Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Proverbs Chapter 11
Metaphysically Interpreting Proverbs 11:1-31
11:1A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah;
But a just weight is his delight.11:2When pride cometh, then cometh shame;
But with the lowly is wisdom.11:3The integrity of the upright shall guide them;
But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.11:4Riches profit not in the day of wrath;
But righteousness delivereth from death.11:5The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way;
But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.11:6The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them;
But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.11:7When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish;
And the hope of iniquity perisheth.11:8The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
And the wicked cometh in his stead.11:9With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor;
But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.11:10When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth;
And when the wicked perish, there is shouting.11:11By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted;
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.11:12He that despiseth his neighbor is void of wisdom;
But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.11:13He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets;
But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.11:14Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth;
But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.11:15He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it;
But he that hateth suretyship is secure.11:16A gracious woman obtaineth honor;
And violent men obtain riches.11:17The merciful man doeth good to his own soul;
But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.11:18The wicked earneth deceitful wages;
But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward.11:19He that is stedfast in righteousness shall attain unto life;
And he that pursueth evil doeth it to his own death.11:20They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah;
But such as are perfect in their way are his delight.11:21Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished;
But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.11:22As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,
So is a fair woman that is without discretion.11:23The desire of the righteous is only good;
But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.11:24There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more;
And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want.11:25The liberal soul shall be made fat;
And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.11:26He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him;
But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.11:27He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor;
But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.11:28He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;
But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.11:29He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind;
And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.11:30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
And he that is wise winneth souls.11:31Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
August 24, 1947: Prov. 11:1,3
Why should the infinite be concerned with weights and balances? Because divine law is the law of the Absolute, where justice rests. When we weigh things justly, or treat others justly, we receive justice in our own life.
How are the upright guided by their own integrity? Integrity has its own law of action. When it is woven into a person's nature, he is guided by his conviction of what is right and just in all that he does.
Is integrity of supreme importance to the seeker after Truth? It is, because without it Truth cannot be discerned, much less expressed.
September 15, 1946: Prov. 11:23-24
What kinds of riches may we inherit? Both spiritual and material riches. It is more essential for us to possess ourselves of the former than of the latter.
How do we possess ourselves of spiritual riches? By developing them within ourselves. Faith, love, and wisdom, for example, are spiritual riches or gifts, that we develop through use.
What form of wealth, when scattered, “increaseth yet more”? The spiritual wealth of kindness, cheerfulness, joyousness, love, good fellowship, unselfishness, and all other gifts of mind and heart that, dispensed without thought of self, attract others and lead them to give of their best in turn.
What form of withholding tends to want? All selfish hoarding of either material or spiritual riches leads to poverty of thought and spiritual bankruptcy, depriving the hoarder of the breadth and depth of understanding sympathy, that he would gain by entering into the life of others and sharing his good with them, according to his abundance and their need. To live entirely apart from the life of others is to pauperize one's inner life.
September 7, 1947: Prov. 11:24-27
What riches are capable of increase even while they are being scattered? Spiritual riches or the riches of ideas, the resourcefulness and attracting power of love. The spirit of liberality increases the good of the giver equally with the gift that he bestows.
Can the person who hoards material wealth be rich spiritually? No, because hoarding contracts the soul, making it impossible for the hoarder to develop immaterial riches. With his thoughts set on money or money values, he has no time for the immaterial values of Spirit.
Is God ever sought unconsciously? When we diligently seek good we are seeking God, even though we may not associate our desires with God. God is all good.
September 29, 1940: Prov. 11:24-31
Why do certain persons prosper in all that they undertake, whereas others who exert equal or greater effort fail? Some persons have developed the faculty of love and consciously or unconsciously express its attracting power in their thoughts and actions. Others are strangers to this power and must work without it. Therefore their efforts go unrewarded.
Why is the “liberal soul ... made fat”? The liberal person opens his subconsciousness as a channel to the inflow of divine substance. In blessing others, he too is blessed.
How did Jesus Christ express the thought found in the following verse:
“He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor; But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.”
Jesus said, “Seek, and ye shall find, for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth.”
Why is the righteous man compared to a green leaf and those who trim their riches to falling leaves? The righteous are vitally connected with the source of life in God, as [the] green leaf is attached to the tree, whereas those who trust in material wealth are separated from God in consciousness and have lost their contact [with] the true source of life and energy.
Why does the foolish person [beg to be] a servant to the wise of heart? The foolish person does not [give] thought in the regulation of his [ways], while the wise of heart do. Who constructively thinks his way [through] wins over those who undertake to [muddle] through.
What law recompenses both the righteous and the wicked or sinner? The law of thought action, that [as] he (man) thinketh within himself, [so] is he.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 10-28-2013
