Commentary - Proverbs 28:24

Bird's-eye view

This proverb addresses a particular kind of covenantal rot that begins in the home and spreads outward to destroy a culture. The sin described is twofold: first, the act of robbing one's parents, and second, the brazen rationalization of that act. This is not just about a rebellious teenager stealing twenty dollars from his mother's purse. The principle extends to any form of defrauding, dishonoring, or dereliction of duty toward one's parents, particularly as they age. The proverb's striking conclusion is that the one who does this and justifies it is not merely a petty thief but is "the companion of a man who destroys." He is a partner with a vandal, a revolutionary, a destroyer of worlds. This is because the family is the foundational institution of society, and the Fifth Commandment is the lynchpin that holds it all together. To attack that foundational honor is to take a sledgehammer to the pillars of civilization itself.

The core issue is the sinner's self-justification. He says, "It is not a transgression." This reveals a heart that has seared its own conscience. He has redefined good and evil to suit his own greed and convenience. This is the very essence of lawlessness. The proverb teaches us that such domestic treason is not a private family squabble; it is a public menace. The man who will rationalize stealing from the very people who gave him life will rationalize any other sin. He is on the same team as the man who burns cities down. Both are destroyers, just operating in different spheres.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs 28 is a chapter full of sharp contrasts between the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish. This particular verse is situated among proverbs dealing with justice, integrity, and the consequences of greed. The preceding verse contrasts the favor found by a rebuker with the flattery of a deceiver (Prov 28:23). The following verse warns that "a greedy man stirs up strife" (Prov 28:25). Our verse, 24, fits perfectly within this context. The son who robs his parents is a flatterer of his own conscience and is driven by a profound greed. He despises the rebuke inherent in the Fifth Commandment. This proverb is part of a larger tapestry in the book that emphasizes the foundational importance of honoring parents (Prov 1:8; 6:20; 20:20; 23:22; 30:17). The wisdom of Proverbs is intensely practical and covenantal, showing how personal piety (or impiety) in the home has massive public and generational consequences.

Key Issues

The Architecture of Ruin

Every great collapse begins with a crack in the foundation. Cultures do not implode overnight. They are hollowed out from the inside, and the hollowing always begins in the home. This proverb gives us a snapshot of the kind of termite who does this work. He is the son who looks at his parents not with honor and gratitude, but as a resource to be exploited. He sees their assets, their inheritance, their Social Security check, or simply their goodwill as something he is entitled to. He is a predator in his own house.

But the act of theft is only the first part of the sin. The deadlier part is the self-justification. "It is not a transgression." How does he arrive at this conclusion? He might say, "They owe me for my upbringing," or "I'm just taking my inheritance a little early," or "They don't need it as much as I do," or "They wouldn't want me to struggle when they have plenty." This is the crooked logic of a deceitful heart (Jer 17:9). He re-labels his sin to make it palatable. Theft becomes "an advance." Dishonor becomes "asserting my independence." This is the satanic grammar that redefines evil as good. And God says that the man who masters this language is a brother-in-arms to the anarchist, the vandal, the man who brings ruin. The man who tears down his own family is practicing on a small scale what the revolutionary wants to do to the entire world.

Verse by Verse Commentary

24 He who robs his father or his mother...

The verb "robs" is a strong one. It implies violence, plunder, and taking by force. While this can certainly mean literal theft, it encompasses a much wider range of sins against the Fifth Commandment. It includes financial exploitation of elderly parents, manipulating them out of their property, or refusing to provide for them in their old age, which our Lord condemned as a violation of this command (Mark 7:10-13). It is the sin of treating parents as a means to an end, a resource to be consumed. The debt a child owes his parents for life itself is immeasurable. To repay that gift with plunder is a grotesque inversion of the created order. It is a direct assault on the goodness of God, who established the family and commanded that honor flow from the younger to the older.

And says, “It is not a transgression,”...

Here is the rotten core of the matter. The sinner is his own defense attorney, and he has a fool for a client. The conscience, which God installed as a witness, has been suborned, bribed, and silenced. To say, "It is not a transgression," is to set oneself up as a higher authority than God. God says, "Honor your father and your mother." God says, "You shall not steal." The sinner replies, "In this particular case, with my particular circumstances, it doesn't count." This is the lie of the serpent in the garden: "Did God really say...?" The moment a man convinces himself that his sin is not sin, he has thrown away his moral compass. He is adrift on a sea of his own subjective desires, and there is no telling what shore he will wash up on.

Is the companion of a man who destroys.

This is the stunning conclusion. The consequence is not just that he is a thief or a liar; he is a partner with a destroyer. The Hebrew word for destroyer is mashchith, which is used for a spoiler, a vandal, or a corrupter. It is the word used for the destroying angel. This is not a mild association. The man who robs his parents and calls it good has the same spirit as the man who burns down a city, poisons a well, or tears down a temple. Why? Because both are animated by a spirit of destruction. Both refuse to live within the bounds of God's created order. The son tears down the created order of the family; the vandal tears down the created order of society. They are working for the same dark master, whose goal from the beginning has been to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The sin that begins at the family dinner table, if left unchecked, will end in societal chaos.

Application

The application of this proverb must begin in our own hearts and homes. We live in a culture that is awash in the spirit of entitlement. Children are taught to see their parents as providers of services, and if those services are not up to snuff, the children feel aggrieved. This proverb calls us to a radical repentance. For the young, it is a call to honor, obey, and be grateful for your parents, even when they are imperfect. For those with adult parents, it is a call to care for them, provide for them, and protect them, repaying the debt of love we owe them. It is a stark warning against the temptation to view an inheritance as our right, or our parents' resources as our own.

More broadly, we must see the connection between the health of our families and the health of our nation. A society that dishonors its elders, warehouses them in institutions, and sees them as a burden rather than a blessing is a society that is rotting from the head down. A culture that celebrates youthful rebellion as the highest good is a culture that is sawing off the branch it is sitting on. The spirit of the destroyer is abroad in our land, and it seeks to tear down every institution God has established. The front line of this battle is not in the halls of government, but in the living rooms of our homes. Faithfulness here, in the small things of honoring father and mother, is how we build a civilization that lasts. To despise this duty is to enlist in the army of the destroyers.