Proverbs 20:7 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Proverbs 20:7

Comments

In the context of deceitful influences, this positive proverb must be expressing a warning against the opposite negative tendency. The just man walks in his integrity and sees the blessing of God upon his children after him. The path he has chosen to walk brings good not only to him, is the thought, but to his children also who are blessed by God for the sake of their father. Integrity may not bring him the immediate and obvious gain that the world has to offer, but it brings the reward of God who gives to his children even when there is no obvious connection between their enrichment and their earthly dealings. Integrity often means that they shun what seems like a more obvious route to advancement, because to go that way would involve compromise or outright disobedience to God’s law. The wicked on the other hand have no such fear. They will not see blessing on their children from the hand of the Lord who visits ‘the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate’ him (Exodus 20:5); indeed, they will not see any blessing on their own lives either. Yet many are drawn away by the short term gains that deceit promises them. What they can secure by their own endeavours through deceit seems far more certain and more secure to them than the unseen hand of God working for their good. They walk by sight and not by faith, and therefore they go astray.

Application

Here is a man who worships God, who is known in the office for being a Christian. He has the opportunity for promotion as a manager and he is offered leadership of a large department, but there is a new policy coming into the office and he will be expected to support it. The new policy is the promotion of the new liberal morality which, as it happens, the head of the company is pushing very hard. The whole gay lesbian agenda is being proselytised. The boss will not tolerate managers who tow a different line, so there is a condition attached to the promotion whether it is stated or not. The manager being offered promotion is willing to work alongside anyone and to treat them fairly, but he is being asked to do more and to promote the boss’s agenda. He buckles and decides to go along with this and justifies it to himself, but in reality he has adopted deceit as a way of life, and it certainly will not stop there.

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Proverbs 20:7 Commentary and Bible Study