This section is all about having a good name. Little has changed since Solomon’s time as far as a good name goes, although in our time we are probably not quite as serious on the subject as our forbears were. Verses 1-6 offer a description of a person with a good name. Verse 1 tells us in parallelism that having a good name is better than having lots of money. The second follows this thought by pointing out that both the rich and the poor are created by the same God. In the following verse we see that one attribute of the esteemed person is that they are smart enough to see danger coming and to take refuge, rather then ignoring trouble and being run over by it.
Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life. (22:4)
This is an interesting verse because it gives us insight on two levels. First, we have the Biblical definition of the expression “the fear of the Lord” which confuses the modern reader in both the Old and New Testaments. Humility is what that means. Usually we give very log explanations, me included, but this is so very simple: Humility. The result of humility (wages) are “riches, honor and life”.
Maintaining a good name requires that we stay far clear of the paths of wickedness and raise our children in the ways of righteousness.
Verses 7-12 show us how we protect our good name; some are more obvious than others, and this one struck me as interesting:
The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor. (22:9)
People who are generous and share their food with the poor are usually thought to be the kinds of people who will stand by a friend even in hard times, and in my experience, this is rare. Many people will share their food with others who have plenty; this is good business. Yet how can the poor, or the friend in need repay? To serve God is to serve others without expecting anything in return.
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