Proverbs 25:1 "These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out."

We had an introduction into the gathering of the proverbs and other books by the scribes under Hezekiah in the prior chapter. This chapter encourages our reverence to our heavenly Father.

Proverbs 25:2 "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: But the honour of kings is to search out a matter."

God has the right to conceal what ever He chooses to conceal, but it is to the kings honor to be able to search out a matter before he makes a decision. Our Father was the creator of all things.

Proverbs 25:3 "The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings is unsearchable."

Each of these three things are known only to Father, for the vastness of the universe, or the depths within our earth, or the thoughts of a king can only be know by our Father. He knows it all, but he also can conceal what ever He desires to conceal.

Proverbs 25:4 "Take away the dross from the silver, And there shall come forth a vessel for the finer."

This goes into verse five.

Proverbs 25:5 "Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness."

Before the finer can work with the silver to make his fine vessel, the slag or dross has to be removed from the silver. This is just as it is for a king to establish a righteous throne, for the slag or wickedness and corruption must also be removed.

Proverbs 25:6 "Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men:"

If you go before a king or great person, don't make something out of yourself that you are not. Be straightforward.

Proverbs 25:7 "For better it is that it be said unto thee, "Come up hither;" Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince Whom thine eyes have seen."

When in the presence of a king or person of high authority, always take a low position or seat, for it is better to be promoted to a higher position than demoted and thought less of. God's way is to place you into the seat that you are worthy of. This fact can be taken both spiritually or as it relates to society today.

Proverbs 25:8 "Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame."

This is saying, don't run into doing something hastily. Take the time to think things through. This points out that in the presence of your neighbor, you can be put to shame for you slackness in thinking the matter through.

Proverbs 25:9 "Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; And discover not a secret to another:"

If you have a squabble with a neighbor, keep that problem to yourself. When it gets out in the open, it can be hard to deal with. This deals with personal matters.

Proverbs 25:10 "Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, And thine infamy turn not away."

If the people you confide in talk to much, they can start something that just won't go away. You know how stories can get stretched out of control, and in the end, there will be shame for everyone.

Proverbs 25:11 "A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

This word "fitly" in the Hebrew text means timely. When talking to anyone about anything, it is important to have the subject flow in the sentence and be neatly connected. It has to be accurate and to the point, or people just will not listen.

Proverbs 25:12 "As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear."

A wise reprover is one that is right all the time. People learn to rely on those that check their stories out before they repeat them. Then what they say has merit to the listener. If you are going to teach, be correct in your teaching, and the same goes for the preacher. What ever you do, get in the habit of being a wise reprover. The obedient ear is one that learns to rely and act upon what you say as being the truth.

Proverbs 25:13 "As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him: For he refresheth the soul of his masters."

This refers to a teaching method; for the phrase; "As the could of snow in the time of harvest" has a flaw in it. It doesn't snow during the harvest season. That would be a calamity. So what this is say, is that the snow was taken from the mountains of Lebanon and brought to the fields of harvest for a nice cold drink. Harvest is a time of much toil, and that drink is very refreshing. This is also saying that a loyal worker is far better than efficient worker. The loyal worker can be trusted.

Proverbs 25:14 "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift Is like clouds and wind without rain."

When you have clouds and wind, the rain will follow, however the person that boasts of himself is like that cloud that has no water in it. That is exactly what a false prophet is, one that looks good, sounds good, but the message is empty: A cloud without rain, a big bag of wind.

Proverbs 25:15 "By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone."

Wisdom spoken with a soft tongue and using patience, and sticking with the truth can bring down an enemy who is very powerful. Just use a soft voice with truth and accuracy is very powerful.

Proverbs 25:16 "Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it."

Take what is common sense, and do it with moderation or else you will lose everything. Go easy, and use wisdom and knowledge to see the thing through. Keep under self control under agreeable things. This is using honey as an example for honey taste real good going down, yet if you take to much and it comes up, you have wasted the nourishment and the taste is bad. Practice self control and moderation in everything.

Proverbs 25:17 "Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor's house; Lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee."

