He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in Yahweh is blessed.
Parallel Translations
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He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in Yahweh is blessed.
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He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
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He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good; and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
Cross-references (20)
Passages linked to Proverbs 16:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh. For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.
- Psalms 2:12 Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
- Isaiah 30:18 Therefore Yahweh will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you, for Yahweh is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.
- Psalms 34:8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
- Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you. Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.
- Proverbs 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul. He who keeps understanding shall find good.
- Psalms 146:5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in Yahweh, his God:
- Proverbs 8:35 For whoever finds me, finds life, and will obtain favor from Yahweh.
- Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure. A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;
- Daniel 1:19-21 The king talked with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. In every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm. Daniel continued even to the first year of king Cyrus.
- Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
- Daniel 6:23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
- Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- Genesis 41:38-40 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.”
- 1 Chronicles 5:20 They were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he answered them, because they put their trust in him.
- Psalms 125:1 Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, which can’t be moved, but remains forever.
- Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
- Proverbs 17:2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who causes shame, and shall have a part in the inheritance among the brothers.
- Proverbs 22:19-20 I teach you today, even you, So that your trust may be in Yahweh. Haven’t I written to you thirty excellent things of counsel and knowledge,
- Ephesians 1:12-13 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ. In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 16:20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall…
Pro 16:20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy [is] he.
Ver. 20. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good.] Doing things with due deliberation and circumspection, things of weight and importance especially - for here Deliberandum est diu, quod statuendum est semel - we may look for God’s blessing, when the best that can come of rashness is repentance. Youth rides in post to be married, but in the end finds the inn of repentance to be lodged in. The best may be sometimes miscarried by their passions to their cost, as good Josiah when he encountered the King of Egypt, and never so much as sent to Jeremiah, Zephaniah, or any other prophet then living, to ask, Shall I go up against Pharaoh or not?
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And whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.] Let a man handle his matter never so wisely, yet if he trust to his own wisdom, he must not look to find good. God will cross even the likeliest projects of such, and crack the strongest sinew in all the arm of flesh. The Babylonians held their city impregnable, and boasted, as Xenophon witnesseth, that they had twenty years’ provision beforehand; but God confuted their carnal confidence. The Jews in Isaiah, when they looked for an invasion, looked in that day to the armour of the house of the forest, and "gathered together the waters of the lower pool, numbered the houses, and cast up the ditches to fortify the wall; but they looked not all this while to God their Maker," &c. Therefore they had "a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity, by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision." {Isa 22:5; Isa 22:8-10} Where the beginning is creature confidence or self-conceitedness, the end is commonly shame and confusion, in any business. Whereas he that, in the use of lawful means, resteth upon God for direction and success, though he fail in his design, yet he knows whom he hath trusted, and God will "know his soul in adversity." {Psa 31:7}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He that handleth a matter wisely; he who orders…
He that handleth a matter wisely; he who orders his affairs with discretion. Or, as others, both ancient and later interpreters, take it, he that understandeth or attendeth to the word, to wit, the word of God, which is called absolutely the word, Pro 13:13, and elsewhere, making that the rule of his actions.
Shall find good; shall obtain happy success.
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Who so trusteth in the Lord; who doth not trust to his prudence or diligence, but to God’s providence and blessings. Or, who mixeth God’s word with faith, as the phrase is, Heb 4:2.
