Proverbs
Notes on Proverbs – Chapter 14
Proverbs 14:1
A Wise Woman
Introduction:
1. Once again, Solomon contrasts wisdom and folly.
2. He has contrasted wisdom and folly in all kinds of situations:
• Wisdom causes a son to hear his father…
• Wisdom causes a man to obey the commandments…
• Wisdom causes a man to walk with other wise men…
• Wisdom causes a man to fear the Lord…
3. In this verse Solomon applies wisdom to the home… and especially to the lady of the house.
1. House: can mean either the physical house (dwelling place) or a household, household affairs; family; descendants; those who live IN the dwelling place.
a. It is used hundreds of times in the Old Testament.
b. It is most often used of physical dwelling places; or of a group of people and their descendants—i.e.,… of the house of God; the house of Judah and Israel;
c. That is NOT the sense in which Solomon uses the term.
d. Solomon uses the term in a slightly difference sense:
• Ps. 68:6 – translated families.
• Isa. 38:1 – “set thine house in order” = the affairs of one’s household…
• Jer. 5:27 – “houses full of deceit” = speaks of the moral climate within that household…
e. When Solomon refers to a wise woman building her house, this is the sense that he is suggesting: the family life; the affairs of the household; the moral and spiritual climate within that household.
2. Building: to build; rebuild; establish; cause to continue
a. This also a very common Old Testament word—used scores of times in the Old Testament.
b. Gen. 33:17 – it often has the meaning of construction—masonry; carpentry… building a physical structure…
c. It’s used often of building altars; building cities; building the walls of Jerusalem; building houses; used of the stone quarriers who built the Temple;
d. But this term also has another shade of meaning…
• Ps. 147:2 – building up a community of people… Jerusalem.
• Ps. 89:2 – “mercy shall be built up” = strengthening of virtue is called building up…
• It is in this sense that Solomon uses the term in Prov. 14:1… a community… fellowship… spirituality and virtue… which are built up…
3. Thus, Solomon is using a play on words—one which makes sense both in Hebrew and in English… for we use these terms in a similar sense.
a. Solomon uses the concept of physically constructing a building as an illustration of making and preparing a home.
b. He draws an analogy from carpentry or masonry and applies it to homemaking…
c. In those days, the husband usually built the house structure… and the wife’s responsibility was to make it a home on the inside. That’s the analogy here.
d. Today most men do not build their own homes. Some do. (I love my family too much. I would never let them live in a house that I built.)
e. But we have a few carpenters here who built their own houses. But whether we built it or not—the analogy holds… and is practical and helpful.
f. This proverb is designed to be practical for WOMEN in building up their homes… on the inside.
4. It takes wisdom to construct a building.
a. When the Tabernacle and later the Temple were built, there were plans… divinely inspired plans. (Ex. 25:9; I Chron. 28:11-12; 18-19)
• God expected that the plans were to be followed.
• The Lord would not have been pleased if His plans were ignored… and they built the Temple according to what pleased Solomon or the construction workers.
• They were to follow the plans even if it was difficult and involved much sacrifice.
• They did not have the liberty to alter the plans or add or subtract from the plans.
• They were not to look around them at how the other nations built their Temples. They were to build according to the pattern God gave them.
• The finished structure was to look like the pattern they were given.
• A construction worker might attempt to undermine the architect’s work… by cutting corners here or there… or by using inferior materials… or out of sheer pride think that he has a better way of doing it…
• Wisdom demands that the construction workers follow the architect’s pattern and plan.
b. A wise woman builds her home on the inside the same way.
• God has given the godly wife a blueprint for the home: God’s Word!
• Just as a set of blueprints spells out how everything is to be assembled on the outside of the structure… God’s Word is the woman’s blueprint which spells out clearly how things should be ordered on the inside of the home.
• There IS an order: the husband is to be the loving head; the wife is to willingly submit; they are to work together to bring up the children according to God’s pattern… and children are to obey.
1. This order is never to be ignored or reversed.
2. Kids are NOT in charge; wives do not rule the nest; husbands are to lead…
3. God would not be pleased if Solomon changed the pattern David gave him from the Lord—neither would God be pleased if we change the pattern for the home!
4. God’s pattern for the home is under attack in our day and age… and it is probably irreversible.
a. Gay marriages certainly are not according to the order found in God’s Word.
b. Anyone who dares to oppose it is called a hate monger and a bigot…
c. God’s order for the home is being replaced with disorder… and that does not bode well for our country and future generations.
• Women are to follow the pattern even if it is difficult.
1. There is a lot of pressure on young married women today to change this pattern…
2. There is pressure to be like the women of the world who do NOT believe in submission to their husbands… and have changed the pattern to share in the authority… to share the headship.
3. Sometimes husbands make foolish demands on their wives and it is difficult for them to submit.
4. Sometimes husbands have the wrong concept of headship and lead like a drill sergeant… and the wife feels like NOT submitting…
5. Some of the stones for the Temple were MASSIVE. It would have been a lot easier to make many smaller stones… following the pattern is not always easy… but it is always best.
• Just as the construction workers building the Temple were not to look around them at how the other nations built their Temples, so Christian women today are not to look around at how other women handle the affairs of their homes.
1. A godly woman will look into the Word for her pattern.
2. If you pattern your home after the way others do… you are worldly. You are being conformed by the world.
3. Pattern your home life after the principles in God’s Word…
4. Just because all the other ladies on the block are dropping their kids off at a day care center, that doesn’t mean you should. That is NOT the pattern we see in the Bible. Parents are to bring up their kids—not some hired hand.
5. Just because none of the ladies on the block spank their kids, that doesn’t mean you should stop!
• In building the Temple, the finished product was to look like the pattern, so too the Christian home should LOOK like the pattern we see in the Bible…
1. Be careful with this—not everything that Bible characters DID was to be imitated. (polygamy; adultery; etc..)
2. We see a pattern of a virtuous woman in Prov. 31. That picture should resemble YOUR life as a wife, mother, and home maker.
3. Ladies, does YOUR home look like the pattern we see in the Bible? If not, then perhaps some changes are in order.
4. In fact, the point of this proverb is just this: the woman’s role is to give attention to this very issue: does your home fit the pattern a Christian home according to the principles found in the Bible?
5. It takes wisdom and humility to stick to the pattern God gave.
a. The architect of the home is God Himself!
b. Wisdom doesn’t try to improve on God’s pattern, but humbly submits to it.
c. Wisdom attempts to pay attention even to small details of the pattern… and to incorporate them all.
5. Ladies, your home is YOUR construction project! Be busy at that task. And that does take a lot of work… energy and effort.
a. Buildings don’t just arise up out of the dust on their own. Neither are HOMES built on their own.
b. The woman’s job is to be working on the moral and spiritual climate in the home before the kids.
• A house is built with brick and mortar; wood and nails;
• A home is built with love, kindness, beauty, orderliness; discernment; education; harmony; unity; stability.
c. The woman’s job is to taking care of the internal affairs of the home…
• Is your house IN ORDER?
• Do you take care of your possessions?
• Is it neat or messy?
• Do you walk around the home teaching your children about the Lord?
• Is it a place where Christ is lifted up or hardly mentioned?
• Is it a place of chaos or discipline and order?
• Is the home cold and impersonal or warm and inviting?
• Are the affairs of your household being attended to faithfully—or are you so busy in other things, that the affairs of your household are ignored and unattended to?
• A house is more than a pile of wood, nails, glass, and shingles. A home is more than just people eating and sleeping at the same address.
• Turning that pile of building materials into a house is the job of the construction workers.
• Turning the inside of that building into a home is the wife’s responsibility.
d. A wise woman builds her home…
• The woman builds the family numerically by giving birth.
• She also builds it up spiritually by her godly character reflected in the home day in and day out… and by teaching her children in the things of the Lord.
• She builds it up economically by her industry and hard work. Read Prov. 31 – this woman was a hard worker and profited the whole family from her efforts.
Proverbs 14:2
Fearing or Despising the Lord
Introduction:
1. This proverb is quite simple. It states that a person’s attitude towards the Lord is seen in his behavior.
2. Those who fear God will walk in the way of uprightness.
3. Those who hate the Lord walk in perverse ways.
4. A person’s behavior is often a reflection of his attitude towards God.
1. Fearing God is a LIFE DOMINATING attitude.
a. The fear of the Lord affects absolutely everything we do, say, or even think!
b. Prov. 1:7 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning? of knowledge (9:10)
• The God-fearing man will have a knowledge of right and wrong… and he will fear the wrong.
• This will keep him walking in uprightness.
c. Prov. 2:3-5 – fearing God is associated with seeking Him wholeheartedly… and the knowledge of God.
• The one who fears God will seek Him.
• He will seek His favor; His grace; His word.
• He will realize that a half-hearted approach to an omniscient God is foolish.
d. Prov. 3:7 – fearing God is associated with departing from evil. (16:6)
• To know God is to fear Him.
• To fear Him is to depart from evil.
• One with knowledge and fear of God will be deathly afraid of displeasing God—for our God is a consuming fire! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!
• It is good to fear God. It will keep us from evil—AND from the awful consequences of evil.
e. Prov. 8:13 – The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
• The God-fearing man departs from evil and HATES evil!
• He hates every form of evil: beginning at self with pride and arrogance…
• He hates an evil mouth… Godly fear will clean up our mouths too!
f. Prov. 10:27 – Associated with a long life… considered a great blessing.
g. Prov. 14:26-27 – A place of safety and a fountain of life…
• The fear of God will keep us away from foolish behavior that is dangerous.
• Fearing God = fearing the government = obeying the laws. That results in good standing; safety! If you fear god, you don’t have to fear the sword of government.
• Fearing God = safety from sinful behavior that might cut short one’s life…
h. Prov. 15:16 – Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.?
• It results in a life of contentment.
• A God-fearing man who has but a little is far better than a godless man who may have a lot.
• One is weightier than the other.
i. Prov. 19:23 – The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
• The God fearing man has a heart attitude that tends to life; it tends toward safety.
• This man is content… more content than the wealthy man who has no fear of God. That godless man may be miserable!
• The God-fearer also “shall not be visited with evil.” (Calamity can be avoided by fearing God and submitting to His word.)
j. Prov.22:4 – By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
• In other words, the man who fears God will be honored by God and blessed by God.
• Godly fear and humility go hand in hand.
• That is an honorable life… a life of honor and integrity… uprightness.
k. Prov. 23:17 – it keeps us from envy… satisfied…
l. Prov. 24:21 – it will keep us from meddling with those prone to rebellion and anarchy… overthrowing the government… and getting thrown in jail or worse!
m. A God-fearing heart results in an upright life.
2. Uprightness
a. Defined: right; straight and even (as opposed to crooked); with moral implications; the quality of conforming to a standard.
b. Prov. 4:11 – I have led thee in RIGHT paths (same word).
c. Fearing God will keep us on the RIGHT road… the right pathway… doing things RIGHT before God… conforming to His standards…
1. He that is perverse in his ways…
a. Perverse: to depart; turn aside; to depart; to go wrong, go crooked; devious, perverse.
b. This does not necessarily speak of a twisted and demented pervert… but rather, it is the opposite of uprightness…
c. Uprightness is straight and even… this is crooked… dishonest… wayward…
d. Walking in uprightness means doing things the right way; this term speaks of doing things the wrong way…
e. Uprightness speaks of walking the straight and narrow way. Perverseness speaks of turning out of that way… to another way.
2. 2:14-15 – the ways of the evil man are crooked… anything that departs from the straight and narrow way is crooked… and it doesn’t matter at which point they depart either. His ways are dishonest, unfaithful, unjust, crooked…
3. Those who live this way demonstrate that they do NOT fear God. In fact, their actions demonstrate that they DESPISE God!
a. Very few people would ever SAY that they despise God, but their actions speak for them.
b. Many folks might actually SAY that they LOVE God, but their actions demonstrate just the opposite. They HATE God.
c. This is GOD’s estimate. Regardless of what men might say, GOD says that the one who is walking OFF the straight and narrow way actually hates God!
d. Titus 1:16 – They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
• However lovely their words are, their works demonstrate that they do not know Him.
• They profess to know God—but in reality they despise Him—and their works prove it.
e. Matt. 6:24 – Jesus stated one example of this. Walking in the way of covetousness is in reality “despising God.”
4. Despise:
a. Meaning: to despise; hold in contempt; disdain; consider worthless.
b. This is quite a powerful statement: when a man is not walking in uprightness… when he steps out of the way… his works are proclaiming a message.
c. That message is: “I hate God. I disdain God and His ways. I consider God and His truth to be worthless.”
d. Would YOU ever say that? Like it or not, that IS the message our lifestyle proclaims when we are not walking in uprightness.
e. Prov. 1:29 – Some men do NOT fear God; they reject His words… and from God’s perspective, they actually “despise Him.” This attitude results in perverse ways.
f. Those who despise God will despise His Word… and thus will not submit to it. Hence, they follow perverse ways.
3. His attitude towards God affects his lifestyle… his behavior… his walk.
a. Nothing has a great effect on our lives and holiness than the fear of God… a reverence for God…
b. Hence, that is just one more reason why we are going to CLING to what is considered an old fashioned way of worship… one that emphasizes reverence… and godly fear.
c. Once the fear of God is gone—you just watch the behavior change—and go right downhill! (in the churches!)
d. A God fearing attitude results in uprightness.
e. When the fear of God is gone… the result is perversity.
4. Our heart attitude towards God has a great effect on the way we live.
a. Whatever is in our hearts has a way of flowing out and manifesting itself.
b. Prov. 4:23 – out of our hearts flow all the issues of life. Keep your heart with all diligence. Keep it pure. Keep it reverent. Keep it in the fear of the Lord.
c. If our heart is full of godly fear and reverence, it will SHOW in the way we live.
d. Prov. 23:17 – THEREFORE, we should LIVE in the fear of the Lord! Every day… moment by moment… day by day…
Proverbs 14:3
Foolish and Wise Mouths
Introduction:
1. Once again, Solomon contrasts the foolish and the wise.
2. In particular, he speaks of their mouths or lips… as a figure of speech to denote what comes out of their mouths and lips: speech!
3. Everybody has a mouth. Fools use their mouths in one way; wise men use them differently.
4. This is a common theme in Proverbs.
1. The fool’s mouth is characterized by PRIDE…
a. This is a different term for pride than is most often used.
b. Meaning: majesty, a rising up; swelling (of the sea); majesty (of Israel); pride, haughtiness.
c. It is translated variously; excellency; haughtiness; swelling; highness; arrogance…
d. It is used here in the sense of arrogance and pride—a spirit that is lifted up or a head that swelled up… puffed up…
2. Actually, pride exists in the heart… not the mouth.
a. Prov. 16:5 – a proud heart is an abomination to God.
b. Prov. 21:4 – pride in the heart is sin.
• It is sinful and God hates it.
• Even if it is never acted upon, it is sinful and wrong.
• BUT—it is much WORSE to act upon it…
c. Prov. 28:25 – pride in the heart is manifested in stirring up trouble.
d. Prov. 13:10 – only by pride cometh contention.
e. Pride is at the root of all controversy and contention.
• Thus, WISDOM has the good sense to suppress pride.
• A wise man will.
• Where there is pride in the heart and NO WISDOM to suppress it, it WILL manifest itself in all kinds of ugly ways…
• Wisdom will “keep a lid” on pride… and eventually will DEAL with it…
3. The fool has pride in his heart—AND lets it all out through his big mouth.
a. Pride manifests itself in the mouth through BOASTING.
• This is overt pride… nothing subtle about this.
• This is the man who lets everyone know about HIMSELF… because frankly, he can’t think of a more fascinating topic!
• He speaks about how well he does at his job… at all of his hobbies… how much money he makes…
• He drops names of important people he hob-knobs with
• The Christian who has a mouth full of spiritual pride is worse.
1. He lets everyone know how long he prays;
2. He drops hints as to how much money he gives.
3. He makes sure everyone knows how many tracts he passed out; how many people he has witnessed to;
4. He, like the proud Pharisee, blows a trumpet every time he does a good deed…
5. And like the Pharisee, he gloats over the fact that he is not as sinful as others…
6. He likes everyone to know how holy he is… and rest assured, he is truly holier than thou!
7. God hates this kind of proud boasting.
b. Pride manifests itself in the mouth through CRITICIZING.
• Pride is demonstrated in a round about way at other times.
• This man may not boast overtly of himself, but he does the same thing by constantly criticizing others and pointing out their faults.
• The implication each time is: “I am better than he is” even though it is never stated as such.
• He tears down others to make himself look good… to exalt himself.
• Now there are times when faults NEED to be pointed out… where error must be exposed. Jesus did so often.
• BUT—when we do so, we need to be extremely careful about our MOTIVE.
• Our motive ought to be a love for the truth—not a love for self… not a desire to make US look good.
c. Pride manifests itself in the mouth through RIDICULING.
• Pride sometimes pokes fun at others in order to make self look good… just like pointing out faults.
• There is of course, good clean fun.
• But there is also a kind of poking fun that has as its source PRIDE and arrogance…
• Little kids do this all the time. They poke fun at someone who might look different or might be a little slow. (Na, na na na na!)
• Adults do the same thing—but with much more sophistication.
• God hates the pride behind it all—regardless of how cleverly we disguise it!
d. Pride manifests itself in the mouth through proud COMMANDING.
• Some demonstrate a proud mouth by taking authority to themselves that does not belong to them.
• They make commands and tell others what to do—when in fact, they are not in charge!
• Pride blinds that person into thinking that he or she is the head of everything…
• When we present God’s Word we are to speak with all authority.
• But when we speak on other issues—perhaps a little humility would help.
• Our way of doing things isn’t necessarily the only way.
• We are not in charge of everything. We should not try to speak authoritatively on all subjects under the sun!
• This is the know-it-all… and the one who THINKS he is the boss… and enjoys telling others what to do…
• God hates this kind of pride when it spews out of our mouths.
• A wise man will learn to control that tongue.
4. A ROD.
a. The fool who says proud, arrogant, and foolish things needs to be punished with a rod…
• Some understand the rod of pride as a stick that the proud man uses to hurt others… by what comes out of his mouth: criticism, ridicule, etc.
• Others see this rod as a rod that is needed to DEAL with the pride and arrogance that comes out of the mouths of fools.
