Bridges on Proverbs 21:6-7
 
 
Charles Bridges on Proverbs 21:6-7
 
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6.  The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death. 7.  The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment. {destroy...: Heb. saw them, or, dwell with them}
 
A graphical picture of the hasty spirit — its own crooked ways tending to want. Treasures may be gotten by lying; but they become vanity. They are “put into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6), and sink away. They are like a ball tossed to and fro by a withering blast, or dust and chaff before the wind. Unrighteous gain is a dear bargain. The wrath of God mingles gall and bitterness with the wages of iniquity. Eagerly did Judas desire to get rid of his ill-gotten treasure as an intolerable curse. Yet he could not fly from his torturing conscience. He sought death, and he found it. (Matthew 27:5.)
Indeed it is with the ungodly as if they sought death as their reward. So fondly do they love the way of eternal death! Meanwhile their own sin is the seed of destruction. Their robbery virtually destroys them. And whom can they blame but themselves? It is not ignorance or inconsideration, but willfulness, that destroys, because they refuse to do judgment. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9)? that “the wages of sin,” invariably, inevitably — “is death”? (Romans 6:23.) What else did the robbery of Achan and Gehazi bring to them? Short indeed was the enjoyment of Ananias and Sapphira in “the part of the price kept back” at the expense of a lying tongue. Sudden and everlasting destruction was their doom — a beacon to worldly, half-hearted, self-deceiving professors.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Haggai 1:6
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. {with holes: Heb. pierced through}
 
 
Footnote:
Chapter 10:2; 22:8. Jeremiah 17:11.
 

 
Proverbs 10:2
2 ¶ Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
 
Proverbs 22:8
8 ¶ He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail. {the rod...: or, with the rod of his anger he shall be consumed}
 
Jeremiah 17:11
11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. {sitteth...: or, gathereth young which she hath not brought forth}
 
 
Footnote:
Zechariah 5:4. Compare Isaiah 1:23, 24. Jeremiah 7:9-11, 15. Ezekiel 22:13, 14. Habakkuk 2:6-8.
 

 
Zechariah 5:4
4 I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
 
Compare
Isaiah 1:23, 24
23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. 24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
 
Jeremiah 7:9-11, 15
9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? {which...: Heb. whereupon my name is called} 11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
 
Ezekiel 22:13, 14
13 Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. 14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it.
 
Habakkuk 2:6-8
6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! {Woe...: or, Ho, he} 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them? 8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. {blood: Heb. bloods}
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Matthew 27:5
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
 
 
Footnote:
Chapter 1:11, 18, 19; 22:22, 23. Habakkuk 2:10-13.
 

 
Proverbs 1:11, 18, 19
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
 
Proverbs 22:22, 23
22 ¶ Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: 23 For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
 
Habakkuk 2:10-13
10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. 11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. {beam: or, piece, or, fastening} {answer it: or, witness against it} 12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! {blood: Heb. bloods} 13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? {for...: or, in vain?}
 
 
1 Corinthians 6:9
9 ¶ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
 
 
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
 
Footnote:
Joshua 7:21-26. 2 Kings 5:20-27.
 

 
Joshua 7:21-26
21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. {wedge: Heb. tongue} 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. {laid: Heb. poured} 24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. {Achor: that is, Trouble}
 
2 Kings 5:20-27
20 ¶ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? {Is...: Heb. Is there peace?} 22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. 23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. 24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. {tower: or, secret place} 25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. {no whither: Heb. not hither or thither} 26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Footnote:
Chapter 12:19. Acts 5:1-10. The marginal reading seems to imply aggravated destruction, probably with shame. Compare 2 Samuel 12:31. Hebrews 11:37. Also, Luke 12:46. ‘Search your chests; search your hearts, all ye that hear me this day; and if any of you find any of this adulterated gold among your heaps, away with it. As you love yourselves, away with it. Else know, that (as Chrysostom wittily says) ‘You have locked up a thief in your counting-house, which shall carry away all; and — if ye look not to it the sooner — your soul with it.” — Bishop Hall's Sermon on the Righteous Mammon. Works, v. 109, 110.
 

 
Proverbs 12:9
19 ¶ The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
 
Acts 5:1-10.
1 ¶ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? {to lie to: or, to deceive} 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
 
Compare
2 Samuel 12:31
31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
 
Hebrews 11:37
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
 
Also
Luke 12:46
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. {cut...: or, cut him off}