Proverbs
Notes on Proverbs – Chapter 20
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a Mocker
1. Wine: Yayin:
a. 140 occurrences in the Old Testament
b. Translated as “wine” 138 times, [“banqueting” once, and “winebibbers” once.]
c. This is by far the most common term for wine in the Old Testament. It is most often used of fermented grape juice, and intoxicating beverage (Gen. 9:21).
d. However, it is on occasion, used of unfermented grape juice (Isa.16:10).
e. Of course, the term is also used of a fermented juice that CAN cause intoxication. (Hos.4:11).
2. It is necessary to know HOW wine was drunk in Bible times.
a. Often the term referred simply to grape juice… the fruit of the vine.
b. Sometimes the term referred to fermented juice—just like our wine today.
c. But they didn’t drink wine as we do today.
• They mixed wine with between 3–10 parts water, which would make it extremely difficult to become intoxicated by it.
• They mixed their water with wine in order to purify and perhaps sweeten their drinking water… lest they end up with stomach problems.
• They considered drinking STRAIGHT wine to be barbaric.
d. Straight wine—unmixed—was what they called “strong drink.”
• The distilling process to make what WE call strong drink today (whiskey, etc.) had not yet been invented.
e. Wine was also used as a medicine and as an ancient form of anesthesia to numb the pain. (when amputating a limb; or some other injury; etc.)
3. Thus, it was necessary for the ancients to USE wine.
a. There was almost no way to avoid its use.
b. It was a water purifier and a medicine.
c. The good Samaritan poured wine on the wounds of the man he found on the roadway.
d. Paul told Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach’s sake.
e. This might seem foreign to us, but it was common knowledge to the ancients.
f. And because wine had to be USED so often in Bible times, and had so many various legitimate uses, there was also the possibility of ABUSE.
g. It is this issue of abuse that Solomon brings before his people:
• Use it when necessary; wine can be very helpful;
• But be careful, because wine can also be very hurtful.
• Wine is also a mocker!
4. Mocker
a. To mock; deride; scorn; ridicule; make fun of.
b. This term is used 12 times in Proverbs.
c. It is used three times in immediate context where it is translated scorner:
• 19:25 – Scorners are to be smitten; yet they don’t learn.
• 19:28 – The ungodly scorn justice… God’s sense of right and wrong.
• 19:29 – Punishment is prepared for scorners.
d. Then in the very next breath he writes, wine is a scorner!
• I wish here this word was translated as it was in the three passages above…
• That would give us a sense of continuation of the same theme of mockers and scorners.
e. Wine is a mocker because those who come under its influence are often mocked… ridiculed… laughed to scorn.
• People who become intoxicated do some pretty foolish things.
1. They make a public fool of themselves.
2. They dance on the coffee table with a lampshade on their head.
3. If you dare them to jump off the roof they will.
4. They can’t walk a straight line.
5. They can’t make a complete sentence.
6. They drool… they slur… they fall on their face… they vomit…
• When Solomon says “wine is a mocker,” this is a poetic way of speaking about wine as if it were a person…
1. Solomon pictures wine as a person who laughs at you and your calamity…
2. Wine is seen as a person who mocks you for all the stupid things you do and say.
3. Solomon speaks of wine as the agent that makes you act in a stupid manner… then wine laughs at you to scorn your foolish behavior!
4. Solomon says: this is what wine will do to you!
5. Wine is a scorner. It will scorn you.
f. Prov. 22:1 – Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
• Scorners of all stripes cause contention and strife.
• Whatever it is that is causing the scorning and the mockery is the cause of the contention too.
• Get rid of the scorner and the contention ceases!
• This is certainly true in the life of one who abuses alcohol. He can expect much strife and contention.
• But if he gets rid of the scorner (drinks) the contention often ceases.
• This is the clear implication of Solomon’s words concerning wine.
5. Clearly this is a warning from God.
a. Beware of wine. Wine is a mocker.
b. It will end up mocking you… rendering you fit for scorn.
c. Consider the last few proverbs: Scorners are to be smitten. Scorners are to be punished. And wine is a scorner!
1. Strong drink:
a. This term refers to fermented grape juice (wine) that is not mixed with water.
b. It was an intoxicating beverage. The godly Jews always mixed their wine with many parts of water… and its alcoholic content became negligible.
2. Consider some similar warnings about “strong drink” in the Old Testament:
→ Isaiah 5:22 – Woe unto them that are mighty for drinking wine, and men valiant to mix strong drink.
GOD PRONOUNCES A WOE AGAINST THOSE WHO DRINK STRONG DRINK… TO THOSE WHO ARE MIGHTY IN DRINK!
→ Isaiah 24:9 – They do not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to them that drink it.
Here, strong drink results in bitterness.
→ Isaiah 28:7 – But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are they gone astray. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are overpowered by wine, they are gone astray through strong drink; they have erred in vision, they have stumbled in judgment.
Here, strong drink causes men to err and go astray. This is hardly an endorsement.
3. Raging:
a. To be in a stir, be in a commotion; boisterous, turbulent.
b. Be disturbed, i.e., be in a state of anxiety and distress.
c. Boisterous, brawler.
4. Here too the warning is clear. Strong drink is raging.
a. Strong drink stirs things up… it causes turbulence… a commotion… it causes trouble.
b. Strong drink also leads to brawling… fighting…
c. This hardly needs to be expanded upon. Just visit any barroom across the country or the world on a Friday night around midnight. You will see plenty of turbulence and brawling.
d. Other passages warn that it causes you to err in judgment and to go astray.
5. Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging. That’s a pretty good warning. It is reason enough for a thoughtful Christian to want to stay away.
1. Here we are told that wine also deceives.
a. Means: to lead astray, to be mislead (it has moral overtones)
b. Wine deceives because it delivers the opposite of what it promises.
c. People drink to drown their sorrows and to try to be happy.
d. Alcohol is advertised with pictures of people having a great time at a party…
e. But alcohol often delivers something very different.
f. Prov. 23:29, 34 – Alcohol leads to sickness, sorrow, and wounds.
g. Alcohol deceives people into thinking “I can handle this” when it is known to be an addictive substance. Many people CANNOT handle it.
h. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
i. Alcohol has deceived many people and has captured them… it has promised friends and happiness, but instead, it ruined their lives.
j. And don’t think it can’t happen to a believer. Consider Lot and Noah! They were deceived, mocked, and adversely affected by alcohol.
2. I realize that today, in American Christendom, MOST Christians believe that is ok to drink as long as you don’t get drunk.
a. More and more our view of total abstinence is seen as archaic.
b. They laugh at us and call us legalists.
c. They (in pure ignorance) like to bolster their argument by saying that Jesus drank wine.
d. They like to call us legalists because there is no verse that says “Thou shalt not touch alcohol.” (There are some good reasons for that.)
3. Let’s play a little game with this verse.
a. Solomon is talking about alcohol in this verse.
b. But let’s pretend that he’s NOT talking about alcohol, but about some unknown product. We will call it “X”.
c. Consider what God has just said about “x” in this context:
• Scorners are to be smitten. Punishment is reserved for scorners.
• And in the next breath He said: “X” is a scorner.
• And “X” will deceive you—and you won’t be wise any more. You will be a fool.
• “X” will then laugh you to scorn… mock you… ridicule your folly…
• And “X” will be raging… it will cause turmoil in your life… distress… and perhaps brawling and violence.
• Be honest: does it sound like God is trying to convince you to take “X” or to avoid “X”?
d. If you don’t like the “X” illustration, let’s try a personal approach.
• Just suppose that God came down and warned you face to face that Tom Smith had a plan to deceive you and trick you.
• First he planned to get you to do some foolish things.
• Then he was going to publicly mock and ridicule you for doing them!
• And this would cause great turmoil and distress in your life.
• Once God warned you face to face, don’t you think you would be well advised to stay away from Tom Smith as much as possible?
• You certainly wouldn’t want to hang around with Tom. You wouldn’t want to have him over your house… not if THAT was his plan!
• Well, God HAS warned us about wine and strong drink.
e. Some folks come to a passage like this with their own preconceived ideas about alcohol. They love to drink and therefore try to put a good spin on the bad things the Bible says about alcohol.
f. Others come to a passage like this sincerely wanting to know God’s will. If the heart is honest and open—God’s Word IS clear.
Proverbs 20:2
The Fear of a King
2a The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion:
1. The fear a person has (or ought to have!) when he stands before a king is in some ways like the fear a person has when he stands before a roaring lion.
2. In other words, kings and lions both evoke fear in the hearts of men, because in some ways they are alike.
a. They are both powerful. (Ecc. 8:4)
• Because of his power, nobody can tell a king what to do.
• It is not a good idea to try to tell him what to do either!
• A king had absolute power in those days. He had the power of life and death… no trial necessary.
• Kings with unlimited power were like lions. If they felt like “eating” you they could… and nobody could question them.
b. They are both stronger than you.
• It doesn’t make a lot of sense to try to fight with a king. He will always win—like a lion.
• If it’s a straight battle between you and a lion, the lion is going to win.
• This proverb is a call to acknowledge such power.
• This proverb is similar to our proverb: You can’t fight city hall! City hall always wins. They are bigger and stronger than you!
• They can both do serious harm to you. In fact, they can both kill you.
• If you DO chose to engage a lion, expect serious bodily harm… and quite likely death.
c. They are unpredictable.
• There is no such thing as a tame lion.
• Lion trainers might put their hand in a lion’s mouth one day… and the next day the lion might bite it off.
• A lion trainer in Las Vegas had been working with his lion for years… making the lion jump through hoops… putting his head in his mouth… and all sorts of tricks. But he made one false move and the lion attacked him.
• Working with lions is risky and a dangerous business.
• Lions are wild animals… and thus unpredictable.
• Kings are like lions, Solomon says. They too can be wild and unpredictable: one false move and YOU could be dead!
3. Some men might think that they can stand up to an evil king and set him straight.
a. Solomon’s advice: don’t try it!
b. He uses the illustration of a lion to drive the point home.
c. Could you stand up to a lion? Probably not.
d. Yes, David stood up to a lion and won, but that was a most unusual case. (Probably because God had a plan for the seed of David and providentially intervened in his life to keep him alive so he would HAVE a seed!)
e. Normally, if it’s just you against the lion, the lion wins.
4. What makes this interesting is the fact that this proverb was written BY a king… King Solomon.
a. If your average Joe on the street warns you, “Watch out for the king,” it might be a helpful warning.
b. But you might wonder why he is warning you. Did he have a run in with the king? Does he have an ax to grind against the king? Is he stretching the truth? What is his motivation in making such a warning?
c. You might also wonder, “Does this guy really know what he’s talking about? Is he a trouble maker?”
d. But when the king himself warns you about kings, you take notice. He DOES know what kings are like.
e. Perhaps Solomon remembers times when he unfairly roared at one of his subjects. Kings can have bad days too.
f. Perhaps Solomon remembers a time when a small farmer irritated him, and the king made him pay for it!
g. Or perhaps Solomon had heard stories of OTHER kings—and how harshly they treated their subjects… especially when the subject got the king angry.
A. Provoking Him to Anger
1. The second part of the proverb tells us a particular WAY in which the king and the lion are alike:
a. Prov. 19:12 – The king’s wrath is like that of a lion.
b. Getting a king angry is like getting a lion angry.
c. This is very much like an American proverb: Don’t grab a tiger by the tail.
d. It is extremely foolish and dangerous to provoke a lion to anger (or a tiger as the young men in San Francisco recently discovered).
e. In the same way it is folly to provoke a king to anger.
2. As you read through the Bible, there are plenty of examples of kings taking out their wrath upon a subject who irritated them.
a. Read through I & II Kings… examples abound.
3. Don’t mess with a lion… or a king.
a. Avoid confrontation at all cost.
b. If you find yourself face to face with a lion—walk gingerly. Don’t irritate him. Don’t poke him with a stick or throw a rock. And hope that he just had lunch!
c. In the same way, don’t mess with a king—or anyone in authority.
d. If a police officer pulls you over, don’t argue with him. Even if you think you are right, don’t be confrontational… don’t pick a fight with him. You might just lose!
4. Do not irritate a lion… or a king.
a. Ecc. 10:20 – Curse not a king… don’t spread gossip or rumors about him. That will irritate him if he finds out.
b. Solomon states (as a king who should know) that often a little bird tells the king. Kings have ways of finding out… so don’t do it.
c. This is good advice in lots of circumstances.
d. Students in a classroom shouldn’t be murmuring about their teacher—for the teacher might find out—and the teacher could make life miserable for the student!
e. Employees should not bad mouth the boss. Bosses also have ways of finding these things out—little birds. Your boss may not have power over life and death—but he does have power over the pink slip… and perhaps over pay raises. Don’t irritate a lion.
5. Stay on the good side of a lion… or a king. Stay in his favor if possible.
a. Prov. 14:35 – The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.”
• You stay in his good favor by demonstrating wisdom… being a good servant or subject… (or employee or student).
• But his wrath is against those who cause him shame.
• Don’t make the king look bad… because that will really get him angry…
• Kings don’t like to look bad… and he will take it out on whomever it is that makes him look bad!
• Bosses don’t like those who work for them make them look bad either. Nobody does.
• If you know what’s good for you—avoid making others look bad… especially those in a position to get even!
b. II Sam. 10:1-7 – Hanun shamed David and his men.
• He got the king angry at him.
• David gathered the whole host of his army, and defeated Hanun and his men.
• David’s response did not seem to fit the crime. Hanun embarrassed his men. David slaughtered hundreds of men in response.
• Those who cause shame to a king will experience the wrath of that king… and a king’s wrath is not always reasonable.
• That’s the point of the proverb. Irritate a lion a little, and his response might be overwhelming. He could maul you to death… and eat your carcass.
6. Appease a lion or a king…
a. Even if they are mean, cranky, selfish, unfair, and contrary. (Perhaps especially if they are so!)
b. Prov. 16:14 – “The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.”
c. The purpose of these proverbs is that subjects might be wise in their dealings with fickle, unpredictable, powerful men—like kings.
d. Solomon wrote these words for the GOOD of his subjects. He didn’t want them to have to face the wrath of a king.
e. Don’t provoke him to anger. Do whatever you can to pacify him… even if he is unreasonable… unrighteous… and wrong!
f. He is like a wild animal. Do whatever you can to calm him down and not get him upset. It will be best for YOU.
7. Rom. 12:18 – Live peaceably with ALL men…
a. But especially with those who can make life miserable for you!
b. We can make application of Solomon’s proverb to all kinds of situations in life…
c. In many situations, (even if you’re right and they’re wrong) it’s not worth stirring up a hornets’ nest… it’s not worth grabbing a tiger by the tail… it’s not worth it to provoke a lion to anger (or your boss; your teacher; your mother in law; father in law; or the policeman; or the building inspector.)
8. Fear of what might happen is a GOOD thing.
a. It is healthy and wise.
b. It causes you to think twice before acting or speaking. It causes you to be careful.
c. It causes you to think through the whole situation. Consider the possible reaction and outcome.
d. And if fear results in that kind of caution, it is very helpful.
9. Of course, it’s a good idea not to anger ANYONE… lest they seek revenge and make life miserable for you. This proverb has broader application than to kings only!
a. Solomon later makes the same warning and applies it especially to MEAN kings… (Prov. 28:15)
b. That would be true for ALL mean people. They will turn on you. They can do you much harm.
B. Sinning Against His Own Soul
1. Sinning against his own soul
a. Soul is used here in the sense of one’s life.
b. In other words, the one who angers a King is sinning at the peril of his own life… he is putting his life in danger.
c. If you provoke a king to anger—he could take your life… just like irritating a lion. Do so at your own peril.
2. I Kings 2:23 – Then king Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
a. Adonijah attempted to steal the kingdom from his brother Solomon by marrying the young virgin that lay with David. That would have made Adonijah in line for the throne.
b. Obviously, this trickery angered King Solomon.
c. Adonijah did not fear the king. He was poking a stick in the king’s face… in the face of a lion…
d. Solomon roared back—like an angry lion—that Adonijah did so against his own life. (vs.24-25)
3. Romans 13:2 – Men who resist authorities today (regardless of whether it is a monarchy, democracy, or dictatorship) do harm to themselves . Governmental officials have the power of the sword… and they use it!
4. Of course, we do not live in a monarchy or a dictatorship.
a. This proverb is especially written for such situations and does not speak about a democracy.
b. We do not have rulers who have absolute power over life and death—thankfully!
c. We DO have the right and the privilege of opposing leaders here with our vote or by getting involved in politics.
d. But the principle Solomon describes in this proverb IS applicable to us in many various situations where people have authority over us… and wherein getting them angry could make life miserable for us.
Proverbs 20:10, 23
Divers Weights and Measures
1. Weights and measures were instruments used to conduct business in ancient times before paper money.
2. Weights: Stones that came in various sizes and thus various weights.
a. They were used in weighing merchandise for sale.
b. It was a stone used as the counter-balance on a scale, as a unit of weight which is the standard.
3. Measures: Ephah; a dry measure of quantity; ALSO – the receptacle for measuring or holding that amount.
4. Balance: Set of scales; i.e., an implement for weighing, consisting of two balance pans with a standardized weight in one pan and the object to be weighed in the other.
a. Prov. 20:23 – a false balance
b. Prov. 11:1 – A false balance is an abomination.
• If the balance arms were of unequal length, the scale would appear to say that they were equal, but they would not be equal.
• It works like a seesaw. The short end requires more weight to balance the bar.
• Thus, dishonest merchants could use a “false balance”—with arms of unequal length.
c. There were LOTS of ways to cheat and steal.
d. There is a lot in the Bible about this practice—because cheating has always been a major problem with commerce.
5. Dishonesty
a. Lev. 19:36 – They were to have “just” (fair) weights in their bags so that they gave a “fair” portion of goods to those who bought from them…
b. The Law demanded this kind of honesty… fair business practices.
c. II Sam. 14:26 – “The king’s weight.”
• This was a standard weight which was to be used throughout the kingdom, so that everyone would be using the same measure.
• Merchants could not make their own weights…
• There had to be one standard weight, or transactions could not be conducted fairly.
• Governmental officials would be assigned the task of inspecting the merchants to PREVENT skimming and cheating.
• God and the king both expected the merchants to follow the royal standards.
d. Prov. 16:11 – A just weight is of the Lord.
e. Ex. – Canada’s Imperial quarts and gallons are not the same as ours.
f. Ex. – In recent years some companies have chosen a sneaky way of getting more money from us.
• Instead of raising the price, they made the product smaller… but just a little smaller so you might not notice. (Ice cream; coffee cans; bread.)
• The size of the product is reduced, but the price is not reduced—so you are really paying MORE per ounce for the product, even though the can has the same price.
• It is not stealing, because the new cans are labeled in small print.
g. Micah 6:11 – This sort of dishonesty was common in Israel…
• Israel is no different than any other nation.
• This kind of dishonesty also exists in Russia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Brazil, China, Denmark, and the good old USA!
• It is because we are ALL sinners. Human nature is fallen and it is the same all across the world.
• Here’s a unifying factor across the globe… something we all share in common. We are all deceitful, lying, dishonest, corrupt, and crooked by nature.
• For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is human nature.
WHAT IS BEHIND THIS KIND OF DISHONESTY
1. This dishonesty is all rooted in a “love of money.”
a. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
b. Here’s another kind of evil that grows out of that root: deceptive business practices.
2. Dishonesty also involves taking advantage of people.
a. Those ancient thieves would lie right to the face of their customer!
b. They knew that the average customer would not be able to tell the difference between a 5 pounds and 4.8 pounds.
c. Thus, this kind of stealing was a form of taking advantage of one’s neighbor, when the Law commanded them to love their neighbor.
3. Prov. 11:20 – A froward heart is behind this practice.
a. Froward = perverse, morally crooked or warped.
b. Such a heart is an abomination to God… and so is the practice or the fruit that comes out of that heart.
4. We don’t use stones and scales to buy and purchase today, but the principle applies just as well in the modern world.
a. Some companies keep two books instead of two stones. They keep one book for the IRS and the auditor, and another book for their own records. (That’s like having two different weights.)
b. Gas stations have been caught in skimming scams. They tweak their pumps so that you are not getting a full gallon, even though the pump SAYS you are… and even though you are PAYING for a full gallon. That IS stealing and is against the law. Thus, they have two measures—one measure the customer actually receives (9/10 gal.) and the other is what he pays for (a full gallon).
c. Today thieves steal identity. They have their own IDs and credit cards for everyday use. Then they have YOUR credit cards and IDs for when they go on a shopping spree.
1. Both of them alike – (both = #2) & (alike = also; again; alike)
a. The two terms really repeat (for emphasis) the same truth.
b. The two (weights and measures) are BOTH the same…
c. It really doesn’t matter HOW you cheat with these instruments.
d. Whether you put an unequal weight in the scale for items sold by weight, OR if you use the wrong size measuring basket for items sold by volume, the bottom line is the same.
e. You’re cheating! You’re stealing! It is a dishonest scam. You’re a crook!
f. And today, it doesn’t matter by what MEANS we cheat or steal from others… every method is alike an abomination.
2. Abomination: A disgusting thing, a despicable, repulsive, an object or practice which is loathsome and abhorrent, often in an ethical or moral sense; something that is especially offensive.
a. Only a select group of sins were called abominations in the Old Testament.
b. This kind of dishonesty puts you into the same category with murderers, homosexuals, and idolaters.
c. Rev. 21:8 – But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.
3. To the Lord:
a. God observes all such practices.
b. He hates the deceptive practice.
c. He also hates the greed—the love of money—that undergirds it.
d. He hates to see people take advantage of others.
e. The Lord is a God of JUSTICE.
• Hence He loves just balances…
• And He hates unjust balances.
f. The Lord is a God of TRUTH
• Hence, He hates all kinds of fraud and lies.
• God is opposed to those who oppose truth and justice.
4. Deut. 25:13-16 – this kind of dishonesty was an abomination to the Lord. (That thy days may be lengthened on the earth.)
a. They were forbidden from even possessing a small and a great weight. (Why else would you own such weights?)
b. The small weight they used when they sold a product.
c. The big weight they used when they bought a product.
d. It was a sin-win situation for this dishonest merchant.
e. They were not to have such weights in their place of business OR in their homes (many women worked from their homes).
f. Instead of the small and a great weight, they were to have a perfect (accurate) and just (fair) measure.
g. When you treat your customers fairly, your days will be lengthened.
h. When you are a cheater—you are an abomination to God.
5. Lev. 19:35-37 – Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.
a. They were to be honest because of WHO GOD IS.
• He is the LORD… Almighty… omniscient One
• He is the Lord of justice
b. They were to be honest because of WHAT GOD DID for them.
• In Egypt, they were taken advantage of, as slaves.
• Therefore, now redeemed from Egypt, they should treat others as they would like to be treated themselves! If you remember what it was like to BE mistreated, you will not want to mistreat others.
6. Prov. 15:3 – the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding both the evil and the good.
a. God expects us to be honest in ALL of our doings.
b. He is observing everything we do.
c. But we should be honest NOT just because God knows anyway and we can’t get away with it.
d. We should be honest because we are yielded to God and the LIFE of Christ is manifested through us… in word and deed.
e. Honesty ought to characterize our lives… even down to the tiny details of life.
f. Honesty should be our testimony before the world. That’s how we should be known.
g. If we do something DISHONEST, we have disgraced the Lord… and ruined our testimony.
7. Prov. 28:6 – You are better off to be poor than to gain riches by being crooked!
Proverbs 20:4
The Sluggard
1. Sluggard defined:
a. A person who is slow to take any action, suggesting a lack of discipline or initiative; it suggests a moral failure.
b. A person who is habitually lazy and inactive, because of a lack of initiative.
c. This is one of the personalities we have seen several times in Proverbs so far.
d. We have seen him in chapters, 6, 10, 13, 15, and 19.
e. He will be seen several more times after this chapter too.
f. The sluggard is mentioned often in proverbs because it is a common problem among men… women… and children.
2. Solomon highlights one more characteristic of the sluggard here: he refuses to plow when it’s time to plow.
a. The cold, rainy season in this part of the world is the time when the fields need to be plowed.
b. The cold rainy season isn’t ideal, but it IS the time to plow. That is the only opportunity he has.
c. If you wait until the cold, rainy season is over, it might be more comfortable outside to plow, but it’s too late.
d. By then, the window of opportunity is over. You won’t have time for your crops to grow.
e. Some jobs have to be done when they have to be done.