• Ps. 64:8 – it may be that the rod is BOTH… the proud man’s words that HURT like a rod… and that CORRECT like a rod—because they hurt HIM… they come back to bite him!
b. Prov. 10:13 – a rod is for the back of a fool… for beating some sense into him! To knock some sense into him.
c. Prov. 26:3 – just as animals need to pulled and whipped and beaten into submission—so does the fool. Like a dumb animal, he doesn’t seem to learn any other way.
d. Parents would LOVE to not have to spank their children. Kids—here’s a way to avoid it: do what is right! Don’t talk or behave foolishly… rebelliously… SUBMIT!
e. Elders would LOVE never to have to discipline a church member—and here’s the way to do it—don’t talk foolishly… humble yourself… don’t be proud or arrogant… submit to the God-given authority in the local church… and there is no need for it!
f. But there are times when the rod is needed.
g. As adults, no one is going to spank us… but the rod should speak to us ALL of DEALING with this kind of pride…
h. We should learn to chasten ourselves… examine our own hearts… MORTIFY the deeds of the body that are not pleasing to God.
i. Let’s face it. We are ALL guilty of having PRIDE flow out of our mouths… rather than pretend it’s not there, let’s be honest and deal with it!
j. And when you hear pride coming out of the mouth of a brother, show love: love covers a multitude of sins.
k. Don’t make a big deal out of HIS pride. Let’s rather attack the pride in our OWN heart. There’s plenty there to keep us busy.
3b But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
1. On the other hand, words of wisdom will PRESERVE the wise man.
a. Foolish words of pride bring judgment upon the fool.
b. Wise words of humility protect the wise man.
c. Prov. 13:3 – the one who watches his mouth is safe.
d. His words do not come back to bite him or haunt him.
2. A clear contrast…
Pride
Folly
Losing friends by hurting them with your tongue
Bringing trouble and difficulties into your life through a proud use of the tongue
He has to deal with the consequences of his foolish pride: (driving the tractor into the river)
Humility
Wisdom
Preserving friendships by a wise and humble use of tongue.
Preserving your life from trouble by a wise and humble use of the tongue
He can avoid those kinds of consequences. Pride hurts; humility pays!
Rom. 6:13 – it is our privilege as believers to allow the Holy Spirit to control us—and thus our tongues. This member can thus be transformed as a weapon to hurt others into an instrument of righteousness unto God!
Proverbs 14:4
A Clean Crib or the Strength of the Ox
Introduction:
1. This proverb is a bit different from most of the others in recent chapters.
2. There is no contrast between the wise man and the fool or the righteous man and the wicked.
3. Rather, this proverb teaches a lesson through an illustration that would have been very familiar to most of Solomon’s readers…
4. The illustration might not be quite so familiar to us today, and it might require a bit more thinking… but once you see the illustration, the light goes on… and its truth is undeniable.
5. This proverb illustrates a principle that has countless applications.
a. For you young people wondering whether going to college is worth it or not…
b. For the factory worker who prefers to take the easy, shortcut way to do the job—here’s something to think about.
c. For the factory owner who wants his factory to be productive.
d. For the Sunday school teacher who really wants to see fruit from his or her ministry—here is a valuable principle.
e. For the commander in Chief of the armed forces…
f. For the homemaker… the construction worker… the student… the engineer… here is a principle that will transform your work, your success, your finances, and perhaps your whole career!
1. The farmer who doesn’t use oxen to plow his fields has some immediate advantages:
a. He doesn’t have to clean up the messy stall every day!
b. He doesn’t have to shovel manure; that’s no fun!
c. Nor does he have to feed the oxen every day.
d. He doesn’t have to carry piles of hay out to the barn twice a day.
2. In fact this farmer might look at the farmer next door and even laugh at him!
a. Look at that fool shoveling manure!
b. Look at that fool carrying hay out to the barn!
c. My life is so much easier… my barn so much cleaner…
d. That poor fool next door sure goes to a lot of trouble on those dumb animals…
e. Those oxen are more work than anything else!
f. If only my neighbor were as smart as I am… he would see how much extra work he has to do to keep those animals.
3. In the short run, the farmer who chooses NOT to use oxen has a point.
a. He DOES have less work to do.
b. His stalls are cleaner.
c. The farmer next door DOES have extra chores to do.
4. But this is precisely this man’s problem. He is looking at the situation from a very narrow perspective… he doesn’t see the whole picture. He only sees the immediate.
a. The farmer who chooses NOT to use oxen is looking only at the “immediate”… and has no vision for the future.
b. Kids often think like this. They have no vision for the future.
c. Kids often do not see WHY they have to do this or that. What good does it do right NOW?
d. In a sense, the farmer who chooses NOT to use oxen thinks like Esau. Esau wanted his porridge right now… and was not interested in tomorrow or the future. His only concern was for me, myself, and I… right now! Nothing matters but the immediate.
e. This proverb teaches the folly of that kind of an attitude.
f. If our focus is on “me, myself, and I and right now”—it will affect our decisions. It will affect our future. It will affect our success.
5. The farmer in the first part of this proverb chose the easy route… for the immediate.
a. He chose not to use any oxen.
b. He didn’t want to do the dirty work associated with having oxen. (Cleaning; shoveling manure; feeding; etc.)
c. And in the immediate, he DID have it easier than his neighbor.
d. But Solomon is going to demonstrate how FOOLISH this man’s narrow perspective really is.
e. Perhaps some of us here have been a bit narrow in our perspective… and maybe the Lord will make a personal application of this principle.
1. On the other hand is the farmer next door who DOES use oxen in his fields for plowing.
2. This man uses oxen to plow his fields… which means that this man has at least three immediate DISADVANTAGES.
a. There was the initial investment in purchasing the oxen. There was a big cost up front… which his neighbor didn’t have to pay!
b. Then there are the ongoing expenses of feeding the oxen.
c. And there is also the extra maintenance work of cleaning the stalls.
3. Those disadvantages notwithstanding, Solomon emphasizes here the STRENGTH of the ox.
a. Oxen are expensive. And they eat a lot. And they can make a mess too.
b. That’s all the farmer in the first part of this proverb saw—the expense, the dirty work, and the mess.
c. But the farmer in the second part of the proverb sees something BEYOND that.
d. He sees the STRENGTH of the ox.
e. This farmer sees the potential in the ox.
f. He sees the benefit of using an ox.
g. He sees the increased productivity from the ox.
h. This farmer observed that his neighbor is able to cultivate one acre by hand and reap a one acre harvest, he could cultivate 10 acres with oxen—and reap 10 acres worth of harvest!
i. And not only is this farmer able to plow 10 times the acreage, each acre is greatly increased by the oxen. The farmer who uses oxen has to shovel manure—but that manure also greatly increases his productivity!
j. The farmer who takes the easy route and sold his oxen because they were too much work and who didn’t want to get his hands dirty shoveling manure, looses out all around!
k. He ends up with far less acreage plowed—and what little he does get plowed is not nearly as productive as the acreage next door that is fertilized organically!
4. The principle:
a. With a little extra investment of money and work—he could in the long run—be MUCH BETTER OFF!
b. The benefits of the strength of the ox by far outweigh the extra expense and work.
c. By doing a few extra unpleasant chores (manure duty!)—he reaps a huge benefit.
d. Kids—in this illustration, doing your homework and studying for tests might seem like shoveling manure (you’ve got better things to do, right?)—but in the long run, there is a great benefit from it!
5. A meaningful project always requires a little extra investment of time, energy, money, and care… but the end product is WORTH every bit of it!
a. That’s a great lesson to learn—and one that has application in absolutely EVERY field of endeavor.
b. This principle is as valuable to the housewife and to the president of the USA.
6. Applications for today…
a. There are some young people who think that going to college is a waste of time… because they know a friend who got a job at Raytheon without going to college… and now he’s got his own car!
• But over time, the one who stayed in school will likely advance much more rapidly at Raytheon!
b. There are homemakers today who think that making a pie from scratch is a waste of time. You can buy one much cheaper…
• Maybe you can buy a Tabletalk cherry pie cheaper than you can make one, but there’s nothing like a homemade cherry pie!
• The benefit by far outweighs the extra effort!
c. There are factory owners who don’t want to buy the newer more efficient equipment… because they don’t want the extra burden of debt…
• So they take the easy way, and use the old fashioned equipment.
• This machinery was good enough for my father when he ran the company…it’s good enough for me.
• The extra upfront investment in new equipment—and even the burden of a loan to purchase it might seem like shoveling manure…
• But, if the new machines can produce 10 times as many widgets per hour, it is worth every penny invested!
d. There are young people today who think that it’s not worth paying all that money for college, when they could be living a lot better right now by going to work and not spending all those thousands of dollars on tuition.
• They would rather keep that money for themselves right now.
• But take the time to compare the “earning power” over the long haul.
• The time and effort invested in college might enable you be much better off than if you chose not to invest 4+ years at the university.
e. The small business owner who doesn’t want to spend money on advertising…
• But his competition might discover that there is strength in advertising…
• Investing money up front to advertise and let your products be known may pay off by 10 times the sales!
f. The US military operates by this principle.
• The new soldier might liken boot camp to shoveling manure—but over time he will see the benefit of it.
• The Pentagon spends millions of dollars on equipment, planes, research, training programs, education, and technology…
• Some men might complain about those expenses… (and some complain about the expense)—but when they go to war and are 10 times as efficient and effective as the enemy—we ALL benefit.
g. The CEO who slashes the budget for research and development because he sees it as a waste of time…
• Yet the company who spends the research money up front and discovers a new medical breakthrough, a more efficient engine, or a better mousetrap—could leave their competition in the dust!
h. The man who chops wood—and takes the time to sharpen his ax.
• The guy next door who chops wood for the same amount of time but doesn’t take the time to stop and sharpen his ax may work just as long and hard, but will not be as productive.
• He may view stopping to sharpen the ax as a waste of time… but the benefits greatly aid productivity.
i. The computer user who invests a little extra time to read the manual and learns a much more efficient way to use his software.
7. In every area of life—the strength of the ox is by FAR worth the extra expense and effort required to maintain the ox.
a. This is especially so in our spiritual lives.
b. There was no LAW that required farmers to use oxen. It was his choice.
c. In our spiritual lives, there is no LAW that requires believers to go to prayer meeting or Sunday school.
• Like caring for an ox, there is extra effort involved in caring for our spiritual lives.
• Getting up earlier for Sunday school; gobbling down supper in a hurry or even eating late in order to make it to prayer meeting.
• But think about the benefits and the spiritual STRENGTH available to those who take advantage of it.
• Evening mid-week fellowship 52 weeks a year! 52 practical lessons from proverbs for ourselves and our kids… priceless!
• Sunday school—52 hour long classes a year—on all sorts of subjects… think of the strength that results from the extra discernment…
• Like the farmer who doesn’t want to shovel manure—life would be a bit more comfortable for self RIGHT NOW… in the immediate if we could sleep later on Sundays… or lie on the couch Wednesday nights…
• But the long term spiritual benefit by far outweighs the extra investment in time and effort.
• Think of the eternal benefits: a WELL DONE from the Lord…
Proverbs 14:5
A Faithful and a False Witness
Introduction:
1. Here is a contrast between two kinds of men: one who lies and one who does not lie… a faithful and a false witness.
2. Solomon is not so much describing what these men DO or SAY… as he is describing their character.
3. Character is reflected in our actions… our words… our witness.
1. Solomon speaks first of the FAITHFUL witness.
2. Witness: witness; testimony; evidence; an object which is a symbol of a past event, and so acts as a memorial;
a. Men function as witnesses in a courtroom setting. (Num. 35:30)
b. Men also function as witnesses in everyday life.
i. In daily conversations, we testify about things we have heard, seen, situations we have observed, information we know, things we have done, places we have been, people we have met…
ii. We testify as a witness about events and situations in life every time we utter a word to others.
iii. We testify when we stand up in church and give a testimony.
iv. We testify when we repeat a story…
v. We testify when we tell someone what we saw in the parking lot…
vi. We testify when we talk on the telephone and tell Fred what Tom said… or when we tell Alice what Sue said…
vii. We testify when we fill out our tax forms… when we write out a resume… when we fill out an auto accident report…
viii. In a sense, every time we open our mouths… every time we put pen to paper… every time we send an email… we are testifying about something… we are functioning as a witness.
3. Faithful: faithful; trusting; trustworthy; fidelity; firm; steadfastness; reliable; loyal to a person or a standard.
a. 13:17 – a faithful ambassador (same word for faithful)
b. Solomon highlights the character of the man; not so much his actions.
c. Notice that the word “faithful” does not describe the WORDS but the PERSON.
i. It is the witness who is faithful… not his speech.
ii. Of course it is implied that his speech is faithful, but that’s not what it says.
iii. It SAYS that the WITNESS (the person who is a witness) is faithful.
iv. It speaks of the character of the man, woman, or child.
d. Daniel was a faithful man (Dan. 6:4) (same root for faithful)
i. When Daniel spoke, his words were true and everyone knew it.
ii. When Daniel attested to something—it was accurate.
iii. Daniel was loyal to God… to God’s standard of truth.
iv. Daniel was conscientious in his replies to men.
v. Daniel was faithful and reliable… a man of integrity.
vi. His word was truth… he didn’t embellish… he didn’t exaggerate… he didn’t stretch the truth… he didn’t slant the truth.
vii. He SPOKE the truth… and was a faithful witness to truth.
viii. The REASON Daniel’s words were faithful was because Daniel himself was a faithful man… reliable… loyal to God… loyal to God’s Word… steadfast…
ix. A man’s words are but a reflection of his character.
4. A faithful witness WILL NOT LIE.
a. The faithful witness is a person with character… loyal… true… faithful… steadfast… firm.
b. That kind of a person will not lie.
c. He won’t lie today; he won’t lie tomorrow; he won’t lie next year… because he himself is a faithful witness.
d. A faithful witness will be asked what he heard or what he saw and he will report accurately… fairly.
e. He won’t slant the truth to make himself look good; or to cover for a friend; or to sell some goods and make a profit.
f. He won’t lie when he is under pressure; to hurt an enemy; or to help himself.
g. He is steadfast and firm in the truth.
5. HOW do we testify?
a. Are we steadfast and firm in testifying to the truth?
b. Or do we take liberty with the truth—to stretch it when it is to our advantage?
c. Or to leave out important details when it will make us look good?
d. Do we embellish our deeds and minimize the deeds of others?
e. We don’t have to be in court to be a witness… we are a witness (either faithful or false) every time we open our mouths.
6. Rev. 1:5 – Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness
a. Christ is called THE faithful witness.
b. He came to testify of the father… and His testimony was true.
c. We are called to be like HIM… faithful witnesses…
d. John 3:11, 32 – what He saw and heard He testified of.
e. John 18:37 – Christ came to earth to testify about what He heard and saw of His Father.
f. He was a faithful witness—He accurately communicated truth about God…
g. This He did both verbally and through His life… His life was a witness of truth.
h. When He spoke of God, His life was a reflection of that truth.
i. We should be faithful witnesses like this… not just our words… but our lives.
j. Is your LIFE a faithful witness to the truth that you know?
7. Psalm 15:1-2 – The psalmist used this quality to identify a true believer.
a. Who shall abide in God’s tabernacle? In close communion with God?
b. Only the man who speaks truth in his heart. This is a faithful witness. Truth is in his heart—and only truth comes out of his mouth.
c. This man is the one who shall abide in God’s tabernacle.
1. This indicates that a false witness (a man whose character is less than sterling…) WILL lie.
a. Matt. 15:19 – false witness arises out of a sinful heart.
b. If the heart is evil, evil comes out. If there is deceit in the heart, it will result in false witness.
c. If the fountain is corrupt—the fountain POURS OUT corruption.
2. In our courts men are to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
a. This implies that lies can take many forms.
b. Lies may contain much truth—but can twist a few details…
c. Lies can take the shape of truth… but not the whole truth… leaving out key ingredients that would make a difference!
d. A half truth is a whole lie.
e. Lies can contain much truth with a few errors added in. Hence, nothing BUT the truth.
f. A false witness may say a lot of things that are true… but he is not completely honest with truth. He is not afraid to twist and mold the truth. This is a false witness.
g. Nothing will tarnish our testimony for Christ faster than gaining a reputation for being a false witness… a liar.
3. This speaks of habitual lying… he will lie today… tomorrow… and next year… whenever it is convenient for him to do so. Count on it!
a. It literally reads, “the false witness breaths out lies.”
b. There are 4 different translations of the Old Testament, which translate it “breaths out lies.”
c. One translation reads: “an unreliable witness tells nothing but lies.” (habitual lying)
d. This speaks of character. A polluted well brings forth polluted water.
e. A false witness is always unreliable. It speaks of the KIND of person that he is.
4. The false witness is a man or woman with no scruples.
a. He is not conscientious. He isn’t concerned about truth… integrity… righteousness… honor.
b. He is concerned about expediency… self… his own image… his own advantage…
c. False witnesses can be hired for money… like the men hired by Jezebel to lie about Nabal in court…
d. False witnesses were hired to lie about the Lord Jesus, which ultimately led to His death.
5. Don’t expect Sadaam Hussein to be a faithful witness.
a. Expect him to lie in court… to lie before his interrogators…
b. We can expect him to be a false witness… and to utter lies. The CIA is poised to deal with that too.
6. A false witness is unreliable… unfaithful.
a. Prov. 25:19 – he is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint
b. If you are looking for the truth, don’t count on him… don’t put confidence in him.
c. Seek someone else for the job—seek out a man like Daniel! Or a man like Nathaniel, of whom the Lord said, “An Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.”
d. Character DOES matter!
e. Are you a false witness or a faithful witness?
