Proverbs 17:9 Commentary and Bible Study

Love seeks to protect the reputation of others and treats the transgressions of others as something to be kept out of sight. Just as a man would like his own sins to be hidden from public scrutiny for the shame attached to them, so he wants to hide the sins of his friends also. They have come to his notice somehow, but he remembers that he has many sins of his own and he therefore lets as few people know as possible. This is not done out of indifference to sin, for he knows that every transgression must be pardoned by God and paid for by the shed blood of Christ, but that is for God to do not for him. But pride sees the sins of others in a very different light. The proud man cannot really be said to have any friends, for there is no one he loves as he loves himself. He sees the stumblings of his brother as an opportunity for gossip or to run down that person. He will make it the subject of a comparison in which he comes out in a favoured light at the expense of his brother. Of course there are serious matters that have to be dealt with and cannot be hidden, but the way to deal with these is not to take them to the circle of gossiping companions, but to take them to a responsible person in the church with pastoral responsibility, who will do his best to recover the individual or else to protect the church. Verse 11 of this chapter would be an example of one such serious matter. The trouble with those who freely report the transgressions of others is that they do not really love right conduct in the church, but take pleasure in bad conduct if it can be represented to their advantage.