Proverbs
Notes on Proverbs – Chapter 12
Proverbs 12:1
Loving vs. Hating Instruction
Introduction:
1. This proverb contrasts the one who LOVES instruction with the one who HATES it.
2. This is a theme that he has hit often in this book… and one that needs repeating… because we probably don’t like to hear it.
1a Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge
THE ONE WHO LOVES INSTRUCTION…
1. Instruction: discipline; chastening; correction.
a. Used in Prov. 15:10 – correction is grievous…to some.
b. Others LOVE it.
c. Used in Prov. 22:15 – the rod of correction… (Do kids LOVE that rod?)
d. This term COULD be used of classroom instruction, but more likely, Solomon had in mind correction and discipline.
2. Love: desire; to willingly accept;
• have an affection based on a close relationship
• have a desire for an object based in desirability, with a focus on a preference of one thing over another
3. Loving instruction (correction or chastening)
a. No chastening is joyous. (Heb. 12:10)
b. Hence, the term love in this passage does not mean immediate delight and joy. It is a different kind of love.
c. It is NOT a love based on a close relationship of affection. (No one in their right mind would have great affection—feel warm and fuzzy about being chastened of the Lord—or of man!) It’s not like loving ice cream.
d. The kind of love the author describes fits better with the second definition… “a desire for an object based in desirability, with a focus on a preference of one thing over another.”
e. One might LOVE chastening in the sense of PREFERING it to the alternative…
• The alternative to chastening is NO chastening… being left alone…
• The alternative to chastening is NOT experiencing God’s correction…or His love.
• The alternative is for God to let us continue to wander far away…
• The alternative is to let us eat of the fruit of our own doings.
• The alternative is to let us choose to squander away our spiritual lives… to waste God’s time and talents… and to produce a life of wood, hay, and stubble… useless…
f. Love is a choice. It is preferring one thing over another.
• While we as believers may not have immediate JOY when we are rebuked of men or chastened of the Lord… it is possible to PREFER that to the alternative.
• That choice… that preference is what Solomon calls LOVE.
• Love CHOOSES chastening… reproof… instruction… correction OVER the alternative… just going our own way and doing our own thing.
g. We looked at a passage Sunday night in which David demonstrated that he LOVED correction…
• Ps. 141:5 – Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil.
h. Prov. 6:23 – we LOVE instruction when we choose reproof BECAUSE it keeps us in the way of life… it keeps us off dead end streets.
• Young people—your teachers in school may have to correct you… tell you that you were wrong…
• Adults—you too may have to be approached for sin your life… or an offence… or some other type of infraction…
• Keep in mind, that reproof keeps us in the way of life. It is GOOD for us… if we submit to it and learn from it.
• Your teacher corrects you NOT because he gets some kind of morbid pleasure from it… but because he is trying to HELP you…
• Your pastor or elders may have to reproof you—not because they enjoy it—but because it is GOOD for you… to keep you walking in the way of life…
• We ALL need reproof and correction—unless of course, you are perfect already. But the rest of us need it!
• Matthew Henry wrote of the one who loves instruction: “They will value a good education, and think it not a hardship, but a happiness, to be under a strict and prudent discipline.”—an excellent application for students… and for students in God’s university too!
i. We LOVE instruction when we CHOOSE it over the alternative…
• The obvious exhortation arising from this proverb is CHOOSE instruction!
• Submit to correction!
• Think about the alternative to correction… (self will; pride; leaning on one’s own understanding; doing my own thing)…think about where that will lead you—and then choose to reject the alternative and surrender to instruction…
j. Prov. 9:8c, 9 – when a wise man receives instruction, he becomes wiser!
• WISE men profit from reproof. They respond and make the appropriate changes, which is to their honor.
• WISE men eventually appreciate the one who points out his error.
• We need to learn to be wise reprovers—but especially to be willing to RECEIVE reproof. That is a sign of wisdom.
THAT ONE ALSO LOVES KNOWLEDGE…
1. Knowledge: perception; skill; discernment; understanding; wisdom.
• a knowledge with focus on moral qualities and its application
2. Loves – same word as earlier
3. The one who LOVES reproof, instruction, or correction is the one who LOVES knowledge.
a. He wants to walk properly. He wants to do things right.
b. If there’s dirt on his face, he wants someone to point it out to him.
c. If there is sin in his life, he wants it pointed out to him.
d. If his thinking is off base… worldly… out of harmony with Scripture, this man wants it pointed out to him.
e. He is SERIOUS about spiritual things… serious about pleasing God… serious about his walk.
f. Ps. 119:67 – before I was afflicted (chastened) I went astray… but now have I kept thy word! He has welcomed the affliction—the correction—chastening—BECAUSE now he’s back in the word!
4. This man loves knowledge… knowledge of the truth…
a. And he DESIRES that knowledge—even if it hurts!
b. He wants it—no matter what channel God uses to deliver it to him.
c. It may be through the channel of being reproved by reading the Word quietly and alone.
d. It may be through a message heard in church—the Word pierces the heart and we stand reproved.
e. It may be through the admonition of a concerned brother or sister in the Lord.
f. It may be through the mouth of a babe—a little child!
g. It might even be through a nitpicker who always has something negative to say. Perhaps God would use something that was said—even though the one speaking it did not have the proper attitude either! (God is certainly able to reprove that person’s attitude!)
h. It should matter what channel God uses to deliver the message. The one who loves instruction will RECEIVE it… regardless of how it is transmitted.
i. II Sam. 16:5-7,11 – Even though Shimei’s attitude, and approach was all wrong—David heard the voice of God’s rebuke in his words! David LOVED instruction—and DESIRED knowledge from the Lord—regardless of the channel God chose to deliver it.
j. A good lesson for us all—LISTEN to the rebukes and reproofs—even if some of the reproof is wrongheaded or exaggerated. There may be some helpful fault pointed out… something to be learned through it…
k. If you really love knowledge—then LISTEN and respond to instruction or correction.
5. The wise man WELCOMES reproof and rebuke—because he knows that hearing and responding to it will make him a better person.
a. As Christians, we shouldn’t be afraid of rebuke… or reject it…especially since we know that it is GOOD for us… it keeps us in the way of life.
b. Consider the Olympic athletes. They hire expensive coaches to criticize them… to point out their weaknesses… to show them where they are going wrong… to pick on the tiniest detail of their performance that needs correction.
c. Industries hire efficiency experts to criticize their factories and every aspect of their work.
d. WHY do people in the world hire such experts? Because they want to improve… to run a better business… to be a better athlete…
e. Shouldn’t we want to be better disciples? Shouldn’t we want to improve our service for the Lord? Our walk with God?
f. If so—if we really love knowledge of the truth—then we should love instruction… correction… chastening… rebuke.
6. This proverb implies that there is a direct connection between one’s willingness to receive correction and one’s ability to gain knowledge.
a. If you reject correction—you will remain in your ignorance.
b. As a believer, if we reject correction, we will never progress into a deeper knowledge of God.
c. Knowledge of God is linked to our willingness to change… our willingness to accept correction and DO something about it.
1. Brutish: like a brute beast; stupid;
a. Used in Prov. 30:2 – Brutish = have not the understanding of a man.
b. Ps. 32:9 – Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
2. Prov. 5:12-13 – The one who hates reproof will regret it one day…
a. This speaks of the young man who gets involved in immorality—and as a result loses his honor, his wealth, and his health!
b. He was warned… he was rebuked… but he thought he was smarter than everyone else.
c. He thought he could skate on thin ice and it wouldn’t bother him.
d. He was dead wrong… and he lives to regret his foolish behavior.
e. He lives to regret NOT listening to the words of warning and rebuke… but it was too late. He has already lost his home, family, health, and wealth… he is sick, alone, penniless, he’s a loser… and he regrets what he did… but it’s too late now.
3. Prov.13:1 – A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.
a. Kids—your parents are on your case because they love you.
b. They don’t want you making some of the foolish mistakes in life that they made… and learned from.
c. Now they have been put in a position of authority over you, to instruct you—not to be picky—but to be helpful…
d. A wise son—or daughter—will HEAR his father’s instruction.
e. This is the way the book of proverbs began—a wise man will hear and will increase in learning.
f. Vs. 18 – the child who rebels and rejects such correction may find himself in poverty one day. Dad wanted him to go to school. He was too cool for that. He will pay one day!
g. As believers, we have our heavenly Father to listen to… regardless of the channel He uses to speak to us to correct us. When God speaks—LISTEN and respond. That’s wisdom.
h. May the Lord give us ALL teachable spirits. That’s the bottom line.
i. When God’s wisdom reigns in our heart, we will be easy to be entreated. (James 3:17)
Proverbs 12:2
Favor from the Lord
1. Good: good; pleasant; agreeable; appropriate; becoming; valuable in estimation; pleasing; fair; beneficial; kind; prosperous; bountiful; well favored; (used 559 times in the Old Testament).
2. There are four passages in the Bible, which describe the character of the good man.
3. Looking at the character of the good man will tell us what KIND of man can expect to obtain the favor of the Lord.
a. Ps. 112:5 – a good man lends, shows favor to others, and handles his affairs with discretion—common sense; discernment; wisdom.
• He shows favor to others. (Favor: to be gracious; show favor; pity; mercy; consideration)
» Good men are not selfish, but are considerate of others… of the needs and feelings of others.
» Good men show grace to others… if God has shown grace to us, then we ought to show it to others. Good men are gracious—not ready to chop your head off for the slightest infraction… gracious!
» Good men show pity on the plight of others… show mercy.
» The man who shows favor to others will OBTAIN favor from the Lord!
• He lendeth: he gives money or goods to those in need.
» Eph. 4:28 – he works so that he is ABLE to lend or give.
» Again, the good man is not selfish, but considers others.
» If we are selfish and keep everything to ourselves, we are not good men. Good men think about others.
• He guides his affairs with discretion:
» His affairs: word; speech; business; occupation; acts; matter; case; manner (by extension).
» It can be used of speech in particular (what he talks about) and it can be used in a more general sense of his business matters… his affairs… his manner of life…
» Discretion: judgment, justice, ordinance; sound judgment; wisdom; a sense of right and wrong;
» A good man does things RIGHT… he doesn’t cut corners; he doesn’t cheat; he doesn’t fudge with the truth; he follows the way of wisdom.
» Good men walk in the way of wisdom. Good men LISTEN to sound judgment because they WANT to do things right.
» The speech—in fact the whole manner of life—all of the affairs of a good man are submitted to discretion… judgment.
• THIS is the man who can expect to obtain favor from the Lord: the one who lends; gives; shows favor to others; and guides his life by means of discretion… he does things right.
» You can’t be a good man if you don’t have these qualities.
b. Prov. 13:22 – he leaves an inheritance for his children—he takes care of his family financially.
• The good man is here described as one who leaves an inheritance for his children.
• Once again, the emphasis on selflessness.
• Bumper sticker: I’m spending my kids inheritance!
• The idea behind the proverb is not so much how MUCH money one leaves behind. The real thought is a good man is CONCERNED about the well being of his family!
• He is concerned about them in life; and he even plans ahead for them after his life is over! That’s a good man.
• He doesn’t spend it all on himself; he doesn’t blow his wealth on fast living; he is frugal; honors the Lord with his substance—and God blesses his substance!
• This is consistent with what the previous passage said about the good man: he thinks of others; he shows favor to others; and he guides his business affairs with discretion—wisdom, and thus HAS something to leave to his children.
c. Prov. 14:14 – the good man is satisfied with his ways.
• Just as the evil man is filled with his ways; the good man will be filled with his ways too.
• You reap what you sow. The good man sowed good seed and will be rewarded with good fruit. That is satisfying!
• He will be satisfied because of what GOD wrought in his life!
• Nothing is more satisfying than to see more of Christ manifested through us—more of His grace, mercy, love, and holiness.
• Nothing is more satisfying for the believer than to be growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ—become more and more mature in the things of the Lord…
• This brings deeper rest and deeper satisfaction…
• A good man is a satisfied man… content… resting…
• He is content and can sleep at night because he knows he is walking with God… he knows he is using discretion in the affairs of his household… he knows he is submitted to the Word of God… and abiding in Christ.
• Being satisfied and being a good man in the eyes of the Lord go hand in hand.
• If you are not this kind of good man—you won’t experience this kind of satisfaction.
• If you are this kind of a good man—you can’t help but experience this kind of satisfaction in life—even if you are facing severe trials.
• Outer turmoil has nothing to do with inner rest.
d. Matt. 12:35 – good things come out of his heart.
• Good trees produce good fruit. Corrupt trees produce corrupt fruit.
• Good hearts emit good things. Evil hearts emit evil things.
• Our hearts are capable of all kinds of evil. (Matt. 15:19)
• When controlled by the Spirit, good things will come from a good heart. GOODNESS is a fruit of the Spirit.
• When controlled by the flesh—evil things will come from our old heart.
• A good man is Spirit controlled—and thus good things will emanate from his heart… good thoughts… good words… good motives… good intentions… good deeds… good steps…
• The man who expects to obtain favor from the Lord is Spirit filled… and consistently has good things coming out of his heart. That man WILL obtain favor of the Lord.
4. Obtaineth favor: not every man will obtain favor from God… only the “good man.”
a. Ps. 5:12 – God’s favor is a shield:
b. Ps. 30:7 – God’s favor = our strength!
c. Favor: pleasure; delight; favour; goodwill; acceptance
d. God is pleased with and will show favor upon the good man.
e. This speaks of a RELATIONSHIP.
• When your son is doing well, the relationship is sweet. You delight in showing your approval.
• When your son is not doing well, but shows a rebellious spirit… murmuring…confrontational… mean-spirited…THEN the relationship is hurting.
• That parent is not going to be showing favor or delight to that child… not until the attitude changes.
• A relationship is reciprocal. So is our relationship with God.
• Our position before Him is eternally settled—but the condition of that relationship is very changeable.
• When our life displays the life of a good man—then God delights in showing us favor.
• When our life displays the opposite of being a good man—then God is not obligated to bless us… He is not obligated to show us favor at all!
• It is the GOOD man who obtains favor of the Lord.
5. Ways in which God shows favor to the good man
a. Prov. 8:35 – here is another description of the man who obtains favor from the Lord.
• Vs. 12 – Wisdom is personified.
• The man who FINDS wisdom finds life… (He knows how to live!)… and he will obtain favor from the Lord.
• Wisdom leads to favor!
• The good man is the one who walks in wisdom… who seeks after wisdom… who FINDS wisdom—for the one who genuinely seeks for God’s wisdom WILL find it.
• Prov. 1:20-23 – wisdom is crying out—and God expects us to LISTEN. If we listen, we will find wisdom.
• If we find wisdom… and walk in it—then we will obtain favor from the Lord.
• God can bless whomever He wants. He TELLS us who He is going to bless—the one who seeks, finds, and walks in His wisdom.
• The one who rejects God’s wisdom is wronging his own soul… and loves death!
b. Ps. 37:23-24 – his steps are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way.
• God makes the steps of a good man FIRM.
• The steps are ordered by the Lord = [Ordered =established; made firm; strong]
» Translated ‘ordained’ — Ps. 7:13 – arrows ‘directed’ or pointed and thus ‘ordained’ in a certain direction.
» Translated ‘establish’ — Ps. 89:5 — God promises to ‘establish’ David’s seed… take care of it… protect it… build it up…
» Translated ‘make ready’ — Gen. 43:16 — used of preparing food. Food is prepared when all the necessary ingredients are provided for and put together.
» Translated ‘fixed’ — Ps. 57:7 – a fixed heart = a firm, solid heart; steadfast; steady;
• All of these usages give us a flavor of what is meant. The steps of a good man are:
» Ordained by God—set in a certain direction—pointed like an arrow at a target… God gives direction to the steps of a good man through the Word!
» Good men walk with God and are thus protected by Him… held up by Him… in the place where all the necessary ingredients for a good life are available!
» If a good man steps outside of that pathway, there IS no help from God… no protection… no strength from above..
» The straight and narrow road is the path on which we find the steps of a good man! And while narrow and restricted, it is safe!
• And if the good man falls, the Lord will help him up!
1. Prov. 24:16 – A just man falls 7 times, but gets up again. The wicked fall… and stay there!
2. The man who is NOT good (a man of wicked devices) will NOT be held up by the Lord. He will be condemned.
3. The man who SHOWS favor to others will OBTAIN favor from the Lord.
4. The man who does NOT show favor to others is kidding himself if he expects to obtain favor from the Lord.
5. God has already TOLD us how He operates.
Proverbs 12:3
The Root of the Righteous
1. Established: to be firm; be stable; be fixed; be stable; be secure; be enduring; steadfast; prepared; ready
2. The term is used in the following passages: (these give a flavor of its meaning)
• Josh. 3:17 – they stood FIRM on dry ground
• Josh. 4:4 – men who were trained, prepared, and ready…
• II Sam. 5:12 – David perceived that the Lord had ESTABLISHED him as king.
• I Kings 5:18 – the timbers and stones were cut and PREPARED
• I Chron. 16:30 – the world is made STABLE that it move not
• II Chron. 29:35 – the service of the Lord was SET IN ORDER
• Ezek. 7:14 – They have blown the trumpet, even to MAKE ALL READY
3. Everybody wants to be established…
a. We want our family established…
b. We want our health to be established…
c. We want our finances to be established…
d. We want our job to be established…
e. We want our friendships to be established…
f. We want the world political scene to be established…
g. We want the world economic system to be established…
h. We want our country to be established…
4. Change can be unnerving.
a. Prov. 24:21 – My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change…
b. Stability is good; change should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. This is certainly true in the realm of theology and truth.
c. Of course, there are situations where change is good.
d. In one sense, we should be changing every day: more and more changed into His likeness. Growth involves change.
e. But what the proverb speaks of is something quite different than that. Solomon is speaking of a PERSON being established. That is a GOOD thing.
5. As a human being… as a father… a mother… a church member… a son or daughter… a worker… it is GOOD to be established… solid… steady… reliable…
a. In Prov. 12:3, Solomon is not talking about circumstances being established, but the PERSON.
b. Not his job, health, finances, or even family—but the PERSON…
c. As a human being, God wants us all to be ESTABLISHED… solid… firm… unmovable… fixed in heart…
d. We SHOULD want our heart to be established… our soul… our inner man.
• Ps. 57:7 – my heart is FIXED…
• Ps. 119:5 – oh that my ways were DIRECTED to keep thy statutes
• Ps.37:23 – the steps of a good man are ORDERED by the Lord.
6. When trials strike… we NEED to be firmly fixed in place…
a. If YOU are fixed… your heart is established…solid… then the winds can blow all they want, and you will not be blown away.
b. Ps. 46: 1-3, 10 – the solid person will rest and be still in the midst of a storm.
• He doesn’t run away. He doesn’t bury his head. He doesn’t pretend there is no storm.
• But, he is not moved… he is solid… built on a solid foundation… of reliance upon the Lord.
• He doesn’t fall apart even if his world seems to be!
• He is established… not because he is something in himself, but rather, because he takes refuge in an omnipotent God…
• There he can be still… poised… unshaken… still and resting… he stands on his foundation in all confidence…
c. This MAN… the PERSON is established and firm, even though circumstances around him are not. The earth is removed, but he is not.
7. This man’s confidence and steadiness did not arise in a context of wickedness.
a. In other words, the wicked man will NOT experience this kind of confidence… he will not be established… unmovable…
b. Prov. 12:7 – the wicked are overthrown and are not…
c. Prov. 10:25 – the storm comes and the wicked are gone!
d. The righteous are solid… stable… built on a solid foundation.
e. The unrighteous are unstable… built on a foundation of sand… and the wind will knock over whatever they have built on that foundation—no matter how elaborate a structure it appears to be… a building is only as solid as its foundation.
f. Godly people weather the storms… the ungodly do not.
• Serving God in the local church means that we too will have some storms to endure.
• The righteous are not moved. They are solid. Secure.
• I have seen so many folks pack up and leave when the winds begin to howl… even men in the ministry.
• Here is an important principle: apply it to your service in the local church; apply it to you marriage; apply it to your schoolwork; apply it to your job: you don’t pack up and leave because of a storm!
• Godly people weather the storms of life… and over time build up a testimony of one who is SOLID… established.
• Wickedness does not produce this kind of a testimony.
8. The opposite of being established…
a. Gen. 49:3-4 – Reuben had much going for him, but he was unstable as water. He would not excel at anything.
b. This is a tragic character flaw…
c. James 1:6-8 – unstable in all his ways. This man should expect nothing from the Lord.
d. This is the flip flop person… unstable… tossed to and fro… never able to make up his mind… never certain about anything… never settled… never resting in the will of God… always searching and never finding… going from one fad and phase to the next…
e. We see this kind of person often today… flipping and flopping from marriage to marriage… from church to church… from one job to another job… from house to house… from one circle of friends to another… from one state to another… from one hobby to another…
f. His insecurity is seen in every area of his life… this trait affects everything!
g. This man’s cellar would be stuffed with THINGS that he tried for a while and then ditched… an exercise bike; kayak; snow shoes; scuba diving gear; ½ stamp collection; an old trumpet…
9. The righteous man shall not be MOVED.
a. Moved: to totter; shake; slip; to be shaken; be moved; be overthrown; to dislodge, let fall; drop
b. The mountains may shake about him. The earth may fall into sea. But he stands firm… unshakable… not overthrown… not dislodged from his place…
c. That which would cause others to be blown away does not cause him to move. He SHALL NOT be moved!
d. I Chron. 16:30 – the earth shall not be moved (same word—and same word as established)
e. Ps. 55:22 – cast your burden on the Lord; and He shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
f. Ps. 62:6 – with the Lord as our ROCK, we SHALL NOT be moved! This is not said in pride, but rather with a boldness that comes from our confidence in the Rock…
10. The root of the righteous…
a. The storms of life may cause his leaves to quiver… his branches may tremble in the fierce winds… but his root is solid… stable… steadfast. He is not going to be moved out of place.
b. Solomon is careful to point out that the trials that a righteous man faces may scare him… it may upset him… may discourage him for a while… it may perplex him… it may even knock him over for a time…
c. But the root of the righteous shall not be moved… That’s a promise!
13. The point of the proverb: wickedness breeds instability; righteousness breeds steadfastness… endurance… reliability…
a. This kind of stability does not result from a life of wickedness.
• Wickedness and sin result in guilt, insecurity, an uneasiness, and instability… unstable in all his ways.
• Righteousness results in just the opposite: the righteous man is stable, secure, safe, poised, at rest and ease… not flipping and flopping… but settled into his beliefs… settled into his lifestyle… and secure because he is on a good foundation.
Proverbs 12:4
The Virtuous Woman
A. A Virtuous Woman
1. Virtuous:
a. Strong’s: strength; might; efficiency; wealth;
b. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament: vigor; strength; noble character; ability
2. The term is used in:
a. Ruth 3:11 – Ruth is referred to as a virtuous woman.
• This was not simply because she was a chaste woman, but because she was a hard worker; honorable; a strong woman…
b. Prov. 31:10 – there the virtuous woman is described—not as one who is pure and chaste (although she was!)… but primarily as a strong woman… a hard worker… one with ability—to sew, to work a field, to buy real estate, etc…
c. II Sam. 22:40 – this usage obviously speaks of strength… in battle… not purity or chastity.
d. Ex. 18:21,25 – able men were chosen… a virtuous woman is an able woman… a woman with great ability…
e. I Chron. 9:13 – able men for the service of God…
f. I Kings 1:52 – a “worthy” man…
3. The concept of being “virtuous” in this passage is much more than chastity… sexually pure. In fact, that is not the thought in the Hebrew term.
4. The term used speaks of a woman who is able… a strong woman… a hard worker… with a noble character… one who is worthy…
5. She is active for the good of her family and looks well to the ways of her household…
B. A Crown to Her Husband
1. She is a crown: crown or wreath…
a. Crown would speak of royalty…
b. Wreath would speak of a victor…
c. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament:
• wreath or metal adornment on the head as a symbol of rulership;
• It speaks of a high honor or blessing on a person…
2. The term is used in:
a. Ps. 21:3 – it speaks of a blessings of goodness…
• The virtuous woman is a blessing of goodness for her husband.
• She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
b. Prov. 17:6 – it speaks of that about which one glories.
• A king glories in his crown.
• A husband GLORIES in his virtuous wife… she is hid pride and joy.
• He is not ashamed of her… she is hard working… a good mother… a good housekeeper… and he glories in her abilities.
c. Ezek. 16:12 – God put a crown on Israel—to beautify her… to dress her up…
• A crown makes a person look good…
• A virtuous wife can make a man look pretty good…
• She won’t let him wear the tie he wants to wear; she keeps the checkbook so that their finances aren’t a mess—as they would be if left to him… she reminds him when it’s time for a haircut… she makes him look “together”—when otherwise he would not!