3. This sluggard makes excuses for his laziness: it’s too cold outside to plow today!
a. Sluggards come up with all kinds of excuses.
b. When the heart is not in the work, the slightest problem will be seen as a hindrance to DO the work.
c. The same is true in the work of the Lord too. If your heart is not in it, almost anything becomes an excuse not to do it…
d. A minor headache will keep you away from the chore… two snowflakes will keep you away… the slightest difficulty is enough to convince a person who doesn’t WANT to work that he should stay home.
e. Prov. 22:13 – There is a lion without! I can’t work today. It’s too dangerous.
f. A lazy man doesn’t really need a GOOD excuse. Any old excuse will do.
g. The sluggard in chapter 20:4 uses the weather as an excuse… but it really isn’t an excuse.
h. Actually, when the cold season comes there, it was actually God’s reminder to them that it is TIME to get out and plow!
i. When the cold, rainy season begins, that was nature’s alarm clock that it was now time to get out and plow…
j. Everyone else got out and plowed. All the other farmers knew what the cold, rainy season meant.
k. And all the other farmers took advantage of this season.
4. This is a major thrust in this proverb: Wisdom demands that we take advantage of opportunities while the window is open… for it may soon be shut.
a. Col. 4:5 – They redeemed the time… walk in wisdom—redeem the time.
b. There is a connection between wisdom and taking advantage of opportunities. That’s what wisdom does!
c. Prov. 6:6 – Laziness is a lack of wisdom… (Not even as wise as an ant!) A refusal to employ wisdom.
d. There is a direct connection between wisdom and diligence.
e. It is wise to be diligent and redeem the time.
f. It is foolish to be lazy and let opportunities slip away.
g. And yes, the farmers in Prov. 20:4 got wet out there in the fields. And they got cold too.
h. But they didn’t complain… and they didn’t use that as an excuse NOT to get to work.
i. They chose instead to bite the bullet, go out in the cold rain, and DO what had to be done. That’s wisdom.
j. What the lazy sluggard did was a foolish waste of time and opportunity.
k. Prov. 26:16 – Fools THINK they are wise.
• When all the other farmers were out getting cold and wet plowing their fields, the sluggard was sitting at home before a warm fire.
• There in the comfort of his home he thought to himself: “Those men are fools! I’m the wise one. I’ll wait until the cold, rainy season is over before I plow.”
• Lazy fools always think they are smarter than everyone else.
l. BUT—In postponing the plowing season would prove to be too late to reap a bountiful harvest.
5. Conditions in the cold rain were not ideal.
a. But the diligent workers didn’t live in an idyllic, dream world. They lived in the REAL world.
b. And conditions are not always ideal in the real world. In fact, conditions are hardly ever ideal in the real world.
c. So although the wise, diligent farmers would have much preferred warmer, drier weather, they knew that the cold, rainy season was the time to plow… so they plowed.
d. The lazy sluggard wasn’t living in the real world. He was living in an imaginary world of his own making… a dream world… which was really a slothful, lazy, and morally reprehensible world!
e. And when harvest time came, he would only be able to DREAM about a bountiful crop!
f. His lazy dreams would not feed his family.
6. And once the diligent farmers got their work done, they felt good about it.
a. They slept well that night. They knew that the prep work was done for a bountiful crop when the warmer weather came.
• There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
• Don’t you feel good when you finally decide to tackle a job you have been putting off… and once the job is finally done, you feel good about it.
• It is a burden off your mind. There is a sense of relief… and a sense of accomplishment…
• It feels good to check things off the TO DO list… especially the things you’re not too crazy about doing.
• The diligent farmers felt good about having their fields all plowed and ready for sowing.
b. Prov. 26:14 – But the sluggard could NOT sleep well.
• He tossed and turned all night like a door on its hinges…
• He knew deep down inside, that he lost his opportunity for a good crop… and he felt bad about it.
• Perhaps he was now thinking, “I wish I had plowed today. I should have…”
• He was probably worried about going hungry next season…
• His conscience bothered him and kept him awake at night because he KNEW that he should have been out there plowing like his neighbors were doing.
• So while his diligent neighbors were laboring hard all during the day—he was lounging comfortably at home in his favorite, well worn chair.
• But that night, while the diligent workers were sleeping like babies… he was tossing and turning…
• He tossed and turned like a door because his guilty conscience bothered him… he was full of fear and anxiety for the future… he worried about what he would feed his family…
c. On the other hand, the diligent workers knew they could look forward to reaping the fruit of their labors in a few months.
• They knew that you reap what you sow… AND that you can only sow the fields that have been plowed.
• They put two and two together… and the answer was clear: it’s time to plow. If I don’t plow, I won’t be able to sow… and if I don’t sow, I won’t reap.
• The diligent farmers probably didn’t like the cold rain any more than the sluggard.
• But the diligent farmers never even entertained the thought of not plowing. They knew that the job had to be done—so they did it.
• In the cold, rainy season, there was a big difference between the diligent farmers and the sluggard.
» The sluggard invented excuses not to plow: it’s too cold out!
» The diligent workers didn’t invent excuses like the sluggard. They got up and out and did the work.
1. Here is another difference between the two…
a. This difference isn’t seen until harvest time.
b. In the time of harvest, the diligent farmer has plenty of fruit.
c. The sluggard is reduced to begging. He has nothing.
d. He DID nothing… so he HAS nothing.
e. He didn’t plow, so he couldn’t sow, and therefore he didn’t reap.
f. There was no surprise here.
g. This was something that he SHOULD have been foreseen. This event was entirely predictable.
h. Prov. 19:15 – Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
i. And therefore, it was very FOOLISH.
2. There is also an element of morality involved here.
a. In time of harvest he was begging food from others.
b. In other words, he expected those who worked hard to feed him… and perhaps his family.
c. It is WRONG for a man who is able to work and chooses NOT to work, to expect others to provide food for him.
d. II Thess. 3:10 – if a man WILL not work, neither should he eat.
• The emphasis here is on WILL not.
• Men who are willing to work but for some reason beyond their control they are unable to do so should not go hungry.
• That’s where Christian charity comes in.
• If we can we should FEED that man. Don’t send that man away hungry.
e. But it is not right to feed the sluggard. That will only encourage his laziness. It is rewarding bad behavior.
f. That only exacerbates the problem and it sets a terrible example. Other sluggards will observe and discover that if they are lazy, they too will be rewarded with handouts. Why plow?
g. It IS right to let them go hungry. That is God’s method of curing the sluggard: hunger! Pain… maybe homelessness… cold…
h. Those who give to the sluggards of the world THINK that they are showing compassion to them.
i. In fact, they are part of the problem. Those handouts are BREEDING more sluggards and perpetuating the problem.
j. As cold as it might seem at first, it is best to let them go without… let them go hungry.
3. Prov. 13:4 – He will desire to have, but will have nothing.
a. And once again, he has made a miserable life for himself.
b. He now sits around and observes others enjoying their plenty… and he sits in need… wishing… dreaming… and empty.
c. And once again, when his neighbors are sleeping like babies… he is tossing and turning on his bed… only now on top of his guilt and anxiety is hunger.
d. The sluggard has a miserable life.
e. Solomon has warned us well here.
Proverbs 20:5
Counsel in the Heart of Man
Introduction:
1. This proverb is sufficiently vague so as to create a bit of difficulty in interpretation.
a. Is Solomon speaking about a wise man or a foolish man?
b. Is Solomon speaking about one man who has counsel in his heart and knows when to bring it out?
c. Is Solomon speaking about two men, one with good counsel and the other who needs it… and comes to the wise man to draw out that wisdom?
d. In another portion of Scripture we would be inclined to say that Solomon meant either one or the other.
e. However, in THIS form of literature (proverbs), we have short concise sayings that were designed to make you think.
f. It is possible that Solomon meant either one thing OR the other.
g. But it is also possible that the vagueness was purposeful… that it might be applied to various situations.
1. Here Solomon describes a man of great wisdom. He has GOOD counsel in his heart.
a. Counsel: Counsel; advice; purpose; the ability to tell someone what they should do based on a plan, purpose, or vision; the ability to make good judgments, good decisions.
b. Ps. 33:11 – This is used of the “counsel of the Lord.” His counsel stands forever. It is true and right.
c. The counsel of a wise man will be in harmony with the counsel of the Lord. His counsel would never willingly violate the counsel of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
d. The heart speaks of the whole inner man… his inner thoughts… feelings… emotions… attitudes…
e. The counsels of the heart = deep down inside a wise man there are counsels, purposes, goals, values, motives, a world view, a sense of good judgment… opinions… etc.
2. This man is to be contrasted to the fool.
a. Prov. 18:7 – The fool’s mouth is his destruction. He blurts out whatever pops into his head… and that is often not worth repeating!
b. The fool also has counsel… but it is foolish counsel. It is not deep, but shallow and foolish.
c. Unfortunately, the fool THINKS he knows it all, so he constantly blurts out his folly… even when no one wants to hear it.
d. The fool is always ready to give his foolish counsel, even when no one is seeking for his advice.
3. The wise man with good counsel in his heart is different from a fool.
a. His counsel is deep… wise… not superficial.
b. Nor is his counsel something that he feels he ought to blurt out.
c. He does not constantly pour out his own views and ideas.
d. He keeps his wisdom in his own heart.
e. He is UNLIKE the fool, because he knows when to draw it out.
f. He may not say much, but when he speaks, he has something worthwhile to say. When he does speak, it is worth hearing… worth paying attention to.
g. I’m sure we all know older, wise men that fit this category. He is a man of few words, but those few words are usually gems.
h. Prov. 10:14 – He lays it up like treasure in his heart.
i. The fool constantly blathers out superficial things… folly.
j. But the wise man has wisdom like a deep reservoir of water.
• It is not constantly flowing… like the folly of a fool.
• The wise man knows enough to draw it out only at the proper time.
4. The counsel in his heart is like deep water.
a. The deep water here is well water.
b. And in a hot, dry land, the deeper the well water, the better.
c. The water on the surface might be lukewarm… tepid, and not very refreshing.
d. In a dug well or cistern, this water might not be all that clean either.
e. The deeper the water, the colder it would be… the more refreshing.
f. Water from a deep well is the best water. It is cool, refreshing, clean, pure, and satisfying.
g. Counsel in the heart of a wise man is like that.
BUT WORDS THAT ARE DEEP AND PROFOUND ARE WORTH THE EFFORT.
• Prov. 2:1-6 – Solomon’s wise words are DEEP beneath the surface.
• However, diligent searching will be rewarded by FINDING the wisdom of his words.
• So keep on digging! Don’t give up.
• That’s the point of the expression “deep waters” too. It requires some EFFORT to draw it out… but it is worth the effort.
1. Here Solomon pictures another man coming TO the wise man with good counsel in his heart.
a. The wise man’s counsel is like cool, refreshing water.
b. A man of understanding will SEEK OUT that cool, refreshing water.
2. A man of understanding is the kind of man who will SEEK after advice and counsel.
a. He is not a fool. He is not a know it all.
b. Fools don’t seek advice. Why should they? They know it all already! (Prov. 12:15 – He is right in his own eyes.)
c. But the man of understanding realizes that in many situations, he NEEDS counsel… he needs advice.
d. The Bible SAYS that we ought to seek counsel.
• Prov. 1:5 – The man of understanding ATTAINS wise counsel. Why? Because he SEEKS it out until he finds it.
• Prov. 9:9 – Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser.
• Several passages speak about this fact: men of understanding seek out advice and counsel.
3. Prov. 20:5 adds an additional thought: They know where to look!
a. They know enough to go to the wise man that possesses a deep reservoir of good, hearty counsel.
b. In other words, if you want to be wise, seek out wisdom from those who have it… from those who have a deep reservoir of experience and wisdom…
c. Go to such a man or woman and pick their brains… seek advice… counsel… guidance…
d. A wise man HAS that wisdom. A man of understanding and insight demonstrates his discernment and understanding by “drawing it out.”
4. The passage implies that there are many older, mature, experienced men and women who may be quiet about the wisdom they have gained over the years.
a. They are a reservoir of riches… or ideas… of advice… and good counsel.
b. However, they don’t go around telling people what to do.
c. But if you go to them and ask… seek… you will discover that you will be able to draw it out of them.
d. There is plenty of good counsel IN his heart. It is our task to draw it out!
e. Sometimes we lose out on the cool, refreshing water we COULD have enjoyed because we did not draw it out.
f. Sometimes we lose out on the good advice and wisdom because we did not ask… we were not inquisitive enough…
g. His point: engage in conversations with wise, experienced saints!
h. They have a lot of wisdom to offer.
i. To draw it out, you have to talk to them… ask questions… seek their opinions and views and ask why… bounce some of your ideas off them to see what they think…
j. Very often wisdom comes with age. And older, wise people have learned from experience not to stick their noses into other people’s business. They have learned not to tell others what to do. Also with wisdom comes modesty.
k. Thus, we have many older, wise saints, with a vast reservoir of experience and wisdom available… but their wisdom is not like a flowing brook… always pouring out of their lips. Often their wisdom is like deep water in a well.
l. It has to be drawn out… and when it is drawn out, it is like cool, refreshing water… valuable… restorative… nourishing… just what you needed!
m. Prov. 13:20 – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.”
5. And if wise men are like reservoirs of fresh, cool water of great benefit to those who are inquisitive and seek it… how much MORE can we apply this to the Word of God!
a. What a treasure chest of wisdom we have in God’s Word.
b. Yet, it too must be drawn out.
c. II Tim. 2:15 – Study (be diligent) to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Proverbs 20:6
A Faithful Man
6a Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:
1. Goodness: This is a very broad and generic term that has lots of various shades of meaning (like good in English).
a. Strong’s: Goodness; kindness; faithfulness.
b. Dictionary of Bible Languages: Loyal love; unfailing kindness; devotion; favor.
c. Zodhiates: Kindness, lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, love, acts of kindness.
d. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament: Steadfast love; loyalty.
e. It is used of God often (as in Psalm 136:1) = “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
2. This quality is to be desired.
a. Proverb 19:22 – “The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.” (Kindness = same term as goodness.)
b. This quality (when it is genuine) is what makes a person desirable.
c. Everybody likes a man who is kind, faithful, and good!
3. Solomon states that most men will PROCLAIM their own goodness.
a. Proclaim: To call out; announce; i.e., make a public calling out of information or an event; mention publicly.
b. Here Solomon tells us something that we all know already: most men like to let others know of their good qualities.
c. We all know that everybody LIKES a man who is kind and good. Thus, people have a tendency to proclaim their kindness and goodness to others.
d. This is human nature. If you want people to think well of you, then proclaim your goodness to them… for the desire of a man is his goodness.
e. Because we all know this, we like to proclaim it.
f. They like to proclaim their good deeds.
g. They like to proclaim how “good” they are in various skills: sports; music; career; speech; making friends; various talents; etc.
h. They like to proclaim their acts of kindness and mercy.
i. They like to proclaim their loyalty as a friend.
j. They like to proclaim their faithfulness to the Lord… how spiritual they are.
k. They like to proclaim their overall “goodness” in every area of life.
4. Solomon lets us know that it is human nature to proclaim our own goodness.
a. MOST men do it. (Most = a great abundance; multitudes.)
b. There are very few exceptions.
c. We have ALL done it. Perhaps some have done it more than others, but we’ve ALL done it… repeatedly.
d. Prov. 16:2 – All the ways of man are right in his own eyes… BUT the Lord often has a different view of the situation.
e. The second part of Prov. 10:6 states something similar, and then also adds the conjunction “but”.
1. Solomon does not dispute their claims to having done good things.
2. But he does dispute their overall “goodness.”
a. Even evil dictators would be able to accurately proclaim some good things they did.
b. After all, they built bridges; hospitals; helped their friends become rich; provided mansions for their friends and family; etc.
3. Anybody can put himself in a favorable light.
a. It’s not only the politician who is a master of spin. We ALL have developed that fine art. We learn to spin almost anything to make self look good.
b. Matt. 7:22-23 – These men put themselves in a favorable light before the Lord. But Christ was able to see through that favorable lighting… He saw the truth of the matter.
4. Solomon acknowledges in this proverb that ALL men are good at “spinning.”
a. But he wipes that all aside and gets to the truth: few men are truly faithful.
b. Solomon makes it clear that spin doesn’t matter. Truth does.
c. It doesn’t matter how rosy a picture a man paints of himself. The truth is usually a very different picture.
d. As a pastor who spends time counseling with folks, this proverb has been proven in practice repeatedly. (Try counseling two people who are fighting… one at a time!)
e. I never cease to be amazed at the inventiveness and skillful wordsmithing that some folks have developed in describing a situation (without actually lying) which paints them in the rosiest of colors! Then the other person in describing the very same scenario manages to make himself look good… kind… loyal… faithful.
f. This seems to be the thought Solomon is describing in this proverb.
5. Solomon suggests by his language here that men who proclaim their own goodness are not faithful to the truth!
a. We have a tendency to exaggerate our goodness…
b. We have a tendency to minimize our failures and faults.
c. As we proclaim our goodness, we have a tendency to leave out details that put us in a less than favorable light.
d. We may tell the truth, but not always the WHOLE truth.
e. We have a tendency to see ourselves through rose tinted glasses.
f. That slant is not being faithful to the truth… to reality.
g. We have serious blind spots when it comes to how we see self.
h. We easily see our good points and delight to point them… along with a little embellishment…
6. For this reason it is necessary to hear BOTH sides of a story before drawing any conclusions.
a. Prov. 18:17 – He that is first in his own cause SEEMETH just.
• When you hear one side of the story, that person always portrays himself as the good guy… and the other side as the bad guy.
• The first side of the story you hear usually sounds very convincing. He usually conveys an airtight argument.
• It sounds good UNTIL the other guy comes along and tells the other side of the story… details the first guy somehow overlooked… a slightly different chronology of events…
• And they use very different terms (he said vs. he yelled; he came vs. he snuck in; he came home at 9:00 vs. he came home in the darkness of night; I patted my son on the head vs. he hit his own son right on the head!)
b. Solomon reminds us that it is human nature to word things in such a way that makes self look good and the other guy look bad.
c. Solomon also laments, that very, very rarely is a person FAITHFUL with the facts… with the story… with the events…
d. Goodness, loyalty, and faithfulness are great qualities. But not everybody who claims to have them actually DOES have them.
e. This is especially true of those who brag and boast about their good qualities.
• Boasters do a lot of loud proclaiming, but there is usually very little substance behind the boasting.
• People who boast about their charity, kindness, piety and faithfulness rarely possess those qualities.
• Prov. 25:14 – We are usually very disappointed with the boasting of men. When they proclaim but don’t deliver, it is disappointing.
• The proof is in the pudding… the proof is in deeds, not words.
7. Those who are ACTUALLY good, kind, and faithful do NOT normally proclaim it. They do not boast about it.
a. That is because those good qualities are usually accompanied by another good quality: humility.
b. Matt. 6:1 – It is good to be good and to do good deeds. But it is not good to proclaim it. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for that.
c. Ps.1 2:1 – Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”
d. Men who SAY they are good and faithful are a dime a dozen.
e. But men who are TRULY good and faithful are hard to come by. It is a rare breed.
f. Reality lies not in the proclaiming (in saying) but in DOING.
8. This little nugget of truth has good application for us all.
a. Where do WE stand?
b. How do others see us?
c. Is there a disconnect between our words and our actions?
d. Do we talk a good talk but fail to walk the walk?
e. Are we loyal and faithful in our responsibilities: in our marriage, as parents, at work, in the local church?
f. It is one thing to be good, loyal, and faithful in WORD. It is quite another thing to be good, loyal, and faithful in DEED.
g. Reality is what counts.
Proverbs 20:7
Men of Integrity and Their Children
A. The Just Man
1. Just:
a. Just, righteous.
• legally or spiritually – just before the law or just before God
b. spiritually = justified by faith
• Gen. 6:9 – Noah was a just man.
• Gen 15:6 – Abraham was accounted “righteous.”
c. Solomon MAY be using this in a very generic sense… righteous in ANY way (before the civil law; before God; before his boss at work; etc.)
2. Walk:
a. Can mean walk (literally).
b. But this term is used in LOTS of different ways (Dict. Of Bib. Lang. gave it 35 different definitions—all very similar.)
c. This term can also mean: Behave; conduct; live; conduct the course of one’s life…
d. That seems to be how Solomon uses the term here—much as the word “walk” is used in the New Testament.
3. Integrity:
a. Integrity; simplicity; fullness; blameless; with a clean conscience; moral goodness.
b. When Absalom invited two hundred men from Jerusalem to his party, the word denoted that the men did not have any idea of what was about to happen (2 Sam. 15:11). (simplicity; innocent) They came in their integrity… not realizing what he was up to… his conspiracy to overthrow his father.
c. In Genesis, Abimelech acted with a clear conscience after taking Sarah, for Abraham stated that Sarah was his sister (Gen. 20:5, 6).
d. Ps. 15:1-2 – This is the kind of man who can abide in the Tabernacle of God… and have fellowship with God.
e. Ps. 140:13 – The upright shall dwell in thy presence.
B. Walking in Integrity
1. He leads his whole life in integrity.
a. It is the JUST or righteous man who walks in integrity.
• This does not refer to a carnal believer who plays church on Sunday and lives the rest of his life for himself.
• This refers to a just man—justified—one who also walks the walk.
• He walks humbly with God. He is sensitive to God and to spiritual things.
b. This is not the man who leads a double life… who shows up in his Christian suit on Sunday and lives for the devil the rest of the week.
c. This is a man whose whole life is characterized by integrity—moral goodness. He is a man of honor.
d. He walks with a pure conscience. When he sins, he confesses his sins and keeps his conscience pure.
e. He’s not perfect, but he does have integrity. When he fails he admits it and makes it right.
2. The man who walks in integrity is blessed.
a. Ps. 25:21 – Integrity will PRESERVE him from trouble that others have to deal with.
b. Prov. 13:6 – Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way.
c. Ps. 18:25 – God will be upright with him! (same word) If we are honest and open with God, He will be honest and open with us!
d. Ps. 26:1 – He can expect God’s mercy to be shown him. He has a pure conscience. He can cry out to God for mercy, AND receive it!
e. Ps. 26:1 – He walks in integrity; therefore he will not slide—fall. It is a spiritually SAFE manner of life.
3. HE doesn’t have to worry about the things deceitful men have to worry about.
a. Liars have to worry about what they said and to whom.
b. Men who cheat and steal have to worry about getting caught…
c. Men who lead double lives have to worry that people from one of his worlds will discover someone from his other world.
d. The governor of NY gained a reputation for being a man of integrity and going after the white collar criminals and corruption in his state… only to discover that he had been leading a double life… he was not what he claimed to be.
4. Ps. 37:37 – He is a man who enjoys PEACE of mind.
a. This doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen to men of integrity.
b. But it does mean that he can sleep at night.
c. He has peace of mind—knowing that he is right with God and his fellow man.
d. He has a clear conscience. That is part of the blessing of which Solomon writes.
5. Yes, there are great advantages to leading a life of integrity.
a. There are many personal benefits.
b. Of course the MOST important is that it is pleasing to the Lord.
c. However, there is also another important earthly blessing relating to leading a life of integrity: your children!
A. They Are Blessed Having Such a Father
1. Blessed: Happiness, blessedness; a state of joyful mind.
a. It is a blessed and happy life for children to grow up in a home in which the father is a man of integrity.
b. Some children have miserable childhoods because of a father who is not such a man.
c. Think of how many children grow up with their fathers in prison.
• In 1999, there were 1,284,894 prisoners in the custody of state and federal prisons.
• Of these, approximately 56% (or 721,500) were the parents to minor children.
d. Think of how many children grow up only to see their father drunk or drugged up half the time.
e. By way of contrast, Solomon states that the children of men of integrity are BLESSED.
f. It is a blessing to HAVE such a father… whether the kids realize it or not.
g. Remember that this book was written primarily to YOUNG men.
• That they might appreciate and learn wisdom from their parents.
• That they might learn about and appreciate the heritage their parents leave behind.
• Here Solomon reminds young people to appreciate the blessed life that is theirs because of the life of integrity lived by their father.
• And the hope is that this kind of lifestyle will be passed down to future generations as well.
2. This blessing is really from the Lord.
a. It was HE who established the family.
b. It was HE who gave instructions concerning how to live a life of integrity.
c. It is the Lord who saves men… and transforms their lives.
d. It is the Lord who enables a man to have victory over the vices that ruin others.
e. Every good gift comes down from above—from the father of Lights… including one’s earthly father.
f. If a man walks in integrity, it’s because the Lord made it possible.
3. Prov. 13:22 – A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.
a. A man of integrity may not leave an inheritance of gold and silver; but he leaves behind something far more valuable: integrity and the blessed life that results from it.
b. This is from the Lord ultimately.