Happy is he; he shall not only find some good, but shall certainly attain to true happiness.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Note, 1. Prudence gains men respect and success: He…
Note, 1. Prudence gains men respect and success: He that handles a matter wisely (that is master of his trade and makes it to appear he understands what he undertakes, that is considerate in his affairs, and, when he speaks or writes on any subject, does it pertinently) shall find good, shall come into good repute, and perhaps may make a good hand of it. 2. But it is piety only that will secure men's true happiness: Those that handle a matter wisely, if they are proud and lean to their own understanding, though they may find some good, yet they will have no great satisfaction in it; but he that trusts in the Lord, and not in his own wisdom, happy is he, and shall speed better at last. Some read the former part of the verse so as to expound it of piety, which is indeed true wisdom: He that attends to the word (the word of God, Pro 13:13) shall find good in it and good by it. And whoso trusts in the Lord, in his word which he attends to, is happy.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good,....…
He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good,.... That frames and composes his discourse well on any subject he takes in hand; or manages his affairs prudently and discreetly, in which he is concerned; or that wisely attends to the affair of humility, as Aben Ezra: or rather to the word, that is, to the word of God; is not a careless, negligent, unconcerned hearer of the word, but a diligent and attentive one; whose heart is opened by the Spirit of God to attend to what is spoken in it; who lays it up in his heart, and makes it the rule of his conduct in life: such a man finds good things; things which are for his profit, edification, and instruction; good truths, good doctrines, good counsel and advice, good directions and instructions; promises of good things, things for his present comfort and future happiness;
and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he; not to his own wisdom; nor in his own strength; nor in his riches, nor righteousness; nor in the favour of men, no, not of princes; but in the Lord, and in his Word; he shall want no good thing, he is kept in perfect peace; he is in the utmost safety, is like Mount Zion, that can never be removed, Jer 17:7.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Good - He who orders his affairs with discretion.
Good - He who orders his affairs with discretion.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Pro 16:20-21. He that handleth a matter wisely, &c.…
Pro 16:20-21. He that handleth a matter wisely, &c. — “He that understands his business thoroughly, and manages it prudently and discreetly, is likely to have good success; but no one is so happy, no one is so sure of prospering in his designs, as he that confides more in God than in his own skill and industry.” The wise in heart, &c. — “He whose mind is well furnished with wisdom, cannot but obtain a great reputation, and be highly esteemed for his prudent counsels and resolutions: but if he have the powerful charms of eloquence to convey his mind delightfully unto others, it will add a greater value to his wisdom, and make it more diffusive and instructive unto the world.” — Bishop Patrick.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Good as it is to “handle a matter wisely,”…
Good as it is to “handle a matter wisely,” it is far better to “trust in the Lord.” The former is really impossible except through the latter.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Charles Bridges 1846 · Public Domain Two things are needed for the success of a…
Two things are needed for the success of a matter — wisdom and faith. One teaches us what to do for ourselves; the other what to expect from God. "Wisdom is profitable to direct" (Ecc 10:10 ), specially in important matters. Joseph’s wise management in a great emergency found good.†1 The Apostles wisely handled the matter of the ministration of the widows, relieving themselves from the secular work, and for the greater satisfaction choosing the officers (as seems probable from the original of the names)†2 from the complaining party. And great good did they find from the arrangement.†3 Let the young Christian earnestly study this wisdom. His first glowing impulse would cast away every relic of his former course, and stamp his religion with needless singularity. But he may learn, that true self-denial is more an internal exercise than an external badge of difference; that there may be a martyred singularity without the genuine love; that the distinction between enthusiasm and zeal is not the energy, but the direction, of the principle. This wisdom will be profitable for Christian humility and consistency.
After all, however, the most profound human wisdom may be outwitted. (2Sa 17:14 .) Prudence without faith will come to nought.†4 True wisdom handles the matter in self-distrusting dependence. (Pro 3:5-6 .) Eliezer’s discreet handling was in the spirit of faith. In the same spirit did Jacob conduct his prudential defense against his brother. (Gen 32:1-31. Gen 33:1-20.) Esther wisely handled her delicate matter; using ’a fast to call upon God, and a feast to obtain favor with the King.’†5 This is in all cases true wisdom — to make man the excitement to diligence; God the object of trust.
