Chapter 11

False Balance

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight (Pro.11:1).

A false balance does not only mean a false measurement tool/kit but also any means of deceit to cheat the public or the clients. A just weight does not only mean a true weight of measurement but also a fair and transparent method to be adopted in public services. As a Christian, at times, we are not faithful in giving fair prices for the things we buy from the poor with whom we bargain and get maximum discount. We use a false method to bargain with them.

Pride and wisdom

When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom (Pro.11:2).

When pride comes into your heart, it makes you arrogant and places you on a high pedestal and you would treat others very badly. Ultimately, you would be put to shame when exposed. Pride enters our heart surreptitiously in a form not discernible. Even saints are susceptible to the spirit of pride. To humble you, God allows you to be put to shame openly.

Wisdom is always with the lowly in heart. A person with the spirit of humility gets wisdom from God in understanding and solving any problem. The prideful person does not get such wisdom even if he is a learned person.

Integrity of the upright

The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them (Pro.11:3).

The integrity is a trait that integrates the heart of a person with his soul of mind. The integrity of an upright or a honest person will guide the person concerned in the right path in life. The upright person gets the spirit of integrity. The wicked person does not get the spirit of integrity as he is always guided by the evil thoughts of his mind which is not integral to his spirit or heart.

The wickedness of the perverseness of those who transgress the law of the land or the divine law shall ultimately destroy them. Even if they get acquitted in courts of law, God will destroy them in later parts of their earthly life on their death beds.

Riches versus righteousness

Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death (Pro.11:4).

Here, riches are compared with righteousness. Mammon of righteousness will not benefit us in the day of divine wrath. We cannot buy God's mercy by offering money at His altar. In this world, money can buy you favor with the worldly authorities but not with God. By giving donations to a minister of God, you cannot get divine healing. But righteousness delivers you from death. The dictionary meaning of righteousness is a sum total of traits such as goodness, virtuousness, uprightness, decency, integrity, worthiness, rectitude, probity, morality, ethicalness, high-mindedness, justice, honesty, honour, honourableness, innocence, blamelessness, guiltlessness, irreproachability, sinlessness, saintliness, purity, nobility, noble-mindedness, piety, piousness. In short, it is a state of being in right standing or relationship with God. Righteousness is imputed to us, the children of God redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It has two sides. One side is the righteousness imputed to us. Another side is the righteousness that we earn by righteous living imbibing many of the above traits described in the above meaning. Righteousness is the very character of God which cannot be explained in human language.

Righteousness delivers from spiritual death. Physical death is natural.

Righteousness of the perfect and of the upright

The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. Jesus was 100% perfect in righteousness. We are exhorted to press towards perfection (Pro.11:5).

Jesus said "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"(Matt.5:48). Paul said, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12)......until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

The perfect are those children of God who press on towards perfection and their righteousness direct their ways in this world. It is their righteousness that direct their paths. They need not take the help of any human being in finding their ways. But those who do not bother about perfection or who lead a mediocre life, not distinct from the life of the children of the world, cannot find their ways in this world. Apostles of the Lord found their ways because of the level of perfection they attained. The Holy Spirit led them by their ways.

The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness (Pro.11:6).

In the earlier verse, we find the righteousness of the perfect. But in this verse, we find the righteousness of the upright. The upright are those who are upright in their life. It is not the state of being perfect or being in the way of perfection. One can be upright in some ways but not perfect in all ways. Perfection covers all aspects of life whereas uprightness covers some areas of our life. When the righteousness of the perfect direct paths, the righteousness of the upright covers those areas where we are upright and delivers us from such areas.

But transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. Transgressors can be among the children of God who transgress God's instructions or law of the land. They are also taken in their own naughtiness as the children of the world are. Many people of God wonder how they also face the same problems as the children of the world do. Since they transgress the law of God given to them, they are also justified as transgressors in the sight of God.

End of wicked and unjust men and of righteous men

When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth (Pro.11:7).