What this is saying is don't over stay your welcome. Extended time means a let down in neighbor relations. Pray for your neighbors and there well being.

Proverbs 25:18 "A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow."

A man that will bear false witness against his neighbor is a destroyer, and he will damage property throughout the entire neighborhood. The damage is to property values, your sleep, and to the harmony amongst the rest of the neighborhood. This verse also goes a lot deeper, as we are to be aware of the false witness behind the pulpit also, those that would utter words of their own imagination, and say God said it, when what they say goes against the Word of God. When there is a false witness, we have already been told how to handle it, Shine the light of truth on it immediately. Let those listening to the falsehoods see him for the liar he or she is. Shine a little truth on a lie and it goes away.

Proverbs 25:19 "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint."

To put your confidence in this unfaithful person at a time when you are in trouble; that time when you absolutely need his advise is like a broken foot or the worse tooth ache that you have ever had. When you foot is broken, or you tooth aches to the point that you can't think, you are completely helpless. The unfaithful person won't let you down until there is a time of trouble. Be careful who you place your trust and confidence in. If one is unfaithful have a backup in place. So what do you do with a unfaithful person? The same thing that you do with a tooth ache, thats right get rid of it. Don't tolerate troublemakers. If you give your word on a matter, stick by your word. If you make a commitment, then stand by that commitment at any cost. Be faithful to those that are counting on you and your word. And the easiest way for a child lose confidence in you is to break your promises, and be unfaithful to that child.

Proverbs 25:20 "As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, So is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart."

The word "nitre" is a soda; and with any acid it causes a strong effervescence, which is a bubbling or hissing as gasses are released. So what this is saying is that when you take away garment in the middle of cold weather, you are going to freeze, and why you place the soda on the nitre, you destroy the soda, as well as creating gases that are putrefying and you want to get away from it. This is as it is when there is when there is some great trauma in a person's life, to have someone come to him singing lively songs. It would be in bad taste. If a friend cries, then you show your love for them by crying with him.

Proverbs 25:21 "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:"

It is important to understand what is meant here by enemy, the word enemy is not foe, someone that is trying to blow you away and do harm to you. This would better be translated "hateful person". In the Hebrew text the word is simply "hate" # 8130 in the Strong's; "sane; hate". So what do you do to a person that is absolutely hateful? Flood him with kindness. Paul told us in Romans 12:19, 20; "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." [19] "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him/ and he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his hear." [20]

Proverbs 25:22 "For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, And the Lord shall reward thee."

The important part to God's instruction, is that by being obedient to Father and giving the water to this hateful one, God is going to reward you for that act. God is the one that takes vengeance on our enemies that treat us with evil, not us.

Proverbs 25:23 "The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue."

This just isn't right the way that it is translated, so lets take a closer look at it. In the Hebrew text, "driveth away" and "bring forth" is the same Hebrew word. So it is the subject that determines which it would be. In this part of the world, the northwest or north wind always brings the rain. So it should read, "The north wind brings forth rain," it is good for the crop. That rain is just as sure as the backbiting tongue by the person with an angry countenance. You can count on it.

Proverbs 25:24 "It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a brawling woman and in a wide house."

What this is saying is that it is better to have a corner on the house top away from it all, than live in a large mansion with a brawling woman. This goes for women living with brawling men also.

Proverbs 25:25 "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country."

This is so true.

Proverbs 25:26 "A righteous man falling down before the wicked Is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring."

Here Solomon follows up the proverb of the cold waters with a corrupt spring, to show the contrast. If the enemy hurts a righteous man, the entire community is affected.

Proverbs 25:27 "It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search their own glory is not glory."

This is a follow-up of verse 16, the words "is not" is in italics and the translators have completely reversed the meaning of this verse. It should read, "the pursuit of what is difficult, one finds honor." If you work at your goal the hard way and obtain that goal, you will find honor in the task.

Proverbs 25:28 "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

He that has no rule over his self control is completely broken down, just like the city that is torn down and without walls. The man has no defense for himself at all. A wall around a city is for defense.