Solomon speaks on the subject of holy living today. Holy living begins with the fear of God.
"A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father." (Proverbs 28:7) Solomon says, "Son, if you're wise, you'll take my counsel to heart. Don't live an empty life full of partying and debauchery. That will bring shame to me."
"Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor." (Proverbs 28:8) Again we see Solomon's compassion on the poor. He warns, "If you've gotten rich by oppressing the poor, you're simply piling up riches for someone else, because the Lord will take from you what you've gained dishonestly."
"If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable." (Proverbs 28:9) I prefer the way the KJV renders this verse, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." In the NIV Solomon calls his counsel "my instruction" rather than "the law", although I don't think there's any contradiction here. Solomon is teaching lessons from God's law, so to ignore his instruction is to ignore the Lord's instruction. He is performing a role similar to a church pastor or Sunday school teacher who is faithfully relating God's holy word to the assembly. He asks, "Do you think God wants to hear your prayers while you scorn His word? If you have no regard for Him, why should He have regard for your requests? Get right with the Lord! Then His ears will be open to your cries."
Next he pronounces woe upon the one who leads the righteous astray. "Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance." (Proverbs 28:10) There are those who would love to see the righteous fall away from Christ, but theirs is a double portion of judgment. It's bad enough to enjoy living in sin oneself, but it's especially perverse to want to drag others down into it.
"The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are." (Proverbs 28:11) The one who trusts in his wealth instead of trusting in God ends up prideful and conceited. Because this person has no material need that has not been met, he scoffs at the idea of having spiritual needs that only God can meet. But Solomon points out that the poor don't have to worry about having the blinders of wealth over their eyes. They see things as they really are. They depend on God for their daily bread and they know they need a Helper.
"When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding." (Proverbs 28:12) Imagine if the nations of the world were led by men and women of Christ, who honored the word of God, who loved their fellow man, and who obeyed the Scriptures! We could expect far more peace and prosperity under such leadership, just as the nations of Israel and Judah enjoyed more peace and prosperity when they had godly leadership. The Bible doesn't say for nothing that "blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord". (Psalm 33:12)
"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13) Amen! Thank God for the mercy He extends when we are sorry for our sins! As we see in verse 13, repentance is not merely the confession of sin, but the turning away from it. Solomon says we must both confess and renounce our sin.
We might be able to conceal our sins from our fellow man, but we won't be able to conceal them from God. Since He knows about them anyway, why not come clean with Him? Solomon's father David desperately tried to hide his sins of adultery and murder, and he probably thought he was going to get away with his crimes, but the Lord who knows all things revealed David's sins to the prophet Nathan, who came to him and rebuked him for them. It was at that point that David stopped living in denial and confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13a) This is when David cried out to God, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." (Psalm 51:1-2) These are the words of a man whose heart is broken over his sins. He appeals to the only One who can make him clean again. He confesses his sins to God and renounces them, receiving mercy. How do we know David truly renounced his sins? Because we never find him committing these same sins again. He didn't tell the Lord he was sorry only to go back out and do the same old things. David never wanted to be that far from God again or to be burdened down with such a heavy load of guilt. It wasn't worth it.
Sin never is worth the price we pay for it. When David spied Bathsheba taking a bath on a warm summer night, he wouldn't have believed us if we'd told him he was going to end up with another man's blood on his hands. Sin always lies to us. It promises things it can never deliver. As my pastor often says, it will take you farther than you ever wanted to go and it will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. Solomon agrees, concluding today's passage with this sage advice, "Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble." (Proverbs 28:13)
We must never lose our sense of awe and reverence for a holy God. There's a danger in our times of thinking of Him as our buddy, of getting too chummy with the Maker of the universe, and of being too casual about the laws of this righteous Judge. This is the God who created everything out of nothing just by speaking the word! He could take everything out of existence, including us, with just one word from His mouth. Yes, He can be a friend to us. Yes, He can be a father to the fatherless. Yes, He can be the defender of the widow and the orphan. But He's also holy! He cannot bless sin. David found that out. Solomon learned the same lesson, and so did many men and women of the Bible. God is holy. Blessed is the one who trembles at His word.
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