Proverbs 14:6
Understanding
1. Scorner: to scorn, talk arrogantly; speak words which show no respect for the object, and make fun of the object, (used 18 times in Proverbs)
2. Hence, Solomon is describing a man who SCORNS God and spiritual things.
a. This is the man who makes light of the Bible…
b. He laughs at the concept of a Personal God…
c. He ridicules the creation account… and the miracles…
d. He looks down at believers as unsophisticated, naive folks who are to be pitied for their archaic and medieval religious views.
e. He makes fun of the concept of a universal flood; of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish; of the resurrection, etc…
f. He is a mocker! A scorner! He is an arrogant know it all…
3. And, as a scorner, he will not accept rebuke or correction. (Prov. 13:1)
a. This makes his condition doubly dangerous.
b. It’s bad enough to ridicule that which one believes to be false.
c. It’s even worse when, because of pride, he refuses to listen to reason… he refuses the evidence which would put an end to his mockery and scorn. (Prov. 9:8)
4. Solomon tells us something else about this kind of person: sometimes scorners genuinely SEEK after wisdom — but they can’t seem to find it!
a. This proverb teaches that a lack of desire is NOT the reason for his inability to obtain wisdom.
b. The scorner DESIRES wisdom. In fact he is seeking after it.
c. However, he doesn’t find it!
d. Some might see in this a contradiction with Prov. 2:1-6
i. Here Solomon promises that those who seek wisdom WILL find it.
ii. Here Solomon states that those who lift up their voice after wisdom and understanding WILL obtain it.
iii. Yet, in Prov. 14:6, he says that the scorner who seeks after wisdom will NOT find it.
5. WHY? Because he is a scorner! He scorns God and His Word.
a. Prov. 9:10 – The scorner is missing two key ingredients:
i. The fear of the Lord—he doesn’t fear God.
ii. The knowledge of the Holy One—he doesn’t know God.
b. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!
c. A lack of the knowledge of God prevents him from obtaining understanding… spiritual understanding…
d. It doesn’t matter how HARD he seeks… how LONG he seeks… or how DILIGENTLY he seeks… or how SMART he is.
6. Example: Think of the NASA scientist working on the Mars project.
a. He is a brilliant man… a life dedicated to science… a rocket scientist.
b. He is seeking for the ultimate answers: how did these planets get here? How old are they? What are they FOR?
c. If I read to him Genesis 1:1—he might laugh me to scorn!
d. If I read to him Gen. 1:17—and explained what they were for: to give light upon the earth…
e. If I read to him Ps. 19:1—they are there to declare the glory of God… he would pity me as an archaic relic from medieval times!
f. He might turn to me and say something like: “I’m a scientist. I deal with the facts.”
g. To which I would reply: “Sir, I am a Christian. I too deal with the facts. And I have some facts that you will never discover through space exploration or scientific experimentation.”
h. And yet he might spend the rest of his days seeking diligently for the wisdom he genuinely desires (the answer to these ultimate questions) but he will never find.
7. Example: Think of the cosmopolitan philosopher who has studied all the major philosophies of the world… has traveled the world extensively… studied in many of the great universities…
a. He too may be diligently seeking for wisdom: why am I here? What is the purpose of life? Is there life after death? Is there any rhyme or reason to the world? How then shall I live?
b. He may spend the rest of his life in pursuit of the answers… and seek after them as diligently as a gold digger seeks after gold…
c. He spends years talking to all the gurus, the rabbis, the mullahs, Dali lama, medicine men, monks, and philosophers of the world… but never finds the wisdom he desires… never finds the answers to his ultimate questions.
d. In his pursuits he may come across a simple Christian man who opens the Bible to him and shows him that those answers are all found in God’s Holy Word…
e. But he scorns those answers as too simplistic…too naïve… not mystical enough… so he laughs under his breath… he’s a scorner.
f. Like the NASA scientist, the REASON the philosopher doesn’t find wisdom has nothing to do with his lack of seeking. It is because he doesn’t know God… and he doesn’t fear God!
g. Therefore he CAN’T have the wisdom he desires—no matter how hard he seeks.
8. The wisdom of God is NOT AVAILABLE to the wise men of the world who seek the ultimate answers apart from God.
a. I Cor. 1:20 – God has made their wisdom “foolish.”
b. I Cor. 1:21 – by means of their earthly wisdom they will never know God—which is necessary before they can obtain true wisdom.
c. God will never be discovered by meditating in a cave in Tibet; He will never be discovered under a microscope; He will never be discovered in a space ship… (Russian cosmonaut mockingly said: “I don’t see any god out here!”)
d. The scorner who rejects God and God’s Word can seek for divine wisdom for 100 years and never find it.
e. I Cor. 2:9 – true spiritual wisdom does not come through scientific discovery… or through studying the classic philosophers… it is supernaturally revealed in the Bible.
f. One who rejects God’s Word—and laughs it to scorn forever condemns himself to seeking after that which he will never obtain!
g. Prov. 17:16 – Solomon describes the FOOL who seeks wisdom.
i. He seeks it; he is willing to PAY for it; sacrifice for it;
ii. But he never obtains it.
iii. Why? Because he has no HEART for it!
iv. True wisdom requires HEART involvement… not just intellectual seeking… nor fleshly sacrificing…
v. Without a genuine heart for wisdom—it will never be found!
vi. A student can pay top dollar to attend the finest of seminaries… and study diligently… but his heart isn’t right—he will not find the wisdom he seems to be seeking.
vii. (Cf. 18:2)—it’s a heart problem.
viii. God’s wisdom is like a precious diamond. But if one has no heart-appreciation for diamonds—then digging up a diamond is like digging up a worthless rock.
1. In the second part of this proverb, God MOCKS the so called wise men of the world.
2. All the brilliant minds the world’s highly educated, sophisticated, upper crust are busy seeking for something that is beyond their grasp…
3. Yet, God made what they are seeking for EASY for the simple child of faith.
a. The sixth grade Sunday school student knows why we are here! He read it in the Bible and believes it.
b. The fourth grade Christian student knows where Mars came from: God made it. He said so in His Word!
c. Why are we here? We are here to glorify God. The Bible tells me so!
d. The ultimate answers to life really ARE easy—IF you take God’s Word for what it says.
e. Why did God make Mars? To give light upon the earth!
4. The 6th grade Sunday school student who believes the Bible has something the brilliant scientist and the worldly philosopher doesn’t have: UNDERSTANDING!
a. He has spiritual understanding… spiritual discernment.
b. He is able to discern things EASILY…
c. The scientist spins his intellectual wheels in the mud his whole life long trying to discover what the child knows.
d. God has always dealt this way with truth and wisdom.
e. Matt. 13:10-13 – This is why Jesus spoke in parables.
i. To those with spiritual understanding would see and hear. The scorners would reject it as folly.
ii. The one who has spiritual understanding, God will give him MORE.
iii. The one who does NOT have spiritual understanding will lose what little discernment he has… spiritual blindness will set in.
5. Knowledge is easy to the one who knows where to look!
a. The gold digger who digs where the gold is will find some if he keeps on digging.
b. But the gold digger who is TOLD where the gold is—and laughs at you—and starts digging elsewhere is NOT going to find any.
c. And the reason he doesn’t find it is not because he isn’t diligent… it’s not because he doesn’t desire it… it’s not because he isn’t dedicated to finding it…
d. It’s because he is looking in the wrong place.
e. If you know where to dig—it’s not hard to find gold! It’s EASY to find knowledge in this gold mine! (Bible!)
f. James 1:5-6 – do you need wisdom? Go to God and ask. It’s that easy. The proud man who refuses to go to God may put his brilliant mind to work studying the ancient philosophers—but he will come up empty… because he’s barking up the wrong tree.
g. The fear of the Lord causes a man to depart from evil too… and that will put him back on track… the wisdom of God is not going to be found on the wrong road.
i. The one who fears God will depart from evil—will stay on the straight and narrow way… and that man will find what he’s looking for.
ii. On the narrow way, he will discover that God’s wisdom is EASY. That road is well marked.
Proverbs 14:7
Go from His Presence
Introduction:
1. In this passage, Solomon begins with an imperative—a command—something that we haven’t seen much of in the book of Proverbs.
2. This is a great passage for our young people and students to hear… and also for those who are in the business world and making associates there… and for the housewife making friends in the neighborhood… and for the elders in a local church.
3. In other words—this proverb is for everybody—because everyone one of us can be hoodwinked by a foolish person from time to time.
1. The Fool
a. Fool: kesi^l – Strong’s: fool; stupid fellow; dullard; simpleton; arrogant one.
b. Dict. Of Bib. Lang. = insolent person, i.e., one completely lacking understanding; implying to be a rebel against standard or person. (Pr 10:18)
c. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: referring not to mental deficiency, but to a propensity to make wrong choices.
2. Folly
a. kesi^l refers to a way of life that is enticing to the immature, but can lead to destruction and ruin.
b. Prov. 10:23 – the fool ENJOYS his folly… it is a sport to him.
c. Folly is especially enticing to young people because they have not the foresight or experience to know its END.
d. Prov. 1:32 – the end of his road is destruction.
3. The particular KIND of folly mentioned in 14:7
a. A lack of knowledge in his lips.
b. Prov. 17:24 – his folly is seen in that he does not seek wisdom… he seems unable to see it… he is blind.
c. Prov. 17:16 – even if he did see it, he doesn’t WANT wisdom! He prefers his folly.
d. Prov. 13:19 – he doesn’t WANT to depart from his folly.
e. Prov. 18:2 – he takes no delight in wisdom or understanding. Hence, pointing out his folly isn’t likely to help… because he isn’t likely to listen.
f. Prov. 1:22 – he HATES knowledge!
g. Solomon describes well the HEART of a fool in Proverbs.
h. Prov. 14:7 states that eventually that which is in the heart of a fool will manifest itself on his lips… in the things he says… in the ideas that pop into his mind… the “fun” things he talks about…
4. GO from his presence!
a. Go = go; go away from; walk; walk away; depart.
b. Don’t associate with that person any more!
c. Prov. 13:20 – not only is the fool headed for destruction and trouble—but so are his associates!
d. Hence—don’t BE one of his associates! Go from his presence. Avoid that person.
e. Sometimes it is impossible to depart from such a person altogether.
i. He might work in the office with you… he might be your boss!
ii. He might live next door to you.
iii. He might be a classmate.
iv. It may be impossible to depart altogether, but avoid contact when possible and don’t become a close associate of that person.
v. Be kind and polite—but GO!
5. Go because…
a. Go because he’s headed for destruction… and so are his followers.
b. Go because you are but a trophy to the fool… gratifying to his ego and pride… that he has someone like you as an associate… most wise people have nothing to do with him!
c. Go because there is no point in trying to reason with him. Fools don’t listen to reason. It is a waste of time. Just leave.
d. Go because he is a bad influence in your life… evil communications corrupt good manners.
e. Go because God said so!
f. Go because there is BLESSEDNESS in NOT walking with such an ungodly person (Psalm 1:1).
g. Go because in some instances, your LIFE may depend upon it! (Prov. 9:6 – if he drinks and drives; if he takes drugs; etc.)
6. Some might be reluctant to GO from his presence.
a. How is he ever going to learn?
b. The problem: he is a fool. He refuses to learn!
c. And if enough people depart from him… that might make him start to think that something is wrong and needs changing.
d. Separating from that person might be the best thing in the world for him or her! They may not learn any other way.
1. This implies that a fool’s folly is not always known immediately.
a. A fool’s folly might be hidden away in his heart LONG before he talks to you about it.
b. Some fools are adept at disguising their folly. (Prov. 10:18)
c. But if this person is a fool—sooner or later that folly will be manifested in his speech… in the things he talks about… in his lack of wisdom or even disdain for wisdom and for spiritual things.
d. Remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge.
e. Sooner or later a person who has no fear of the Lord will make it known one way or another… by what he says.
2. This also implies that the person being addressed here was ALREADY in the presence of a fool… and is being commanded to leave.
a. You may not know at first. It may be well hidden.
b. But gradually, a fool’s folly is revealed.
c. I Tim. 6:5 – Look for the following: “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”
d. II Tim. 3:5 – some have only an outward FORM of godliness but deny the power thereof—no life—avoid them! That is not a good Christian friend. The outward form may fool you for a while…
e. There are LOTS of things to look for… be alert when meeting new people… listen… look… not everyone who SAYS they are a Christian IS a Christian.
3. When thou perceivest:
a. Perceivest: to know. Learn; to perceive; find out and discern. to discriminate, distinguish; to know by experience; to recognize.
b. Knowledge: wisdom; perception; discernment; understanding.
c. A fool’s folly—or his lack of understanding, isn’t always perceived by onlookers at the first meeting.
d. Fools don’t normally introduce themselves as such.
i. They don’t say, “Glad to meet you. I’m your local fool.”
ii. I hate wisdom; I despise authority; I’m immoral; I refuse correction, and I am headed for trouble. What’s your name?”
iii. Unfortunately, too often, fools are not even discerning enough to know that they are fools. They think everybody else is a fool!
iv. Therein lies their arrogance, pride, and thus their blindness… his or her inability to perceive things as they really are.
e. Since they don’t introduce themselves as fools, they often hoodwink others… for a while.
i. But eventually their folly will be manifested in their lips.
ii. They just can’t keep it in forever.
f. WHEN you perceive it… then it’s time to depart… to go from his presence.
i. If we associate with a fool ignorantly, at first, it is his fault.
ii. But once we PERCEIVE him to be a fool and we continue to associate with him, then it becomes OUR fault.
iii. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! Shame on me because no more can I claim ignorance!
iv. If I perceive the folly and continue that association… and I too get in trouble… then I have only myself to blame.
4. Prov. 15:20 – if you perceive that he has no respect for his parents… if he despises his mother… be suspect.
a. Any person who does not respect authority should be avoided! He or she is TROUBLE.
b. One could make an application not just to children and their parents, but to anyone who is rebellious… and speaks evil of authorities… police… boss at work… leaders in the local church…
c. A fool has no respect for authority because they have no respect for God—the ultimate Authority.
5. In a round about way, this passage teaches us HOW to identify those who would make good friends:
a. They have the words of knowledge… wisdom… understanding… and discernment.
b. They speak of GOOD things…
c. There is a fear of God in their lives that manifests itself in their speech and in their deeds….
d. They seek company of others who are wise and godly… and whose lips are filled with good things… godly things… discernment.
Proverbs 14:8
The Wisdom of the Prudent
Introduction:
1. Once again, Solomon contrasts wisdom and folly… and once again, in a unique way.
2. This time he contrasts their understanding of where they are going.
3. The wise man understands his way. The fool is deceived.
1. Wisdom: this term covers the whole gamut of human experience.
• Wisdom is seen in the skill of technical work in making garments for the high priest (Ex. 28:3), craftsmanship in metal work (Ex. 31:3, 6).
• The execution of battle tactics (Isa. 10:13).
• Wisdom is required from government leaders and heads of state for administration (Deut. 34:9; II Sam. 14:20).
• This is wisdom, which we all need for life… wisdom for the average Joe… for daily living… for making decisions day in and day out.
• This is the kind of wisdom we especially need in our pilgrimage here on earth… as we journey toward the heavenly city.
2. Prudent: shrewd; crafty; sly; sensible—used in a good sense.
• It can be used in an evil sense too—translated “crafty or subtle”—used of the devil in Gen.3:1
• Prudence is used in a good sense in this proverb.
• It refers to the man, woman, or child who is shrewd in good things; sensible; balanced; level headed; skillful.
• II Sam. 20:22 – this woman had wisdom. Her actions were prudent.
» She convinced the people of the city to kill the troublemaker in order to save perhaps thousands of them from being killed!
» She could FORSEE what would happen if she did nothing.
» She chose to do the sensible thing. Her actions were prudent.
• Like a village in Pakistan where Osama was hiding, surrounded by coalition forces about to invade—and one wise person handing Osama over rather than see the whole city blown up. That is wisdom… prudent action.
• The actions, decisions, and choices of a wise person are prudent… shrewd in a good sense… sensible… skillful.
• The wisdom of the prudent is DIFFERENT from the wisdom of the “learned.” This is wisdom in a practical rather than an intellectual sense… a sensible and practical use of wisdom.
3. The prudent man understands his way.
a. WAY: way; road; distance; journey; manner; course of life.
b. The prudent man knows where he’s going… where he’s headed…
c. He isn’t just meandering through life… wandering aimlessly… drifting along wherever the current takes him…
d. Wandering, meandering, and drifting do not involve any thinking or planning. That’s the way of the fool.
e. But the prudent man THINKS ahead. He PLANS.
f. Prov. 4:26 – He PONDERS the path of his feet.
g. The road he is traveling is the road he CHOSE to take… because he THOUGHT about the direction it would take him.
h. Understanding one’s way also implies that he knows WHERE he’s going. If you don’t have a destination, there’s no point in planning your course or your pathway. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.
i. The prudent man KNOWS where he wants to go… where he wants to be… therefore he THINKS about his way… the best road to get there!
4. THE WAY…
a. Of course, one could apply this passage to making wise decisions concerning college, career, business decisions, etc.
b. But it should also be applied to our MANNER of life along the way.
c. The prudent man demonstrates wisdom in his own personal ways… his attitudes… his goals… his character… the kind of person he is.
d. The way speaks of our walk—both in the sense of where we are headed… and HOW we live along the way.
e. The direction our life is taking is far more than cold, calculated, shrewd business decisions.
f. The direction our life is taking also (and more importantly!) involves how we live… how we treat others… whether we are KIND… forgiving… gracious… humble…honest… fair… just… holy. (That’s one walk.)
g. Another person’s walk might be characterized by cruelty, selfishness, deception, greed, bitterness, impulse, lust.
h. That’s no way to walk… that’s not a good road to be headed down.
i. The wise man THINKS about his way… he thinks about the direction his life is taking… and makes adjustments as needed.
j. His ship is not drifting through life… he is at the helm, observing the navigation instruments, and actively steering it.
5. The wise man thinks about where he is headed SPIRITUALLY…
a. He thinks about where his family life is headed…
b. He thinks about where his church life is headed…
c. He thinks about where his personal life is headed…
d. Just as some folks drift through their careers without any planning or preparation, some drift through their spiritual lives too… without thinking about where they are headed.
e. A runner in a race needs to KNOW the course of the race…which way to go…to run… for if he runs off course, he is disqualified.
f. Hence, as believers, we need to know the way God wants us to be running… so as not to find ourselves disqualified for service.
g. The way we should go is recorded for us in the Word.
» It is our wisdom to understand it and DO it! (Eph. 5:17)
» The prudent man will SEEK to understand the will of the Lord… the way he should go. (Prov. 2:3-6) (Ps. 143:8,10)
h. The spiritually prudent man understands this way… he studies it… he lives it…
» There are spiritual dangers along the way—we should understand how to avoid them!
» There are spiritual difficulties along the way—we should understand how to work through them!
» There are spiritual temptations along the way—we should understand how to flee from them!
