Proverbs 21.13
“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”
Kingdom people are caring and generous. Kingdom people see the plight of the poor, hear the voice of the poor, and they respond. Hard-hearted people turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to those in need. Therefore, when the hard-hearted find themselves in a time of need, they should not be surprised when no one answers their call for help. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, you reap what you sow.
Proverbs 21.14
“A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.”
Secret gifts and concealed bribes may appease some of the people for some of the time, but in the end these corrupt behind-the-scenes pay-offs only cause more problems. Character isn’t for sale. You can’t buy integrity. You can hide the secret pay-offs for awhile, but eventually you will be found out.
Proverbs 21.15
“When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”
This proverb follows from the previous. True justice is good news for people who seek to do right; it is terror for evil people who seek to do wrong. In reference to the previous proverb, this is why unrighteous people engage in secret pay-offs. They try to hide their cheating and immoral activities.
Good people speak and act openly; bad people try to hide their misdeeds in the shadows. Over time, the light of justice will shine and reveal the truth. What is done in darkness will eventually get exposed.
Proverbs 21.16
“One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.
This is another reference to derek, which means “way” or “path.” The book of Proverbs continually reminds us to follow the right path. Here it warns there is great danger if we wander from “the way of good sense.”
In other words, doing the right thing is common sense. Unfortunately, common sense is not common practice. The world is full of people who do foolish things despite the obvious dangers.
Because God calls us to the real-world application of wisdom, I want to take this opportunity to apply the notion of “common sense” to our nation. As you will recall, in 1776 Thomas Paine published a famous pamphlet called Common Sense. Using clear, plain language, Paine encouraged the American colonists to support the break from Britain.
In arguing for American independence, Paine rejected the British monarchy, arguing that people are born into a state of equality, and he proposed a system of representative government for the colonies. The pamphlet was widely distributed in the American colonies, and read by as great a proportion of the population as watches the Superbowl today.
Congress approved the Declaration of Independence months later, and is believed that Common Sense greatly influenced support for American independence. Paine donated all his earnings from the sale of the pamphlet to the revolutionary cause.
Below are the opening two paragraphs of the famous pamphlet, and I share these comments not only because they are, indeed, common sense, but also because they are as relevant today as they were in 1776.
“Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.
Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.”
