Proverbs 25:16-20

Prov 25:16 (KJB)

Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

 

This verse teaches us two things. First, of all whenever we find something that is lawful and pleasurable, we must not over indulge as one who is a glutton and hurts his stomach by overeating and then vomiting up the food. What good is gorging yourself and then vomiting everything up? By doing that you get no nutrition from the food. Same thing with anything we do in excess because we could abuse whatever it is. The second thing is connected to verse 27. If we find a good friend and want to spent time with him, we must realize that he has a life also and we should not overstay our welcome.

 

Prov 25:17 (KJB)

Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

 

This is a general principle as well as being connected to verse 26. If we found a good friend, we must not find ourselves smothering him and not allowing him to live his own life. If we continue to be at his house continually, then we will overstay our welcome and instead of the friendship getting stronger, it will become weaker. This principle should be adhered to all the time. We should never impose ourselves on others because they have lives to live and if we hinder them from doing their work, we can interfere with their families. This principle definitely needs to be applied in the work place. I remember a saying that I saw in some offices, “If you have nothing to do, please don’t do it here.” How many times have people that had nothing to do, come into my office at work and have stopped me from doing my job. It is very frustrating and causes a person to fall behind on their daily duties. Don’t be the type of person that people run from, instead be the type of person that people run to!

 

Prov 25:18 (KJB)

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

 

Maul - Club or something which disperses or breaks in pieces/

 

This verse is teaching very plainly that those who lie are as dangerous as any type of weapon known to man. (Prov 18:21 KJV) Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21 speaks about death and life in the power of the tongue. I do not think we humans grasp the reality of how powerful speech is. Just look at some of the dictators of the past such as Hitler, who devastated an entire continent as the crescendo to all his speeches of persuasion. Anyone who is a witness is showing that they have the power in their tongue to convict a person or exonerate them. This is why it is so important to understand that even the slightest comment about someone can mushroom into something devastating.

 

Prov 25:19 (KJB)

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

 

Confidence - Trust or security

Trouble - Adversity

 

One of the major themes in Proverbs is concerning the faithfulness or trustworthiness of a person. Before we ever decide to commit anything significant to a person, we should know their character inside and out. They should already have been proven. If a person is trusted with something vital and they prove to be unfaithful, especially in critical times, then there can be devastating consequences. This verse speaks about a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. Both of these would cause tremendous pain until they were fixed and the unfaithful man would also cause much consternation until he is either replaced or retrained, if possible. Never commit anything to anyone which is beyond their ability.

 

Prov 25:20 (KJB)

As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.

 

Back in 25:11, we read about the words that are spoken of properly. In this verse there is a person who has a heavy heart, maybe they lost a loved one or they lost a job or suffered some other type of adversity. The one who comes along with trite sayings such as “cheer up,” things could be worse”, “It will get better.” These type of sayings show no commiseration with the individual. (Rom 12:15 KJV) Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. If we see someone with a heavy heart, then we need to be there for them and let them know it. When a person is grieving, they have to grieve themselves because you cannot grieve for them nor should you try to stop them from grieving since it is a time process. If someone loses a job, we can help them work on their resume without charging them for it or be there in some other way for them. This verse is also speaking of a person who just brings words and nothing else. People who are on the mend, either from emotional or some type of other loss, need more than words. That is when they need their friends and family very badly to help them and help motivate them if needed. Words are fine but actions reveal true friendship.

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