6. The wisdom of a prudent man causes him to:
a. Look well to his going… (Prov. 14:15)
i. He thinks before he acts…
ii. He looks before he leaps…
iii. He measures the ice before he skates…
iv. He does his math before he makes a purchase…
b. Foresee evil and hide himself (Prov. 22:3)
i. If you are looking well to the road ahead of you, you are able to foresee the potholes and avoid them!
ii. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you can tell when a group of friends is up to no good. When you foresee that coming… hide yourself!
iii. The fool might see evil straight ahead—but plunges in anyway.
iv. The wise man sees it—and hides from it! He stays away… he wants to be nowhere near it!
v. Young people: if you know kids who seem attracted toward evil… find a new friend! He’s a fool.
vi. The wise man sees evil and is repulsed by it.
vii. God wants us to learn to foresee evil—and flee from it!
viii. When Joseph understood what Potiphar’s wife was up to, he ran and hid himself from her… that’s wisdom.
c. Deal with knowledge. He wants to know the facts. (Prov. 13:16)
i. A truly wise man wants knowledge; he wants to KNOW what is the right way to go… the right thing to do…
ii. A wise and prudent man devotes his attention to understanding his way…
iii. Knowledge is a friend to the wise man. He wants as much of it as he can get. He’s never afraid of the facts.
iv. He doesn’t change the direction of his life on hearsay… or feelings… or what others are doing… or fads. He deals with the facts.
d. Regard reproof. (Prov. 15:5)
i. If he’s headed in the wrong direction, he WANTS to know…
ii. He doesn’t get mad when someone tries to point out error… or a misstep!
iii. The only people who regard reproof are the ones who genuinely WANT to head down the right path.
e. He has insight… because he stops to think… he listens… he wants to know the facts…
f. The ostrich is an example of an animal with NO wisdom or prudence. (Job 39:13c-17)
i. She lays her eggs, and leaves them unattended.
ii. She does not foresee the danger and acts irresponsibly
iii. She doesn’t seem to realize that a beast could come by and break the eggs and eat them…
iv. She does NOT have wisdom or prudence.
v. The proverbial ostrich buries her head in the sand. (really?)
7. Note also that the prudent man understands HIS way…
a. He is not a critic of the way of others. He is more concerned about his OWN way.
b. He ponders the path of HIS feet…
c. Prov. 14:15 – he looks well to HIS going…
d. He is not a busybody in the affairs of others…
e. He realizes (wisely and prudently) that taking care of his OWN way is enough to keep him plenty busy!
1. The fool is DECEIVED about his way…
2. Prov. 12:15 – he THINKS his way is right… so why bother pondering the path of his steps?
3. The fool thinks his way is right… so he won’t listen to correction… he won’t turn from his ways… he misses the right way… and continues on in his false way…
4. He is deceived… by his own pride… his own “know it all” attitude.
5. This person is headed for disaster!
6. He is too proud to realize that he NEEDS God’s wisdom…
7. The fool doesn’t care about his “manner of life.”
a. Perhaps he is cruel—and will not admit it.
b. Perhaps he treats others with no kindness… no compassion.
c. Perhaps he is driven by greed and selfishness…
d. Perhaps he is motivated by a love of pleasure and fun, fun, fun…
e. But if he THINKS his way is right… there is no helping such a person. He will have to learn the hard way. He’s a fool.
Proverbs 14:9
Fools Mock at Sin
Introduction:
1.) Yet one more contrast—only this time it is between the fool and the righteous.
a. Usually the contrast is between the fool and the wise; or the righteous and the wicked.
b. But here it is between the fool and the righteous.
c. This contrast emphasizes that which we have seen all through this book: that the kind of folly Solomon describes is a MORAL folly… not just childlike silliness.
d. In a real sense, the opposite of a righteous man IS a fool. What could be more foolish than to behave in an unrighteous manner?
1.) Fools MOCK = to scorn; make mouths at; talk arrogantly; to boast; to scorn; deride.
a. They mock because they are hardened in their sin… set in their ways.
b. This is not the person who is experimenting with sin and getting a taste of it. This is the person who has had his fill of sin… he is bent on sin… and mocks at those who shy away from sin.
c. Sin is a laughing matter to them. It is a game or sport to them to cause mischief. (Prov. 10:23)
d. That which brings grief to the heart of God brings laughter to them. They delight in bringing grief to God and to the godly.
e. They have hardened their hearts to the pain they cause others and to the damage they are doing to themselves.
f. They laugh at those who try to point them in a different direction.
2.) But there isn’t anything funny about SIN!
a. God is dead serious about sin. He has put the death penalty upon sin—any sin! The wages of sin is death.
b. They will not be joking about sin in Hell. And certainly there is no joking about sin in heaven. Only on earth… and only by fools… who have no idea of what a serious issue it is. If only they could get a glimpse of Hell for a moment…
c. It is a serious enough issue that Paul warns us as believers NOT to be involved in any kind of foolish talking or jesting that is not convenient—fitting. (Eph. 5:4)
d. Hollywood makes a mockery of sin.
e. The modern sitcoms make light of holy things… they all joke about sin.
f. If you watch those sitcoms—YOU are making a mockery of sin. YOU are what Solomon calls a fool!
g. Hollywood has an agenda—to change attitudes about sin. They call evil good—and they call good evil.
h. They joke about adultery, stealing, lying, homosexuality, drinking, marriage, etc…
3.) Prov. 24:9 – thinking about sin is sin. But mocking or scorning sinful behavior is an abomination.
HOW FOOLS MOCK AT SIN…
1.) Prov. 1:22 – scorners delight in their scorning (mocking—same term)
2.) Prov. 30:20 – fools mock at sin—they do not think that it IS sin! “I have done no wickedness!”
a. Thus, they joke about those who DO think it is sin.
b. They deride anyone who dares to speak against their lifestyle.
c. They deny the sinfulness of sin.
d. Jude 18 – we live in the midst of a generation of mockers—who mock at the concept of sin; have redefined sin; they call evil good and good evil. Beware!
3.) Prov. 9:7-8 – it can be a waste of time to attempt to correct a mocker… a scorner… you will just cause more trouble. Sad but true. When a person has arrived at a place where they have no conscience… no sensitivity to God or spiritual things… and they laugh them to scorn—attempting to correct that man is often a waste of time.
a. Prov. 13:1 – the scorner won’t listen… but a wise son will.
b. The scorner will scorn his father’s advice—the one person who wants to see him succeed and do well in life… and he ridicules his father’s advice.
c. With that kind of an attitude, he has a hard, sad life ahead of himself!
d. 14:6 – and when he gets in trouble and DOES begin to seek for wisdom—he won’t find it. He won’t know where to look. He will ask his foolish friends—who are void of God’s wisdom… and wisdom will escape this man.
e. I have seen it over and over again—they grow into angry, bitter old men—with a huge chip on their shoulder—because things never seem to go their way.
f. And it is because of the long chain of foolish choices they have made along the way. They cannot place the blame anywhere but on their own shoulders.
g. 15:12 – he will despise the one who tries to correct him… and he will not seek wisdom in the right places.
THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY FOR MOCKING SIN…
1.) Prov. 9:12 – here again Solomon contrasts the wise man and the mocker (scorner). He states that both men will LIVE with themselves… and the fruit of their character.
a. The scorner will chase all the righteous men from him—and will be left to himself—and other fools and mockers. He will pay a dear price for his folly—and for the folly of his friends.
b. The righteous man will attract friends who are also righteous… and will himself benefit from his own righteous behavior—and from the association with righteous friends.
c. But if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.
• In this chapter, the scorner is equal to a fool. He is seen to be the opposite of a wise man. (9:8)
• The scorner is one who scorns wisdom. He has no use for it.
• The one who follows wisdom receives the benefit himself. The one who scorns wisdom receives the curse himself!
• The one who scorns Lady Wisdom will bear the awful consequences the rest of his life.
• V.12 is saying, “It is good for you to be wise, and it is harmful to you to be foolish!”
• In other words, if the son doesn’t listen to his father’s wise counsel, and he runs off into a life of folly, it is the SON who will pay the awful price! The prodigal son was the one who ended up eating pig slop. The father had a fatted calf in the stall!
• The student who scorns the advice of his teacher will bear the consequences of doing poorly in school the rest of his days. It doesn’t hurt the teacher but the scorning student! He’ll be flipping hamburgs at McDonalds till he’s 65!
d. There is an awful price to pay for scorning Lady Wisdom. This lady doesn’t like to be scorned.
• But if she IS scorned, she is not the loser. The scorner is!
• The one who rejects her wise counsel will bear the consequences of his folly. He’s hurting only himself.
• The consequences of our conduct (good or bad; wise or foolish) will be borne by ourselves…
• Prov.8:35-36 – life and favor vs. wronged soul and death
• Proverbs 1:30-32 – they shall eat of the fruit of their own ways—either good or bad.
• There is no getting around this principle: whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Gal. 6:7-8)
• Let’s LISTEN when God’s wisdom speaks to our heart. Listen and respond in faith and obedience. The consequences of disobedience are too great. The blessing of wisdom is better than rubies.
2.) Ps. 1:1 – we are NOT to associate with these kinds of fools… who MOCK (called the scornful…)
a. The righteous will no longer associate with them… no friends but fools.
b. They will find themselves isolated in a world full of fools like themselves… and in that environment—their folly will seem NORMAL… but it is not… and will perpetuate itself.
3.) Prov. 19:29 – he will PAY for his scorning one day.
a. Judgment day is coming.
b. Solomon seems to imply in this life… but certainly he will face the Lord one day for his folly.
c. The fool who mocks sin will (sooner or later) end up paying a heavy price for that kind of folly… in jail… physical suffering… illness for sinful lifestyle…
4.) Prov. 3:34 – God will scorn the scorners (mock the mockers!)
a. Prov. 1:26 – I will mock when your fear cometh!
b. If God mocks their folly—they are hopeless indeed.
5.) Another possible meaning to this proverb is suggested by some of the Hebrew scholars that note that grammatically, two translations are equally possible here:
a. Fools mock at sin…
b. Sin mocks fools…
• This is an interesting thought.
• The sin that the fool eats up like candy—will one day MOCK him.
• One might envision a bottle of alcohol mocking the alcoholic—“I got you! You fool!”
• Or perhaps the thief sitting in prison… and figuratively speaking—his sin hovering overhead mocking him…
• Both are true—but Solomon only had one mind. I’m inclined to understand it as recorded in our English Bible.
1.) The righteous have a right attitude toward sin. They HATE sin as God does. The fool mocks sin… a light, flippant attitude.
2.) What should our attitude toward sin be?
a. Go to the cross. See what it cost the Son of God to deal with our sin.
b. When we fill our minds with Calvary—jesting about sin will be unthinkable!
c. Off colored jokes will never come from our lips.
d. Ezek. 9:4 – the righteous are grieved over sin. It is no joke to them. They sigh and cry as they see sin around them… and the effects of sin.
e. The righteous fear God. They fear displeasing Him. Thus, joking about that which God hates is anathema to the godly!
f. A healthy fear of God… reverence for God and holy things will prevent a man from joking about sin.
g. It is no wonder that the devil is doing his best (and is quite successful!) at removing all traces of reverence and godly fear from the churches—so that what is left is fun…
h. The new trend in Bible conferences and church services: “humorists.” (as Christians call movies, films; so they don’t call comedians, comedians—they call them humorists.) Rest assured that (if they are not already) they will soon be joking about God, spiritual things, and SIN.
3.) The righteous also sin, but they turn to God’s grace… and receive His favor… His mercy… instead of punishment.
4.) The righteous too will sin against a brother… he too may offend, but he quickly repents and makes things right… and goes on to experience the grace and favor of God in his life.
5.) Prov. 8:25 – the righteous will seek God’s wisdom and find it; they will treasure it; and as a result, they will have the sweet favor of God in their lives. God honors those who honor Him.
6.) Fools live in sin and make light of it… eventually, they will pay a price. But the righteous lead godly lives and find the favor of God.
Proverbs 14:10
Bitterness and Joy of Heart
1.) The Heart: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding; seat of inner emotions and passions; inner reflection;
a. The term is also used in the sense of “in the midst of” or “in the depths of”… as in the depths of the sea.
b. It has the sense here of “deep down inside” a man… the depths of our inner man… the deep recesses of our heart.
c. Psalm 9:1 – translated “whole heart” = from the depths of my heart.
2.) Knows: to perceive and see, find out and discern; to discriminate, distinguish; to know by experience; to be acquainted with;
a. It is used of the most personal and intimate of human relations… (Adam knew his wife…)
b. It used in Prov. 14:10 of a deep, personal, intimate, experiential knowledge.
3.) His own: nephesh – the word for soul… though not translated in the King James Version.
a. It is the word for one’s own life… a living being… a soul… or the person himself… your SELF.
b. I Kings 19:3, 4 – used 3 times: life; himself; my life… Elijah had bitterness in his soul… in the depths of his heart… and as a result, wanted to die!
4.) Bitterness: mara – bitterness; grief; (as the city in the wilderness where the water was bitter)—the bitter herb myrrh is derived from this word…
a. This is the only time this exact form of the word appears in the Bible.
b. The term speaks of a literal bitterness to the taste—but most often is used of emotions.
c. The sense is that we FEEL similar to what bitterness tastes like.
d. A similar term is used in Gen. 26:35 – of the grief of heart that came to Isaac and Rebecca because of their son Esau’s foolish choices in marrying a Hittite woman.
e. This bitterness speaks of the feelings that arise because of difficulty, hardship, stress or strain of life, the dark valleys, the deep waters, the tragedies and trials of life.
f. We all face such times of bitterness… grief… sorrow… loss…
g. We all have to deal with our emotions… feeling the grief, bitterness, frustration, disappointments.
h. These feelings are all common to man (I Cor. 10:13).
5.) The heart knoweth his own bitterness… (putting all these concepts together)
a. Solomon is saying that the emotions and feelings that accompany life’s bitter experiences are felt DEEP within a man’s heart… in his innermost being.
b. Solomon is saying that only the man himself can really feel and experience this bitterness. It is his OWN unique bitter experience.
c. These are the gut feelings going on inside this man’s own life… deep in the recesses of his heart.
d. This is where such emotions are felt… in his own private life… deep down inside his heart.
e. That’s where man knows his bitterness. That’s where he feels and suffers and KNOWS experientially that kind of pain and grief and sorrow.
6.) In other words, this deep grief is his own experience… felt deep in his gut.
a. Prov. 17:25 – a similar term is used here—sorrow; grief; bitterness of heart. This is a grief that cannot possibly be communicated accurately or completely. It is one that is felt… experienced… only the parent of that son really knows what he is going through.
b. Nobody really knows the bitter experience that a young man with a growing family is feeling when he just looses his job.
c. Nobody really knows the bitterness of heart that is endured by a widow with the loss of her husband of many years…
d. Outsiders can’t really know the fear or anxiety that a young person experiences when the family moves and they have to enter into a new school…
e. Nobody knows what you are going through on the inside when diagnosed with cancer.
f. Your friends may not know how it feels to face racism every day and the sneers of hateful men.
g. Others don’t know the bitter experience of loneliness that some folks have to deal with each day…
h. This is the main point of this proverb—it is quite similar to that the old saying, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.”
i. Nobody CAN know… but that person himself…
7.) We can and should TRY to relate to others… but we can not really fully enter into their bitterness or grief. It is theirs alone.
a. Rom. 12:15 – we are to weep with those who weep.
• We can feel sorrow for them and with them.
• But Solomon’s point is that even those who weep with you don’t know experientially the depth of your grief.
• Sympathize = to share or understand the feelings or ideas of another.
• Sympathy = sameness of feelings.
• Try as we may to sympathize—we cannot possibly feel the SAME things they are feeling.
• Empathy = the projection of one’s personality into the personality of another in order to better understand that person and identify with him.
• Solomon’s point in Prov. 14:10 is that there isn’t any such thing as TRUE and COMPLETE sympathy or empathy among men.
• We can and should try… but our best efforts fall short.
• Nobody else can really know fully what YOU are feeling and experiencing… but you yourself…
b. II Cor. 1:4 – we get much closer when we have experienced a similar thing.
• We go through common experiences in life… the trials we face are “common to man.”
• Someone who breaks their leg can enter into more fully what a person with a broken leg is going through.
• Someone who has lost their job knows what it’s like to lose a job and is able to minister to someone else in the same boat.
• Someone who has had cancer can minister to someone who is going through chemo-therapy better than someone who has just read about it.
• While what Paul says is perfectly true—Solomon’s point is that no matter how similar our experiences may seem—NOBODY really knows what kind of emotions another person is experiencing deep down in his or her soul.
• We try to help by saying, “I know how you feel.” But we really don’t!
• No two individuals have the same life-experiences… the same feelings… carry the same burdens… the same perception of things…
8.) Sooner or later we will all face a bitter experience in life… and discover what Solomon wrote to be true: nobody really knows what I’m going through… nobody understands.
a. Some folks discover that nobody understands what they are going through, so they decide to go into seclusion over this… and stay away from people… Poor me… nobody understands.
b. Others may get angry at people… “How come nobody knows what I’m going through? Don’t they care about me?”
c. Don’t get mad at others. Realize the truth of this proverb—nobody knows but you! Nobody COULD know but you!
• I Cor. 2:11 – what man knows the things of that man except that man himself? Like it or not, that’s the way it is. Nobody knows what you are feeling deep down inside…
• So don’t get angry at others because they don’t know. They CAN’T know!
9.) But we do have a Great High Priest who does FULLY and COMPLETELY understand and know what we are experiencing.
a. Heb. 4:14-16 – Christ knows our feelings… our emotions… As the omniscient God He knows them all… and as the God-Man, He knows them experientially…
b. And we are invited to come to His throne of grace… to find the grace to help in time of need.
c. Solomon never knew Christ in this way.
d. Bring your troubles and the bitterness of your soul to Him!
1.) A stranger: a stranger; foreigner; alien; one not acquainted.
2.) Intermeddle: exchange; engage; fellowship.
