Most of the proverbs in this section are couplets, and most of them set forth a truth by means of a contrast.
28:2 When wickedness abounds in a land there is usually a high rate of turnover in the leadership (v. 2a). The Northern Kingdom of Israel is a case in point. Nevertheless a single wise ruler can bring stability to a land (v. 2b). God blessed the Southern Kingdom of Judah with relative stability because of David's godly leadership.
28:8 When authorities discover a person who gets rich by charging exorbitant interest and they bring him to justice, they usually turn his money over to others who are trustworthy and less greedy. This illustrates the fact that a person who amasses a fortune dishonestly normally loses it eventually.
28:11 Sometimes rich people think they are wise because they have accumulated much money (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17). However a wise person, even a poor wise man, can see that that is not the ultimate reason he is rich.
28:14 Fearing sin is in view here, not having a timid disposition or fearing God.192The contrast of hardening the heart supports this view.
28:22 The evil eye represents the wicked purposes of a person. In this case it is a selfish desire to get rich. The person with the evil eye is misanthropic whereas the person with the good eye (22:9) is philanthropic.193The person in view here fails to look far into the future when he will be in need before God if not before men. Avarice leads to poverty.
28:27 Those who give to the poor will not lack what they need, which is God's blessing. They may also receive the blessing of other people and material benefits that God promised generous Israelites. We may supply the idea of blessing to the first statement legitimately since the contrast is with curses in the second statement.
29:11 "Always"is a poor translation. The idea is that fools customarily vent their feelings ("let it all hang out") whereas wise individuals control themselves.
29:13 The poor man is the oppressed, and the oppressor is the rich. They are opposites in this regard. Both owe God their sight and really all the common blessings He bestows on everyone. Giving light to their eyes may mean giving them life (cf. Job 33:30; Ps. 13:3).194
29:16 We must take the divine perspective here as in all the proverbs. Individual cases may not fit the principle, but generally the principle holds true. The righteous will prevail, and the wicked will fail, eventually.
29:18 The AV translation has resulted in misunderstanding of this proverb. The "vision"(Heb. hazon) does not refer to some dream of success a person may have but to a prophetic vision that was a revelation from God (cf. 1 Sam. 3:1). The Hebrew verb translated "perish"(AV; para) does not mean "die in their sins"(e.g., because someone did not see the "vision"of the importance of evangelism). It means "cast off restraint."Without divine revelation people abandon themselves to their own sinful ways. God's Word restrains human wickedness, and those who keep it are happy. Thus "a nation's well-being depends on obedience to divine revelation."195There must be knowledge of divine revelation through preaching for there to be obedience to it.196
29:21 On the surface this verse sounds as if it is a wise thing to pamper one's slave. However the point is that pampering, as opposed to disciplining, makes slaves disrespectful. A slave is not a son. To bring this parable over into modern life, an employee should not normally receive the same privileges as a son. If he does, the relationship essential to the effective operation of the business will suffer.
29:24 The bad thing about being a thief's partner is that when the thief gets caught and the authorities haul his partner into court he finds himself in a "no win"situation. If he defends his partner, he shares his guilt, but if he says nothing (or pleads the fifth amendment), his accusers assume he shares his guilt. Many a business man has discovered this to his sorrow.
