Bird's-eye view
This proverb sets before us a fundamental choice, a choice between two companies and two destinies. It is a stark contrast, not between poverty and wealth in a merely material sense, but between two spiritual postures: humility and pride. The verse teaches that it is objectively better to align oneself with the humble and lowly, even if it means a lower station in life, than to join the company of the proud in their fleeting triumphs. This is not a piece of sentimental advice for the downtrodden; it is a statement of spiritual reality. Pride is on a trajectory that ends in ruin, and sharing in its spoils is like getting a choice cabin on a sinking ship. Humility, on the other hand, is the path of wisdom and life because it aligns a man with God, who resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The choice presented is therefore between the temporary plunder of the arrogant and the enduring fellowship of the meek, a fellowship that ultimately inherits the earth.
At its core, the proverb is a commentary on the previous verse, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). This verse provides the practical application. If pride leads to destruction, then it is sheer foolishness to join the proud in their victory lap. Their "spoil" is cursed. It is far better, far more prudent, to cast your lot with the lowly, those who possess a humble spirit. This is where true safety and, paradoxically, true exaltation are found. This principle is woven throughout Scripture and finds its ultimate expression in the Lord Jesus Christ, who forsook the highest station to associate with the lowly, and was therefore highly exalted by God.
Outline
- 1. A Fundamental Choice (Prov 16:19)
- a. The Better Portion: Humility with the Lowly (Prov 16:19a)
- b. The Fool's Bargain: Plunder with the Proud (Prov 16:19b)
Context In Proverbs
Proverbs 16 is a chapter dense with contrasts between the way of the wise and the way of the fool, which are synonymous with the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. A central theme is the absolute sovereignty of God over all human affairs, even the thoughts and plans of man ("The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD," v. 1; "The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble," v. 4). This divine sovereignty is the backdrop against which the moral choices of man are set. The chapter repeatedly contrasts pride and humility. Verse 5 states that "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD." Verse 18, immediately preceding our text, delivers the famous dictum that "Pride goes before destruction." Our verse, 19, is therefore the logical and practical conclusion to this line of reasoning. If God is sovereign, if He hates pride, and if pride inevitably leads to a fall, then the wise man will run from the company of the proud, no matter how successful they appear.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Biblical Humility
- The Nature of Biblical Pride
- The Deception of Apparent Success
- The Connection Between Association and Destiny
- The Sovereignty of God in Judgment and Grace
The Company You Keep
The book of Proverbs is intensely practical, and it understands that a man's character is shaped by his companions. You become like the company you keep. This proverb is not simply advising an internal attitude; it is advising a choice of fellowship. Who do you want to be with? Who are your people? The world offers two basic fraternities. There is the fraternity of the proud, and there is the fraternity of the lowly. The proud are often the ones who seem to be winning. They are the ones with the "spoil," the plunder, the visible signs of conquest and success. They are the movers and shakers, the ones who command respect in the boardrooms and parliaments. To join them is to get a piece of the action.
But God says this is a fool's bargain. The spoil of the proud is tainted. It is the fruit of arrogance, which God has sworn to resist. To divide that spoil is to become a partaker in their sin and, consequently, a partaker in their judgment. The alternative is to be "humble in spirit with the lowly." This company may not look like much. They are the meek, the poor in spirit, the ones the world overlooks. But their fellowship is where true life is found, because God is with them. He gives grace to them. Their portion may be small in this life, but their destiny is glorious. This proverb, then, is a call to look past the immediate appearances and to make your alliances based on God's revealed reality.
Verse by Verse Commentary
19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
The proverb is structured as a "better than" statement, a common form in wisdom literature that forces a choice between two seemingly desirable, or undesirable, options. Here, the choice is between two groups of people and the outcomes associated with them.
First, the better option: to be humble in spirit with the lowly. This describes both an internal posture and an external association. The "humble in spirit" is the one who has a right estimation of himself before God. This is not a groveling self-hatred, but rather the joyful recognition of one's own smallness in the face of God's infinite greatness. It is an inference drawn from looking at God, not from navel-gazing. This person then finds his natural home "with the lowly." These are the people who, for various reasons, are not esteemed by the world. They may be poor, or simple, or lacking in worldly influence. But they are God's people. To choose their company is to choose reality. It is to choose to live in the world as it actually is, under the government of a God who will one day exalt the humble.
Second, the inferior option: Than to divide the spoil with the proud. "The proud" are the antithesis of the humble. Their orientation is entirely self-referential. They are the center of their own universe. And in this life, their arrogance often seems to pay off. They conquer, they achieve, they accumulate "spoil." The spoil represents the fruits of their conquest, whether that be wealth, power, or fame. The temptation is to join their winning team, to get a cut of the profits. But the proverb warns that this is a trap. Their spoil is ill-gotten, not just because it may have been acquired unjustly from men, but because it was acquired in defiance of God. To share in their plunder is to align yourself with those whom God has declared to be His enemies. Their end is destruction, as the previous verse made plain, and their spoil will be consumed in that same destruction.
Application
This proverb forces us to examine our allegiances and our ambitions. In our culture, which is drunk on the wine of self-esteem and self-actualization, pride is not seen as a vice but as a virtue. We are told to be proud of who we are, to celebrate ourselves. Consequently, the company of the proud is vast and inviting. Their spoil is displayed on every screen and billboard. The temptation to join them, to measure our success by their standards, is immense.
This verse calls us to a radical counter-cultural choice. It calls us to find our identity not in self-assertion but in self-forgetfulness before God. It calls us to seek fellowship not with the successful and the glamorous, but with the faithful and the humble, even when they are despised by the world. In the church, this means we must resist the urge to build slick, impressive organizations that cater to the tastes of the proud. The church is meant to be a home for the lowly, a place where the humble in spirit can gather without pretense.
Ultimately, this proverb points us to Christ. He is the ultimate example of one who chose humility with the lowly over the spoils of pride. He did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant (Phil. 2:6-7). He associated with tax collectors and sinners, the lowly of Israel. And for this, God highly exalted Him. When we, by faith, are united to Christ, we are joined to His humility. We die to the allure of the world's spoil and are made alive to the joy of fellowship with God and His people. The choice, then, is not between a sad life with the lowly and a fun life with the proud. It is a choice between the fleeting plunder that perishes and the eternal inheritance that is kept in heaven for those who, by God's grace, have chosen the better part.