Proverbs 25:19 Commentary and Bible Study

It is also very inappropriate to place our confidence in a person who does not deserve to be trusted. The believer in God must be able to understand human beings and to read character. As those who have seen through the world and understood that it is a world in rebellion against God, that we come into life with a fallen human nature and that sin dwells within us and shows itself in countless different ways, we have a tremendous advantage over those who believe in the essential goodness of human beings. We are not naïve about what man is capable of and we limit the trust we place in human nature, especially when it comes to those who do not know God. We do not place a burden on them which they are not able to bear. We understand of course that human beings differ in the extent to which they are living in open rebellion against God; even among unbelievers, character varies greatly, and there may be found some who are more noble than others. The Christian learns to read character and knows that such a thing as character exists. Men and women act according to deep rooted patterns which exhibit their strengths and weaknesses. Where a person has given way to sin on one occasion, he is more likely to do so the next time he is tempted. A time of trouble is obviously a time when it especially matters whether the one we lean upon is able to support us, because if he or she fails us, there is nothing else to prevent us falling. The comparison with a broken tooth and a foot out of joint is most apt, for both of these can only be used with confidence and pleasure if they are whole and strong. The broken tooth may split apart if too much pressure is put on it, and the foot out of joint is not able to bear the strain of our full weight landing on it after jumping clear of some danger. The unfaithful man is similar in his unpredictability. At any moment he may decide that he can see some advantage for himself in letting us down, in suddenly following his own interests, in betraying our confidence to others, in working behind our backs, in breaking a promise to help us. That behaviour is the result of a crack that we should already have detected in his character like the crack in a tooth. It is like the weakness we should already have noted in being able to support our weight when it lands on him. The Christian is required to read character. We must understand that small things reveal much about the hidden man within and they are deeply significant. The tendency of the apostle Thomas to doubt is revealed to us in a few brief lines drawn in the gospels which outline his character by means of his responses. By grace he overcame his natural weakness and by grace God works in our hearts to do the same. We must not pin people down as if the Spirit is unable to change them and sanctify them, but especially with the unbeliever we must be aware of character.