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And where, as in this practical trust, shall we find so Divine, so simple, a recipe of happiness? Never did God intend to create our happiness out of our own resources. To feel that we know nothing, that we can do nothing, contrive nothing; then to look up to him as our supreme Good, and to trust him as our only Friend — when was such reliance and expectation ever disappointed? We feel that we, and all that we have, are in his hands. This is our peaceful security. ’I have had many things’ — said Luther — ’in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have been able to place in God’s, I still possess.’†6 In this quiet confidence we have nothing more to do with ourselves. A thousand perplexing thoughts are scattered to the winds. God now takes the place once filled by most unquiet agitations. The soul is fixed in God. He reigns over all with an all-seeing eye, and an all-moving hand. The eye of faith pierces through the darkest cloud and reads God’s thoughts of peace and love. All the world cannot rob us of one word of God. Providence may seem to oppose his promises. But there is more reality in the least promise of God, than in the greatest performance of man. ’I will therefore ever trust him on his bare word; with hope, beside hope, above hope, against hope, for small matters of this life. For how shall I hope to trust him in impossibilities, if I may not in likelihoods?’†7 This simple habit of faith enables us fearlessly to look an extremity in the face. Thus holding on, it is his honour to put his own seal to his word — whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. (Psa 2:12 . Jer 17:7-8 .)
Footnotes:
†1 Gen 41:25-44. Hence the removal of wise men is a national judgment. Isa 3:1-2 . Compare also Pro 13:15 ; Pro 17:2 ; Pro 19:8 .
†2 Scott in loco.
†3 Act 6:1-7. Similar good result was obtained in the wise handling of the difficult matter of circumcision. Act 15:1-41 .
†4 Isa 22:5-11. Compare 2Ki 18:13-17 . Man at his best estate vanity. Pro 16:5-6 .
†5 Est 4:16; Est 5:5 ; Est 7:1-7 . Bishop Reynolds on Hos 14:3 .
†6 D’Aubigne’s History of the Reformation, Book xiv. Proverbs vi.
†7 Bishop Hall’s Works, viii. 8.
Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain handleth a matter--wisely considers "the word," that is, of…
handleth a matter--wisely considers "the word," that is, of God (compare Pro 13:13).
trusteth--(Compare Psa 2:12; Psa 118:8-9).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 20. Handleth… wisely — Good critics render this, He…
20. Handleth… wisely — Good critics render this, He that gives heed to the word will find good. So Zockler, Conant, Noyes, Muenscher, etc. The term “word” is used in the sense of law. Comp. Psa_2:12; Psa_34:8; Psa_84:12; Psa_125:1; Pro_13:13; Pro_19:8; Isa_30:18; Jer_17:7.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. He that handleth a matter wisely] This rendering…
20. He that handleth a matter wisely] This rendering is relegated to the margin in R.V., and instead of it he that giveth heed unto the word is adopted in the text, with a reference to Pro_13:13 (see note there), in support of it. The word will then mean the word of God. The A.V. however gives a very good sense, if we understand the second clause of the verse as intimating how a matter is to be handled wisely, cp. Pro_3:5-6.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (20) He that handleth a matter wisely.—Or, perhaps, he…
(20) He that handleth a matter wisely.—Or, perhaps, he that attendeth to the word of God. (Comp. Pro_13:13.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain He that handleth a matter wisely. Dabar, translated "matter,"…
He that handleth a matter wisely. Dabar, translated "matter," is better rendered "word," as in Pro_13:13, with which passage the present is in contrast. Thus Revised Version, he that giveth heed unto the word. Shall find good; Vulgate, eruditus in verbo reperiet bona. The "Word" is the Law of God; he who attends to this shall prosper. The rendering of the Authorized Version is supported by the Septuagint, "The man prudent in affairs is a finder of good things;" he attends to his business, and thinks out the best mode of accomplishing his plans, and therefore succeeds in a worldly sense. (comp. Pro_17:20) Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he; or, hail to him, as in Pro_14:21. To heed the Word and to trust in the Lord are correlative things; handling a matter wisely can hardly belong to the same category. The Septuagint contrasts the worldly success of one who manages business wisely and discreetly with the blessedness of him who, when he has done all, commits his cause to God and trusts wholly to him: "He who hath trusted in the Lord is blessed (makaristov )."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good:…
Pro_16:20
He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
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Trust in God--true wisdom
Wisdom is mans true path--that which enables him to accomplish best the end of his being, and which, therefore, gives to him the richest enjoyment and the fullest play for all his powers. Give man wisdom, in the true sense of the term, and he rises to all the dignity that manhood can possibly know. But where shall this wisdom be found? He that trusts in the Lord has found out the way to handle matters wisely, and happy is he. Take this text--
I. With regard to the wise handling of matters of time which concern our bodies and our souls whilst we are here below. Satan says, to handle a matter wisely is to make your own will your law; or he says, Be crafty; or he moderates his tone and says, Be careful. It is often said to the young man, Be self-reliant; be independent. The true way of wisdom is to act in all prudence and in all uprightness, but to rely simply and entirely on God. Faith is as much the rule of temporal as of spiritual life. Trust God, and you will not have to mourn because you have used sinful means to grow rich. Trust God, and you will not be guilty of self-contradiction.