• A virtuous wife can make an average Joe look pretty good! She is a crown
3. A virtuous woman as a wife makes a man feel like a king… he’s proud of her… honored to be seen with her… wants others to know that this is his wife…
a. Her husband is her head, and she is the crown upon that head.
b. A crown is a sign of power invested in the king. A virtuous woman supports her husband’s authority in the home… she is not constantly fighting against it…
c. Her submission to his headship serves as a crown—to accentuate his authority.
d. Her submission to him teaches the children to respect him as head as well…
4. When a king lifts up his head, his crown is lifted up too.
a. The virtuous woman who supports her husband, and helps him lift his head up high… will discover that she too is lifted up in the process!
b. The wife who delights to see her husband honored and respected will be lifted up herself… find satisfaction in that…
c. As a crown draws attention to the man wearing it, so too a virtuous wife seeks to draw attention to her husband’s good qualities… and in love covers up the multitude of bad ones…
d. She makes him look good—and then they both look… the king and his crown!
1. Ashamed: ashamed or disappointed…disgrace… humiliate… associative meaning of causing frustration, and loss of hope to the object one is shaming
2. A wife can bring her husband to shame too…
a. Her behavior can bring disgrace upon him… if she is unfaithful.
b. Her gossip can humiliate him before his friends…
c. Her laziness around the house can cause him frustration…
d. Her nagging can frustrate him…
e. The woman described here could be anything from a nag to an adulteress.
f. Continued bad behavior on the part of a wife can cause a husband to lose hope… lose hope that the relationship will ever be what it ought to be…can tear down a relationship.
g. The wife can make them both look good… OR she can bring him to shame… and herself too!
• The king’s head and his crown are a unit. They go up together, or they fall down together.
• It is quite foolish for a wife to be knocking her own head down… she should be lifting him up!
• Ladies: YOUR happiness is linked to his! Don’t work against him! Be a helpmeet…
3. Rottenness: rottenness; decay,
• undergo decomposition of organic material by bacteria, fungus, or parasitical animals;
• infection, degeneration, caries (bone decay)
• an inflammation or degeneration of a joint or bone which can cause pain or weakness
4. This term for rottenness is used in:
a. Prov. 14:20 – a sound heart is life, but envy, rottenness of the bones!
• Here, rottenness of the bones is seen as the OPPOSITE of a sound heart… a healthy, wholesome heart… a well adjusted, content, inner life.
• Rottenness of the bones speaks of a DEEP inner decay… something deep inside that is degenerating… decaying… and causes much inner pain.
• A wife who is NOT a virtuous woman causes deep inner pain to her husband… like bone cancer…
b. Hab. 3:16 – the feeling of a man whose heart was pounding, his lips quivering, and his legs trembling…
• The prophet stood in utter awe, fear, and virtually fell apart because of the awesome encounter with God.
• Rottenness entering his bones describes this feeling of falling apart…
• Just try to imagine your bones ACTUALLY rotting… disintegrating…
c. THIS is the awful feeling that Solomon is trying to describe for us in figurative, poetic language… rotting bones!
5. The wife who makes him ashamed is the opposite of the virtuous woman. This woman is slothful, wasteful, lazy, lacking noble character… she does him evil and not good all the days of her life.
6. Prov. 21:9 – Solomon says that this husband would be better off dwelling on the rooftop than in the house with her!
7. Prov. 14:1 – some women do their utmost to destroy their own household! This behavior makes a man crazy… rottenness deep down inside!
CONCLUSIONS:
1. What potential a woman has for good or evil in the life of her husband!
a. She can make him feel like a king… or she can make him feel like a man whose bones are rotting away with cancer!
b. She can make him proud (showing off the crown) or she can make him ashamed… disgrace him… (hang his head low).
c. She can complement and support his authority as head… (an ornament to the head) or she can undermine his authority as head.
2. A sensible man will APPRECIATE a virtuous wife!
3. Prov.18:22 – he that hath found a wife findeth a good thing…
a. This of course is true only if the wife is a virtuous wife!
b. A man who finds a wife who is not virtuous has found something that is not good—for him or their family.
4. If any young men here are thinking of looking for a wife — (if not now, some day…) think about this verse long and hard.
a. You might find one you think is a real dreamboat—but if she is not a virtuous woman = get used to the awful, unending, gnawing pain of bone cancer!
b. Don’t just marry anyone. The Bible makes it clear that this decision will affect you the rest of your life—more than any other decision other than getting saved.
c. A good wife makes you proud… feel like a king.
d. A bad wife will make you ashamed… disgraced… and will produce a deep inner pain that won’t go away.
e. BE CAREFUL about making such an important decision.
f. When looking for a wife, be more concerned about her heart than her body.
g. Be more concerned about what you are going to feel like the rest of your life rather than how wonderful you feel right now…
5. Husbands and wives: let’s remember that our feelings, our fortunes, our happiness, our comfort, are LINKED together.
a. Wives: don’t be rottenness in his bones. Work for his spiritual well being… seek for his good… his happiness… because YOURS is directly linked together with his.
b. Make him miserable and YOU too will be miserable. You’re a unit!
c. I Pet. 3:7 – dwell TOGETHER as heirs together of the grace of life.
Proverbs 12:6
The Words of the Wicked and the Mouth of the Upright
THE WORDS OF THE WICKED: DESTRUCTION
a. This speaks of planning evil and destruction for another person.
b. Evil men often plan to harm others… to bring ruin to them…
c. Gangs of wicked youths gather together to plan robberies… rapes… muggings… and other ways to harm people.
d. Drug addicts sit around in dingy cellars and discuss how to break into homes, drug stores, and banks—and yes, kill if necessary.
e. Political leaders in rogue states sit around gilded palaces making plans to invade their neighbor’s land… and kill and plunder to overthrow it.
f. Terrorist cell groups meet secretly to discuss ways to destroy America and Israel.
g. Some ethnic groups holding on to political power sit around conference tables and discuss how to ethnically cleanse the region of those they hate.
h. Guerilla groups meet in a secluded jungle discussing how they can take over the villages on the other side of the mountains…
i. What might appear to be perfectly average suburbanite, might be sitting in someone’s living room, talking to some street thug plotting to have his wife killed.
j. There is no new thing under the sun. The same evil scenarios that existed in Solomon’s day exist in our day.
2. We may not like to think of it too often, but the words of the wicked DO lie in wait for opportunities to shed blood.
a. This is just a fact of life: wicked men talk of wicked things.
b. Evil men use language—words—a gift from God—in the most perverse and violent ways… to shed innocent blood.
c. Long before the crime, the invasion, the attack, the rape, the robbery, or the mugging ever took place… wicked men sat around somewhere planning it… discussing it… discussing the best way to carry out their evil deeds.
d. Solomon is speaking here of crimes which were premeditated.
e. And before they even got together to plot and plan, someone sat around THINKING it out… running it through his mind… mulling it over in the counsels of his depraved heart. (Prov. 12:5, 20a)
f. Evil and crime doesn’t just pop out of nowhere. Wicked men THINK wicked thoughts… and DISCUSS wicked plans… and then carry them out.
g. Their thoughts and their discussions are designed “for blood”… the harm and destruction of others… and usually to the benefit of the criminal in some devious way.
3. It is unlikely that any of us ever hear first hand of such evil plots to kill.
a. However, we MAY become privy to OTHER forms of wicked words.
b. We might hear of others gossiping about a person…
c. We might hear of some employees that are planning to steal some of the company’s property.
d. We might hear damaging words of slander against a brother.
e. We might hear of plans to cause trouble in the local church.
f. Some of you young people might hear conversations at school of kids who are planning to break the rules… or to hurt someone in the class… or to steal… or to buy drugs… or get in some other kind of trouble.
g. All of this is destructive behavior too…
h. The principle is the same. Wicked people use words to plan and plot their wicked devises.
i. Wicked people often try to HURT others.
j. And there might be an occasion when WE get wind of it… when WE hear of their plans to bring destruction, harm, or trouble of some sort.
THE MOUTH OF THE UPRIGHT: DELIVERANCE
1. On the other hand, Solomon speaks about what how the upright or the godly use their mouths and words which proceed from their mouths.
2. The wicked use words to DESTROY others. The upright use words to DELIVER others.
3. THEM: to whom does the “them” refer?
a. Some understand it to mean that the upright use words to deliver themselves.
b. It seems best to understand the “them” as a reference to the same people who are being plotted against in the first part of the verse.
c. We’ll put a name on “them”. We’ll call this person TOM.
• While the wicked are plotting to shed Tom’s blood…
• The upright speak up to deliver him!
4. The upright speak up for those who are oppressed… for those who are being plotted against… for those who may be unable to speak up for themselves.
a. Righteous men speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves… for those who may be ignorant… or have no voice or say…
b. Prov. 31:8-9 – Open your mouth and speak up for the dumb (those who cannot speak… who would not be listened to… for those who are appointed to destruction.
c. Example: Acts 23:12-24 – Paul’s nephew heard of a wicked plot to kill Paul, and he spoke up… which led to Paul’s deliverance.
d. James 4:17 – he that KNOWS to do right… (by speaking up) and does nothing about it, to him it is sin.
• There is a responsibility that comes with knowledge.
• Ex. 23:4-5 – if you see or know about something is wrong, and you have the ability to correct it, then we are responsible to correct it!
5. Applications:
a. Whistleblowers… if you work for a company and know of theft, or criminal activity, it is our responsibility to speak up for that which is right!
• We are to use our mouths to deliver.
• If a person at work is being blamed for something he didn’t do, and is going to be fired for it, and you know who really did it, you have a responsibility to speak up!
• The wicked use their words to cause trouble. We should use our mouths to deliver those folks unjustly accused.
b. School… if there are kids at school who are planning illegal activity (stealing; drugs; violence, etc.) you have a responsibility to report it to an adult!
• I wonder if any of the kids at Columbine knew about the murderous plot and were afraid to speak up! Imagine how awful they would feel afterwards!
• If you know that your friend at school bought some drugs, and you say nothing about it… imagine how awful you would feel if they overdosed and died?! And just a few words to the right people could have prevented it.
• I wouldn’t want that on my conscience!
• We’re not talking about being a snitch for every tiny infraction. We are talking about serious issues… grave matters that might affect someone’s health or life…
c. Local Church… if you know of someone spreading gossip… or false doctrine, you have a responsibility to let the leaders know about it… before many are hurt.
• Leaven can spread rapidly.
• The sooner such activity is dealt with in the local church, the better.
• If you know that someone’s reputation is being dragged through the mud, and you have information that could deliver that person, then you are responsible to help!
d. In our country: if we hear of a crime being planned, then by all means, report it to the authorities!
• This is part of our responsibility as a citizen… to promote the welfare of the state… and safety of its people.
• Our government is urging us to be eyes and ears to report all suspicious activity that might be related to terrorism!
• Consider Prov. 31:8-9 – in light of abortion. As believers, we have a responsibility to “speak up” for those slated for destruction… for those unable to speak up for themselves. And we can SPEAK on this issue on Election Day!
• There are a lot of issues we as believers can and should speak out on… on Election Day!
e. Prov. 24:11-12 – if we forbear to do what is right… and pretend we didn’t know, rest assured, God knows our heart!
• God will hold us accountable.
• We could have and should have delivered someone from injustice… and we sat quietly by and said nothing. Shame on us!
• Sometimes just one simple word can save a man’s life… or a man’s reputation… his career… because someone had guts enough to stand up and speak up for that which was right.
• You be that kind of person!
Proverbs 12:7
The Wicked are Overthrown, but the Righteous Stand
1. Here Solomon states that wicked men are overthrown.
a. This passage seems to be connected to the previous proverb.
b. The wicked in vs.6 are men who use words to “lie in wait” for others.
c. Lie in wait implies an ambush. The wicked use their mouths to set traps for others… to harm people with their words.
d. They are pictured in vs. 6 as a bloodthirsty animal, just waiting to ambush and pounce on their prey.
e. Wicked men try to overthrow others.
2. Next we are told that the very men who attempt to overthrow others, are themselves overthrown!
a. “The wicked are overthrown.” These wicked men are the same as the wicked in the previous verse… the words of the wicked.
b. Those who attempt to overthrow others will be overthrown themselves.
c. This is a principle repeated many times in various ways in the book of Proverbs.
• Prov. 26:27 – Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.
• Prov. 28:10 – Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit:
• Ps. 7:14-16 – the wicked stir up all kinds of trouble for others, but eventually, it will fall upon their own head.
• Ps. 9:15 – The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
• Ps. 57:6 – They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves.
• Ecc. 10:8-9 – He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. 9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
3. Overthrown: turned over; upturned; reversed; retired; tumbled… etc.
a. The wicked shall not stand forever.
b. Their wicked plans to overthrow and harm others will not go on forever.
c. Eventually, they themselves will be overthrown: reversed; tumbled; turned upside down…
d. Example: Esther 7:10 – they hanged Haman on the very gallows he built for Mordecai! The entire situation—which looked so bleak and impossible for the Jews—was completely reversed overnight!
e. God is able to overthrow the evil plans of wicked men… and reverse hopeless situations… and He doesn’t need decades to do it either!
4. Why is it beneficial to look up so many passages emphasizing this truth?
a. Because we need to be convinced from Scripture—or perhaps refreshed concerning this truth… that the wicked aren’t getting away with anything!
b. Think about the world our kids are growing up in…
• People have been driving airplanes into buildings…
• Anthrax being spread through the mail…
• Buildings and ships being blown up…
• Shoe bombs in airplanes…
• Suicide bombers…
• Sexual perverts and kidnappers…
• School shootings…
• Nations which hate us are secretly planning weapons of mass destruction… chemical and hideous biological weapons…
• Many nations hold anti-American rallies—burning the flag… shouting death to America… calling us the big Satan…
• Snipers randomly shooting people…terrorizing our cities…
• Paul’s description of the last days as “perilous times” certainly fits our day and age.
c. There are no shortages of wicked men who are out to overthrow us… to do us and our children harm.
• This has got to have a serious, adverse effect on our young people growing up in today’s climate.
• Kids don’t have the skills necessary to process all this… to put things into perspective…
• Young people (as older people too!) need to KNOW and to be REMINDED that wicked men who seek to do harm to others… who lie in wait to shed blood… who seek to overthrow others… will THEMSELVES be overthrown!
• Young people need to know that there is an END to wickedness. It will not go on forever.
• Job 20:5 – the triumphing of the wicked is short…
• And evil men eventually will be brought to justice.
• The wicked ARE going to be overthrown…
• Even if some evil men escape judgment in this life—none will escape the judgment of God.
d. In light of the perilous times in which we live, it is imperative that kids know that God is still on His throne… and that wicked men will NOT get away with murder. They WILL be overthrown one day…
e. Knowing this brings a sense of finality to evil… it brings a sense of justice… and puts a little rhyme and reason into a world that otherwise seems so chaotic and out of control.
f. God is STILL ruling the universe. There is no chaos in the heavenly places.
g. In God’s good time, all wicked men will be overthrown… and ultimately, brought to justice.
h. Prov. 11:21 – no matter how many of them there are, they shall NOT be unpunished!
i. Ps. 37:35-36- the wicked might seem to be strong and invincible, but in time, they will come to naught.
j. Ex. 15:9-11 – God overthrows the wicked by merely blowing upon them! (Context here = Red Sea)
• Cf. 10:25 – again, the same thought.
• God sends a wind and blows over the wicked. They may seem strong—but are easily brought to nothing by God.
k. Knowing that and relying on it will greatly aid in bringing rest to an otherwise anxious soul… whether that anxious soul might be your 10 year old son—or YOU yourself…
1. In contrast to the wicked who shall be overthrown, Solomon now describes the righteous. Their house shall STAND.
a. Stand: stand; remain; endure; take one’s stand; be in a standing attitude; to stand still; tarry; continue; abide; endure; persist; be steadfast; hold one’s ground. (You get the picture!)
b. It only takes one simple storm, and the wicked, who have built so elaborately on the sand, shall all come tumbling down.
c. But the righteous, who are built on a solid foundation, they shall remain standing.
d. Cf. Vs.3 – same thought. The righteous shall not be moved… unshakable.
2. Prov. 14:11 – a parallel passage. The house of the righteous shall not only remain, but it shall FLOURISH… better and stronger than ever!
a. The “house” of the righteous and wicked refers to their household… family… dynasty.
b. Carrying on the family name meant much to people in Bible times.
c. Thus, to say that the wicked are overthrown and “are not” = that their dynasty will be cut off… an awful fate!
d. But the house of the righteous shall stand… and flourish. His dynasty shall continue…
e. This was considered a GREAT blessing. (More so to folks in Old Testament times; they thought of life as always existing on earth…)
3. God doesn’t want His people to live in fear of the wicked.
a. God wants us not to fear man, but to trust God!
b. The fear of God removes the fear of man.
c. When our faith is in God we shall flourish… thrive… grow… be fruitful.
d. Ps. 56:4 – In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
• Oh, to have this under our belts!
• If we really believe that God is on His throne, and that we need not fear what man can do… and if we truly trust in God—then we can go about our daily business… undistracted… poised… composed… unruffled… and what a testimony that can be!
Proverbs 12:8
Commended According to Wisdom
Introduction:
1. This proverb contrasts the attitudes people have towards others.
2. Those who are wise are commended and those who are perverse are despised.
3. The proverb doesn’t say WHO it is making these judgments. (Who is commending or despising)
4. It implies that this is the attitude of people in general.
5. Like any proverb, there are exceptions to this principle, but this IS the general rule: wise men are praised; perverse men are despised.
A. According to His Wisdom
1. The wise man is commended.
a. His commendation is directly linked to his wisdom.
2. Wisdom: this is not the most common term for wisdom in Proverbs.
a. This term means: prudence, insight, understanding;
b. It is the term used in Prov. 1:3—
c. Prov.1:1-3 – The book of Proverbs was written for this purpose: that its readers might obtain this kind of insight and understanding.
d. This kind of wisdom and insight does not require superior intelligence.
• It is offered to the simple and the young… (Prov. 1:4)
• It is not just for the scholar, but for the one who will humble himself enough to listen… pay attention… (Prov. 1:5)
• The one who is willing to hear… to listen… pay attention… will understand, and shall attain unto wise counsels.
3. This kind of wisdom is not so much cerebral as it is a matter of the heart.
a. A heart that hungers for God’s wisdom WILL attain it.
b. A heart that is willing to hear will hear and will understand.
c. A heart that is closed up, set in its ways, unwilling to hear—will NOT understand… and will not attain to wise counsels.
d. John 7:17 – Jesus put it this way: the heart willing to DO what God wants will understand what God wants.
• Others will cry out, “It’s all too complicated. It’s too deep for me. Tell me something else.”
• The wisdom God wants us ALL to have is NOT too deep for any saint.
• Sometimes deep down inside we don’t WANT to know—because it will make us accountable… responsible to respond in obedience…
4. But there will always be SOME folks (a few—willing to walk the narrow way) who will be WILLING to hear… willing to DO… and thus ABLE to understand.
a. Those folks will be the ones who have prudence… wisdom… understanding… insight in spiritual truths… a firm grasp of spiritual things… discernment… insight…
b. They will have the discernment to distinguish between holy and unholy, clean and unclean.
c. They will hold firmly to the deep things of God—and hunger for more and more.
d. These are the folks that not only HAVE insight and discernment, but also are willing to share and distribute it… to offer wise counsel to others…
B. He Shall Be Commended
1. Commended: 1 to shine; to flash forth light. 2 to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise.
a. Perhaps we might think of it in the sense of having the spotlight put on him… to make him stand out as worth looking at…
b. This man will SHINE… and others will take notice.
c. This man will have a reputation for wisdom…
2. I Kings 10:1-6 – Early on, SOLOMON earned a reputation for wisdom. He shined among men.
a. The Queen of Sheba came from afar to hear of his wisdom.
• Even the world recognizes a man of great insight and wisdom… and the world values that.
• Solomon wasn’t sought out because he was rich or handsome or intelligent… but because he had a reputation for wisdom… and had insight.
• This queen commended Solomon for that very reason.
b. During those years when Solomon practiced the wisdom God gave him, he stood out among men. He shined brilliantly and earned a reputation. He was commended of men… according to his wisdom.
3. JOSEPH was commended according to his wisdom.
a. The Pharaoh recognized his wisdom and insight, and elevated him to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt!
b. Gen. 41:38-44 – Joseph was commended and elevated because of his wisdom.
c. God gave him great insight. He lived by that wisdom—and it was obvious to onlookers.
4. DANIEL was also commended according to his wisdom.
a. Dan. 6: 1-3 – an excellent spirit was found in Daniel.
b. The king commended him… praised him… and elevated him.
5. The Bible describes many faults and flaws in godly men. However, not one negative thing is said of Joseph or Daniel in the Bible.
a. All we know about these two men is that they were wise and godly.
b. Even the world acknowledged them for this—and they were both commended… and elevated to high positions.
c. There are occasions in the world when even a BELIEVER is praised — not for his faith, but for his wisdom, dedication, insight, etc.
d. I am told that Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft is a believer. Though most in the media would not speak highly of his faith—yet they DO acknowledge that he is a man of wisdom and integrity… I have heard quite a few media folks praise him for this. He has been commended for his wisdom… just as Solomon suggests in Prov. 12:8.
6. This is the kind of testimony that God would have us ALL to have in the world.
a. If we live godly, and demonstrate wisdom in our lives—at work, at school, wherever we are—then we too will earn a reputation of wisdom… which even folks in the world will have to acknowledge.
b. I Pet. 2:12 – maintain a testimony of wisdom and godliness such that even if they do speak evil of you—they may be FORCED by your wise behavior—to glorify God.
c. I Pet 3:16 – walk in wisdom and integrity such that if folks do speak evil of you, they will be ashamed—deep down inside… because they are forced to acknowledge your wisdom—and commend you for it… at least inwardly.
d. A world that on the one hand hates the faith in God—will be FORCED to acknowledge the wisdom of God.
e. John 7:46 – This was certainly true in the life of CHRIST. They had to commend His wisdom.
* To a lesser degree, this can be true in our lives as well.
8b But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.
1. Perverse:
a. to bend; twist; distort; to do wrong
b. Used in Lam.3: 9 – “he hath made my paths crooked.”
2. Heart: inner man; mind; will, heart; understanding…
a. The inner life of this man is bent… twisted…
b. His thinking is off base… off color… perverse…
c. The man of a perverse heart is one with a twisted way of thinking… a twisted mind… a distorted view of the world… of life… of values… bent out of shape…
3. This man is despised.
a. Despised:
• To be held in contempt; contempt springing from evil; a reproach; a shame;
• Used in Prov. 18:3 (contempt = despised)
b. Even the world does not like this kind of man.
c. Matthew Henry: “All that have a true sense of honour will despise him as unworthy to be dealt with and unfit to be trusted, as a blemish and scandal to mankind.”
d. There are many men in the world (unsaved) yet they have a sense of honor.
• Solomon is saying that all believers and even the unsaved who have a sense of honor will despise the man whose thinking is twisted.
e. Mal. 2:8-9 – The priests were corrupt… bent… twisted… perverse spirits.
• The people expected to hear words of wisdom, but instead they heard nothing but corruption.
• These perverted spirits perverted others too.
• Nobody respected these priests. They were not commended.
• Nobody respects corruption—even those who are corrupt don’t respect it.
f. In many different realms, the man who shows a lack of wisdom… whose thinking is not right… is despised.
• Politicians who exhibit great wisdom are commended—and voted back into office… sometimes.
» But politicians who make a fool of themselves… and demonstrate a lack of wisdom and sound judgment—no one likes.
• Not all men in the ministry are wise. Some are not straight as arrows, but are bent.
» Those who love the Lord will commend a servant of the Lord with insight and wisdom…. But they will not appreciate one who demonstrates thinking that is off base… twisted… doesn’t line up with Scripture, but is bent…
• Not all parents exhibit wisdom and understanding.
» Those who do are commended, but there are some who do not.
» Some demonstrate twisted thinking… they let their kids run wild… they set poor examples for them… they bring up rebels… and as a result, they are a reproach.
• The same principle holds true in the workplace.
» Some bosses (saved or unsaved) demonstrate insight… an understanding of human nature… they know how to handle people… they are kind but firm… they get the job done because they are wise. They are commended.
» But others are twisted… bent… unfair… egotistical… have twisted values… They are a reproach… despised.
CONCLUSION:
1. Solomon is teaching here that ultimately, it is WISDOM that brings honor—not riches, talent, good looks, or popularity… but wisdom and insight.
a. II Cor. 10:18 – And also, ultimately, it is whom the Lord commends that counts.
b. Many wise men never receive much commendation on earth—but they will one day when they stand before the Lord.