3.) The second part of the proverb states the same as the first part, but relates it to JOY rather than to bitterness.
a. Only the man himself can fully experience and understand the grief he faces… and so too with joy.
b. An outsider—stranger—cannot fully participate in or even understand his joy.
c. I saw pictures of the Curds jumping in the streets when they heard that Sadaam was captured… I understand that they were happy—but I cannot really understand what it feels like to live in a region where thousands of your people were gassed and buried—some buried alive—and to hear that the perpetrator of it all was captured.
d. Gracie Burnham was rescued after having been held captive by the Filipino terrorists for a year… starved… sick… traipsed through the woods for a year… seeing her husband killed… and then to be rescued… we know that she had experienced something bitter… and we can imagine her joy when the soldiers rescued her…
e. But Solomon’s point is that we can only DIMLY enter into what was really going on in that woman’s heart… in the deep recesses of her soul… a stranger could never know the JOY of the day she looked up and saw the face of a friendly soldier to take her home…
4.) Hab. 3:17-18 – A believer experiences the joy of the Lord—and a peace that passes all understanding.
a. The unsaved man is a stranger to such emotions.
b. How a man could have joy under such circumstances is an enigma to him. He cannot fathom it… he cannot enter in…
c. This kind of joy is spiritually discerned and thus foolishness to one who cannot understand it.
d. The unsaved cannot relate to them… cannot possibly participate in them…
e. There is a peace and joy that “passes understanding.”
5.) In a sense, we all stand alone in our deepest inner feelings—either grief or joy.
a. Solomon is not saying that we therefore shouldn’t TRY to sympathize with others…
b. He simply states that there are limitations on the ability of one person to fully share in the life experiences of another.
c. There are secret joys and secret griefs that we all bear… because we chose NOT to share them.
d. But there are also griefs and joys that are simply incommunicable… inexpressible… too deep for words…
e. Some joys are too great to be expressed in words: Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!
Proverbs 14:11
The Houses of the Wicked and the Upright
Introduction:
1.) This proverb sets forth another contrast between the wicked and the upright.
2.) Here the particular point of contrast is between their houses.
3.) And again, these are proverbs. Solomon describes the norm. There are many exceptions to this proverb… but over all, this is the way it usually occurs.
1.) Their house refers first of all to their physical dwelling place, and then includes the idea of the home… their household… their family… their possessions… their reputation…
2.) The wicked described:
a. The wicked refers to a sinner… a criminal… the opposite of the righteous man.
b. The wicked is the one who does NOT do things right.
3.) Overthrown: destroyed
a. At the surface level, this proverb states the obvious:
• A man who builds his house the right way can expect his house to stand.
• But the man who cuts corners, and does not do it the right way… but cheats on materials… or skimps on the foundation… and doesn’t follow the blueprints can expect his house to be overthrown.
• Some unsavory contractors have put up shoddily building homes and have left the new owners with nightmares… walls cracking… roofs leaking… ceilings falling… the building lasts just long enough for the contractor to get out of town.
b. But taking the principle a bit deeper, Solomon lets us know that this principle is true not just of the house, but also of the home.
• The wicked man who does NOT follow the blueprint of God’s Word can expect his home to fall apart on the inside…
• The man who rejects the Scriptures teaching on child training and chooses to live for himself instead can expect his home to collapse… not his house, but his home… his family.
• The man who doesn’t love his wife as Christ loved the church… the man who doesn’t bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord…
• Or the wife who puts material things above her family… can expect her home to fall apart at the seams.
• They can buy a great big fancy house—but eventually it will collapse.
c. Just as a man who employs poor methods of construction on his physical house/structure can expect it to collapse… so too the man who employs poor methods of construction in the home (husband/wife relationship; child-rearing; etc.) can expect his family to fall apart. He is inviting ruin to his home life.
• One man described this concept as being brought to poverty, disgrace, and eventually, extinction.
• Matthew Henry put it this way: sin is the ruin of many great families
d. Jesus applied the same principle to the spiritual life of a wicked, unbelieving man whose house is overthrown by the storms of life… referring to this man’s eternal destiny. Here being overthrown means spending eternity in the Lake of Fire. (Matt. 7:24-27)
4.) Prov. 15:25 – the LORD will destroy the house of the proud.
a. Here it is not only stated that their house will fall, but that it would fall because the LORD knocked it down!
b. This is not the result of an accident… this is not a purely natural cause/effect. This is supernatural… God Himself will do the destroying.
c. Here the particular “form” of wickedness is pride.
• Pride always results in a fall…
• Pride will bring down a home.
• Pride will prevent us from accepting blame… from saying, “I’m sorry.”
• Pride will build walls between people in a household.
• Pride is the root of all kinds of evil.
• Pride prevents us from being considerate of others.
• Pride is pure selfishness.
• Only by pride cometh contention.
• Pride will ruin a home. Humility will make it function smoothly.
• I Pet. 5:5-6 – God resists the proud. When raising a family in the present climate—I certainly would not want God resisting my efforts. How much better to humble ourselves before the Lord… and let Him LIFT us up… and our family too! We need all the grace and all the lifting up we can get!
d. Prov. 3:33 – the curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked.
• If we are living like the wicked, we can’t expect God’s blessing in our homes.
• We can expect His curse. That scares me to death!
• God can turn His countenance away from us any time He wants… and He DOES to the wicked. They can expect a curse from the Lord—upon them and their households.
• Psalm 106:14-15 – Sometimes, the curse of the Lord is not easily seen.
» Sometimes, God seems to be blessing, but He sends leanness to the soul.
» It has been my observation that when God sends leanness of soul to a believer because something isn’t right in his/her life, that believer tends to blame it on someone else! (the church has no love; the brethren don’t minister to me; I’m unhappy, it must be my spouse’s fault; etc.)
» A curse on the soul is far worse than a physical malady!
» The curse of God is often not seen at all by the outsider.
» Matthew Henry likened it to the leprosy consuming away in the timbers of one’s house… quietly… unseen… unknown by the casual observer—but very much a presence in that house!
5.) Prov. 21:12 – the righteous will take notice of all this… and will LEARN a lesson from it.
» Solomon suggests that instead of FOLLOWING the ways and lives of wicked men, we OBSERVE their lives!
» Great lessons can be learned by observing men—even believers—who do not walk the straight and narrow. Watch men who compromise and cut corners spiritually.
» They may prosper in the world, but they will wither up spiritually.
» Good lessons are there for us all. Watch and learn.
1.) Flourish: “bud or sprout,” like a tree budding with blossoms or sending out shoots.
a. Ps. 92:12-13 – (same term – flourish) The righteous flourish… in life… and in the courts of the Lord.
b. In proverbs 14:11, it speaks of the family of the upright flourishing… a family that is strong, healthy, growing, prospering, and producing fruit.
c. The big house that looks so strong and permanent will be overthrown, but the little tent… the little cottage… that seems so unstable and shaky will FLOURISH… will last… will stand!
d. A little tent where righteousness is proves to be far better and safer than a mighty house full of wickedness.
e. This home will have a quiver full of spiritually healthy, growing, fruitful children.
f. Psalm 112:1-9 – generally speaking, this is the norm. God blesses those who fear Him and who walk uprightly.
g. Psalm 128:1-4 – the one who fears God—the upright man shall have a spiritually healthy and flourishing home life.
2.) Proverbs 12:7 – the house of the righteous shall stand.
a. It is RIGHTEOUSNESS that makes a house stand… and causes it to flourish… and do well.
b. If you want your house to stand… your family to flourish, then don’t concentrate on the house itself. Concentrate on righteousness… being right with God… having a healthy spiritual life.
3.) Note the contrast between the house of the wicked and the tabernacle of the righteous.
a. While the general contrast is the same—they are used virtually as synonyms.
b. However, there is also an implied distinction made by the use of these two terms.
• This is a contrast between a permanent and a temporary abode.
• Implicit in this is the fact that the wicked usually hunker down in this world and are right at home here. This is their permanent home.
• But the righteous are not at home here. We seek a better country… an heavenly. We, like the patriarchs, are tent dwellers… dwelling in tabernacles. (Heb. 11:9-10)
c. The great houses of the wicked—though they be built ever so high… and fortified so well… and seem so secure, yet, they shall be overthrown… every last one of them.
d. The feeblest and most humble of the upright is in reality more secure than the wicked in his house… though his house appears to be built so well and so solid…
e. The worst of the upright is better off than the best of the wicked.
f. Isa. 40:29 – the upright man whose life seems so tentative and fragile—living in a shabby, thin tent—in reality has the Omnipotent one on his side. He is safe indeed!
g. Cf. Isa. 41:10 – fear not if you are living in a tent… in circumstances that seem quite uncertain and fragile from earth’s perspective… God will uphold you and your house!
h. This kind of security is only felt, understood, and seen by the eyes of faith. (II Cor. 5:7)
Proverbs 14:12
A Way which Seemeth Right
1.) Here Solomon states that there are “ways” or “roads” in life that SEEM right.
a. This is a warning to us all. His point is that just because it SEEMS right, that doesn’t mean it IS right.
b. The thought seems to be that while:
• The way of sin, evil, and open wickedness is obviously wrong… and obviously leads to death…
• There may be other roads that lead to death that aren’t quite so obvious.
• They SEEM right and safe… but are not.
• That is the gist of this verse.
2.) Note the words, unto a man.
a. This means that it seems right to man… but certainly not to God.
b. It may seem right to the natural man… or even to a carnal believer… but that doesn’t mean it is right.
c. Things that SEEM right from our perspective are often wrong from God’s eternal, heavenly perspective.
• Abortion seems right to many men. It has led to thousands and thousands of deaths in this country and around the world.
• Homosexuality seems right to many men. But not to God. And it has led to thousands of deaths through aids.
• Abolishing the death penalty seems right to many men today… but it only leads to more death and more murders.
• Persecuting Christians has in the past and continues to the present to SEEM right in the eyes of some men. Paul thought it was right to take Christians to prison and execute them. (John 16:2)
• Suicide bombers THINK that what they are doing is right. It SEEMS right to them… twisted thinking.
d. Things that seem right to men, are not always right in God’s sight.
e. It is very easy for things that are dead wrong to SEEM right to us.
f. Because our minds have been affected by the fall, it is possible that concept of right and wrong is twisted.
g. Vice sometimes is passed off as virtue.
• Covetousness is passed off as being a “good steward”
• Laziness is passed off as “resting in the Lord”
• Cowardice be disguised as “meekness”
• Pride is often cloaked in “false humility”
• Things aren’t always as they SEEM… even in our own lives.
• That which SEEMS right… isn’t always right.
h. Therefore, if we are wise and know this… we will want to SATURATE our minds and hearts with God’s Word…so that our minds can be renewed… and that wrong thinking can be straightened out.
i. If we know this, we will seek counsel. Often times another person is able to see our blind spots better than we can.
j. Our sense of right and wrong is not always in harmony with God and His Word. We need to make adjustments to our thinking and our practice.
k. In a room with 100 people, you may get 100 different views on the RIGHT thing to do. What SEEMS right to men is based upon human ideas… human thoughts… a very subjective standard… and not very reliable.
l. That’s why we need an OBJECTIVE standard: God’s Word.
m. Isa. 55:8-9 – God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.
3.) There are lots of reasons WHY some ways SEEM right to us.
a. Sometimes it is because this way is easier… and convenient…
• Why take the harder route? The easy route often SEEMS right…
• Why read that whole book when I can do my report on the Cliff notes. After all, I’m not going to be an English major!
b. Sometimes, it is because this is the way everyone else is taking.
• If that many people are taking it, it MUST be right!
• If everyone in the office is doing it… or if all the kids in my class are doing it… it must not be so bad!
c. Sometimes this way seems right because of pride.
• We THINK we know more than the people who warned us against it.
• “I know I’ve been told that doing it this way is wrong, but who are they to tell me? Who do they think they are?”
d. Sometimes such a route might seem right because the dangers are not visible or obvious to the inexperienced.
• That’s why Proverbs was written—to give wisdom to the inexperienced!
• Young people often do not see the danger… and can’t understand WHY something is wrong.
• They think those giving warnings are exaggerating… going overboard… worry warts… etc.
• So to them, it’s ok.
e. Sometimes it’s because we have an it won’t happen to me attitude. This too is pride.
• They see others walking down that route and nothing happened to them… (Cf. Ecc. 8:11-13)
f. Sometimes it is because sin is a deceiver.
• Sin blinds men to the truth.
• Sin is presented in a veneer of fun, but under that mask is the way of death!
• Alcohol; drugs; illicit sex; tobacco; fast cars; —all are advertised with a cool cover…
• Ps. 30:6 – when things SEEM to be going well… a person may SEEM to be safe… but all is illusion.
g. Sometimes it is because of worldly thinking.
• We might begin to think that “my parents” and “my church” are so old fashioned.
• Times have changed. This way isn’t wrong any more.
h. Sometimes it is because we are so touchy feely in our thinking.
• “If it feels so good, how could it be wrong?”
• I have had believers tell me this—living in sin, yet saying, “God understands… we love each other.”
4.) Sometimes this is just a justification for doing what we really WANT to do… and we pretend we think it is right. God knows our heart.
a. Those who want to drink find it easy to justify their actions… and make it seem “right.” (Show me a Bible verse that says it’s wrong!)
b. Those who are living in immorality find it easy to justify their lifestyle too… and make it seem “right.”
c. Those who are walking in worldliness and sensuality can always find some reason to justify their actions to make it SEEM right…
d. Prov. 16:2 – ALL the ways of man are right in his own eyes.
• Men have figured out a way to justify virtually anything and everything under the sun!
• Whatever a man is personally involved in, he can justify to his own twisted way of thinking.
• Kids learn this trick instinctively… how to justify their actions…
1.) Prov. 9:13-18 – those who follow the immoral woman are pursuing a course that leads to death and hell.
2.) Prov.11:19 – pursuing ANY path of evil is pursuing death.
3.) “The ways of death”
a. This does not mean that if you follow a wrong path you will necessarily die from it.
b. But rather, Solomon is saying that someone who LIVES this way… is headed in a direction that leads to sin… and more sin… and more sin… and eventually death.
c. Those who THINK they are right… those who have chosen a pathway in life that SEEMS right but is not right are headed in a dangerous direction.
4.) Solomon’s point is that these folks are deluded… self deluded.
a. They convinced themselves that a road that leads to destruction is really the RIGHT road to take!
b. Ps. 81:11-12 – people FEEL safe… and things may SEEM to be right… when they have rejected counsel.
• This is self-delusion… and is deadly!
c. Prov. 30:12 – they THINK they are pure, but are filthy.
• Hence, there will be consequences to that filth that they did not take into consideration!
d. Ps. 10:6 – sometimes such folks are in a state of denial: Nothing could ever happen to me. It SEEMS so right… then BANG!
e. I Thess. 5:3 – people may THINK that all is well… and it may SEEM like all is well. But that doesn’t make it so.
f. Rev. 3:17 – To the Laodiceans it SEEMED like they were doing things RIGHT… and it seemed like all was well in the church… when in fact, things were not well at all!
g. As believers, we need to PROVE ALL THINGS. Things are not always as they seem. Let God’s Word shine its light on our heart and our ways. His way doesn’t just SEEM right. It IS right!
5.) Unsaved folks think this way… (Matt. 7:13-14; 21-22).
a. They have assumed that because they are religious that all is right before God. They will discover that their religion may well be leading them to hell!
b. They may have convinced themselves they are saved (because they go to church; because their parents are saved; because they said a prayer one day; etc.)… but they may discover one day in Hell… that they were kidding themselves in thinking they were saved…
c. It SEEMED right… but it was all appearance and show… no reality. It leads to death… eternal condemnation!
Proverbs 14:13
Laughter and Sorrow
1.) Laughter = laughter; sport; fooling around; clowning around; making light; making mirth; making merry; mocking.
a. Job 12:4 – Job laments that he had become a laughingstock before his neighbors… a joke. This was a laugh of derision.
b. Gen.18:12 – Sarah laughed at the promise of God of a son. This was an incredulous laugh of unbelief.
c. Gen. 19:14 – Lot’s sons in law mocked at his command to leave the city. This was a mocking laughter.
d. Prov. 14:9 – fools mock at sin. This is sinful laughter. This is the kind of laughter that occurs when folks watch the filthy sitcoms and laugh at smutty jokes and innuendos.
e. Prov. 31:25 – the virtuous woman rejoices in time to come —in the sense of she smiles at the future —a smile or laughter of contentment… knowing her family is well cared for.
f. Ecc. 3:4 – a time to weep; a time to laugh —used in a good context here. This is good, healthy laughter.
2.) Usage:
a. Laughter appears in many contexts in the Scriptures; some healthy and natural; some sinful and immoral.
b. Solomon’s point in this proverb is that laughter isn’t always what it seems.
c. When we see a person laugh, we are inclined to think that the person is happy or joyous.
d. That’s what the outward appearance is proclaiming… but it is not necessarily so.
3.) In laughter, the heart is often sorrowful!
a. This was one of Solomon’s observations of life… of human nature.
b. Solomon observed that often times people attempt to cover up their deep inner grief with the outward appearance of laughter…
c. Ha, ha, ha is constantly on their lips… giving the appearance of being jovial… upbeat… and cheerful…carefree… not a burden in the world… but on the inside it is quite another story!
d. Solomon observed that it is human nature to put on an outward show happiness to cover up inner pain.
e. Solomon observed that clowns are often very sad people.
f. We see this also in the use of alcohol. Alcohol helps people DROWN their sorrow… put on a happy, carefree, face, full of laughter, but drunks are also very sad people underneath all the phony mirth.
4.) This thought is similar to a thought mentioned in Prov. 14:10.
a. The heart of man knoweth his own bitterness… and nobody else really knows what is going on on the inside.
b. Solomon is saying that the emotions and feelings that accompany life’s bitter experiences are felt DEEP within a man’s heart… in his innermost being.
c. Solomon is saying that only the man himself can really feel and experience this bitterness. It is his OWN unique bitter experience.
d. An outsider —stranger —cannot fully participate in or even understand his inner joy either.
e. God knows the heart, but man sees only the outward appearance.
f. Because men KNOW this, (that nobody really knows my inner bitterness)… there is a tendency to cover up what is going on on the inside with a charade of bubbliness and laughter.
g. Solomon says that this is often a sham… a thin veneer to cover up a person who is hurting on the inside.
