28 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.
3 A poor man who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them.
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit1
gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord2 always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 If one is burdened with the blood of another,
he will be a fugitive until death;3
let no one help him.
18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good,
but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
22 A stingy man4 hastens after wealth
and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than he who flatters with his tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother
and says, “That is no transgression,”
is a companion to a man who destroys.
25 A greedy man stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Section Overview
Many scholars agree that the collection from Hezekiah’s men in Proverbs 25–29 can be divided between a section in 25:1–27:27 and the material we turn to now in 28:1–29:27. This break is based first on the many terms and themes in chapters 28–29 drawn from the biblical law (Hb. torah), particularly Deuteronomy 21–24. These allusions to the Torah echo Proverbs 1–9 and chapter 30 (cf. comments on Proverbs 2:1–22).
Two more features distinguish this section of the book. First, these chapters return to an antithetical emphasis (this but that) focused on the “righteous” and the “wicked,” as in chapters 10–12. Second, chapters 28–29 stand out by way of four repeated sayings that give shape to the fifty-five sayings within (28:12, 28; 29:2, 16). These features are discussed in detail below.
These themes make up a larger picture that contrasts relationships between several groups of opposites: righteous and wicked, generous and greedy, just and unjust rulers, and rich and poor people.
Section Outline
As already noted, chapters 28–29 are connected by the four sayings about the rise and fall of the “righteous” and the “wicked,” as can be seen here.
(1) Righteous Triumph; Wicked Rise (28:12)
(2) Wicked Rise; Righteous Increase (28:28)
(3) Righteous Increase; Wicked Rule (29:2)
(4) Wicked Increase; Righteous Remain (29:16)
Of course further detailed shape is found within each chapter, including these patterns in chapter 28.
V. Solomonic Proverbs Gathered by the Men of Hezekiah (25:1–29:27) . . .
H. Wicked Flee; Righteous Are Bold (28:1–11)
1. The Poor (28:3, 8)
2. The Rich, Integrity/Crooked (28:6, 8, 11)
3. The Law (28:4, 5, 7, 9)
I. Righteous Triumph; Wicked Rise (28:12)
1. The Law (28:21, 24)
2. The Rich, Integrity/Crooked (28:22, 24, 25)
3. The Poor (28:22, 27)
J. Wicked Rise; Righteous Increase (28:28)
Response
The Wisdom of Confession
The confession in verse 13 stands out for its devotional and spiritual tone. This may seem like foreign territory for Proverbs. In fact, many scholars hold these two worlds apart, with Israel’s covenant religion and devotion standing against its political and practical life that is native to wisdom literature. There are surely different emphases in Israel’s faith and a progress in Israel’s self-understanding over its history. But it would be a mistake to set up these traditions as somehow opposed.
It turns out, in fact, that Proverbs repeatedly sews together themes of devotion, law keeping, and religious faith as inseparable parts of its teachings on wisdom. Verse 13 is just one example: confessing one’s sin leads to God’s “mercy.” Verse 9 is similar: obedience to the law arouses God’s sympathy for our prayers.
Said differently, wisdom, confession, and devotion are interwoven aspects of the spiritually wise life. The point here is not that wise people confess their sins—of course they do—but the opposite: confession is central to being wise since it is a basic and necessary part of navigating one’s practical, daily life in this world.
To grasp the significance of this point it will help to recognize that the OT uses a variety of images to talk about penitence: (1) confession as a form of moral/legal accounting, (2) confession as a reckoning with the cosmic order, to include removing physical obstacles along life’s path, and (3) confession as crossing of liminal thresholds into new depths of knowledge. The so-called wisdom confessions in the book of Psalms emphasize these latter two descriptors: confession as a part of cosmic order and confession as a path to knowledge.
In keeping with confession as a part of cosmic order, penitential prayer in Psalms has many well-recognized connections between the cosmic order of creation, instruction, and the two ways of wisdom—life/death, wisdom/folly, and righteous/wicked (Psalms 1; 19; 37; 41; 90; 119).194
In keeping with the confession as a path to knowledge (which is often less recognized), wisdom themes are found throughout seven of the nine psalms in which confession and guilt are dominant (Psalms 25; 32; 51; 78; 106; 107; 130). These confessions all serve as windows into deeper knowledge of God.
