The Fool Destroys Others And Is Therefore Himself Destroyed, But The Righteous Are Kept Safe (Proverbs 18:8-13).
In this subsection there is an emphasis on the way in which a fool destroys a community. He does it by whispering slander which is eagerly swallowed by others (Proverbs 18:8); by neglecting his land and thus reducing the stock of food available just as effectively as an invader would (Proverbs 18:9); by haughtiness which alienates him from others and leads to his own destruction (Proverbs 18:12); and by continually passing on rumours (Proverbs 18:13). But the righteous are kept safe because they shelter in the name and nature of YHWH, and are themselves humble. As a consequence He sets them on high (Proverbs 18:10; Proverbs 18:12).
The subsection is presented chiastically as follows:
A The words of a whisperer (talebearer, slanderer) are as delicacies, and they go down into the innermost parts (Proverbs 18:8).
B He also who is slack in his work, is brother to him who is a destroyer (Proverbs 18:9).
C The name of YHWH is a strong tower, the righteous runs into it, and is set on high (Proverbs 18:10).
C The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall in his own imagination (Proverbs 18:11).
B Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour goes humility (Proverbs 18:12).
A He who gives answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him (Proverbs 18:13).
Note that in A we have the words of the whisperer (the talebearer, the slanderer) and in the parallel the one who gives answer before he hears, which is typical of the slanderer. In B we have reference to the sluggard as the destroyer, and in the parallel reference to the destruction of the haughty man. Centrally in C YHWH is a secure tower for the righteous, but in the parallel the rich man's riches, which appear to him as a secure fortified city, are in fact an illusory place of safety.
‘The words of a whisperer are as delicacies,
And they go down into the innermost parts (the chambers of the belly).'
Here Solomon likens the fool to a whisperer, one who goes around spreading half truths and innuendoes, which foolish people see as ‘delicacies, tasty morsels', and take right into their hearts, dividing up families, friends and communities. He is a destroyer of harmony among relatives and friends, and to be avoided (Proverbs 20:19). And sadly, only too often, ‘he gives answer before he hears' (Proverbs 18:13). He does not wait to check up on his facts. After all, why spoil a good story? The proverb is warning about the insidiousness of whisperers and gossips.
Sadly both the whisperer and those who listen to him are only too common. There are those who love to whisper and gossip, passing on the latest titbit. And there are those who love to listen to such whispered slander and innuendo which blackens others. They are never happier than when someone whispers to them, ‘have you heard about --?' To them the words of the slanderer are like delicacies, which they savour and then swallow, taking them into their innermost hearts.
The same proverb occurs in Proverbs 26:22 as a proverb of Solomon preserved by the men of Hezekiah, demonstrating how apt it was seen to be. Paul describes such when he speaks of those who ‘learn to be idlers, gadding about from house to house, and not only idlers but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not' (1 Timothy 5:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:11). They are those who ‘meddle in other men's matters' (1 Peter 4:15).
‘They go down into the chambers of the belly.' Such slanders and innuendoes are dangerous, for they are only too often swallowed whole, and then absorbed totally. And the consequence is that ‘they split up bosom friends' (Proverbs 16:28). Solomon warns us to keep away from such slanderers. ‘He who goes about gossiping reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with one who speaks foolishly' (Proverbs 20:19). In contrast, ‘he who keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps himself out of trouble' (Proverbs 21:23).
‘He also who is slack in his work,
Is brother to him who is a destroyer.'
And the one who is slack in his speech also tends to be slack in his work. (Note how the ‘also' combines the two proverbs). The busy man has no time for whispering and slandering. And here Solomon describes the one who is slack in his work as ‘brother to him who is a destroyer'. Whilst that would be an accurate description of the whisperer, for he destroys lives and reputations, that is probably not what Solomon means. He is referring rather to the importance of building up the community's grain supply. By being indolent the fool does not work hard on his land, and it therefore produces very little except thorns and nettles (see the vivid description in Proverbs 24:30-31). And by doing this he is doing what those who invade the land and steal or destroy the crops also do. He is diminishing the supply of food that is available for the community. Compare for such invasions Judges 6:3-5.
Paul again refers to such people when he says, ‘keep away from any brother who is living in idleness, if anyone will not work let him not eat' (2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:10)..
So the fool undermines the community in two ways, by slander and rumour, and by laziness. That is why he can be likened to an enemy of his people (‘the destroyer').
