Day 495: Reaping what we sow - Proverbs 21 vs 9 - 13
9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. 10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbour finds no mercy in his eyes. 11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. 12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin. 13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. Proverbs 21 vs 9 – 13 English Standard Version
A woman reading vs 9 might feel hard done by! But we must remember that the setting of Proverbs was a father preparing his son for the journey of life. A big part of that journey would probably be marriage, and marriage would be difficult if he married a woman who was always quarrelsome and hard to please. That's why, in Chapter 31 vs 30, he says: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” He says that when a God fearing woman opens her mouth, it will be “with wisdom - and the teaching of kindness will be on her tongue.” (Proverbs 31:26) No wonder the writer says in vs 10 of that chapter that such a wife is “far more precious than jewels.” A man who marries only on the basis of looks may end up regretting that choice.
The next four verses (10-13) are different to vs 9, but also touch on the subject of regrets that come when someone reaps what they had sown. What sort of person is described in vs 10?
It's the sort of person who is all about self. They show little sympathy or compassion for others, especially for anyone they don't like. It's the person who never forgives an offense done to them, and also never forgets. In an extreme case it would be the hardened criminal type whose heart is set on violence and who shows no mercy to his victims. What does vs 13 say such people will ultimately discover?
People are reluctant to show mercy to those who have shown no mercy to others. Jesus told a story of a servant who was forgiven a huge debt by his master, but who then had a fellow servant sent to jail because the man couldn't repay a small loan. Jesus said that when the Master found out, he called the unforgiving and said: “‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all your debt because you pleaded with me. Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And, in anger, the master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt.” (Matthew 18:32-34) Even if hard hearted and selfish people get away with cruelty in the world, they will still meet up with what vs 12 of today's reading says: “The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin”
Perhaps vs 11 is the lesson we could take to heart from these things. When we see what the outcome will be of the lives of wicked people who show no mercy, then it ought to make us choose a wiser path in life. And when we do that, and are willing to take on board good advice (such as the father was giving his son) then we increase in the sort of knowledge that leads to a life that is meaningful, compassionate and God fearing. That sort of knowledge will help us to make wise choices in life – even with regard to marriage. We ultimately will reap what we sow.
A paraphrased translation of Galatians 6:7-9 puts it this way: “Don’t be misled - you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”