Pro 20:15 | KingComments | STEP | Here we hear a buyer complaining about how bad the sale is for him ( ). Once he has negotiated and paid his low price through his dramatic performance, he leaves and then boasts about it. This doesn’t even have to mean that he tells others how clever he has been. He can just also just inwardly rejoice extraordinarily that he has been so smart and the seller so stupid. What matters is that he glories in his arrogance ( ). Bargain hunting is not evil and neither is haggling. This verse is a warning to an inexperienced seller not to be fooled by pathetic or intimidating buyers. Being handy in business is one thing, but making a deceptive performance in a negotiation to buy far below the value of the product is unacceptable to God and unworthy of a member of His people. A person can be rich in earthly treasures ( ). A lot of people in the world are. But the real wealth is that of having “lips of knowledge”. Such lips are “a precious thing”. It is rare to find someone who speaks with knowledge. Lips that speak knowledge are lips that teach knowledge, that speak well thought out words. Lips of knowledge a person gets through the long and hard work of education. This involves the knowledge of Christ and of God’s standards for life. This knowledge is applied to all situations in life. As a result, one knows how to behave as a wise person in them. The result is that God is honored and one’s neighbor is blessed. What a tremendously precious thing such lips are in a world like ours. In , the wise one urges the creditor toward one who has been foolish enough to become “surety for a stranger” to even take the surety’s garment. Becoming surety has been discussed before ( ) and is always strongly discouraged, especially in the case of a stranger. It is a proverb that should discourage becoming surety for another. It marks the stupidity of those who do so. Such a person must bear the consequences. He is literally stripped. His garment goes to strangers as pledge. Then he never sees it again. The warning is that you are in danger of losing everything to the creditor, who can pawn your things to strangers if you become surety. Good things acquired dishonestly bring no satisfaction ( ). There is such a thing as “enjoying the passing pleasure of sin” ( ), but it is indeed only temporary. The aftertaste is very bitter. Not only is there a lack of taste and nourishment in what has been stolen, but the consequence is that nothing at all can be eaten with pleasure. Gravel ruins the teeth so that food can no longer be consumed with taste ( ). Eating becomes difficult and hurts. God causes this result. We see it in the eating the first “bread obtained by falsehood” eaten by man. We also see the consequences. Adam and Eve ate bread obtained by falsehood when they took the fruit from the tree of which God had told them not to eat ( ). The fruit looked very attractive and no doubt the taste will have been exquisite. But what dramatic consequences resulted from eating that bread of falsehood. The truth of this proverb, which applies to everything acquired in a lying way, repeats itself daily. Satan is still out to tempt people to eat of the bread he offers, which is always bread obtained by falsehood ( ).

‏ Proverbs 20:15

Be Honest in Word and Walk

Here we hear a buyer complaining about how bad the sale is for him (Pro 20:14). Once he has negotiated and paid his low price through his dramatic performance, he leaves and then boasts about it. This doesn’t even have to mean that he tells others how clever he has been. He can just also just inwardly rejoice extraordinarily that he has been so smart and the seller so stupid. What matters is that he glories in his arrogance (Jam 4:16).

Bargain hunting is not evil and neither is haggling. This verse is a warning to an inexperienced seller not to be fooled by pathetic or intimidating buyers. Being handy in business is one thing, but making a deceptive performance in a negotiation to buy far below the value of the product is unacceptable to God and unworthy of a member of His people.

A person can be rich in earthly treasures (Pro 20:15). A lot of people in the world are. But the real wealth is that of having “lips of knowledge”. Such lips are “a precious thing”. It is rare to find someone who speaks with knowledge. Lips that speak knowledge are lips that teach knowledge, that speak well thought out words. Lips of knowledge a person gets through the long and hard work of education.

This involves the knowledge of Christ and of God’s standards for life. This knowledge is applied to all situations in life. As a result, one knows how to behave as a wise person in them. The result is that God is honored and one’s neighbor is blessed. What a tremendously precious thing such lips are in a world like ours.

In Pro 20:16, the wise one urges the creditor toward one who has been foolish enough to become “surety for a stranger” to even take the surety’s garment. Becoming surety has been discussed before (Pro 6:1 ; Pro 11:15 ; Pro 17:18) and is always strongly discouraged, especially in the case of a stranger. It is a proverb that should discourage becoming surety for another.

It marks the stupidity of those who do so. Such a person must bear the consequences. He is literally stripped. His garment goes to strangers as pledge. Then he never sees it again. The warning is that you are in danger of losing everything to the creditor, who can pawn your things to strangers if you become surety.

Good things acquired dishonestly bring no satisfaction (Pro 20:17). There is such a thing as “enjoying the passing pleasure of sin” (Heb 11:25), but it is indeed only temporary. The aftertaste is very bitter. Not only is there a lack of taste and nourishment in what has been stolen, but the consequence is that nothing at all can be eaten with pleasure. Gravel ruins the teeth so that food can no longer be consumed with taste (Lam 3:16). Eating becomes difficult and hurts. God causes this result.

We see it in the eating the first “bread obtained by falsehood” eaten by man. We also see the consequences. Adam and Eve ate bread obtained by falsehood when they took the fruit from the tree of which God had told them not to eat (Gen 2:16-17 ; Gen 3:1-6). The fruit looked very attractive and no doubt the taste will have been exquisite. But what dramatic consequences resulted from eating that bread of falsehood. The truth of this proverb, which applies to everything acquired in a lying way, repeats itself daily. Satan is still out to tempt people to eat of the bread he offers, which is always bread obtained by falsehood (Pro 9:17).