5.) This is HYPOCRISY… putting on a front.
a. Hypocrite: an actor, stage player, pretender.
b. Ancient play actors in Greece and Rome often wore a large mask with a mechanical devise to augment the voice… like a built in megaphone.
c. The term gradually became a term used to describe someone who pretends to be what he is not—a hypocrite.
d. Solomon’s point in Prov. 14:13 is that people who are constantly laughing, clowning around, and bubbly are often hiding behind a mask… it is pretense.
e. The mask has a happy face, but underneath is often sorrow.
6.) What is the PURPOSE of knowing this? Why did he write this proverb? What application can we make?
a. Don’t be fooled by people who APPEAR to be continually happy, laughing, and joking. Things are not always as they seem.
• Those who mock at sin and seem to be having a grand old time may be putting on a phony front.
• Those who drink and laugh may seem happy, but often that is just a cover for the real sorrow in their heart.
b. So don’t think it necessary for YOU to be constantly upbeat, cheerful, always bubbly.
• It’s ok to be sad. We don’t need a phony 700 club smile on our face 24 hours a day… especially when circumstances are not happy.
• Be real… not phony.
c. Most people KNOW that such laughter is a mask.
• It is in fact quite sad to see a person pretending to be happy.
• You can’t help but feel sorry for them.
d. Christians sometimes fall prey to this pretense because of a wrong concept of what true JOY is. Joy is not bubbliness or giddiness… It is possible to have the joy of the Lord—the fruit of the Spirit—even when we are feeling sad.
e. The Lord Himself was constantly filled with the Spirit… but was a Man of sorrows… but He was NOT a hypocrite. He never pretended to be something He was not.
1.) Mirth: joy; mirth; gladness. 1a mirth; gladness; joy; gaiety; pleasure.
2.) Solomon continues his description of the same kind of laughter… a laughter that is but a cover for sorrow… pretense… hypocrisy.
a. Those folks may be the life of the party… tell all the funny jokes… and seem to be carefree and happy.
b. But when they go home… and that outward show of mirth and happiness is over… heaviness sets in.
c. They can keep up the front in public… but when they are alone… reality sets in… the mirth is gone and it is replaced by sorrow.
d. The mask is removed and the man once again has to deal with his sorrow and heaviness… grief.
3.) But once the sorrow sets in… the man is dealing with reality again.
a. Pretense is over. The sorrow is no longer ignored… or buried… but comes right back up to the surface.
b. This is the point of the proverb…
c. It is human nature to try to cover up our real feelings… it is human nature to try to appear to be happy when we are not…
d. And it is human nature to go to great lengths to pretend to be happy. Some folks excel at this art.
4.) This kind of mirth and merrymaking is NOT a help but a hindrance.
a. Ecc. 2:1-2 – Solomon knows all about this because he GAVE HIMSELF to mirth and laughter trying to BECOME happy and discovered that it was all vanity…
b. Life is more than partying, having fun, laughing, and joking.
c. There is a time and a place for laughing… and a time for weeping.
d. Solomon learned that a life GIVEN to the pursuit of merrymaking is madness… insanity…
e. That’s NOT what life is all about.
5.) What Solomon does NOT say here… but does say in the book of Ecclesiastes, is that sorrow is BETTER than laughter!
a. We go to great lengths to cover up… ignore… block out… and pretend that we are not full of sorrow or grief.
• Sometimes the heart is full of grief or sorrow because the conscience is pricked over sin… and laughter is a vain attempt to cover it up… ignore it…
• Hos. 9:1 – God told Israel NOT to rejoice because in their heart they were pursuing idolatry!
• It is hypocrisy to pretend to be happy when it is the LORD who has convicted us over sin.
b. Yet, the very thing we try to block out is GOOD for us!
c. Ecc. 7:6 – the laughter of fools is vanity.
• Phony laughter is vanity… emptiness… hollow and shallow.
• It might be a momentary distraction to our sorrow, but beyond that, it is quite empty.
• It doesn’t DEAL with the sorrow or its source. It merely pretends it doesn’t exist.
• The laughter of fools is vanity.
d. Ecc. 7:3 – Sorrow is better than laughter, because it may lead to wisdom.
• When the heart is sad… then God can work.
• Jas. 4:9 – James is rebuking worldliness… this sort of pleasure seeking… partying… ha ha ha attitude is the way of the world. Let that kind of laughter be turned to heaviness… this is a command to get serious… think about how you are living… repent of the worldliness… and let God use the heaviness to correct wrong thinking.
• God uses sorrow to get our attention… to cause us to look to Him… to stop and think…
• God uses sorrow to strengthen the inner man. It is in a time of grief that we take the time to reflect upon life… on the important things…
• This sorrow and sober reflection often leads to repentance… a change of mind followed by a turning in the right direction.
• People are much more likely to think soberly about the real issues of life at a funeral than at a party.
e. Sorrow is better than laughter in many ways.
• So there is no point in covering up sorrow… or pretending to be always happy.
• If you are going through a period of grief or sorrow… let God USE that period for good in your life.
• Ps. 119:71 – it is good to be afflicted, to suffer, and to experience sorrow, loss, and grief. It is in those times that we learn the most… beneficial lessons far more valuable than a few shallow laughs.
Proverbs 14:14
The Consequences of Our Chosen Paths
Introduction:
1.) In this Proverb, Solomon restates a familiar theme: you reap what you sow.
2.) The particular nuances that he highlights in this verse includes:
a. How unique and personal this is with every individual. (his own ways; from himself)
b. The filling or satisfaction… the abundance of consequences.
1.) The backslider defined
a. To move; go; turn back; move away; backslide; to turn oneself away; turn back; to be repulsed.
2.) The backslider described:
a. He ONCE walked with God. He at one time was headed in the right direction, but has CHANGED directions… or at least slowed down his pace of progress.
b. He is no longer going forward, but is going backwards.
c. He once fought the good fight, but has retreated for one reason or another. (tired; weary; wounded; enticed; lazy; enamored by the worldly; deceived by the enemy; etc.)
d. This is the man who no longer wants to walk with God.
e. Hence, he does not follow the way of wisdom.
f. He seeks to live for himself and please himself.
g. He seeks prosperity in the world over a relationship to God.
3.) The backslider in HEART… implies two things:
a. He may not appear to be a backslider
• His backsliding may not be outwardly apparent. It is inward… in the heart… where no man can see.
• He is still assembling together with the saints…
• All looks well on the outside, but on the inside, a departure is underway.
• There are backsliders in heart who sit in churches every Sunday, thinking nobody knows. God knows.
• Sin doesn’t have to be outward. It is possible to commit adultery in the heart… murder… idolatry…
• In fact, sin manifests itself in the heart before it is ever manifested outwardly.
• Eventually, the backslider in heart will become a backslider in outward deed.
b. The backslider in heart is just as much a backslider as the backslider in deed.
• Whatever the backslider in heart does is unacceptable before God.
• He may sing in the choir, serve as an officer, teach Sunday school… but if he is a backslider in heart, it is all wood, hay, and stubble… regardless of how talented he may be… how well he sings or teaches or ministers in any other way.
c. His backsliding was not a mere slip that occurred in a weak moment, but was rather a slip that occurred because it was in his heart to go backwards…
• It was the secret desire of his heart long before it was ever put into practice.
• Ezek. 14:3-5 – the Jews set up idols in their hearts. They may not have been outwardly worshipping idols, but it was in their heart to do so.
d. The one who is a backslider in his heart will eventually become a backslider in deed. He is just waiting for the right moment… the right opportunity… the right “front”… the right set of circumstances…
4.) Degrees of backsliding…
a. Backsliding implies going backwards… not progressing forwards.
b. A believer is going backwards when:
• He has lost his earlier zeal for the things of Christ…and is “cooling off”… like embers losing their former glow…
• He has become entangled in the affairs of this life… not necessarily involved in sin, but “occupied” with things that keep him from spiritual growth.
• He has settled back into mediocrity… and is no longer pressing toward the mark.
• His devotion time in the Word has slacked off… become dry and dusty… finds himself reading the Word less than he used to… praying less…
• He desires the camaraderie of his old friends or the guys at work rather than making friends with God’s children…and the fellowship of the saints…
c. Many believers at church would not be able to notice this change, but God does. God knows a lack of spiritual progress when He sees it…
d. God takes note of our spiritual progress, growth, zeal, fervor, level of dedication, commitment, enthusiasm, and our love for Christ.
e. He knows if we are zealously reaching toward the mark… just drifting along… stagnating… pretending… or headed for a crash landing!
f. God knows. HE knows all about our walk.
5.) His ways…
a. His way is the way of sin…
b. The way of self…
c. The way of spiritual neglect…
d. The way of indulgence…
e. The way of the flesh…
f. The way of the world…
g. The way of pride…
h. The way of greed… materialism…
i. The way of laziness…
j. The way of apathy…
k. Any way—except the way of the cross…
6.) Filled with his ways…
a. Filled defined: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, to have one’s fill.
b. Filled with his ways speaks of being filled with the consequences of his ways…
c. He is filled in the sense that his soul is saturated with the evil fruit that he planted… sick of it!
7.) Prov. 1:31 – those who reject God’s wisdom and choose their own course will be forced to eat of the fruit of their ways.
8.) Prov. 13:21 – evil pursues sinners.
9.) Prov. 10:24-25 – The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
a. The fear of the wicked = that which wicked men fear.
b. Wicked men DO fear the consequences of their wickedness.
c. Crooks fear going to jail; adulterers and whoremongerers fear getting aids; those who steal or gossip fear getting caught;
10.) The punishment for the backslider is that God gives him what he wants.
a. Num. 11:18-20 – As God gave the Israelites meat in the wilderness… so much of it that it became loathsome to them!
b. He gave them their fill—and made them SICK of it.
c. God makes the backslider weary of his sin… sick of it… like the prodigal son.
d. That which he thought he delighted in, becomes wearisome, burdensome, sickening… nauseating… (This is God’s mercy!)
e. Prov. 20:17 – Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.”
1.) The good man… (spiritually, ethically, and morally good)
a. This is the righteous man who walks with God.
b. His heart is right with God and that is reflected in the way he talks and lives.
2.) Satisfied:
a. Actually, the verb “satisfied” does not appear in the original. Note the italics in the King James Version.
b. The verb was added by the translators to make the sentence make sense.
c. The only verb is FILLED.
• The backslider is filled with his own ways.
• The verb filled can have two meanings:
1. filled up like a barrel is filled with dirt… or
2. filled and satisfied as when one eats.
• The concepts are quite similar, and can connote that which is either good or evil.
• Solomon seemed to play on this nuance by not inserting the verb in the second part… but obviously requiring the reader to insert the same verb… with a slightly different twist.
• The backslider is filled with the consequences of his wickedness, but the good man is satisfied with good things.
3.) Solomon does not say that the good man here will be successful or prosperous. Rather, he states that he will be satisfied.
a. It is possible to be unsuccessful and still be satisfied… content.
b. If you gave it your best shot; if you followed the rules while others may have cheated to get ahead; you can be content KNOWING that this is the will of the Lord for you… you can be quite content in the will of God!
4.) Satisfied from himself:
a. This inner satisfaction comes from within, but is not independent of God.
b. It comes from what God has wrought in him… from within.
c. He is satisfied from within… at peace with himself… because he is at peace with God…
d. He will have the “testimony of his own conscience.” (II Cor. 1:12)
e. He will be satisfied with a conscience that is at rest.
f. He will be satisfied knowing that he is in the right.
g. He will be satisfied knowing that God is on his side and is pleased with him.
h. This all comes from himself in the sense that the choices HE made and the paths HE chose to pursue as HE yielded to the Lord… and thus those choices have brought to HIM satisfaction.
i. There is great satisfaction that comes in knowing you have made the right choice… even if it was a difficult choice.
j. The one who chooses Christ over money… Christ over the world… Christ over pleasure… Christ over anything and everything else that comes our way chooses that which will bring satisfaction to his soul.
5.) Blessings upon the good man…
a. Prov. 10:6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
b. Prov. 10:16 – The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
• This speaks not just of life, but all the blessings of an abundant, wholesome, spiritually healthy life.
c. Prov. 12:2-3 – A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
d. Prov. 20:7 – The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. (there is satisfaction in that)
e. Prov. 21:15 – It is joy to the just to do judgment: (he genuinely delights in the path he has chosen… he is satisfied from within)
6.) Psalm 17:15 – David was a good man—and SATISFIED.
a. Note that this good man (a man after God’s own heart) was satisfied when he BEHELD God’s face. Therein lay the key to the satisfaction of a good man.
b. David was also aware of his own fallen nature and how easily HE TOO could fall backwards…
c. Vs. 5- Hence, he prayed in faith for the Lord to hold up his goings and keep his foot from slipping. A good prayer for us all!
d. Vs. 6 – David also had confidence that God WOULD hold him up! That is not self confidence or pride, but FAITH… trust in God to hold up his steps… and keep him going in the right direction.
e. Jude 23-24 – God is ABLE to keep us from falling. Do you believe that? Trust in Him. Walk by faith—moment by moment and see the salvation of the Lord… step by step!
Proverbs 14:15
The Simple and the Wise
1.) The Simple Defined.
a. Most often in Proverbs, we see a contrast between the foolish and the wise or prudent. Here is a contrast between the SIMPLE and the wise or prudent.
b. Strong’s: naïve; foolish; open-minded in the sense of open to anything.
c. Dictionary of Biblical Language: persons that are easily deceived or persuaded, showing lack of wisdom and understanding, yet having some capacity to change this condition.
d. It speaks of one who is simple (not deranged), but inexperienced; untaught; easily deceived.
e. Prov. 7:7 – the simple ones (youth) are defined here as being void of understanding.
f. Prov. 22:3 – the simple are defined here as those who are unable to perceive danger or evil or calamity before them… and who usually plow head first into it… to their own detriment.
• This verse is repeated word for word in 27:12. God doesn’t want the youth to miss this point!
g. Rom. 16:17-18 – the simple are deceived easily by false teachers. They are gullible in spiritual things too.
h. Thus, in summary: the simple LACK understanding; they cannot perceive danger or evil; and are easily deceived.
2.) The simple BELIEVE every word…
a. Believe: same word as used in Gen. 15:6 – Abraham believed the Lord. (Trust; rely upon; rest in; believe.)
b. Faith is good—only as long as it rests on the right foundation on truth.
c. The problem with youth and the inexperienced is that they lack the discernment to recognize what is and what is not a good foundation. They believe anything.
3.) It is the nature of youth to be inexperienced and gullible.
a. Little children believe every word.
• They very often believe fairy tales… the tooth fairy… Santa Clause… monsters under the bed…
• Because of this, they can be easily lured away and kidnapped by perverted men by something as simple as a piece of candy… or by a story of a lost kitten.
• The inexperienced child believes every word.
• This is the nature of little children. It’s not their fault that they are immature and inexperienced. It is natural for a young child.
b. Teenagers are a bit more sophisticated, but are still inexperienced in life.
• And while it is GOOD that they have more discernment than the toddlers and elementary grades, it can be MORE dangerous because they THINK they are also experienced… when they are not.
• A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous… especially when accompanied by pride. (I don’t need you to tell me what to do… I can handle things on my own…)
• They can be lured by drug pushers who tell them how awesome marijuana and cocaine are. The simple ones believe it.
• They can be convinced that speeding and racing in a car is harmless fun and no one will get hurt… we’re too smart for that!
• They watch stupid, extreme stunts on TV and think they can try it at home and not get burned.
• Teenagers are not to be blamed for their youth and inexperience either—UNLESS they have been told the way of wisdom and reject it.
• Lady Wisdom cries to such: “How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity?”
• They are culpable for that kind of willful simplicity…
• Just because you THINK you can handle something, doesn’t mean that you CAN handle it.
• Solomon is not finding fault with teenagers. It isn’t your fault that you are inexperienced. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be seasoned and experienced except through TIME… years of living.
• But it IS the fault of young people, when they reject sound advice from those who ARE experienced.
c. Young men are lured away by the words of an immoral woman… and believe her.
• Prov. 9:4 – the simple one is one who is immoral… and is deceived by the immoral woman… and thus susceptible to the awful consequences of immorality.
• Prov. 9:13-18 – the simple woman calls simple youth to immorality… the simple is one who is OPEN to anything… gullible… not thinking of the consequences.
• The simplicity of youth extends to many other areas of life as well.
d. The simple often spend their money foolishly…
• They lack the discernment to know the difference between a wise purchase and a foolish purchase.
• They can easily be hoodwinked by a smooth talking salesman.
• PT Barnum made a fortune on such folks: a sucker is born every hour.
• No wonder Solomon constantly speaks about the value of getting good advice… counsel… and the folly of rejecting good counsel.
e. Solomon was a keen observer of human nature. He recorded his inspired findings for us.
• The young and inexperienced are gullible. They believe every word.
• And yet they often will NOT believe the truth.
• To prove the point—there are probably some young people who are saying to themselves: “I am not gullible!”
• The problem is, that when you lack experience and discernment, you usually don’t KNOW that you lack it. And that perpetuates the problem… and makes it even worse.
• It’s one thing to lack understanding and know it… and therefore seek wisdom. That’s the beginning of wisdom.
• It is another thing to lack understanding and NOT know it… hence, not seek it because you think you already have it.
• Wisdom demands that the youth acknowledge their lack of experience. That’s the first step on the road to true wisdom…
• This is not an intellectual or IQ issue. This is a matter of the HEART—humility!
• And once your inexperience is humbly acknowledged, then SEEK help, guidance, and understanding from older folks who DO have experience!
• This is where parents come in. The youth are hearing thousands of voices crying out to them to do this or that. LISTEN to your parents! Parents are older than you… and have more experience than you… and want the BEST for you… much more so than your equally gullible peers!
• A young person is well on his way to LEAVING simplicity behind and BECOMING wise… when he recognizes his need… when he recognizes his inexperience… and is able to appreciate the experience and wisdom of older folks!
• There is nothing wrong with the youth being immature or inexperienced. That’s what youth is all about.
• But there IS something wrong with youth being immature and inexperienced… and REJECTING guidance from those who have experience.
4.) Prov. 22:3 – the simple are unable to foresee evil, and hence, are susceptible to the awful consequences of such simplicity.
a. Hence, the book of Proverbs… it was written so that the simple MIGHT OBTAIN the kind of discretion and wisdom necessary to keep them from trouble… from falling and failing.
b. To achieve moral and spiritual maturity, the naive are encouraged to receive prudence (?Prov. 1:4?).
c. Proverbs is written so that the inexperienced—the simple—might become wise… and that this would prevent them from learning life’s lessons the hard way… and suffering for their folly for years to come!
