Mishlei 16:15: Understanding the King’s Favor
משלי טז:טו
בְּאוֹר פְּנֵי מֶלֶךְ חַיִּים וּרְצוֹנוֹ כְּעָב מַלְקוֹשׁ:
Mishlei 16:15
In the light of a king’s countenance is life, and his favor is like a rain cloud.
Major Questions/Problems
Is this pasuk limited to actual kings, or is "king" just an example of a broader category?
What does it mean to be "in the light of a king's countenance"?
What "life" does one gain through this?
What type of "favor" is it talking about?
How is the king's favor "like a rain cloud"?
What is this pasuk teaching us beyond the obvious point that it is beneficial to get on the king's good side?
Instead of writing a single four-sentence summary of the main idea, I'm going to write an eight-sentence summary of the main idea according to both the derech ha'nigleh and the derech ha'nistar. Scroll past this picture when you're good and ready!
Eight Sentence Summary of the Main idea
Derech ha'Nigleh: It is natural to seek the approval and favor of a king (or any person in a position of influence, such as a boss or supervisor), but one must guard against two errors. The first error is to undervalue the benefit of the king’s favor, failing to recognize just how much he can improve your life simply based on the fact that he likes you. The second error is to overvalue the benefit of the king’s favor by regarding his approval is an actual good when it is really only a potential good – much like a rain cloud, which might yield benefit, but is not guaranteed.
Derech ha'Nistar: Likewise, it is natural to seek Hashem’s favor, but one must guard against these same two errors. The first error is to undervalue the benefit of Hashem’s favor (i.e. hashgachah pratis); Hashem is Omnipotent, and has the ability to completely transform a person’s life from bad to good, as can be seen throughout Tanach. The second error is to overvalue the benefit of God’s favor by treating His blessings of material success as an actual good rather than a potential good. In truth, the material blessings granted by Hashem to those whom He favors are but a means of facilitating their involvement in the true good (i.e. involvement in Torah and wisdom, by which we merit life in the World to Come). In other words, Hashem’s blessings only provide us with the potential for attaining the true good, but it is up us to actualize that potential through by our own free will.