4. Parents who walk in integrity pass on to their children a blessing that lasts a lifetime.
a. It is their WALK that instructs more than their TALK.
b. Kids pick up on the value system of their parents by watching them in action… day after day for years.
c. Kids can see when parents are hypocrites. They notice!
d. They also see when parents are honest, upright, and full of integrity. They can’t help but notice that too.
e. This is the blessing that men of integrity pass on to their children.
f. However, what they DO with that blessing is up to the children.
• They can either follow it and pass it on to THEIR children.
• Or they can throw it out the window.
B. They Are Blessed in Following Their Father
1. AFTER:
a. Can mean: after, later, behind, etc.
b. Can mean: Follow, formally, be after, i.e., go after another person or group in a linear motion. (1 Sam. 12:14) Follow is the same word as “after.” It implies to follow after.
2. Children who grow up in a house led by a man of integrity are blessed and usually follow in that way. (Remember—this is a proverb.)
a. They saw the blessedness of their father’s life of integrity and usually they want the same for themselves and their family.
3. Ps. 112:1-2 – Here is a blessed man; he walks with God and his seed is strong and is blessed too.
a. A man of integrity is blessed and happy. And his children are happy after him. They BENEFIT from his integrity.
b. His children fare better in life because of his lifestyle.
c. In this way, God bestows mercy on his seed…
d. Prov. 14:11 – but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
4. Solomon wrote this proverb from personal experience.
a. I Chronicles 29:17 – David knew that God was pleased with a heart full of integrity.
b. Ps. 78:72 – David shepherded with a “heart of integrity.” That’s why he was a man after God’s own heart. That’s what made David special in God’s sight. He was wholesome, honest, pure, and clean in whatever he did. It was his lifestyle.
c. I Kings 9:4-5 – God promised to Solomon that if he walked in integrity like his father David, that God would bless him too.
d. Could this have been what prompted Solomon to write our proverb?
e. God reminded Solomon that his father David walked in integrity…
f. And God challenged Solomon to follow his father’s walk.
g. These are good reminders and challenges for fathers today to pass on to their children. A life of integrity is blessed… and can be for many generations…
C. Conclusions
1. Parents therefore can either WORRY or WALK.
a. Parents naturally worry about their kids.
b. Concern is natural. But anxious worry and fretting is not right.
c. The right thing to do is to WALK.
d. It is the man of integrity’s WALK that blazes the trail for blessing for his children.
e. We would do our children more good if we channeled all that energy we spend in worrying into our walk… our kids would be blessed.
Proverbs 20:8
The King Scatters Evil
8a A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment
1. Here Solomon pictures the king’s role as Judge.
a. Solomon himself was familiar with this role.
b. There were judges in the land, but when a case was too difficult, they would bring it to the King.
c. Standing before the king for judgment was like standing before the Supreme Court.
d. The king was the last resort for a matter to be resolved; his word was final.
e. It was therefore, a fearful thing to stand before the King.
2. The king is seen on his throne.
a. As such, he is seen as an august, royal, authority and with unlimited power.
b. In this proverb, the king is seen sitting upon his royal throne; and he sits on his throne in his royal robes.
c. As such, it is a fearful thing to stand before the king’s throne of judgment.
d. On his throne he is high and lifted up… and looms large to those standing below.
e. It was a fearful thing to stand before him… especially in that setting.
f. This is especially so since he has the power of life and death.
3. A king sitting upon his throne of judgment was intended to be extremely intimidating to anyone standing before him.
a. I Kings 3:28 – And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
b. After Solomon’s first recorded judgment on his throne, it was said that all Israel FEARED him.
c. After that, people would think twice about trying to fool the king.
1. The key to understanding this proverb is to know what is meant by the verb “scattereth.”
a. The term can mean scatter, cast away, disperse, spread.
b. The term can also mean to winnow.
c. Winnow, i.e., to use a process to remove husk and chaff from the fruit of cereal grain,
d. Figuratively, used of harming an object as related to the violent action on the husks and grain.
2. The meaning of this proverb hinges on the meaning of the word “scatter”… and each meaning would lead you to a different interpretation.
3. If scatter means to scatter or DISPERSE… cast away, then it seems that Solomon is saying that a king has the power to scare away evil men with one look of his eyes.
a. The king is able to LOOK at criminals and send them running.
• Perhaps you might liken this to a man shining a light into a room full of cockroaches. The light causes them to scatter.
• So a king’s countenance… one piercing look from his eyes can cause evil to scatter.
• Prov. 16:14-15 – The way a king looked at you (his countenance) could mean life or death. (Prov. 19:12)
• This fear in the hearts of men (the fear of facing the king) would often be enough to prevent them from doing evil.
• The awe of his majesty would restrain evil.
b. We might liken this to a parent with several children—each one with a different temperament.
• One child (the bold and fearless one) needs to be spanked five times before it sinks in and he finally repents.
• Another child, (the shy and fearful one) all it takes is one long, piercing, penetrating, severe look, and she melts, cries, and repents. No spanking is needed there.
c. A severe look from an authoritarian figure can be intimidating. It can even scatter evil.
• This can be a helpful technique for parents, teachers, instructors, and government officials.
• It only works when the one standing before the authority figure genuinely FEARS punishment.
• If a parent constantly threatens but never follows through, this technique will not work.
• If a teacher has no control over her class, this will not work. But if she DOES keep her class under control, and the kids know that she means business, and they know that they could be in big trouble, THEN just a severe look will often bring about the desired action: scattering bad behavior… getting rid of it.
d. The king in the proverb was seen in his throne of authority—an intimidating picture.
• There is a clear line of distinction between the king and the subject before his throne of judgment.
• They are not equals. One is the figure of authority, the other is subject UNDER that authority—and they both know it.
• This distinction is necessary in other settings for this principle to work too (parents; teachers; etc.)
• A teacher in a classroom has to FIRST establish his authority before he is able to keep control. If he presents himself on day one as one of the kids—they will walk all over him!
• In that case, an authoritative look will not cause the kids to behave either.
• But where and when that authority IS established, it can often REDUCE the amount of discipline he must actually apply in the classroom.
• The kids will respond to a LOOK and change.
• Often that look can replace a rod.
e. This may be the phenomenon that Solomon is describing in Proverbs 20:8… only not with a parent, but before the King.
4. If scatter means to “WINNOW”, (as I’m inclined to believe) then the proverb takes on a slightly different emphasis.
a. Prov. 20:26 causes me to lean towards that interpretation.
• This proverb is very similar.
• It uses the same word for scatter.
• It also speaks of bringing a “wheel” over them.
• This refers to a threshing wheel… which was used to crush grains in order to separate the husk from the grain.
• Then the grains were winnowed—beaten again with a fan, and thrown into the air, so that the wind would blow away the chaff, and leave only the fruit of the grain on the ground.
b. In light of Prov. 20:26, it seems best to understand the “scattering” of verse 8 to refer to winnowing too.
5. Thus, the meaning would be that the king is not scattering the wicked away, but rather, with his eyes is separating chaff from the wheat.
a. As the psalmist wrote, “the ungodly are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.” (Psalm 1:4)
b. Often a king can tell who is telling the truth and who is lying by their demeanor.
c. In other words, the wise king sizes up a situation with his eyes.
d. Of course, it’s not an infallible method, but it is one that judges have used since Biblical times, and still use in court today.
e. Isa. 11:3 – When Messiah comes, He will judge, but NOT like earthly judges. He states that earthly judges judge with their ears (what they hear) and their eyes (what they see).
f. They not only listen to what a suspect says, but they observe his demeanor. Is he believable? Is he acting? Are those tears real? Does he grimace as he sees the picture of the victim? Was that a smirk on his face?
g. A good judge can tell a lot by observing demeanor and body language with his eyes.
h. He can DISCERN not only from what the man says, but by HOW he says it.
i. The judge “winnows” with his eyes… separates the chaff from the wheat… he separates the liar from the one telling the truth.
6. One day we will all stand before the King of Kings.
a. He doesn’t need to judge us by His eyes. He knows our hearts. He knows all things.
b. His eyes are too pure to look upon iniquity.
c. In the last image of the risen Christ in the Bible He is seen with eyes as a flame of fire… (Rev. 1:13-14)
d. He knows all about us… our thoughts, words, deeds, motives, intentions of the heart… and He judges us on that basis.
e. With His eyes He winnows us too…
f. He will separate the chaff from the wheat in or lives too. He will separate all those works were done for self… works done in the flesh… works done for vainglory… works done to be seen of men…
g. He will separate all our works, and burn up the chaff… and we will receive a WELL DONE for those done in the power of Spirit for the glory of God.
Proverbs 20:9
A Clean Heart
Introduction:
1. This is a simple proverb. It is but a question.
2. However, it is a question designed to drive home a point. It is designed to make us think (which is always a healthy exercise).
3. Here Solomon makes his point by raising a question.
a. The obvious answer is no one.
b. Solomon answers his own question in Ecc. 7:20.
4. This proverb is short, concise way of describing the doctrine of the depravity of man.
a. Actually, it is fair to think of this question as coming directly from the heart of God to the heart of every man. Who can say that? No one!
b. It is sort of like God’s question to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”
c. It is the kind of question that causes our mouths to shut… that causes us to be humbled. It puts us in our place.
1. The HEART: Mind; emotions; conscience; the inner man. Our hearts have been entirely affected by sin… impure… unclean…
a. All has been defiled by sin.
b. Sin and impurity have affected the way we think; the way we feel; our conscience; it has brought guilt and shame.
c. The point Solomon is driving home is how deeply engrained is our sin… and how impotent we are to remove it.
d. Sin is our nature… it is human nature—fallen human nature.
2. This is not just a New Testament truth. It was clearly taught in the Old Testament as well.
a. I Kings 8:46 – Solomon acknowledged in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple that “there is no man that sinneth not.”
b. Ps. 14:1–3 – Here is David’s description of depravity. Paul quotes him in Romans 3.
c. Job 15:14 – Eliphaz speaks forth the wisdom of the ages and asks a similar question.
d. Job 25:4 – Another of Job’s friends, Bildad says the same.
e. Both testaments proclaim that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
3. This passage is a recognition of this sad reality of life in a cursed earth… and a lamentation over the fact.
a. Of the over 6 billion people in the world today, not one can make this claim.
b. Not one has a clean or pure heart. There is none that doeth good no not one.
c. Of course Jesus Christ was the one exception to this rule… but among mere mortals there is not one.
4. Knowing this truth and keeping it in mind can have some practical benefits.
a. It serves as a reminder that in all conflicts, nobody has a completely pure heart.
b. There is always plenty of blame to go around.
c. If you are running a business, it is imperative to take this fact into account.
• Your competition will try to steal your company secrets…
• Employees will try to cheat on their hours… stop working when not being watched…
• Someone will attempt to break into your buildings…
• Business leaders would be fools if they didn’t take this into account in making their plans.
d. If you are running a school you have to take into account the fact that kids will try to make trouble.
• Schools need rules.
• Leaders need to take into account that some kids will stretch the rules to their limits… will try to avoid the spirit of the law by some technicality…
e. In EVERY area of life, fallen human nature needs to be taken into account.
f. That was one of the reasons Communism didn’t succeed.
• On paper and in theory, it didn’t sound so bad.
• They failed to take into account human nature—
• If everybody works for the state… if the property is owned by the state… and everybody gets the same, then the workers will not work as hard… they won’t take care of the property…
• Even comrades are sinners!
g. Solomon as a king was well aware of human nature. He wants all of his readers to know what the human heart is like too.
5. Theologically, this is an important statement. It destroys the notion of sinless perfection. But it is also an exceedingly practical truth!
a. Parents should be aware of this too. Our sweet little kids are sinners!
• Buying one toy for two kids and expecting them to share doesn’t always work.
• Vague rules don’t work either. Your kids will find a way to get around the obvious intent of the rule unless you are crystal clear!
b. In every sphere of life, we need to incorporate this principle into all of our plans and procedures. The people we are working with are sinners! And so are we!
1. Solomon raises the question because he has a doubly good sense of this truth.
a. Solomon knew that it is human nature to be a sinner… unclean… impure.
b. Solomon also knew that it is human nature to try to DENY it!
c. There are some who have the audacity to claim that they are pure… or at least they THINK they are.
2. Prov. 30:12 – There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
a. Yes it is human nature to attempt to deny the obvious… that we are all unclean.
b. As arrogant as it might sound, there ARE those who SAY “I have made my heart clean.”
c. We have blind spots concerning our own hearts. Our vision is quite good when it comes to noticing spots on others… but it is human nature to be blind towards our own failures… impurities.
d. Such boasts do not prove a man’s goodness, only his blindness.
e. It is spiritually healthy to be aware of this.
f. Ps. 139:24 – David prayed that God would show him any wicked ways… impurities in his own heart… motives, etc.
• David acknowledged that he was often blind to them.
• He needed God to point them out to him.
• That is an honest and healthy attitude.
g. Thus, Solomon raises the question in such a way as almost to DARE anyone to make that claim.
h. The proverb challenges the readers to think twice before saying such a thing.
i. If you think about it honestly, you would never say it.
j. In fact, as we meditate upon the condition of our own hearts we are more inclined to say, “In me, that is in my flesh dwells no good thing!”
3. I John 1:8-10 – John takes up this issue too.
a. People can SAY their hearts are pure, but their walk proves it a lie.
b. Those who make such claims are deceived and are liars.
c. Don’t ever be so foolish as to make this claim.
1. Nobody can say, “I have cleansed my heart.”
a. Put the emphasis on the word “I”… as if “I” had such power!
b. No we cannot say “I” have cleansed my heart.
c. But we CAN say that the precious blood of Christ has cleansed us from all sin and provided us with a new heart!
2. We cannot say that WE have made our hearts pure.
a. Those who are born again DO possess a pure heart, but it was the work of the Holy Spirit…
b. Unfortunately, we ALSO still possess our fallen, impure heart.
3. I don’t think that Solomon had in mind the distinction between legal vs. practical righteousness or purity… but it might be helpful for us to think about it.
a. Believers today are pure of heart in a legal sense:
• We stand blameless and without fault in the sight of God.
• Our iniquities have been forgiven
• We are clothed with fine linen, clean and white, the righteousness of the saints:
• There is no condemnation.
• Acts 15:9 – purifying their hearts by faith.
• Positionally, our hearts are pure.
• This is by faith… through grace, not works.
• No one can say “I” have made my heart clean…
• Positionally, we ARE pure, cleansed, washed.
b. But none of us are pure from indwelling sin…
• We still have the sin nature… and it is just as ugly as ever.
• None of us are clean and pure from the commission of sin.
• To deny that would make us a liar.
• That is what Solomon was getting at… in a practical sense.
The Real Cure
1. Get a fresh look at the holiness of God.
2. No one ever got a glimpse of the holiness of God and made such a foolish boast: I am clean! My heart is pure!
3. Just the opposite.
a. Isaiah saw the Lord and exclaimed: Woe is me! I am undone. I am an unclean man!
b. Job 40:4 – “I am vile! What shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.”
c. Job also said, “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (42:6)
d. Paul also saw the Lord, and he said of himself, “I am the chief of sinners.”
4. If we start getting too full of ourselves, if we begin to think we are something when we are nothing, if we begin to esteem ourselves more highly than we ought… it’s time for a fresh glimpse at the holiness of God in His Word.
Proverbs 20:10, 23
Divers Weights and Measures
1. Weights and measures were instruments used to conduct business in ancient times before paper money.
2. Weights: Stones that came in various sizes and thus various weights.
a. They were used in weighing merchandise for sale.
b. It was a stone used as the counter-balance on a scale, as a unit of weight which is the standard.
3. Measures: Ephah; a dry measure of quantity; ALSO – the receptacle for measuring or holding that amount.
4. Balance: Set of scales; i.e., an implement for weighing, consisting of two balance pans with a standardized weight in one pan and the object to be weighed in the other.
a. Prov. 20:23 – a false balance
b. Prov. 11:1 – A false balance is an abomination.
• If the balance arms were of unequal length, the scale would appear to say that they were equal, but they would not be equal.
• It works like a seesaw. The short end requires more weight to balance the bar.
• Thus, dishonest merchants could use a “false balance”—with arms of unequal length.
c. There were LOTS of ways to cheat and steal.
d. There is a lot in the Bible about this practice—because cheating has always been a major problem with commerce.
5. Dishonesty
a. Lev. 19:36 – They were to have “just” (fair) weights in their bags so that they gave a “fair” portion of goods to those who bought from them…
b. The Law demanded this kind of honesty… fair business practices.
c. II Sam. 14:26 – “The king’s weight.”
• This was a standard weight which was to be used throughout the kingdom, so that everyone would be using the same measure.
• Merchants could not make their own weights…
• There had to be one standard weight, or transactions could not be conducted fairly.
• Governmental officials would be assigned the task of inspecting the merchants to PREVENT skimming and cheating.
• God and the king both expected the merchants to follow the royal standards.
d. Prov. 16:11 – A just weight is of the Lord.
e. Ex. – Canada’s Imperial quarts and gallons are not the same as ours.
f. Ex. – In recent years some companies have chosen a sneaky way of getting more money from us.
• Instead of raising the price, they made the product smaller… but just a little smaller so you might not notice. (Ice cream; coffee cans; bread.)
• The size of the product is reduced, but the price is not reduced—so you are really paying MORE per ounce for the product, even though the can has the same price.
• It is not stealing, because the new cans are labeled in small print.
g. Micah 6:11 – This sort of dishonesty was common in Israel…
• Israel is no different than any other nation.
• This kind of dishonesty also exists in Russia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Brazil, China, Denmark, and the good old USA!
• It is because we are ALL sinners. Human nature is fallen and it is the same all across the world.
• Here’s a unifying factor across the globe… something we all share in common. We are all deceitful, lying, dishonest, corrupt, and crooked by nature.
• For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is human nature.
WHAT IS BEHIND THIS KIND OF DISHONESTY
1. This dishonesty is all rooted in a “love of money.”
a. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
b. Here’s another kind of evil that grows out of that root: deceptive business practices.
2. Dishonesty also involves taking advantage of people.
a. Those ancient thieves would lie right to the face of their customer!
b. They knew that the average customer would not be able to tell the difference between a 5 pounds and 4.8 pounds.
c. Thus, this kind of stealing was a form of taking advantage of one’s neighbor, when the Law commanded them to love their neighbor.
3. Prov. 11:20 – A froward heart is behind this practice.
a. Froward = perverse, morally crooked or warped.
b. Such a heart is an abomination to God… and so is the practice or the fruit that comes out of that heart.
4. We don’t use stones and scales to buy and purchase today, but the principle applies just as well in the modern world.
a. Some companies keep two books instead of two stones. They keep one book for the IRS and the auditor, and another book for their own records. (That’s like having two different weights.)
b. Gas stations have been caught in skimming scams. They tweak their pumps so that you are not getting a full gallon, even though the pump SAYS you are… and even though you are PAYING for a full gallon. That IS stealing and is against the law. Thus, they have two measures—one measure the customer actually receives (9/10 gal.) and the other is what he pays for (a full gallon).
c. Today thieves steal identity. They have their own IDs and credit cards for everyday use. Then they have YOUR credit cards and IDs for when they go on a shopping spree.
1. Both of them alike – (both = #2) & (alike = also; again; alike)
a. The two terms really repeat (for emphasis) the same truth.
b. The two (weights and measures) are BOTH the same…
c. It really doesn’t matter HOW you cheat with these instruments.
d. Whether you put an unequal weight in the scale for items sold by weight, OR if you use the wrong size measuring basket for items sold by volume, the bottom line is the same.
e. You’re cheating! You’re stealing! It is a dishonest scam. You’re a crook!
f. And today, it doesn’t matter by what MEANS we cheat or steal from others… every method is alike an abomination.
2. Abomination: A disgusting thing, a despicable, repulsive, an object or practice which is loathsome and abhorrent, often in an ethical or moral sense; something that is especially offensive.
a. Only a select group of sins were called abominations in the Old Testament.
b. This kind of dishonesty puts you into the same category with murderers, homosexuals, and idolaters.
c. Rev. 21:8 – But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.
3. To the Lord:
a. God observes all such practices.
b. He hates the deceptive practice.
c. He also hates the greed—the love of money—that undergirds it.
d. He hates to see people take advantage of others.
e. The Lord is a God of JUSTICE.
• Hence He loves just balances…
• And He hates unjust balances.
f. The Lord is a God of TRUTH
• Hence, He hates all kinds of fraud and lies.
• God is opposed to those who oppose truth and justice.
4. Deut. 25:13-16 – this kind of dishonesty was an abomination to the Lord. (That thy days may be lengthened on the earth.)
a. They were forbidden from even possessing a small and a great weight. (Why else would you own such weights?)
b. The small weight they used when they sold a product.
c. The big weight they used when they bought a product.
d. It was a sin-win situation for this dishonest merchant.
e. They were not to have such weights in their place of business OR in their homes (many women worked from their homes).
f. Instead of the small and a great weight, they were to have a perfect (accurate) and just (fair) measure.
g. When you treat your customers fairly, your days will be lengthened.
h. When you are a cheater—you are an abomination to God.
5. Lev. 19:35-37 – Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.
a. They were to be honest because of WHO GOD IS.
• He is the LORD… Almighty… omniscient One
• He is the Lord of justice
b. They were to be honest because of WHAT GOD DID for them.
• In Egypt, they were taken advantage of, as slaves.
• Therefore, now redeemed from Egypt, they should treat others as they would like to be treated themselves! If you remember what it was like to BE mistreated, you will not want to mistreat others.
6. Prov. 15:3 – the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding both the evil and the good.
a. God expects us to be honest in ALL of our doings.
b. He is observing everything we do.
c. But we should be honest NOT just because God knows anyway and we can’t get away with it.
d. We should be honest because we are yielded to God and the LIFE of Christ is manifested through us… in word and deed.
e. Honesty ought to characterize our lives… even down to the tiny details of life.
f. Honesty should be our testimony before the world. That’s how we should be known.
g. If we do something DISHONEST, we have disgraced the Lord… and ruined our testimony.
7. Prov. 28:6 – You are better off to be poor than to gain riches by being crooked!
Proverbs 20:13
The Fruit of Laziness
Introduction:
1. This is the sixth time this particular subject has come up in the book of Proverbs. It is the old Protestant work ethic.
2. The repetition of this theme is not because Solomon was too lazy to proofread his text before sending it to the printer either.
3. This is not an accident or an oversight. It was by design.
4. This is a COMMON temptation of man. It affects every one of us to one degree or another… at one time or another…
5. For some folks, it becomes a life dominating sin and it ruins their lives.
6. Solomon felt that we needed to be reminded of and warned against this sin repeatedly.
7. It’s good to have a lazy day every once in a while, on your day off and to catch up on your needed rest.
8. Rest is good and necessary.
a. Rest, like food, is good and necessary. They invigorate and restore the body.
b. They are blessings that can become curses… when over indulged.
c. There is a fine line between eating enough to keep the body healthy and eating too much.
d. There is also a fine line between getting enough rest and being downright lazy.
9. Being downright lazy is sin… so we should be careful about crossing that line.
A. The Command: Love Not Sleep
1. Do not love to sleep. This is a command, and one God expects us to obey.
a. And it is an interesting command.
b. How to stop loving something? Can a person just WILL to stop loving something?
c. The answer has to be YES. God said to do it, so it must be possible to obey.
d. God never accepts as an excuse, “I can’t”, when in fact, He says that we CAN.
e. When we say, “I can’t”, what we really mean is “I won’t.”
2. Love is a CHOICE.
a. This is not a command to cease from sleeping altogether… nor is it a command to cease from enjoying sleep.
• Solomon’s command is not that we should not love to sleep when it’s time to sleep. Everybody loves that.
• His command is not to love sleep when it’s time to get up and go to work!
b. It is not a command to change our FEELINGS. It is a command to change our ACTION.
c. The Lord Jesus commanded us to love our enemies.
• That does not mean that we are to have warm feelings towards them. Those feelings may never come.
• It does mean that we are to choose to think good thoughts of them and choose NOT to think evil of them.
• But it does mean that we are to seek their best… seek to DO deeds of love towards them.
• We can love an enemy by feeding him when hungry… by offering help when he is in need…
• The decision to exercise love is a deliberate choice.
• It can be done regardless of how we FEEL.
d. That’s important because we are here commanded NOT to be lazy. Love not sleep.
• So when the alarm goes off in the morning, and it is time to get up and go to work, it IS possible to obey this command… and to “love not sleep.”
