This is the last of the Proverbs of Solomon recorded by Hezekiah.
v.1 – Opens with a word about the importance of listening to wisdom.
v.2 – The result of the reign of the righteous is rejoicing. The reign of the wicked is burdensome.
v.3 – The wealth a father seeks to pass down is what money can’t buy – wisdom. The unwise are inattentive to wisdom and thus squander their inheritance.
v.4 – The focus remains on wise rulership. No wonder Hezekiah wrote these sayings of Solomon down.
v.5 – Flattery is flat and formless. Those closest to you know if what you say is true.
v. 6 – Like verse 5 we have the imagery of a trap. The evil are trapped while the righteous rejoice.
v. 7 – Righteousness is connected with understanding.
vv.8-11 – We see the widespread effects of those inhabitants of a city dedicated to acting foolishly. A pattern is developing. Unrestrained foolishness leads to destruction while the wise know how to hold back and flourish.
vv.12-14 – Encourages a king to listen to the counsel of others. Far from being isolated to his own regulations, there is something that even the king must serve – Wisdom. In order for the king to be established forever, he must build his kingdom on the everlasting principles of wisdom.
vv. 15-18 – The best restraint for a fool is starting early to guide children the way they should go. Children are not a commodity to society. Children are the building blocks of the future. The direction they set for society must be established in their minds early on or there is no hope for civilization.
vv.19-22 – Continues the exhortation to ensuring children are walking Wisdom’s Pathway. Discipline means more than words but with following through with corrective discipline.
v. 23 – Paradoxically, pride brings humility while humility brings honor.
v.24 – Crime does not pay, instead, it brings the despair of one’s own life.
vv. 25-26 – Grounds hope in the Lord. Instead of building a life on trusting in man, the wise will build a lifestyle that demonstrates, not just with words but with actions, their trust is in the Lord.
v. 27 – We end the Hezekiah collection with a single and simple antithesis: righteous and evil both detest each other. No one can serve both. Realizing this truth calls for a decision. Which will you pattern your life after? The foolish who even detest themselves, or the Wise who live forever?