He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
God’s Word Affects: Our Relationships With
Others (1): Proverbs 19:4-7
4) Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his
neighbour.
5) A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall not escape.
6) Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man [is] a friend to him that giveth gifts.
7) All the brethren
of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he
pursueth [them with] words, [yet] they [are] wanting [to him].
In
the next section of this chapter, we find a large section (vs 4-19) devoted to
showing us many principles form God’s Word in forming and developing solid
relationships with others…
EXPOSITION:
4) Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his
neighbour.
Principle
#1 – Friendships are formed and sustained when benefits can be received through
the relationship.
1. The possibility of personal gain is a
wonderful motivator to the forming of relationships. Whether that gain would be physical or
spiritual type of wealth, it is important that we show ourselves as beneficial
to those around us.
2. Those who offer nothing of value to give in a
relationship, many times will be rejected by those around them.
When
others see us do they see possible benefits to forming a relationship with us? As the children of the Lord, we are
spiritually rich beyond measure. We have
much to offer to anyone who would form a relationship with us. The key is to, through a Godly testimony, show
to others the many graces that have been imparted to us form our heavenly
Father.
“He hath put my brethren
far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed,
and my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I
am an alien in their sight. I called my servant, and
he gave [me] no answer; I intreated him with my mouth. My breath is strange to my
wife, though I intreated for the children's [sake] of mine own body.” (Job 19:13-17)
5) A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall not escape.
Principle
#2 – Honesty is another key factor in the forming and sustaining of strong
relationships.
1. Those who speak deceit will not remain
without blame nor recompense
2. Those who speak lies will not be released and
walk away unharmed.
Those
who are deceitful will always reap the physical and spiritual results of that
deceit. One result of deceitful living
is that it dampens the ability to form quality friendships with others. When others see a lifestyle of deceit in an
individual, they will reject them as possible friends, knowing they cannot be
trusted.
“A false witness [that]
speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:19)
6) Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man [is] a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Principle
#3 – Friendships require a gracious, humble, giving of oneself for those who
are undeserving of our aid.
1. Citizens make requests of a prince, not
deserving their request to be granted.
They are hoping for his grace to be shown.
2. Likewise, anyone who is willing to give to
the undeserving are showing themselves to be friendly and make themselves prime
candidates for friendship.
When
we show that we have a gracious spirit that is willing to give to the undeserving,
many will seek to form relationships with us.
Why is this? They recognize a willingness to accept them as they are and
a desire to be of aid to them, in spite of the condition in which they
currently find themselves.
“A man's gift maketh room
for him, and bringeth him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16)
7) All the brethren
of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he
pursueth [them with] words, [yet] they [are] wanting [to him].
Principle
#4 – Relationships, and the act of others on our behalf, should not be taken
for granted.
Solomon
now gives us an illustration summarizing what we have seen so far…
1. Those who bring nothing beneficial to a relationship
are rejected by others, even those of his own family.
2. Although he runs after others seeking their
continual aid, his words fall short, and he is unsuccessful in his attempts to
persuade them.
Many
times, relationships fail when the deeds of our friends are ignored,
unappreciated, or neglected. They do not
desire to continue in their relationship realizing “it is all give and no take”,
feeling their friend is taking advantage of them. To the best of our ability we are to seek to show
appreciation and be willing to give back to those who sacrificially give on our
behalf.
“If a brother or sister be
naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye] warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body;
what [doth it] profit?” (James 2:15-16)
SUMMARY:
Just quick note:
Many of the principles discussed in this section revolve around the
selfish nature of mankind:
1. We only want to form relationships with those
from whom we can benefit
2. We will break off relationships when we feel
abused, and unappreciated
3. We will come before others asking for
benefits when we know we do not deserve them.
Keep in
mind, the Lord is not justifying this type of behavior. He is simply teaching us that, based upon the
selfishness of fallen mankind, several principles are to be followed to form
long-lasting relationships. Aren’t we
all glad that our Lord didn’t have this selfish attitude towards us when He
came to the earth and gave Himself for us?
“Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross. Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things]
under the earth; And [that] every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
In
this first part of our study these are the principles we have learned about the
forming and keeping of our relationships with others:
Principle
#1 – Relationships are formed and sustained when benefits can be received through
the relationship.
Principle
#2 – Honesty is another key factor in the forming and sustaining of strong
relationships.
Principle
#3 – Relationships require a gracious, humble, giving of oneself for those who
are undeserving of our aid.
Principle
#4 – Relationships should not be taken for granted, nor should the actions of
our friends on our behalf be ignored, unappreciated, or neglected. To the best of our ability we are to seek to
give back to those who sacrificially give to us.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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