• It doesn’t mean that we won’t FEEL tired… that we won’t FEEL like turning off the alarm… we may FEEL like calling in sick… we may FEEL like pulling the covers over our head…
• But regardless of how we FEEL, we can still DO what God said.
• We obey the command to “love not sleep” by DOING something… by taking ACTION… by getting up out of bed.
e. By choosing to get out of bed, we have made a CHOICE.
• We chose to love God more than sleep.
• We chose to love others more than self (others at work who are counting on us; others in the home who are counting on us to bring home a paycheck; others in the car pool; customers; etc.)
3. Loving sleep can become a habit of life… a very bad habit.
a. It can become life dominating… life controlling.
b. The more you put off getting up and doing the job you are supposed to do, the easier it becomes to put it off the next time.
c. The only way to deal with this habit is the cold turkey approach… just STOP. Get up out of bed…
4. Loving sleep may only be the outward symptom of the problem of laziness.
a. It is a mindset… a way of thinking… an inner attitude.
b. The “mindset” of loving sleep could manifest itself by taking longer breaks than your company allows… by coming to work late… showing up for meetings late because you were lounging… missing meetings… by disappearing when the work is being distributed… by doodling… wasting time… looking out the window…
c. There are lots of other ways to be lazy…
d. This mindset can also manifest itself in procrastination… putting off jobs until “mañana.”
B. The Result: Poverty
1. Poverty: “To be dispossessed; be impoverished; come to poverty.”
2. Those who have the heart attitude of “loving sleep” are often half asleep even when they are awake!
a. They have a listless, careless attitude and are still half asleep mentally… throughout their work day… and are not very productive.
b. They don’t get much work done… and their bosses notice.
c. It is not surprising that they often get fired or laid off… and have a hard time finding another job.
d. This leads to poverty.
3. There really are serious consequences to laziness.
a. Prov. 6:9-11 – The result is poverty. (Prov.10:4)
b. Prov. 19:15 – It results in hunger.
c. Prov. 23:31 – Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
A. The Challenge: Open Your Eyes
1. “Opening one’s eyes” stands in contrast to “love not sleep” in the first part of the Proverb. It too has consequences.
2. Opening one’s eyes is not really difficult to do.
a. Anyone can do it… IF they choose to do so… just open your eyes, shake off the sleep, and get out of bed!
b. What Solomon commands here is not beyond the reach of anyone.
c. He is not saying that in order to be satisfied with bread you need a Harvard education; or you need to be born into a rich family; or that you need to be exceptionally strong; nor do you need to be all that skilled.
d. All you really need to do is to get out of bed, open your eyes, and get to work!
e. That’s implied after opening the eyes. (He certainly doesn’t mean open your eyes, look around the room for a few seconds, and then go back to sleep!)
3. Once you overcome your love for sleep by opening your eyes and getting up… THEN you can begin to have a productive day.
4. Just as “love not sleep” speaks of an inner attitude, so does “open your eyes.”
a. This speaks of one who wants to SHAKE OFF their sleep and get busy!
b. This is the person who does not allow opportunities to slip by; he applies his mind and heart to the business at hand… and he digs in and gets the job done.
5. But if you stay in bed… and keep your eyes closed, you’re not going to get much done…
a. Then the work will begin to pile up all around you… little by little until it is a mountain of work!
b. Then the mountain of work seems overwhelming… and seems to JUSTIFY your feelings of not wanting to get up.
c. Then you just want to pull the covers over your head and go back to bed and try to forget about it… hoping it will all go away.
d. But it doesn’t go away… it just gets bigger and bigger.
e. And thus, it becomes harder and harder to get up and face it.
f. This is the beginning of a downward spiral… depression…
g. A lot of depression has as its root laziness!
h. You feel bad when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do. Those bad feelings spiral downward along with a person’s refusal to get up and DO what they are supposed to do.
i. But those bad feelings… even depression can be reversed by getting up and facing the mountain ahead of you… and start digging away at it—one shovelful at a time…
j. And it feels really GOOD to see progress… that you are making headway… that there is light at the end of the tunnel…
B. The Result: You Will Be Satisfied With Bread
1. Prov. 10:4 – You might even become rich!
2. Prov.10:5 – Note that working is seen here as the opposite of sleeping. The son who “gathers” in his crops will have crops to eat! He will be satisfied… while the lazy man has nothing.
3. Solomon implies here that ANYONE who has the good sense to get up and get busy can survive in this world.
4. Anyone who is not lazy should be able to provide for their needs. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
5. Diligence always pays off.
Spiritual Application
1. Rom. 13:11 – Spiritually, this is the time for us to WAKE UP… shake off our spiritual sleep and laziness, and get to work, serving the Lord.
2. Just as there are workers in the office who are lazy, there are workers in the local church who are lazy too.
a. They are more than happy to let others do all the work.
b. They have the uncanny ability to disappear when it is time to do some good old fashioned work.
3. We can be LAZY with respect to reading the Word… praying… attending church… Sunday school… Prayer Meeting…
a. And let’s face it—often the reason is nothing other than laziness.
b. It’s not really a “time” issue.
c. We can become lazy and apathetic when it comes to sharing the gospel with the lost…
d. We can become lazy and apathetic when it comes to ministering to people in need…
4. Perhaps it’s time to WAKE UP…
a. When we wake up spiritually, and begin to take care of our walk with God… are reading faithfully… praying… spending time with the Lord…
b. Then we will begin to experience a satisfaction in our soul… a satisfaction that comes only through being diligent in our relationship to Christ.
c. We will be satisfied with the Bread of Life.
d. And from that place of inner spiritual nourishment, we will be led to service that counts: to more evangelizing; ministering to others.
Proverbs 20:14
Haggling Over Prices
Introduction:
1. We have a saying in this country: buyer beware. It is a warning to consumers not to be duped by all the grandiose claims and deceptive practices of merchants.
2. Here Solomon records a similar proverb—only in the reverse.
3. This is a warning to the merchants concerning some of the deceptive practices of the consumer.
1. This proverb needs to be understood in light of the customs of the day.
2. The topic is a man making a purchase; only he is not buying a product on a modern market. Don’t think of someone making a purchase at the Rockingham Mall.
3. This man is in a setting more like a flea market or a yard sale. Their markets were open air markets… where merchants would bring their goods to sell to whoever might pass by.
4. In this setting, it was understood by all that there was no “set price” for any article.
a. The merchant and the consumer would haggle over the price.
b. The merchant would begin by asking a price way over its real value.
• The merchant was out to make as much money as he could.
• He was out to make a “killing.”
c. The consumer would reply with an offer that was way below its real value.
• The consumer was out to get the best deal that he could.
• He was looking for a real “steal.”
d. They each had their own agenda.
e. Hence, then the fight was on. They began to haggle… quibble… and argue back and forth until someone won.
5. Things haven’t changed all that much today.
a. Although for retail, we don’t do much haggling for prices. Our prices are pretty much set.
b. But the same dynamic is in view today.
c. Merchants will charge as much as they possibly can for their product—as much as the market will bear… or as much as government regulations will allow.
d. The consumer loves to see price wars. The consumer also delights in a “going out of business” sale. He is not concerned about the man who just lost his business. He is only concerned about getting a bargain-basement price.
e. Buying and selling has always been a cut throat business. It was in Solomon’s day. It is today too.
f. The reason: men are selfish and greedy. It is our nature to look out for #1.
g. Both the merchant and the consumer exaggerate for their own benefit. They both make claims that are not entirely true.
h. Thus, the whole business of business is ruthless and rough.
6. It is nothing!
a. This is the cry the deceptive consumer makes to the merchant concerning the product he wants to buy.
b. The consumer says to the merchant: “Your product is naught!”
c. Naught: Bad; displeasing; no good; harmful; of little value; poor quality; (used in Gen. 42 of Pharaoh’s dream to describe the ill-favored cows and the ill-favored corn crops).
A. The Gloating of the Buyer
1. After convincing the merchant that his product is virtually worthless, the buyer walks away and boasts about what a “steal” he got at the market that day!
2. He’s quite proud of himself for having talked the merchant down so much… proud of his haggling skills.
3. It is a real skill—one I do not possess. I hate haggling at a used car lot.
4. Some people are extremely talented at this. The buyer is as much a salesman as the merchant.
5. James 4:16 – “But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”
a. James warns business men operating outside of the will of God that all their boasting was evil.
b. The business world is FULL of opportunities to step outside the will of God and to take advantage of people. Hence, we have warnings to beware.
6. In Proverbs 20:10, Solomon warned about merchants using diverse or dishonest weights to deceive his customers and take advantage of them. Now he warns about dishonest consumers using dishonest language in order to take advantage of the merchant.
7. This man is boasting about his dishonesty!
a. He told the merchant a lie about his product, and thus got it at a bargain-basement price.
b. Then he walks away and tells all his friends how clever and shrewd he is for being able to deceive the merchant and get what he wanted so cheaply.
c. This is not just boasting over a good deal. It is boasting over cheating and lying to obtain that good deal.
d. He told the merchant how BAD the product was, then he turned around and boasted how GOOD it was and what a good price he got it for to his friends.
e. He is boasting over his clever trick when he should be ashamed of his fraud.
8. Sometimes ladies come back from the mall with great “deals.”
a. They might call it a “steal” because it was so cheap.
b. That’s not what Solomon is talking about here.
c. That bargain was not obtained illegally or dishonestly.
d. That bargain price was set by the store. (50% off plus another 20% off with coupons = a good deal.)
e. If the merchant sets a low price and you take advantage of it—that is not dishonesty.
f. Solomon is speaking about dishonesty here… deception and outright lying in haggling over a price.
B. Application:
1. This proverb does not contain a command. It does not contain an exhortation. It simply makes a statement.
2. However, there are a couple of obvious implications in this statement.
3. The first obvious implication is that this practice is dishonest.
a. There is good application for us too.
b. There is nothing wrong with bargaining, bartering, or haggling over prices as long as it is legal.
c. But God does expect us to be honest.
d. Thou shalt not bear false witness has no exception clause for making purchases.
e. God expects honesty in ALL of our business dealings.
f. Don’t tell the merchant you can get the same item at another store for X amount of dollars if you cannot. That’s lying.
g. Don’t tell the merchant that his product is broken or defective if it is not. That’s lying too.
h. It’s ok to haggle over price. It’s not ok to lie.
i. While lying goes on all the time in the marketplace, it is not acceptable for a believer.
j. The fact that deception is the way everybody haggles is no excuse for a Christian to seek bargains that way.
As believers we should let our “Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
k. This proverb only looks at one side of the coin. It is also possible for merchants to be just as deceptive and dishonest.
l. This proverb speaks of being honest in ALL business transactions, whether merchant or consumer.
m. A good application of this might be found in yard sale shopping where people are likely to haggle over prices.
n. Or suppose you found a little old lady, in a poor, dilapidated house, selling a few old items in a yard sale. There you found a genuine Rembrandt painting on her counter for $12.00. What would you do?
o. Honesty is always the best policy. Do all for the glory of God.
4. The second implication is a warning to merchants, not to be duped by the words of a consumer.
a. The American proverb that is a counterpart to this one states, “Buyer beware.”
b. We seem to like to stick up for the little guy, and assume that the big businesses are corrupt—so beware of them! “Buyer beware.”
c. Solomon extends a similar warning to the merchant.
d. “Merchant beware” of customers who are deceptive and are trying to rob you of your profit.
e. ALL human beings are selfish and greedy and are out for their own personal best interest.
f. So beware when you are selling products. People will try to cheat you.
g. This was especially true when poor farmers wanted to sell their vegetables.
• A rich buyer sees your product is fresh and good and seeks to buy it.
• He then begins to deceive you—the little guy—the poor farmer.
• He tells you that he can get the same vegetables in another province for half the price—but he’s lying!
• The poor farmer knows that he can sell large amounts of his crop to this man… and he is afraid of losing such a rich customer who wants to buy so much… so he cuts the price in half.
• To that farmer Solomon sends out a warning: Don’t believe everything you hear from these men. Seller beware! They might be lying.
• Always be aware that there are people out there who will try to take advantage of you.
• Be aware of fallen human nature in all of our earthly transactions in this life.
Proverbs 20:15
The Lips of Knowledge
1. Gold and rubies are rare.
2. Gold and rubies are also valuable.
3. But rarity and value of precious metals and precious stones are relative terms.
a. Though all precious metals and stones are rare, some are rarer than others.
b. Though all precious metals and stones are valuable, some are more valuable than others.
4. Yes, gold and rubies are rare; however, Solomon is contrasting something that is somewhat rare and somewhat valuable, to that which is EXTREMELY rare and valuable.
a. Notice he uses the term “multitude” to describe rubies.
b. They are precious, rare stones, but there are whole mines FULL of them.
c. They can be found in jewelry stores in virtually every city in the world today.
d. I Kings 10:21 – In Solomon’s day there was plenty of gold.
e. Gold is relatively rare today too. However, today almost every person in this country wears gold every day.
f. Gold can also be found in any jewelry store in any city worldwide… even in Walmart!
g. So, yes, there is a relative nature to the rarity of precious metals and stones.
h. That’s Solomon’s point in the first part of this proverb.
5. Gold and rubies are relatively rare, and relatively valuable.
A. The Lips of Knowledge
1. Now comes the real contrast: between that which is relatively rare and relatively valuable (gold and rubies) and that which is EXTREMELY rare and valuable: lips of knowledge.
a. Note the contrast in descriptions:
• There are a “multitude” of rubies.
• The lips of knowledge are a “precious” jewel.
» Precious: Splendor; honor; value; a treasure,
» Of course, they are valuable because they are rare.
» You can buy gold and rubies anywhere. Just save up your pennies.
» The lips of knowledge are not so easily obtained.
» They cannot be purchased. You will never find lips of knowledge at Walmart.
» Job knew that. (Cf. Job 28:12-18)
2. There is a certain value to gold and rubies. But the REAL precious jewels are the lips of knowledge!
a. Consider how much more valuable wisdom and knowledge are over wealth.
• In our illustration we have two men going to the fish market to buy fish for their restaurants.
• One man inherited a whole chain of fish restaurants, and went to the fish market with a million dollars in his pocket. He is filthy rich. He has much wealth… but not much wisdom.
• Suppose another man was at the market, who did not have nearly as much money in his pocket as you did, but he had wisdom and understanding.
• The rich man is not able to distinguish between that which is cheap and worthless. He gets hoodwinked into buying old smelly fish for twice what it is worth. He’s going to run his restaurant chain into the ground!
• However, the man who had much less money, but wisdom and understanding knows which fish to buy. He buys good, fresh fish for a reasonable price. His customers are happy and keep on coming back.
• Which business would you want to invest in?
b. How much better is it to seek after wisdom and knowledge than to seek after gold and silver!
c. Prov. 3:13-16 – Wisdom and understanding are far more valuable than gold, silver, and precious stones.
d. Prov. 8:11 – For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
e. This is an oft repeated theme in Proverbs.
f. In a sense, it comes as a WARNING.
g. Those who seek after wealth rather than seeking after wisdom and understanding do so at their own peril! It has been the ruin of many a man (I Tim. 6:9-10).
3. Solomon was qualified to give us this warning.
a. He had BOTH riches and wisdom.
b. He had wealth immeasurable.
c. He was given more wisdom than any man on earth.
d. He knew the value of both—and he more than anyone is qualified to tell us which is MORE valuable.
e. And he DOES tell us! In fact, he tells us MANY times in various ways in this book!
4. Perhaps another more subtle contrast is intended here as well.
a. Gold and jewels are things that people tend to hoard up for themselves. (It’s all mine!)
b. But “lips” implies speech. By speaking words of wisdom a man is not hoarding it up for himself, but rather, sharing it with others.
c. Gold is usually hoarded. Wisdom is to be shared.
d. You don’t expect a rich man to pass out gold freely.
e. But you DO expect a wise man to share his wisdom.
f. There is quite a contrast between a rich miser and a wise sage sharing wisdom with his students. That seems to be implied here. (hoarding vs. sharing)
g. Prov. 10:20-21 – The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
• Here Solomon states that the lips of the righteous FEED many… they share their knowledge and wisdom.
• Lips are for feeding (figuratively). They feed WISDOM.
• Fools refuse to eat and thus “die” for a lack of wisdom/food.
» Fools know where the wisdom/food is.
» It is available to them. It is within their reach.
» However, they refuse to eat it… and thus die.
• The point that relates to the proverb in chapter 20 is that lips feed.
» When wise men use their lips and speak, they dispense wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
» Prov. 15:7 – The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: (disperse = scatter, spread, sprinkle, etc.) Fools may WANT to… and TRY to… but they don’t HAVE any wisdom to spread. They usually spread nothing but folly.
• And note also the VALUE. The tongue (same figurative meaning as lips) is as choice silver. It too is like precious metal… valuable.
• Prov. 16:16 – How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
» Those who DO eat of it discover that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are far better than silver or gold.
• Prov. 16:21 – “The sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.”
» From the lips of a wise man, you and I can INCREASE learning.
» There is a great advantage to listening to words of wisdom.
» Those words are sweet. They are valuable.
» They cause US to increase in our learning.
» Lips were MADE for dispensing wisdom… for sharing learning…
» Therefore, we ought to use our lips for the good of others.
» We also ought to SEEK OUT wise men, wise teachers, wise friends, wise authors… and increase our learning from their lips of knowledge.
» When you find the lips of knowledge—take advantage of them! Increase in learning!
5. Of course, the MOST valuable lips of knowledge dispense God’s Words.
a. Hosea 4:6 – “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” This is a lack of the knowledge of God.
b. Psalm 119:72 – “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”
• Human wisdom is good in the natural realm. You need earthly wisdom to do your job every day… to take care of your household… to balance the checkbook… for the everyday things of earthly life.
• However, the wisdom found in God’s word is far more valuable.
• God’s wisdom shared through Christian fellowship is better than thousands of silver and gold.
• God’s wisdom is dispensed through the lips of a devoted mother and father, teaching their children the things of the Lord.
• God’s wisdom is dispensed through the lips of a Sunday school teacher.
• Eph. 4:29 – “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
6. The lips of knowledge are valuable… and they come with a PRICE.
a. Prov. 2:1-6 – We can ALL obtain this wisdom, IF we seek it with our whole heart.
b. Phil. 3:7-8 – Obtaining the knowledge of Christ is worth forsaking all the gold and rubies in the world.
• This is the experiential knowledge of Christ that is costly.
• An intellectual knowledge of Christ is relatively cheap. You can buy a few good books and learn the information.
• But that does NOT mean that you have experienced the knowledge of Christ in your soul.
• Getting to know the knowledge of God THAT way requires a lifetime of abandoning oneself to do His will… abiding in Christ… and that can be costly.
7. The lips of knowledge Solomon describes is not the property of a few, select sages.
a. Rather, it is the kind of knowledge the book of Proverbs urges us ALL to obtain!
b. And when we obtain it, there are many ways that WE can dispense God’s wisdom with our lips:
• How precious are the lips of one who brings the gospel message of Christ to the lost… the glad tidings of great joy to the heart of the weary sinner!
Proverbs 20:16
Surety for a Stranger
Introduction:
1. Surety defined:
a. Surety is an arrangement in which one person becomes responsible for another.
b. Surety applies to a covenant.
• Christ is the surety of the better covenant (Heb. 7:22).
• Christ is the One who guarantees that all the provisions of the covenant promise will be met. He makes it “sure.”
c. Surety applies to any kind of promise.
• Gen. 43:9 – When the children of Israel were in Egypt, seeking food from Joseph (before he was made known to them), Joseph demanded that they bring his younger brother, Benjamin.
» When they came back to the land, their father did not want his son Benjamin to go. He was afraid for his life.
» Judah became a personal surety for Benjamin’s safety by promising to “take the blame” and thus pay the price for the loss if it occurred.
» He became personally responsible for the loss if anything happened to Benjamin.
d. Surety most often applied to a loan.
• One who guarantees that a loan will be paid back is “surety” for that loan. In other words, it is the one who co-signs for a loan for someone else.
• If you co-sign for a loan for someone else, if they default, YOU are responsible to guarantee that the provisions of that loan are carried out.
• That loan could be made sure by you promising to PAY the rest of loan if the one borrowing the money does not pay.
• That loan could be made sure by you putting up collateral for the loan. In that case, if the one borrowing the money does not pay, you lose your property.
• In those ancient arrangements, the money or property (or even persons) was surrendered up front… and held in surety until the loan was paid in full.
Interestingly, one of the related words to this word family is “hostage.” (The relationship is that when one guarantees the repayment for another, he is a slave or a hostage to the owner of the loan until it is paid off.)
1. Here Solomon gives instructions concerning taking surety.
a. Stranger:
• One not in the main cultural group in an area, and so be estranged from society.
• It can mean to go astray, to be wayward (example – the strange woman was a wayward woman—a prostitute.)
• There are a couple of other Hebrew terms often translated “stranger” in our English Bibles that mean a “foreigner or an alien.”
• That is NOT the term Solomon uses here.
• The term in 20:16 may be used of a foreigner, but that is not its primary meaning.
• This term means a wayward person… someone estranged from society… not necessarily because of nationality—usually it was because of wayward behavior.
• The term found in Prov. 20:16 is the same term used to describe the “strange woman” in Proverbs MANY times. What made her a “stranger” from society was not that she was born in Egypt or Assyria. It was her wayward lifestyle.
• This term for stranger is used of the fire offered by Nadab and Abihu—strange fire. It was not “foreign” fire (from Babylon, etc.). Rather it was fire that was not the proper kind. It was a wayward offering.
b. Solomon is WARNING his readers about loaning money or becoming responsible for a “stranger”—an irresponsible, wayward person.
• The warning is this: if you are so foolish as to loan money to a wayward, irresponsible person, be sure to get some collateral from that person!
c. He states that if a man is going to be the surety for a stranger, be sure to take his garment for collateral.
• Exod. 22:25-27 – normally this was forbidden.
» Vs. 25 – Here Moses says that if a Jew lends money to his Jewish brother, then he was not to lay usury on him. (Don’t be a loan shark!)
» Vs. 26 – if you do take his raiment for a pledge (surety) then be sure to give it back to him at night.
» Vs. 27a – the reason for giving him his cloak back at night: The poor used their outer garment as their sleeping bag at night. If you took his cloak, he would freeze all night long.
» Vs. 27b – God was gracious to the poor and took care of their needs.
» The assumption here is that the poor man is an honest, hard working poor man… not a lazy, wayward, outcast from society.
• Hence, the difference. With the lazy, wayward man, be SURE to take his garment! Keep it until the debt is paid back in full…
• But with the hard working poor man, give it back each night so that he can sleep at night.
2. In essence, this serves as a WARNING against loaning money to a wayward person.
a. If the person is unknown to you… or if his character and financial situation is unknown to you, it is quite foolish to loan him money.
b. If you are so foolish as to do so, make SURE that you get a pledge or collateral to cover your loss… because the chances are REAL that you will suffer loss.
3. Prov. 6:1-5 – An extended warning against becoming surety for a loan.
a. Vs.1-2 – Once you shake hands (or sign on the dotted line) you are snared… trapped… locked in to that arrangement with no way out… like a bird in a snare.
b. Vs. 3-5 – Here’s what to do if you are ever so foolish as to be found in such a snare:
• When you are “under the hand of a friend” = (under his control – a slave to the financial arrangements you made with him.)
• Deliver yourself! Do whatever it takes to extricate yourself from that snare… from that obligation you foolishly agreed to.
• Humble yourself! (Maybe you signed for the loan so everyone would think you were great… generous… wealthy… important. Go back and humble yourself. Tell the loaner the truth: you can’t afford it!
• Make sure thy friend!
» The word “sure” here has nothing to do with suretiship.
» This word means: press one’s plea, i.e., be in a state of contention with an opponent or class or persons, with a focus on a verbal or legal strife.
» Basically he is saying, “plea for mercy to get out of the contract.”
» For this reason, some large purchases or loans often have a three day waiting period – to give time to the one obligating himself to THINK about it and change his mind if he comes to his sense!
» They didn’t have such a thing in Solomon’s day. But they could plead for mercy.
» That is Solomon advises here.
4. Prov. 17:17-18 – Warning against loaning even to a friend!
a. Vs. 17 – Speaks about the advantages of a loyal friend.
• He loves at all times—good and bad times… ups and downs.
• He is there for you in times of adversity.
b. Vs.18 – (There seems to be a connection in thought here.)
• However, Solomon presents us with a stipulation in vs.18.
• There are LIMITS to what a friend should do for a friend.
• Here Solomon teaches that we should use care and caution in our financial obligations and promises to a friend.
