Bird's-eye view
This proverb, like so many others, is a sharp, two-edged statement that cuts to the heart of civic and personal righteousness. It addresses the foundation of any stable society: an impartial system of justice. Solomon here sets two related abominations side by side. The first is actively favoring the wicked, and the second is passively, or actively, denying justice to the righteous. These are not two separate sins but rather two sides of the same corrupt coin. When a judge, or any person in a position of authority, looks at a guilty man and lets him off because of his wealth, status, or connections, that is the first sin. When that same judge looks at a righteous man in the same case and dismisses his valid claims, that is the second. Both actions stem from a heart that has abandoned the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. This proverb is a foundational plank in a biblical worldview of law and justice, reminding us that God's throne is established on righteousness, and therefore any human authority that mirrors His must be established on the same.
The core issue is a perversion of reality. The wicked man deserves punishment; the righteous man deserves vindication. To flip this script is to call evil good and good evil, which is a practice God detests. It is a form of institutionalized lying. This is not merely a matter of bad social policy; it is a profound theological offense. It attacks the very character of God, who is the ultimate Judge and who judges with perfect equity. Therefore, a society that tolerates or encourages such behavior in its courts is a society that is setting itself up for a collision with the God who sees all and who will not be mocked.
Outline
- 1. The Foundation of Justice (Prov 18:5)
- a. The Active Sin: Favoring the Wicked (Prov 18:5a)
- b. The Resulting Sin: Subverting the Righteous (Prov 18:5b)
Context In Proverbs
Proverbs 18 is a collection of wisdom sayings that touch upon various aspects of life, from the dangers of isolation (v. 1) and the foolishness of a babbling mouth (vv. 2, 6-7) to the security found in the name of the Lord (v. 10). This particular verse, 18:5, fits squarely within a major theme of the book: the absolute necessity of justice and righteousness for a well-ordered life and society. Proverbs repeatedly warns against false witness (Prov 19:5), unequal weights and measures (Prov 20:10), and bribery (Prov 17:23). This verse distills the essence of judicial corruption into one concise statement. It follows a verse about the destructive power of a fool's words and precedes a warning about the self-incriminating nature of a wicked man's testimony. The placement highlights that corrupt judgment is not just a procedural error but a moral failing that flows from a wicked heart and leads to societal breakdown.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Impartiality
- Biblical Justice vs. Social Justice
- The Character of God as Judge
- Corporate Responsibility for Justice
- The Relationship Between Law and Morality
The Scales of God
When we think of justice, we often picture the familiar image of a blindfolded woman holding a set of scales. The blindfold represents impartiality; she doesn't see the status, wealth, or identity of the persons before her. She only weighs the evidence and the merits of the case. The scales represent the objective standard of the law. This secular icon actually stumbles upon a profoundly biblical truth. God's justice is not arbitrary; it is based on His unchanging, righteous character. "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne" (Psalm 89:14).
This proverb is telling us that to "show partiality" is to peek from under the blindfold. It is to put a thumb on the scales. It is to decide the outcome of a matter based on something other than the objective facts and the righteous standard. You might favor the wicked man because he is rich and you want a bribe. You might favor him because he is part of your tribe, your political party, or your social circle. You might favor him because you are afraid of him. Conversely, you might thrust aside the righteous man because he is poor, because he is an outsider, or because his righteousness is a standing rebuke to your own compromises. In every case, the standard is no longer God's law, but rather your own self-interest. This is what the proverb condemns as "not good." And in the understated language of Proverbs, "not good" is the equivalent of "a damnable offense."
Verse by Verse Commentary
5a To show partiality to the wicked is not good,
The phrase "to show partiality" in the Hebrew is literally "to lift up the face of." It carries the idea of showing honor or favor to someone. The scene is a courtroom or some other place of judgment. A wicked man, a man who is demonstrably in the wrong, stands accused. The judge, instead of looking at the facts, looks at the man's face. He recognizes him as someone important, someone connected, someone he wants to please. And so he "lifts his face," granting him an honor and a standing that he does not deserve. This is expressly forbidden in the Mosaic law: "You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly" (Lev. 19:15). Notice that the temptation can go both ways, but here the focus is on favoring the wicked. This is a fundamental corruption because it rewards evil. It incentivizes wickedness. When a society's legal system begins to consistently favor the guilty, it sends a clear message: crime pays, wickedness works. This is, Solomon says simply, "not good." It is the opposite of good. It is evil because it undermines the moral structure of the universe that God has established.
5b Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.
This is the necessary consequence of the first action. If you lift up the face of the wicked, you must, by necessity, cast down the face of the righteous. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot bend the law to favor the guilty without simultaneously bending it to punish the innocent. To "thrust aside" the righteous means to deny their claim, to subvert their cause, to push them out of the way. The righteous man comes to court seeking vindication. He has been wronged, and he appeals to the law for a remedy. But because the judge has already decided to favor the wicked man, the righteous man's case is doomed before it even begins. His righteousness counts for nothing. The facts count for nothing. He is overthrown in the place where he should have been protected. This is the height of injustice. The courts, which were established by God to be a refuge for the innocent and a terror to evildoers, become the very instrument of oppression. When this happens, a society has rotted from the head down. The salt has lost its savor and is good for nothing but to be trampled underfoot. This is what happens when men forget that there is a Judge in heaven to whom all earthly judges must give an account.
Application
The immediate application of this proverb is for those who hold public office, particularly judges and magistrates. They are to administer their duties without fear or favor. Their loyalty must be to the law of God and the law of the land, not to any man, party, or faction. But the principle extends to all of us. We are constantly making judgments in our families, our businesses, and our churches. A father must not show partiality among his children. A pastor must not favor the wealthy members of his congregation over the poor. We are all called to love what is right and hate what is wrong, regardless of who is involved.
But the ultimate application takes us to the gospel. Every one of us is, in fact, the wicked man in the dock. We stand before the holy Judge of all the earth with no case, no defense, and no righteousness of our own. By the pure standard of God's law, we deserve to be "thrust aside" in judgment, and cast out forever. But God, in His infinite mercy, did something that would be "not good" for any human judge to do. He showed partiality. He chose to favor us, the wicked, because of another. He looked upon the face of His righteous Son, Jesus Christ, and for His sake, He lifts up our faces. And in the great divine exchange at the cross, Christ the truly Righteous One was "thrust aside" in judgment for us. He was overthrown so that we might be lifted up. God "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21). This is the great exception to the proverb, the miracle of the gospel. God broke His own rule, in a manner of speaking, by punishing the innocent and acquitting the guilty, in order to satisfy His perfect justice and display His unfathomable grace. Having received such a pardon, how can we then turn around and perpetrate injustice among our brethren?