"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1
Part 3
Yesterday: Israel had a Stiff Neck, do You?
“Hardeneth his neck.”
Today: Sinner, Look Out for Sudden Destruction!
“Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
“Suddenly”
“At the end of God’s patient call to obedience comes sudden judgment against the obstinate…” [1]
“Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy” (Proverbs 6:15).
The sinner (fool) will not be ready for this judgment from God.
“Stress is laid on the suddenness in such a case of the long-delayed retribution”[2] (Barnes).
“Destroyed”
“…literally, … “utterly broken to pieces”[3] (JFB).
“He that being often reproved — Who having received frequent reproofs from wise and good men, and perhaps also chastisements from God; hardeneth his neck — Remains incorrigible, and obstinately persists in those sins for which he is reproved and corrected; shall suddenly be destroyed — Is in danger of falling, and that on a sudden, into utter and irreparable ruin”[4] (Benson).
“Without Remedy”
“…literally, ‘without healing’ or repairing” [5] (JFB).
There are no more “chances” after this breaking,
“suddenly, he will be broken, and there will not be healing. Emphasizes the severe consequence of ignoring reproof….[6]
This sinner,
“will suddenly be destroyed … in death.
No longer will a remedy be available.[7]
“… ‘and there is no healing’… no cure of their disease,… no pardon of their sins; no recovery of them out of their miserable and undone state and condition; they are … lost; there is no help for them, having despised advice and instruction…”[8] (Gill).
After all, these extraordinarily harsh and challenging words, what comes to mind is that after the line is crossed and God brings on His judgment, there is no help for the sinner! In Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” he describes in his story the words allegedly engraved above the entrance to Hell, “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.”[9] Of course, these words are a work of fiction, but the person in Hell really does have no hope.
Believers, Jesus Christ’s Gospel is the only thing that can change the human heart and save a lost sinner! We, believers, are obligated to be witnesses for Him and to share His Gospel with this lost world; it is their only hope!
Quote: “If God wounds, who can heal? The word of God warns all to flee from the wrath to come, to the hope set before us in Jesus Christ”[10] (Henry).
[1] Stabnow, D. K. (2017). Proverbs. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 998). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Proverbs 29:1.
[3] JFB, Jamison, Fausset, and Brown. Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Proverbs 29:1.
[4] Joseph Benson, Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, the electronic version in eSword. Proverbs 29:1.
[5] JFB, ibid.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Pr 29:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Walvoord, J. F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 967). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] John Gill. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Proverbs 29:1.
[9] Please remember that the Bible has no such information. Thoughts on Dante’s “Divine Comedy” gleaned from the Phrase and Idiom Dictionary, Downloaded: Friday, May 14, 2021. From: https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/abandon-hope-all-ye-who-enter-here.
[10] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Proverbs 29:1.