‘The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.’ Proverbs 22:7 Proverbs 22:7 states a sober reality about power, money, and dependence. Scripture does not present this as an ideal, but as a consequence of how resources shape relationships. Wealth creates influence, and debt creates obligation. This verse exposes the hidden cost of borrowing: the loss of freedom that comes when one’s future is pledged to another. This principle appears consistently throughout Scripture. In Deuteronomy 28:12, God described blessing in part by saying, “Thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow,” while judgment is described in Deuteronomy 28:44 with the warning, “He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him.” The contrast reveals that borrowing places a person in a vulnerable position, where decisions are no longer fully their own. Debt is not merely financial; it becomes relational and psychological. The phrase “servant to the lender” speaks of restraint rather than ownership. Scripture never forbids lending or borrowing outright, but it repeatedly cautions against bondage. Romans 13:8 instructs, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another,” emphasizing freedom as the ideal posture of the believer. When debt accumulates, it often limits generosity, increases anxiety, and narrows obedience, making it harder to respond freely to God’s leading. Practically, Proverbs 22:7 urges wisdom, restraint, and foresight in financial decisions. It calls believers to weigh long-term consequences over short-term relief. Proverbs 21:5 affirms, “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.” Careful planning preserves freedom, while impulsive borrowing often trades tomorrow’s peace for today’s comfort. Ultimately, this verse extends beyond finances into the broader issue of lordship. Jesus warned in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters.” When debt dictates choices, it competes with God’s authority in a believer’s life. Proverbs 22:7 therefore calls for stewardship that protects freedom—freedom to give, freedom to obey, and freedom to live under God’s rule rather than under obligation to men.

‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 22:6 presents a principle of formation rather than a mechanical guarantee. Scripture emphasizes the power of early direction, showing that the habits, values, and fears planted in youth shape the trajectory of a life. Training implies intentionality, patience, and consistency—it is not passive influence, but active guidance rooted in truth. This principle is reinforced throughout Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 instructs, “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,” showing that godly training is woven into daily life, not reserved for occasional instruction. Likewise, Proverbs 1:8 urges, “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother,” revealing that wisdom is transmitted through faithful parental presence and example. The phrase “the way he should go” speaks not merely of moral behavior, but of a God-ordered path fitted to the child’s calling and character. Psalm 127:3 declares, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD,” reminding parents and mentors that children are entrusted, not owned. Training, therefore, is stewardship—shaping a soul toward God rather than forcing conformity. When instruction aligns with God’s design, it forms conviction rather than rebellion. The promise that “when he is old, he will not depart from it” reflects the enduring influence of early truth. Even when a child wanders, the imprint remains. Ecclesiastes 12:1 urges, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” because what is learned early becomes a compass later. Scripture shows that God often uses remembered truth to call a person back to Himself long after youthful instruction seemed forgotten. Practically, Proverbs 22:6 calls adults to model what they teach. Paul reinforced this responsibility in Ephesians 6:4 when he wrote, “Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Training is most effective when instruction and example agree. A life shaped by reverence for God, consistency, and love becomes the living curriculum a child carries forward.

‘Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.’Proverbs 22:5 (Proverbs 22:5) presents sin not as freedom, but as a dangerous path filled with hidden wounds and traps. The froward person is one who is twisted in heart and stubborn in will, choosing resistance to God rather than submission. Scripture does not portray this path as merely misguided, but actively harmful. Thorns tear and snares entrap, showing that rebellion against God brings pain and bondage, often before one even realizes the danger. This warning echoes throughout Scripture. Proverbs 13:15 teaches, “The way of transgressors is hard,” revealing that disobedience carries built-in consequences. Likewise, Isaiah 57:20 says, “The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” Sin promises ease, but delivers unrest. The path of the froward is not neutral ground; it is hostile terrain that injures those who walk it. In contrast, Proverbs 22:5 highlights protection through restraint: “he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.” This speaks of vigilance over one’s inner life—thoughts, desires, habits, and influences. Proverbs 4:23 commands, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Guarding the soul is not isolation from the world, but intentional distance from patterns that corrupt it. Wisdom does not flirt with danger; it creates space from it. Practically, this verse calls believers to take sin seriously before it takes them. Many snares are subtle—compromise justified, boundaries softened, convictions delayed. Jesus warned in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” Watchfulness is the discipline of foresight, and prayer is the confession of dependence. Together, they keep the soul from wandering into thorn-filled paths. Ultimately, Proverbs 22:5 teaches that holiness is not deprivation but preservation. Those who keep their soul are not missing out; they are being spared. Psalm 119:101 captures this heart posture when it says, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.” Distance from evil is not weakness, but wisdom—and it is the quiet protection God gives to those who choose His way over their own.