5.) But of course, SIMPLICITY is not confined to the youth and inexperienced.
a. There are a lot of older folks who are foolish too… and simple!
b. There are older folks who believe every word. (John the Baptist in PA!)
c. Many believe in evolution… we evolved from apes. (or starfish!)
d. Many older folks are spiritually gullible too—hence the proliferation of false doctrine and cults… full of simple people who love simplicity… and will not listen to God’s Word.
1. The terms:
a. The prudent man:
• Prudent: wise; subtle; shrewd; crafty; sly; sensible…
b. Looketh well: to discern; understand; consider; to perceive; has insight.
• This is usually the result of learning… both through guidance and wisdom of others and from gaining experience through the school of hard knocks.
2. Wise prudent men stop, look, and listen and think carefully.
a. Prov. 4:26-27 – Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
b. The simple hear someone make a suggestion and say, “Yea, that’s a good idea. Let’s do it!”
c. The prudent man THINKS about it long and hard before he commits himself to it.
d. He wants to think about the consequences… where it will lead…
e. And a spiritually wise man will want to think about “is this God’s will? Can I do this for God’s honor and glory? Is this good for my spiritual life? For my testimony?”
3. Prov. 22:3 – the prudent man SEES the potential trouble spots ahead hides himself from that which is dangerous, evil, not productive or fruitful.
a. Youth and inexperience get something in their head and plow right ahead without thinking… and often pay a price.
b. Wisdom waits… stops… takes a deep breath… and thinks… and prays… and seeks guidance… and observes dangers and decides against it.
c. Wise men think. Wise men are more conservative. He proves all things.
d. The simple rush into anything.
4. As a Christian, it is good to have a healthy dose of skepticism.
a. Eph. 4:14 – children are tossed to and fro by false teachers. The wise are not.
b. I John 4:1 – believe NOT every spirit, but try the spirits!
c. Acts 17:11 – the Bereans were more noble because of their healthy dose of skepticism. They listened, but they searched the Scriptures too to make sure.
6.) Prov. 21:11 – the simple one CAN learn and become wise. (19:25)
a. This is one reason why we have been spending Wednesday nights in Proverbs for the last four years.
b. Prov. 1:4 – proverbs gives subtlety to the simple.
c. Our kids need to hear such things… even the verses and themes that are repeated!
d. Of course it’s good for us older folks too! We can always use more wisdom, discernment, and experience!
7. The word of God teaches the simple to BECOME WISE
a. Psalm 19:7 – the word of God makes WISE the simple.
b. Psalm 119:130 – the Word gives UNDERSTANDING to the simple.
c. Prov. 1:22 – Lady Wisdom cries out to the simple ones to abandon their simplicity and come to her for wisdom.
d. In a sense, this is what growth and maturity is all about… gradually leaving behind the foolish and simple ways of youth… and come more and more to rely on the way of wisdom.
Proverbs 14:16
A Wise Man Feareth
Introduction:
1. We have in this passage yet another contrast between the wise man and the fool.
2. This time the emphasis is on one’s response to evil and danger.
1. The wise man
a. This is the term so often used in Proverbs.
b. It speaks of a man who has good sense; understanding; discernment.
c. It can refer to wisdom in earthly affairs… as well as spiritual discernment.
2. Feareth:
a. This verse does not mention the words “the Lord.”
b. Usually, the wise man is pictured as one who fears the Lord and departs from evil. (3:7; 8:13; 16:6)
c. It is quite likely IMPLIED here that this wise man does fear the Lord… and because of his fear of God he will of course, depart from evil. That is a well established principle in Proverbs.
d. However, it was not an oversight on Solomon’s part that the words “the Lord” are not mentioned here.
e. It seems they were purposely left out in order to add a new dimension to this well established principle.
f. Reading this proverb all by itself (supposing you had no knowledge of other similar proverbs) one would have to assume that the wise man fears the EVIL mentioned in the verse.
3. Evil:
a. The term: bad; evil; distress; misery; injury; calamity.
b. This term includes evil as we think of it today… in the sense of that which is ethically or morally wrong and bad.
c. But it is broader than our term for evil.
d. It includes that which is bad from other perspectives as well… bad health… bad circumstances… bad events…bad weather… like a tornado or earthquake.
e. These things are not MORALLY wrong… just bad… tragic… calamity.
f. In this proverb, it appears that Solomon is using the term in its broader sense… which includes ALL KINDS of bad things… sinful things… but also tragedy… hazards… calamity… danger… of all sorts.
4. Fearing that which is ethically evil…
a. Afraid to commit sin… that which is ethically and morally evil… (that’s wise)
• There is nothing wrong with being afraid to take a drink of alcohol…
• There’s nothing wrong with being afraid to smoke marijuana…
• There’s nothing wrong with being afraid to steal… or lie…
• There’s nothing wrong with being afraid to have sex out of wedlock.
• There’s nothing wrong with being afraid to cheat on a test.
• In fact, it is GOOD to be afraid of such evil. The wise man IS afraid! He feareth!
• We ought to be afraid to commit that which is morally wrong and evil…
• Your friends may try to convince you that it is COOL to commit such things. They may laugh at those who are afraid.
• But don’t be intimidated by them. They think they’re COOL. Solomon calls them a FOOL.
• Wise men don’t fear men. They don’t fear the fool and his foolish claims… or his taunting.
• Wise men FEAR evil. If you’re wise, you will too.
b. Afraid of displeasing God (that’s wise too)
• The motive in fearing that which is sinful or ethically wrong ought to be our relationship to God.
• We should fear displeasing Him… grieving Him.
• God hates sin and so should we.
c. Afraid of the consequences of evil (Again… wise!)
• And there’s nothing wrong with being afraid of the consequences of that which is ethically wrong.
• There are also consequences of immorality, alcohol, drugs, stealing, lying, etc.
• The wise man is legitimately afraid of the consequences of evil.
• The consequences may include: disease; prison; loss of friends; ruining a good name;
• But more importantly, the spiritual consequences include a loss of fellowship with God… and a loss of reward… wasted time… loss of one’s testimony…
5. The wise man also fears that which is evil in the sense of calamity… dangerous… tragic…
a. The wise man (young or old; male or female) fears all kinds of bad things…
b. He will fear racing in a car…and weaving in and out of traffic… though others may think it’s cool.
c. He will be afraid of copying the stupid stunts he has heard that others are doing…
d. He will be afraid of skating on thin ice… or driving his pick up truck on the lake in March…
e. He will be afraid of skimming his snowmobile over water…
f. He will be afraid of taking foolish risks… and putting his life or the lives of others in harm’s way… just for the thrill of it.
g. He will be afraid of the tragedy that could occur by hiking in the woods alone… or walking in a dangerous part of the city alone…
• Prov. 28:14 – don’t be afraid to be afraid! Happy is the man who has a balanced, healthy sense of fear!
6. As a result of his fear of evil… he will depart from evil.
a. The wise man is cautious. He thinks ahead—about what might happen… he thinks about the results… he thinks about what is being proposed… and weighs it carefully.
b. Cf. Prov.14:15 – he doesn’t believe every word. He stops to THINK about the words… and looks WELL to his going. He doesn’t want to get hurt… or to fall. He’s wise!
c. When he sees danger ahead—he heads in the opposite direction.
d. When he sees the potential for a calamity—he runs.
e. When he thinks about all the evil… the bad things that could result from certain behaviors—he chooses to DEPART.
f. This is the way of the wise man… the way of wisdom.
1. But then there is the fool…
a. The second part of this proverb assumes that the fool faces the same kind of evil…
b. The fool also faces that which is ethically evil…
c. And he faces other forms of evil… calamity… danger… the potential for trouble… injury…
d. But the fool has a very different response… a different reaction to evil.
2. The wise man sees it, fears, and departs… like Joseph running away from Potiphar’s wife. But the fool is not afraid. He has a different approach to evil.
3. The fool RAGETH…
a. The term: to pass over or by or through, to cross over; to transgress…
b. When the wise man comes to the edge… they look and fear and depart from evil.
c. Not so with the fool. He plunges forward… he’s not afraid to cross the line… to go over the edge… to transgress.
d. This is exactly what the English poet of the early 1700’s, Alexander Pope spoke of when he wrote: “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” This famous line was in a sense lifted from Proverbs 14:16!
4. The fool is CONFIDENT…
a. The term: to feel safe and secure; self confidence; be careless. (the opposite of fear…)
b. The fool does NOT have a healthy sense of fear.
c. Many young people glory in having NO FEAR!
d. They think they can do anything… and get away with it… walk away unharmed… unscathed…
e. This is perhaps best seen in the extreme sports that are so popular today.
f. They have no fear—of skiing off a cliff… or doing flips in a motorcycle… or riding a skateboard off a barn roof… or diving off a cliff…
g. It’s one thing to be courageous and adventurous. It’s altogether another thing to be reckless, and foolhardy.
h. Those extreme sports shows on TV display the fun side of it… but they never show you the head trauma hospital where some of those folks will be spending the rest of their lives… they don’t show you the guy who flipped his bike and is now in a wheelchair the rest of his life…
i. And on and on goes this self confidence…
5. Solomon’s point: the fool does NOT fear evil.
a. He rages: he isn’t afraid to cross the line;
b. He is self confident: nothing will happen to me.
c. Prov. 22:3 – the simple—the fool heads straight for the danger… confident that nothing will happen to him… but something DOES happen to him!
d. He is a FOOL for NOT fearing evil.
e. His lack of fear is not manliness or a macho spirit; it is stupidity! It is reckless, proud, conceited, arrogant, childish folly… and he refuses to be reproved or corrected.
6. Consider the wording in a few other translations of this passage:
a. (BBE) The wise man, fearing, keeps himself from evil; but the foolish man goes on in his pride, with no thought of danger.
b. (RSV) A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool throws off restraint and is careless.
c. (WEB) A wise man fears, and shuns evil, but the fool is hotheaded and reckless.
7. This is often how young people think…
a. I will live forever!
b. Old people worry about such things, but I don’t!
c. I don’t care about what might happen to me tomorrow; I’m just going to have fun today!
d. I am invincible!
e. I can handle this. It won’t hurt me.
f. I’m too smart to get stung… or to get caught.
g. Who cares? Life’s a beach! Whatever!
h. Nobody’s going to tell me what to do!
i. I’m no child! I’m a big shot and I’m fearless.
j. And they plunge head first into the unknown waters… only to hit a rock and break their neck… and end up in a wheelchair the rest of their lives…
k. And then they have to rely on someone else to feed them… and comb their hair… and change their clothes… and wash them…
l. And while they THOUGHT they were no child… they end up being treated like a child because they cannot take care of themselves.
Proverbs 14:17
He that is Soon Angry
1. Soon: short; hasty; impatient.
2. Here Solomon describes the man (or woman or child!) who is soon angry…
a. He is short-tempered… hot head… they fly off the handle… short fused… easily irritated…
b. We have all known people like that.
c. We have all behaved like that… more often than we would like to remember.
d. The heart is deceitful. Sometimes it is scary to think about how easily our anger can be stirred up… and over such trivial things!
e. If we know this, then keep your heart with all diligence!
3. This character flaw (otherwise known as sin) is mentioned often in the Bible.
a. It is described often because it is human nature… it is common to man.
b. Prov. 16:32 – it is the man who does not RULE his own spirit (rule = reign over; have dominion over). Instead, this man’s anger and passions rule over him. He is a slave to them.
c. Prov. 25:28 – like a city broken down and without walls. Unsafe!
d. Ecc. 7:9 – be not hasty to be angry. In other words, be SLOW to wrath!
• Hold anger in; don’t let it out—the opposite of what psychology says.
• The Bible says “put it away.” Eph. 4:31; Ps. 37:8 – Cease from anger!
e. Prov. 12:16 – fools let their wrath be known right away.
• Everybody gets angry. Fools blurt it all out.
• Wise men cover it up.
f. Prov. 14:29 – he that is hasty in anger exalts folly.
g. Gal. 5:20 – anger is the work of the flesh.
4. It is WISE to control anger.
a. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is in control—for the fruit of the Spirit is temperance… self control.
b. Prov. 15:18 – a man who is slow to anger appeases strife.
c. Prov. 16:32 – the one who controls his spirit is better than the mighty… it is more valuable, more useful, more efficient, and more powerful than a mighty soldier…
A.) His Foolish Behavior
1. Dealeth: to do; act; make; produce.
a. He ACTS foolishly… he behaves foolishly…
b. He PRODUCES folly… he generates folly… and all of its associated consequences.
B.) His Folly Described
1. The man who has no control over his temper is continually doing and saying things that he regrets later.
2. Prov. 27:3-4 – a fool’s wrath is heavy and cruel. The result of his anger is often painful.
3. But later is usually too late.
a. You cannot un-ring the bell. Often the immediate damage done through an outburst of anger is irreversible…
b. The cruel words have already pierced someone’s heart.
c. The door you punched is still broken.
d. The lamp you threw still doesn’t work.
e. And the little eyes and ears who heard it all and observed it all will never forget.
4. Job 5:2 – wrath kills the foolish man. It is his own undoing.
• Prov. 29:22; 30:33 – wrath stirs up contention…
• Prov. 19:19 – he will suffer punishment for his wrath too… it carries its own condemnation and sentence.
• Prov. 30:33 – it always results in contention and fighting…
1. The word “wicked” does not appear in the original.
a. The word “devices” means “plans”… craftiness; plots.
b. It is a neutral word and the context must decide whether the plans are good or evil.
c. Because of this, a few translations are entirely different in the second half of the verse:
• Prov. 14:17 (RSV) A man of quick temper acts foolishly, but a man of discretion is patient.
• Prov. 14:17 (BBE) He who is quickly angry will do what is foolish, but the man of good sense will have quiet.
• 17 (GNB) People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm.
d. These translators chose to follow the LXX here rather than the Hebrew MSS in order to alter the word “hated” and give it a good sense… patient; calm;
• They chose to translate “devices” in a good sense in order for it to be a fitting contrast to the evil… (because normally that is the contrast Solomon makes) and thus were forced to change the meaning of “hate” to patient or calm.
e. Most translations follow wording similar to the KJV.
• This is best here because it doesn’t change anything.
• It simply acknowledges that the word “devices” is neutral, but the context flavors it.
• Thus, the contrast in this proverb is not between a hasty, angry man and a calm man. Rather, it is between a man who does foolish and evil things out of a sudden flare-up of passion… vs. a man who plans and premeditates his evil.
• This first man is foolish; the second man, is down right evil!
2. The man of wicked devices.
a. The first man says foolish things in a burst of anger—things that are hurtful—and things he wishes he never said… he wishes he could take them back…
b. But the second man premeditates evil things to say in order to hurt someone.
c. He says them and does NOT wish he could take them back.
d. Both of the words are hurtful and painful to the person who was stabbed or pierced by them.
e. One was deliberate, intentional, and premeditated. The other was not.
3. Solomon warns us to be discerning about what we hear… and the construction we put upon it.
a. This is helpful in all kinds of relationships…
b. Husbands and wives often say things in anger that they wish they never said.
c. Parents say things to their kids they wish they could take back.
d. Kids say things to their parents they wish they could take back.
e. Those words are piercing and painful… but USUALLY they are the result of the passion of the moment… an outburst that they wish never burst out… it is often the anger speaking…
f. In those times of spiritual weakness we do and say things we would NEVER do or say if we slowed down… took a deep breath… and thought about it.
g. This is not to say it’s not our fault. It IS our fault. It is SIN and ought to be confessed… and a fault that needs to be made right with whomever you hurt.
h. But often times, the offended party does NOT make the distinction Solomon tells us to make here.
a. That offended party assumes that it was premeditated…
b. They assume that what you said is what you really meant… that’s the way you really feel… that’s what you really think…
c. They assume that what you did or said was the result of “wicked devices”… when in reality it may have been the result of being “soon angry.” There is a huge difference.
d. If we could only keep these two motives separate in our thinking… we would be much quicker to forgive and restore relationships that were hurt because of unkind words.
e. Remember: anger often exaggerates; it embellishes; it uses harsh rhetoric and extreme language; it vomits out words thoughtlessly; it is unthinking and un-thoughtful… and foolish.
f. That is a far cry from man who IS thinking… who purposely takes time to craft his words and devise his actions IN ORDER to inflict pain… and he really MEANS IT.
g. Too often relationships disintegrate unnecessarily when people are not able to… or choose not to make this important distinction.
4. The difference between foolish and hated
a. One man is conniving and hateful.
• Hated: hated; hateful; enemy.
• This man is a genuine enemy… working against us to hurt us…
• This man devices plots—various ways he can inflict pain.
• His hurtful words and spiteful actions are intentional… well thought out; planned; plotted; vengeful. This man is hated.
b. The other man (the one who is angry and rash) is foolish.
• His behavior is not acceptable. It is sinful, but it is far less serious than the man who plots and plans.
• So ladies, when your husband gets mad and says something hurtful, give him the benefit of the doubt. Don’t assume that he is your enemy. Think the best. He may only be a fool!
• It is good for kids to know this—those cruel, hurtful words they hear when dad and mom are angry aren’t necessarily what they really mean.
• This is good for parents to keep in mind, when their children blurt out something hurtful in anger…
• This is also good for believers to keep in mind… when a brother is angry and says something unkind… he may not really mean it. It could be the anger speaking.
• Now this is not being said to JUSTIFY such anger, or angry words and actions. But it should all be put in perspective… and seen for what it really is.
• Any one of us can get tripped up by an angry outburst in a moment’s notice. You know it’s so. I know it’s so. The flesh is weak. There’s no point in pretending that it “aint so!”
• Knowing how easy it is to trip up in this area (who hasn’t!?), we would do well to be understanding of others who get angry… and do and say things they otherwise would not.
• Be honest, we have ALL done the same thing…
• Be aware that not all of those words were meant.
c. After the argument, the man of wicked devices is happy that he hurt you… but the rash fool is often repentant… embarrassed, ashamed, and wishes he could take back what he said.
• This is revealed for our learning and our admonition.
• Be discerning. There is a huge difference between the deliberate evil doer… and the rash fool who easily looses his temper.
• Our laws distinguish between these two motives: murder as a crime of passion vs. a premeditated murder.
