Proverbs 17:11 Commentary and Bible Study

This is the first of five proverbs describing behaviour that makes good relationships virtually impossible. The illustration is of a king wanting to settle matters amicably with a provincial ruler, but the ruler is habitually difficult and so any peace-making efforts are sure to come to nothing. If a person is set on antagonism, and is determined to be hostile, then great firmness is going to be needed to deal with him. You will wear yourself out trying to deal graciously with him. He will resent any attempt to correct him and act offensively towards God’s messengers. Such a person will not respond to gentleness and friendship, and yet they continue to behave badly, so that even among the Lord’s people discipline will need to be exercised. Following verse 9, Scripture gives the perfect balance. When one proverb deals with one extreme, the other deals with another.Let us be warned that if we do not respond positively to God’s gentle promptings to repent, he will not go on being gentle with us. He is gentle with us at first not out of weakness but for our sakes. If we continue to ignore his pleadings then eventually he will end his merciful approach to us and send a cruel messenger. The cruel messenger has no intention of doing us good or helping us; he has come to be harsh with us. Such messengers are sent even by God to those who long provoke him to his face. These are messengers such as the destruction of those we love, or the loss of health, or worst of all the hardening of our heart and the callousing over of our consciences. ‘For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections’ (Romans 1:26).