II. In spiritual matters, he that handleth a matter wisely shall find good. Here Satan tempts to be careless or to be credulous; or he bids us work out our own salvation. The true way of dealing wisely here is believing in Christ, trusting him fully. (C. H Spurgeon.)
The conditions of a happy life
I. Skilful management. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good. Skilful management in every department of life is of the utmost importance.
1. It is so in intellectual improvement. The man who desires to get a well-informed and a well-disciplined mind must arrange both the subjects and the seasons of study with skill. Method is of primary moment in the business of intellect.
2. It is so in mercantile engagements.
3. It is so in spiritual culture. A wise selection of the best readings, and the most favourable seasons for devotion cannot be dispensed with if great spiritual good is to be got.
II. A well-stayed heart. Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. God is the stay of the heart.
1. He is happy in his love.
2. He is happy in his policy.
3. He is happy in his speech. And the sweetness of his lips increaseth learning. (D. Thomas, D.D.)
The happiness of trusting in God
This proverb builds on the ground that all men desire happiness. Philosophers, in all ages of the world, have been trying to find out and teach what is mans greatest good; and people generally, from the days of David, have been asking, Who will show us any good? The Stoics gave one answer, the Epicureans another, as to mans chief good. Those who now ask, Is life worth living? agree with neither. It is doubtless the case, that the devotee of wealth, of fame, of power, or social eminence finds, whenever he is successful in his efforts, that neither wealth nor fame, neither power nor eminence in social position, gives the happiness which he sought therein. The results of thousands of years of experiments and of experience, before and since Solomons day, are set forth in the words of the proverb which is my text, Whose trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
I. Trust in God is the ground on which man finds freedom from the bondage of sin, and from the painful sense of the condemnation due to him for his sin. Every one knows, and sometimes feels, that he is a sinful man. This sense of sin is felt in the greatest variety of circumstances. It may arise in a mans breast when his condition is most prosperous--when he is driving forward some business on which his heart has long been set. Sometimes this painful consciousness of guilt springs up after the accomplishment of some undertaking which has taxed ones powers for months, or even years. It is not unfrequently the case that a man is disturbed in this way soon after he has yielded to some evil thought or impulse, or soon after he has neglected to perform some duty. The world is full of instances of this sense of sin in times of danger and calamity. Thus King Saul felt it in his last days. Thus the brothers of Joseph found it pierced their hearts when they were in trouble. Thus it overwhelmed the soul of King David when the prophet Nathan told him the tender story of the poor citizen and his lamb. But this painful sense of sin comes to other persons than these terrible offenders. Is there any person here who did not feel it even in his childhood? It comes, Perhaps, after some act of disobedience or neglect toward father or mother. Perhaps it arose after some feeling of anger, or of envy toward brother or sister. It may have sprung up in the mind after some unkind word or selfish act toward playmate or schoolfellow. This fearful consciousness of sin has been many a time felt when thought has been given to the truth, that God has appointed death for every man, and the judgment after it. The poets of human nature abound in the manifestation of this painful sense of sin. Milton represents a guilty spirit as saying that others little know under what torments inwardly he groans, so that he has to cry in his agony, Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell! This sense of sin, which is felt with all degrees of painfulness, all who trust in the Lord find relieved by the assurance of His forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. For there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.
II. Whoever trusts God is no longer hostile to Him. The enmity of the heart against the Most High and the Most Holy One ceases. Accepted in the Beloved, he has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This gives the faithful happiness. It was no shallow source of joy for the brothers of Joseph (when their sin had found them out) to be made sure that there was peace between the ruler of Egypt and themselves; and it is not a small boon for any man, conscious of his sin, to know that there is reconciliation and peace between himself and his Omnipotent Maker and righteous Judge, through the mediation and redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ.
