Proverbs 15:16 - Meaning and Application

Solomon had just said in the previous verse that a person with little wealth can still have a “continual feast” if he has a cheerful spirit. Christian contentment and joy in God make life easier and sweeter. Here he tells us what helps create that cheerful spirit, one that can make a man happy even with very little in the world. It is holiness and love.

Holiness comes first. A little, if we use it well and enjoy it in the fear of the Lord, if we keep a clear conscience and keep walking in duty, and serve God faithfully with what we have, will bring more comfort and better results than great riches with trouble. It is often the lot of those who fear God to have little of this world. The poor receive the gospel, and they often remain poor (James 2:5). Those who have great wealth often have great trouble with it. Their riches do not always make them at ease, because they bring extra care and worry. “The abundance of the rich will not let him sleep.”

If great wealth brings trouble, that is often because the fear of God is missing. If those with large estates would do their duty with them and then trust God with them, their money would bring less distress. It is far better to have only a little of the world, and to have it with a good conscience, to keep fellowship with God, enjoy him in it, and live by faith, than to have great plenty and live without God in the world.

Love comes next. After the fear of God, peace with other people is needed for the comfort of this life. If brothers live together in unity, friendly, sincere, and pleasant with one another, both at daily meals and at more formal gatherings, that will make a dinner of herbs into a full feast. Even if the food is plain, and the estate is so small that they can afford no better, love will sweeten it, and they may be as cheerful as if they had the finest food.

But if there is anger and strife, even a whole ox for dinner, even a fat ox, will give no comfort. The poison of hatred, of hating and being hated, is enough to spoil everything. Some apply this to the host who prepares the meal, and the point still stands: it is better to have a simple dinner and a warm welcome than a rich table spread before a grudging eye. A sullen face makes even a small meal unpleasant, but a kind face makes the plainest meal delightful.