2. And what is it that makes men despised?
a. It is not poverty or a low IQ… it is not bad luck or a lack of talent.
b. It is a perverse spirit… twisted thinking… a mind and a heart that is crooked.
c. Even crooked men admire those who do things right… who are wise.
d. They don’t live up to those standards themselves, but they expect believers to. They may not like all our views—but they appreciate someone who is honest… wise… straight as an arrow—everything they are not.
e. Herein lies our testimony in the world.
Proverbs 12:9
He that is Despised with a Servant
Introduction:
1. This is one of many verses in Proverbs that use the “better . . . than” formula. (19 others; not consecutive)
2. A contrast is presented by the words better and than instead of “but.”
a. Note the contrast with “but” in vs.1-8.
b. Now Solomon makes contrasts using the “better than.”
1. Despised: This term might be a bit overstated in English.
a. The term CAN mean to despise…
b. It can ALSO mean lightly esteemed… not thought of too highly.
c. There is quite a difference between being despised, and not thought highly of…
d. The Hebrew term speaks of one’s “estimate” of something… and so does our English translation. It is the DEGREE that is question…
e. Translating this term as “despised” seems to go overboard a bit—and makes the passage difficult to understand… at least to me.
f. The DEGREE of that personal estimation can range from not esteemed too highly to being despised…
g. It is probably better here to understand the term in the sense of not esteemed… or not thought highly of…
h. Consider its use in Deut. 27:16 – “set lightly by”… not given honor…
i. Consider its use in I Sam. 18:23 – a poor man and “lightly esteemed.”
j. Example: on a basketball team you might have a few players from the bench who are okay. But Michael Jordan is the one who is highly esteemed. You may not despise the other players, but they are not thought of nearly as highly as a Michael Jordan!
2. The person Solomon is describing in the first half of the verse is not one who is hated… but rather, an average man who is not in an especially high position socially.
a. Some might look down upon him because he is in a relatively lowly position…
b. It is not so much that he is despised, but rather he is just not looked up to as a great man… not esteemed to be a hero… not famous… not prestigious…
c. He doesn’t have all those qualities that folks seem attracted to.
d. He is not one of those magnetic personalities that everyone seems to gravitate towards.
e. He is not Mr. Big Shot…He’s not Mr. Personality… He is more like your average Joe. (Like you and me!)
f. Nothing flashy… nothing spectacular… He is not highly esteemed like a celebrity.
g. It doesn’t mean others think LOWLY of him. It’s just that he’s no icon. No big name.
h. He’s no President Bush. He’s no Colin Powell. He’s no Superstar athlete… no Tom Brady. He’s no Bill Gates.
3. Yet he has a servant.
a. In other words, he’s not esteemed as some great one—but he does all right for himself.
b. He is able to provide for his family, and he is well off enough to hire servants too.
c. Perhaps he runs a farm or an orchard. He’s a hard worker and he does well.
d. He does well enough to hire others to work for him.
e. He’s not nobility, but is probably doing just fine in the middle class.
f. His little business is never going to make it in the Fortune 500.
g. Ken Burns will never do a PBS documentary on his life.
h. His name will not go down in history as one who changed the world.
i. But he did ok. He ran his little business… reared his family on it… provided for his wife and children… and was even able to hire a servant.
4. Solomon says that this man is BETTER than the one he describes in the second part of the verse…
a. He may not be some great one—but he’s better than this other man…
b. Nobody is going to write a biography about this man… he doesn’t have his name written in lights…
c. But what he does have is better than what the next man described has…
d. He doesn’t have what the rich, superstar, celebrity CEO has, but what he does have is better than what this next man has…
1. The first man is NOT highly esteemed in the world. He’s just average.
2. But the second man IS highly esteemed.
a. Only he is highly esteemed in his OWN eyes!
b. He honors HIMSELF!
c. In other words, he’s not a big shot, but he thinks he is!
d. He thinks that he’s the rich, handsome, superstar, celebrity CEO!
e. He THINKS he’s Donald Trump or Bill Gates.
f. However, reality is a little different!
3. Honor: to be heavy; be weighty; be grievous; be hard; be rich; be honorable; be glorious; be honored.
a. His problem is self-aggrandizement…
b. This man thinks that he’s a heavy weight…
c. He glorifies himself in his own mind…
d. He thinks he’s important; walks about as if he were some great one…
e. He is dripping with self-importance…
f. He is convinced that he is STAR material…
g. He believes that he deserves to live in the lap of luxury…
h. He believes that he belongs with the upper crust of society…
i. He sees himself as one of the elite… one of the movers and shakers…
j. He is puffed up with self-esteem…
k. This man has delusions of grandeur…
l. He is like:
• Diotrephes who loved to have the preeminence…
• Haman who said, “To whom would like king delight to honor more than myself?”
• Simon the sorcerer who made himself out to be some great one
4. But this man lacks bread!
a. He THINKS he’s important; he heaps praise upon himself and congratulates himself for being so successful, but he goes hungry.
b. In his proud mind and heart he sees himself one of the great ones… but in reality, he can’t even pay his bills!
c. In his mind he is by far superior to the average Joe mentioned in the previous section…
5. But in reality, the average Joe is BETTER off than he is.
a. The average Joe doesn’t lack bread.
b. Joe pays his bills, feeds his family, and even hires a servant.
c. This man doesn’t.
6. Our country is FULL of the kind of people Solomon describes.
a. In fact, our American system seems to BREED this type.
b. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for the American way… for the entrepreneurial spirit… for Capitalism… I think it’s the best system, but it’s not perfect.
c. Our system encourages people to shoot for the stars… and many folks do!
d. Immigrants come here and believe that coming here they can make it rich… and many do!
e. We have thousands of people every year who move to Los Angeles hoping to become a movie star… and some do!
f. We have thousands of kids whose dream it is to be an NFL player… or the next Larry Bird… or make it in Major League baseball and become a millionaire…and some will!
g. We have thousands of entrepreneurs starting up new businesses, hoping to be the next success story—the next Walmart or IBM…
h. We have scores of senators and congressman who put their whole being into their work—hoping to become president some day… and some from among their ranks will!
7. Thousands—perhaps millions of Americans are shooting for those stars… but very few will actually make it.
a. Every year thousands of people start up new companies—each one with a dream to strike it rich… and each year thousands of companies go belly up… and their founders go broke… bankrupt.
b. I wonder how many “would be” movie stars can barely scrape up enough money to pay their rent…
c. I wonder how many “wanna-be” pro athletes are spending their most productive years playing on B teams—and will never make to the pros… will never strike it rich.
d. I wonder how many entrepreneurs are throwing every last penny into a business that is eventually going to go belly up…and will never be the next Microsoft…
e. I wonder how many of these folks have convinced themselves that they DESERVE to be the next Bill Gates… or George Bush… or Tom Brady…
8. Solomon is describing the man who thinks highly of himself. He really believes that he:
a. Is so good looking that he is just waiting to be discovered in Hollywood…
b. He is so smart that his company is bound to explode into an international corporation…
c. He is so talented that the baseball scouts are bound to notice him.
d. He sees himself as too important to take an average job…
e. He is constantly waiting for his ship to come in… because he thinks highly of himself and thinks he deserves a big ship.
f. Yet for most of these folks, their ship never comes in… or if it does, they discover that it is less like the Queen Elizabeth—but more like a canoe.
9. Solomon says that the average Joe is better off than he is.
a. His Self-aggrandizement does not change reality one bit.
b. Nor does it pay the bills. Nor feed his family.
c. He has grand ideas in his head… but he lacks bread.
d. Solomon gives this man a little reality check:
• It is better to BE well off than to DREAM of being well off.
• Shooting for the stars is great if you make it—but if you miss a star—you can end up way off base!
• There are times when it is better to have a more moderate estimate of self… of our abilities… of what we can achieve—and shoot for something a little more reasonable.
• Stars are really far away—and very few people reach them!
• Some folks honor themselves and think they can make it… and end up lacking bread.
e. It is BETTER to aim a little lower and to be sure you can hit the target… to have a lower estimate of self—and do ok!
• Aim for a target you can hit…
• Aim for something that matches your ability…
• Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you can achieve things beyond the abilities God has given you…
10. Solomon—a king, who observed human nature carefully, observed this in men often… and he tells us what he learned from his observations: that DOING OK IS NOT BAD!
a. In fact, it’s BETTER than THINKING you’re going to be a star, or a millionaire, or big shot… if you end up lacking bread.
b. It is better to accept a lower social position and to be well off, than to make a great outward show, and lack bread.
c. It’s better to take that average job without much glory—and to be able to feed your family, than to honor yourself by waiting for an offer to be CEO… and go hungry!
d. It is better to be an average Joe worker… than a hungry CEO.
Proverbs 12:10
The Life of a Beast
Introduction:
1. This passage really isn’t about how to treat animals. It isn’t about animals; it’s really about men… people.
2. Solomon’s main purpose is not to tell us how to treat animals—but rather, how to identify certain types of men.
3. Solomon was a keen observer of human nature.
4. From his careful observations, he tells us that one can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his animals.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT ANIMALS
A. Original Creation
1. Gen. 1:24-25 – God made all the creatures of the earth… and said they were GOOD.
2. Gen. 1: 26, 28 – God gave man dominion OVER all the creatures…
3. Gen. 1:30 – Originally, animals ate herbs—even lions, and tigers, and bears!
• As created by God, they were NOT meant for killing or eating.
• In the Millennial Kingdom, animals will be restored to their original created purposes. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. But we don’t live in the Kingdom today.
4. Gen. 2:19-20 – God brought all the animals to Adam to name. They were not harmful to man… but friendly.
a. Animals were all willingly submitted to Adam before the fall…
b. Animals were evidently easily trained and useful…
c. They all had a purpose…
B. When Sin Entered the World
1. When sin entered the world—everything changed. The whole creation was affected by the fall…cursed: sun, moon, stars, earth, and even the animals.
• God never made a man-eating beast… or even a beast-eating beast.
• Animals were all vegetarians… until the fall.
• But now, the world is full of carnivores… and poisonous snakes… dogs that bite…
2. Since the fall, some animals are dangerous…
a. Some will kill and eat man…and other beasts.
b. They are not so easily trained…not as useful…
c. They do not submit to man… dominion has been broken…
• Gen. 9:2 – God put a fear of man into animals—to protect early man.
• But even with that, man and beast have had a sort of adversarial role since the fall. The relationship has been cursed by God.
• Bugs are constantly eating our crops—and we are constantly figuring out ways to kill the bugs.
• Ants get in our homes… woodchucks in our gardens… birds eat the berries… deer steal apples off the trees… beavers reroute our rivers
• It has been an ongoing battle between man and beast.
• And it continues today—cattle ranchers out West are livid that the government—influenced by environmentalists—has repopulated their grazing areas with wolves…
• Even on Cape Cod—there has been a recent problem with coyotes!
3. Other changes that occurred after the fall…
a. God slew an animal after the fall to make clothing for Adam and Eve.
b. God gave man permission to kill and eat animals… (I Tim. 4:3-4)
• “Rise, Peter. Kill and eat.”
c. In fact in the Old Testament, God commanded that animals be slain and their blood shed as a sacrifice… thousands upon thousands of times.
d. Throughout history, man has needed animals for food, sacrifice, clothing, milk, and even shelter at times… and animals no longer cooperate.
e. Thus, there has been this ongoing conflict between man and beast.
f. It is this conflict that Solomon addresses in this passage.
C. Contact Between Man and Beast
1. Men and animals had much more contact in ancient times.
a. Animals were used to work… plow the fields… man and beast worked together.
b. Animals were kept for food, milk, clothing… herds of them.
c. Animals were the main means of transportation… until as recently as the early 1900’s.
2. When traveling on a camel or donkey, a man had to deal with all the idiosyncrasies of that beast.
a. A camel or donkey might get tired and sit down in the middle of your important trip to town.
b. An ox plowing your field might get spooked by a woodchuck and swerve out of line…
c. A loose goat might sneak in the house and make a mess…
d. Wandering sheep might not come when you call them—and cause you to waste more time to go get just one silly sheep…
e. An animal pulling a cart might trip and fall and spill all your goods on the ground.
f. Your camel or goat might get into your vineyard and start eating your grapes and pomegranates.
g. Some of this can be quite irritating.
3. Solomon was an observer human behavior.
a. He noted the various ways in which men dealt with the idiosyncrasies of his beasts…
b. How does he react to these conflicts and irritations between man and beast?
c. How does he respond to unexpected occurrences?
d. How does he deal with a problem with a beast?
The Righteous Man
1. The Righteous man regards the life of his beast
a. He has compassion and mercy
b. He demonstrates it even in his treatment of animals
c. Regards: to know; to be acquainted with; perceive
d. Life: soul; self; life; creature; person; appetite; mind; living being; desire; emotion; passion
2. Solomon observed that a righteous man will be characterized by compassion…
a. He also noted that a righteous man will display compassion towards his beast too…
b. A righteous man has a heart. And one of the ways you can see his heart is by his concern for animals.
c. When his oxen are tired—does he push them to their limits, or does he provide them with food and water?
d. Deut. 25:4 – God made provision for the oxen as they worked. A righteous man will show concern for his beasts.
e. If his animal trips over a rock or a pothole and knocks over his cart full of vegetables for the market, does he beat the donkey silly with a club? Or does he realize that it is just an animal—it wasn’t his fault…
f. If his horse gets spooked and knocks him off—does he beat the horse… or does he have the sense to realize that horses get spooked?
g. When his animal is trapped, will he take the time to get him out? Or does he let him suffer?
h. Ex. 23:4-5 – God made provision for animals in His law. A righteous man will take care of animals as God has commanded.
3. Solomon’s implied point: If he has compassion on dumb animals, he is likely to have compassion of those made in the image of God!
a. If this man is kind to animals, he is kind.
b. If he has compassion on animals—he is a man of compassion.
c. If he helps animals who are stuck—he is a helpful man.
d. You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats animals.
4. Animals are sort of helpless creatures…they need protection… and are dependent upon their owners for their food, shelter, and care.
a. A righteous man will be responsible to his creatures… and care for their needs.
b. He will protect the sheep from wolves; he will give them hay, food, and water…
c. He will clean their hoofs… pull them out of ditches… because he has a compassionate heart.
d. A righteous man is considerate of his animal…
The Wicked Man
1. The wicked man has no compassion or mercy. His heart is full of cruelty.
2. His “tender mercies” are cruel.
a. Tender mercies = womb; bowels of compassion; pity.
b. Cruel = usually translated as cruel…fierce; merciless…
c. In other words, in his gut where he should have tender mercy—instead is found cruelty.
d. Num. 22:28-30 – Balaam’s donkey was mistreated… without reason! Balaam’s tender mercies were cruel… and it showed.
3. Solomon doesn’t say anything about the way this man treats animals, but he doesn’t have to. It’s obvious.
a. This is the man who would beat his horse…
b. If his animal caused him trouble, he would curse and lose his temper and take out his anger and frustration on the poor animal
c. He wouldn’t bother looking for a wandering sheep. He’d leave him for the wolves.
d. He wouldn’t go out in the rain to feed his pigs or goats. Why should he put himself out for a dumb animal?
e. This man would shoot an animal just for the fun of it—not for food or clothing.
f. Maybe as a young person he used to torture animals… burn their tails… (Samson) — or cut off their legs…
g. This man would be into cock fighting… pit bull fighting…bull fighting…
4. How does this man deal with his animals?
a. How does he react to these “conflicts” between man and beast?
b. How does he respond to unexpected occurrences?
c. How does he deal with a problem with a beast?
d. This man would respond by cursing… swearing… beating… not feeding them… not providing for their need for shelter…
e. He is a cruel man—and you can even see his cruel heart in the way he treats animals!
f. This man abuses his power… and that trait will flow over into other areas of life too.
g. Watch this sort of behavior… you can learn about a man this way.
Updating this principle to the modern world
1. It is not Solomon’s point here to teach us about animals… but to point out human nature.
2. The kind of contact between man and beast Solomon describes is NOT a man and his pet…
a. He did not have in mind 21st century American yuppies pampering their pet poodles… in bubble baths and letting them sleep on fluffy pillows… in air conditioned dog houses…
b. Solomon isn’t expecting his readers to have a New Age concept of animals either—like the PETA group…
c. This verse has nothing to do with animal’s rights… protecting the environment… or protecting the spotted owl or saving the baby whales. Let’s not go overboard on this.
3. The passage is designed to teach us about MAN… and what his heart is like.
a. Solomon seemed to have in mind HOW to differentiate between a compassionate man and a heartless man.
b. He is teaching us how to observe the behavior of a man… or woman…
4. One of the problems in applying this passage is that we no longer have this close contact with animals.
a. We don’t plow our fields with oxen…
b. We don’t ride to work on a horse or camel.
c. We don’t have a flock of goats and sheep.
d. For us animals are pets… but that’s not what Solomon is talking about.
5. To make a modern day parallel, we might even consider MACHINES!
a. When your laptop malfunctions, do you swear at it?
b. When your car breaks down—do you kick it? (story of man in Wisconsin…)
c. When your washing machine breaks down—do you feel like taking a hammer to it? (TV ad)
d. When your computer crashes, do you punch the screen? Throw a temper tantrum?
e. What Solomon is getting at is observing a man’s heart by how he reacts to situations… and how he treats animals… or machines… or things…
f. It is not an exact parallel, but we probably don’t have one in our society…
6. Application for young people today—especially if you are looking for a potential mate…
a. If a man loses his temper over a dumb animal—he will lose his temper against you too!
b. If a man kicks his dog … he has a problem with violence. You don’t want a husband like that!
c. If a man curses every time his machine malfunctions… he’ll probably be cursing at you after the honeymoon.
d. Does he blame the animal for mischief when it was really his fault for not properly tying them up? Then he will probably get mad at you and blame you for his mistakes in the future.
e. Does he get mad at an animal for acting like an animal? Then he will get mad at you for acting like a woman!
f. You can tell a lot about a man by observing how he treats animals.
g. You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his car… his house… or his machines…
h. By the way—this goes for women too!
• A woman who is cruel to animals will not make a very good wife—or a good mother.
• If that’s the way she treats poor helpless ones who are unable to take care of themselves… and are dependent upon her compassion for their care… what kind of mother is she going to make?
• Guys—you don’t want a woman like that.
7. It’s a good idea to OBSERVE people… be a people watcher.
• Are they short-tempered? Are they kind? Do they control their tongue? Do they show compassion? Are they cruel?
• Are they responsible? Do they care for the helpless?
• We should observe and choose our friends and especially a mate carefully! (Prov. 22:24-25)
8. God cares for animals (Jonah 4:11). Godly people will too.
• And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six-score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Proverbs 12:11
Satisfied with Bread
11a He that tilleth his land…
1. Previously Solomon noted that the righteous man takes care of his animals.
2. Now he states that he also takes care of his fields.
3. This man is on the ball… a hard worker… he takes care of business.
a. This man does NOT follow vain persons.
b. Proverbs makes this kind of statement several times.
• 27:18 – the one who takes care of his fig tree gets to eat the fruit!
• 13:11 – labor brings increase! You want increase? You’ve got to work.
• 13:23 – there is much food in the tillage even of the poor… hard working poor people eat well!
• 14:23 – in all labor there is profit.
• 27:23-27 – take care of your flocks and you will have plenty of milk and meat.
• 22:29 – a man who is diligent in his business (whatever it may be) will stand before kings… exalted… honored…
c. The Bible HONORS the concept of hard, honest, diligent labor.
4. Tilling the land was commonplace in ancient times, but not so today—unless your business is a farm.
a. This principle should be applied to WHATEVER your business is…
• You don’t have to be a farmer. Nobody here is… at least for a living.
• But whatever we do, God requires diligence.
• Ecc. 9:10 – whatever you put your hand to do—do it with all diligence.
• Matthew Henry: “Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee.”
• Whether you own your own business; or work for a large corporation; or a small company—God wants His people to be hard workers.
b. Certainly this principle should be applied to you young people in your schoolwork… “till your field” Do your homework! Dig deep into your studies! This honors God.
5. This principle holds true for Christian ministry too…
a. I Tim. 5:17 – elders who rule well… double honor…
b. Rom. 12:11 – not slothful in business, but fervent…
c. Heb. 6:10-11 – our ministry is to continue—with all diligence. No rocking chairs in the Lord’s service.
6. We could ALL apply this principle to God’s Word too…
a. It is a field of study just waiting to be “tilled”—dug into… studied.
b. II Tim. 2:15 – Study (give diligence) to show thyself approved…
c. Those who study the Word receive GREAT satisfaction from their efforts.
d. God’s “pay” for such labor is in the inner satisfaction to the soul that results from time spent in studying His truth.
11b Shall be satisfied with bread.
1. Satisfy: to be enriched; satiated; fulfilled; to have in abundance…
2. The believer who “tills the land” of God’s Word will be richly rewarded… with satisfaction!
a. Some folks don’t seem to discover wonderful “nuggets” in the Word… for one reason: they haven’t been tilling the land!
b. The nuggets are there… but they have to be dug up. And when you do—it is truly rewarding — to see a truth clearly — or in a new light — or applied to a new set of circumstances — is truly rewarding.
c. Dig in—and you too will be rewarded with such golden nuggets.
d. Prov. 2:1-5 – these nuggets are found when we till the land with the kind of diligence that those seeking earthly treasures exert.
e. It is good to be fed in church or Sunday school. It is far better to learn to feed yourself. I wouldn’t want to eat just once or twice a week! Would you?
3. Eph. 4:28 – The hard worker will be satisfied because he has earned enough to GIVE to others in need.
a. It is MORE blessed to give. That is true satisfaction!
b. Nobody likes to beg. That feels awful. But it feels good—because it IS good to give… more blessed.
c. That is part of the satisfaction of hard work… having to give…
d. The man who is truly satisfied is the man who is both hard working and generous!
4. Col. 3:22-23 – service at work should not just be “eyeservice”… but diligence even when no one is looking! Our jobs are to be done “heartily!” (from the soul!)
a. vs. 24 – satisfaction comes from knowing that we have a reward in heaven for diligence on earth.
b. Even if we are mistreated at our job—we work hard and are not recognized—God sees all… and rewards hard work with a proper attitude.
5. Prov. 6:6-8 – Solomon tells his readers to consider the ant. The ant takes care of business through hard work… and it pays off! Nobody has to TELL her to do her work. She just does it… and is rewarded for it! Satisfied… when the lazy bugs are going hungry!
6. Whatever we do in life—if we work hard at it and do our best, there is a sense of satisfaction that comes from the end result. That’s Solomon’s point.
a. It doesn’t have to be in a farm setting—any setting.
b. We will experience much greater satisfaction from this new building because we WORKED hard on it—much more satisfaction that if we hired someone else to do the work.
c. This is God’s CURE for depression…
• Depressed people are usually lazy… and depressed because of the results of laziness.
• But hard working people don’t have time to sit around feeling sorry for themselves. They are busy working… building… producing fruit—and enjoying the satisfaction that comes from a bumper crop… and then enjoying the additional satisfaction of GIVING some away to those in need.
• That person is going to be quite satisfied.
• The lazy person is depressed… because there is fungus growing in her refrigerator… or because his house needs painting, the wall is falling down, the barn needs a new roof, and as he sits in front of the TV thinking about all the work that needs doing—he’s depressed!
d. God invented work—for Adam in the Garden of Eden before the fall. God designed it such that man receives great satisfaction from the fruit of his labor.
• That labor is much more difficult … but the satisfaction from a job well done remains… as our reward.
• Ecc. 2:24-25 – There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
• This truth holds in any setting—your job; your home; your school; your church ministry; your life!
11c But he that followeth vain persons…
1. Persons is added by the translators. It does not appear in the original.
a. It makes good sense if left out…Hence—he that followeth vain things… or vanity…
b. Or as the King James Version – following vain persons… who are following vain pursuits. The meaning is the same.
2. The believer is not to follow vanity… emptiness… pursuits that have no value in light of eternity.
a. Seeking to do your best at your job is NOT vanity… that is a good pursuit.
b. But there are LOTS of other pursuits in life that are vain…
c. Anything that takes away from our spiritual lives is vanity…
• Golfing that causes you to miss out on the worship on the Lord’s day is a vain pursuit…
• A woman who abandons her young toddlers in order to pursue her career = a vain pursuit.
• Playing video games when you should be doing your homework is a vain pursuit…
• Working out at the gym every morning at the expense of reading God’s Word is a vain pursuit.
• Sitting around watching the grass grow when you have a lot of work to do is a vain pursuit.
• Young people—getting involved with a group of kids that do nothing but hang around the mall and get into trouble is a vain pursuit.
11d Is void of understanding.
1. The man who wastes time on vain pursuits and projects ends up wasting his time… and over time, that trait develops into a wasted LIFE!
