Proverbs 17 "The Magic Stone"

A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.

It sounds like Solomon is encouraging bribes!

What does he mean?

Is Solomon saying that bribery is okay?

We have reached the second part of the proverbs of Solomon.

Proverbs 10-15 set forth the way things should be.

Proverbs 10-15 used antithetical parallelism to contrast the righteous and the wicked,

and set forth the wisdom of the kingdom of God.

Proverbs 10-15 speaks of the principles of justice.

It sounds rather idealistic,

and you can frequently think of exceptions to proverbs such as:

"He who hates bribes will live" (15:27)

Or "whoever walks with the wise becomes wise" (13:20).

Or "the diligent man will get precious wealth" (12:27)

I can tell you stories of people who refused to give a bribe-and died!

Or those who studied with the wise, but became fools!

Or those who were diligent, and yet died penniless.

But if you think that Proverbs 10-15 is naive,

then you haven't yet learned wisdom,

and you should go back and work through Proverbs 1-9 again!

In Proverbs 1-9 we saw you cannot judge wisdom by the short term.

Folly may look good, sound good, smell good, taste good, and feel good.

But in the end, her door is the gate of hell.

Wisdom was with God in the beginning,

Wisdom will be with God in the end.

Where will you be?

Proverbs 16-22 now begins to include some of the complexities of life.

Chapters 10-15 hinted at this with its occasional comments about how

"better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it." (15:17)

But these themes become more frequent in Proverbs 16-22,

and you occasionally even get zingers like 17:8-the magic stone.

Also, the antithetical proverbs become more rare.

You rarely see the word "but" in chapters 16-22.

The concern is not upon the contrast between the righteous and the wicked,

but to show the consequences of wisdom and folly.

These chapters focus more upon the relationship of wisdom to God-

and also the place of the king.

Let's look first at this theme:

1. The LORD and the King

Chapters 10-15 come to their conclusion in 15:29.

15:20-29 is the closing section of Proverbs 10-15.

Why do I say that?

Look at 15:20-"A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish man despises his mother"

Look back at 10:1-"A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother"

Proverbs 10-15 opens and closes with the contrast between the wise and foolish son,

together with these rare references to the mother

(indeed, these are the only two references to the mother in chapters 10-15)

15:29 concludes this first section by reminding us of the contrast

between the righteous and the wicked in theological terms:

The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous

Once we start chapter 16 the next verse that contrasts the righteous and the wicked

is nearly two chapters later in 17:24 (the discerning and the fool).

There are some "better-than" proverbs,

but the simple contrasts of chapters 10-15 now give way to a greater focus

on our relationship to God and to the king.

15:33-16:9 set forth the basic premise of this second section of the proverbs of Solomon.

The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Whom do you fear?

Are you afraid of what people think of you?

Or what God thinks of you?

Nine of these 10 verses refer to Yahweh-

and the whole focus of these 10 proverbs is on the sovereignty of God over human affairs.

16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.

3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

This emphasis on God's sovereignty over your daily affairs is then echoed in the last three:

7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.

9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

In the first three verses, the general principle of God's sovereignty is established.

In the last three, that principle is reaffirmed-even in the light of evil-

even in the light of the fact that things are not as they should be.

And this is because of the central triad of verses 4-6:

4 The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD;

be assured, he will not go unpunished.

6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

Here at the heart of the opening section of Proverbs 16-22

we see the key principle behind this section that will explore the life of wisdom

in a world that is not what it should be.

Even the wicked has his purpose.

Yes, the arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD,

but God has his purposes.

And it is only by steadfast love (hesed-covenant faithfulness)--

it is only by God's faithfulness to his covenant-

that iniquity will be atoned for.

Proverbs does not spend much time talking about "salvation,"

but that is because Solomon assumes that you know your history.

These occasional references to Yahweh's covenant faithfulness

make it clear that Solomon sees wisdom

in the light of God's work in redeeming his people.

And it is only by the fear of the LORD that you can turn away from evil.

It is only when you fear God more than you fear man

that you can turn away from sin and cling to Christ.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Why do you care what others think of you?

You are the servant of Christ-

you, as we saw this morning, are the son of God.

Why do you crave the approval of man?

Verses 10-15 then turn to our relationship to the king.

It might seem an abrupt transition at first-

until you remember that the king in Jerusalem,

the son of David,

was seated at the right hand of God.

The Davidic king was God's representative, ruling over God's kingdom.

10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment.

And since the king is God's steward in administering justice:

11 A just balance and scales are the LORD's; all the weights in the bag are his work.

12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.

Already we have moved from the principle: "his mouth does not sin in judgment"--

the ideal, which Israel's kings never achieved!--

to the reality: the abomination of a king who does evil.

If the people sin, then the king can correct it by administering justice and mercy.

But if the king sins, then there is no remedy.

For whose authority is greater than the king?

Here is the principle that will result in the exile:

The throne is established by righteousness!

13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.

14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.

15 In the light of a king's face there is life,

and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.

Again, we move from the principle-the king who delights in righteous lips-

to the reality: the wise man will appease the king's wrath

Is this saying that if Naboth had been "wise" he would have appeased Ahab's wrath

and let Ahab have his vineyard? (1 Kings 21)

In one sense, yes!

If you want to live, stay on the king's good side!

But proverbs are not rules.

Wisdom is not a legalistic approach to life.