One should die as the righteous and not as the wicked. The expectation of a wicked man perishes when he dies. He cannot get his expectation to become a reality before his or her death. His future expectation concerning his family also perishes when he dies. A soul should die in Christ Jesus so that his or her expectation will be fulfilled after his or her death.

The unjust men are those who are not made righteous by the blood of the Lamb or who turn away from righteousness by backsliding to become unjust. The hope of such unjust men perishes when they die.

The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead (Pro.11:8).

When the righteous is delivered out of trouble, the wicked is not delivered out of trouble but find himself in the same trouble. This is a great privilege with the people of God. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all" (Ps.34:19). No divine help or favor is forthcoming for the wicked. If a righteous person turns away from righteousness, he becomes wicked and God will not deliver him or her out of trouble even if an intercessor prays for him. "Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:...Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD" (Eze.14:13-14)..Today, many children of God in trouble approach the evangelists or the pastors for prayers of intercession but God does not answer their prayers. Let them their examine their lives prayerfully to discern how and when they have become wicked in God's sight by continuing to live in the sin without repentance.

A hypocrite and a just man

An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered (Prov.11:9).

A hypocrite or a pretender tells something which is not truth but a lie and thus

destroys his neighbour. People tend to believe the word of a hypocrite who is respected in the society. But the word of the hypocrite destroys the reputation of a person in the society. A rumour or a figment of imagination also damages the reputation of a honorable person in the society. Jesus upbraided the hypocrites of His days.

But, through knowledge, the just are delivered out of trouble or sickness. The righteous people of God should have knowledge of God and of His word to deliver them out of trouble. There are innumerable promises of God in His word. We need sound scriptural knowledge to know the truth. Today, the eyes of millions of the children of God are blinded by the devil to keep them in ignorance of the truth. Knowledge is key to deliverance. The devil twists the scriptures to teach us falsehood. We do not need fruit of the tree of knowledge but fruit out of the tree of life.

The righteous versus the wicked

When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting (Pro.11:10).

When the righteous live happily, the whole city rejoice. Even if ten righteous people live in a city, God will not destroy the city (Gen.18:32). A small number of the people of God can save a city from a divine judgment.

When the wicked perish, there is rejoicing or shouting. In this world, when the wicked people who indulge in terrorism perish, there is rejoicing in the whole world. Let not the righteous turn into the wicked by the deceitfulness of the sin in this world. The sin deceives the righteous people. Let not their hearts be hardened by the deceitfulness of the sin.

The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath (Pro.11:23).

A truly righteous person desires only good in his life and in the lives of others. He or she never dreams of evil.

But the expectation of the wicked invites divine wrath. A wicked person, though a believer, does invite divine wrath more than an unbeliever does.

The upright versus the wicked

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked (Prov.11:11).

The upright people of God bring blessing to the whole city in which they live. It is not merely by prayer for the city but also by the uprightness the city is blessed. When majority of the people in the city are unrighteous or do not walk uprightly, a small group of the people of God can walk uprightly. If one righteous person works sincerely for the whole organization, the whole organization will be blessed.

But the city is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. Words of mouth proceeding from the wicked affect the city economically and socially. God is looking for a small group of His people who walk uprightly so as to bring blessing to the whole city or the town in which they live. Let not the people of God though in a minority indulge in acts of corruption or in acts of unrighteousness.

He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him (Pro.11:27).

As upright people, do we seek diligently to do good or to bring blessing to others?

If so, we will procure favour from others who deal with us. If we do good for others, in return, strangers or people not known to us will help us in any manner. If we seek mischief, definitely we will get the same from unknown quarters. Whatever we sow, we will repeap it.

Man void of wisdom and talebearer

He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace (Prov.11:12).

We need to be full of wisdom in our daily conversation particularly when we behave with our neighbour. At times, we do not show our love or concern to our neighbor. If we do so, we are void of wisdom. Be careful in your words that you speak in the market or in the place of your office or business.

A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter (Pro.11:13).