2. This man’s behavior demonstrates his lack of wisdom and understanding.
3. The man who is void of understanding is the same man who lacks diligence and follows vain pursuits.
4. It is the LAZY man who is void of understanding (Prov. 24:30-31)
Proverbs 12:12
The Righteous Yield Fruit
12a The wicked desireth the net of evil men
A. The Net of Evil Men
1. A net is used to trap an animal… to “catch” something…
2. The net of evil men refers to the booty or goods that evil men are able to “catch” from unsuspecting men.
a. Solomon is talking about crooks… thieves… and their tactics.
b. They use deceit to trap their victims—like a net for a bird.
c. Solomon is talking about the age-old method of setting traps of deception to rob unsuspecting men and women.
3. Prov. 1:17-19 – those who are greedy of illegal gain set “traps” for people… to steal their goods.
a. An ambush of a stagecoach… or a chariot.
b. Thieves set up traps for people in airports too. (Two or three of them will wait for an unsuspecting woman to lay down her pocketbook, and then one bumps into her… and in the confusion, the other one takes the bag. They set a trap for her.
c. Shoplifters set traps for the clerks. One thief will get the clerk’s attention in a lonely corner of the store—so that his partner can help himself to the goods without being seen.
d. Muggers set a trap for people walking down a dark street at night.
e. These are evil men who “spread their net”… in order to “catch” someone off guard… that they might rob them.
f. Today these crooks have become quite sophisticated.
• We have white-collar “nets” in which thieves rob people of their retirement money—through deceit…
• There are countless scams devised by crooks today to get your money in their pockets.
• They use the telephone—and tell you that you have won a million dollars—and can collect it by simply mailing them $100.00 collection fee!
• They use the Internet to lure people all over the globe into their nets…
• Many prey on the elderly—win their confidence—and rob them blind!
4. Jer. 5:26-27 – The prophet describes the same “net.” Evil men use deceit to get the money and goods of other men into their houses.
5. Ps. 10:7-9-11 – the wicked set a net to catch the poor…
a. Their net is a net of deceit…
b. They catch the poor to keep them poor… to trap them in their poverty… and to take advantage of them…
6. These scams very often include risks…
a. If the scam artist gets caught, he could go to jail for years.
b. There is a fear of losing one’s reputation for the white-collar executive who gets arrested for laying his net…
c. There is great risk involved—but there is also great gain if not apprehended.
d. The case was similar when men used literal nets to catch their prey. They may set a trap for a lion. If the lion breaks out of the snare—you might be eaten alive!
e. But the reward was great. If you caught the lion—that was quite a valuable trophy!
f. The crooks who were willing to take the risk… sometimes were “rewarded” for their labors (in a twisted sort of way) in their risk taking. (At least that was the way the crooks looked at it.)
B. The Wicked Desire that Net
1. We have two groups of wicked men here.
a. The first group
• Called evil men
• They lay the net to ensnare others and rob them.
• They took the risk… and when successful ended up with much booty.
b. The second group
• Called the wicked
• These men observed what the evil men did—and covet the booty.
2. The wicked who DESIRE that net.
a. The term net is actually used here of that which the net pulls in or “catches.”
b. In other words, the wicked men observe the evil men lay their nets as traps… and see all the money they make… and all the riches they accumulate from their deceitful scam… and they COVET the gain!
c. They DESIRE the net… they wish they had the booty.
d. Evil men crave after illegal booty MORE than other goods—because evil is appealing to them! (Prov. 21:10)
e. Prov. 20:17 – that “bread of deceit” (stolen goods) are sweet—at first. Thieves love the rush they get from goods illegally gained. But that sweetness does not last.
f. Prov. 9:17-18 – stolen waters… but it is not eaten in good company. The end result is hardly something to be coveted!
g. The fallen heart has an attraction towards evil… but the wise believer will see evil for what it really is… and where it eventually leads! Don’t be deceived by the initial sweetness…
3. These wicked men who DESIRE the net (wish they had the booty) are just as evil as the men who laid the net.
a. But for one reason or another, they did NOT set a trap.
b. Perhaps they WISH they had thought of that scam…
c. Perhaps they really would like to extort money… or run a scam… but they are too afraid of getting caught…
d. They covet the profits from illegal activity—but for one reason or another are either too cowardly, too stupid, or lack the opportunity to engage in illegal activity.
4. There are young people on our streets selling drugs—and making a killing.
a. They spread a net for their victims—letting the young kids think that drugs are cool… or will make you popular.
b. In reality, drugs will make you a criminal, sickly, and poor… and eventually imprisoned. There is nothing cool about that.
c. But the pushers drive a BMW and wear fancy clothes.
d. They are risk-taking entrepreneurs in evil.
e. Then there are the other guys who envy them… who wish they could be like him… who wish they had a BMW and fancy clothes.
f. But they are too afraid of getting caught… or they don’t have the right connections to get involved…
g. They DESIRE the net of evil…
5. These wicked men are just as wicked and evil as the evil men who LAY the trap!
a. Their hearts are no better.
b. They DESIRE the goods…
c. Hence, they are just as cold hearted toward the elderly they abuse… or towards the young people they deceive into thinking that drugs are cool… or the poor they take advantage of…
d. In fact, giving the right set of circumstances, this second group would BECOME part of the first group!
e. Prov. 1:10-14 – the actual criminals will eventually LURE wanna be criminals INTO their lifestyle.
• Those who wanna be—usually end up getting involved in that which they desire.
• If you covet after something—eventually you will follow those desires… and act on them.
f. Prov. 1:15 – good advice: stay away! Don’t covet. Keep your heart with all diligence.
• Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
• Especially if your neighbor is a crook!
• Don’t desire his net—or the goodies in it.
1. Here Solomon contrasts the wicked and evil men to the righteous man.
2. The contrast is primarily between the fact that the wicked TAKE, but the righteous PRODUCE. The wicked is a minus, the righteous a plus!
a. The wicked set a net to trap… plunder… rob… steal… take away.
b. The righteous, on the other hand, YIELDS fruit…
3. The righteous man is a ROOT… stable… dug in deep… unmovable. (Prov. 10:30 – shall never be moved)
a. Isa. 27:6 – God shall one day cause Israel to take ROOT in the land—and become fruitful.
• It is in this sense that Solomon uses the terms.
• The righteous man is a root; he shall take root; and produce fruit.
• Isa. 37:31 – see the relationship again between root and fruit.
• A plant with a good root system WILL produce fruit. It is self-contained—unlike the wicked who does NOT produce what he needs. He robs. He is not self-sufficient.
b. The righteous shall flourish (11:28) and shall be a tree of life (11:30).
c. A root has access to a continual supply of nutrients to keep on producing fruit. (Not like a net—a one time trap)
d. This principle is true in the physical realm.
• The hard working man who follows the principles of righteousness found in the Scriptures will prosper… will have enough.
• The lazy man might go hungry—but the man who is diligent won’t.
• The man who does things right will do well in life… he will yield fruit.
• Because he does things right, he doesn’t have to worry about going to jail… about getting caught in some crooked scheme…
• The dishonest man usually gets caught and loses everything…he gains much in the short term through dishonesty—but when caught, loses it all. He takes four steps forward and nineteen back.
e. This principle is also true in the spiritual realm. (Ps. 1:3)
• This man is strong, stable, and unmovable spiritually—like a tree planted by the rivers of waters.
• He will keep on producing fruit, season after season.
• In the physical realm, righteousness does not always prosper. Sometimes righteous men suffer in this world.
• But in the spiritual realm, the righteous always produces fruit. (Heb. 13:15-16)
4. One man PRODUCES good things; the other man STEALS good things… or COVETS what other men have stolen.
a. Prov. 12:11 – here Solomon speaks about a righteous man as one who is hard working (tilling his land)—and thus is satisfied with the works of his hands.
b. This man’s hands are full of the fruit of his labor—and he is satisfied.
c. He has enough for himself—and enough to share.
d. The unrighteous man follows vanity—lazy—and has nothing. He is NOT fruitful.
e. This lazy kind of man will then look at other lazy men who may be wealthy through theft—and he will COVET what is in his net!
f. What a lousy way to live: lazy; having nothing; not able to give; and yet always wanting what others have; wanting even what the criminal has!
g. How much better to be like the righteous man—he works hard; tills his land; digs his roots in deeply; and produces fruit. This man’s life will be strong and stable.
Proverbs 12:13
The Transgression of His Lips
A. Transgressions Are Committed By the Lips
1. Men lie with their lips.
2. Men deceive with their lips.
3. Men brag and boast with their lips.
4. Men curse with their lips.
5. Men blaspheme with their lips.
6. Men gossip with their lips.
7. There are countless ways to transgress with one’s lips.
B. Transgression with the Lips Brings a Snare
1. Sinning with the lips eventually comes back to BITE you…
a. Transgressing lips are a snare… something that traps you…
b. Solomon is saying that when we sin with our lips, we get CAUGHT in a trap of our own making!
c. If we sin with our lips, sooner or later, those words will come back to haunt us…
d. They may come back to “catch” us in a trap.
e. Prov. 26:27 – “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”
• Prov. 12:13 is the very same principle as 26:27 – only much narrower.
• 26:27 speaks of a broad principle which is applicable to many areas of life… those who dig a pit shall fall in themselves.
• 12:13 applies that principle to sinning with the lips.
• One who sins with his lips is like a man who digs a pit. Eventually, he will be snared by the pit he himself dug!
C. Biblical Examples of This Principle
1. Men lie with their lips… and are snared.
a. Gen. 12:11-13 – Abraham lied about his wife’s identity.
• Gen. 12:18-20 – Pharaoh rebukes Abraham for his lie! What a sting that must have been—a pagan rebuking the believer for lying! That should never be…
• Abraham lied—and he fell in the pit that he dug for himself. He was CAUGHT in his lie…
b. II Kings 5:20 – Gehazi, Elisha’s servant lied and said that Elisha sent him to Naaman to receive a gift.
• This was a boldfaced lie—in order to get silver for himself.
• II Kings 5:21-27 – Gehazi was snared by the transgression of his lips.
• He lied and at first was successful—for he did get the silver.
• BUT—he was smitten with leprosy! He was snared… by the pit he dug for himself.
2. Men deceive with their lips… and are snared.
a. I Kings 2:23 – Adonijah wanted a concubine SO THAT he could attempt to steal the throne from Solomon.
b. He deceived Bathsheba… but not Solomon.
c. He was put to death for this deception…
d. The transgression of his lips was his undoing… his snare.
3. Men brag and boast with their lips… and are snared.
a. Esther 6:6-10 – Haman in his pride boasted that no one is worthy of more honor than himself and proceeded to tell the king HOW to honor the man whom the king wanted to honor.
b. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he planned a parade of honor for his worst enemy!
c. His words of pride and selfishness came back to haunt him!
d. He was a wicked man who was snared by the transgression of his lips.
4. Men curse with their lips… and are snared.
a. II Sam. 16:5-12 – Shimei cursed David at perhaps David’s lowest point… and Shimei thought that he got away with it.
b. I Kings 2:44-46 – King Solomon remembered the cursings of Shimei and had him put to death.
c. His words of transgression and cursing came back to haunt him in later years.
d. Shimei wasn’t caught in the snare for many years after the transgression with his lips—but he WAS snared eventually!
e. Sometimes we can sin with our lips and seem to get away with it… for a while. But sins with our lips have a way of catching up with us… don’t they?!
5. Men blaspheme with their lips… and are snared.
a. Matt. 27:25 – His blood be upon us and upon our children!
b. These men spoke in blasphemy against the Son of God…
c. Surely those words came back to haunt that generation of Jews… they will haunt many of them forever and ever in the Lake of Fire.
6. Men gossip and speak evil with their lips… and are snared.
a. Ecc. 10:20 – don’t speak evil of someone behind their back.
b. A little birdy somehow seems to get your words to them sooner or later… and you may live to regret having said it.
c. Our words of gossip often come back to haunt us… to embarrass us… to bring us to shame…
7. Men compromise with their lips… and are snared.
a. Matt. 26:74 – Peter compromised with his lips—and he denied the Lord—I know not the man!
b. Vs. 75 – He was caught… and snared… and wept bitterly.
8. The first part of this verse is nearly identical in meaning to Proverbs 18:7 – A fool’s mouth is his (OWN) destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
a. The wicked man says things he shouldn’t say—and ends up paying for it! It eventually destroys him.
b. He may lose his job because of his loose speech…
c. He may lose his friends… He may even lose his freedom and end up in prison…
1. This proverb presents a contrast:
a. The wicked who sins with his lips vs. the just (presumably who does not sin with his lips—at least at time of contrast)
b. The wicked who is snared in a trap; and the just who comes OUT OF trouble.
c. Hence: (1) one who sins with his mouth vs. one who doesn’t
(2) One who gets in trouble vs. one who doesn’t.
2. This proverb states that the wicked man gets himself in much trouble because of his lips… but the righteous man (one who does not sin with his lips) comes OUT OF trouble… he escapes the snare.
a. You can get in a lot of trouble with a big mouth.
b. But if you keep it shut—you will deliver yourself from a lot of unnecessary trouble and heartache.
c. If you tell the TRUTH you will deliver yourself from much trouble.
• The Rabbis used to say that if you always tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said!
d. Prov. 14:3 – lips of the wise shall preserve them…
e. Prov. 21:23 – Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles…
f. We could avoid many traps, snares, and pitfalls in life if we would simply learn to control our tongue. That requires the power of the Holy Spirit.
g. Yield that member to God—and life will be a much more pleasant experience!
Proverbs 12:14
Satisfied with Good
Introduction:
This proverb speaks of two kinds of FRUIT: the fruit of one’s mouth and the fruit of one’s hands (speech and works—and their results).
The Words of His Mouth
A. The Fruit of a Man’s Mouth
1. Solomon is assuming here that the man uses his mouth for GOOD.
a. That is not always the case… sometimes the use of our mouth is not consistent (James 3:9-12).
b. It is possible to use our mouth as a weapon to hurt… to tear down… and attack.
• Prov. 11:11 – a city is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked—so are marriages ruined; churches torn apart; friendships destroyed.
• Prov. 12:18 – There is that speaketh like the piercing of a sword.
• We can use our tongue like a sword to tear a man apart—to run the Sunday school teacher over the coals… pick apart his lesson… talk him down in front of the kids… and then go back to the evening service and sing, “I Love Thee Lord Jesus With all of My Heart.”
c. But Solomon is talking about GOOD fruit in 12:14…
• He is talking about good fruit that results from the use of one’s mouth.
• We always hear warnings about the use of our tongue. No man can tame it! It is a world of iniquity! Sets on the fire of hell! Like a piercing sword!
• But Solomon also wants us to know that the mouth (and speech) was created by God for good!
• We can use our mouths in good ways—and we SHOULD be using our mouths for good.
2. Good fruit from the mouth
a. Ps. 37:30 – The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
• A righteous man can use his mouth to give good counsel to a brother… share wisdom learned from experience…
• He can share “judgment”—discernment…
b. Ps. 50:23 – Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.
• We can use our mouths to praise God—for worship…
• This brings glory to God—especially when we praise the Lord even if there is no fruit on the vine…
• When we praise God before other believers, it encourages them to do the same… and look to the Lord… and think of Him.
c. Ps. 119:46 – I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
• We can use our mouths to speak about God and spiritual things before the world…
• We may not speak before kings—but we can speak about the Lord before people in high positions elsewhere—to your teachers at school… your boss…
• We can speak of God’s testimony before those who are not in high positions too—
d. Prov. 10:21 – The lips of the righteous feed many.
• Feed = pasture; pasturage; pasturing; bring to pasture—the work of a shepherd.
• It is a shepherding term, similar to the Greek word for “shepherding” which is sometimes also translated “Feed.”
• It is primarily used of feeding domestic animals
• The root is used of Jacob “feeding” Laban’s flocks. (Gen. 30:36)
• The most common occupation in Bible times was shepherding, so this concept would be quite familiar to Solomon and his readers.
• Shepherds fed their sheep… they led them to still waters… green pastures.
• The term for feed is broader than just feed… to take to pasture…
• The term involves that which a shepherd does for his sheep—especially feeding, but other duties are involved as well… caring, leading, guiding,
• Solomon states that ALL righteous men should use their lips to feed others. In fact, God uses all believers to “feed” His sheep… not just the pastor and elders.
• That’s what our lips are for according to Prov. 10:21!
• Do you use your lips to feed others?
3. Our speech should be kind and gracious… edifying to the soul.
a. Prov. 15:26 – but the words of the pure are pleasant words.
b. Prov. 16:24 – Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
c. Ecc. 10:12 – The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.
d. Col. 4:16 – Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt.
e. Eph. 4:29 – speak only that which will build up brother… not that which will tear him down.
f. It takes work… effort… concentration… the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to transform our speech into gracious speech.
B. Satisfied With Good
1. Satisfied: satisfy; filled; filled to excess; fulfilled… satiated… full… content.
a. Used in Ps. 107:9 – satisfaction is accomplished in the soul—produced by God.
b. When the Lord redeems Israel at His coming: And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD. (Jer. 31:14)
2. A man shall gain great satisfaction from a good use of his speech.
a. The father who faithfully reads the Scripture to his family can be satisfied—knowing that God will use His Word… it never comes back void!
b. The man or woman who sacrifices time each week to prepare a Sunday school lesson and uses his or her tongue to teach young people God’s Word can experience a sense of great satisfaction…
• What satisfaction knowing that you had a part in a young person’s life—his spiritual growth… perhaps even salvation!
• This isn’t a smug, patting of self on the back Solomon is describing. Rather it is a spirit of great blessing and contentment that comes from being used of the Lord to help build up the spiritual life of another believer.
c. There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from telling others about Christ—whether they respond in faith or not—we can rest in God’s contentment, knowing that He used us for His glory… for the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel!
d. Prov. 25:11 – Well timed words are beautiful and valuable — like golden fruit in a silver basket… beautiful… attractive… appreciated… appealing to the soul…
e. II Cor. 1: 3-4 – What a sense of satisfaction is ours when God uses us to comfort the afflicted—even one or two words, fitly spoken can be used greatly!
• Do you know someone who needs comforting? Use your mouth for good!
• Solomon says that not only will the other person benefit—but so will you!
• What a sense of accomplishment when we are used of the Lord to lift someone up… comfort a downcast heart…
• It is better to GIVE than to receive.
f. This sense of satisfaction even comes rebuking a brother—especially if he receives it well… and you can know that your warning was used of the Lord to keep a brother from making a foolish mistake…
The Works of His Hands
1. This thought is nearly identical to vs.11 –
a. The man who works hard and tills his land will be satisfied with the fruit of his labors.
b. Here, the man who works hard with his hands will be recompensed—paid back… he will be rewarded with the RESULTS of his labor.
c. Whether it is a farmer tilling the land, or a factory worker building cars, a carpenter building a house, or a baker baking pastries, or a computer programmer programming computers… there is a sense of satisfaction that comes from the work of one’s hands. (Assuming he is a hard worker doing a good job).
2. Solomon compares two kinds of fruit—the fruit from our mouth and our hands.
a. The words of a man’s mouth are seen here on par with the works of his hands.
b. They can bring equal satisfaction.
• One man may not be a great exhorter or teacher… but he can use his hands to help others… he can paint a fence… help a brother chop down trees… or use his hands to help..
• Whether we are adept at using our speech to help a brother—or using our hands, both can be helpful—and both bring satisfaction to the one who helps.
• It doesn’t matter what your gift is—when your gift is used for the good of others and the glory of God—it brings a sense of satisfaction.
c. Everybody knows the satisfaction that comes from doing a good job on a project. (The boss compliments your work; you feel good that it came out well; it brings a sense of pride—or perhaps better—satisfaction.)
d. Perhaps we hadn’t thought of the satisfaction that can come from the use of our mouth in this way.
3. Rom. 6:13 – Regardless of our spiritual gift and natural abilities (speech or hands) — EVERY member of our body is to be yielded to God… presented as an offering to Him for His service.
a. When we do this, we might be surprised HOW God can use your consecrated tongue… and hands.
b. You may have thought that you had no talent with your hands as a craftsman—but when yielded to God, the Lord can use them in a great way!
c. You may have thought that you have no talent with your tongue—to teach, exhort, comfort, sing, testify, witness, etc…
d. Try YIELDING your tongue to the Lord. You may be surprised to see how God uses you!
e. God could feed 5000 with a little boy’s lunch. He can use our meager talents for His glory too!
4. Prov. 12:14 states that God REWARDS men who yield their members to Him.
a. Whether it be your mouth or your hands…
b. The reward is an inner sense of satisfaction that comes from a life yielded TO God and used BY God for His glory.
c. To the degree that our members are yielded to God and used of the Lord — we will experience satisfaction… a contentment that only God can give.
d. We get a sense of satisfaction in this life—and rewards in glory! It pays to be yielded to God.
e. Godliness—with the contentment it breeds—is great gain!
Proverbs 12:15
Right in His Own Eyes
Introduction:
1. This verse marks a preeminent characteristic of a fool and of a wise man.
2. A person’s response to advice and counsel differentiates between a fool and a wise man.
• Do we continue to cling to ideas that we have been repeatedly counseled to abandon as being inconsistent with Scripture?
• Do we continue to be involved in a practice that godly people have advised us against?
• Do we listen to advice? Do we take it to heart, or do we just listen as a gesture of politeness… and then continue to do our own thing?
1. Way: road, journey, manner, path; direction; habit, course of life
2. This term implies that the fool is paving his own way… his own path…
a. The fool has his own way of doing things…
b. He has chosen the direction he wants his life to take…
c. He has picked up his own habits along the way…
d. He is carving out his own course of life…
e. He has developed his own mannerisms…
3. Over time this “way” (his habits) become not only a way of life, but his character. Over time, fools develop their own “way.”
1. “Right in his own eyes.”
a. The fool THINKS he is always right… regardless of the facts.
b. From HIS slanted perspective, he IS right… or at least as far as he is concerned.
c. The fool doesn’t care how his actions are perceived by others. All he cares about is whether he is right in his OWN eyes.
2. What he fails to appreciate is the fact that his OWN way is twisted… off base… and often just plain wrong!
a. Jer. 17:19 – the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it? Man’s heart deceives him into thinking he is right…
b. Things are NOT as they appear to the fool.
c. The fool has developed his own way of rationalizing everything away… so that in the end, he has concluded that whatever he wants… whatever he likes best… whatever he chooses must be right!
d. Jer. 10:23 – it is not in man to direct his steps. God has TOLD us this… yet the fool denies it. He thinks that he CAN direct his steps, and that his direction is right… or at least as good as anyone else’s!
e. Prov. 16:25 – “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
3. Prov. 21:2 – “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes.”
a. This proverb takes it one level higher.
b. Not only are the ways of a fool right in his own eyes, but here Solomon says that men have a knack for justifying ANYTHING in their own eyes!
c. It is part of human nature to think that OUR way is the right way. Every one of us thinks this way… whether we want to admit it or not.
d. Even Christians learn to justify their actions… and rationalize them.
• We watch things on TV and video that believers NEVER would have watched 25 years ago, and we justify it because, “at least it’s not as bad as that other show…”
• Christians are listening to the golden oldies radio station and are listening to the old rock songs—and justifying it, because, after all, the Beach Boys aren’t nearly as bad as the Gangster Rappers are today.
• Churches are doing away with prayer meeting and justifying it because “everybody’s too tired”… it’s too much trouble… and effort to come out mid week…
• Believers turn to drugs to calm down their nerves… and justify it because they have a prescription…
• Some believers begin dating an unsaved person—and rationalize that after they get married, my spouse will surely get saved…
• Some believers violate the biblical principle of separation and rationalize that they are doing it in order to lead someone to Christ. Separation will only turn them off…
• EVERY way of man can be rationalized away…
e. And if believers can justify such evil things—surely men in the world will!
• Even terrorists justify their horrible plots and are RIGHT in their own eyes!
• Abortionists are right in their own eyes.
• One of the priests arrested in Boston was part of an organization that believes pedophilia is right!
• The violent animal rights groups have convinced themselves that they are right… and if they destroy businesses and lives in their crusade, so be it!
• When two countries fight in a war—usually both sides think that they are right. One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.
4. Prov. 1:7 – “fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
a. Fools will not listen to instruction.
b. Why? Because they are right in their own eyes. Why listen?
c. Their motto is, “I’m right. Don’t confuse me with the facts.”
d. Their view of themselves is, “I’m smarter than everyone else. Nobody can give me advice.”
e. They are often so cynical that they believe when someone offers help, they are really trying to hurt them… tear them down—when often the person is trying to help!
f. Prov. 11:14 – he doesn’t realize that in the multitude of counselors there is safety! Counselors are out to help us, not hurt us!