If Naboth was as wise a man as he appears,

then he knew full well that his response to Ahab could cost him his life.

But he understood Proverbs 16:10-15 in the light of verses 1-9.

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Everyone who is arrogant in heart (even a king) is an abomination to the LORD.

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.

Naboth understood that appeasing the king's wrath might spare his life,

but he could not forsake the LORD's inheritance.

And by suffering unjustly at the hand of Ahab,

he became the occasion for God's judgment to fall against Ahab's house.

Do you believe that the arrogant are an abomination to the LORD?

Do you believe that wicked rulers will be punished?

Then don't be afraid to suffer at their hands!

Because God will vindicate the righteous!

If you believe that God will judge the wicked,

then you can endure patiently-because you know where all this will end!

Notice the language of 16:16-31

the highway of the upright (v17)

good sense is a fountain of life (v22)

gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul (v24)

crown of glory (31)

This is eschatological language-there is a hope and a future for the wise.

But for the foolish?

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (v18)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (v25)

2. The Bribe and the Lot

Now we are ready to tackle some of the difficult issues in Proverbs 16-22.

Let's start with the magic stone:

A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who give it;

wherever he turns he prospers. (17:8)

Proverbs 16-22 deals with bribery several times:

17:23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.

18:16 A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.

21:14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe strong wrath.

All of this needs to be understood in the context of 15:27 which stated the principle:

whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,

but he who hates bribes will live.

Many have said that Solomon is saying that bribery is sinful and wicked,

and that he is simply making a truthful statement:

offering a bribe can get you what you want-

but you should never do it!

Exodus 23:8 makes it clear: "You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted

and subverts the cause of those who are in the right."

Deuteronomy 16:19 adds: "You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe,

for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.

Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live

and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you."

Notice the prohibition: it forbids accepting a bribe.

Obviously, if you are forbidden to accept a bribe,

then under ordinary circumstances, where justice is operating properly,

you should not offer a bribe.

And offering a bribe to pervert justice is something that only the wicked would do!

But take the case of two missionaries in a particular African country:

corruption is rampant,

to the point that the government doesn't bother paying customs officials.

The customs officials make their money on bribes.

When the missionary arrives, all of his belongings are held up in customs.

The official makes it clear that he will not clear the missionary's belongings

without a little money under the table.

What do you do?

One missionary takes Solomon as forbidding all bribes,

and never sees his belongings again.

Another missionary uses "the magic stone"

seeing the bribe as a part of the cost of doing business in that country.

Proverbs 17:8 is not encouraging bribery.

"The magic stone" is not a positive reference.

There is a grave danger in using money as a means of getting what you want.

Are you sure that you can draw the line between a righteous use of the bribe,

and an unrighteous one?

Solomon (like Moses before him) says that you cannot trust yourself

if you are on the receiving end of the bribe.

[All of the scandals in the political world demonstrate this!]

But as 21:14 points out, "a gift in secret averts anger,

and a concealed bribe strong wrath."

Another, easier example is that of the lot.

16:33 says the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

The lot can be used wisely.

Obviously, if you have to choose between right and wrong,

wisdom or folly,

then the use of the lot would be wicked!

But if you have two good options-

or if you have two good candidates for a position,

18:18 The lot puts an end to quarrels and decides between powerful contenders.

Even the apostles used the lot to determine which of two good candidates

would be reckoned the 12 apostle after the apostasy of Judas (Acts 1:26).

The word of God demanded that someone replace Judas,

but the apostles could not decide on who.

So they put forward two worthy candidates, and allowed the Lord to choose between them.

Casting lots or drawing straws or flipping a coin

will indeed reveal the LORD's will-

if you are seeking it properly.

If you are flipping a coin to avoid the will of God

...that's not going to cut it!

But even then, the result will be from God!

I knew a woman who once asked God for a husband.

She knew that she had wrongly divorced her first husband,

but she decided that if a different man approached her in a very particular way,

that would be the sign that God wanted her to marry him!

So God sent a man who approached her in that very specific way.

Convinced that this was from God, she married him

(in spite of the fact that every fiber in her being told her that this man was wicked)

After all, it was from God, wasn't it?

Remember our principles: the LORD has made everything for its purpose,

even the wicked for the day of trouble.

When Israel asked for a king,

God gave them one.

In 1 Samuel 10 we hear that Saul was chosen by lot!

Israel got the king that they wanted-

only to discover that the problem was what they wanted!

Be careful what you ask for!

God might just give it to you!

3. Money and Friends

Our final theme from Proverbs 16-22 is the relationship between money and friendship.

17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

While Proverbs generally has a quite positive attitude toward wealth-

seeing prosperity as a blessing from God-

Proverbs 16-22 tempers this with caution:

Proverbs is famous for saying that in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom (11:14).

Proverbs 18:24 is also famous-at least the second half:

there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother,

but we do not often hear the whole proverb:

18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Having many companions is not necessarily a good thing!

But on the other hand,

19:3 Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

These are not universal truths.

Neither are they prescriptions for action.

Rather, they describe life in a world that is not as it should be.

And yet, in the midst of these statements about the messiness

of life in a world that is not as it should be,

Proverbs 16-22 continues to reaffirm the principles of what should be:

21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.

22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

22:2 The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.

Even that favorite: train up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it (22:6)

is not a "law."

This is the way things should be.

And in Jesus Christ, things are the way things should be!

In him the kingdom of God has come.

In him dwell all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.