If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.Proverbs 28:9-14
In 9, the writer goes even further than the Psalmist in Ps 66:18. Not only will prayer not be heard, it will be an abomination to the Lord. i.e. His anger will be kindled. It is hardly possible to read 10 without thinking of our Lord's words in Matthew18:6. Scripture makes a distinction between those who are beguiled into evil and those who beguile them, and it is the latter that God has a special interest in. It would be interesting to compute what happens ultimately to such people. One thing is sure: God does not let them go unpunished. He will not hold them guilt less for having led others astray. The goodly inheritance (RSV) that the upright have is the joy of leading others in the right way. As Daniel puts it, they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever. What is in view in 11 is the fallacy of supposing that the mere possession of money confers status or stature of any kind. So often, such people are seen through in their pathetic pretensions. 12 echoes a thought expressed in 11:10, on which Kidner comments, 'However drab the world makes out virtue to be, it appreciates the boon of it in public life'. There is no doubt that the presence of righteous men in public life is good for society. The meaning of 'hidden' is uncertain. One suggestion is that men hide themselves for fear of reprisals, another is that they do so in the recognition that it may not be the time as yet to declare themselves, and that they can bide their time. For the thought in 13, see Psalm 32:1 4, also 1 John 1:6 9. There are different ways of covering sin - by pretending it is not there, for example, or by assuming that the mere passage of time will wipe it away. To confess our sin is to say the same thing about it as God says, and to call it what He calls it. Not until we are as frank as this is true confession made and pardon received. 14 seems a variation of 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom', and follows well upon 13, because when we get right with God a new, healthy fear of Him, coupled with a fear of sinning, takes over in our hearts; and that is as it should be.