5. He may be right in his own eyes, but not in any one else’s eyes!
a. Often others can see our errors more clearly than we can.
b. Very often when we are in the middle of a storm, our emotions take us away—and we are likely to make decisions based on emotion rather than reason. Sometimes we can make very foolish decisions!
c. Others who are standing outside that storm often have a clearer picture of what is really happening… and can offer some helpful advice!
d. Sometimes in counseling with folks with marital problems, it is so OBVIOUS what needs to be done… but that’s not what they wanted to hear. They say, “I want to do it MY way.”
e. A young person is tired of college, and in his junior year he gets a handsome offer at a local company. He wants to quit school and take the job—but you KNOW that his reason is because he is tired of school… you advise him to hang in there just another year and a half…
f. Sometimes believers do some foolish things… and have rationalized it in their own eyes… but in the eyes of everyone else, it is OBVIOUSLY foolish!
g. I have heard some folks justify some pretty crazy financial schemes… they are under a lot of financial pressure… and in their frenzy came up with a plan that includes all kinds of loans and credit cards…hopes of a ship coming in… with a little religious superstition thrown in…
h. As an outside observer, my counsel has been simple: you’re spending more than you are taking in. You can’t continue this way!
i. Sometimes folks are running around like a chicken with their head cut off trying to put out 15 fires—and they never seem to put any out at all…
j. Very often an outsider—who knows the Lord and His Word is able to offer some good advice!
6. Prov. 21:2b – The fool may be right in his own eyes, but his eyes are not what counts. What counts is how the Lord views their actions! (Cf. 16:2)
a. Regardless of how WE view things, the Lord ponders the heart.
b. The Lord knows what is going on in our heart… (Are we making excuses for ourselves? Are we purposely rationalizing things we know to be wrong? Are we violating our conscience?)
c. Knowing that it is our nature to rationalize and justify our actions… it is a GOOD thing to listen to godly counsel… especially if we know that God ponders the heart—He gets to the heart of the issue… and isn’t hoodwinked by our rationalizations…
d. Prov. 30:12 – they may be clean and pure in their sight, but they are not clean in God’s sight! We can deceive ourselves!
7. The fool is right in his own eyes.
a. This is what keeps a fool a fool… and prevents him from becoming wise!
b. This is what prevents a young person from maturing…
c. This is why many parents are not able to give their children more responsibility and privileges… because they haven’t grow up yet—they STILL think their foolish, childish ways are right!
d. Until they abandon those foolish ways, they CANNOT be given the privileges that belong only to the more mature.
1. Prov. 1:5 – a wise man will hear and OBEY.
a. Hear—does not mean that he hears simply with his ears, but he hears with his heart… it sinks in… he responds in a right way.
b. Sometimes kids will hear—because they HAVE to… their parents sit them down and give them advice… and they endure it…
c. But that does not mean that they are “hearkening” to the counsel.
d. Hearkening implies obedience…
• The wise man not only will LISTEN—he will SEEK after counsel… realizing the VALUE of it.
2. Prov. 9:9 – give instruction to a wise man and he becomes even wiser.
a. But if you give counsel to a fool, he does NOT become wiser… just more set in his foolish ways!
b. Good counsel is like good food. It has to be eaten before it does you any good!
3. Prov. 19:20 – listen to good counsel. It will be good in the “latter end.”
• It may be painful now… but good for you in the long run.
• It may involve some humbling of self or egg in the face now—but it will be much better over time.
4. What keeps a wise man from becoming a fool?
a. This very capacity to listen: He hearkens to counsel and advice!
b. A man can be wise for a while, and then revert BACKWARDS… to being foolish. Solomon was like that!
c. Ecc. 4:13 – an old foolish king who won’t listen to advice is worse off than a wise boy who is poor… growing up in the slum… (Could Solomon have been thinking of himself here?)
5. Prov. 3:7-8 – Don’t be wise in your own sight. FEAR God! That will be good for you in the long run!
Proverbs 12:16
A Fool’s Wrath
1. The fool: one who rejects wisdom;
a. The fool is contrasted to the prudent man in the second half of the verse.
b. The fool is deficient morally—not mentally.
c. In the previous verse, the fool was characterized by being “right in his own eyes.” Nobody can tell him anything—because he thinks he’s always right.
d. Now we’re told that this fool is also characterized by making known his wrath.
2. Wrath: anger; grief; frustration; vexation; provoked; annoyed.
a. This term includes more than just anger…
b. It is a term used to describe several emotions—frustration; anger; grief of heart; being provoked.
c. Solomon is describing the fact that if somebody provokes a foolish man… the fool displays his anger… he blows up.
d. How is a man provoked?
• Insults…
• Attempting to show him his errors… trying to correct him…
• An argument over an issue…
• Cutting him off in traffic…
• A boss telling him to do a task he doesn’t like doing…
• Seeing someone else elevated above him…
• Run out of gas…
• A delivery comes late…
• Washing machine breaks…
• Snow blower won’t start…
• There are countless ways in which a man might be provoked to anger… or insulted… put down… slandered…annoyed…
3. The fool’s wrath is presently known.
a. Presently: time; today; now; in that day; at that time;
• He lets his wrath or frustration be known instantly!
• Prov. 14:17 – He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly…
• He gets mad in a hurry and he displays it in a hurry.
• Prov. 14:29 – hasty of spirit… he instantly reacts to his anger or frustration… in doing so, he exalts folly.
b. Known: manifested; displayed; perceived; made known; declared.
• When a fool is mad, everybody knows it… right away.
• He doesn’t hold his anger in. He lets it rip… right in front of everyone… no matter where he is.
4. He exercises no self control; no self restraint;
a. Prov. 25:28 – He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
• This is a pitiful condition…
• He is a slave to his emotions… to his anger… frustration…
• Like a city broken down and without walls.
» City walls were its first line of defense… to protect the city from the enemy.
» A man who cannot control his emotions is like a defenseless city… easily overcome by the enemy!
» No line of defense—the enemy can march in and take over at will!
• All it takes is a little something to go wrong and he blows up.
» All it takes is a minor incident, and he looses it—because he has no control over his own spirit…
» The smallest annoyance sends him into a rage…
» At the tiniest insult or dig and he explodes and turns it into an all out war!
» He’s like a city without walls… defenseless against the enemy: himself!
b. Prov. 29:11 – a fool utters all his mind… wise men don’t. Wise men use restraint. (No control of his tongue either…)
• I wish I had a nickel for every person who has said in one form or another, “I’m the kind of guy who says what he’s thinking. If I don’t like something I let you know! If something’s on my mind, I say it!”
• Thinking that he is the macho, cowboy type to be admired…
• In reality, he is more like the fool who utters all his mind.
c. This poor fool has no control over his spirit… his inner man.
• He can’t control his tongue… and suffers for it…
• He can’t control his anger… and suffers for it…
• He can’t control his emotions… and everyone around him suffers for it!
5. This is the behavior of a fool.
a. He always thinks he’s right…that his way is the best way…
b. And if anyone tries to tell him otherwise, he gets upset… and everyone hears about it… NOW!
c. “I’m mad and everybody around me is going to pay for it!”
d. Road rage; loud arguments in the parking lot.
e. It can lead to murder; to divorce; to a ruined life…
f. It’s a miserable way to live… a slave to our fallen nature.
1. When a prudent man is angry, provoked, or insulted, he covers his anger.
a. He doesn’t make a big deal of the insult.
b. He is not thin skinned… easily bruised.
c. If someone tries to shame him, insult him, or hurt him, or annoy him — he ignores it… turns the other cheek… covers it up…
d. This is a demonstration of the grace of God at work in the heart.
e. This is the way of wisdom… the prudent man.
f. Prudent: subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly, sensible…
g. He is subtler about that which annoys him.
h. There are better ways to deal with insults… provocations… and annoyances.
i. Blowing up; making a scene; losing one’s temper; are hardly examples of subtlety.
j. He sees it as shameful behavior to explode. That kind of shameful behavior ought not to be displayed… but rather buried!
2. Shame:
a. What is the shame that is covered?
• Anger; outward expressions of wrath; frustration.
b. The prudent man knows that anger is shameful… and SHOULD be covered up… not expressed.
c. The wise man is ashamed of anger in his own breast… and refuses to let it speak out…
d. Anger loves to lash out in loud, boisterous ways… shameful ways.
e. The wise man refuses to vent it.
3. Wisdom demands that anger be COVERED.
a. This is the opposite of what psychology says.
b. They say, “let it out.” “Express it” or it will damage you internally… like a pressure cooker—you have to let out the steam eventually or it will blow up and create much damage.
c. Solomon says that the heart of man is NOT like a pressure cooker.
d. Solomon says that anger is not to be publicly expressed in a loud explosion, but covered up.
6. How Hannah handled provocation…
a. I Sam. 1:6 – Hannah’s adversary provoked her…
b. Provoked – same term as “wrath” (provocation)…
c. Elkanah had 2 wives (not a good idea.)
• Peninnah had children… and provoked Hannah, who had none.
• Provocation: insulted her; tried to put her down; grieved her heart.
• It had to do with the fact that Hannah had no children; a sensitive and sore spot… Peninnah attacked her and tried to provoke her into a fight… to grief… to hurt her…
• Vs. 7 – this went on for years…
d. Hannah’s response
• Vs. 7b – she wept and fasted… but did not strike back.
• 1:15-16 – Hannah took her provocation (wrath/grief) to the Lord…
• Her wrath or provocation was NOT presently known. She didn’t blast the one provoking her.
• Rather, she controlled her spirit… took her frustrating experience to the Lord… and trusted in Him.
• Hannah was a prudent woman.
7. II Chron. 16:10 – How Asa handled provocation…
a. Vs. 7 – Hanani the seer came to rebuke Asa for having relied upon the king of Syria rather than the Lord.
b. Vs. 10 – Asa’s response: his wrath was presently known—and God’s prophet was put in prison and the people oppressed!
c. Asa, (of whom it was written—his heart was perfect before the Lord) at this moment of weakness, acted like the fool.
d. He refused to take counsel… thought his way was right… refused correction… and when corrected went into a rage.
e. He was angry—and everyone around him suffered!
f. Even godly men can behave like fools… when we refuse correction… and when we refuse to control our emotions.
g. And how damaging to our testimony when believer’s wrath is presently known!
8. Prov. 16:32 – He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
a. The man who was HASTY to anger… who could not control his spirit… the man whose wrath and frustration is presently known is like a city broken down and without walls—on easily conquered.
b. But the man who is SLOW to anger… who covers shame… ignores insults and countless other infractions daily… is not easily conquered. He is the conqueror—like a mighty man who takes over a city!
c. It is a far better quality to be able to have victory over one’s own SELF… to conquer one’s own emotions… than it is to be able to conquer a city.
Proverbs 12:17
Speaking Truth
Introduction:
1. This passage speaks about “righteousness” or “justice.”
2. The verse has a legal ring to it… almost like a courtroom… where two men give testimony.
3. One man testifies truly and the other man lies.
4. In a courtroom scene… or in a school… or at the workplace… or even in church—these are the two types of testimony: truth or deception.
1. In this first section of the verse, Solomon equates speaking the truth with righteousness.
2. Truth: firmness; fidelity; faithfulness; truth; steadfastness.
a. Truth is viewed as that report which is faithful…
b. A true report is faithful to reality…fidelity to the facts… it is an accurate account of what actually occurred… nothing added… nothing subtracted.
c. If it is a true report, then it is firm and steadfast—for truth does not change. One testifying does not change his report if his report is true.
d. A man reporting on a true account doesn’t change the details for any reason (make self look better; embellish; help out a friend; to hide something; to support an ideology; to bolster a personal agenda; etc.)
e. A true report is firm… unchangeable—even if pressure is applied. Lawyers try to cross examine a witness with rapid fire, blistering questions—hoping to get the witness to change a detail of his story and thus cause him to lose credibility.
f. A true report is steadfast over time. The gospel was true 2000 years ago, and it is just as true today. When a man speaks truth, his words (taken in their context) will be true when he spoke them—and years later too.
3. Speaking truth…
a. Solomon does not have THE truth in mind… but truth in general.
b. Solomon is not speaking about doctrine or the faith… but rather speaking that is accurate…correct… factual…honest… free from lies or deception.
c. This ought to characterize OUR speech. We should speak truth.
d. James 5:12 – Hence, the believer has no need for making oaths…lest ye fall into condemnation (lit = hypocrisy)
e. When we speak, others should have confidence that they are hearing an accurate account of the facts.
f. When some folks talk, you KNOW that you are getting some facts and lots of embellishment… their speech is to be taken with a grain of salt…
g. James’ point is that our speech should be simple… just the facts… the truth…
• Yea should mean yea. Nay means nay.
• This is a call for straightforward speech. Don’t speak like so many politicians do!
4. Righteousness: justice; right-ness. The term is used of kings; judges; civil or judicial.
a. Justice is an important theme in the book of Proverbs.
• Understandably so. These are the writings of a King—who also functioned as a Judge.
• One of Solomon’s first acts as a king was his work as a judge—in determining who was the true mother of the infant.
• An important duty of a king in those days was to act as a judge in important matters, which were not able to be resolved in the judicial system.
• Hence, Solomon wrote a lot about justice. It is an important element in any society…
• If people believe they are not being treated with justice, there can be no peace. No justice, no peace!
• The concept of justice and fairness crops up often in both Testaments. God demands it of us.
b. Truth and righteousness are parallel in this proverb.
• The one who speaks truth is at the same time speaking righteousness—justice.
• Truth and justice go hand in hand.
• If people feel they are being treated fairly and justly, they will normally submit to the king’s reign… or the teacher’s classroom… or the family rules… or the local church leadership.
• But if people feel that they are being treated UNFAIRLY… unjustly… they will often rebel… stir up controversy…
• This leads to disruption in the classroom… rebellion in the home… division in the local church… and even a civil war in a nation.
5. Sheweth forth: to tell; declare; announce; report; make known; to inform of; proclaim.
a. The man who speaks truth is an announcer… a reporter…
b. He speaks truth and in doing so he proclaims righteousness… justice.
c. In other words, Solomon tells us here HOW to make justice known: speak TRUTH!
d. When two sides are in a controversy go head to head…
• Whether it is fighting between siblings; feuding tribes; political battles; racial conflicts; religious arguments; moral conflicts like abortion; or management in-fighting…
• Solomon has a solution: speak truth.
e. What often happens is that:
• The two sides speak loudly against each other.
• They use inflammatory rhetoric.
• They employ name-calling.
• They embellish their arguments.
• They speak half-truths to make their side look good and the other side look foolish.
• They conveniently leave out facts not favorable to their side… and over-emphasize facts that put them in a good light.
• They make their opponents’ faults look like mountains and make their own faults look like molehills…
f. When the goal is to win the argument… or come out on top… or to promote your agenda… too often justice is not obtained—even if you DO win the argument…
• Solomon’s advice here is to put all that energy into seeking and then speaking the TRUTH.
• Truth carries great weight. When truth is clearly demonstrated, there IS no arguing with it.
• Show the evidence and put an end to the argument.
g. Truth promotes justice…
• If Tommy and Billy are arguing over who got the biggest piece of cake—stop and measure the cake—present the evidence—and that will end the argument. Once the cake is measured, you can speak the truth… and the truth will carry great weight.
• When two sides are arguing… it is wise to stop… take the emotion out of the argument… remove the inflammatory language… strip the argument down to the bare facts. Let the facts speak for themselves.
• This is a helpful tool for conflicts in the home too… or the office… or the church.
• When the truth is arrived at—speak it… cling to it… to whatever position it leads… and that will promote justice.
• People will no longer feel they are being cheated… wronged… violated… if they can see the truth clearly.
• Nothing promotes justice, equity, fairness, and righteousness like speaking forth truth.
• If someone is being treated unfairly—speak the truth. The truth will expose it.
• If someone is embellishing the facts or stretching things a bit—speak the truth. Error is exposed by truth.
• In so many of these types of conflicts—truth resolves the conflict… if it can be clearly demonstrated.
• Speak forth the truth—and SHOW justice…
6. Truth and Justice.
a. Solomon also seems to imply that there should be a relationship between truth and justice: truth should be spoken in order to get at JUSTICE.
b. It is possible to testify and not lie… but avoid justice.
• A witness in a courtroom may have witnessed a murder. Perhaps he saw his friend Tom kill his wife… but nobody knew that he knew.
• Everything he said was true… he never lied on stand… he did not commit perjury.
• However, he kept his mouth shut when he should have spoken truth. Fred got convicted UNFAIRLY… wrongly… a travesty of justice… and our witness did nothing to promote justice.
c. Solomon implies that the PURPOSE of speaking truth is to promote righteousness… equity… justice!
• Speak truth AND show forth righteousness! Don’t stop short of justice.
• Truth is good—but use it properly. Use it to promote that which is right… fair… and just.
• It’s not enough to speak truth. We must also show forth righteousness… justice… speak truth with a purpose… the RIGHT purpose.
1. The false witness = the liar!
a. He distorts the truth… stretches the truth… covers up the truth… embellishes the truth… omits the truth… changes the truth…
b. He is not fair; not honest; not faithful; not reliable; not trustworthy;
2. No verb is inserted here—but implied is “shows forth.”
a. The true witness shows forth righteousness.
b. The false witness shows forth deception.
3. Deception.
a. Translated: “false” twice; “guile” twice; “feigned” once; “craft” once; “subtlety” once; and “treachery”.
b. This term does not necessarily imply an outright, boldfaced lie. It speaks of subtlety… craftiness… deception…
c. It is possible to speak true facts and present them in such a way so as to deceive… to lead astray… to give people the wrong impression…
d. This can be accomplished by lying. It can also be accomplished by telling half-truths… by omitting important details… by speaking true facts but in the wrong order. There are all kinds of ways to deceive…
4. Solomon says here that the false witness promotes deception…
a. Perhaps to make himself look good—or to make an enemy look bad.
b. Perhaps to promote his cause or agenda… or to damage the cause of the opposition…
c. Politicians might call this “spin.”
d. Some might call it “personal perspective.”
e. Some might call it “the official party line.”
f. If it is a deception of any sort, God calls it a “lie.”
g. God sees the heart—the motive—the intent of the heart.
Proverbs 12:18
Piercing or Healing?
1. There is:
a. What Solomon is about to describes EXISTS… there truly IS such a thing…
b. He states it this way almost in anticipation of someone having a hard time believing that such a thing actually exists.
2. Speaketh:
a. Strong’s: to speak rashly or angrily; speak thoughtlessly; one that babbles; one that speaks unadvisedly.
b. Dictionary of Biblical Languages: to use words in a reckless manner showing little or no wisdom or discipline, as a kind of foolish talk.
c. The term is only used 4 times in Bible.
d. The term is used in Ps. 106:33 – he “spake unadvisedly” with his lips.
e. Thought (though not the word) appears in Prov. 15:28b – the mouth of the wicked poureth out…
f. This term is translated by the English word “speaketh”… but means more. We have to add adverbs to get its equivalent in English.
3. It is a particular KIND of speech…
a. It is rash… thinking harshly… and without forethought… babbling out words without consideration…
b. It is the kind of speech that just bursts out without thinking.
c. Evidently this kind of speech was so common, they had a special Hebrew just for this kind of speech.
d. I don’t think I have to belabor the point. We all know from experience the kind of speech Solomon is describing… don’t we!
4. Thoughtless speech comes in many varieties too.
a. Anger is the most common culprit…
b. Other uncontrolled emotions can trigger it too: envy; jealousy; bitterness; hatred;
c. Constant speech is often thoughtless…
• Prov.10:19 – in the multitude of words there lacketh not sin
• The one who is constantly talking cannot be constantly thinking about what he is saying. Hence—sin… and piercing…
d. Self-centeredness often results in thoughtless speech (thinking of self and oblivious to the sensibilities and feelings of others)
e. Frustration often results in thoughtless speech.
f. Ignorance: some folks speak without knowing the facts. What they ignorantly say can be quite hurtful… (Prov. 18:13)
g. A general lack of self control results in thoughtless speech.
5. Like the piercings of a sword…
a. Piercings: thrust through, stab, piercing…
b. This is figurative language which speaks of the result of thoughtless speech: it hurts like being stabbed with a sword.
c. The figure is one of a man taking a sword and stabbing someone…
• Picture it—blood; cutting into the flesh; deep piercing wounds;
• The figure is designed to be hard to take.
d. Paul used another figure of speech which means something quite similar: “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” (Gal. 5:15)
e. There is something about thoughtless language that is like being stabbed with a sword:
• It is painful…
» Words can hurt more than a sword…
» Words can paralyze another human being…
• It is a deep wound, not a superficial scratch…
» Physical wounds heal over time. Usually there are stitches, some medication, pain relievers, or ointments that help the heal the wound.
» But no such pain relievers can take away the pain of thoughtless words.
• It takes a long time to heal… unlike the scratch…
» Physical wounds heal much quicker than wounds on the inside… wounds that are inflicted because of rash speech.
» Some people live with the burden of thoughtless words all their lives…
» Like a sword, thoughtless words can leave scars that don’t ever go away.
» You can forgive a person for rash words… but that doesn’t mean you will ever forget it.
» Long after the argument is over—or the harsh words are ended, those words continue to echo in the back of your mind…
• It has long lasting effects; it takes one second to stab someone; it takes a long time to heal.
» Think of that before you speak. You can cause weeks—even years of hurt—by one harsh word, thoughtlessly and rashly spoken.
• It cannot be reversed; once you stab someone, you can’t take it back or undo it.
» After you stab someone, you can pull the sword out and promise not to do it again—but that doesn’t change anything. They’re still stabbed!
» We can say cruel things thoughtless, and WISH we didn’t later… but our repentance doesn’t make the hurt go away.
» Once you say it, you can’t ever really take it back. You can’t un-ring the bell.
» You can apologize — and they can forgive you… but you still said it… and the person still remembers… and it still hurts.
» How much better not to stab someone in the first place!
6. This kind of rash speech makes life miserable…
a. In the home…
• Sometimes parents say the harshest, cruelest things to their children… without even thinking of the effects of their words.
» Don’t ever call your child stupid… useless… good for nothing…
» You may say it without thinking—but those wounds could last a lifetime.
» You won’t stab them with a sword would you? Then don’t stab them with your mouth!
• Sometimes spouses use their speech to tear into their mate.
» Married couples can inflict such misery upon their spouses… and in turn, upon themselves by a careless use of the tongue.
» Arguing is like throwing knives at each other. It is a similar kind of battle…
» You can use your tongue to constantly hurt… throw barbs… use words as a dig… designed to hurt…
» Why live that way? Lot’s of couples decide enough is enough. I can’t take this kind of abuse any more. I’ve had it with being pierced and stabbed every day.
» I don’t blame them one bit for saying “I’ve had it.”
» Unfortunately, too often couples get divorced because they are worn out and emotionally exhausted and wounded from all the thoughtless speech…
» How much better to put an end to the thoughtless speech rather than putting an end to the relationship!
» Don’t live that way. It’s too hard. It’s too painful.
• Sometimes church members can use their speech as a sword… to harm, pierce, and stab others in the back.
» Thoughtless speech in the home can result in divorce.
» Thoughtless speech in the church can result in division…
7. The answer to rash, thoughtless speech is slow, thoughtful, careful speech.
a. Prov.17:27-28 – a man of understanding carefully chooses his words; uses words sparingly; He thinks first—and after thinking, realizes that much of what he COULD have said is better left unsaid.
b. Prov. 15:28 – it is wise to STUDY to answer… don’t just blurt things out without thinking. THINK before you speak.
c. Col. 4:6 – the answer to rash, harsh, biting speech is grace!
d. James 1:19 – be swift to hear; slow to speak; slow to wrath…
1. Prov.18:21 – death and life are in the power of the tongue. They can be either like poison or medicine.
• With all the harm that can result from rash speech—great GOOD can result from wise, thoughtful speech.
2. Health: wholesome; sound; profitable; cure; healing…
a. We can use our speech like a sword to tear someone to shreds…
b. We can use our tongue to tear down our household OR we can choose to use our tongue to build it up!
c. Words that are carefully, thoughtfully, graciously spoken can have a wonderful healing… restorative… gentle… soothing effect.
d. A word spoken in due season, how good it is!
e. Our words can be used to lift up a discouraged soul; to cheer the sorrowful; to comfort the weak; support the feeble; to edify; restore; heal
3. Words can heal relationships that have been hurt by thoughtless speech… making all whole again, restoring peace, bringing about reconciliation…
a. Prov. 12:14 – a man who brings about health… healing… restoration… reconciliation… by his speech will be SATISFIED!
b. It feels good to restore and heal relationships that have been stressed, strained, and frazzled by life’s trials… and exacerbated by careless speech.
c. Prov. 15:26 – if our heart is pure, then our words will be pleasant… healing… healthy… sound… uplifting…
• When our words are NOT pleasant—then our heart is not pure.
• But if our heart is pure—then our words WILL be pleasant.
• Prov. 16:24 – Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
• Isn’t that what we want in our homes and in our church?
• Our tongue is an instrument; yielded to God it results in healing.
• Yielded to the flesh—it tears others apart like a sword.
• We can make life exceedingly pleasant OR incredibly painful.
