General observations of impiety and religious integrity.
Pro 28:1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
The wicked man is condemned by his troubled conscience even before he is accused by men. When death draws near, the difference between the courage of the man who seeks righteousness and the cowardice of the man who loves sin is even more apparent.
While the good man has a quiet confidence in his Saviour, the wicked man often meets death either in defiant boldness or in cringing fear. When David faced what many thought was certain death (1 Sam. 17:32–34), he was bold because he believed that he was the servant of the Most High, doing His will and abiding under His protection. Compare the experience of Jonathan (1 Sam. 14:6–16).
Pro 28:2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.
Social and moral decay frequently result in a rapid succession of rulers. When a wise man takes over, disorder in the kingdom is put down, law and order reinstated, and the settled state of the country preserved (see Eccl. 9:14, 15).
Pro 28:3 A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
Pro 28:4 Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them
Only one who has himself rejected the authority of the law will take pleasure in the success of an evil man (see Rom. 1:32).
Pro 28:5 Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.
Those who reject the control of God’s law cannot see the difference between right and wrong (Rom. 8:7), but the Lord certifies to those who submit to His guidance what course they are to pursue (Isa. 30:21; John 7:17; DA 668).
Pro 28:6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.
Pro 28:7 A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
Gluttony is shameful to a man and reflects on the character of his father.
Pro 28:8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
The money that the grasping man has accumulated by methods that God cannot approve, may, after his death, be disbursed to the poor by his heir (see Job 27:16, 17; Prov. 13:22).
Pro 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.
The fact that the one who turns from the law of God also desires to pray suggests that he is not a careless and irreligious person, but one who objects to making the divine law the guide of his life. There are many who are willing to serve God but wish to do it in their own way. Some accept a part of the law of God as a standard of life; others claim that the law is completely done away with. Only a few take the whole of God’s moral law as an authoritative expression of His will for His people (see John 14:15; 15:10; cf. Rom. 8:3, 4).
Sin puts a barrier between God and the sinner (Isa. 59:1, 2). Those who go contrary to their conscience and those who claim that the keeping of the so-called spirit of the law makes them superior to those who, by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, keep both the letter and the spirit of the law, do well to ponder this verse. While God passes over the lack of conformity to law in those who have had no opportunity to discover the claims of God upon them (Acts 17:30; Rom. 5:13), He cannot accept the service of those who have deliberately turned away from His law. To do so would sanction willful rebellion.
Pro 28:10 Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
The one who leads others astray is pictured as falling into his own pit together with his victims. But the righteous man rises up out of the pit and regains the right road (see ch. 24:16), pressing on under the blessing of God to the final reward. The wicked man has gained for himself by his evil deed nothing but increased guilt. Pro 28:11 The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
Some rich men believe that the wealth they have accumulated is in itself proof of their wisdom and cleverness; but their neglect of eternal values reveals their foolishness to the poor man who has gained understanding from God, the Source of true wisdom. The understanding poor man sees through their present prosperity to the troubles that await them (see Ps. 73:3, 17; James 5:1–6).
Pro 28:12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.
When good men prevail over evil men and give good government, there is “great elation” (see chs. 11:10; 29:2). The people know that they will be well treated if they do well and justly punished if they do ill. Their confidence in their rulership is built up, and they rejoice in their security and are not afraid to reveal their prosperity. But they behave very differently when an evil man rules. They endeavor to conceal their wealth and avoid attracting the attention of their self-seeking governors (see ch. 28:28).
Pro 28:13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Spiritual prosperity is impossible to the man who cherishes sin. To make excuses for one’s sins is to resist the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8–11), and to run the risk of hardening the heart to such a degree that eventually there will be no further desire for righteousness or an impulse to repent. On the other hand, the acknowledgment of sinfulness is not enough. The sinner must put away his sins and successfully resist temptation in the strength that God has promised to give (see Rom. 8:3, see 4; Phil. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:22; 1 John 3:6).
It is only when these conditions are met that God can be merciful. To forgive and bless the man who is clinging to sin would be to encourage him in his course, which, if pursued, would lead eventually to eternal death (Rom. 6:23; James 1:13–15). To take such a man into the eternal world would be to perpetuate the suffering, sorrow, and death that sin has caused.
Pro 28:14 Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
The man who watches himself constantly and who consistently compares his conduct with the pattern set forth in the revealed will of God, so that any deviation from right doing may be instantly revealed and corrected, is the happy man (see Ps. 119:11; Phil. 2:12; James 1:22–25). He is happy because he is maintaining this vigilant attitude by the strength that comes from the indwelling of Christ through the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 3:16, 17; 1 Peter 1:22, 23; 1 John 3:9; Jude 24).
Because of the power of evil and the presence of Satan to deceive and to lead into sin (1 Peter 5:8; Rev. 12:12), man can fight a successful battle against sin only through the help of heavenly agencies. But when those agencies are resisted by the hardened heart, calamity is sure to come.
Pro 28:15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
The utter helplessness of the common man against his powerful oppressors would lead to despair were it not for God’s promise that He will care for those who look to Him (Ps. 91:13–16).
Pro 28:16 A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.
Covetousness is an inordinate desire for gain. Men who turn their back upon the true gain of eternal life and spend their life in seeking the temporary and trifling gains of this world reveal their lack of understanding.
Pro 28:17 Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.
In declaring that death is the punishment for murder and none should intervene to prevent the infliction of the penalty, Solomon is but echoing the words of Moses (see Gen. 9:5, 6; Ex. 21:12–14).
Pro 28:18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.
Pro 28:19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
Those who seek for the vain things of life instead of working to earn a living will be certain to fall into poverty, both material and spiritual.
Pro 28:20 A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
Pro 28:21 To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.
Pro 28:22 The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.
Pro 28:23 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.
Wise rebuke will bring reward to both giver and receiver even though it may hurt at the time (see Prov. 27:6; 29:5; James 5:19, 20).
Pro 28:24 Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys.
Nothing will excuse robbery. Even though the son may claim that all that his parents have will be his when they are gone, their material possessions are still not his to take without their consent. If he seizes them, he is no better than any other plunderer (see ch. 19:26). Christ spoke in condemnation of the son who refused to provide for his parents under the excuse of having deeded his property to the Temple (Matt. 15:4–6; Mark 7:9–12).
Pro 28:25 The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper.
The humble, God-fearing man does his duty and trusts that God will provide for his needs. It is equally true that the covetous man arouses much enmity by his self-seeking, whereas the good man is “made fat,” that is, he prospers (see Prov. 11:25; 29:25; Hab. 2:5; James 4:1).
Pro 28:26 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
Pro 28:27 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.
Since God regards all that is done for the poor and needy as done to Himself, wise giving to those in need will not impoverish the giver (see chs. 11:24–26; 19:17). Selfishness brings a curse by its very nature, quite apart from anything that God may do to show His displeasure (Haggai 1:9–11). Thus, indirectly the neglected poor heap many a curse upon the head of the man who ignores their plight.
Pro 28:28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
The increase of the righteous on the fall of the wicked is both in numbers and in prosperity. Under covetous rulers, good men are not likely to grow rich, and if they do, much of their increase will be taken from them.