A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord.
The blessing of the righteous and misery of the wicked
There is s marked difference between the righteous and the wicked both in their characteristics and in their condition.
I. The teaching of the passage regarding the blessing of the righteous.
1. The righteous has the favour of the Lord (Proverbs 12:2). In the Divine favour is the guarantee of all good.
2. The righteous is firmly fixed (Proverbs 12:3).
3. He is wiser in his speech (Proverbs 12:6).
4. His blessings are continued to his children (verse 71.
5. He wins the confidence of his fellow-men. In spiritual privileges, at least, the good man gains advantages of inestimable worth. Some of the advantages of the righteous man are specified. Because he is industrious, he--
(1) Shall have plenty of bread.
(2) His labour shall not be without results.
(3) He shall somehow come out of trouble triumphant.
(4) He shall be satisfied with good (Proverbs 12:11-14).
The longings of the child of God are so controlled and directed that in time they are fully met. They keep themselves within the channels of the Divine will, and so are never stranded and wrecked by their self-will.
II. The passage pictures the misery of the wicked. This consists, first of all, in the disapproval of God; then in the disapproval of his fellow-men. By their misdeeds the wicked forfeit the esteem of the public, and this is a blow they find hard to bear. A wrong course of conduct is also sure to ensnare one in difficulties. Each sin is a misstep which brings one into new entanglements. One lie necessitates another to bolster it. The immediate results of sin may not be seen to be evil. But the end is sure to come. Sin persisted in brings ruin. The end of unrepented wrong is sure. The law of moral turpitude cannot be broken.
III. The characteristics of both these classes. The wicked are marked by a dislike for reproof. Their very sinfulness is an indication that they are void of understanding. They are self-conceited. An indifference to the opinions of others, a certain self-assurance, an unwillingness to learn, these are some of the characteristics of the wicked. Another almost certain indication of wrong-doing is the keeping of bad company. The wrong-doer “followeth after vain persons.” He naturally seeks those of his own kind. His conduct is all in the line of injury to others. Selfishness has in it the seeds of cruelty. Self is steadily seeking its own gratification, and does not stop at any injury to others who chance to stand in its way. The characteristics of the righteous are--
1. He loveth knowledge. He is honestly seeking to find out what it is best to do. Hence he gladly welcomes correction. He does not shrink from reproof.
2. His thoughts are just. He desires to treat all rightly and to give every man his just dues. His thoughts even are under control in this matter. Not only does he not do others wrong, but he has no wish to; nor even does the thought of evil rise up in his mind. (A. F. Foster.)
The man of wisdom
I. The relation of the man of wisdom to God. He is in favour with God, whereas the man of unwisdom is condemned of God (Proverbs 12:2). The ethics of Proverbs is most deeply religious. All moral obligations derive from the Creator, and the foundation of wisdom is over and over again stated to be in the fear of the Lord. Many a moral teacher fails because he tries to induce men to act right without first setting their hearts right.
II. The traits of character belonging to the wise man are set forth partially here.
1. He is truthful.
2. He is receptive.
3. He has good practical judgment.
4. He is industrious.
5. He is kind-hearted.
III. The wise man in his relations with other men is here set forth.
1. He has honour from others. That man only has true honour whose name is honestly revered. Such reverence comes only to that nobility of character whose spring is in that heart-wisdom which consists in the fear of the Lord.
2. Such a character brings honour to others.
3. Such a man is safe from embroilments with others. A man without principle is always getting into troubles from which the righteous escape.
IV. The results to himself of the wisdom Of the good man.
1. The wise man has a return for his devotion to that which is good. Satisfaction is dealt out to him.
2. In this passage the character of the result is described.
3. Stability is specially noted as one of the rewards of the good. (D. J. Burrell.)
The good man
By a good man we are to understand a benevolent man; that is, a man who always wills happiness to others and carries forward his benevolence into the active form of beneficence. The good man is not an intellectual fop, or a moral phenomenon, but is well disciplined, thoroughly chastened, adjusted in all his faculties, and sometimes concealing exceptional excellences under a general average of fine nature; that is to say, instead of living in his eccentricities and making a reputation out of his occasional excellences he brings down these mountains and irregularities and smooths them so as to consolidate a general average of true worth. Whoever does good is an ally of God; he is in immediate co-operation with Him. (J. Parker, D. D.)