The Art Of The Spiel

*That man *has pleasure in *the bread of deceit, *but after he is full, *it will be *a mouth full of gravel. (MAST)

Proverbs 20:17 (NKJV)

17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

*[That man] literally, the man. The direct article is identifying the singularity and individuality of this spiritually lazy man. This man is being called out specifically. He is, therefore, the focus of the court. It is ‘that man’ whom the court has identified as guilty of fraud and deceit. Therefore ‘that man’ is a guilty man. ‘That man’ is a fraud. ‘That man’ cannot be trusted because he is full of deceit (Acts 13:10). So this is further application of the judgment of the court. But it is the spiritual application. This crime is not worthy of a prison sentence, for this crime is against neighbor, in breach of the civil contract of Israel’s constitution, which requires forced labor. ‘That man’ is to be treated like a stranger to the “spiritual” commonwealth until he learns not to blaspheme (Rom.2:24-29).

But the court has also determined that ‘that man’ is to be judged under the verdict of the spiritually common man (Jn.3:19-21; Rom.9:20-24). ‘That man’ is not justified by the grace of God. He bears the image of the common man, not the man of the Spirit (Rom.8:6-8). He is not a son of God as Adam was and is, for he is not observed under Adam's race, even though he is a citizen of the commonwealth of Israel (Lk.3:38). The Hebrew word for man, Adam, is purposely avoided here to show that this man is still in his sins (Rom.8:9; Jn.8:21; Col.2:13). The general, generic word for man is used here to demonstrate the separation of this man from the spiritual honor of Solomon’s court (James 2:24). This man is dead in trespasses and sins, for he delights in the works of his fraud, and has no true weight or honor upon his lips. He showed no attempt to plead guilty and bear his shame (1Jn.1:9).

The verb, which is reflexive to the actions of ‘that man,’ flows from the imperfective (yiqtol) stem. The identity of ‘that man,’ then, is in his present reality, which has abiding and future effects (Jn.3:36; Rom.2:5). He is not identified here with the father of mercy, Adam. But is identified under the foolish man; the generic man; the condemned man; the common man, the man of the flesh. This is what ‘that man’ will be if he continues under the identity of the man of sin (Jn.3:5-8). His identity [is] subject to change (Rom.6:6; Eph.4:22; Col.3:9), but as long as he remains ‘that man,’ the results of his identity will not change (2Thess.2:3; Rev.13:17; 19:20).

*[has pleasure in] literally, is sweet. The Hebrew adjective here is describing the motivation of ‘that man.’ Under the present context between “the lips of honor” and “a mouth full of gravel,” the adjective describes the taste of ‘that man’s’ desires. The ‘sensuality’ that this man receives through “his borrowing” is a pleasure to him to willfully rebel against the civil but ‘spiritual conviction’ between neighbors under the liberty of Israel’s constitution (before Almighty God). Solomon sees this, and the Spirit agrees, for it is the Spirit who is the Author of the court sentence, as the “present reality” of this common man. He “has” (present tense) pleasure in his actions to willfully deceive his lender by refusing to surrender the pledge. Even though he is under this court order to surrender his pledge, he “has” no guilt or shame regarding his actions. Solomon discerns this as a spiritual problem in application to his civil judgment. Therefore, under this identity, Solomon prophesies that ‘that man’ will die “full of his sins” (Matt.23:31-33; Jn.8:24; Ezk.3:20). This is to say he will die full of his pleasure, which is the sweetness of his bread of deception because he believed in “the art of his own spiel” (2Tim.3:13; James 1:22; Rev.18:23; 20:3, 10).

*[the bread of deceit] literally, bread of deceit. Pleasure in what? The traditional translations insert a verb here that doesn’t exist in the text to define 'that man's' action. There is only one verb found in this construct, and it acts in unison with the conjunction of the next phrase. Traditionally, they wanted to make it reflexive to the bread to define the verb action; that’s acceptable, but it ignores the flow of the verb stem under 'that man's' present condition and reality. They chose to see this as a completed action, but the imperfective, I believe, doesn’t permit this. The verb action is reflexive to the identity of ‘that man,’ not the bread. Also, the bread isn’t to be taken as literal bread; therefore, the action shouldn’t center around this bread. The bread is just an illustration to describe the spiritual appetite of the ‘spiritually’ lazy man. Look at it closer, and you will see that the Hebrew has it genitive of deceit. Although we still can arrive at the same conclusion, the math is missing to understand the court’s train-of-thought.