One has to keep his or her secrets. You may know about the negative aspects of a person but should keep it as a secret without revealing the same to others. Even if you have to share it with your prayer team members, do not reveal the name of the person concerned! A prayer warrior should not become a talebearer. You should have a faithful spirit to conceal the matter. Be faithful to the person concerned who has asked you to pray for him or her. You need not share the prayer request with others. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). You may tend to think that if many intercessors pray for you, God will hear their prayers. It is a wrong perception.

Importance of counsel

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety (Pro.11:14).

We need many counsellers in the body of Christ. A pastor needs the services of many counsellers for his church administration. An evangelist needs the services of many counsellers for his ministry. Nowadays, the evangelist or the pastor concerned does not seek the counsel of the people of God to whom they minister. We have a multi-member body ministry under the New Covenant. Today, many churches are ethically and spiritually destroyed for want of counsel. The churches are not able to minister to their congregations faithfully. There is safety either spiritually or materially when there are many counsellers with us. Many church pastors do not faithfully account for the offerings they receive. They do not want any counseller to advise them on how they should use the God's money. They just appoint their favorite persons on the Board or the committee who do not give them counsels.

Standing surety for strangers

He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure (Pro.11:15).

You should not stand surety for a stranger who you do not know personally. In this world, you have to be wise as serpent but harmless as a dove (Matt.10:16). There are deceivers who cheat banks but prod you to be their guarantors. A stranger is not only a person who is not known to you personally but also a person who is very cunning so as to trap you in an unethical financial deal. Be safe by disassociating with suretiship.

There are indeed many ministers of God who take loans from banks by taking surety from their church congregation members or their financial supporters. God does not want us to take loans which we are not able to repay. If there is a formality of associating some one as a surety, one has to be careful enough that there is no default in payment of installments. Take a bank loan which you can easily repay. Nowadays, servants of God attempt to take huge loans from banks for constructing buildings which are not in accordance with the perfect will of God. They think that they have to believe God and to attempt great things. It is sheer foolishness that they trust the Mammon of righteousness more than God. An evangelist was constructing a House of God for nearly three decades at a huge cost expecting the people of God to help accomplish his vision.

Gracious woman and strong men

A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches (Pro.11:16).

Honor or integrity of a woman is precious. She has to preserve it at any cost. It is not her chastity alone but also integrity.

Strong men retain riches. Men who are known for their honest or integrity protect the resources of their organizations for whom they work. They also protect their personal money from squandering. Riches earned by sweat and blood are to be preserved at any cost. Strong men retain such riches. Strongly built men secure their treasures from burglars. We need men of integrity to take care of such riches. Judas was not a man of integrity to preserve the money in the treasury of Jesus.

Jesus said."... it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matt.19:24). If a rich man cannot enter the heaven, why should men retain riches? The young man who wanted to follow Jesus set his heart on his wealth.

Money earned in an illegal and unrighteous manner and money that becomes idol in our heart are not counted as riches to be retained. Assets acquired through such illegal and unrighteous means are a curse.

Merciful and wicked men

The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh (Pro.11:17).

A merciful man is not merely doing good to those whom he shows mercy but also to his own soul. God accepts the merciful man and and helps him in trouble.

But a man who is cruel troubles his own flesh. A cruel man does not cause cruelty to others but to his own flesh. A criminal is targeted by his own enemies. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal 6:7). A man who sows goodness in his life reaps goodness. But a man who reaps evil reaps evil only.

The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward (Pro:11:18).

Any person, a believer or an unbeliever, who does a deceitful work is the wicked in God's sight. And God rewards him or her accordingly. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes (Luke 12:47). A born again Christian who is supposed to know his Lord's will and who does not prepare himself neither does according to His will will be beaten with many stripes. If he indulges in cheating others or in any unethical activities, he will be beaten with many stripes.