III. Another reason why the man who trusts in the lord is happy may be seen in this fact--namely, that he has the indwelling of the Divine spirit to maintain his spiritual and eternal life. If the faithful had to rely upon their own wisdom, strength, and other resources, they might soon despair of perseverance in the Christian life. But whosoever trusteth in the Lord is not abandoned by the Almighty. The Holy Ghost, who is given unto the faithful, sheds abroad the love of God in their hearts; and neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate them from the love of God.
IV. The man whose trust is in God has the feeling of happiness because he has the assurance of safety and salvation. There is, indeed, a sense of security in some persons which springs not from the full trust of the heart in God; but it exists because there is no heed to Him. A man may build his hope of everlasting happiness and heaven on no better foundation than the lie which the fool tells to his heart when he says there is no God. He may build it on his own thoughtlessness in respect to the existence, the character, the law, and the purposes and judgments of God. This kind of assurance of safety is the belief of some prodigals that they will never become spendthrifts. It is the assurance of some drunkards that they will never drink too much, and become intemperate. How different is the safe and serene condition of the man who puts his trust in God!
V. Whosoever trusts in the Lord is happy because he delights in God and desires to do his duty toward Him. Some children love their parents, delight in them, and find a rich gratification in pleasing and obeying them. The manifestation of their filial affection is charming to others. The outflow of it is joy to themselves. Very much of their happiness springs from it. The faithful generally delight in doing their duty toward God. The way of duty is their chosen path. The sources of their joy never fail. They are not surface streams that freeze over in winter and run dry in summer. The touch of death cannot reach them. They are as perpetual in heaven as upon earth.
VI. Whosoever trusts in God is happy because the Divine Providence is unchangeably set to do the faithful good. (E. Whitaker, D.D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain Pro_16:20. Delitzsch and Zöckler translate the first clause “He…
CRITICAL NOTES.—
Pro_16:20. Delitzsch and Zöckler translate the first clause “He that giveth heed to the Word findeth good.” Stuart and others, “He that is prudent respecting any matter.” Miller says, “Literally, wise about a word.”
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Pro_16:21. Sweetness, or “grace,” Learning, or “instruction”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_16:20-21
THE FRUITS OF TRUST IN THE LORD
I. There can be no real blessedness in life unless there is trust in the Lord. Men are so constituted that, if they are to have soul-rest, they must confide in the power and wisdom and love of a Being who is stronger and wiser and better than they are. Let a man be ever so great intellectually or morally, there will be times in his life when he will feel the absolute need he has of the guidance of One who is far wiser than he is, of the help of One who far exceeds him in ability and in goodness. If he has not such a helper and guide to whom he can turn, he will be a stranger to that calmness of soul which alone makes a man truly blessed.
1. A trust of this kind must rest upon a knowledge of the Divine character. If a man is following a guide in some difficult and dangerous path, it is necessary to his peace of mind that he should know enough about his guide to be assured that he will lead him aright. If he does not know enough about him to know this, he may be haunted by underlying doubts and fears which will banish all comfort from his mind. When a ship’s crew have so little knowledge of their captain’s character and ability as to be uncertain whether he is able or whether he intends to bring the ship safely to her destined port, they will be possessed by a spirit of uneasiness. But if they know that all his powers will be directed to that end, and that his ability is equal to the task, they will sail through the deep in comparative rest and peace. So no human soul can possess a confidence in God which will keep it calm and restful amid the waves of life’s sea, unless he has made himself acquainted with the character of God—unless he knows so much about Him as to feel assured that His ways and works are perfectly wise and good.
