Proverbs 20:14

The book of Proverbs gives us a lot of instruction on a lot of different subjects. One subject that can keep us in God’s wisdom is Godly Follower-ship. Who we follow; where we follow; how we follow are all spoken about in Proverbs. Here is one of them about the words of the heart:

Proverbs 20:14 (ESV)

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

but when he goes away, then he boasts.

Bartering for a good price seems to be encouraged by Solomon.   People barter in every culture, especially in the mid-east.  Solomon seems to be making an observation about life.   He sees the person wanting to buy something while at the same time claiming the thing he wants to buy has very little worth.  He points out the flaws in the item he wishes to purchase.   It is like buying a car and telling the seller the price is too high because the tires are worn down.  Yet, when he makes the purchase he tells others all the great aspects of the car.  He tells everyone what a good buy he gets.  Apparently that was true then, as it is now.   Solomon is not promoting lying or encouraging falsehood.   He is telling us that the human nature has a bent to negotiate.  We seem to love a bargain and try our best to get one.  There seems to be a boasting factor implied here.  Pride seems to get the best of us, even when we get a deal.    We love a deal and we love to boast about the deal we got.  Perhaps, another aspect Solomon is teaching us, is that when we hear the words of some, the words don’t mean what you might think.  The buyer says one thing with words to one person and then uses other words to say something else to others.   Words can vary because the heart is not always true to the world around them.  Beware of the buyer’s words.  Beware of the sellers words.  Words don’t always reveal what is in the heart.