• What we yield our tongue to is our choice. Choose to use your tongue as an instrument of righteousness… to build up… heal… and bring sweetness to the soul.
• No man can tame it; but we CAN yield it… to God.
Proverbs 12:19
Truth and Lies
Introduction:
1. These two verses continue the ongoing context of speech which began in vs.14.
2. In verse 19, Solomon makes a statement about speaking truth that perhaps some of us might question. Is it really true?
1. Is this statement true? Is it always true or just sometimes true?
2. He seems to be saying that truth wins out over lies.
3. It is certainly a noble thought, but is it true?
a. What about the Christian martyrs during the Reformation?
• Their lips spoke truth, but they were not established forever. They were put to death.
• Those who put them to death promoted lies… and didn’t last but a moment. Many of them remained in power for years after the death of those who spoke the truth.
b. What about Pastor Harlon Popov, who spoke the truth and was imprisoned and tortured for 13 years in Bulgaria? Those who lied in order to send him to jail went free.
c. What about the Christian people in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan who spoke the truth and were imprisoned or suffered at the hands of the religious police?
d. What about the countless men who are in prison in our country today for crimes they did not commit—because they told the truth but someone else with a better lawyer lied against them?
e. What about the time that you were telling the truth but your so-called friend was lying about you behind your back?
4. Solomon is not saying that truth always wins out in our daily experience.
a. Rather, he is saying in this passage that from God’s perspective, truth will eventually win out over error…
b. From eternity’s perspective, truth will last… lies and liars will not.
1. Truth SHALL BE established forever.
a. Maybe not in our lifetime… but it shall be one day!
b. The martyrs never lived to see truth established, but it shall be one day.
c. We should not be discouraged nor should our faith be shaken if we do not see truth established in our day.
d. Folks at the office may lie about you and cause you to lose out on a promotion… they may slander you falsely… and may seem to win the day… and win the hearts of your coworkers.
e. But their day is coming…
f. I Cor. 4:5 – Here Paul points ahead to the Bema seat—when the Lord will judge all things.
• Paul had been lied about and slandered—by the Corinthians!
• Vs. 3 – they judged Paul and his ministry wrongly. (Perhaps you too have been criticized and judged wrongly…)
• Vs. 4 – Paul knew that while men might lie about him and judge him wrongly, the judgment he truly cared about was that from the Lord.
• Vs. 5 – Paul states that when the rapture occurs, believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
• And in that day God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness.
• These are not bad things… just hidden… “In darkness” does not refer to that which is evil, but to that which is not seen.
• While men lied about Paul, his ministry, his motives, his intentions, etc… Paul states that one day the Lord will bring to light what was REALLY on Paul’s heart… his true motives…
• And then he shall have praise from God — for the things hidden away in Paul’s heart that no one else could see, (his motives and intentions) — would be judged PROPERLY by the Lord and Paul would be exonerated by the Lord.
• This is what enabled Paul to deal with such lies and slander leveled against him without going crazy… without blowing up.
• He knew that one day—maybe not in his earthly life, but one day, his lips of truth shall be established… and the liars exposed.
• You and I need to know this too. Even though lies and liars seem to get away with using their tongues like the piercings of a sword—they won’t get away with it forever.
• One day truthful lips SHALL BE established.
g. This has long been a prayer of godly saints throughout the ages… that finally truth and righteousness would be established and the lies, liars, and the ungodly would have their day of justice.
• Ps. 7:9 – Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
• It has always SEEMED to the human eye that wicked men and liars get away with murder… and the just and those who tell the truth suffer.
• Solomon, speaking from eternity’s perspective states that one day, the lip of truth SHALL BE established.
• How we all long for that day.
2. Truth shall be ESTABLISHED forever…
a. Established: to be firm; be stable; be established; fixed; enduring; secured; stable.
b. It SEEMS like liars are well established in the world. They control the thrones and kingdoms…
c. And believers, who have the truth—are a tiny remnant… a miniscule minority…
d. Our existence here seems tentative at best.
e. At any moment the government could pass a law and outlaw Christianity… or demand that we join the World Council of Churches…
f. Yet, the one who speaks truth shall be established.
• This will take place before the Bema seat…
• But even in this life, the one who speaks truth will be established in heart… strong in the inner man…
• Ps. 112:7-8 – his heart is fixed; established… the lips that speak truth will be established; such truth comes from a heart of truth… which heart is established—strengthened by God!
• There is something solid, poised, dignified, strong about the man, woman, or child whose lips speak truth.
• That person is firm, stable, secure, stable…
3. Truth shall be established FOREVER…
a. The one who speaks truth is established FOREVER…
b. Truth is eternal. Truth doesn’t change.
c. No one can change the truth either.
d. Men may attempt to burn all our Bibles; they may try to quench our preaching; hinder our evangelism; outlaw our faith—but nothing can overthrow the truth. It shall be established forever.
e. I Pet. 1:24-25 – Evil men who attempt to hinder the truth and promote lies are but grass. But the truth—God’s Word—abides forever.
1. From our perspective, this doesn’t always seem to be the case.
a. Sometimes liars and deceivers lie and deceive for many years!
b. How long has Rome been lying about the gospel? How long have some of the world’s dictators lied to their people? How long have people lied about you?
c. From our perspective, the lying tongue may go on for a long time… for years… for centuries.
2. But from God’s perspective, it IS but for a moment.
a. Our whole life is but a vapor.
b. Time is nothing to God.
c. Even if God allows lies to go on for centuries, that is but for a moment from eternity’s perspective.
3. While we struggle with the time element… God doesn’t. The important point in this passage is that lies and liars will NOT go on forever.
a. Eventually Satan, the father of all lies will be banished… and so too all that speak lies.
b. Rev. 21:8 – liars shall have their part in the Lake of Fire.
c. Rev. 21:27 – no one shall enter who makes lies.
d. Rev. 22:14-15 – note that those who do NOT enter the heavenly city are described as “whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
c. The Bible makes it clear that in the end, God deals with liars with force and finality.
d. God is truth and in Him is no lie. He hates lies infinitely.
e. Psalm 52:4-5 – Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
4. But to revisit this thought from our perspective…
a. In this life, lies are but for moment in this sense: we usually lie when put on the spot—and find that a little lie is the best way to save face in the immediate… or the easiest way out of an uncomfortable situation…
• A police officer asks why you were speeding;
• Your boss asks why you were late to the meeting or how the project is coming;
• Your teacher asks you if you understand the problem you are working on… and you are embarrassed to say no…
• Or at home, someone says, “who finished off the ice cream? Or “who spilled the juice?” Or “who left the lights on?” — and nobody did it!
b. Sometimes we lie to take the pressure off us in a heated conversation… we think that the lie will bring some immediate relief… and it may… for the moment. But it is only for a moment.
c. In time—be sure your sin will find you out!
d. Prov. 19:9 – eventually, the liar will meet up with the truth. Eventually, all liars shall be punished. Truth and justice shall ultimately prevail.
e. The book of Job says, “The joy of the hypocrite but for a moment.”
f. Sometimes the liar is dealt with immediately—as with Ananias and Saphira. But sometimes the liar seems to get away peddling his evil wares for years.
g. Solomon gives us assurance, that in the end, the lip of truth shall be established—and the lying tongue will be but a moment—a blinking of an eye.
Proverbs 12:20
Deceit or Joy
1. Them that imagine evil…
a. Evil = evil; distress; misery; injury; calamity; adversity; trouble; strife; tragedy.
» The term does not always imply that which is immoral, but it does in this passage.
» Solomon states here that some men IMAGINE evil… they plan it… they prepare for it… they devise it… and carry their evil plans out!
b. Imagine: to cut in; plough; engrave; devise.
• This term implies a plan to cut out a course of action—as a plowman cuts out a furrow in his field.
• He plans it and carries it out…
• Prov. 3:29 – same term is used here—“devise” not evil against thy neighbor. This verse forbids doing what 12:20 is talking about… imagining… planning evil against someone.
• We are commanded NOT to imagine such things… NOT to even think about harming others.
• Let’s face it—we’ve all had such thoughts.
• Don’t allow your mind to THINK on such things. Don’t train yourself to think along those lines.
• Think on things that are lovely, pure, honest, of good report, etc…
• Yet, we know that some men DO imagine evil.
• Prov. 6:12-14 – Some wicked men devise mischief continually! It’s their life… their reason for being…
• Prov. 6:16-18 – This is one of the six things God hates: men whose hearts devise wicked imaginations… evil plans.
• There are cells of evil men around the world today planning evil against Americans and Jews… waiting for the opportune time to carry out their evil plans.
2. Deceit = falsehood; treachery; craft.
a. Of course, he is speaking here of intentional deceit.
b. Sometimes men with good intentions are given incorrect information and mistakenly deceive others… or lead them to a wrong conclusion.
c. Solomon is not speaking about someone who has been fed some misinformation.
d. He is speaking about someone who has deceit in his heart… he lets deceit fester in his heart… his heart is a breeding ground for deception… he is planning to deceive… he purposes to deceive… that is what is going on in the depths of his heart—deception and more deception.
3. Deceit is a way of life for the wicked… it is in his heart.
a. vs. 5 – the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
b. Prov. 11:18 – the wicked work a deceitful work
c. Prov. 26:24 – a hateful man dissembleth with his lips, and lays up deceit within him.
d. Prov. 26:26 – hatred is covered up by deceit
4. Solomon states here that evil men imagine (plan and plot) their evil designs with deception in their hearts.
a. They plan evil, but cover up their real intentions.
b. They plan evil, but deceive others as to the course of action they are devising.
c. They plan evil, but deceive by making it look good.
d. They plan evil, but deceive men as to their actions, their motives, their goals, their purposes, their methods…
e. They plan evil, and deceive men into thinking that they have no evil intentions… until they carry out their evil intentions to the harm and injury of others.
5. There are countless examples of such evil devices in the Bible… men who planned evil, and used deception to cover up their true intents.
a. Absalom – planned to overthrow his father, and accomplished by deceiving the people into thinking he was out for their best interest.
b. Haman – planned to destroy all the Jews in the Persian Empire… and tried to cover up his true intentions.
c. The Babylonian presidents – planned to get rid of Daniel, whom they hated—and did so by a deceptive plan they knew would snare only Daniel.
d. The Jews who planned to kill Paul – and secretly deceived the rulers into thinking they wanted to examine him.
e. The devil – the first example in the Bible of one who planned evil against mankind—and did so with deception in his heart.
6. Have you ever imagined or devised evil against someone—with deceit in your heart?
a. Chances are, we all have.
b. Maybe you never carried the plot out, but have you ever imagined evil against someone? Have you ever wished harm, or shame, or a fall, or some calamity, or evil to befall someone you didn’t like? Perhaps hoping they would not get the promotion… hoping someone in the office would slander them… wishing that people would turn against them….
c. Have you had such thoughts, and then try to hide those thoughts? Have you perhaps smiled at the very person you had evil thoughts about? Isn’t that deception? Hypocrisy? Secretly wishing harm to them, but not letting on?
d. That’s the same kind of sin described here.
1. Counsellors of peace:
a. Counsellors: to advise; consult; counsel; purpose; devise; plan.
b. Peace: lots of various usages: completeness; soundness; welfare; safety; welfare; health; prosperity; quiet; tranquility; contentment; friendship.
c. Counselors of peace: those who make plans and intend to carry out their plans—to be HELPFUL… sowing seeds of peace; contentment; friendship; safety; prosperity; health…
d. That’s the kind of person you want in the local church… or in the home… and even in school or the office!
e. You BE that kind of person!
2. “The counsellors of peace” stand in contrast to “them that imagine evil.”
a. The contrast may not be apparent until we consider the various meanings of the terms.
b. Counsellors of peace — those who plan; give counsel for; whose purpose it is to devise peace…
c. Imagine evil — those who plan or plot calamities for others… they plan strife and confusion…
d. The contrast is thus:
• Some folks make plans to bring about strife …
• Some folks make plans to bring about peace…
• Some folks make plans to tear people apart; some make plans to bring people together…
e. I’ve seen both sorts in the local church.
• Some have separated chief friends, sowing discord, making division, and disrupting the unity…
• Others have been peacemakers… sowing peace and unity… endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
3. Those who promote peace—and seek peace—shall also enjoy peace and joy!
a. The counsellors of peace are those who actively PROMOTE peace… they pursue peace… they follow after peace…
• Follow peace with all men (Heb. 12:14)
• And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. (James 3:18)
• Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Ps. 34:14)
• If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (Prov. 12:18)
b. The principle is: seek and ye shall find… those who continually seek peace will usually find it.
c. Joy comes to the peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers. (Matt. 5:9) This is a principle with application in all ages!
d. Those who pursue peace and help bring about peace get to ENJOY that peace too!
e. Col. 3:15 – the peace of God ought to RULE in our hearts.
• If that is the case, then we will experience peace—and continually seek peace.
• If God’s peace is in our heart—then it will come out in our daily pursuits.
4. Be that kind of a person in the home—be a counselor of peace. Plan peace. Make it your purpose to have peace in the home.
• That might require putting others first.
• That might mean not getting your own way.
• That might require controlling one’s tongue.
• That might require some humility… meekness…
• It might require letting love cover a multitude of sins…
• It might require some self-sacrifice…selflessness…
• It might require some compassion… understanding…
• It might require that we listen to the other’s point of view…
• It might require that we be a little less demanding…
• It might require a soft answer…
• It might require prayer… seeking God’s will, strength, and wisdom…
• It might require us to turn the other cheek… or to go the extra mile…
• It might require us to be less like our miserable self—and more like our wonderful Savior.
• OR—we could refuse to seek peace—and go slam the door, kick the dog, punch the wall, and throw something. Then we could go sit in a corner and “imagine evil” — think the worst about our spouse… or our parents… or siblings… or children.
• Solomon admonishes us to be a counselor of PEACE!
5. What a contrast:
a. Those who sit around and imagine evil—have hearts full of DECEIT… and evil. There is no joy in that.
• The heart that is full of deceit will also be full of: bitterness; anger; wrath; frustration; jealousy; rage; envy; hatred; guilt; etc.
• That’s an awful way to live!
b. But those who pursue peace—have something else in their hearts: JOY!
c. Solomon contrasts two kinds of people—with two different pursuits in life (peace vs. trouble) — and two very different hearts: one full of deception… the other full of joy.
Proverbs 12:21
No Evil Shall Happen
21 There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
Introduction:
1. Is this proverb true? Is it always true?
2. Is it always true that no evil happens to the just?
a. Was it true for Steven? Paul? Jeremiah? David?
b. Was it true for those mentioned in Heb. 11:36-38?
3. If we take this proverb at face value, I’m sure we can all think of situations where it was in fact NOT true!
a. And doesn’t this create all kinds of ethical and spiritual problems for us?
b. How could this Hebrew king, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit write something that isn’t true… or is only true some of the time?
4. We’ve mentioned this many times so far in our study of Proverbs—but it bears repeating. This is a PROVERB… not a prophecy or an epistle!
a. A proverb is a crystallized truth…it is a general statement of truth…
b. Proverbs were never intended to cover all the bases…they were never intended to be applied in an absolute sense.
c. Proverbs were never intended to cover absolutely every situation.
d. Proverbs paints pictures for us—with a very wide brush… one stroke.
e. Ex: A stitch in time saves nine. Does it always? A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Is it always?
f. Proverbs—whether inspired or uninspired—are a special kind of literature… and they need to be understood for what they are—proverbs! A generality. It is an observation from life of things that usually occur…
g. Before we even look at what Solomon writes, it is good to know HOW he wrote… what type of literature we are looking at: a proverb!
1. One might look at this statement—and spend time going through the Scriptures seeking to disprove it. And many examples could be found which SEEM to disprove it.
2. However, let’s look at what Solomon wrote.
a. His over all point is that the wicked are always falling into mischief… but those who are just or righteous don’t fall into such mischief. No evil happens to them.
b. (Painting with a broad brush) he says that usually, when you do what is right and just—you avoid trouble!
3. Just here means right, correct, lawful.
a. The person Solomon is describing is the one who does things right.
b. He lives a lawful life… he obeys the law.
c. He follows orders. He does what he’s supposed to do.
d. He is fair… just… he treats people fairly and justly.
e. He walks the narrow pathway.
f. He does everything the right way.
4. Evil here is used in the sense of calamity… not a moral evil.
a. The term means: trouble; suffering; sorrow; affliction; tragedy.
b. Solomon is saying that just men avoid a lot of trouble in life; a lot of sorrow and grief; they avoid a lot of affliction and suffering.
c. Doing what’s right and fair and just — is GOOD for you!
5. Solomon’s point is that when you do things right, you avoid a lot of trouble!
a. This is the nugget of truth being expressed in this part of the proverb.
b. This truth is echoed in several other proverbs as well.
• Prov. 11:8 – The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.
• Prov. 12:13 – the just shall come out of trouble.
• While we might all think of some exceptions, this IS truth crystallized… it is truth generalized… this is what generally happens.
6. Application to real life: do things right and you won’t get into trouble.
a. If you put up the staging properly, you won’t have an accident. (If you skimp and don’t put up all the braces—then you might fall into mischief!)
b. If you do your homework and study, you will probably do well on the test! (If you skimp and take short cuts—you may not do so well.)
c. If you obey the law, you can avoid a lot of trouble.
• If some of your friends decide to go out drinking and you know it’s not right and choose to go to the teen activity at the church instead—and they wrap their car around a phone pole and 4 of them die… think of this proverb! It will ring true to you!
• If your friends want you to steal some stereo equipment, and you say no because you want to be just or lawful, and they get arrested—remember this proverb. Evil or trouble doesn’t befall those who do things right!
d. If you do things right at the factory, and others are cutting corners and are not putting the extra wire on the boards, when it is discovered and mischief befalls them and you are given a promotion—think of this proverb. It will ring true!
e. If you are just—and treat others justly and fairly, and as a result are respected…and the other guy treats people unfairly… when trouble arises, you will have lots of friends and support. He won’t. Think of this proverb.
7. God has also given us a few supernatural examples of how He honors this principle.
a. Dan. 6:23-24 – Daniel was a just man. He did that which was right. NO evil befell Daniel. But the evil presidents DID fall into mischief!
b. Esther 7:9-10 – Mordecai was a just man. He was doing that which was right… and no evil happened to him. But the wicked Haman? He sure fell into mischief. He was hung on the gallows he built for Mordecai!
1. In contrast to the just or the righteous who (because of their righteousness) escape trouble, the wicked do not escape.
• Once again—this too is a proverb. You may know some people who did wicked things and never got caught. Well—they may have escaped on earth—but none will escape facing God!
2. But even on earth—this principle holds. It is a generality of truth. This is what generally happens: those who are wicked fall into trouble.
• Mischief: evil; distress; misery; injury; calamity.
• Wicked: criminal; guilty one; one guilty of crime;—this is the person who does NOT do things right. He breaks the rules… He violates the law… he doesn’t mind lying or cheating…
3. To this person, Solomon says, will befall much mischief—injury, trouble, calamity, and distress.
a. He will not only face trouble, but will be FILLED with it!
b. The one who keeps on committing crimes… who keeps on breaking the rules… who keeps on cheating—will also keep on falling into trouble.
c. Prov. 1:30-31 – the one who does NOT do things right… he does NOT listen to God’s wisdom… will be FILLED with his own devices: mischief! The mischief he got into will come back to haunt him.
d. Prov. 14:14 – the backslider will be FILLED with his own ways.
e. Prov. 13:21 – evil pursues sinners!
• Bad things happen to those who transgress the law…those who don’t do things right.
• You may know of some exceptions… BUT!
• This is what generally happens!
• Folks who don’t do things right lead their whole lives with a dark cloud following them… the dark cloud of their own making!
• Law-abiding citizens usually lead a quiet and peaceable life. But criminals and lawbreakers bring trouble upon their own heads and upon their households.
• There might be some exceptions—but you can’t get around the logic… or the wisdom of Solomon’s words.
Proverbs 12:22
Lying Lips
Introduction:
1. This is the final verse in a section of this chapter which has dealt extensively with the subject of truth vs. lies and deception.
a. vs. 17 – truth vs. a false witness and deceit
b. vs. 19 – the lip of truth vs. a lying tongue
c. vs. 20 – counsellors of peace vs. deceit in the heart
d. vs. 22 – Solomon speaks about lying lips vs. they that deal truly
e. vs. 18 – speaking like the piercing of a sword—perhaps lies intended vs. the tongue of the wise which is healthy—truthful?
• Perhaps we might not associate vs. 18 with lying vs. truth except for the context in which it is found.
2. A clear theme has been running through these verses.
3. Verse 22 ends this section by stating what God thinks of it all.
1. What does man think of lying?
a. We often hear lies referred to as a “little white lie”—as if it wasn’t so bad…
b. “As long as it doesn’t hurt anybody, who cares?”
c. “Sometimes the end justifies the means. It’s OK to use a lie in order to accomplish a good end.” (If you can get somebody out of trouble; or save a few bucks; save face; prevent a fight… if some good can come out of it… why not?)
d. “Everybody does it…”
e. “My intentions were good…”
f. Men are so accustomed to lies that they no longer seem like such a big deal. Politicians lie. Presidents lie. Lawyers lie. Even deacons and pastors have been caught in lies.
g. Somehow, men have put the sin of lying into a kind of innocuous category… not quite so bad…
2. What does God think about lying?
a. It is an abomination to the Lord.
b. Abomination:
• Strong’s defines it as “a disgusting thing”.
• Dictionary of Biblical Languages: that which is detested, abhorred, loathed, despised, degraded, i.e., have a hate or very strong dislike for an object, implying contempt; repulsive; vile; shameful.
• Detestable
c. Things God calls “an abomination.”
• Lev.18:22 – homosexuality
• Lev. 18:23 – bestiality
• Deut. 7:26 – idolatry is called an abomination
• Deut. 17:1 – offering a BLEMISHED sacrifice to the Lord (why?)
• Deut. 17:3-4 – worshipping the sun, moon, and stars
• Deut. 18:10-11- children burnt on idols; witchcraft
• Deut. 22:5 – cross-dressing—wearing clothing of the opposite sex
• Deut 23:18 – using money made through prostitution as a payment of a vow to the Lord in the holy place!
• Prov. 15:8 – the sacrifices of the wicked—religious hypocrisy
• In this despicable camp God places “lying lips.”
3. When you or I lie, God puts that sin in the same category as burning a baby to an idol… cross-dressing… homosexuality… worshipping the sun and moon…
a. We might not see it that way, but God does.
b. God calls a lie an abomination: that which is vile, shameful, detested, abhorred, loathed, despised!
c. It doesn’t sound like God considers it a little white lie, does it?
d. God hates all sin, but this is an especially vile sin in God’s sight.
e. Prov. 6:16-19 – there are six things the Lord hates… and not only hates, they are an abomination!
• The second on this “hate list” is a lying tongue.
• In fact, it appears TWICE on this list—a lying tongue; and a false witness that speaks lies.
• God REALLY hates this sin.
f. John 8:44 – the sin of lying is traced back to Satan. He is the father of it. Those who lie are acting like the devil…
• Acts 5:3 – it was Satan who filled (influenced and controlled) the hearts of Ananias and Saphira and led them to lie to God.
• Satan FILLED their heart… same word as “be FILLED with the Holy Spirit” in Eph. 5:18.
• There is something quite Satanic about lying. It speaks of satanic influence.
• God showed His displeasure to Ananias and Saphira by taking their lives.
• God REALLY hates this sin.
4. Why is this sin so detestable to God? Because of who He is.
a. Num. 23:19 – God is not man that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent.
• Lying is associated with fallen men.
• Truth is associated with a holy God. He never lies.
b. Ps. 86:15 – plenteous in truth
• Plenteous can mean either “great; strong” or it can mean “captain or chief.”
• God is the captain of all truth… chief of truth. (we are chief of sinners!)
c. Ps. 31:5 – the Lord God of truth
d. Isa. 65:16 – the God of truth
e. John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the truth.”
f. Truth is God’s nature; He IS truth;
g. Nothing could be more contrary to the nature and character of God than a lie!
h. Prov. 26:28 – “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it.”
• When you lie against a person, it hurts the person who was lied about. We have probably all been afflicted by a lie… slandered… false accused… and it hurts.
• But ultimately, all lies are in reality against God, because God is a God of truth, all lies are against HIM…
• All lies are an affront to the One who is the Truth.
• All lies are done in opposition to Truth… and the God of truth.
• All sin is against God. “Against thee and thee only have I sinned.”
• God Himself is afflicted by our lies—and He hates them.
