Pro 27:15 | KingComments | STEP | True friendship does not express itself in an exaggerated, inappropriate manner ( ). Anyone who nevertheless loudly wishes his friend all kinds of good things at an inappropriate time is not looking for his friend, but for himself. He wants to show how good his friend is, to boast of being friends with such a person. It is an exaggerated expression of praise for how good someone is. The friend is clearly not keen on this. He doesn’t really need this kind of attention. His friend’s performance is a curse to him. Those around him constantly hear his name being called, associated with all sorts of fine, religious wishes. This evokes not respect, but annoyance. Whoever expresses himself in this way may want to give the impression of piety and friendship, but he is considered a curse. If someone is too highly praised, repugnance arises instead of admiration. The friend knows this and therefore is not at all pleased with such loud wishes of blessing. It is fine to bless someone, that is, to wish him the good, but it must be done in the right way, the appropriate time and with the right motives. A good deed at the wrong time is reckoned a curse. It is better to speak to God early in the morning in silence and listen to Him by reading His Word than to spoil a friend’s day by such a beginning. The comparison of “a contentious woman” with “a constant dripping” has already been before us ( ; ). It is now added “on a day of steady rain”, that is a day when you do have to stay at home, because the weather does not allow you to leave the house. But even inside he is not safe from the rain, for it is leaking. He finds nowhere to take shelter. The husband is constantly exposed to his wife’s contention, without a possibility of escaping it. Incessantly she argues. It constantly goes on with the steadiness of dripping water through a leak somewhere in the roof that you just can’t discover. There is rain outside and there is rain inside, so you get wet everywhere and cold to your bones. It is uncontrollable and unmanageable like the wind ( ). The wind is elusive and unpredictable; a gust of wind could come at any moment. You cannot grasp or hold oil either, even with your right hand, the hand of power. It slips right between your fingers. It outlines the hopelessness of the situation in which human resources cannot change the situation.

‏ Proverbs 27:15

Improper Behavior

True friendship does not express itself in an exaggerated, inappropriate manner (Pro 27:14). Anyone who nevertheless loudly wishes his friend all kinds of good things at an inappropriate time is not looking for his friend, but for himself. He wants to show how good his friend is, to boast of being friends with such a person. It is an exaggerated expression of praise for how good someone is.

The friend is clearly not keen on this. He doesn’t really need this kind of attention. His friend’s performance is a curse to him. Those around him constantly hear his name being called, associated with all sorts of fine, religious wishes. This evokes not respect, but annoyance. Whoever expresses himself in this way may want to give the impression of piety and friendship, but he is considered a curse. If someone is too highly praised, repugnance arises instead of admiration. The friend knows this and therefore is not at all pleased with such loud wishes of blessing.

It is fine to bless someone, that is, to wish him the good, but it must be done in the right way, the appropriate time and with the right motives. A good deed at the wrong time is reckoned a curse. It is better to speak to God early in the morning in silence and listen to Him by reading His Word than to spoil a friend’s day by such a beginning.

The comparison of “a contentious woman” with “a constant dripping” has already been before us (Pro 27:15; Pro 19:13). It is now added “on a day of steady rain”, that is a day when you do have to stay at home, because the weather does not allow you to leave the house. But even inside he is not safe from the rain, for it is leaking. He finds nowhere to take shelter.

The husband is constantly exposed to his wife’s contention, without a possibility of escaping it. Incessantly she argues. It constantly goes on with the steadiness of dripping water through a leak somewhere in the roof that you just can’t discover. There is rain outside and there is rain inside, so you get wet everywhere and cold to your bones.

It is uncontrollable and unmanageable like the wind (Pro 27:16). The wind is elusive and unpredictable; a gust of wind could come at any moment. You cannot grasp or hold oil either, even with your right hand, the hand of power. It slips right between your fingers. It outlines the hopelessness of the situation in which human resources cannot change the situation.