flattery is when you say things that you know are not true in order to win someone’s favor. You will not be helping anyone if you use flattery. Flattery is a type of lying. Only God can give you wisdom to know when to use rebuke.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:24, “Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression, the same is the companion of a destroyer.” Life has its duties and responsibilities. We have our duties to God, and we have our duties to our fellow-man and our neighbors. One of your duties to your fellow-man is close to home: your parents. God put that duty into the Ten Commandments: Honor your father and your mother. Certainly, robbing your parents would not be honoring them. God’s social security system is for you to see to it that your parents are taken care of when they grow old. Your parents took care of you when you were young, and so you need to help take care of them when they are old. To fail at that duty is to rob them. Jesus saw that happening in the first century. Some people were not taking care of their parents, and using the excuse that they gave their money to God instead. Jesus said in Mark 7:10-13, “For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:[11] But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.[12] And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;[13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:25, “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.” Someone with “a proud heart” is contrasted with someone who puts “his trust in the Lord.” If you have a proud heart, you will not trust in the Lord. When we humble ourselves and seek our Savior Jesus, we are putting our trust in Him. We recognize the greatness of our sins, and we want to find forgiveness from our sins. We recognize that we have not been following the Lord, and we want to change course and start following Jesus. If someone retains a proud heart and does not follow Jesus, there will be negative consequences in eternity (going to hell), and there will also be negative consequences in this life. One of those bad consequences is the stirring up of strife. In other words, a proud person will be a trouble maker. He will be a trouble-maker because he will be easily offended, and he will focus on himself. He will not care about others or care how his actions affect others. And so his sins will be multiplied, and it starts with what is in the heart.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:26, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” A Christian must trust in the Lord Jesus and not in himself. Proverbs 3:5 told us: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart…” Anyone who trusts in his own heart is in trouble. Guess what is in the heart: strong selfish desires. Those desires will lead you astray for sure. The reason that you are a fool if you trust in your own heart is because there is another option: trust in the Lord. Jesus wants to be your Shepherd. Jesus is the good Shepherd. But Jesus can only be your Shepherd and guide you into the green pastures, if you trust in Him. There are many benefits to being a Christian. If you have not trusted in Jesus to be your Savior, you can do that today by turning to Him and asking Him to be your Savior.

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