• Friendship and emotion can lead a person to commit himself to an obligation he might regret later.
• This is a warning against rash, thoughtless generosity that might come back to bite us!
1. Striking hands was like a “hand shake” – a sign of agreement for a business deal.
• Solomon states that it is a man VOID of understanding who does such a thing!
• That is quite a warning. It warns against loaning money to a friend in the PRESENCE of the friend. (It’s hard to say no when you are looking at him eyeball to eyeball!)
• So Solomon gives us some good advice: learn to say NO!
• Loaning money is an easy way to turn a friend into an enemy!
c. The man who loans money to his friend “in his presence” (when pressured by the moment) is not wise. It is foolish to be moved by EMOTION into doing something that you might regret later on.
• You could put your own finances at risk.
• You could lose your house.
• You could put your family’s resources at risk.
• You could put your LIFE at risk (unsavory characters are sometimes hired to deal with those who refuse to pay…)
• You could put the lives of your children at risk (sold into slavery to pay for your folly).
• What folly to risk all that for a stranger… someone you hardly know!
• P T Barnum is accredited with saying, “There’s a sucker born every minute!”
• Solomon warns, “Don’t you be one of them!”
Prov. 22:7 – “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
• Hence, taking on the responsibility for someone else’s debt is not very wise.
1. Strange woman: Harlot.
2. Here the situation seems to be a man wants to either borrow money from you so that he can visit a harlot OR he wants you to sign a loan so that he can visit a prostitute.
3. Here again the very same idea is stated: if you are so foolish as to promise surety for a loan for such a person, then make SURE you take a pledge! (Pledge = security money.)
4. If a man has so little control over his own body that he is going into prostitutes… and that he has so little control over his finances that he has borrow money to do so—what folly to loan money to THAT kind of a man!
5. This proverb is worded in the language of irony or sarcasm.
a. Solomon is certainly not endorsing this kind of behavior.
b. You might liken it to a similar comment today: “If you’re going to take up lion training, then make sure you have some good insurance—because you’re going to need it!”
c. The sarcastic manner in which it is worded actually comes across as a warning AGAINST it!
6. Both parts of this proverb serve as warnings against taking bad financial risks with irresponsible people who are likely unable to pay you back.
a. Solomon is not forbidding a person to sign a loan ever. (Son’s first car loan.)
b. But he is warning against rashly taking foolish financial risks by loaning to those who themselves may be irresponsible.
c. Don’t let the emotion of the moment cause you to do something you will regret for years to come.
Proverbs 20:17
Bread of Deceit
A. Bread of Deceit
1. Deceit:
a. Deceit, lies, falsehood, misleading, or fraud.
b. This is the same word Moses uses in the commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” (False witness = a deceptive or misleading witness.)
2. “Bread of deceit” refers to bread (food) that was either sold or obtained through deceit, lies, falsehood, misleading, or fraud.
a. It could refer to bread that was stolen…
b. It could refer to bread that was sold… with deceit (either as to its weight; its content; etc.) False advertising… deceptive business practices.
c. Merchants have always come with clever ways to deceive their customers so as to increase their own bottom line.
d. This was an ancient art—but that art is alive and well today too.
e. As long as there are greedy liars and dishonest merchants on the earth, the issue Solomon discusses here will always be relevant.
f. It doesn’t really matter whether he had in mind one who stole bread or one who sold it through deceit.
g. And of course this has application to all kinds of other issues beyond just bread.
3. Solomon previously warned us about dishonest business practices.
a. Prov. 20:10 – Deceptive sellers using diverse weights.
• The dishonest merchant would have a bag full of weights used on his scale to measure goods that he was buying, selling, or trading.
• He would have two “five pound” weights. One weighed 5.2 pounds, and one weighed 4.8 pounds.
• When he bought from you, he would weigh your goods with his 5.2 weight. When he sold to you, he used the 4.8 weight.
• He skimmed a little each time to his own favor.
• He would call that a sweet deal.
b. Prov. 20:14 – This is a deceptive consumer haggling for a cheap price.
• After convincing the merchant that his product is virtually worthless, the buyer walks away and boasts about what a “steal” he got at the market that day!
• He’s quite proud of himself for having talked the merchant down so much… proud of his haggling skills. Sweet!
c. In those passages he warns us to be honest whether we are buying or selling.
d. Buyer beware… and seller beware! There are crooks on both sides!
B. Is Sweet to a Man
1. Sweet:
a. Pleasant, i.e., pertaining to an enjoyable pleasant event or sensation.
b. Sweet to the taste: i.e.,—pleasant—not sour, bitter.
2. Solomon’s point is that there is something instantly gratifying about getting something the quick and easy way… without working… by fraud… cheating… misrepresenting…
a. There is something that SEEMS pretty satisfying initially when a merchant cuts corners by substituting expensive wheat for some other cheaper filler grain, and by selling the same loaf of bread he can make more money…
b. Prov. 9:17 – “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
c. It’s a “sweet deal!” Can’t you just picture a dishonest merchant saying those very words when he hoodwinks a customer into buying his product: “Sweet!”
d. Instead of serving his customers, he is actually preying on the ignorance of his customers.
e. The customer may think he is buying the more expensive whole grain wheat bread when he is actually getting a little bit of wheat mixed in with white flour and food coloring.
f. On a wholesale level, the merchant that sells his bread of deceit might make a fortune. It is sweet to him.
3. Very often the dishonest merchant will justify his actions.
a. He might say, “It was really a win-win situation. We all went away happy! He thought he got a good deal.”
b. The merchant might think to himself, “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him… so what’s the harm?”
c. Or he might be so cold hearted as to gloat, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”
d. Thieves and crooks rejoice when their plans seem to work, and their dishonesty seems to pay.
e. Initially, when you don’t get caught, crime does pay.
A. Afterwards
1. Afterwards speaks of the long term effects.
a. There are immediate consequences: it is sweet! It is pleasant… something to be desired.
b. But sooner or later that sweetness wears off and is replaced by something markedly different: gravel in the mouth.
c. Transient actions carry with them permanent consequences. That’s the warning here.
d. If a man steals a loaf of bread, it tastes sweet to him at first.
• His hunger doesn’t care how the bread was obtained.
• When the hunger is satisfied, it is “sweet.”
• However, after the body experiences the pleasure, the inner man may experience guilt and shame…
• The hunger of the body is instantly gratified—but the shame and guilt of the inner man is long lasting.
2. The point that Solomon makes about “bread of deceit” is true of ALL kinds of sin.
a. Sin is always SWEET up front… initially.
b. But over time, the sweetness wears off… the initial excitement evaporates… and the thrill is gone…
c. But afterwards, we are left with the unpleasant side of sin.
d. Heb. 11:25 – Moses chose “to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”
• Note that sin IS pleasurable. It is sweet.
• Thieves are initially jubilant when they get away with stealing $50,000. They usually celebrate with a big night out on the town.
• Adultery is pleasurable for the moment.
• It is really fun to get high on drugs. There is an initial rush that people live for. It is exhilarating… exciting…
• Note also in this verse that the pleasure of sin is “for a season.”
• Season – does not mean time chronologically that often expresses enduring through time. This word means: transient, temporary, enduring just for a while… an opportunity that comes and then goes…
• In other words, sin is pleasurable, but its pleasure is transient… brief… fleeting… momentary… like a vapor.
B. A mouth full of gravel
1. This was chosen as an illustration of something that would be the exact opposite of something sweet.
a. Have you ever had a mouth full of gravel?
b. It is not a pleasant experience. It doesn’t taste good. It doesn’t feel good. It isn’t good for you. There really isn’t anything good about a mouth full of gravel.
c. While bread obtained deceitfully might be sweet at first, before too long, the sweetness is gone and it is replaced by something most unpleasant.
2. Here Solomon uses the illustration of gravel in the mouth to warn us about the unforeseen consequences of using dishonest business practices…
a. The warning is: don’t be fooled by instant gratification.
b. Because it is sweet up front, the dishonest merchant assumes that the sweetness will last forever.
c. He is rudely awakened when he discovers just how short lived that sweetness really is…
d. Prov. 9:17-18 – However, unpleasant consequences will eventually arise.
3. The illustration of “bread of deceit” is typical of any kind of sin.
a. Initially, there is a pleasure to sin. It seems sweet.
b. But eventually, it comes back to BITE you.
c. Gen. 3:6 – Consider the original temptation to sin in Garden.
• Initially, the fruit was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desired to make one wise.
• It was beautiful, pleasant, and desirable—sweet!
• But we know the rest of the story. It resulted in untold tragedy, pain, suffering, sickness, and eventually death.
• If Eve had thought about the REAL consequences of sin, perhaps she would not have taken that fruit.
• But the devil didn’t highlight the unpleasant consequences. He highlights the immediate pleasure.
• Our adversary wants us to think about the immediate gratification of sin… not the long lasting consequences.
d. The devil and his world system use the same tactics today.
• Every advertisement for alcohol shows young, beautiful people enjoying themselves while drinking. They highlight the immediate pleasure.
• Never will you see a beer company use as their backdrop Skid Row—with alcoholics sleeping in the gutter in their own vomit… with his face in the dirt… with gravel in his mouth.
• They show young people at parties having a great time… not middle aged couples fighting and getting a divorce because one is addicted to alcohol and the other spouse just can’t take it anymore.
e. Sin makes all kinds of promises. It promises pleasure, excitement, thrills, power, popularity, friends, liberty, and peace.
• However, it provides none of that permanently.
• What it offers and what it delivers are two different things.
• It delivers loss, shame, guilt, slavery, and destruction.
f. In Solomon’s illustration of the dishonest merchant whose shady business practices result in an immediate profit, sees it as sweet.
• But in the end, the sweet morsels are replaced by a mouth full of gravel.
• Solomon warns this merchant:
» In time your conscience may kick in and the sweetness is replaced with guilt and shame…
» Your dishonest practices could be exposed…
» Lose your reputation… your customers…
» Business goes downhill…
» You get arrested for fraud… end up in jail…
» There are LOTS of possible unpleasant consequences of such practices.
4. The opposite of this principle is equally true.
a. Here Solomon reminds us that when we do WRONG there is an immediate but short lived gratification, (sweetness) followed by long lasting bitterness (gravel).
b. But on the other hand, when we do RIGHT (good deeds which manifest the indwelling life of Christ) there is an immediate but short lived pain involved in the sacrifice, followed by long lasting joy and sweetness.
c. The world’s bread is sweet at first but bitter at last. God’s bread is bitter and painful at first, but sweet at last. (Well done, thou good and faithful servant!)
d. Thus, our overall world view will affect the way we live.
e. Do we want immediate gratification like Esau? (Sweet now, bitter later)… or do we want to follow the example of Christ (suffering now, and glory later)?
Proverbs 20:18
Established by Counsel
Introduction:
1. In this proverb, Solomon speaks about the importance of getting good counsel and advice.
2. He speaks of both the value and need of good advice.
1. Purpose: Thought; idea; plan; intentions; purpose—implying a desire to carry it out.
a. We all have ideas and plans.
b. Some are good; some not so good.
c. Ideas pop into our heads all the time…
d. Sometimes those ideas seem to stick. We think about it… we dream a bit…
e. Then that idea becomes a purpose. It becomes our intention to carry it out.
f. Maybe it’s a plan to build an addition on the house.
g. Maybe the idea is to go back to school.
h. Maybe the idea is to change careers.
i. Maybe the idea is to move to Florida or British Columbia.
j. The term “purpose” here speaks of an idea that is beginning to gel.
k. It is an idea that has become an intention… a goal… it is your purpose to carry it out and make it a reality.
2. Solomon’s advice: Get some good counsel and advice before you do anything!
a. This proverb says nothing about whether you should or shouldn’t do it.
b. It simply states that before you do ANYTHING… get counsel!
c. And that is always good advice.
d. Counsel:
• Advice; consultation; discussion.
• Telling someone what they should do based on a plan or scheme.
e. Of course when you get counsel from another human being, remember that their counsel is NOT inspired Scripture.
• Be aware that sometimes friends with the best of intentions give BAD advice… and terrible counsel.
• Therefore, compare every word of advice you receive from men with the Word of God.
• Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good and abstain from every appearance of evil.
3. Purposes ESTABLISHED.
a. Established: To be firm; stable; established; secure; fixed; prepared; made ready; formed; made to stand.
b. If you want your purpose to stand and be successful, then get good advice before you begin.
c. Wise counsel from people who have expertise in that area might mean the difference between success or failure. (established)
d. It may be a good idea that you have:
• But you may be using a wrong method to accomplish it.
• It may be a good idea, but the wrong time… wrong place…
• It may be a good idea, but needs a few minor adjustments.
• It may be a good idea but you’re not the person to do it.
• A counselor may have a much easier, more efficient, more cost effective way of accomplishing your goal.
• A counselor may have some other idea to enhance your good idea and make it even better.
• It may be a good idea, but you need to be warned about some potential pitfalls.
e. It may be a terrible idea.
• It may be obvious to others that it won’t work.
• Sometimes people get crazy ideas in their heads… and they just have to be told!
• Perhaps others have tried it before you and consistently failed miserably.
• A good, honest counselor who is out for your best interest will tell you so—and in doing so, save you a lot of time, grief, and money!
4. Prov. 15:22 – WITHOUT counsel, purposes are disappointed.
a. Disappointed: broken, thwarted; nullified.
b. Many men have had ideas and have brazenly and sometimes at great cost, have given their all to bring those ideas to pass… only to discover that their plans were broken… their hopes dashed… their purpose thwarted.
c. WHY? Solomon says that often the reason is because no counsel was sought.
d. Perhaps it was a good idea, and with only a little tweaking here or there it WOULD have worked. But this man did not get the advice he should have gotten… and his plan failed.
e. Maybe it was a ridiculous idea in the first place… and it was obvious that it was a stupid idea… but he didn’t ask for counsel, and thus never received any.
f. Prov. 11:14 – The people fall because of a lack of counsel.
• People fall… marriages are ruined… businesses fail… Christians fall away… churches split…
• Falls and failures are often the result of NOT getting the counsel that COULD have enabled them to stand instead of fall… to be established instead of disintegrating.
5. When good counsel is received, FOLLOW it!
a. Prov. 19:20 – “Hear counsel.” This implies more than just listening. It means to listen and to obey… to respond to it… to act upon it.
b. That’s the only way the purpose is established.
c. I Kings 12:8-16 – Solomon’s own son, Rehoboam sought counsel from the older, wiser men but evidently didn’t like what he heard.
d. He continued to seek counsel from others (younger, less experienced men) who told him what he wanted to hear.
e. We will ALWAYS be able to find a counselor who will tell us what we want to hear… especially marriage counselors.
f. But we are warned against that here. Hear good counsel, and then FOLLOW it!
g. What good is counsel if we listen to and then discard it?
h. Ex. 18:19 – Jethro offered counsel to Moses. He gave him advice concerning a better way to conduct the business of judging the people.
• Moses had a purpose to judge the people.
• Jethro gave him counsel, and Moses followed it!
• His purpose was established: made firm; strengthened; made to stand; fixed in place.
6. Jesus Christ is the “Wonderful Counselor.” (Isa. 9:6)
a. Solomon seemed to be speaking on a human level, as he so often does in the book of Proverbs.
b. But there is obviously good spiritual application here…
c. If it is a good idea to seek counsel from men with our plans, how much better to seek the will and mind of GOD on the matter?
d. Whatever ideas or plans may pop up in our minds, the very FIRST thing we should do is to “take it to the Lord in prayer.”
e. We do not take our plans to God to ask Him to put His stamp of approval on what we have already decided to do.
f. We come to Him for guidance… direction… to seek His will and His mind on the matter.
g. Prov. 19:21 – Men have lots of plans and devices in their hearts. But the counsel of the Lord shall STAND. It is a good idea to make sure that OUR ideas are submitted to His will and His Word.
h. So we bring our plans to the Lord to first seek from Him IF we should proceed with those plans.
i. And if the Lord DOES lead us to continue down that path, we seek counsel from Him on HOW to proceed… WHEN to proceed… with WHOM to proceed… WHERE to proceed…
j. ONE of the means that God uses is the counsel and advice of godly, Spirit filled believers!
k. God’s Word TELLS us to seek such counsel.
1. Solomon is not promoting war here. He is promoting advice!
a. He is not writing them commanding his sons to make war.
b. But he does say that IF you decide to go to war, be sure to get the best advice you can get… the best intelligence you can get.
c. When advice and intelligence comes from human beings, even the best intelligence can be flawed—as we have seen in our country.
d. But even though advice from human beings is imperfect, Solomon encourages us to SEEK it before going to war.
2. WAR: He uses this as one example of a BIG decision.
a. The average person reading the book of Proverbs probably isn’t going to be involved in any plans to make war.
b. The average Joe (like you and me) doesn’t live on that plane.
c. But the application is that when it comes to BIG decisions in our lives, be sure to get counsel!
d. If you are seeking a career; marriage; a move; buying a home or a car; insurance; thinking about surgery—get good advice—seek a second opinion.
3. Note that he says to get “good advice.”
a. Prov. 24:6 – There is safety in a multitude of counselors.
• If you are considering war, safety ought to be paramount in your thinking.
• Getting a multitude of counselors is what we would call getting a second opinion… and a third!
• You are unlikely to be called upon to make plans for a war, but we may have to make war plans in dealing with our health.
• If one doctor gives you a diagnosis and suggests a serious operation, get another doctor’s advice before you subject yourself to the knife!
• What you want is not just advice, but GOOD advice.
• Luke 14:31 – This king needs to sit down and CONSULT with wise men… with his army leaders… to see if it is advisable to go to war…
» Do I have enough troops to win?
» Do we have enough weapons?
» Do we have a winning strategy?
» Will the people be behind us?
» Is this the right time?
» There are lots of things to consider before going to war.
» And you NEED to consult with experts before engaging in such a BIG decision.
» When it comes to making big decisions, don’t act rashly!
• Don’t operate merely by impulse… or go by gut feelings.
• When making big decisions, it’s much wiser to use your ears and your head rather than relying on your gut.
• Don’t make ignorant assumptions. Get good advice.
• Look before you leap… get good advice before you leap.
• Count the cost.
4. You want to be sure that every decision you make is a wise one.
a. But there are some BIG issues that are more important than others!
b. In these issues you REALLY need good advice.
Proverbs 20:19
Advice Concerning Gossips
A. He That Goeth About as a Talebearer
1. Solomon introduces this proverb by letting us know (as if we didn’t already know!) that there are some people who have loose lips.
2. Some people “go about” as talebearers.
3. Talebearer:
a. Slanderer; informer.
b. Harmful information about another person, spoken in an open, public setting.
c. One who spreads rumors about another person in a negative sense.
4. Walketh about:
a. Speaks of motion or movement.
b. It is used primarily of walking.
c. Also used of wind blowing… of snakes slithering… of rivers flowing or meandering…
d. Here it seems to be used in the sense of “walking” (as we know the term in the New Testament).
e. It is a figure of speech to describe a person’s whole manner of life.
f. Talebearing is what they DO… wherever they are… wherever they go… it is their habit of life… their daily practice…
g. It is not only what they do, it is what they ARE.
h. He is describing a particular type of person to be aware of: the talebearer.
i. The talebearer’s motto is: “If you can’t say anything good about a person, let’s hear it.”
B. Revealeth Secrets
1. Reveal : To uncover; disclose; lay bare; make known.
2. Secrets: Intimate conversations; counsel; plans; confidential info.
3. Here Solomon tells us WHY we should beware of the talebearer: because he reveals secrets.
a. They make known private conversations you had with them.
b. When you open up your heart to them, they lay bare that information in public.
c. When you tell them something in private, they don’t keep it private.
d. They have big mouths and have no control over their tongues.
e. When you give private counsel to them, they let everyone know what you said.
f. The one who flatters you to your face often tells another story behind your back.
4. Prov. 11:13 – The talebearer is an UNFAITHFUL friend.
a. A faithful friend would conceal the matter.
b. One who is a talebearer is not faithful. You cannot count on him to keep private that which was said in private.
c. Not all conversations were meant for everyone to hear.
d. You should be able to trust a friend to keep their lips closed if you told confidential information.
5. Talebearers who reveal “secrets” don’t always repeat the information accurately.
a. Sometimes they leave out key details which could put a very bad spin on what you said to them.
b. Sometimes they only repeat half of what was said—and half-truths can be damaging… and misleading…
A. Him That Flattereth with his Lips
1. Flatter:
a. This word appears 28 times in the Old Testament.
b. It is only translated “flatter” twice.
c. Most often it is translated as “deceive, allure, or entice.”
• Prov. 1:10 – “if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”
• Prov. 24:28 – “Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.”
d. The term (like many words) has several meanings. The context has to determine which meaning.
e. I think it best to understand the Hebrew term to mean (according to its general meaning) something like “to deceive” in this passage.
f. However, flattery is often very deceptive. People are often deceived by means of flattery.
g. The word “flattery” here, it should be understood as a particular kind of flattery: the kind that is designed to deceive!
2. Thus, Solomon warns about the kind of person who uses deceptive means to draw information out of you.
a. This person might begin with flattery… buttering you up… so that you will feel confident about their friendship and will be willing to open up and share some personal information.
b. Perhaps they might deceive you with their lips by giving you some misinformation. (Tom asked me to ask you about a particular situation… when Tom never said such a thing!)
B. Meddle Not
1. Meddle: The term has a broad range of meaning in various contexts.
a. We usually use this English word to mean “interfere”… or to stick your nose in someone else’s business. That is not exactly the meaning here.
b. The term means, “a pledge or exchange; to make a bargain with; to make a deal with; to share; to pledge the heart with; fellowship.”
c. It seems to be used here in the sense of a pledge of the heart—becoming engaged in a deep, intimate fellowship, on an emotion level with another person… to exchange personal information that is close to the heart.
2. Solomon’s advice here is that you NOT share the deep things of your heart with a talebearer.
a. Don’t disclose deep, personal information with such a person.
b. You cannot trust that person to handle that personal information with care.
c. In other words, when you lay bare your heart to a talebearer… he is likely to lay it bare before the general public!
d. Solomon is trying to spare his readers from heart ache.
e. This was probably a lesson Solomon learned the hard way.
• As a king he certainly would have had many private meetings with other kings, with wealthy land owners, with businessmen, and the nobility in the land.
• It is likely that some of the things he discussed at such meetings, he expected to go no further than those meetings… and discovered to his dismay, that a talebearer made the content of that meeting public.
• The fact that he wanted the information kept private does not mean that there was anything illegal, immoral, or nefarious about it.
• But some information is easily misunderstood… easily misinterpreted… misconstrued.
• It can be misleading and paint an innocent party in a very bad light…
• So if you don’t want to be painted in a bad light (or worse, paint someone else in a bad light)… Solomon’s advice is “Don’t meddle” with a talebearer.
• Don’t exchange that kind of information with a person who has a reputation for loose lips… someone who is unfaithful… unreliable…
• Don’t disclose the secrets of your heart to a man who will REVEAL those secrets to others.
• Solomon was probably burned on this issue several times, and wrote this proverb as a help to others to learn from his mistakes.
• We’ve probably ALL experienced this to one degree or another… on one occasion or another… where someone we trusted betrayed our confidence.
3. The warning in this proverb is about a certain kind of person: the talebearer or slanderer.
a. This person loves to reveal secrets.
b. He may come to you and reveals secrets of others…
c. He may do so with much flattery: “Since you are SUCH a good friend of mine, I feel I can share this juicy tidbit with you.”
d. And with further flattery, convinces you to loosen up your lip so that you tell him your secrets.
e. From there, he goes on to the next victim… and reveals your secrets to him.
f. This is a way of life for some people.
g. They can be extremely damaging in a local church…
h. They can turn friend against friend… brother against brother…
i. Therefore, meddle not with him. Do not give him any fuel for his passion of gossip.
j. Don’t associate with him… and certainly don’t open up your heart to him.
k. Prov. 23:25 – Not only should we not meddle (associate) with him. We should DRIVE him away like the north wind… an angry countenance will send him all the message he needs: his slander is not welcome here!
4. Solomon warns us because this kind of personal betrayal can be extremely hurtful.
a. Prov. 26:20, 22 – They are like wounds that are deep in the belly.
• The way to remove the hurt and dangerous flames is to remove the talebearer…
• Or as he said in 20:19, “don’t meddle with such a person!” Stay away for your own good.
b. Prov. 29:5 – Flattery can be a trap in many different ways.
• In Prov. 20:19, the trap seems to be that the talebearer butters you up, to loosen up your lip… so that they hear personal information from you.