2. God has given men means of acquiring this knowledge. He has no motive for holding back from His creatures a knowledge of what He is and what His purposes are concerning them. Those who endeavour to conceal what they are and what their intentions are in relation to their fellow-men, do so from a consciousness that if they revealed them they would not be trusted. But God has no such motive for concealing His character and intentions, and He has therefore revealed to men what He is and what He desires to do for them as fully as they are able to receive it, and with clearness and certainty enough to be the basis of an unwavering trust. This is indeed the end of all revelation of Himself—to lead men to “know the only true God and Jesus Christ” (Joh_17:2), so that they may have faith in both the Divine Father and the Divine Son,—that a trust may be begotten of the knowledge that will make them truly blessed.
II. An intelligent trust in the Lord is true wisdom. Wisdom has been often defined as the application of knowledge to practice, and a man whose knowledge of God has begotten within him a trust in the Lord, is the only man who is capable of “handling wisely” either matters connected with his own life or with the lives of others. When Adam lost his trust in God he gave evidence of his folly—when his confidence in the Divine character became unsettled, he lost his ability to do the best with his own existence as a whole, or with any particular matter connected with it. It is a mark of the truest wisdom to handle all matters whether they are more immediately connected with our spiritual or material welfare, in a spirit of trust in the perfect wisdom and love of God, and it is a mark of the highest folly to endeavour to do it without dependence upon Him. He who, in all his ways, rests upon a Divine guide, is the only man who deserves the name of a “prudent” man (Pro_16:21). If a child comes into possession of vast estates—of large revenues—he is quite unable by reason of his undeveloped capacities and of his limited experience to use what he possesses to the best advantage. Unless his inheritance is to suffer from misuse, there must be the help of a higher intelligence and a more extended experience than he possesses: and many men possess a great inheritance of intellectual endowments, or of wealth and position, but because they fail to apply to the Highest Wisdom for help to use it rightly, they are neither blessed themselves in the possession, nor do they bless others by the possession.
III. Such a wise and prudent man finds good and does good.
1. He will get good to himself. He will get a godly character, for trust in the Lord is not only the foundation of all true soul-rest, but of godliness of heart and life. “He shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jer_17:8). Here the prophet teaches that he who possesses within him a constant well of spiritual happiness from confidence in God will manifest it in godly deeds, and thus will become the possessor of the greatest good in God’s universe—a holy character.
2. He will do good to others by his wise and holy conversation. “The sweetness of the lips increaseth learning,” and the speech of a man who trusts in the Lord will be of so attractive and winning a nature as to lead others to know God and to trust in Him.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_16:20. Combined view of the two chief requisites to a really devout life;
(1) Obedience to the Word of God.
(2) Inspiring confidence in God.—Lange’s Commentary.
In doubtful cases to hold fast to God’s word, and believingly hope in His help, ensures always a good issue.—Geier.
Wise about a word. (See Critical Notes.) By usage, “wise about a thing,” hence “shrewd, though it be but in one transaction.” How often in London might mansions be pointed out of men opulent at a stroke! Such a stroke is faith! See the same marvel in chap. Pro_18:21. What a wonder is it that a man can win palaces of light by “one act” of casting himself upon the sacrifice. “Act,” literally, word. But men acted so by the word in that country, that it grew to mean affair. (Gen_20:8.) The very name of Christ (Joh_1:1) seems to be coloured by this Eastern usage. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made” (Psa_33:6). “Blessed in every sense whatever. What other “affair” ever produced as much as the affair of faith? (Mar_9:23).—Miller.
The obvious sense is that thorough understanding of business and prudent management of it tend to insure a prosperous issue, And if the business is another’s, the intelligent, cautious, successful conducting of it, will procure benefit by the favour it conciliates, and the character it establishes. One business well conducted brings a man another. This is the way to get forward in the world. And in proportion as the entrusted transaction is difficult and delicate, will the “handling of it wisely” prove advantageous. Still there is no amount of human understanding and discretion that can render success in any transaction certain. The result rests with God. Hence a very natural connection of the latter clause of the verse with the former. Here is the true secret of happiness—the union in all things of prudence and diligence, with trust in God. Trust must be associated with effort.… Let it be further observed that “handling a matter wisely” does not mean handling it cunningly with artifice and what the apostle calls “fleshly wisdom”—the policy of this world; but with a wisdom and prudence in harmony with the most rigid and straightforward integrity. Double dealing may be misnamed wisdom, the arts of a tortuous cunning may be dignified with the designation of prudence; but when such wisdom, such prudence has been employed, even the greatest amount of success can impart little that deserves the name of happiness. And no man who is using the arts of a crooked policy can exercise trust in God. The two things are incompatible. Who can unite obedience and confidence? How could David trust in God for the success of his plan against Uriah the Hittite? There was art in it, but there was not wisdom.—Wardlaw.