‘By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.’ Proverbs 22:4 Proverbs 22:4 reveals a divine order that runs contrary to human instinct. The world teaches self-promotion, ambition, and control as the path to success, but Scripture teaches humility and reverence for God as the true foundation of blessing. Humility here is not weakness, but submission—placing oneself rightly under God’s authority and resisting pride, which Scripture consistently portrays as destructive. The fear of the LORD is inseparable from humility. Proverbs 9:10 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,” establishing reverence for God as the starting point of a rightly ordered life. Likewise, Proverbs 15:33 teaches, “Before honour is humility,” showing that true elevation always follows surrender. To fear the Lord is to take Him seriously—to regard His commands as weighty and His presence as real. It produces teachability, repentance, and obedience, all of which shape a life God can trust with increase. Without fear of the Lord, humility becomes mere self-restraint; with it, humility becomes worship. The promise attached to this posture is striking: “riches, and honour, and life.” (Proverbs 22:4) These blessings are not always material or immediate, but they are always real. Proverbs 3:16 affirms this same pattern by saying, “Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.” In harmony with this, Proverbs 10:22 adds, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” What God gives through humility carries peace rather than regret, stability rather than anxiety, and purpose rather than emptiness. Practically, Proverbs 22:4 reshapes how a believer approaches ambition, success, and daily choices. It calls for a heart that listens before it leads, prays before it plans, and obeys before it advances. James reinforces this truth in James 4:6 when he writes, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” Grace—not hustle or control—is the true engine of lasting fruit.

‘A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.’ Proverbs 22:3 Proverbs 22:3 highlights one of the clearest distinctions Scripture makes between wisdom and folly. Prudence is not fearfulness, but spiritual awareness. The prudent person discerns danger ahead and responds with humility and restraint, while the simple ignore warning signs, driven by impulse or naivety, and suffer consequences that could have been avoided. This principle appears repeatedly throughout the Bible. Proverbs earlier states, “The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness.” Jesus echoed this truth when He warned, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass.” Wisdom in Scripture is never passive; it is alert, watchful, and responsive to truth. God often provides warnings through His Word, through counsel, and through circumstances, but only the humble receive them. The phrase foreseeth the evil does not mean predicting the future, but recognizing patterns and consequences. Galatians teaches, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” The prudent man understands that sin carries a harvest, compromise leads somewhere, and small decisions shape large outcomes. He hides himself not in cowardice, but in obedience—by fleeing temptation, avoiding ungodly counsel, and setting boundaries before the moment of testing arrives. In contrast, the simple pass on. Scripture does not describe them as malicious, but unguarded and unteachable. They move forward without reflection, dismissing correction, and assuming outcomes will somehow work out. Proverbs warns that this mindset leads to punishment, not because God is harsh, but because reality is moral. Choices have weight. Ignored warnings eventually become lived consequences. Practically, Proverbs 22:3 calls for intentional living. It urges believers to seek wisdom early, heed instruction, and act before disaster strikes rather than after. Whether in spiritual life, relationships, finances, or habits, foresight is an expression of reverence for God. Those who walk prudently do not merely avoid harm; they align themselves with God’s protective wisdom, finding that obedience often spares them from pain the simple never saw coming.