‘The name of YHWH is a strong tower,
The righteous runs into it, and is set on high.'
The mention of ‘the destroyer' leads into this next proverb which likens YHWH to a fortified tower into which the righteous can run and be ‘set on high', out of harm's way. There they can find refuge both from the slanders and innuendoes of the fool, and from the depredations of the destroyer. For His people He provides shelter from all that can assail them.
The fact that the righteous ‘runs into it' is probably intended as a contrast to the indolent fool. The righteous are not slack in their behaviour, but move with alacrity. It may also indicate that they were busy out in their fields when the destroyer came. Fortified towers were scattered throughout the land, available as places in which people could take shelter in such circumstances.
The Name of YHWH refers to His very Being and nature. To shelter in His Name is to shelter in Him, and Who and What He is.
‘The rich man's wealth is his strong city,
And as a high wall in his own imagination.'
In contrast the rich fool takes shelter in his wealth. He sees it as providing him with a fortified city which will protect him, and as a high wall behind which he will be safe. He does not see himself as needing YHWH. But his high wall is a delusion, and his trust is folly. For whilst wealth can protect him against many of life's problems, it cannot protect him from calamity when it comes. Nor can it protect him from the judgment of YHWH. He is not as secure as he thinks.
Note that those mentioned in Proverbs 18:10-11 have all shown faith. Those in Proverbs 18:10 have trusted in the unseen but very real and powerful Lord of the Universe. And they will not be disappointed. The rich man has trusted in his earthly, visible wealth, and it is that which will prove illusory.
‘Before destruction the heart of man is haughty (literally ‘high'),
And before honour goes humility.'
The coming of the destroyer was mentioned in Proverbs 18:9. The ‘setting on high' of God's true people, providing safety from the destroyer (no matter what form he takes) for those humble enough to seek Him was mentioned in Proverbs 18:10. The vain attempt of the proud rich fool to protect himself by his wealth was mentioned in Proverbs 18:11. Now the destruction comes. And it comes on the proud and haughty (compare Proverbs 16:18). Thus this verse has in mind the humble who seek refuge in YHWH, and the proud who rely on their own riches.
Pride and haughtiness was one of the attributes of the ‘worthless man' (Proverbs 6:17 a). It regularly signifies those who imagine that they can do without God (as the rich fool had). The proud see themselves as superior to their fellowmen, and are causers of division in society. They think that they can behave as they like (compare Proverbs 6:12-19) and that they are almost untouchable. But in the day when YHWH acts in judgment it will be against ‘all that is proud and lofty, all that is lifted up and high' (Isaiah 2:12). In that day ‘the haughty looks of man will be brought low, and the pride of men will be humbled, and YHWH alone will be exalted in that day' (Isaiah 2:11). He will be exalted along with the humble whom He has set on high, whom He will then honour.
So in contrast are the humble. They are those who humble themselves before God, and are therefore humble in heart because they have seen themselves as they really are. They are His true worshippers, and it is they whom God will finally honour. As God (as the High and Lofty One Who inhabits Eternity) made plain, ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, even with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite' (Isaiah 57:15). That is why Jesus said, ‘blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven' and ‘blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:5). It is the humble who will finally be honoured.
In the Hebrew there is a play on words in Proverbs 18:10-12. The righteous who humbly trust in YHWH are ‘set on high' (Proverbs 18:10); the rich man, hiding behind his illusory ‘high' wall (Proverbs 18:11), will be brought low; here in Proverbs 18:12 it is the haughty man who is ‘high' (we would say he is ‘high in the instep') who will experience destruction.
‘He who gives answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.
The subsection ends with a warning that we should not say anything, or believe anything, until we are sure of the facts. It is a folly and shame to respond to something before we have learned the truth. But that is exactly what the whisperer of Proverbs 18:8 does. He passes on half truths, or downright lies, because they are more salacious. But it is an evidence of his folly, and something which brings great shame on him. And it is what the fool does when listening to the wisdom of the wise. He cannot wait until he has heard the truth, and so he constantly interrupts and argues, without having the full facts. This is one reason why, even if he went to the wise with a payment in his hand, he would learn nothing (Proverbs 17:16).
In a sense it was also true of the rich man of Proverbs 18:11. He had become convinced that his wealth would protect him from anything, but it was all illusion. If only he had waited until he had heard the truth he would not have been so foolish.