This is in all cases true wisdom—to make man the excitement to diligence, God the object of trust.… “I have had many things,” said Luther, “in my hands, and have lost them all. But whatever I have been able to trust in God’s I still possess.” … “I will therefore,” says Bishop Hall, “trust Him on His bare word, with hope, beside hope, above hope, against hope, for small matters of this life. For how shall I hope to trust Him in impossibilities if I may not in likelihoods. This simple habit of faith enables us fearlessly to look an extremity in the face. Thus holding on, it is His honour to put his own seal to His word. (Psa_2:12; Jer_17:7-8).—Bridges.
Many meddle with more matters than they do well quit themselves of; and many a time a good matter is made ill by the ill handling of it. And he that handleth a matter wisely shall find good, although the matter be ill; and well doth he acquit himself, although the matter may not succeed well.… To put our trust in God, and not to use a wise care, is to deceive ourselves; to use a wise care, and not to trust in God, is to dishonour God.—Jermin.
Pro_16:21. Piety is sure to be discovered; but many a pious man has less influence for want of courtesy. The suaviter may be really stronger than the fortiter. The last word is literally a taking, from the verb to take. This noun is often learning. A taking may very legitimately be “a lesson.” The idea is, that sweet lips increase the taking, i.e., make more wisdom to be taken by the men around. The duty, therefore, is evolved, of being kind in speech that our good may not be evil spoken of (Rom_14:16).—Miller.
If the “wise in heart” be understood of the truly, spiritually, divinely wise, then the phrase “shall be called prudent” must be interpreted, according to a common Hebrew idiom, as meaning “is prudent”—deserves to be so called. The sentiment will thus be the oft-repeated one, that true religion is the only genuine prudence. And is it not so? we ask anew. Take as a standard the ordinary maxims of prudence among men. Is it the part of prudence to be considerate? to look forward? to anticipate, as far as possible, the contingencies of the future? to provide against evil? to make sure of lasting good? Then is true religion the very perfection of prudence.—Wardlaw.
That our wisdom may be useful, we should endeavour to produce it to advantage by a graceful and engaging manner of expression. It is not uncommon with bad men to set off their corrupt sentiments by dressing them in all the beauties of language, and by this means multitudes are seduced into error and folly. Is not wisdom far better entitled to this recommendation than folly?—Lawson.
There is no sweetness that entereth into the lips to be compared to the sweetness that cometh from the lips. The fig-tree must leave her sweetness, and all the trees of delight their pleasantness, when the fruit of the lips is mentioned among them. And most fitly is eloquence styled the sweetness of the lips. How daintily doth it sweeten all matters of knowledge! What a delicate relish doth it give unto them! With what pleasure doth it make them to slip into the ears of men! How doth it mollify the hardness and sharpness of reproof! How doth it qualify the bitterness of sorrows! How doth it warm the dull coldness of apprehension and attention! And therefore, though wisdom in the heart is of the chiefest worth, yet eloquence of the lips is an addition to it. St. Augustine, speaking of himself, saith, that when he heard St. Ambrose preaching, “I stood by as one careless of the matter he spake, and a contemner of it, and I was delighted with the sweetness of his words; but together with the words which I respected, the matter came into my heart which I neglected, and while I opened my heart to receive how eloquently he spake, it entered also into my heart how truly he spake.”—Jermin.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
trusteth
(See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain v. 20. He that handleth a matter wisely, giving…
v. 20. He that handleth a matter wisely, giving careful heed to the Word of God in every situation in life, shall find good, obtain true prosperity; and whoso trusteth in the Lord, being united with Him in the personal, confidential relation of faith, happy is he, the possessor of true blessedness.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.