• The trap is that they repeat it in public!
• That can make YOU look like a fool… or like a big mouth—since others will be able trace the SOURCE of that information right back to you!
• If someone comes to you with juicy stories about an acquaintance… and with flattering words, buttering you up, and seems to have an insatiable appetite to know all the details and stories about everything that is going on in your life… BEWARE!
c. We would do well to take heed to Solomon’s advice.
• Especially when it comes to email!
• If you share something private with an unreliable person via email, the whole world could know!
Proverbs 20:20
Whoso Curses His Father or Mother
Introduction:
1. This is a very simple proverb.
2. It addresses rebellious children and basically makes one point: your lamp will be snuffed out!
3. It doesn’t take a lot of hermeneutical skills to get the point. In fact, one could hardly miss the point here.
4. This proverb almost doesn’t need to be taught. It simply needs to be read. It speaks for itself.
1. Exodus 20:12 – Here Solomon speaks about a son who clearly violates the fifth commandment.
a. This commandment came with a promise: that thy days may be long upon the land… and “that it may go well with thee.” (Eph. 6:1-2)
b. Children who honor their parents have learned to submit to authority.
c. Children who honor their parents are much more likely to fear GOD because they have learned to fear and respect their parents.
d. Children who obey their parents are much more likely to obey the laws of the land.
e. Children who honor their parents by doing what their parents expect of them are much more likely to do what their bosses expect of them… and thus succeed in life.
f. Children who honor their parents by submitting to their discipline and have learned to do their chores… will most likely be disciplined throughout their lives… at school… at work… wherever they are… and thus things will go well for them.
g. A child who learns to honor their parents, submit to them, and obey them… will discover that those are traits that will easily be transferred to other areas of life.
h. God’s Word sets forth a PROMISE for those children: things will go well for them all throughout their lives.
2. Solomon’s proverb is the flip side of that same coin.
a. Cursing one’s parents is the OPPOSITE of honoring. It is the polar opposite.
b. Cursing defined:
• Strong’s: Be trifling; be of little account; lightly esteem; to seem insignificant.
• Dict. Of Bib. Lang.: Disdain; despise; be vile; i.e., be in a state of contempt for an object, showing little regard or value to the object.
• A different form of this Hebrew word is used in Deut. 27:16.
» Translated: “Setteth light.”
» The meaning is the virtually the same.
• I Sam. 17:42-44 – Goliath spoke of David as if he were an insignificant nothing…
» Goliath cursed David—to him, David was nobody of any importance. (vs. 43)
» He thought he would just trample over David and think nothing of it.
» When it says that Goliath cursed David, it did not mean that he swore at him and used profanity.
» It means that he belittled David. He had no respect for this little squirt whatsoever.
» When Goliath looked at puny David, he thought to himself, “Who does he think he is? How dare he confront me? Doesn’t he know how big and important I am?”
• This is the term Solomon used of a child “cursing” his parents.
» He is not speaking of a child who uses profanity against his parents.
» He is speaking a child who shows utter disregard for them… belittling… insulting them… showing no respect for… considering them to be insignificant… someone to be trampled over…
3. When a child curses his parents, he demonstrates the attitude of Goliath toward David: “Who do they think they are? How dare they confront me? Don’t they know how big and important I am?”
4. It is this attitude of contempt… disrespect… not valuing their parents that Solomon describes here.
5. It is the exact opposite of the attitude of honor that God’s Word commands… in BOTH testaments.
3. Just as children who HONOR their parents can expect that things will go well for them as a result… (good consequences) children who CURSE their parents can expect BAD consequences of their attitudes and actions.
a. Children who curse their parents… will probably have no regard for other authority figures in life… and will curse them too.
b. Children who curse their parents are likely to curse their teachers in school… and pay a price for their big mouth.
c. Children who have no regard for their parents and curse them… will probably have no regard for their boss later in life… and curse him. That one may bounce from job to job his whole life.
d. They are also likely to curse the police… and the judge…
e. This rebellious, self-willed young person cannot expect much good in life.
f. His life will ramble on from bad to worse…
g. Things will NOT go well for him. His life will be miserable.
h. He should not expect much comfort, rest, or success in life.
i. The days of his life are likely to be short but not sweet.
1. Solomon speaks about what children can expect when they do NOT honor their parents… when they curse them… treat them lightly…
2. Solomon uses a figure of speech to describe the CONSEQUENCES of their ungodly attitude towards their parents: your lights will be put out!
a. Lev. 20:9 – The death penalty was to be applied in such cases of rebellion against one’s parents. (Moses uses the same word for curse.)
b. Matt. 15:4 – Jesus quoted Moses, repeating the death penalty as the Law’s punishment for this sin.
c. The death penalty was the consequence of such rebellion.
3. Solomon uses figurative language to speak of applying the death penalty: snuffing out one’s candle.
a. This is euphemism for death… or the END of something: snuffing out the candle.
• A life that continues was thought of as a shining light…
• At death, that light is snuffed out… extinguished.
b. This was a common figure of the speech in the Bible.
• It was used several times in the book of Job.
• Solomon used it several times too.
• Prov. 24:20 – There is no reward for the wicked. When it comes time for rewards to be distributed, his candle shall be put out. (Candle here = same word as lamp; not a wax candle, but an oil lamp,)
• Prov.13:9
• Rev. 2:5 – Jesus used this illustration of the church in Ephesus: if they did not repent, He would remove (snuff out) their candlestick. In other words, that church would go out of existence. They would no longer BE a light and a witness for Christ… the end of the church.
c. “Obscure darkness”
• Obscure is the term “pupil of the eye” – the black center of the surface of the eye ball.
• The expression is a figure of speech literally translated: “black pupil darkness.”
• That was a figure that came to men TOTAL, utter, and complete darkness.
• When a person dies… he is in utter darkness… the darkest kind of darkness.
• His candle is snuffed out (his life comes to an end) and he is thus in total, utter darkness.
• The Lake of Fire is spoken of as “outer darkness” where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
4. Thus, Solomon uses the strongest language… a graphic figure of speech to demonstrate the awful consequences of a child who is an utter rebel against his parents… and shows no regard for them.
5. Prov. 30:17 – Here is an even MORE graphic picture… but the point is the same.
a. Obviously, the point of the proverb is not just to pass along information about what happens to such a person.
b. The point of the proverb is to be a WARNING to young people NOT to follow that route!
c. The message to young people is: HONOR your mother and father! Things will go well with you.
d. If you DISHONOR them… expect to have your lights put out… one way or another… sooner or later…
e. This proverb also serves as a good warning to parents to do your best to make sure that your children learn when they are very young to honor their parents.
Proverbs 20:21
Things Hastily Gained
A. An inheritance
1. Prov. 13:22 – A good man leaves an inheritance to his children.
2. Prov. 19:14 – Parents often leave their house and whatever money they have left to their children.
3. This is the norm. When a parent dies, it is quite natural for him or her to leave whatever wealth they have to their children.
4. Sometimes family squabbles and other issues interfere with that… but it is still the norm.
5. It is a good idea for parents to have a will drawn up so that your wishes are carried out when you leave this world. Don’t leave it up to the state to decide!
B. Gotten Hastily
1. Hastily: To make haste; to be in a hurry; immediately or suddenly; to be overly eager; to be in a rush.
a. This term in this context is a bit ambiguous.
b. As is the case in several of Solomon’s proverbs, it may have been intentionally ambiguous…
c. Solomon may have wanted his readers to think about BOTH possibilities with the use of this term.
2. It could refer to the fact that an inheritance is gained suddenly when the last parent dies.
a. The second that parent dies, the heir immediately becomes the owner of the property and wealth.
b. In the case of a very wealthy family, the son could instantly become a millionaire… or a billionaire!
c. Suddenly he has the legal right to the family estate.
3. The term could also refer to an inheritance gained suddenly in another way.
a. Prov. 28:22 – Here Solomon uses the same term (haste). Only here he uses the term with evil connotations: “hasting to be rich.”
b. This implies dishonest means of obtaining wealth.
c. Dear old dad is on his death bed, and his son is in a hurry to get his inheritance… so he finds a way to accelerate his dad’s decline… with a teaspoon of antifreeze in his coffee every morning.
d. Don’t think this sort of thing doesn’t happen. It does! In the last days men shall be without natural affection.
e. It doesn’t have to include murder. Sons of wealthy parents have been quite ingenious in their plans to hasten their inheritance.
• Some have had their aging parents declared incompetent to handle their own finances… and take over.
• Some have tricked their parents into signing over their wealth to them…
f. Prov. 21:6 – Sometimes the son may LIE to his father and conjure up a real good story as to WHY he needs his inheritance NOW. (I’m in trouble with the mafia; I have a gambling debt and they will kill me; etc.)
g. Luke 15:11-12 – Then there is the story of the prodigal son.
• “A certain man had two sons: 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.”
• This son got his inheritance hastily. He couldn’t wait. He wanted it now.
• This must have broken the father’s heart. Surely he could see what was coming for this son.
• The father knew that this overly eager son would not have the wisdom to handle the money properly. He must have known that it would be wasted.
• But the son insisted, and the father relented.
• This son got his inheritance hastily at the beginning.
1. Here Solomon speaks of the RESULT of such instant wealth.
2. Luke 15:13-16 – Consider the END of the road for the prodigal son.
a. He wasted his money. “Easy come; easy go.” That is the real lesson of this proverb.
b. His father worked a lifetime to save that money. The son blew it in no time at all.
c. Because the father worked so hard to accumulate that wealth, he understood the value of it.
d. But the son did NOT work for it. Because it was handed to him on a silver platter, he did not understand the true value of it.
e. To the father, that money represented a lifetime of labor. To the son it was instant cash. It was like winning the lottery!
f. In no time at all, this son returns to his father’s house… poor… empty handed… having wasted his inheritance.
g. Had he waited until he was older (or until his father died) he would have been older AND wiser.
h. Young people do not have the wisdom to handle large sums of money… regardless of how loudly they insist that they do.
i. Just look at the lives of the 20 year old athletes who become instant millionaires because they can throw a football or a basketball.
j. Just look at the lives of the 20 year olds who become instant millionaires as a movie star or rock star. There are way too many sad stories like Brittany Spears… and others like her.
k. Money hastily received in ANY manner often results in a sad, tragic end like this. It is all too common.
l. Solomon saw and heard about so many prodigal sons and Brittany Spears stories in his lifetime that he decided to write a proverb about it.
m. An inheritance is just ONE example of a large sum of money received suddenly… instantly, without the wisdom needed to use it properly… without the maturity to understand its value.
n. “Easy come; easy go” is an American proverb that captures the same thought.
3. Prov. 28:22 – And what about the one who hastens to be rich with evil intentions?
a. Poverty comes to him in the latter end.
b. His get rich quick schemes may work every once in a while.
c. Because they work once in a while, he assumes that he can make a living that way.
d. He envisions his cheap little scam will last forever… and that he is on easy street.
e. Hence, he never seeks a REAL job. He never gains any skills that are truly marketable.
f. He wastes his life on his silly dreams about being rich with some new scheme.
g. What he doesn’t realize is that most often they do NOT work.
h. In the end he finds himself in poverty…
i. In the end, he is not blessed. A “get rich quick” mentality is really a curse… not a blessing.
4. Then we have the many cases of the son who instantly inherits his father’s business when his father dies.
a. The father worked many decades to get that business on its feet.
b. He put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into building up that business.
c. He knew what it meant to work well into the night to balance the books…
d. The father knew what it to took to keep the business afloat during an economic recession…
e. The father learned about the importance of having good employees and he learned to treat them fairly.
f. The father knew about all the extras that it took to keep the business going… advertising… upkeep of the property…
g. The father spent years putting out the very best product that he could.
h. The father spent 50 years building up that business.
i. The son inherits and drives it into the ground in a year and a half.
j. Becoming the head of a big business like that came to him so easily; he thought that running it would be easy too. He was dead wrong.
k. Instead of investing some of the profits in upkeep and taking care of his employees, he blew the cash on a big new house, a boat, and a ski chalet at Vail!
l. And before you know it—his father’s business was worthless.
m. What seemed to be a great blessing when he inherited it, was not a blessing in the end.
n. Solomon saw that sort of thing happen way too often.
5. And what about the son who is so eager for his father to die that he hastens his death in order to speed up the day he gets his inheritance?
a. He may find himself in jail for the rest of his life… or face the death penalty.
b. Instead of living the good life… he may END his life… or live the rest of it behind bars.
6. Prov. 10:22 – the blessing of the Lord usually comes the old fashioned way: through hard work, diligence, industry, sacrifice, and saving.
a. This blessing comes with no sorrow… no guilt… no shame… no guilty conscience like wealth that comes hastily through deception or conniving.
b. Quick, easy money doesn’t last very long.
c. It often destroys a person’s industry… it ruins their initiative and drive to achieve… It stunts a person’s growth.
d. Prov. 21:5 – Diligence leads to plenty; HASTY to be rich leads to want… a lack…
Proverbs 20:22
Wait on the LORD
Introduction:
1. Here Solomon discusses the subject of vengeance… and he tells us what to do when we feel overcome with a desire to “strike back.”
1. Recompense:
a. The term means to pay back.
b. It can be used in either a good or an evil sense.
• Good: Prov. 13:13 – Rewarded.
• Bad: to pay back out of vengeance. This is the sense it is used in Prov. 20:22.
2. Evil:
a. This term for evil is a very broad term (like our term evil).
b. It includes the thought of that which is immoral, but that does not seem to be the emphasis here.
c. Here the emphasis is on that which is evil in the sense of bad, injurious, hurtful, calamity, tragedy, troublesome, etc.
3. Recompensing evil: This expression speaks about a person who has been wronged.
a. Someone has done something hurtful or injurious to them, and they are seeking to “get even.”
b. It speaks of a person taking matters into their own hands and paying back the person who injured you. (tit for tat)
c. Rom. 12:19 – As Christians, we have specifically been told NOT to recompense evil.
• Avenge: Execute justice; defend one’s cause.
4. This proverb speaks of a situation where one person has been injured by another.
a. The type of injury is left unmentioned… so that the proverb is generic enough to cover a multitude of possible situations.
b. Have you ever been injured by someone else?
• Has someone been spreading rumors about you?
• Has someone been stabbing you in the back at work?
• Has someone double-crossed you at church?
• It could even be a family member—a spouse, child, or parent… has a family member been abusive to you verbally… or physically?
• Do you feel the IRS has cheated you? Or a government agency has caused you untold trouble?
• Have you been singled out and treated unfairly?
• Has someone wrongly accused you of evil?
c. In a world with 7.5 billion sinners, these sorts of things happen all the time. You’re not alone.
• Oftentimes people do “evil” to us.
• Life is not always “fair.”
• There are troublemakers out there who seem to get their kicks from making life miserable for others.
5. In such a scenario, Solomon tells us what NOT to say: “I will recompense evil.”
a. Why do you suppose he tells us what NOT to say?
b. Because he knows human nature. He knows that when we feel that we have been wronged or abused, this is the first thought that pops into our minds!
c. Proverbs 24:29 – “Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.”
d. “I’ll get even with him! I’ll teach him not to mess with me.”
e. It’s almost like a built in defense mechanism.
• If someone hits you, you hit them back.
• If someone insults you, you insult them right back.
• To the flesh, this is as natural as breathing.
f. It is human nature to want to strike back… yet we are repeatedly told NOT to say that… not to think that.
6. If we say anything, it should be along the lines of Matt. 5:44 –
a. BLESS them that curse you, bless and curse not.
b. PRAY for them that despitefully misuse you.
c. Rom. 12:14, 21
• If we SAY anything it should be to bless and not curse.
• If we DO anything, it should be to do GOOD unto them… in return for their evil.
d. Acts 7:59-60 – Consider the example of Stephen. (“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge!”) He meant it.
7. Whatever you do or say…
a. DON’T: Take vengeance into your own hands…
b. DON’T: Curse your enemy…
c. If you can’t say or do anything good, then don’t do or say anything!
A. Wait on the Lord
1. Wait means more than waiting as we might think of waiting in line.
2. Wait = To hope; to trust; to depend upon someone.
a. Dictionary of Bible Languages: “To look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial, often with a focus of anticipation in a future event.”
3. In this context, the idea of this term is the opposite of taking matters into your own hands.
a. Wait… depend upon God to handle the matter… trust in Him to take care of the wrongs done…
b. Look forward with confidence that the Judge of all the earth will do right…
c. Have no confidence in OUR ability to bring about justice… and have complete confidence in God’s ability to bring about justice… even if it takes a long time… even if we don’t see it in our lifetime!
d. That’s waiting… and depending on God. That’s an expression of FAITH and confidence in Him.
4. I Peter 2:23 – Follow the example of Christ; don’t strike back; commit your situation to the Lord.
a. Deut. 32:35 – God is a God of justice and vengeance. Leave it all in His hands.
5. I Cor. 13:4-7 – LOVE: the fruit of the Spirit in us will:
a. Suffer and still be kind! Is not easily provoked.
b. Bears all things… endures all things. (It is able to wait…)
c. God’s plan is to overcome evil with good.
» This is MORE than just NOT taking vengeance. (negative side)
» This is actively doing GOOD to our enemies.
» It is possible to obey God outwardly by NOT seeking vengeance.
» But even the one who does not take out vengeance may secretly brood on the inside and allow bitterness and resentment to fester
» That’s not victory. That’s covering up and suppressing the inward spirit of vengeance.
» True victory is overcoming evil with good… positive words and deeds done in a true spirit of humility.
6. There are some good reasons to wait on the Lord too.
a. Wait: because vengeance belongs to the Lord. It is not our place.
b. Wait: because in God’s time and in God’s way, justice always prevails… if not in this life, in the life to come.
c. Wait: because sometimes when we think we have been “wronged,” it may, in fact, have been justice.
d. Wait: because vigilante justice is against the law.
e. Wait: because operating on the basis of emotion often leads to even more wrongs committed… and more sin.
f. Wait: because this tit for tat mentality can easily blow up and get out of control. It can escalate into something far beyond the original insult.
g. Wait: because striking back drags you down to their level.
h. Wait: because our position is in heaven—where such petty, earthly insults and wrongs all seem quite small from heaven’s vantage point.
B. And He will save thee…
1. Solomon does NOT say that if we leave it in God’s hands, God will smite that miserable creature hip and thigh!
2. Rather, he says that God will deliver YOU… the injured party.
3. What will He save us from?
a. Perhaps further trouble… from injury…
b. Perhaps he will deliver us from our enemies…
c. Perhaps He will deliver us from ourselves… from taking vengeance into our own hands… and then having to suffer the consequences of that action… because that usually makes matters worse.
4. While we are WAITING on the Lord, learn to see God’s purpose in the wrongs… in the grief caused by others… in the injustice…
a. Remember Joseph?
• He was double-crossed by his own brothers. They sold him into Egypt. He was double crossed several times in Egypt too.
• Then in God’s providence, Joseph was exalted to be Prime Minister in Egypt… and during the famine, his brothers came to him begging for food.
• He had the perfect opportunity to retaliate… to execute justice against them… to level vengeance against them… to get even.
• But he had learned long before that to wait on the Lord.
b. Men may mean it for evil, but God means it for good!
• God DELIVERED Joseph from slavery to being Prime Minister.
• God also delivered Joseph from taking matters into his own hands and seeking vengeance. Instead, Joseph waited upon the Lord… and the Lord saved him.
• And look how God turned the tables on them all!
• When people do evil to us, it hurts initially.
• However, we should look at it from eternity’s vantage point. It is an opportunity to manifest Christ-like character by obeying God and BLESSING those who curse us… by overcoming evil with good.
• What a testimony to the Lord that is… and just remember: people are watching how we live and how we respond to the events of life.
Proverbs 19:24
Slothfulness
1. Slothful Defined:
a. Sluggish, lazy.
b. Pertaining to be slow to take any action, suggesting a lack of discipline or initiative, as a moral failure.
c. The term is used only in Proverbs: (15 times) – 6:6, 9; 10:26; 13:4; 15:19; 19:24; 20:4; 21:25; 22:13; 24:30; 26:13-16.
2. Hiding his hand in his bosom.
a. Hiding: conceal, bury.
b. Bosom: this term has two possible meanings (like many English words)
• dish, bowl
• Bosom; chest area
c. The KJV translators chose to use the second definition.
d. Most other translations chose to use the first definition: dish or bowl.
e. While both are legitimate translations, the context (second part of the proverb) seems to favor translating it dish, since he is speaking of putting something in his mouth, eating.
f. If we understand the term to mean “bosom” it is hard to see what the relationship is between putting one’s hand in his bosom and then bringing it back to his mouth.
3. I understand it here that Solomon is describing a slothful, lazy, sluggish man who sticks his hand in his dish…
a. The second part of the proverb demonstrates just HOW lazy he is!
1. “Bring it again” = reverse direction; bring back; restore; put back; cause to return.
a. In other words, here is a man who buries his hand in the dish, presumably to draw out some food to eat.
b. However, he is SO incredibly lazy, that he won’t even bring the food up to his mouth to eat it!
c. Obviously, this is hyperbole… an exaggeration to make a point.
d. His point is that this man is REALLY lazy!
2. The POINT Solomon makes is that this man is SO lazy that he lacks what it takes to follow through with what he started.
a. He started to get something to eat… but he didn’t follow through.
b. He stuck his hand in the bowl to draw out some food, but he never finished the job… he didn’t follow through… and thus he never brought his hand back to his mouth to actually eat it!
c. He is so lazy he would rather starve than work.
d. That is exactly what the New Testament says he deserves! If a man will not work, neither should he eat. (II Thess. 3:10)
3. A man sticks his hand in the dish because he is hungry.
a. He knows WHAT his need is: food. He sees his need.
b. He knows WHERE the food is and he knows HOW to get it.
c. He started to get the job done… he stuck his hand in the bowl.
d. But he didn’t follow through. He didn’t FINISH the job.
e. Thus, he remained hungry. The need was never met.
4. This is a proverb that demonstrates through hyperbole the need to follow through on a project that you start… and the consequences of not following through.
a. Solomon traces the ROOT of this problem back to slothfulness.
b. Prov. 26:15 – the very same proverb.
• However, here is added the REASON he does not bring his hand back: “grieved.”
• Grieved = emotional weariness; worn out emotionally; wearied.
• Dict. of Bib. Lang.: Defines “grieved” emotionally tired, i.e., be in a state which will manifest negative emotions or attitudes such as impatience or discouragement.
• Ezek. 24:12 – She hath wearied herself with lies.
• Isa. 1:14 – Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
• He’s too tired!
c. The real pitiful thing to note is that what he needs is right there before him! It is within reach… but he refuses to reach!
• He COULD have the food in the bowl… but he’s too lazy.
• This is the way of most lazy people.
• What they need is right there before them… within their reach… and with just a little effort it could be theirs!
• That’s the point here. Just a little more effort… a little more follow through… and it would all be theirs.
• But they won’t take that last step… it’s too hard. They come up with all kinds of excuses.
• The picture here Solomon paints is a man who is so lazy he expects the food is just going to fall into his mouth! It doesn’t work that way.
5. Prov. 15:19 – The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns.
a. Here Solomon states that the way of a lazy man is all hedged in.
b. He is surrounded by a hedge of thorns: obstacles everywhere!
c. That’s all he sees… a hedge on every side… like a huge maze…
d. He may FEEL trapped… he sees no open doors… everywhere he looks he is hedged in.
e. He may feel that life is just too hard…
f. This is the thinking of the lazy man… the quitter…
g. But Solomon implies here that he is hedged in BECAUSE of his own slothfulness.
h. Consider the example of the two students: one lazy and one diligent.
• They both leave school and walk down the same pathway in life.
• As they walk down that pathway, the lazy classmate will find many closed doors—hedged in; while his hard working classmate finds many open doors.
• The lazy man finds many obstacles to his progress… hedges of thorns… but they are often obstacles of his own making!
• This is the WAY of the slothful man.
i. This “way of life” very quickly turns into a “poor me” attitude.
• Nothing ever goes right for me… woe is me…
• Everybody else always seems to get all the breaks, but not me! I never have any luck.
j. Then the “victim” mentality sets in.
• It’s the government’s fault. They should have a program for me.
• I DESERVE something better than this…
• Everybody is against me… the cards are all stacked against me.
• If the kids in the third grade didn’t pick on me so much, I never would have had such a hard time in life…
6. But Proverbs 19:24 calls that man’s bluff.
a. This proverb says that the REAL reason that he goes without is because he lacks what it takes to follow through with whatever he starts.
b. He did well in high school, but quit. Too much homework.
c. He went from job to job…
d. Then he got a pretty decent job, making a good salary, but didn’t stick it out.
