14 The spirit of a man will be his support when he is ill; but how may a broken spirit be lifted up?
A glad heart makes a healthy body, but a crushed spirit makes the bones dry.
A glad heart makes a shining face, but by the sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me. So I take pleasure in being feeble, in unkind words, in needs, in cruel attacks, in troubles, on account of Christ: for when I am feeble, then am I strong.
Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me? I have been troubled and in fear of death from the time when I was young; your wrath is hard on me, and I have no strength. The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
So that now, on the other hand, it is right for him to have forgiveness and comfort from you, for fear that his sorrow may be over-great.
Who will come between us and the love of Christ? Will trouble, or pain, or cruel acts, or the need of food or of clothing, or danger, or the sword? As it is said in the holy Writings, Because of you we are put to death every day; we are like sheep ready for destruction. But we are able to overcome all these things and more through his love.
And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting; And waiting gives experience; and experience, hope: And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me.
Then Job got up, and after parting his clothing and cutting off his hair, he went down on his face to the earth, and gave worship, and said, With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised.
In the day of my trouble, my heart was turned to the Lord: my hand was stretched out in the night without resting; my soul would not be comforted. I will keep God in memory, with sounds of grief; my thoughts are troubled, and my spirit is overcome. (Selah.)
Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.
I am troubled because of the voice of the cruel ones, because of the loud cry of the evil-doers; for they put a weight of evil on me, and they are cruel in their hate for me.
The cruel words of my haters are like a crushing of my bones; when they say to me every day, Where is your God? Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God; for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.
For your arrows have gone into my flesh, and I am crushed under the weight of your hand. My flesh is wasted because of your wrath; and there is no peace in my bones because of my sin. For my crimes have gone over my head; they are like a great weight which is more than my strength.
When I kept my mouth shut, my bones were wasted, because of my crying all through the day. For the weight of your hand was on me day and night; my body became dry like the earth in summer. (Selah.)
That, if I was an evil-doer, the curse would come on me; and if I was upright, my head would not be lifted up, being full of shame and overcome with trouble. And that if there was cause for pride, you would go after me like a lion; and again put out your wonders against me: That you would send new witnesses against me, increasing your wrath against me, and letting loose new armies on me.
Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear; So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains.
And the Satan went out from before the Lord, and sent on Job an evil disease covering his skin from his feet to the top of his head. And he took a broken bit of a pot, and, seated in the dust, was rubbing himself with the sharp edge of it. And his wife said to him, Are you still keeping your righteousness? Say a curse against God, and put an end to yourself. And he said to her, You are talking like one of the foolish women. If we take the good God sends us, are we not to take the evil when it comes? In all this Job kept his lips from sin.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Proverbs 18
Commentary on Proverbs 18 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 18
Pr 18:1-24.
1. Through desire … seeketh—that is, seeks selfish gratification.
intermeddleth … wisdom—or, "rushes on" (Pr 17:14) against all wisdom, or what is valuable (Pr 2:7).
2. that his heart … itself—that is, takes pleasure in revealing his folly (Pr 12:23; 15:2).
3. So surely are sin and punishment connected (Pr 16:4).
wicked, for "wickedness," answers to
ignominy, or the state of such; and
contempt, the feeling of others to them; and to
reproach, a manifestation of contempt.
4. Wise speech is like an exhaustless stream of benefit.
5. accept the person—(Compare Ps 82:2). "It is not good" is to be supplied before "to overthrow."
6, 7. The quarrelsome bring trouble on themselves. Their rash language ensnares them (Pr 6:2).
8. (Compare Pr 16:28).
as wounds—not sustained by the Hebrew; better, as "sweet morsels," which men gladly swallow.
innermost … belly—the mind, or heart (compare Pr 20:27-30; Ps 22:14).
9. One by failing to get, the other by wasting wealth, grows poor.
waster—literally, "master of washing," a prodigal.
10. name of the Lord—manifested perfections (Ps 8:1; 20:2), as faithfulness, power, mercy, &c., on which men rely.
is safe—literally, "set on high, out of danger" (Ps 18:2; 91:4).
11. contrasts with Pr 18:10 (compare Pr 10:15). Such is a vain trust (compare Ps 73:6).
12. (Compare Pr 15:33; 16:18).
13. Hasty speech evinces self-conceit, and ensures shame (Pr 26:12).
14. infirmity—bodily sickness, or outward evil. The spirit, which sustains, being wounded, no support is left, except, as implied, in God.
15. (Compare Pr 1:5, 15, 31).
16. (Compare Pr 17:8, 23). Disapproval of the fact stated is implied.
17. One-sided statements are not reliable.
searcheth—thoroughly (Pr 17:9, 19).
18. The lot—whose disposal is of God (Pr 16:13), may, properly used, be a right mode of settling disputes.
19. No feuds so difficult of adjustment as those of relatives; hence great care should be used to avoid them.
20. (Compare Pr 12:14; 13:2). Men's words are the fruit, or, increase of his lips, and when good, benefit them.
satisfied with—(Compare Pr 1:31; 14:14).
21. Death and life—or, the greatest evil and good.
that love it—that is, the tongue, or its use for good or evil.
eat … fruit—(Compare Pr 18:19; Jas 1:19).
22. The old versions supply "good" before the "wife," as the last clause and Pr 19:14 imply (compare Pr 31:10).
23. the rich … roughly—He is tolerated because rich, implying that the estimate of men by wealth is wrong.
24. A man … friendly—better, "A man … (is) to, or, may triumph (Ps 108:9), or, shout for joy (Ps 5:11), that is, may congratulate himself." Indeed, there is a Friend who is better than a brother; such is the "Friend of sinners" [Mt 11:19; Lu 7:34], who may have been before the writer's mind.