A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Disaster pursues sinners,
but the righteous are rewarded with good.
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,
but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.
The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
but the belly of the wicked suffers want.Proverbs 13:19-25
The thought in 19 is difficult and the meaning uncertain. It is best to take the two parts of the verse as presenting a contrast. If this is so, the 'desire' is that of the righteous, and its fulfilment is sweet to the soul because it is legitimate and worthy. This is borne out in 25. However little the portion of the righteous may be, it will satisfy him, for he will be content and have a contented spirit. But the unrighteous will never be satisfied, not only because he is essentially a discontented person (and there is nothing in the world so all-consuming as discontent), but also because he has wrong desires. And it is of the very nature of a wrong desire that it cannot be satisfied. The whole universe could be poured into its gullet, and still the craving would be there. This is where the power of a good example can be so saving (20): to see desires controlled in contentment must surely do something to those who are in the grip of lawless cravings, and point to the more excellent way. The theme in 21 and 22 is retribution. Retributive justice is insisted upon in Proverbs, even in this life, let alone the life to come. It is good that we should remember this in a day when the whole concept of retribution in punishment is regarded as derogatory and un-Christian. This is a thoroughly biblical emphasis, and it is surely proved in experience: both good and evil have an 'entail' at work in them. A good man leaves a rich legacy to his posterity in terms of character and influence and inspiration; the evil that men do lives after them also, and can often be a curse to their families. The blessing - and the curse - will pass on from generation to generation. We shall look at 23 and 24 in tomorrow's Note.