Therefore this is not a general proverb that applies to everyone randomly. It is a specific proverb that applies to anyone under this identity of the spiritually lazy man. Are you ‘that man?’ Don’t “just show up” at this court case and expect to gain the court's sympathy without a proper defense (Heb.2:17-18; 4:14-16). Are you ‘that man’ (Heb.5:4-5)? Have you held on to a pledge of trust by fraud (Matt.5:22-26)? Are you secretly clothed with the pride of self-honor and have not brought out your pledge of confession (Isa.55:1)? Will you be like this man and continue in all fraud and deceit (James 5:4)? Let the Spirit tell you what happens to ‘that man.’

*[but after he is full] conjunctionally, together with and after, in relation to the reflexive verb. The Hebrew verb stem is Niphal. This demonstrates both an active and passive relationship to the subject and object of the verb stem. The actions of ‘that man’ are joined to the description (or adjectives) of his motivation. His motivation is spiritually called the bread of deception. Deception is what he eats, in the judgment of his desires. Not only is he deceiving his lenders, or possibly his investors, but he is self-deceived in the self-justification of his actions. His desire or taste for this deceit is pleasurable to him. This pleasure assures him that his deception is good.

So the verb is conjoined to the flow of this description and silently acts more like an adjective in this active but passive condition. Literally, the verb means to be filled (Jn.13:26-30). That’s the passive in the reflexive relationship to the adjectives describing the active pleasure of the man’s lust for the bread of deceit (Acts 5:3). The easy way to keep his pledge was to use the law against its own reason and to play on the senses of his own carnal nature. So, while he is actively pursuing this bread, the verb passively joins the subject's active actions and the object together.

It is also demonstrated passively because of the dual conjunctions. The Hebrew adverb, after, acts as a stop sign to describe a completed action. But it is not to be observed as a completed action because the subject has abiding effects of the previous action. The actions on the part of the subject are complete, but the object's actions continue as effects of those actions of that subject. The Hebrew adverb, after, then, is a conjunction in unison with the verb and previous conjunction, but. It can be translated, “but after his fill,” as the verb is masculine of the subject’s possession of the action, his fill. Therefore it appears passive, but only as a completed action in relation to the subject, ‘that man.’

*[it will be] Again, the conjunctions and the verb express this phrase, “it will be.” The verb is antecedent to the nature of ‘that man.’ So the action of the effects is pointing back to ‘that man’s’ pleasure or “taste” for the bread of deceit, not to the man himself. The continued action is further describing his motivation for the bread of deceit. The first effect of this motivation is a sweet satisfaction, but the abiding result has the aftertaste of gravel.

Therefore the spiritual motivation of ‘that man’ ends in a literal application. The self-deception of this bread is promised to return to the dust from which its nature came (Ecc.3:20). Literally, the taste of this bread cannot hold itself together (Ps.119:25). This taste disintegrates in the mouth like dust and ashes (Ps.22:15). ‘That man’ may have worn his self-deception like pearls of truth, but in reality, they are nothing more than pebbles of stone in his mouth that express the doctrine of hell. So the conjunctions here transform ‘that man’s’ imagination into a reality contrary to his intentions. His heart and motivation will be ‘a mouth full of gravel’ under forced labor (Gen.3:19).

*[a mouth full of gravel] literally, his mouth is gravel. But the verb action continues with the description of the effect of 'that man’s’ word. Here, the Hebrew word for mouth can also mean a ‘byword’ (Dt.28:37). While I believe Solomon intends us to understand this as his literal mouth, I also believe he wants us to see a doctrine within these effects. ‘That man’ becomes a byword in the reason behind this spiritual proverb in the judgment of the senses of his pleasure. However, the actual effects of his actions are an example of the spiritual reality of death and hell. So this is a literal image of what ‘that man’s’ word becomes (2Chr.7:20; Ezk.23:10). ‘That man’s’ word is good for nothing. It is like Laban's word, an altar that is worth a dung heap (Gen.31:47). His word cannot be trusted, for it is driven by the senses and not by reason.

If Solomon was a Sadducee at heart, why would he make this spiritual application? This speaks of Solomon’s belief in the resurrection. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that ‘that man’ will perish in his sins, but that in his righteous position that his mouth, that is, to say his word, would also be filled with gravel, was he (Ecc.12:7-14)? No, this is pointing to the doctrine of the resurrection of the damned and the just (Jn.5:29; Dan.12:2). All that ‘that man’ will be known for is his word of deception, because his word bears the image of the perishing (Jn.6:27; 1Cor.1:18; 2Cor.4:3; Col.2:20-23; 2Thess.2:10). It is eternal death and hell that is the motivation of his nature and heart (Ecc.3:11; Gen.3:4-5; 6:5). He does not bear the divine image of the eternal Word (Ecc.3:14, 17-22; Col.3:10; 2Cor3:18). He returns to the dust, and he remains in the dust when Death and Hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev.20:13-14). The soul of 'that man’s’ word is of the nature of the Second Death (Rev.2:11; 20:6, 10; 2Pet.3:1-7; Ezk.18:4, 20).