Proverbs 15.29
“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
The Lord keeps his distance from the defiantly disobedient. It’s not his presence that is distant; it’s his favor and blessing that is far from the wicked. The wicked might pray, but the Lord doesn’t respond. This is the same message as verse 8 earlier in this chapter: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.”
Prayer is a privilege, not a right. God is not obligated to hear the prayer of any man, and he will reject the prayer of the defiantly disobedient. This is reflected in the Lord’s message through the prophet Jeremiah in response to Israel and Judah’s refusal to repent: “The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them.” (Jeremiah 11.9-11)
The Lord tells Jeremiah that even if the people of Israel cry to him, he will not listen. Then God instructs Jeremiah not to pray for Israel or Judah. “For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal. Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.” (Jeremiah 11.13-14)
The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous. This does not mean that the Lord only listens to the prayers of people who are perfectly obedient; rather, God listens to those who humbly confess their sin and trust him for forgiveness. The Lord listens to the prayers of those who are repentant and seek to align their life with his standards.
Proverbs 15.30
“The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.”
This verse literally says “bright eyes gladden the heart.” The reference to bright eyes is a reference to a positive, optimistic, and joyful attitude that comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings peace and joy to our hearts, and the light of that peace and joy is reflected in our countenance … our face and our eyes.
The last part of the verse literally says, “good news puts fat on the bones.” The reference to fat bones is a reference to prosperity. Not material prosperity, but spiritual prosperity. The source of the spiritual prosperity is the good news of Christ.
At the time this was written, of course, Jesus the Messiah had not yet come, so Solomon is using this common Hebraism to express the impact of good news on the human heart. At the same time, like many passages in the OT, this verse anticipates and paints a picture of the coming Messiah.
Read the following declarations of “good news” from the NT.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5.1)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, …” (Ephesians 1.7-8)
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1.13-14)
Do these verses not bring light to your eyes and “fat to your bones”?
