Unusual Contrasts

(Proverbs 19:22 KJV)  The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.

Proverbs likes to use contrasts and comparisons.  Here the contrast is between “kindness” (2617a) [chesed] and lying.  Strange bedfellows.  One is required to get into heaven.  The Hebrew “kindness” is the equivalent of the Greek agape in my opinion.  It is a dominant theme in both Testaments.  The other is a quality that will get you thrown into the lake of fire.  What do they have in common?  Both are qualities that we downplay because they are inconvenient.

We are too busy to be kind.  We are too injured to turn the other cheek.  We reserve our love for those who deserve it.  We endanger our immortal souls. 

We stretch the truth.  We spin.  We exaggerate.  We hedge and evade.  In so doing we endanger our immortal souls.

So?  Sometimes this is clear and obvious.  Sometimes even we have a hard time knowing our own minds and hearts.  The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us see the problem in our life and do something about it.