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Proverbs 3:27–35 — Do Not Withhold Good | Bible Commentary · A Tithe of Time Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to a tithe of time, rooted in wisdom, growing wiser, one passage at a time.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Today we'll be looking at Proverbs 3, 27-35, reading from the ESV.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Do not say to your neighbor, Go and come again, tomorrow I will give it, when you have it with you.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Do not envy a man of violence, and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's look closer.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: This passage brings wisdom right into ordinary relationships, neighbors, promises, conflict, envy.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: The question is no longer only, what do I know?
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: It becomes, how do I treat the people around me?
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: The first command is simple but easy to overlook.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Do not withhold good when it is in your power to do it.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, wisdom is not only refusing to do harm.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes wisdom means recognizing the good you are able to do and not unnecessarily holding it back.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Then Proverbs gives a very practical example.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Do not tell your neighbor, come again tomorrow, when you already have what you owe or what you can give.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: The problem is not merely delay, it is making someone wait when there is no real reason for them to wait.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Then the passage moves from withholding good to actively causing harm.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Do not plan evil against your neighbor who dwells trustingly beside you.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: That word trustingly matters.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: The person beside you feels safe.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom refuses to use someone's trust as an opportunity to hurt them.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Next comes unnecessary conflict.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Do not contend with a man for no reason.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Not every disagreement needs to become a fight, especially when the other person has done you no harm.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Then Proverbs gives an interesting warning.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do not envy a man of violence.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Why would anyone envy him?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because violent or dishonest people can sometimes appear powerful, successful, or untouchable.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs says, do not mistake temporary advantage for a life worth copying.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then we get the reason.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: The devious person is opposed to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: That is the contrast running through the rest of the passage.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Wickedness may appear strong, but God's favor rests with the humble and upright.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: The final line brings it home.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is not just about getting ahead, it is about choosing a way of life that can stand in the light.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the picture Proverbs 3.27-35 leaves us with.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom shows up in how quickly we do good, how carefully we handle another person's trust, how we respond to conflict, and whose example we choose to follow.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: This concludes Proverbs 327 35.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Next, we'll continue in our rooted in wisdom series with Psalm 9.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, tithe your time.