A man's spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
A man's gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
The lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.Proverbs 18:14-18
The message in 14 is an important one: All will be well, whatever befall us, if only our spirit remain unbroken. If it breaks, everything comes crashing down. As Kidner puts it, 'Short of outward resources, life is hard; short of inward, it is insupportable.' This is why it is so important not only to guard our own spirits, but also seek to guard others' also. How better to do this than to make the joy of the Lord our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)? The two verbs used in 15 seem significant: it is because the wise and prudent man seeks knowledge that he gets it. 'A man's gift' in 16 can be interpreted in two ways: it can be taken in the derogatory sense in which it is used in 17:8, 23. Greasing an official's palm may give a man access to places and people he would never otherwise reach. But the phrase could be taken to mean 'the gift he has' rather than 'the gift he gives'. The meaning would then he that a gifted man does not need to push himself forward, for sooner or later his very giftedness will bring him to the forefront. People tend, by their sheer quality, to emerge to prominence. The RSV rendering of 17 makes its thought clearer than the AV (see also 13). One side of a story can often, with the best will in the world, give a very distorted picture of the truth. It may sound clear and unmistakable when heard, but it is always wiser, particularly in certain situations, and with certain people, to get the other side also. This can sometimes change the complexion of the matter entirely. We cannot be too careful. Kidner says of 18: 'The Christian equivalent of the implied advice of this proverb is to seek God's leading, when interests or opinions clash, and to accept it with a good grace'. On the casting of lots see Note on 16:33.