Solomon has laid out Proverb's good neighbor policy. We have learned that wise people meet their obligations to their neighbor and avoid strife with their neighbor. This raises the question - who is our neighbor? Our English word neighbor does not give the thrust of the Hebrew word. The Hebrew word has a broad context. For example, it can refer to a close friend, a general acquaintance, a fellow worker, or an adversary. The point here is that our neighbor refers to all men.
This is why Jesus was upset with the lawyer, who asked - who is my neighbor? The lawyer asked this question in order to get out of his obligations to love his neighbor. Jesus answers the question by giving the story of the Good Samaritan. At the end of the story Jesus asked - who was the good neighbor? The answer is - the one who showed mercy.
As we journey through the book of Proverbs, we will see many principles about how to be a good neighbor. How do we boil all the principles into something we can manage? All these principles can be boiled down to love (not a bubbly feeling, but an action). The wisest man whoever walked on the planet taught us - you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus is our example as to how we treat our neighbors. When we apply this principle - loving our neighbor as yourself - then we are wisely being a good neighbor.
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