The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
A gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.Proverbs 21:12-14
One is reminded in 12 of the well known words in Psalm 37, 'Fret not thyself because of evil doers'. The Psalm gives the assurance that evil will not finally triumph in the world, and this is what seems to be indicated here. The words in italics in the AV indicate that there are problems in translation, and Kidner suggests that the meaning may well be that God is the Righteous One, or possibly, an appointed and lawful ruler. It is true that both God and the righteous ruler can bide their time and at the appropriate moment take action against evildoers. It is the divine prerogative to do so, and when divine authority is delegated to a ruler, it is his prerogative also. There is an echo in 13 of 19:11, which gives us the more positive side. The commentators refer us to Luke 16:19-31 and Matthew 26:31-46 as the inevitable consequences of the attitude expressed here. And one is prompted to wonder whether 13b may serve to explain why sometimes believers who cry to the Lord seem to be left in need and their prayers not heard. Is it because of some past heartlessness on their part? This is something that will bear thinking about. 'Reward' in 14b is 'bribe' in the RSV, and with this meaning the proverb holds the kind of warning that we saw in 18:16. But it could be taken to mean that 'doing good', a genuine desire to pour oil on troubled waters, if done quietly and without display, may well heal a very difficult situation, and soothe ruffled feelings. It may be thought a pity that such a thing should ever be needed, but then, people do get ruffled, and sometimes too easily. We have to accept life as it is not as we think it should be.