• They wanted him to learn to use a computer, and he didn’t want to take the course.
• It was on a Friday night, and he liked to have fun on Friday nights. Work was crimping his lifestyle.
• Because he didn’t learn the needed skill, they had to let him go.
e. He tried to get another good job, but the personnel department didn’t like what they saw on his resume: “worked for six months here, a year there, four months at his next job, a year and two months there…”
f. And the personnel department wasn’t interested in listening to his endless list of excuses. They weren’t like dad and mom. They saw his record and said quite snappily, “No thank you.”
g. So he strikes out again… and becomes more and more emotionally worn out… drained… weary, discouraged… and quits again and again.
h. What he OUGHT to do is humble himself, take an entry-level job, and stick with it… and PROVE himself finally… and work his way up—like everybody else.
i. In other words, FOLLOW THROUGH on whatever you start!
7. The man in Solomon’s proverb was SO lazy, that he didn’t even follow through on something that was really quite EASY: eating!
a. And when you don’t follow through, your needs are not met.
b. You can stick your hand in a bowl full of food, but if you don’t follow through and bring it to your mouth, you will still be hungry.
c. This is a SERIOUS issue Solomon raises here—in a comical way: people who make a halfhearted effort.
d. This man did half the work. He did bury his hand in the bowl of goodies. But it didn’t do him any good. It didn’t satisfy his hunger at all.
e. Going half way doesn’t work.
• You don’t win a marathon by being first to cross the half way point. You have to FINISH.
• If a company requires a four year degree for the job you want, going to college for two years and quitting won’t get you in the door that you wanted to enter.
• If the doctor says you have to take your medicine every day… and you take it every other day, or whenever you feel like it, you won’t get the right result.
8. The same principle is true in the spiritual life as well.
a. This might just be the number ONE reason why Christians fail and falter in their walk… why they don’t experience victory: because they don’t follow through on what they started.
b. In a problem with a brother in the Lord. The Bible says, “Turn the other cheek.” He tried it, but it didn’t work. The brother is still mean to him… so he quit trying.
c. Or the husband who is having a spat with his wife. The pastor exhorts him to “Love your wife as Christ loved the church.” Too often the response is, “I tried it, but it didn’t work!”
d. Or a believer is trying to deal with a boss who constantly yells. The Bible says, “A soft answer turns away wrath.”
e. All too often believers get good advice from a brother in the Lord—right from the Scripture. And with the best of intentions, they start off well… but they don’t follow through! They quit mid stream.
f. The Bible doesn’t say turn the other cheek, and if that doesn’t work, try something else. Nor does it say use a soft answer two or three times, and if that does work, then look for another solution.
g. When the principles in God’s Word don’t seem to work for you, it’s not because they are ineffective. It’s because you quit too soon.
h. We tend to put in a half hearted effort. We really try at first (like putting your hand in the bowl of food), but then we don’t follow through… we don’t finish the job.
i. Thus, we don’t experience the victory or satisfaction… like the man with his hand in the bowl is still hungry.
j. The word of God is like that bowl. It is set right before us all… within reach. All we have to do is take of it and eat. Yet, as absurd as this proverb, we are often too lazy to eat… and we suffer spiritual hunger as a result.
k. This proverb is an extremely absurd one. When we read it, we immediately think, NOBODY could be that lazy… that stupid. But lo and behold. We do the same thing in the spiritual realm.
Proverbs 20:25
The Danger of Acting Before Thinking
1. Devoureth:
a. Strong’s: (two meanings listed)
• Talk impetuously; make a wild utterance; i.e., speak in a rash or foolish manner; implying no thought to the words spoken.
• Sip; take a relatively small drink of liquid; slurp; i.e., drink liquid noisily.
b. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament:
• Swallow down.
• Talk wildly.
c. Most Hebrew dictionaries define this term as Strong’s does: either to speak in a rash manner or to sip or slurp.
• In fact, it is possible that the two thoughts are related… and are a Hebraism – a picturesque way of saying something…
• Namely, that speaking out rashly is like slurping a drink—it happens in a hurry… without even thinking… you make a lot of sound… and then it’s gone.
• It is possible that in the Hebrew mind they made a mental connection between gulping down a drink and speaking rashly… or blurting out something without thinking.
2. Thus, the man who DEVOURS (sips up) that which is holy does so by making a rash vow.
a. A man may speak rashly and dedicate something to the Lord as being “holy” – set apart for God.
b. A man may “vow” to give something to the Lord… to dedicate something to the Lord’s Temple or service.
c. Once this vow is made… once this item is dedicated to God, it is “holy” and cannot be taken back.
d. Once dedicated to God, it was considered “holy” and it could not be used again for ordinary purposes.
e. This is the same concept that Jesus spoke of in Mark 7:10-11.
• Corban = It is dedicated to God. Men would make a vow to God to dedicate their gold to the Temple… or their fruits as a sacrifice…
• Some selfish, ungrateful children used this as an excuse NOT to care for their aging parents.
• They said, “Dad, I’d love to help you out, but all my goods are “corban” – dedicated to God. Therefore, I can’t help you.
• It was pure hypocrisy.
3. It was easy to SAY, “corban”… however, there were some long term consequences of making that vow.
a. The idea of devouring a holy thing means to dedicate it to God by making a vow.
b. Once the vow is made, that item is “devoured” in the sense, that it is as good as gone.
c. It is devoured by making a rash vow…
d. In other words, a rash vow DEVOURS items… and renders them “holy” or dedicated to God.
e. Vows can be made quite easily. Vows can be made in one moment of time. Vows can be made in a flurry of emotion. They can be made in anger… they can be made in joy… Vows are often made without thinking.
4. This seems to be what Solomon meant by “devouring” that which is holy or dedicated.
a. A rash vow was made and the item is gone… or as good as gone.
b. It now belongs to the Lord.
c. And there is no reversing it, once dedicated.
d. Some understand the “devour” to mean that the man made the vow rashly, discovered he could not keep the vow, and thus consumed the sacrifice that he had dedicated to God.
e. Each of the various interpretations for this phrase are really quite similar… and the overall meaning is the same.
1. Now Solomon describes the fact that the man who just made the rash vow to dedicate something to the Lord decides to THINK about what he just did.
2. Note that this is done AFTER.
3. After he devours that which is holy (dedicates something to God) he then vows to make enquiry.
a. Make enquiry: To seek; enquire; consider; reflect; give thought.
b. Solomon’s point here is that AFTER the man devours that which is holy by making a rash vow to dedicate it to God… only then does he begin to THINK about what he did…
c. This is another example of the proverbial, act now, think later.
d. The man makes a vow, and then sometime later, he begins to reflect upon the consequences of that vow.
e. He speaks without thinking… and later it begins to dawn on him what he did… as he has time to stop and consider his actions.
4. And haven’t we all done this — perhaps way too many times!
a. Of course, the concept of “corban” is not something practiced often today.
b. But something similar COULD be done…
• Suppose a missionary comes, gives a thrilling message… sings some wonderful hymns… shows slides of the children in the jungle that really grips your heart…
• Then, overwhelmed by the emotion of it all, you pledge to give that missionary $200.00 per month… only to discover a couple of months later that you can’t afford it!
• Or perhaps, after hearing his thrilling presentation of his mission, you promise God that YOU will go to the mission field… but you do so without thinking… without praying… without being led… it is pure emotion…
c. It is EASY to speak rashly and make promises to God…
• But it is not wise to make promises to God on the basis of emotion and to think and pray about it AFTER.
• That’s backwards.
d. There is a much BROADER principle that Solomon hints at here.
• Solomon spoke about making a rash vow to dedicate something to God without thinking about it.
• This could be applied to ANY kind of action we take… any kind of obligation we take on… any kind of commitment we make… any kind of debt we incur…
• It’s easy to obligate ourselves to something… (in the emotion of the hour). It is foolish to do so without thinking it through…
• People do this all the time in the financial realm. They buy too much house… too much car… time share property… because of the slick way it was presented by the salesman… and often we do so without making enquiry… without doing our homework.
• Some believers do this in the local church too. They sign up to serve in ministries eight nights a week… and only AFTER… upon reflection do they discover that their family is suffering…
• Parents do this with their kids. They overextend themselves by signing up for soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, piano lessons, singing lessons, extra science class, bird watching, and basket weaving… and only AFTER do they discover that they don’t have the time or energy for it all.
It is a snare
1. Snare: A trap; the lure or bait placed in a hunter’s trap.
2. Solomon now speaks about the CONSEQUENCE of a rash vow… of making an obligation without thinking it through… without prayer.
3. It is like a trap with some enticing bait inside… that lures you in… and then the door closes behind you… and you are trapped.
4. The lure is obvious:
a. The lure of having a big, beautiful house lures us into signing on to a mortgage that we cannot afford.
b. The lure of being seen in a fancy new car lures us into signing on the dotted line at the car dealer’s… only to discover later, that you can’t afford that car.
c. The lure of having your kids well rounded… and talented… you want your kids to have an edge… and that lures parents into signing them up for soccer camp… piano lessons… and on and on it goes until there is no time or energy left for anything!
5. This is a snare that has been the downfall of many men, women, and young people. It has ruined families… marriages… relationships…
6. It is so much better to think BEFORE you act… to consider BEFORE you sign on the dotted line… to think about the long term consequences BEFORE you obligate yourself to anything!
7. Both the Old and New Testaments forbid us from breaking a vow. That’s why it is wise to think BEFORE you make a vow… or not make one at all!
a. Ecc. 5:4-7 – Making rash promises is a snare because once the promise is made, God expects you to keep it. It is better NOT to promise.
b. Matt. 5:33 – Jesus said the same thing. “Thou shalt not forswear thyself.” (break an oath)
c. Vows were common, but God expected those who made them to keep them.
d. In the Old Testament, men made vows to God to become a Nazarite…
e. Hannah made a vow to God that if He gave her a son, she would return her son to the Lord.
8. Judges 11:30-31 – There is a perfect example of a rash vow made in a moment of enthusiasm by Jephthah that he later regretted.
a. This was an especially foolish vow because Jephthah did not know what or who would walk through the door of his tent.
b. He was making a promise to offer up an unknown.
c. He made a vow without knowing the PRICE.
d. Vs. 34-40 – It is not certain exactly WHAT Jephthah did to his daughter. It appears that instead of slaying her (as Abraham was about to do Isaac) that instead she remained a virgin and unmarried…
e. This must have been very painful to Jephthah… his ONLY daughter… yet, he was required to keep the vow before the Lord.
f. This is a good illustration of what Solomon warned about: rashly making a vow… and not thinking about the consequences of it until later.
g. It is VERY foolish thing to do.
h. There are countless ways we can apply this proverb to our lives: “look before you leap”… “think before you speak”… “think first, act later.”
Proverbs 20:26
A Wise King Scatters the Wicked
1. A wise king
a. Wise: Shrewd; crafty; cunning; prudent; learned; discerning; experienced; skilled; perceptive…
b. Solomon was the king of Israel and was writing to his sons—who were part of the royal family… and some of his sons could expect to reign as king one day.
c. Thus, Solomon is preparing his sons for such a day.
d. And, as we’ll see, the wisdom Solomon attempted to pass on to his royal sons is applicable to those of us who may not be of royal blood.
e. You don’t have to be a prince to appreciate the wisdom of Solomon.
2. A wise king acknowledges the threat wicked men pose…
a. Wicked:
• A criminal; guilty one; one guilty of crime; one who violates a standard or a law.
• Kings had to deal with criminals and lawbreakers all the time.
• In Solomon’s day, sometimes kings had to function as judges too. They heard cases and had to sentence the criminal. (As Solomon judged the two women who each claimed the living baby belonged to them…)
b. A king should realize the DANGER of allowing wicked men in his kingdom… in one of his cities… in one of the households of the kingdom.
• Prov. 11:11 – By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
» The wicked, if allowed to remain, results in the overthrowing of a house, a city, and even a kingdom!
• Prov. 17:15 – He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
» Solomon knew that he could not justify the wicked in his kingdom.
» He could not make excuses for wicked behavior on those in his kingdom. It had to be condemned.
» Otherwise, tolerating such behavior would be an abomination to the Lord.
• Prov. 18:3 – When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.
» Here Solomon recognizes that along with putting up with wicked men and wickedness in his domain, comes contempt.
» Contempt: Disrespect, with a possibly implication of a verbal mocking.
→ Prov. 30:17 – (same term) despising to obey one’s parents.
→ To be regarded by others as unimportant or insignificant… of no value.
→ Ps. 123:3-4 – the wicked speak with scorn and contempt against the godly.
3. A wise king knew that by putting up with the wicked, he was inviting contempt… and along with that ignominy and reproach… (shame, disgrace, and dishonor)
• Prov. 24:15 – Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place.
» The wise king realizes that the presence of the wicked in the house of the righteous can SPOIL that resting place.
» Spoil: Devastate; ruin; ravage.
» Resting place: Home; dwelling place.
» The wise king realizes that the presence of the wicked is just as devastating to a home as it is to the kingdom.
• Wise kings were very much aware that wicked men existed… and the danger that a wicked man was to his kingdom… what a threat the presence of wicked men were to the welfare of a home, a city, and even the kingdom.
• Foolish kings may look the other way and tolerate it… or perhaps they might pretend that they don’t even SEE the wicked or the devastation they are wreaking… but not so with wise kings.
3. Think of Solomon’s upbringing in the home of David.
a. Solomon got to see firsthand instances of his father’s wisdom in not tolerating wickedness in his kingdom.
b. Read Psalm 101. David determined NOT to tolerate wickedness in his house… (or his kingdom; his royal court)
c. But Solomon also got to see firsthand some mistakes his father made on those occasions where David DID tolerate bad behavior from some of his sons—especially from Absalom, and all the grief that brought into his household.
Scatters the wicked and bringeth the wheel over them.
1. Scatters:
a. Scatter: Cast away; disperse; spread out…
b. This term is used of the winnowing process: a process which removes the husk and chaff from the fruit of grain,
c. Thus, it came to mean the harming an object as related to the vigorous, even violent action on the husks and grain.
d. This is how Solomon uses the term in Proverbs 20:26.
2. A wise king not only disagrees with wicked men; he not only laments their presence in his kingdom; he DOES something about it.
a. He scatters them.
b. He winnows them… beats them down to powder…
c. He separates the wheat from the chaff…
3. He brings the wheel over them…
a. Threshing: In this process, farmers would run a wheel over the grain to initially crush the husks and eventually separate the husks (chaff) from the wheat grain.
b. Once the wheel runs over it, it is ready for winnowing. (Tossing it in the air to let the wind separate the chaff from the grain.)
c. Winnowing and threshing were part of the same process—only one was much gentler than the other.
d. Solomon uses this to illustrate the responsibility of a king to exercise judgment and justice upon the wicked in the land. (Some forms would be more severe than others.)
e. Thus, wise kings did not tolerate wickedness or wicked men. They executed justice and dealt with them harshly… for the good of the nation.
f. The winnowing and threshing processes separate the wheat from the chaff… it protects and preserves the precious wheat… and it crushes and separates the worthless chaff.
g. Solomon uses this as an illustration of what a wise king does for his domain: In order to protect and preserve those who are righteous, he must crush and remove that which is worthless… the chaff… the wicked.
4. Prov. 25:4-5 – Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
a. Take away: remove; expel; drive out.
b. The wicked can cause much ruin if they are tolerated.
c. But when they are driven out, the king’s throne is established.
d. Establish: Made firm; set in place; made steadfast; solid.
e. Removing the wicked is exactly what this nation needs. It would result in strengthening the moral foundation of society.
f. But no, we tolerate way too many forms of wickedness in this land under the pretence of liberty, freedom, and pluralism.
g. We have liberty gone wild in America… and it’s ruining the nation.
h. Wise kings scatter wickedness… they don’t tolerate it.
i. Prov. 29:16a – When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth.
j. Wise kings don’t allow it to multiply. They deal with it… before that evil spreads and causes havoc… they scatter it… bring the wheel over him… just like you would reject a disease from your body. If it’s harming your body, get rid of it. If it’s harming a nation—get rid of it.
5. Of course there is good application from this in realms other than royal families!
a. Dealing with wickedness is necessary in EVERY realm!
b. It is necessary in a school. (That’s the major problem in public schools today—no discipline…)
c. It is necessary in a home. Parents cannot tolerate disobedience and disrespect in their homes.
d. It is necessary in the local church too. God has designed church discipline to deal with this very issue. He does NOT want us to tolerate evil in the body of Christ. It is to be threshed out… the chaff driven away… so that the wholesome grain might be beneficial.
e. The main point Solomon makes is that such behavior must first be CRUSHED… obliterated… threshed… chased out…
f. THEN comes the establishment of the nation… or of a city, home, church, etc…
g. Severity is often necessary for the stability and strength of any organization, institution, home, church, or society.
h. Only after the wicked have been dealt a severe blow (crushed and scattered) can a government, church, home, or city function properly.
i. Thus, before the Lord establishes His government on earth in the Kingdom, He is first going to thresh out the wicked… and only the righteous shall enter in.
j. Matthew 3:12 – And there will be a final separation… a scattering of the wicked from among the righteous… a final purging or threshing of the floor.
Proverbs 20:27
The Candle of the Lord
1. The spirit of man.
a. nesh·aw·maw – This term is usually translated “breath.”
b. It is used in Genesis 2:7 – God breathed into Adam the “breath” of life… and thus speaks of life itself.
c. But the term is also used in another sense: the inner-most part of a person that can respond to God… the God-conscious part of man.
d. Solomon does NOT seem to be using the term here as a synonym for “life” or “breath.”
e. It is clearly speaking of the INNERMOST part of man, i.e., the human spirit.
• The body makes us conscious of the physical world.
• The soul makes us conscious of the inner self life.
• The spirit makes us conscious of God (when regenerated).
f. Man was created in the “image of God.”
• Man was created with intellect, emotions, and a will so that he might commune with God… and with other human beings.
• The human spirit is related to the “image of God.”
• Man’s intellect, emotions, and will (when regenerated), are alive unto God… conscious of God.
• Even though the image of God was marred by sin (our intellect, emotions, and will are all affected by the sin nature)… yet the image of God remains in us all.
• When a person is regenerated, he is able to THINK on things above because he has a new mind; he is able to LOVE God with a new heart; and he is able to CHOOSE to obey God because he has a new will.
• Through the human soul man is able to relate to other human beings and to earthly things… the natural realm.
• Through the human spirit, (when regenerated) man is able to relate to God and spiritual things.
2. The candle of the Lord.
a. Candle = candle; lamp; (most often translated “lamp”).
b. It is used of the lamp in the Tabernacle and in the Temple.
c. Note here that it is the candle or lamp and NOT the light itself.
d. A lamp is a light receptor. It serves to hold or contain the light, but does not produce the light. It is a vehicle for light.
e. Man’s spirit is a “light receiver” or a “light container,” or vehicle for light.
f. Man’s inner spirit is that vehicle through which God’s light shines.
3. Man’s spirit is a lamp (light receiver; container) of the LORD (Jehovah).
a. This lamp is lit by God. It is HIS light…
b. In other words, it is through the human spirit that the Spirit of God illuminates… shines… enlightens… and thus, leads… guides… teaches.
4. A lamp is used for illumination and (fig.) for guidance.
a. God uses the light of His Word to enlighten the spirit of man.
• Prov. 6:23 – For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light.
• Ps. 119:105 – the Word of God is a LAMP… to guide our feet.
b. God Himself IS the light.
• Ps. 27:1 – The Lord IS my light.
• God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
• Ps. 18:28 – For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
» God Himself “lights” man’s candle… to enlighten the darkness around him… and provide illumination for guidance.
» A candle or lamp emits no light whatsoever UNLESS it is lit.
» Here the psalmist says that it is GOD who lights that inner candle.
» II Sam. 22:29 – For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
c. II Cor. 4:6 – God shines in the hearts of men to illuminate the gospel message to their understanding… that they might be saved.
• It is likened to the miracle of creation: God spoke in the midst of darkness and said, “Let there be light.” And there was light.
• God shines in the hearts of unbelievers that they might be saved.
• God lights the lamp of the believer that He might direct His steps.
5. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.
a. Man’s innermost being—the human spirit—is the receptacle for the LIGHT that God gives… to enlighten… expose… make clear…
1. Psalm 7:9 – The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
a. Trieth: To test by means of examination.
b. Reins: The kidney – the innermost part of man.
c. God examines our innermost being.
d. He does so via the spirit… that is His “candle to our soul.”
2. Ps. 77:6 – Sometimes the Bible speaks of GOD searching our hearts. Sometimes it speaks of the human spirit searching our hearts.
a. The two thoughts are not contradictory; they are complementary.
b. The Spirit of God searches our hearts via the human spirit.
c. God illuminates our human spirit so that we might KNOW the condition of our hearts.
d. Apart from that divine light, we would never know our hearts. (It is desperately wicked; who can know it?)
e. Apart from divine light illuminating our inner spirit, we would constantly imagine self to be in much better condition than he really is.
f. Apart from God’s light, darkness prevails.
3. God uses the human spirit to SEARCH inwardly.
a. I Cor. 2:11 – Only God’s Spirit knows all about God. And only man’s spirit knows all about the inner man.
• God uses the human spirit as a lamp to search out all that is hidden.
• My human spirit knows ME… I know me better than any other human being knows me.
• But God knows me better than I know me. (And of course, the same is true of you too.)
• But even I don’t know myself perfectly. My thoughts of self are affected by my sin nature: pride; rebellious; and tends to cover up failures.
• But God searches my innermost being… and He shines a light in my spirit that I might become aware of what is REALLY going on inside me.
4. God, through the human spirit shines deep into inward parts of the belly.
a. That is a way of saying deep into the nooks and crannies of our very being…
b. This speaks of the inner motives, intentions of the heart, the “hidden things of darkness.”
c. God already KNOWS what is there.
d. But He shines or illuminates those things to our spirit – the God-conscious part of our inner man.
e. God seeks to make US aware of various areas of sin deep within.
f. God, like a candle shining in the darkest recesses of our heart, brings SIN to our attention… into view.
g. Heb. 4:12 – Light from God’s word digs deeply into the most hidden parts, feelings, and thoughts.
• The light of His Word is able to separate (distinguish) that which is spiritual from that which is carnal.
• These are distinctions that we are unable to make apart from the light of His Word.
• As the knife of the Levitical priest (separating the parts of a sacrifice to offer unto God) had to cut deeply into the animal to divide parts… making fine distinctions between the joints and marrow, etc.
• So too the word of God divides the parts of man’s immaterial being, soul and spirit, and penetrates into man’s innermost being… to make distinctions that we would otherwise not be able to make.
• The light of God’s Word shines into our hearts to reveal what is really there… from God’s perspective.
• We are often fooled by our emotions, feelings, circumstances, etc. As a result, we fool ourselves into thinking that things are much better than they really are.
• We often mistake the soulish (natural) for that which is spiritual. And thus, we often offer to God the wrong part of the sacrifice… and it is unacceptable to Him.
• Therefore, God shines LIGHT into our innermost being.
• The God-conscious part of man (the human spirit) is that vehicle through which God illuminates our minds to areas of our lives that need correction… alteration… improvement… etc.
• He searches the inward parts of the belly… so that our human spirit becomes CONSCIOUS of changes God seeks to make in us… exposing areas of darkness…
5. There are a couple of variations of the interpretation of this passage that are quite similar but differ on the meaning of “spirit” and “candle.”
a. Many believe that this refers to the conscience.
• They say that the (spirit) conscience is the candle of the Lord which man is given by God. (of the Lord)
• The conscience directs us in the process of self–examination.
• The conscience functions as an internal control over wrong thoughts, words, and deeds… just as God uses chastening as external controls (Prov. 20:30).
b. The rabbis understood this expression to mean that the image of God implanted in every human being shines through our human spirit.
• It is that which sets man apart from the animals.
• It’s this ability to inwardly reflect on God, moral issues, or spiritual things which separates us from beasts.
c. This interpretation makes this proverb applicable to ALL human beings—saved or not… because the conscience is operative in all men, whereas the human spirit must be regenerated to be operative in spiritual things.
d. These two interpretations are not contradictory. In fact, they are quite similar.
• They both speak of the inner part of man becoming aware of sin or immorality… the difference between right and wrong.
• They both speak of light being shined in the heart of man from God—either directly or indirectly.
• Both are true as well.