5. Could WE be guilty of abomination?
a. Believers DO lie.
b. Prov. 30:8 – he asks God to REMOVE lying. Evidently he had a problem with lying.
c. Ps. 119:29 – the psalmist had the same problem… and sought the same help from the Lord.
d. Let’s be honest. We have ALL lied… stretched the truth… embellished… added to… subtracted from… purposely left out pertinent details…half truths…
e. Deut. 25:15-16 – using false weights; cheating customers
• A salesman; a store clerk; a business man might deceive his customers… that is a false weight… abomination… lies and deceit… false advertising…
• We might make promises and not keep them. That’s a lie.
f. We can learn from Prov. 12:22 the degree to which God hates lies… abomination… it is satanic… placed in a category with the most despicable of sins.
g. Ps 62:4 – The wicked delight in lies. We should hate them.
h. Prov. 13:5 – We should learn to HATE lying… God does. We should too: “A righteous man hateth lying.”
1. Note the contrast to God:
a. Lies are an abomination.
b. Truth is His delight!
2. Truly: firmness; fidelity; steadfastness; faithfulness; truth.
a. It stands in contrast to lying lips in this proverb, so “truly” is probably the best shade of meaning to attribute to it here.
3. Delight: pleasure; delight; favour; goodwill; acceptance.
4. That which is called a “delight” to God:
a. Ezra 10:11 – those who lead a separated life…
b. Prov. 11:1 – a just weight is His delight…
c. Prov. 11:20 – they that are upright in their way are His delight
d. I Sam. 15:22 – he has delight in obedience.
e. Ps. 16:3 – His delight is in His saints
f. Prov. 15:8 – the prayer of the upright is His delight
g. Jer. 9:24 – God delights in the man who glories in the fact that he knows God… the God of truth.
h. God delights in:
• Those who lead a separated, upright life; and who walk in obedience…
• Who are honest and truthful in their business affairs
• His saints—who are thrilled about knowing Him!
• Those who “deal truly” are in the category of that in which God delights! What a category to be in!
• That’s the category I want to be found in. How about you?
5. Dealing truly…
a. Speaking the truth; Loving the truth; Guarding truth; Honoring truth.
b. Not stretching it; perverting it; distorting it; exaggerating it; or in any way diminishing it…
c. It also includes of faithfulness; reliability—LIVING a true life; honest; etc…not just talking truth but LIVING it.
d. If this is characteristic of our lives, we bring God delight!
Proverbs 12:23
Prudence Conceals Knowledge
1. Solomon states here that a prudent man isn’t constantly blurting out whatever he knows. There are times when he wisely keeps it to himself.
2. Prudent: subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly, sensible, crafty.
a. This is meant in a good sense.
b. This speaks of a person who is wise and who knows how to use wisdom… is clever…
3. The clever man POSSESSES his knowledge.
a. Knowledge: perception, skill, discernment, understanding, wisdom.
b. The prudent man is clever… and he has discernment and understanding.
c. He has a lot of insight…
d. Perhaps the conversation is about computers… or on the issue of Bible translations… or maybe the conversation switches over to gardening…
• The subject matter is not the point.
• Solomon is simply describing a man who has understanding—in any realm.
• Solomon’s point is that prudent men—clever men—have insight in various realms of knowledge.
e. But it isn’t possessing the information that makes the man prudent or shrewd.
4. The clever man CONCEALS his knowledge.
a. This does not mean that he plays dumb.
b. Nor does it mean that he ALWAYS conceals his knowledge.
c. Solomon’s point is that the prudent man is NOT like the fool, who constantly blurts out everything he knows.
d. The prudent man refuses to dominate the conversation—and dazzle people with his knowledge.
e. A little knowledge puffeth up.
5. A wise and prudent man knows when to be quiet and when to speak up.
a. Therein lies his shrewdness… his craftiness… his wisdom.
b. He is sensible to the whole situation… going on around him.
c. He is careful to distinguish between adding knowledge which might be helpful… and he knows when it would simply be being picky…
d. Example: imagine having a conversation with your old English teacher. This woman has LOTS of knowledge about the proper use of the English language.
• A foolish English teacher would be constantly correcting everyone’s English—and being obnoxious about it.
• A prudent English teacher would conceal her knowledge… and perhaps in a helpful way—in a private setting give you a pointer that would be beneficial.
e. Example: as pastor, I sometimes hear folks in conversations say things about the Bible or Christianity that are not correct.
• There is a time to speak up and correct.
• The foolish believer will be constantly pointing out the error in everyone’s speech.
• There are also times to be quiet… keep your knowledge concealed.
• One needs wisdom in knowing WHEN and WHY to speak up.
• One needs wisdom in realizing that not everyone is at the same level of maturity… and that is not a bad thing.
• A high school English teacher would be quite foolish indeed to keep interrupting a 4-year-old toddler and correcting their English!
f. Wisdom and prudence demand that we conceal knowledge…and not continually blurt out everything we know.
• It can become obnoxious… irritating…
• It tends to dominate a conversation… and thus selfishly leave others out of the conversation…
• It is usually an expression of pride—the love of hearing oneself speak… and the love of bragging about one’s superior knowledge…
6. The truly prudent man or woman will conceal knowledge…because he or she considers this knowledge to be PRECIOUS.
a. If you have something that is of little value, then you can throw it to the wind if you like. It’s no great loss.
b. But if you have something that is precious and valuable… you use it sparingly.
c. Knowledge and wisdom are precious—like rubies. (Prov. 20:15) You don’t just scatter rubies all over the place… toss them about as if they were worthless rocks.
d. When the value of knowledge is appreciated, then that knowledge will be dispersed with great care… slowly… wisely… helpfully… constructively… humbly… judiciously… graciously…
e. When the value of knowledge is not appreciated, then that knowledge is to be concealed.
• Jesus said, “Cast not your pearls before swine.” (Matt. 7:6)
• In that situation, keep your pearls to yourself.
7. This proverb also speaks of another truth mentioned several times in this book: wisdom often requires us to be quiet.
a. The prudent man is not a blabbermouth. (Prov.10:19)
b. The prudent man is not a know-it-all! (Prov. 17:27)
• Solomon says that a prudent man won’t act like a know it all!
c. Nor will he be a gossip. He conceals knowledge… especially if that knowledge could harm someone. (Prov.11:13)
• You might know some dirt on another person.
• But prudence and wisdom demand that you conceal it…
d. There are often good reasons to conceal things you know.
• This is a proverb. There are exceptions to this proverb.
• If you know someone about to blow up an airplane, don’t conceal that knowledge!
• But if you know that Fred and Alice had an argument—conceal it… bury it…
• Some things you know are to be proclaimed. Other things you know are to be concealed.
• The prudent man is shrewd enough to know the difference.
• The fool doesn’t know the difference…
• Be prudent.
8. The wise man sometimes conceals and sometimes reveals knowledge.
a. Cf. Prov. 15:2 – the wise man USES knowledge aright.
• This means he knows how, when, and where to use it.
• He is careful in what he says… in the information he gives out.
• Be CAREFUL about what you write in emails—especially if it might be gossip. Once it is out in cyberspace—who knows where it could end up! You may end up with egg on your face!
• Using knowledge aright means knowing when to speak…
• It means knowing in whose company to say what…
• It means at times withholding information…
b. Prov. 15:28 – he studies to answer. (meditates; muses)
• He is careful with his words.
• He chooses them carefully… cautiously…
• He THINKS before he speaks…
• Usually, when we think before we speak, our words will be FEWER.
1. Proclaim: to call; call out; recite; read; cry out; utter a loud sound.
a. Solomon speaks of the fool as one who does NOT conceal, but does just the opposite.
b. The fool makes loud proclamations for all to hear…
c. He isn’t trying to hold anything back. He cries out… a loud sound… like a megaphone blurting out its message.
2. The fool behaves in the opposite way of the wise or prudent man.
a. The prudent man conceals knowledge.
b. The fool conceals nothing, but blurts out whatever is on his mind… which is usually foolishness.
c. The wise man conceals his knowledge. The fool reveals his ignorance.
d. This proverb implies that foolish people don’t POSSESS knowledge. They have in its place “foolishness.”
e. They who are full of folly and ignorance of ALL people ought to be quiet… but alas, the fool PROCLAIMS all of his ignorant foolishness.
3. This demonstrates a threefold problem on the part of the fool:
a. Folly is in his heart… (the fact that it is there)
b. He has no self-control… (the fact that it all comes out) (Cf. 12:16 – a prudent man also covers up shameful wrath and anger! He doesn’t blurt it all out.)
c. He has no discernment to recognize it as folly.
4. We have all experienced this phenomenon too.
a. The person with the least amount of worthwhile things to say, dominates the conversation… and says the most.
b. Prov. 15:2 – the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
• Cause to bubble; ferment; flow; to pour forth; emit; belch forth.
• The fool’s mouth is a constantly flowing river… fomenting out folly and foolishness.
c. Prov. 29:11 – A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
• The wise man has self control over his thoughts. The fool does not.
• The wise man knows when to keep his thoughts to himself. The fool does not.
• The wise man sometimes conceals knowledge. And sometimes (afterwards) he utters it… at the appropriate occasion…
d. One of the best and wisest things a fool can do is to keep quiet… and refuse to display his ignorance! (Prov. 17:28) That is the first step towards wisdom!
Proverbs 12:24
The Hand of the Diligent
Introduction:
1. This is a frequent theme in Proverbs: diligence and hard work.
2. Here once again, is another of Solomon’s great contrasts:
• Two kinds of people: the diligent vs. the slothful
• Two results: bearing rule vs. being under tribute
3. This principle is just as viable and practical today as it was when written many centuries ago.
1. Diligent: sharp-pointed; sharp; diligent. 2 strict decision; decision. 3. Gold.
a. The term translated “diligent” is an interesting term… with interesting roots.
b. It is translated as “diligent” consistently in Proverbs.
c. Elsewhere it is translated “gold” or “sharp” as a threshing instrument.
d. It is also translated “decision” (valley of decision in Joel)
e. Diligent is the proper English term in the context in Proverbs.
f. But consider how “sharp” applies to the other translations:
• Decisions; decisiveness—those making decisions need to be sharp and decisive
• This kind of sharpness includes an intellectual sharpness… also connected to the concept of HOW one works.
• Diligence = sharp workers…
g. Thus the term “diligent” fits well here—with the added shade of meaning missing from the English word. The added shade of meaning seems to include the idea of a “smart” worker too.
• He is not just a diligent hard worker, but a good, smart worker.
• He is contrasted to the fool—the slothful man.
2. Sharp workers…
a. It came from the practice of sharpening tools… weapons… knives… axes…, etc.
b. A good, productive worker will sharpen his tools…
c. A lazy worker might not sharpen his ax, and as a result will not get much work done…
d. A diligent worker will sharpen his ax, and as a result will produce much more.
e. It is in this sense that the term “sharp” is translated diligent in all 8 of its occurrences in Proverbs.
f. Of course, this worker is sharper intellectually too—it makes good sense to sharpen one’s tools.
g. We use the term “sharpening one’s skills” today—
h. This worker excels because he is SHARP…
• Sharp intellectually—a smart worker.
• Sharp in his work ethic—a diligent worker—geared toward productivity… hence he sharpens his ax.
• The term seems to imply these two qualities about a worker.
3. Hand: hand; strength; power (fig.); part; portion (metaph.) (fig.)
a. This word is used of the diligent, but is omitted in the other half of the contrast…
b. It obviously is IMPLIED in the second half of the contrast.
c. The contrast is between the HAND of the diligent and the HAND of the slothful.
d. This fact helps us hone in on which definition Solomon hand in mind here…
• It is not the literal hand of a man…
• Nor does the term “strength” fit well… at least not directly.
• It is best to understand the term in a figurative sense of “portion.”
e. Thus, Solomon is contrasting the “portion” of the diligent with the “portion” of the slothful.
• Portion here in the sense of their “lot in life.”
• Their part or portion shall be either bearing rule or being under tribute.
4. The hand or “portion” or “lot in life” for the diligent is bearing rule…
a. “Bearing rule” = to rule, have dominion, reign.
b. Gen. 37:8 – Joseph’s brothers said: “shalt thou have dominion over us?” (same word as “bearing rule”)
c. Sharp/hard workers will advance in life…
d. Sharp/hard workers will become leaders…
e. Prov. 22:7 – the rich rule over the poor; and the borrower is servant to the lender.
• Rule over = same word as “bear rule” in Prov. 12:24.
5. Applications to today:
a. The diligent tradesman who sharpens his tools…
• The tradesman—will keep his tools in tiptop shape… so that he can do his best. When he proves his diligence and his ability to work smart, he will end up becoming the foreman… the boss.
b. The student is also to be a “sharp” worker.
• The student who applies this passage will use all diligence in doing their schoolwork.
• They will not be studying or writing a term paper while watching TV…
• They will use all avenues available to do their best—extra help after school hours; extra credit assignments; take advantage of the library; use the computer wisely—for research and not for video games…
• This student will, in the end, bear rule over the students who did NOT do their best… but goofed off.
• When they get out into the world, they will be the boss… and the students who did not do well because of laziness will be UNDER them.
c. The teacher, engineer, and those with a career in the high tech industry… in ANY career path… will benefit from putting this passage into practice.
• Whatever your position in the workplace, being a hard worker and a smart worker will pay off…
• Like the root meaning of the term “diligent”—sharpening one’s tools… a worker in any field ought to be diligent about honing his skills… keeping up with the industry… working smart… rather than working with “dull tools”… will always be beneficial.
• This might mean going to seminars; taking a course; learning some new software; going the extra mile to stay on top of things.
• That person will bear rule… he will rise up to the top in his company.
d. Perhaps we could apply this to our SPIRITUAL life too.
• We should be “sharp” spiritually as well—even more importantly!
• We are commanded to keep our hearts with ALL DILIGENCE!
• God is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek Him.
• We are told to be discerning… hence, be aware of the spiritual dangers we face… false doctrine… new evangelicalism… the snares of the devil…
• If we can see the importance of keeping on top of things in the office or workplace, how much MORE do we need to keep sharp spiritually!
• Heb. 5:11-14 – don’t be DULL, but be sharp spiritually. Be skillful in the knowledge of God’s Word… grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ…
• The believer who is DILIGENT about his spiritual life will also bear rule… he will NOT be under tribute to the devil or the world. He will not fall into the traps set by our adversary.
• Believers who are careless about their spiritual lives may find themselves under tribute to our spiritual foes… serving the lusts of the flesh… serving the ways of the world…
• I Cor. 9:27 – the diligent believer will bring his body under subjection to God and not be ruled by his body… this whole context is about the diligence required to run the race.
• II Pet. 1:5-9 – How do we “keep sharp” spiritually? By honing our spiritual skills… keeping them sharp by diligent practice.
24b But the slothful shall be under tribute
1. Slothful: lax; slack; lazy; (the term is usually translated “deceit or guile”)… but either slothful or slack in Proverbs.
a. Prov. 10:4 – He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: (same word as slothful).
b. Perhaps the idea here is that the lazy or slothful worker PRETENDS like he is doing his work…
• He tries to deceive others into thinking that he is working hard… when in fact he’s hardly working!
• He does his job with eyeservice… only when the boss is watching.
• The slothful worker isn’t a SMART worker. It is quite foolish to PRETEND like you are working when you are not.
c. You will NOT be productive… and sooner or later that will be noticed…
d. And your lack of productivity will be the cause of a lack of promotion… a lack of a raise… or even a loss of a job.
e. Being a Christian does not necessarily mean a person is a sharp, diligent, smart worker. I have met some Christian sloths whom I would never hire.
• Some unsaved folks put believers to shame in this area.
• And, this is part of our testimony in the world!
• A poor worker in the workplace is a poor testimony for the Lord.
2. The slothful worker shall be under tribute…
a. The slothful worker will NOT advance…
b. The slothful worker will do just the opposite… he will not rise to the top, but will find himself on the bottom.
c. Under tribute: forced service, serfdom, tribute…
• The NIV translates it “slave labor”
• The NKJV translate it “forced labor”
d. Prov. 22:7 – the rich rule over the poor; and the borrower is servant to the lender.
• Other proverbs indicate that the diligent tends to gather wealth and the slothful ends up poor.
• Hence, the diligent man who works hard and smart and gathers wealth will bear rule over the slothful man who does not work hard or smart…
• The slothful man will find himself with no money…borrowing money… spending more than he makes… and thus becoming a “slave” to his credit card company… or the bank…, etc.
e. And note that Solomon states NOTHING about ability here.
• It is not so much inspiration but perspiration that results in great advances.
• Solomon states that a slothful man will be on the bottom… whether he’s talented or not.
• You may have great intelligence, but if you are lazy—you will not succeed.
• Another person with much less talent, ability, or intelligence, but who is DILIGENT—and just keeps plodding along… will do well in life.
• The hot shot know-it-all who thinks he’s so smart he doesn’t have to do his work… will find to his dismay the truth of this passage.
Proverbs 12:25
A Good Word
1. Heaviness:
a. 6 occurrences; Authorized Version translates as “carefulness” twice, “fear” once, “heaviness” once, “sorrow” once, and “with care” once.
b. Anxiety, anxious care, care. (Strong’s)
c. Dictionary of Biblical Language: anxiety; restlessness; worry; i.e., an attitude or emotion of distress.
d. The term is used in the following passages:
• Jer. 49:23 – Damascus has been judged severely by God. The neighboring cities hear of it. They are confounded… fainthearted… they have sorrow (this is the term translated “heavy” in Prov. 12:25)… there is no quiet.
• The term here means worry… anxiety… they saw what was happening in the cities all around them and they are full of worries and fears that it will happen to them… much like what the Iraqis soldiers must be experiencing today.
• Ezek. 12:18-20 – “carefulness” is the word translated “heaviness” in Prov. It means worry, fear, anxiety, being torn on the insides… it is used together with the word “astonishment” = horror.
e. In the Bible it is translated “heaviness” only once—and that might not be the best translation.
• It implies to us today a sense a burden, depression, discouragement, sorrow, or grief.
• While that may be included in its meaning, the real thrust of the word is worry, fear, and anxiety.
• Of course, over time, worry often does become an overpowering burden, a weight, which leads to discouragement and heaviness of heart.
• But the main thrust of the word is anxiety and worry… not so much the grief or sorrow or heaviness which results from it.
2. Anxiety in the heart…
a. Heart: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding, reflection, thinking…
b. Worry digs down deep, doesn’t it?
c. It can stick into our belly… and fester there…
d. It can take over our thinking… our emotions… and be THE controlling factor in our lives…
e. Hence, we become FILLED with worry.
f. We should be filled with the Spirit… controlled by God’s Holy Spirit. (Eph. 5:18)
g. Instead, we are filled (controlled) by fear… worry… anxiety.
h. It is not sin to experience fear or anxiety. That is pretty normal and natural.
i. It IS sin however, to be FILLED with it… controlled by it.
• The cares and anxiety of this world tends to choke out the Word…
j. Whatever FILLS our heart, controls it.
• In Acts, we read of men being filled with envy, indignation, joy, or wrath.
• In each case, it had a controlling effect on them… on their words and deeds.
k. Our hearts SHOULD be filled with Christlikeness by means of the Holy Spirit… under His control… so controlled by the Spirit that it SHOWS in the way we talk and walk…
l. We ought to be so filled with the Spirit that it AFFECTS our thoughts, words, choices, motives, and deeds.
m. Worry and anxiety in the heart can also be CONTROLLING.
• It too can affect our words…
• It can affect our thoughts… dominate them…
• It can affect the choices we make…
• It can affect our deeds…
• It can be so controlling that everything we think, do and say is first filtered through this lens of worry…anxiety…
• When we are filled with worry rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit, the end result will ALWAYS be the fruit of the flesh… (read list in Gal. 5!)
3. Maketh it stoop…
a. Stoop = to bow down; to depress.
• This term means to bow down; to be low; to weigh down.
• It is often used of bowing before idols… bowing before a king or superior… and is most often used of worshipping the true God… bowing in obeisance.
• It is usually translated “worship.”
• Dictionary of Biblical Languages: take a bowing stance, here as a position of submission to a superior.
b. “Stoop” is used in Prov.12:25 in a FIGURATIVE sense.
• It is not a literal or physical bowing down of the body… but an internal bowing down of the heart.
• Hence, it is used of being “down cast”… discouraged… depressed… weighed down… heavy laden… burdened.
c. ANXIETY makes the heart stoop…
• Fear, worry, and anxiety bring us down…
• It results in discouragement, even depression.
• We worry about so MANY THINGS…
• We worry about our finances… our health… our kids… our home… our country… our job…
• The cumulative effect of ALL of these worries, weighs us down… drags us down…
• It is a burden on our back… and one we need not carry about with us.
• Worry is stronger than we are. It is a heavier burden than we are able to bear.
• God never intended for our hearts to bear the burden produced by worry and anxious care.
1. God’s plan: replace the anxiety with gladness.
2. Good word:
a. Good —- good;
b. Word: speech; word; speaking; saying; an utterance.
3. Glad: make merry; cause to rejoice; gladden.
a. This isn’t the kind of gladness or joy that comes from winning the lottery…
b. This is a much deeper, inner, spiritual joy… the work of the Spirit in the heart.
c. This might be (as the song writer put it) the kind of joy that seeketh me through pain…
d. This is the kind of joy that does not change the circumstances… but rather it TRANSFORMS the inordinate, controlling anxiety and worry, into a reasonable concern.
e. It takes the bite and sting out of the worry… so that it is no longer THE controlling factor in our lives…
4. Solomon’s point here is that you and I can have a WONDERFUL ministry to the hearts and minds of miserable men, women, and children. (anxiety makes life miserable).
a. We can bring gladness to a heart that is burdened and weighed down with fear and worry.
b. We can lift the spirits of one another.
c. This is a ministry that doesn’t require some special talent. Anyone can do it… even kids! Perhaps especially kids!
d. If you know how to talk… have an ounce of compassion… a healthy dose of tactfulness… and know a few Scriptures passages, YOU can make a sad heart glad!
5. What IS a good word? THE BIBLE! Here are a few good words you might try with a brother who is experiencing anxiety and worry:
a. Phil. 4:6-7 – we are to be anxious for NOTHING… anxiety is replaced with peace. Don’t just blurt out, “Be anxious for nothing!” That’s not going to help… finish the verse!
b. I Pet. 5:7 – we are to cast our cares upon the Lord. The anxious cares are gone. Emphasize His care for us!
c. Matt. 11:29 – Too often we are heavy laden… with fears and worries in life. But, we are NOT to submit to worry and anxiety. We are to submit to Christ. Submit to His yoke—and the end result is REST… not fear and worry.
• Challenge a worried, anxious brother to come to Christ… submit to His will…
d. Ps. 55:22 – Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
e. Ps. 42:10 – Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
f. Ps. 62:8 – Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.
g. Luke 12:22 – And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought (be anxious for nothing—same word) for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
h. Luke 12:25-26 – And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
• We worry about our finances… our health… our kids… our home… our country… our job…
• We live more often like Martha—cumbered about by so many things… rather than Mary, who rested comfortably at the Savior’s feet…
i. Isa. 50:10 – Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
• Isaiah is speaking to the godly who fear God and obey Him.
• Nevertheless, they are walking in darkness—not sin—but are walking in dark days… difficult days… trials and trouble is implied here by the darkness.
• They are counseled to TRUST… and to STAY upon God (lean; lie; support oneself upon another; to rest upon)
• Even the godly, who fear and obey God face the worries and fears of darkness and trials…
• But God has an answer… STAYED upon Jehovah! LEANING on the everlasting arms! Jesus I am RESTING, RESTING in the thought of who thou art! My faith has found a RESTING-place! Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is STAYED upon Thee.
j. In each of these passages, the reader (who had previously been heavy laden with burdens and anxiety) is pointed to Christ… and encouraged… challenged… commanded (!) to cast those burdens upon the Lord.
k. These are some “good words” that can lift the cast down soul… the heart that is weighed down in worry and anxiety… and replace that fear with gladness… the joy of the Lord.
l. Such folks need to KNOW of the infinite LOVE of God… to be reminded of the marvelous PURPOSES of God… and the PRESENCE of God in the midst of those struggles.
m. Prov. 12:18 – we can use our tongue to pierce… or like a medicine… to bring about good spiritual HEALTH…
n. Prov. 16:24 – Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
o. Prov. 15:23 – A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
• What a gift—to be able to lift up souls… to bring joy to a brother who is bent over in grief…
• What a talent—to know what to say—and WHEN to say it… in due season.
• How good it is!
Proverbs 12:26
Excellence vs. Seduction
Introduction:
1. The contrast, once again, is between the righteous and the wicked.
2. Exactly WHAT is being contrasted is not apparent in the first part of the verse.
a. The righteous is more excellent…
b. But in what WAY is he more excellent? HOW is he more excellent? In what AREA is he more excellent?
c. If this proverb is to be of any practical value to us, then we need to probe into this contrast…
d. By God’s grace, that’s what we are going to attempt tonight.
1. The righteous man: who is he?
a. Righteous: just, righteous (in conduct and character); right, correct, lawful; righteous (as justified and vindicated by God).
b. The emphasis is on a man who is right with GOD… and whose practical life demonstrates it…
c. In other words, he is righteous judicially (justified by faith) AND his lifestyle is right and lawful.