A person who sows righteousness shall be surely rewarded. Any person, a believer or a non-believer sowing righteousness through his personal life is surely rewarded by God. There are many unbelievers who exhibit righteousness more than born-again Christians. God does reward them.

Life and death/people with froward and upright hearts

As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death (Pro.11:19).

Here, righteousness is compared with evil. This verse is applicable to both believer and unbeliever. Whosoever pursuing evil does so to his own death as divine judgment befalls him.

They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight (Pro.11:20).

God hates the one who has a froward heart. It is an abomination. People who are with cunning hearts cause abomination in the sight of God. Those who are upright in their way are His delight. In this world, many villagers or tribal people are very simple without guile in their hearts. They are upright in their way. God is pleased with them.

Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered (Pro.11:21).

The wicked, though flourishing for some time, shall be punished by God in this very life and in the life to come. Many people who have committed heinous crimes are being acquitted in courts of law either for want of evidence or by getting the benefit of doubt. But they do not die a peaceful death on their death-beds.

Fair woman without discretion

As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion (Pro.11:22).

In this world, we attach all the more importance to beautiful women. But a fair woman without virtue or discretion is as a jewel of gold in a swine's snout the projecting nose and mouth of an animal, especially mammal).

External beauty is a vanity that disappears. In this world, many cosmetic industries flourish just to make our skin fair and beautiful.

Christian women should adorn themselves with good virtues and should not emulate the women of the world who give importance to external beauty.

Charity and liberal soul/Trusting in riches

There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty (Prov.11:24).

One who gives away in charity increases in his wealth. But one who does not give but withholds what is justly due and yet it results only in want.

The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself (Pro.11:25).

The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. (NASB).

He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it (NASB) (Pro.11:26).

We should not hoard grains for profit at a later date. But we should sell it immediately after harvest. God does not bless hoarders and blackmarketers. Christian businessmen or farmers have to be very careful. They have to be liberal and to water the sagging economy by their products/produces.

He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch (Pro.11:28).

We should not trust in our riches through we rightfully and legally own the same. We have to be geneous and liberal in charity. We have to be righteous in our dealings without giving any room for earning illegal money or acquiring assets through deceitful means. There are many retired public servants who had earned illegal money when in service but after retirement they do not enjoy good health and peace of mind. They do not flourish as a righteous branch in their generation. Their ill-gotten property is a curse to their descendants. The righteous will flourish like the green leaf in their family tree.

Troubling own house

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart (Pro.11:29).

He that builds his house with depravity will leave groanings to his children. He that does not remain quietly in his house will distribute the winds to his children and the fool will be Servant to the wise (Aramaic Bible in Plain English).

Tnere are many servants of God doing wonderful ministries in churches but have no control over their children. They appear to trouble their own houses as they do not know how to manage their houses. They will inherit the wind in their own houses in due course.

Fruit of the righteous and their reward in earth

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise (Pro.11:30).

The day to day life that we live produces a tree of life in this world. It is the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev.19:10). We cannot win souls for Christ merely by our mere preaching. Those who win souls are wise indeed. They are wise to speak right words, to do right acts. Their outward acts emanate from their own righteous lives which are not seen from outside.

The trees of life planted by apostle Paul, Martin Luther, CH Spurgeon, John Wesley, Sadhu Sundar Singh, martyrs of Fox, etc are still producing fruits in this world. They were wise in winning souls not only through their messages but also through their holy lives. Even today, their writings bring many sinners to repentance, faith and holiness to God and heaven.

You have to plant a tree of life and leave it in this world before your departure for the Celestial City.

Reward for righteousness on earth

Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner (Pro.11:31).

If the righteous receive what they are due here on earth, how much more will the wicked and the sinner (International Standard Version).

Our Christian preachers speak about reward for being righteous in the life after death. Whatever we sow on earth will be reaped on this very earth. At times, we may not get justice from the court of law but God does render justice if we believe in Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. I do not think that there has been any true Christian believer who could not get justice on this earth. Perseverance in our faith would definitely bring us justice.

Next....Chapter 12