A Contentious Wife Makes Life Miserable
July 17, 2021
Commentary
There is no king or ruler so great that he can act in independence of God. Whether he admits it or not God is controlling him just as he controls the water in the rivers (v. 1). A good example of this was Pharaoh. We may think that nothing is wrong in the things we are doing but the Lord knows what is in our heart (v. 2). We tend to excuse and explain away things in our lives that we would not tolerate in the lives of others. God prefers people’s obedience over their sacrifice (v. 3). In Israel, involvement in the sacrificial system was no substitute for the “sacrifice” of righteous living (1 Sam. 15:22). Arrogance and pride, as well as hypocrisy, is what the wicked thrive on. But pride is sin. Pride is the lamp of the wicked, that is, it is their very life (v. 4).
This passage refers to wealth (vv. 5-6). A person who carefully plans his work and works his plan will find profit in his labor. People who are guilty of violence to others will find that it will boomerang, just as evil talk does, and eventually they themselves will be dragged away like fish caught in a net (v. 7). Devious and upright describe the conduct of the guilty and the innocent (v. 8). This verse contrasts the crookedness of guilty people with the uprightness of godly people.
The statement about a quarrelsome wife is the preference of living in cramped quarters where one can at least have peace and quiet rather than in a spacious house with an argumentative, contentious wife (v. 9). A wife who causes strife makes a home unpleasant and undesirable. The wicked person craves evil as if he were addicted to it (v. 10).
Application
Have you ever done something that you didn’t think anyone saw, even God? What are some areas of my life that would be different if I were constantly realizing God’s presence?
Proverbs 21:1– 10 (NET)
1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.
2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates his thoughts.
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart— what the wicked cultivate is sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6 Making a fortune by a lying tongue is like a vapor driven back and forth; they seek death.
7 The violence done by the wicked will drag them away because they have refused to do what is right.
8 The way of the guilty person is devious, but as for the pure, his way is upright.
9 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The appetite of the wicked has desired evil; his neighbor is shown no favor in his eyes.
Illustration: A Young Woman Who Has The Sin of Gossip
A young woman asked for an appointment with her pastor to talk with him about a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she saw him, she said, “Pastor, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I realize that I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?” The pastor replied, “Mary, that’s not a sin, why that’s just a mistake!” (Jim Chapman – Sermon Central).