• It is possible that Solomon intended for the term “spirit” to include but not limited to what we today would call “conscience.”
e. The question for the interpreter is: “Did Solomon use these expressions in a broad sense (human spirit and conscience) to include all humanity or in a narrower sense (just human spirit) to include only those whose spirits had been made alive unto God?”
f. Either way, it is true that God has provided ALL of humanity with an inner capacity to discern good and evil… and man is accountable to God for that knowledge… for that light.
6. The question we should take from this is: how do I RESPOND to the light of God’s candle shinning deep within my inner man?
a. Do we ignore the light and what it exposes?
b. Do we value what God is doing in bringing things to light?
c. Are we willing to let God shine in every corner of our heart?
d. Do we run away from the light… and like the man who sees his face in the mirror, walks away and forgets?
e. Or do we respond in faith and obedience and DO something about it?
f. Is our prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”?
Proverbs 20:28
Mercy & Truth
A. Mercy Defined
1. The Authorized versions translates this term as “mercy” 149 times, “kindness” 40 times, “lovingkindness” 30 times, “goodness” 12 times, “kindly” five times, “merciful” four times, “favour” three times, “good” once, “goodliness” once, “pity” once. (various translations)
2. Strong’s defines it as : Goodness, kindness, faithfulness.
3. Dictionary of Bible Languages defines it as: Loyal love, devotion.
a. Ex. 34:6 – This term is used as part of God’s character. It is translated here as “goodness.”
b. Ex. 34:7 – The same Hebrew term is translated “mercy” in the very next verse.
c. It speaks of the fact that God is LOYAL to His people. He is FAITHFUL to His promises to them.
d. His loyal love may be expressed in deeds of mercy and goodness… but the term itself highlights His faithfulness to them… His loyal love… His dedication to His people.
e. Ps. 89:28 – Here the same term is used and it speaks of God’s loyal love (faithfulness to His covenant) with David. God’s promise to David will stand because God is LOYAL.
f. This word is in Psalm 136 where it is used twenty-six times (mercy) to proclaim that God’s kindness and love are eternal.
• In that psalm, everything God does is an expression of his loyal love… His mercy is “forever.”
• It is undying… faithful… loyal.
• In this Psalm, His “mercy” is the basis for:
» His great and wondrous acts in creation (Ps. 136:4–9).
» Redeeming His people from Pharaoh and the Red Sea (Ps. 136:10–15).
» The reason for His guidance in the desert (Ps. 136:16).
» It is the reason he gave the land to Israel and defeated their enemies (Ps. 136:17–22).
» It is the reason He continues to deliver His people. (Ps. 136:23–25);
» It is the reason we should give THANKS to the One who rules in heaven (Ps. 136:26).
• The reason God delivered Israel was because He is faithful and has loyal love towards them.
• The reason God guides them and provides for them and gave them the land is because of His loyal love to His people.
• This is what is meant by the word translated “mercy” in Proverbs 20:28.
B. Truth Defined
1. The Hebrew term translated truth is variously defined as well:
a. Strong’s: Firmness; faithfulness; sureness; reliability; stability; continuance; faithfulness; truth.
b. Dictionary of Bible Languages: Faithfulness; reliability; trustworthiness; i.e., a state or condition of being dependable and loyal to a person or standard… and also as true, certain, sure.
2. There is some “overlap” in meaning in these two terms.
3. Both terms speak of loyalty and faithfulness.
a. The first term emphasizes being loyal and firm in LOVE.
b. The second term implies being loyal and firm to TRUTH.
4. Psalm 12:1 – A variation of this term is found in this passage in which the psalmist laments that “faithful” men are failing. (disappear) He laments that men are not as faithful to the truth as in years gone by.
C. Preserve the King
1. Preserve: To watch; guard; keep; protect; guard from dangers.
2. This “preservation” could come from four different directions:
a. The mercy and truth of God towards the king preserves the king.
• This is especially true of the theocratic king of Israel.
• Ps. 89:28 –
» Mercy = the same term as in Proverbs 20:28.
» A variation of this term is translated “stand fast.”
» Vs. 33 – God will not take away His lovingkindness from David (same word as mercy in Prov. 20:28).
» Vs. 34-35 – God is loyal and faithful to David because of the PROMISE that God made to David – the Davidic covenant.
» It will “stand fast.” This term is a variation of the word “truth.” (firm; steadfast)
» The REASON David is preserved as a king is because of God’s mercy (lovingkindness; loyal love) to him.
• Solomon wrote “Mercy and truth shall preserve the king.” God’s mercy and truth shall preserve the king.
• Psalm 40:11 – David prays for God’s tender mercies. Then he states (using the same two words in Prov. 20:28) that it will be God’s lovingkindness and thy truth that will continually preserve him.
• The mercy and truth of God will preserve the king.
b. The mercy and truth of the subjects toward the king preserves the king.
• However, when considering the proverb at hand, (since Solomon left it ambiguous WHOSE mercy and truth he is talking about) it is also possible that the mercy and truth of the royal subjects will preserve the king.
• When the people are happy, well cared for, they will demonstrate loyal love and faithfulness to the leadership of their king.
• The king and his position as king are safe when the people are loyal and faithful to the throne.
• However, if the people are NOT loyal and true to their king, then the king is not in a safe position. He will not be preserved.
• I Kings 11:43 – Consider the case of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam.
» I Kings 12:4 – Jeroboam and the people came to him with a reasonable request.
» I Kings 12:13-14 – Rehoboam rejected the reasonable request of the people, and as a result the people were not loyal and faithful to him. They started a civil war!
» The king and his kingdom COULD have been preserved by the “mercy and truth” of the people… if they had demonstrated loyal love and were true to their king… but they were not.
» For a king or any leader to be preserved, he needs the loyalty and faithfulness of the people.
» Perhaps Rehoboam should have spent more time meditating on the proverbs that his father wrote—for his SONS to have wisdom and discretion.
» Wisdom and discretion were provided for Rehoboam in the Scriptures, but he did not avail himself of it.
» It did him no good and he paid for it dearly.
» It does us no good either if we don’t avail ourselves of it.
c. The mercy and truth of the king towards his subjects preserves the king.
• The story of Rehoboam also highlights the need for the King (and all that are in authority) to demonstrate mercy and truth to the PEOPLE they rule.
• If a king shows his devotion and faithfulness to his people (instead of his own self-interest), that too will PRESERVE the king… in that the people will not revolt and cast him off the throne… or out of office.
• When the king demonstrates acts of compassion he GAINS the affections of his people.
» This is what Absalom did.
» He showed compassion on the people (although it was phony)… and he stole the hearts of the people.
• Prov. 3:3-4 – Showing mercy and truth (same terms) puts a person in FAVOR with God and man.
» When a king shows mercy and truth to his people, he will be in their favor—and that means “safety” for the king and his throne.
» This is true for the result of us who are not part of a royal family. Demonstrate loyal love and faithfulness to your friends and you will be in their favor too.
d. The mercy and truth of the king towards God preserves the king.
• And of course, if the theocratic king in Israel was loyal and faithful to God, then that too would preserve him from evil and calamity.
• Deut. 28:15 – The king and his kingdom would be subject to the CURSE of God against them if they (especially the king) were not faithful and loyal to God.
• II Kings 25:7 – Consider King Zedekiah: “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”
» Because he was not loyal or faithful to God, he was not preserved.
» Had he and the other kings of Israel repented, they WOULD have been preserved.
• Mercy and truth of the king towards God preserves the king. A lack thereof results in calamity!
3. Like so many of the proverbs, the statement is ambiguous enough that it forces you to THINK about these various ways—probably intentionally.
1. Uphold: Support; sustain; make safe.
a. Used in Ps. 119:17 – “Hold thou me up, (same word as uphold) and I shall be safe.”
b. This is the meaning in our proverb too. The king’s throne is supported and sustained and made safe by mercy.
2. Thus, the second part of the proverb says virtually the same thing as the first part with a couple of distinctions.
a. Here Solomon speaks about the king’s “throne” rather than the king himself. (the difference between the person and his government)
b. And he states that the throne is “upheld” wherein in the first part of the proverb he uses the word “preserve.” (similar thoughts)
3. In this short proverb Solomon causes his readers to think about the importance of mercy and truth (loyal love and faithful steadfastness).
a. They preserve the king and his government.
b. God’s loyal love and faithfulness protected the kings of Israel.
c. The theocratic king’s loyal love and faithfulness towards God kept him and his throne safe too.
d. The theocratic king’s loyal love and faithfulness towards his people kept him and his throne safe from upheaval and rebellion.
e. The people’s loyal love and faithfulness towards their king also kept him and their government safe.
f. No matter how you slice it, these qualities are exceedingly valuable to any leader… to any people…
g. Loyalty and faithfulness are needed for a business to function efficiently and effectively.
h. Loyal love and faithfulness keep a local church strong and united.
i. Loyal love and faithfulness keep families together and protects the sanctity of the home.
Proverbs 20:29
Old Men and Young
1. In any occupation, it is normally the young men who do the “grunt” work.
a. Military
b. Construction
c. City Workers
d. Police
2. The strength of young men is a valuable asset.
a. It can be used to the glory of God.
b. It can be used for the benefit of the local community.
c. It can be used in the service of one’s country.
d. I John 2:14 – Young men can be strong in the Lord and strong in His Word.
• There are various levels of maturity among believers. (fathers, young men, children)
• Young believers are to be strong in the spiritual realm… experiencing victory over the devil through the Word of God.
• That kind of spiritual strength and vitality is exceptionally valuable!
3. Of course a young man’s strength is only a valuable asset when it is used for good. It can also be used for evil.
a. Jer. 9:23 – some young men GLORY in their strength.
• They become vain.
• They are overly concerned about their appearance—wearing the muscle shirts, etc.
• This is sinful pride. There is nothing good about pride.
• Youth delights in its prowess.
• One who glories in physical strength demonstrates a wrong emphasis… and does not value true, spiritual strength.
• If anything, we should glory in our physical weakness, that God’s power might be manifested in us.
• Glorying in physical strength causes a man to feel self sufficient… and to lean on his own might to solve problems.
• Brute strength isn’t always the best way to resolve problems.
b. A young man’s strength can also be used for evil when you listen to what some of the strong young men in our state prisons have done. (Some used their strength in muggings, in robberies; in murders, etc.)
c. Strength is good—but only IF it is used in a right way.
d. When used in a right way, strength is the glory of young men.
e. There is great value to it.
f. Solomon also lets us know that there is great value in the gray head of older men too!
1. Gray head
a. Solomon is not saying that the glory of old men is their hair color.
b. I take this to be figurative language here. (Remember, this is a poetic book.)
c. Solomon is using hair color (gray—or white—or bald) as a symbol of old age… and in particular the WISDOM that normally accompanies old age.
d. Gray hair, a visible sign of old age, seen on top of a person’s head is likened to a “crown” in chapter 16. (This too is a figure of speech.)
e. His point is not that “gray hair is beautiful!”
• It would be pretty shallow and vain, if that’s all he had in mind. (He is not making a fashion statement: That men look good in gray hair.)
f. His point is that WISDOM is beautiful… or perhaps EXPERIENCE is beautiful.
2. Wisdom is normally expected of old men.
a.Prov. 4:7-9 – Gray hair implies wisdom…
• Wisdom is valued! It is the principle—the first and most important thing!
• Solomon is telling his YOUNG son that this is what he should be striving for over the years…
• It comes little by little over time…
• And it is a crown of glory!
• And by the time your hair is gray and you are old, you should have accumulated MUCH wisdom… just like you accumulate grays hairs—a little bit at a time.
• That hoary head ought to be a symbol of high honor and status… because associated with age is WISDOM!
• Job 12:12 – With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
» Job expresses shock that his 3 aged friends did not seem to have wisdom… when it was the norm!
» The NORM is that wisdom and age should go together.
3. Old men with gray hair are not ALWAYS wise.
a. Prov. 16:31 – Gray hair is a crown of glory.
• A crown also was used as a figure of a reward for service… something to glory in!
» This usage is found more in the New Testament for Christian service.
» Gray hair is a crown upon a man’s head in that it represents years of learning and experience.
» It represents the fact that this man has been graduated from the school of hard knocks.
» This man has earned a degree based on his life experience from one of the most difficult schools of higher learning: life itself!
» The crown is his reward… his degree…
• In the Old Testament, the figure of a crown was also used to represent something prized…
» It represented that which was gloried in… as a symbol of high status and honor.
» A king gloried in his crown as a symbol of high status and royalty.
» Old men value their experience and wisdom.
b. Here Solomon “limits” that symbol to only when the gray hair is found in the way of righteousness.
• Obviously, there are plenty of older men who are NOT wise. Some are fools.
• But in general, gray hair is a crown.
• Wisdom doesn’t always come with old age. Fools are not limited to the young.
• Too often young foolish boys grow up to become old, foolish men with gray hair.
• A plant that is bent when it is young is likely to grow up with that bend still visible. (Climb a mountain and look at some of the older bent trees. They grew up crooked and never changed.)
c. But again, these are proverbs: generally speaking, older men with gray hair are wiser and more experienced than strong young men… but there is no guarantee.
d.Ecc. 4:13 – Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king. Some kings were quite childish, selfish, and foolish.
Each Stage of Life Has Its Advantages
1. Solomon simply states some facts.
a. His statement really isn’t comparative. This proverb doesn’t even say that one is better than the other.
b. The point of this proverb is just to note that BOTH stages of life have their distinct advantages.
c. Ecc. 3:1-2a – To every thing there is a season.
d. Solomon recognizes here the seasons of life.
e. There is a season to be young, strong, healthy, and vibrant.
f. There is a season to be old, mature, experienced, and wise.
2. Young men are strong…
a. Prov. 1:1-4 – The book is written to give wisdom to young men.
b. Although Solomon does not make a value judgment in 20:29, he does imply throughout the book the relative value of wisdom OVER youth and strength.
c. Prov. 2:1-4 – Here Solomon tells young men that they should USE their youth and strength to pursue WISDOM.
• A strong, young life dedicated to pursuing wisdom surely will FIND it.
• That is the young person who will surely become a wise old man with gray hair.
• When the strength of one’s youth is dedicated to the things of the Lord, one’s gray hair will surely be accompanied by wisdom.
d. Prov. 23:19-22 – Too often young men WASTE their youth and strength! Unfortunately, they too often turn an asset into a liability.
e. I Tim. 4:12 – Young men are exhorted to use their youth and strength to be an EXAMPLE. That young person is on his way to gaining rich experience… and wisdom too.
3. But old men are wise.
a. Old men with gray hair are to be honored and valued.
b. Lev. 19:32 – Honoring the aged is a way of honoring the Lord.
• Our culture glories in youth and strength, but does not seem to value age and the wisdom that comes with age and experience.
• The Bible seems to lay the emphasis on the value of age, experience, and wisdom OVER youth and inexperience.
• And this is not intended to be a political statement…
c. Ps. 92:12-14 – Wise aged men
and women still bring forth fruit in old age.
• Over time physical strength diminishes naturally… and is replaced with a strength that is much more valuable.
• As age progresses and physical strength diminishes, men normally become strong in maturity, wisdom, experienced, discernment…
• That is what older men and women should glory in! That’s their glory!
• It should not be gloried in a vain or showy manner.
• But it SHOULD be something that is highly esteemed… valued… prized… respected… honored…
4. Actually BOTH are essential – The strength of youth and the wisdom of old age.
a. The country needs the strength young men
• They fight our wars
• They build our cities
• They work our factories
b. The country also needs the wisdom of old men
• They plan for war
• They are the architects and designers of our cities
• They are the owners and managers of our factories
c. The local church needs the strength of the young men and young women
• They work with the kids programs…
• They add energy and vitality…
d. The local church needs the maturity and wisdom of the elder men and women.
• To serve as officers…
• To set the course of the assembly…
• To teach the Word in depth…
Proverbs 20:30
The Value of Chastening
Introduction:
1. This proverb speaks of method and value of parental chastening.
2. As we have seen in the last 9 years of studying this book, that the proverbs are FULL of good principles and practices for child rearing.
3. It is a bit frustrating for me to be preaching lessons like this to those who (for the most part) have already brought up their families… and the young parents to whom this proverb is really addressed are not benefiting from it.
4. I think we should all pray that more parents of young children would come out to prayer meetings and would take advantage of the wisdom God has for them in this book.
A. The Method of Chastening: Black and Blue Marks!
1. The blueness of a wound is what we would call a “black and blue” mark. But that was not an expression used in ancient days.
2. Thus, Solomon did not use that expression (black and blue). There is no word for “blue” in the original.
3. Literally the expression reads, “stripes or blows that wound.”
4. A black and blue mark is implied though not stated here.
5. He speaks of punishing blows that leave wound marks.
6. The context indicates that the blows and wounds were not from an accident or a fist fight.
7. They were given intentionally and with a purpose: for the purpose of correction.
8. And note that as God instructs as to HOW chastening should be administered, God was not opposed to leaving a black and blue mark.
a. This is considered brutality and abusive by our culture… but our culture isn’t always right.
b. In fact, all throughout history UNTIL recent generations, spankings have very often included leaving marks… lingering reminders to the offenders.
c. Public floggings were not uncommon for criminals. And that certainly left marks.
d. Some countries whipped criminals. Some countries caned criminals. (As in Korea even today!)
e. Of course, folks in soft and cushy America or Western Europe CRINGE at such methods today. They are considered barbaric, Medieval, and cruel and unusual punishment.
f. Maybe God reasoned it would actually be LESS cruel for the authorities to inflict measured, controlled pain and suffering that does no long-term damage on a few criminals as opposed to allowing criminals run wild and inflict uncontrolled suffering and even death on large numbers of the innocent populace!
g. There is some logic in that method that seems to have escaped our “civilized” society today.
h. In other words, the METHOD of chastening Solomon describes here is MORE than just a slap on the wrist.
i. It should be PAINFUL. That’s the point.
j. And if the criminals are left with a little black and blue mark… it will heal. They will survive. They might even learn their lesson.
k. Of course, Solomon is not endorsing torture or real brutality. There is a line that ought not to be crossed.
l. But chastening OUGHT to include pain.
9. This passage might be applied to a couple of possible settings:
a. A judicial setting – wherein a criminal is sentence to a beating for his crimes.
b. A home setting – wherein a child is punished by a spanking.
10. A word of caution is appropriate right here… especially in the HOME setting, for that is the only place where individuals could apply this passage.
a. We are not to take the law into our own hands, so we should never use vigilante justice to inflict punishment on criminals.
b. But we ARE to use corporal punishment (AKA – spanking) in the home.
c. Not too long ago in our country, fathers might have taken their sons out to the wood shed and whipped them with a belt that may have left marks.
d. And society would have praised that father for demonstrating tough love to his son… because the father wanted the son to turn out well.
e. I don’t think Solomon or any godly man in Bible times… or even the forefathers of our country would have had a problem with that method of administering chastening.
f. But today, we need to be more careful. That which used to be considered good parenting would land you in jail today.
g. Times have changed… but the Bible has not changed.
h. We live in dangerous times. Leaving a black and blue mark on a child could cause you to LOSE your child to the state.
i. Therefore, we need to be absolutely positive about what the Scriptures actually SAY and what they do not say in this area of child discipline.
j. For example, some believers read Prov. 23:14 and conclude that beating with a rod means brutalizing a child with a rod similar to a pipe or baseball bat.
• That parent OUGHT to be locked up in jail.
• That is a misreading of the passage.
• Rods come in all different types and sizes.
• A metal pipe is a rod, but so is the flexible plastic wand that comes with the mini-blinds.
• That little flexible wand REALLY hurts. It drives home the point.
• AND—it does no permanent damage to the child. It will not leave a black and blue mark.
k. Some overly zealous Christian parents might read Prov. 20:30 and assume that Solomon is COMMANDING us to leave black and blue marks. That is not the case.
• The emphasis in this verse is on the BLOW, not the mark it leaves.
• Besides, the words, “blueness of a wound” is a paraphrase of the terms Solomon used. Solomon did not use the word “blue.”
• The expression Solomon used simply means “a wound by striking.”
• And that can be accomplished with the flexible plastic wand from a package of mini blinds.
l. So before you go getting yourself arrested for obeying the Bible, make sure that you are obeying the Bible RIGHTLY DIVIDED!
m. There may come a time when we will have to go to jail for any kind of corporal punishment… but we are not there yet, thank the Lord!
n. Overly zealous parents who brutalize their children, end up in jail, and use the Bible as their justification, do a disservice to themselves, their children, and especially to the testimony of Christ.
11. Sane, sensible, thoughtful, spanking, OUGHT to hurt. It ought to be painful… or it is worthless.
a. But it is to be administered in love… and with the child’s best interest in mind.
b. Love will cause a parent to firmly discipline his child.
c. Love will also cause a parent to administer discipline in a sensible, reasonable manner… and not brutalize the child.
d. It should NEVER be administered in anger—when anger has the upper hand. Wait until your anger subsides before applying discipline.
e. And it is possible to spank in a manner that really hurts and stings WITHOUT doing any damage to the child… and without stirring up the Social Service Department.
B. The Value of Chastening: Cleansing from Evil
1. Cleansing: A purifying process.
a. Defined:
• A cleansing or scouring agent which cleanses or removes something.
• Scraping away that which is impure or harmful.
b. This term is not used often in the Bible. (only 4 times)
c. Esther 2:12 – It is used 3 out of those four times in Esther and is translated “purify.” This was some kind of beauty treatment.
d. Of course Solomon is not talking about a beauty treatment.
e. But he is talking about the purifying or cleansing effect of chastening.
2. Evil:
a. Defined: Bad in a moral or ethical sense; wicked; evil.
b. Often the term is used of evil behavior—which I think is the case here.
3. Thus, Solomon’s point here is that the wise administering of chastening cleanses from evil BEHAVIOR.
a. In other words, bad or wrong behavior can be CORRECTED through firm discipline.
b. Even very little toddlers can LEARN not to play in the road through a spanking.
c. Once they have been spanked for it, they are less likely to do it again. And that is GOOD for them… whether they fully realize it or not.
d. The Bible teaches that corporal punishment is effective in changing bad, outward behavior.
e. Some parents (even some Christian parents!) challenge this concept. They refuse to apply corporal punishment to their children… and usually it shows in their kid’s behavior. It is very likely that they will regret it later in life too.
f. This is a perfect example of “worldliness” – being conformed to the ways of the world.
• The world system—the spirit of the age—teaches us that children are not to be hit at all.
• The spirit of the age has been affected by men such as Dr. Spock who taught a whole generation of parents that corporal punishment is evil and even damaging to children.
• Our society has been permeated by this thinking… and it does affect believers.
• But we are NOT to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds… and our minds are renewed by means of God’s Word.
• God’s Word STATES that firm discipline CLEANSES evil behavior.
• It really becomes a matter of faith: who do you believe? Oprah and Dr. Phil or the Bible?
A. The Method: Stripes!
1. Stripes: here Solomon speaks about the very same theme: corporal punishment.
a. Stripes speak of a whipping… which leave red stripes on the back.
b. But again, the term Solomon used meant “a blow; a wound; a strike by hitting.”
c. He is not commanding that we inflict red stripes and long scaring marks on the backs of our children.
d. Rather, the term just means “to strike” – to hit or spank.
e. It is possible that the translators chose the terms they did because it may have been common place in their day for punishment to go “over the line” and leave many marks.
f. But Solomon simply says a “strike, a blow, or what we might call a spanking.”
B. The Value: Cleansing of the Inward Parts
1. In the second part of the proverb, the VERB is omitted and is to be implied from the first part of the proverb.
a. The blueness of a wound cleanses evil – OUTWARD behavior; the stripe CLEANSES inner man.
b. In other words, chastening has a DOUBLY good effect.
• It changes behavior… and it changes the PERSON!
• It corrects bad and immoral outward acts.
• But it also has a cleansing effect on the inward parts of the belly (the inner man).
c. Prov. 22:15 – “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
d. That is extremely valuable… to remove the poison of folly from the heart of a child… from deep down, in the inward parts.
e. Removing the folly cleanses his thinking; his heart attitudes towards other people; towards their property; towards their worth as a human being.
f. Firm discipline can improve a person’s character!
g. It can instill a sense of right and wrong.
h. It can instill in a young person a desire to respect others.
i. It can instill in a young person the limits of liberty.
j. It can make them more discerning.
k. Heb. 12:10-11 – Chastening is painful, but GOOD for us!
l. This is of course, true when God chastens US as His sons!
m. Ps. 119:67 – “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word.” That kind of chastening in the form of “affliction” is GOOD for us in the end.
n. Blessed are the wounds that break our proud spirit, and bring us into submission before God!
o. Chastening has a cleansing effect… whether administered by an earthly father or the Heavenly Father!