2. The righteous man is contrasted to his wicked neighbor.
a. But in what WAY is he more excellent? HOW is he more excellent?
b. To answer that, the second ½ of the proverb must be considered.
c. As is so often the case in proverbs, the proverb is broken into two sections—and one cannot be understood without the other.
3. The contrasts:
a. Righteous and wicked men
b. Their “ways” (second half)
c. Seduction which results from their way (second half)
d. Nothing is said about the WAY of the righteous or his capacity to “seduce”… but the second half makes it clear what the proverb is contrasting.
e. Proverbs use words conservatively… short, succinct, yet powerful statements. The PUNCH that a proverb delivers comes in part because of its brevity. In boxing they might be likened to a quick jab to the gut… these are, in reality, quick jabs to the mind and heart.
4. The righteous are more excellent.
a. Excellent:
• Strong’s: searched out; sought out; spy; make a reconnaissance.
• It is used of the spies searching out the Promised Land.
• It is most often translated “spy, seek out, or search out” in the King James Version. (about 20 of the 25 occurrences)
• Dictionary of Biblical Languages: explore; investigate; search out; spy, i.e., try to find out information by traveling on foot;
• Dictionary of Biblical Languages: be cautious; formally; send out a spy; i.e., be sensible in the way one relates to a person, with a focus that one tries to learn information before joining in an association. (related to spying; searching)
b. In this context, the concept of searching out in order to be careful and cautious is the way Solomon describes the righteous man.
5. Solomon contrasts the WAY of the wicked and the WAY of the righteous.
a. The way of a righteous man is to be cautious… careful… he searches things out.
b. Acts 17:11 – He doesn’t BELIEVE whatever he hears preached from the Bible. He searches it out. He is careful with doctrine.
c. Prov. 18:17 – He doesn’t believe everything he hears through the grapevine. He searches it out. He waits to hear the other side of the story.
d. Prov. 15:28 – He is careful and cautious in his speech and his answers. The heart of the righteous studieth to answer.
e. Prov. 1:5 – He is cautious and careful in gathering as much wisdom and information as he can.
f. Prov. 11:14 – he searches out for addition counsel from wise men. The fool hates to listen to people giving advice…
g. Prov. 4:26 – he PONDERS his pathway… he studies the roadmap of God’s Word… he searches out the END of each possible route and decision he makes. He searches out the results of turning to the left… and he searches out the results of turning to the right… He searches out all possible options AND the result of each one. (Will this be good for my family and me spiritually?)
6. The way of the righteous is discerning; thoughtful; he has some DEPTH to him; he THINKS before he moves; he thinks before he speaks; he studies before he believes; he investigates both sides before he accepts or rejects.
a. In this way, he is more excellent than his neighbor.
b. Margin: abundant: he is richer, deeper, fuller in his thoughts and decisions… more abundant…
1. The WAY of the wicked…
a. WAY = (Hebrew = derek) — road; distance; journey; manner; conduct.
b. Wicked = guilty; criminal; guilty of sin against God.
c. The way of the wicked = his whole manner of life; the direction of his life; the pathway he is pursuing.
d. This way is contrasted to the way of the righteous man… who is headed down a very different road… a different lifestyle… different pursuits in life… a different manner of life altogether.
2. The way of the wicked in practical life…
a. The wicked do not investigate to see which way is pleasing to the Lord… which is the RIGHT way to go…
b. The wicked are often led by “what feels good”… by earthly advantage (like Lot choosing Sodom)… by ease—the pathway of least resistance… by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life… that’s their WAY of life.
3. The way of the wicked SEDUCETH them.
a. Seduce: Strong’s: to cause to err; wander; go astray; stagger; to wander about (physically); used of intoxication… to mislead mentally or morally.
b. The way of the wicked leads men astray…
• They themselves are led astray… and those who follow them are led astray.
• Their way may seem attractive and seductive—but it will lead you astray!
4. Examples of being seduced or led astray by the ways of the wicked…
a. Prov. 7:25-27 – sexually seducing…
• There are those who seek to lure believers into a life of sin…
• Hollywood movies and the pornography industry all lure men astray…
• This sort of thing can be life dominating…
• The way of the wicked is seductive—stay away!
b. Ps. 95:10 – erring in the heart… their hearts were seduced away from loving God wholeheartedly.
• The ways of the wicked can be seductive in a physical sense, but can also be seductive to the inner man.
• They can lead men, women, and children astray in the HEART…
• It is possible to be led astray in our heart… in our thinking… our attitudes… our world views… our philosophy of life…
• II Cor. 10:3-5 – Don’t allow your heart… your thoughts… your mind to be brought into captivity by the seduction of evil men!
c. Col. 2:4 – Seduced into false doctrine — And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
• Here Paul speaks of the seduction of false teachers…
• They use enticing words of men’s wisdom to lure aside those who are NOT willing to study for themselves… to think… to investigate into the Scriptures for themselves…
d. Prov. 14:15 – seduced by gossip… The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
• Gossips attempt to lure us into their evil tactics…
• The wicked love to tell juicy stories… and there is something seductive about hearing such juicy stories about others.
• It is the FOOL who believes every word of the gossiper.
• The righteous man searches things out.
5. The wicked fool is easily seduced… led astray.
a. He does NOT investigate—but believes every word…
b. He doesn’t search out right answers… he is superficial… no depth…
c. Therefore, he is tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine…
d. He is easily drawn into controversies between people—because he doesn’t investigate both sides of the story…
e. He is easily seduced by the ways of the world…
f. They themselves are seduced by their wicked way — AND they tend to draw others into this seduction.
Application:
1. If you are looking for counsel or advice: seek out the excellent righteous man!
a. The righteous man avoids much trouble because he is cautious.
b. The wicked fall headlong into error!
c. Darby translation: The righteous guideth his neighbour; but the way of the wicked misleadeth them.
d. Another: The righteous person is a guide to his friend, but the path of the wicked leads them astray.
e. If you need advice or counsel—seek counsel from someone who is CAREFUL in his handling of Gods’ Word!
f. If you need wisdom in choices—seek advice from a person who is discerning… with some spiritual maturity and depth…
g. Seek someone who searches out wisdom and truth…
2. If you are seeking to make friends: seek out the excellent righteous man!
a. Another translation: A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
b. NKJV – The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
c. We need to be cautious in choosing our friends. Not all so-called friends will lead us in the way of righteousness. Some will seduce us into the way of evil!
d. The way of the wicked is seductive… it is appealing to the flesh… it feels good… it looks attractive… but so did that forbidden fruit in the garden.
3. If you are looking for an example to follow: seek out the excellent righteous man!
a. Prov. 13:20 – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
b. God wants us to BE that righteous man… the one who searches and seeks out that which is true… that which is right… that which is pleasing to God…
c. God wants us to BE discerning… investigate WHICH men to follow… be cautious in choosing WHICH example to imitate…
4. In fact, BE like this righteous man: investigate… search out things for yourself… dig deep, don’t be superficial…
a. I Cor. 2:15 – He that is SPIRITUAL discerning all things… is an example of a wise, searching, discerning believer.
b. A man led and filled with the Spirit of God WILL behave like this righteous man. He will be discerning… digging… investigating… proving all things… holding fast to that which is good and abstaining from all appearance of evil.
c. This is the kind of excellency which is, in the sight of God, of great price.
Proverbs 12:27
The Value of Material Possessions
To the Slothful Man
1. The slothful man:
a. Slothful: laxness; slackness; slackening; deceit; treachery.
b. This term seems to imply more than laziness… it is a laziness that attempts to deceive… or cover up its true colors…
c. The term is used 15 times in the Old Testament; 1 time = guile; 11 times = deceit or deceitful; 1 time = slack hand; 2 times = slothful; 1 time idle.
d. All of the times when it is translated highlighting the “lazy” side of the term are found in Proverbs (slack; idle; slothful).
e. In each of those cases it SHOULD emphasize the lazy side of the term, because the context demands it… as in this verse.
2. He roasteth not…
a. The slothful man is being criticized for not roasting the game he caught in the hunt.
b. He went hunting. He was successful in either trapping or shooting an animal… but, he didn’t roast it.
3. The result… WASTE.
a. When meat isn’t cooked, it rots rather quickly.
b. Once it rots, it is useless.
c. That which could have been of great value, was wasted due to negligence and laziness.
d. Prov. 18:9 – the lazy man is a brother to one who WASTES.
• Brothers—cut from the same cloth… the same family…
• The lazy man wastes the good gifts God has given…
• He wastes time, talents, opportunities, and material possessions.
• Sometimes all it takes is a little effort to prevent that waste too.
• A stitch in time saves nine!
• Cooking that meat or salting it makes it last longer… It takes a little effort and diligence, but it pays great dividends.
4. Possible reasons for not roasting…
a. Abundance…
• Perhaps he caught so many he ate some, and didn’t bother with the rest.
• Even if it was abundance—more so than the hunter could ever have eaten, he could have given it to the poor… but he didn’t.
• Abundance is no excuse for laziness or wasting goods.
b. Procrastination…
• A hunter who caught two deer perhaps got excited and did all the work in skinning one… roasted it and ate it…
• But he kept putting off skinning and cooking the other one… until it was too late. He discovered that the meat began to rot!
c. Too tired after the hunt…
• Perhaps he excused his behavior by convincing himself that he was too tired.
• He did all the work of hunting… but felt too tired to finish the job… skin and cook or salt the meat…
• And the meat rotted!
d. The hunt was exciting, but skinning and cooking wasn’t fun…
• Perhaps he didn’t cook the meat because he didn’t LIKE that part.
• He loved hunting… but he wasn’t interested in the skinning and cooking… it wasn’t appealing to him… so it never got done…
• And the meat rotted… wasted…
• This verse always reminds me of the cowboys riding the first trains across America and shooting the buffalo just for fun…
e. Laziness…
• Whatever the immediate excuse might be, they are all traced back to slothfulness… laziness…
• And as a result of his laziness… the meat rotted and was wasted. Perfectly good meat was wasted.
5. This spirit demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the VALUE of gifts of God.
a. James 1:17 – The animals that the hunter caught, were in fact, gifts from God.
b. The slothful man ruined a gift God gave him. This is the ultimate in poor stewardship.
c. Certainly this could be applied to other areas of life as well… other “good gifts” that God provides… which should be VALUED and used to their fullest… not squandered or wasted.
6. Hunting for food, leather, and horns may not seem to have much immediate application to most of us.
a. However, the principle certainly applies.
b. We may not hunt for our goods, but we DO go to school or to work.
• The things we learn in school… or the money we earn at work are also commodities that we should value… and take care of.
• Just as the hunter might be able to take out his bow and catch 3 pheasants… the principle is that he should exercise good stewardship over those 3 pheasants.
• Don’t waste the gifts God gives… don’t neglect them…
c. We earn money… we buy machinery, a house, and other material goods.
d. We too are expected to be good stewards of those things…
• The man who spends thousands of dollars on a car ought to have the oil changed… and maintain that vehicle!
• The man who spends thousands on a home ought to be diligent in the upkeep of that home.
• If we aren’t diligent about the upkeep… that car or that home could be ruined… like the meat that rotted.
• And what about our own bodies? Take care of it… don’t neglect it and let it rot… like the hunter’s wasted meat!
7. Don’t waste what God has given you! Put it to good use—for God’s glory!
a. Brains… don’t waste them! Study hard! Don’t waste those valuable school years!
b. Talents… art… musical instrument… singing… craftsmanship… teaching… helping… giving… administration…
c. Don’t let them sit around and rot; put them to good use! Use it or lose it.
8. Someone is sure to say, in a spirit of artificial piety and false humility: “Well, I don’t care much about material things. I don’t want to be worldly or materialistic. Therefore, I don’t pay much attention to them. If they rot, so be it. I am too heavenly minded to care about earthly things.”
a. This is twisted thinking. It is NOT spiritual.
• This kind of thinking is akin to the Gnostic error… that material things are evil and spiritual things are good.
• The gnostic thinks and behaves as if there were some sort of disconnect between being occupied with heavenly things and our earthly life… between the spiritual realm and the physical realm.
• There is no disconnect. Our lives on earth are DIRECTLY linked to spiritual and eternal things…
• Every thought word, and DEED is being recorded and will one day be judged and rewarded.
• We are to live our spiritual lives in a material world… created by God. Everything God made is good.
b. Material goods are entrusted to us… for our use… benefit… pleasure… but especially as a TEST of our faith.
• Will we love them? Will we be generous with them? Will we acknowledge them as gifts from God and thank Him for them? Will we take care of them as God has commanded? Will we value them as gifts from God and use them for His glory? (I Tim. 6:17-19)
• The way we relate to and interact with the physical world around us… ought to be an expression of our submission to our Heavenly Father…
• He hasn’t told us to retreat to a cave and chant OM!
• He sends us INTO the world and commands us to be NOT conformed by the world, but transformed in our minds—into the image of Christ.
c. As a carpenter, it is fair to say that JESUS took the best care of His tools; He didn’t waste wood or other materials;
d. Caring for our earthly possessions is one of the ways that we demonstrate TRUE heavenly mindedness…
• WHEN we are God-conscious… we will do our best for Him.
• WHEN we do so in obedience to the Word…
• WHEN we do so in submission to our Heavenly Father and His Word.
• This is being truly heavenly-minded… living life on earth as if even the tiniest details (down to washing our car or painting the fence!) has eternal ramifications — because they DO.
e. In fact, it is not heavenly mindedness that causes a person to say, “I don’t care about material possessions.” This kind of thinking IS often worldly!
• We SHOULD care about the physical gifts God has given… and that care should follow the principles in the Word…
• Spiritual thinking will always be in harmony with the Scriptures.
• Worldly thinking ignores the principles in the Scriptures.
f. Taking good care of earthly possessions does not mean that we are materialistic.
• It COULD be—if we are overly careful about them… worry about them… love them… live for them… crave and covet them…
• It is NOT materialistic to CARE for them according the Scriptures.
• That is good stewardship… it is obedience… it is wisdom…
To The Diligent Man
1. In contrast to the worldly mindset of the slothful man who wastes what God has given him is the attitude of the diligent man.
a. Substance: wealth; riches; substance. (His earthly goods; physical things.)
b. The diligent man sees the substance (physical things) as precious.
c. Precious: valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid
• This does not mean that he LOVES those things or is covetous.
• Rather, it means that he sees the value in things.
2. This man is wise. He sees the value in every gift of God.
a. He may be a poor man… and may not have as MUCH property as a rich, lazy man, but whatever he has, he values and takes care of it.
b. To him, it is precious… He will not let things rot, rust, and decay.
c. He will be diligent about the upkeep of his property. (paint; termites; etc.)
d. He will be diligent because he sees the VALUE in it.
3. If he has extra things he doesn’t need, he won’t let them waste away. He will put them to good use.
a. He will either sell them and buy things he DOES need…
b. Or he will take care of them until he finds a use for them.
c. Or perhaps he will give them to someone in need.
d. This man is probably frustrated when he sees others waste gifts from God…
e. He goes by the field of the slothful and is upset… that such a potentially productive field is being wasted because a lazy man lives there!
4. This wise man sees the SPIRITUAL VALUE in taking care of God’s gifts
a. It is part of his testimony before the world…
b. Our use and care for material things is spiritual training… an ongoing exercise in submitting to Scriptural principles in our everyday daily life…
c. He sees such material goods as opportunities to help others…
d. He sees them as opportunities to advance the cause of Christ…
e. He sees potential in them… and refuses to waste them.
f. The spiritual man will see in his earthly possessions an opportunity to manifest Christlikeness through his heart attitude towards, his care of, his unselfish generosity with, and his wise use of his earthly goods.
g. The use of material goods is a most profitable spiritual exercise…
• This spiritual exercise includes guarding the heart against covetousness and loving the things of the world…
• It includes practicing giving and selflessness…
• It includes the practice of seeking things above… and using earthly good to heap up treasures in heaven…
• It includes the healthy discipline of upkeep of our property… developing a healthy work ethic…
• The treatment and care of possessions is excellent training for kids!
The contrast:
The slothful man does not value his possessions… and through negligence, he wastes them.
The diligent man sees the value of his possessions—he sees them as gifts from God—and he sees them as his stewardship from God…
Proverbs 12:28
The Way of the Righteous
The Way of the Righteous Preserves Life
WAY: pathway; road; course of life; way of living.
1. Prov. 2:8 – God preserves their path.
a. God gives wisdom to the righteous (vs. 6-7)
b. And as they apply that wisdom to their way… God preserves them!
c. Preserves: keep; guard; watch; observe; restrain; protect.
d. The way of the righteous is the way of applied wisdom—and that way is protected by God.
e. That is a safe way to travel through life… and one that preserves one’s life!
2. Prov.13:6 – Righteousness KEEPS him who walks in an upright way
a. The man who is … who practices righteousness in his life will find that that practice KEEPS him!
b. Keeps: guard; watch; watch over; keep.
c. It is the practice of righteousness that guards our life…
d. Certain practices are dangerous (drinking; taking drugs; reckless speeding in a car; etc.)
e. Other practices preserve life… and keeps a man safe (careful about what he eats; how he drives; what activities he involves himself in)
f. Practicing righteousness is taking care of oneself.
3. Prov. 9:11 – God’s wisdom adds years to our life…
a. Wisdom is speaking.
b. By ME (God’s wisdom—the Word) years are added to our lives.
c. By rejecting God’s Wisdom—years are subtracted from our lives.
• The teens who brush off their parents’ words of wisdom are a perfect example…
• They are told to drive carefully—but proceed to speed down the highway—to their death!
• Older believers who are warned about smoking—disregard the words of wisdom, and end up with lung cancer. Years are taken off their lives.
d. But to those who listen to God’s wisdom—and incorporate it into their daily practice discover that they don’t have to worry about lung cancer; or hepatitis, cirrhoses of the liver, alcoholism, drug addiction, or aids; broken homes, etc…
e. Why no worries there? Because they practice righteousness… and righteousness preserves their lives.
f. Prov. 11:19 – the man who practices righteousness discovers that what Solomon says is true: righteousness tendeth to life…
The Way of the Righteous Encourages a Strong, Healthy Walk
1. Prov. 10:29 – the way of the Lord is STRENGTH.
a. Strength – a stronghold; place or means of safety; protection; refuge.
b. II Sam. 22:33 – God is my strength… my fortress…
c. This verse pictures the safety of the believer who walks in the way of the Lord—or the way of righteousness as a walk INSIDE a stronghold; a fortress;
d. His walk is made STRONG by God…
e. In the way of the Lord STRENGTH is given to the upright… to the righteous.
f. When walking, strength is NEEDED… and God offers all the help and strength we need—AS we are determined to walk in the right way. God doesn’t offer His strength when we turn off course.
2. Prov. 4:11-12 – Lady Wisdom tells us HOW to walk and run SO THAT you won’t stumble.
a. Those who have a STRONG walk trip up less frequently than those who are weak.
b. Have you ever climbed a mountain? You are much more stable on your feet when walking over a rocky area than you are when your legs are tired—like rubber. You are much more likely to stumble when your legs are tired and weak.
c. God’s wisdom is our strength. And when we practice it, we won’t stumble.
d. That is a strong walk… one that keeps on walking without tripping up…
e. They shall walk and not be weary; run and not faint.
f. The way of righteousness is LIFE… a good, strong, healthy, spiritual life…
The Way of the Righteous Requires Instruction
1. Prov. 6:23 – reproofs of instruction are in the way of LIFE…
a. In our verse in ch.12, Solomon states that the way of the righteous is LIFE…
b. Here he states that along the way of life are found many reproofs…
c. Reproof = a rebuke or correction…
d. Instruction = discipline, chastening
e. The one who seeks to walk in the way of the righteous… the way of life… must be willing to accept correction along the way!
f. This implies that it is human nature to tend to swerve OFF course… and to wander away from the right pathway.
g. Hence, along the way, correction and instruction are often needed and should be heeded!
h. Cf. 10:17 – keeping instruction and remaining in the right way go hand in hand. The fool who refuses to listen to correction errs… wanders off course… out of the way of safety and life… on to a dangerous road.
i. 15:10 – note the connection between wandering off the way of righteousness… and death!
j. This is especially important for young people—who are in a position to make central and vital choices in life that will affect your spiritual life for good or bad for many, many years to come… (school; career; marriage; ministry; etc…)
k. Young people haven’t had the life experience yet to have wisdom required for such life transforming decisions. Hence, they are warned here to TAKE HEED to counsel, instruction, and correction!
2. Prov.3:6 – He shall direct thy paths (same word as way)
a. What is the way of righteousness? How are we to walk down that pathway?
b. By acknowledging GOD every step of the way… acknowledging Him as LORD… acknowledging His authority… acknowledging His Word… acknowledge Him as the One who enables us to walk… empowers us to walk…
c. Acknowledge—most often translated “know”. KNOW God! That’s how we are to walk through life.
d. The better we know Him, the more our steps will be directed by Him…
e. The more we know Him, the safer, surer, stronger, more stable and steadfast will be our walk down that pathway!
f. The way of righteousness is a life that has the knowledge of God at the forefront of our thinking all the way… all the time.
3. Ps. 25:4 – “shew me thy ways; teach me thy paths” = same term… we should PRAY along the way.
a. This is a prayer of the psalmist—asking God to SHOW him God’s ways… and asking to be TAUGHT His paths.
b. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. We are to pray…
c. Show = cause to know; make known; reveal…
d. The psalmist wanted to know God and His ways… that is the way of the righteous.
e. We need God’s guidance in life more than we realize. Ask and ye shall receive!
f. These are the kinds of things we ought to pray for—not just our sore toes and aching backs!
g. Lord, teach me how to walk… teach me about the way of righteousness… teach me about the way of life…
h. Ps. 27:11 – lead me in the way—in the plain (level ground)—because of the enemies.
• There are enemies at every corner!
• Walking in the way is dangerous—ask for God’s leading.
• Ask God to lead you in a “plain” (level; straight) way… so that we can avoid the pitfalls and potholes of life. If we don’t ask—and if we are not walking in dependence upon Him… we will find those potholes… when we could have been directed to a plain way!
The Way of the Righteous Requires Heart Preparation
1. Prov. 23:19 – guide your heart along the way…
a. The way of righteousness is life.
b. As we journey down that way… that road… that pathway,
c. Guide: go straight on; make progress…
2. Prov. 4:18 – the path of the just = a shining way!
a. The path of the just is virtually the same expression as the way of righteousness.
b. In this text, Solomon likens the path of the godly man to the rising of the sun… a glorious sunrise!
• It begins as the shining light—the first ray of light over the horizon that dispels the darkness of the night.
• Then the sun shines more and more—brighter and brighter until the perfect day … until the day is complete…
• Perfect = firm; fixed; established; ready
• The perfect day speaks of a day that has been fully established… no more dawning but brilliant daylight!
• We are to be increasing in the knowledge of Christ—filled with the fullness of God…reaching forth unto those things which are before… pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus…
• II Pet. 1:19 – Peter uses the same illustration as Solomon used—only Peter uses the illustration of a rising sun to describe the increasing light that comes from God’s Word… as we lay hold of it.
• In the straight and narrow pathway of light, light increases day by day
• The new believer walks in the light… and his eyes are opened to the spiritual realm!
• As that believer continues down the path of the just, the light becomes brighter and brighter.
• Thus, as he looks at himself, the light illuminates more and more dirt and dust that was previously not noticed… but now, with increasing light, comes increasing responsibility… and in turn, increasing holiness!
c. As we walk down the way of righteousness… we should be growing and increasing in righteousness…
• This requires heart preparation DAILY… in the Word of God.
• This requires guiding our heart along the way… in the way… making progress spiritually…
3. Ps. 119:9 – Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
a. The way is cleansed by taking heed to the Word…
b. Ps. 119:101 – I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
• Self restraint is required to remain in the way of righteousness
4. Ps. 119:104 – hate every false way…
a. Part of preparing the heart is learning to LOVE righteousness… and learning to HATE iniquity.
b. That is part of godliness… righteousness… the way of righteousness
c. It is a matter of training the heart.
d. Hate it enough to forsake it!
* Prov. 9:6 – the foolish are in the way of death… forsake it and live!
5. Ps. 119:15 – I will have respect unto thy ways…
a. Hating the false way is proper… but loving and respecting the right way is part of heart preparation needed for our journey on the “right road”…
b. Respect = show regard to, pay attention to, consider…
c. Do we show the proper regard… respect for remaining on the righteous road?
6. There is not only life at the end of the road of righteousness, but there is life all along the way—a good life; abundant life;
a. There is no death on this pathway… not on the straight and narrow road…
b. There is nothing but life… good life… a life worth living…
c. There is no death in this way… none of the ways or sorrows of the world that end in death and diminish our joy in the Lord along the way.