Psalm 25 is a good example of the second and third metaphors—one of cosmic order and one of overcoming barriers to deeper knowledge. We begin by noting that scholars consistently categorize Psalm 25 as a wisdom psalm because of its dominant emphasis on teaching and instruction, as in Psalm 25:4:
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
In terms of how this relates to confession as a path to knowledge, Psalm 25:5, 8, 9, 12, and 21 all echo the prayer of Psalm 25:4 for God’s help and leading along the ways and paths of life, just as prayer and the way are combined in Proverbs 28:9. In the midst of the first prayer for wisdom the psalmist pauses with words of confession:
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions (Ps. 25:6–7).
Among the psalm’s many petitions for practical guidance it returns twice more to confession in Psalm 25:11, 18. This alternating rhythm between living wisely and confession of sin demonstrates the cosmic and emotional side of confession alongside the human instinct to reckon one’s moral accounts with God. As Kraus has said, the person praying looks for a “new orientation of his life on Yahweh’s ‘ways.’”195
Furthermore, the confession in Psalm 25 hopes for greater access to the knowledge of God and his administration of the world—the third image for confession:
The secret [sod] of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant. (Ps. 25:14 NASB)
The Hebrew sod, often rendered “friendship,” signifies secret counsel, often with the Lord but also with friends and unrighteous conspirators (cf. Job 15:8; 29:4; Pss. 55:13; 64:3; 83:4–5; Prov. 3:32; Jer. 15:17; 23:18, 22). James Mays calls this dimension the “secret or mystery of the decision of God’s kingship. . . . It is guidance that makes it possible to live in and according to the Rule of God.”196 We see this same idea in Proverbs 28:5: those who “seek the Lord” are able to “understand” justice. Confession and prayer thus lead not only to moral accounting but to new knowledge of God and his world that leads to a renewed moral vision.
For those prone to make sharp divisions between the spiritual, practical, and rational aspects of human life this chapter is a welcome reminder to hold them together.
The Desire to Grow Rich
Chapter 28 also reflects on man’s nearly insatiable desire for wealth. Money and possessions give security in life, access to people in high and important places, power in society, and access to pleasures not enjoyed otherwise. Who can resist it?
The chapter’s teaching on wealth starts with a challenging comparison: it is better to be poor and righteous than wicked and rich (v. 6). The implicit lesson is that one must be willing to be poor if circumstances in life require it. Wealth is a gift and often a dangerous one, so we must be careful accumulating it.
As the chapter unfolds we encounter several similar lessons about the desire for mammon. Verse 8 warns, “Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor” (cf. 15:6; Lev. 25:36). The reader is again warned against hurrying after wealth in Proverbs 28:22.
The rich man is often “wise in his own eyes” and prone to self-deception as he justifies his rabid accumulation of money (v. 11). Desire for wealth leads to robbing parents (v. 24) and stirring up strife (v. 25). Verse 27 concludes by contrasting compassion and generosity to greed and heartlessness.
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is confronted by a man who demands his share of the family inheritance. Jesus answers with a warning: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Jesus goes on to speak about the deceptive power of wealth. First, he tells a parable about a man who hastens to multiply his wealth, only to lose it all when he comes to the end of his life (Luke 12:16–21). Then he assures his audience that God will care for our daily needs and that worry and anxiety are pointless (Luke 12:26–30).
That brings us to the heart of Jesus’ teaching and the key he offers to avoid worrying about, and striving for, money: believers are heirs of a kingdom greater than anything they could ever imagine (Luke 12:31–32). Hope is the remedy for greed and avarice. When believers put their faith in the promise of the infinite riches awaiting them, they see the relatively meaningless worth of goods in this world and gain the motivation to do without such things until Jesus comes again to give his people everything. Indeed, Jesus is the wise, poor man in this life who has more and offers more to his followers than all the wealth in this world (Prov. 28:4; cf. Luke 9:58).Proverbs 28
Proverbs 29