Commentary - Proverbs 11:17

Bird's-eye view

This proverb sets before us two men, two paths, and two very different destinations. It is a sharp antithesis, a tale of two souls. On the one hand, we have the man of lovingkindness, or mercy. His actions are not a drain on his resources, as a stingy materialist might think, but rather a bountiful investment in his own soul. He is his own greatest benefactor. On the other hand, we have the cruel man, the man who is hard and merciless. He thinks his cruelty gains him some advantage, perhaps through intimidation or by refusing to be a "sucker." But in reality, he is his own worst enemy, bringing trouble and ruin upon his own flesh. The proverb teaches us that the universe is morally structured. God has designed the world such that blessing others results in blessing for oneself, and harming others is a slow-motion form of self-harm. This is not karma; it is the fixed moral order of a personal God.

The core contrast is between a man who lives with an open hand and a man who lives with a clenched fist. The open-handed man does good to his own soul, indicating a deep, internal, spiritual prosperity. The clenched-fist man, the cruel one, brings trouble on his own flesh, indicating a physical, external, and ultimately temporal form of ruin. This proverb is a call to see that true self-interest is found in godly mercy, and that what the world calls self-interest, cruelty, selfishness, hardness, is actually the most profound form of self-destruction.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs is a book of practical wisdom, designed to teach us how to navigate the world as God made it. It operates on the principle that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The proverbs are not abstract, philosophical fortune-cookie sayings. They are gritty, real-world instructions for living. They are general truths, not mathematical axioms. A man of lovingkindness generally prospers, and a cruel man generally comes to ruin. This is the way God has wired the world to work.

This particular proverb fits within a broader theme in Proverbs that contrasts the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish. The righteous man is often characterized by his generosity, his kindness, and his truthfulness. The wicked man is marked by his greed, his cruelty, and his deceit. Proverbs 11 is full of these contrasts: the false balance versus the just weight (v. 1), the wicked overthrown versus the righteous rooted (v. 5), the desire of the righteous ending in good versus the expectation of the wicked ending in wrath (v. 23). Our verse, verse 17, is another brushstroke in this grand portrait of the two ways to live.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 17a The man of lovingkindness deals bountifully with his soul,

The Hebrew word for "lovingkindness" here is hesed. This is a rich, covenantal term. It's not just a feeling of niceness; it is loyal love, steadfast mercy, active goodness toward another. So, the "man of lovingkindness" is one whose character is defined by this steadfast, active mercy. He is the sort of man who helps his neighbor move, who gives to the poor without making a show of it, who forgives a debt, who speaks a kind word to the downcast. He is a reflection, however faint, of the God whose hesed endures forever.

Now, what is the result of this way of life? He "deals bountifully with his soul." The world, in its foolishness, thinks that being merciful is to your own detriment. You give away your time, your money, your energy. You are being taken advantage of. But God's economy is not like man's. In the divine calculus, what you give away in lovingkindness, you receive back in spades, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. And notice where the return is deposited: "with his soul." This is not primarily about getting a bigger car or a fatter portfolio, though God is certainly free to bless in that way. The primary return is spiritual. It is peace, joy, a clean conscience, fellowship with God, a sense of rightness with the world. He is laying up treasure in heaven, certainly, but he is also experiencing a down payment of that treasure in his own soul, right now. He is his own benefactor. His generosity is the best thing he could do for himself.

v. 17b But the cruel man brings trouble on his flesh.

Here is the antithesis, the dark mirror image. The "cruel man" is the one who is hard, sharp, and merciless. He is the ruthless businessman, the unforgiving neighbor, the abusive husband, the playground bully grown up. He thinks his cruelty is a strength. It is his armor. It is how he gets ahead in a dog-eat-dog world. He believes that by being hard on others, he is being good to himself. He is looking out for number one.

But the proverb says he "brings trouble on his flesh." The word for trouble here can mean to stir up, to disturb, to bring ruin upon. And notice the target: "his flesh." While the merciful man was prospering in his soul, the cruel man is bringing ruin upon his body. This is a profound insight into the psychosomatic unity of man. A life of cruelty, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness is not an abstract spiritual problem. It eats you alive. It manifests in ulcers, high blood pressure, broken relationships, isolation, and fear. The man who lives by the sword dies by the sword, and often the sword is his own internalized cruelty, doing its destructive work from the inside out. He thought he was protecting himself, but he was actually poisoning himself. His every act of cruelty was an act of self-harm. He is the ultimate fool, wrecking his own house to prove a point. God is not mocked; a man reaps what he sows. The cruel man sows trouble for others, and the harvest comes up in his own backyard, in his own body.

Application

The application here is as straightforward as it gets. Do you want to do yourself a favor? A real, lasting, soul-deep favor? Then be a person of lovingkindness. Be merciful. Forgive the person who wronged you. Give generously to the person in need. Speak kindly to the person who gets on your nerves. This is not a call to be a doormat, but a call to imitate your heavenly Father, who is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. This is the path of wisdom, the path of true self-interest.

Conversely, if you want to ruin your life, if you want to bring trouble upon yourself in every conceivable way, then be cruel. Hold grudges. Be stingy. Use your words as weapons. Be hard and unforgiving. The world might applaud you for being a "strong" person who doesn't take any guff. But the Word of God tells you that you are a fool, busily engaged in the project of your own destruction.

Ultimately, we see the perfect embodiment of this proverb in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the ultimate man of lovingkindness. He dealt bountifully with His own soul by going to the cross, and as a result, God highly exalted Him. And on that cross, He took upon His own flesh the trouble that our cruelty deserved. He absorbed the consequences of our sin. We were the cruel ones, bringing trouble on ourselves. And He, the merciful one, stepped in and took that trouble for us, so that we, by faith in Him, might become men and women of lovingkindness who do good to our own souls, for His glory and for our eternal joy.