• We shouldn’t treat them the same either.
• One is much worse… and more hated than the other. Sudden passion is foolish. Deliberate devices are hateful.
Proverbs 14:18
Crowned with Knowledge
Introduction:
1. In this proverb, Solomon describes the results of folly and wisdom.
2. He speaks here, in a humorous way, of what children pick up from their fathers.
The Prudent
1. Prudent: subtle; shrewd; crafty; and sensible.
a. The term is used 8 times in proverbs and is always translated “prudent.”
b. The contrast in this proverb is between a young man with good sense… and a young man who is simple… naive… inexperienced… opened minded to too many things…
c. The prudent person is not quite so opened minded—in this sense: he is CAREFUL, discriminating, and discerning about what he receives or absorbs and incorporates into his thinking.
d. The prudent man deals with knowledge. (Prov. 13:16)
Ø The man who (in a good sense) is shrewd and sensible wants to observe and works with the FACTS…
Ø He wants a proper understanding of things…
Ø He wants to perceive what is really happening…
Ø He uses his head… he thinks… he uses the intelligence God gave him…
Ø And he wants the discernment and wisdom to draw the proper conclusions from those facts.
Ø The prudent man does not act on gut impulse. He lets his head direct his steps, not his stomach.
Ø He does not let his feelings or his emotions blind him from the facts.
Ø He deals with knowledge… facts… not impulses.
e. Things that are not sensible are immediately rejected. He has that good sense about him.
f. He is able to discern between a good principle—and a good principle that has been stretched to the extreme… beyond its intended purpose.
g. In the world of ideas, he is able to sift through them all, and sort out that which is a foolish waste of time, and that which is helpful and necessary.
h. In a world full of competing voices, his antenna is able to tune in to the right voices and to block out the others.
i. He is shrewd and is able to identify that which is good, healthy, and wholesome—from that which is corrupt and defiled.
j. He is sensible and is not easily tripped up by that which might lead others astray. He THINKS about where he is headed. (Prov. 14:8)
k. He is sensible and is able to spot trouble and has the good sense to stay away. (Prov. 27:12)
l. These are all exceedingly GOOD qualities.
2. He is crowned.
a. Crowned: lit = to encircle; encompass; fig. = to crown.
b. It is used in a figurative sense here.
c. The crown was passed down from father to son in royal families.
d. The son of the king “inherited” the crown. There were no elections. Monarchies were not democracies.
e. The father usually passed on his crown to the firstborn son, but not always. There were other issues that could ALTER this norm.
f. Consider the time when David had to pass on his crown:
Ø David’s firstborn son, Ammon, was killed by his brother Absalom. (II Sam.13:28ff)
Ø Chileab, David’s second son, was probably dead too since nothing is ever mentioned of him again.
Ø Absalom, David’s third son was killed in battle by Joab.
Ø Adonijah, was the fourth son—and since the three older sons were dead, he assumed that he was the next in line.
Ø Solomon was evidently quite young.
Ø I Kings 1:28-30 – Adonijah tried to steal the throne from Solomon, because he was next in line, age-wise.
Ø However, David chose to give the crown to Solomon. Adonijah was a rebel… David did not want to give his crown to that son. He didn’t deserve it.
Ø Adonijah was a foolish and rebellious son. He would NOT inherit the crown.
g. The British throne is having a difficult time rearing a king… for the present, producing a royal son who is prudent seems to elude them.
Ø It’s easy to produce a son. But it’s not so easy to produce a son who is fit to be crowned.
h. The PRUDENT are crowned…
Ø The king passes on an inheritance to a prudent son… he passes on the royal crown.
Ø There may be many foolish sons in a royal family, but the PRUDENT one inherits the crown.
Ø The REWARD for BEING a prudent son is the crown.
Ø He is to wear it with distinction… it is a sign of his wisdom or prudence… or at least, that’s the way monarchies are supposed to work.
3. He is crowned with knowledge.
a. But this proverb is not just for royal families. The “crown” is just a figure of speech—which denotes something a father passes on to his son… in any family.
b. The prudent is crowned with KNOWLEDGE.
c. This knowledge is passed on from father to son. In a sense, it is his “inheritance”… part of his heritage… to be worn with distinction.
d. Prov. 2:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1; 6:1; 7:1 – Solomon pleads with his sons to LISTEN to his words of wisdom and knowledge.
e. A father seeks to instill wisdom and knowledge in his son’s and daughters.
f. Every young person has to admit, that his parents did exactly this: over, and over, and over again they repeated their warnings, exhortations, and admonitions… as Solomon did to his son.
g. They pleaded with you to pay attention… to listen.
h. The prudent son is one who LISTENS… he is sensible and recognizes the wisdom of what is being communicated to him.
i. This son is CROWNED with knowledge… all the knowledge that dad learned (some of it the hard way!) this wise son receives.
j. Hence, dad passes on knowledge to his son… the son INHERITS knowledge from his father… and this knowledge is proudly worn like a CROWN… a thing of beauty.
k. This son inherits knowledge from his father.
The Simple
1. Then, of course, there is the other kind of son—the simpleton… the foolish son… the inexperienced one who THINKS he knows everything.
a. He knows so much that he doesn’t have to listen to dad’s words of advice and counsel… and if he does happen to hear it, he rejects it.
b. Dad was pouring his heart out to this son… pleading with him to listen to the knowledge God has given him…
c. But this son is NOT prudent… he is not sensible. He is foolish, simple, naive, and is likely a know-it-all.
2. This son also receives an inheritance.
a. But not a ROYAL inheritance.
b. This son inherits something from his father too: FOLLY.
c. The Bible teaches that the sin nature is inherited from our parents—all the way back to Adam. Fathers produce children “in his own likeness.”
d. The sin nature is inherited.
e. Sin is also learned by observation.
f. This simple son absorbed all of dad’s mistakes, poor qualities, his failures, his sins, and his shortcomings.
i. Every dad since Adam has had plenty of these…
ii. Every son gets to see his father’s failures too…
iii. But the prudent son has the good sense to overlook dad’s failures—and to LISTEN to his wisdom.
iv. Every dad has wisdom and knowledge to pass on too.
v. But not every son soaks his wisdom and knowledge.
g. The simple son rejected all of the wisdom and knowledge dad TRIED to pass on to him.
h. The simple son remembers:
i. That dad got angry… so he feels justified in venting his anger… and develops into an angry man.
ii. That dad was sometimes lazy… so he indulges himself in laziness… and becomes a lazy man.
iii. That dad on occasion didn’t read his Bible, so he doesn’t feel any need to read his Bible.
iv. He absorbs like a sponge, his father’s failures and folly… yet rejects his father’s knowledge and wisdom.
3. This son inherits FOLLY.
a. And herein lies the humor (intentional?)
b. The scene is a father on his deathbed, ready to pass on the family wealth and privilege.
c. Like David on his deathbed, he looked out over his sons, and chose to give the CROWN to Solomon. Solomon was a prudent man. He is crowned by the father.
d. The wise son inherits all of the father’s wisdom and knowledge… priceless!
e. The other son eagerly awaits to hear his blessing… what portion of the family wealth he is going to inherit.
f. Perhaps they are sitting in a room waiting to hear the will read.
g. When the foolish son’s name is read, he discovers that the father left to him all of his father’s FOLLY…
h. It is like the father saying to the foolish son, “all the stupid things I’ve ever done—and tried to warn you about but you wouldn’t listen—you get to REPEAT… and you get to inherit all the awful consequences of that folly too!
i. Since you demonstrated that this is what you really wanted: the family’s stockpile of folly is all yours!
j. I Peter 1:18 – he inherits a VAIN manner of life. This son is condemned to repeat the folly of his father… a vain, empty, manner of life… a wasted life.
k. When he COULD have inherited knowledge and wisdom… and could have worn it like a crown!
Proverbs 14:19
The Triumph of Good Over Evil
Introduction:
1. Here is a proverb, or a “rule” that has so many exceptions, that it’s hard to see how we can even call it “true.”
2. It doesn’t seem like evil men are doing much BOWING (being made low) in this world. It seems more like the wicked PROSPER in the world… and the righteous suffer and are brought low…
3. Yet here it is, clearly written in our Bibles, which we claim to be verbally and plenarily inspired.
4. Is it really true? Did Solomon not get this one right?
This Principle Does Not SEEM to Be True
1. Luke 16:2 – Righteous Lazarus bowed before the gate of the wicked rich man. This is what we see so often today.
2. Ps. 73:12 – This has been a perennial problem for believers throughout the various dispensations.
3. Jas. 5:1-6 – The wealthy and powerful HAVE always [and in our lifetimes] WILL always trample over the poor and weak.
a. Look at the evil dictators who are living high—Korea; corrupt South American AND African countries.
b. The bullies in school don’t seem to be bowing before the good students.
c. When Christ was on earth, evil men didn’t bow to Him… the good one!
d. During the days of the early church, evil men did not bow before the good apostles.
e. Throughout the church age, good Christians have been chased, hunted, and persecuted by evil men. Evil men didn’t bow to them.
4. II Cor. 4:18 – when what we SEE does not seem to be in sync with what we read in the Bible… don’t lose heart.
a. We should always ASSUME that the problem lies with our limited apprehension, and not with God’s infallible revelation. That’s the starting point.
b. God is testing our faith and patience…
c. We must practice SEEING the things which are invisible by faith.
d. If there is an apparent contradiction between God’s Word and what we see… ask God for wisdom… for a clearer vision… for a heavenly and eternal perspective…or seek further light from His Word… comparing Scripture with Scripture.
e. Observation often leads us to a conclusion different than what Solomon says in this Proverb.
f. But the real reason is due to our limited capacity to “observe.” We are so “here and now” oriented… so limited by our temporal and earthly perspective.
The Principle IS True in the Future
1. We see so many exceptions to this rule, that from our perspective, it doesn’t even seem like a rule.
2. However, from eternity’s perspective, there are in fact NO exceptions to this rule… zero… not one!
3. Psalm 49:14 – the righteous shall have dominion after their death.
a. Foolish, evil men die like a beast (vs.12).
b. They leave their wealth to others. (vs.10)
c. They are buried and death feeds on them.
d. The upright have dominion over them in the morning.
e. Foolish, evil men might triumph in this short life, but when life is over, so is their brief tenure of triumph.
f. Good men will no longer bow before them!
4. Isa. 60:14 – nations that at one time plagued Israel will in the future bow before her.
a. In this section, Isaiah describes millennial conditions.
b. During most of Israel’s history, she suffered awfully at the hands of gentile nations.
• She suffered under the Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Germans, and Soviets.
• That suffering continues to this very hour.
• She is surrounded by Arab neighbors that want nothing more than to drive her into the sea.
• Anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe too.
c. Isaiah speaks of a future day when Christ returns—the glory of the Lord returns at the Second Coming to establish the Millennial Kingdom (vs.1).
d. In that day, nations who were at one time fierce enemies of Israel will come and bow down in Israel… because Messiah is there.
5. Mal. 4:1-3 – the triumph of good over evil…
a. Vs.3 – the evil will bow before the good; the wicked will bow at the gates of the righteous in that day!
b. The righteous will trample under foot the ungodly… in the day of Christ’s return.
6. The principle that Solomon states in Prov. 14:19 (evil shall bow before the good) is stated repeatedly in Proverbs.
a. Prov. 10:24 – the wicked are taken away like a whirlwind—eventually.
b. Prov. 13:9 – eventually, the lamp of the wicked shall be put out!
c. Prov.13:21 – evil (calamity) pursues sinners… eventually, it will catch up to them, even if for the moment sinners seem to be ahead…
d. Prov. 14:11 – the house of the wicked will be overthrown—in God’s time.
e. It doesn’t happen immediately. We don’t always SEE it occur, but it does… or it will.
f. The destruction of the wicked is certain… even if we never see it in our lifetimes.
g. When Christ returns, the crooked things shall be made straight.
7. This principle is also seen in the New Testament.
a. Read the book of Revelation: God wins!
b. Phil. 2:10 – one day, every knee shall bow…
c. Ultimately, there will be NO exceptions to this rule.
The Principle Is Often True in This Life
1. Though we are often prone to bring to mind the many exceptions to this rule, this principle is true in the present more than one might think at first glance.
a. Tyco executives, Martha Stewart and other white collar criminals are often forced to bow in humiliation before the public.
b. Common criminals are forced to bow before the judge…
c. Saddam Hussein and other evil dictators who are overthrown…
d. Taliban bowed before the coalition forces…
e. Drug pushers who get caught…
f. Rapists; child abusers; child abductors or menstealers…
2. In the present, this passage refers to evil men (sinners; criminals; etc.) and the punishment that their sins incur.
3. Take a visit to any city prison—and you will find a whole community of people, hidden from public sight, who are incarcerated for their crimes… evil men bowing before the good… bowing in forced submission.
4. Consider another aspect of evil men: drunks; drug abusers. These folks are seen in the streets of every city… begging… and bowing before the good citizens of the city.
5. Consider prostitutes: evil women who are brought low before the good… they are not in prominent positions… they are not the wives of senators and kings… they are not happy homemakers… they are brought low… looked down upon by society—and rightly so.
6. Consider this form of evil: laziness; these folks are not running successful businesses; they are brought low… they were lazy in school and were not able to get a good job; they were lazy in the workplace and never advanced very far; good men—hard workers—are OVER them… they bow before the good… hard workers.
7. There are many examples in the Bible of evil men having to BOW before good men.
a. Consider Joseph and his brothers (Gen. 42:6).
b. Consider Pharaoh, (Ex. 8:8) He was forced by the plagues to bow before Moses.
c. Consider the Egyptian people. (Ex. 11:8) They bowed before the Jews as the Jews left Egypt.
d. Consider how Haman was forced to bow before Esther…
e. And Naaman bowed before Elisha (II Kings 5:9,14).
f. And Saul before David (II Sam. 26:21).
8. And even in cases where it seems the wicked prosper… there is another sense in which they may actually be bowing:
a. In the inner man; in their consciences evil men are brought low.
b. They may prosper in the world in their wickedness, but deep down inside, they actually look up to those who are righteous and good.
c. They are plagued with their sin… and it drags them down… though you would never know it from looking at their exterior front…
Proverbs 14:20-21
The Rich Hath Many Friends
1. Don’t misunderstand Solomon’s point in this verse.
a. He is not saying that this is the way it ought to be. Rather, he is saying that this is the way it IS.
b. He is not endorsing this kind of behavior; he is simply making an observation of life… in affairs of men.
c. This is the way of the world. It should NOT be the way of the believer.
d. This verse is NOT an exhortation; it is a proverb. It is a little nugget of truth. As Solomon observed human nature, he noticed that this was usually the way it is: the poor man is hated… and the rich man has many friends.
e. This is certainly not an exhortation for us to emulate. Rather, this is a proverb that serves as a warning about the ruthless and cruel side of human nature.
2. Countless examples of this truth could be cited.
a. When poor immigrants come to this country, they are looked down upon… for a time… because they are poor. (Italians, Irish, Hispanics, Vietnamese, etc…)
b. They have a hard time getting jobs; they have a hard time getting ahead; they have a hard time even getting any attention… their plight seems to go ignored…
c. But let a poor man win the megabucks and his friends will come out of the woodwork like cockroaches.
3. This is one of the reasons that Jesus was not well received.
a. He did not come as a wealthy, powerful king. He came as a humble man… an ordinary man.
b. And He was hated: despised and rejected.
c. Mark 6:1-4 – Jesus was not well received because He was considered to be a nobody… He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks… He was just a carpenter.
4. Poor people not only suffer economically, but they suffer socially as well.
a. It is human nature to not want to associate with someone who is poor… and as a result, is uneducated, dresses in old clothes, and lives in a bad neighborhood.
b. But people DO want to be seen with the “in” crowd… those in high places… important people… wealthy people… they have many friends.
c. Prov.19:7 – the neighbors of the poor flee from them.
• Just fall on hard times economically and see how the rich socialites will abandon your company!
• Martha Stewart is probably not invited to as many social gatherings now a days.
• Matthew Henry calls these swallow friends. They are gone in the winter. We would call them fair weather friends.
d. Jas. 2:4 – In fact, even Christians are tainted with this spirit from time to time. James warns us NOT to be a respecter of persons because it is our NATURE to be so.
• There is a tendency to treat the wealthy with respect and folks flock to them… they desire to be with them…
• And there is a tendency to want to stay away from the poor… push them off in a corner and pretend you don’t see them.
5. The poor are not hated by God!
a. Jas. 2:5 – God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith!
b. But men look at the outward appearance. Men judge from a worldly perspective.
c. As a result, the poor are usually hated.
20b The rich hath many friends
1. It is human nature to be attracted to that which is successful, good looking, well dressed, expensive cars and homes, etc…
2. Rich people have a whole host of people around them buttering them at all times.
3. Of course, the QUALITY of the friendship is suspect. It does not mean that they are REAL friends… just lots of people pretending to be their friend… hoping to GET something from their rich “friend.”
4. Solomon observes here that too often in the world, friendship is based on self-interest.
a. When a man becomes poor and loses his friends, it is because they feel they can no longer advantage themselves from that relationship.
b. When a man has money, he has many friends, because these people feel they CAN be advantaged by a relationship to a wealthy man.
c. There is none of true friendship in any of this of course.
d. Rather, it is an insightful look at human relationships by Solomon.
e. He observed it in his day—and human nature has not changed one bit today.
f. It is true in every social class, every ethnic group, every nationality… relationships are often based upon self interest.
g. Just look at our national policies… all is based on self interest.
5. Prov. 19:4 – wealth makes many “friends.”
a. Win megabucks and watch how many of these so-called “friends” suddenly appear at your doorstep.
b. 19:6 – those who give gifts have many friends.
c. But there is a note of sarcasm in all of this.
d. The so-called “friends” Solomon describes here are phony friends.
e. These friends are “bought”… purchased… and as long as the money is flowing, these friends, like leeches will be around. But let the money stop flowing… and those friends are gone.
f. They are friends of the gifts… not the giver.
g. Don’t be fooled. And don’t waste your money trying to BUY friends. Any friend you have to “buy” is no real friend.
6. Luke 15:11-14 – the prodigal son spent his inheritance on riotous living.
a. He had many “so called friends” as long as his money bag lasted.
b. He bought all the beer… all the food… financed all the parties—and as long as he did, he had a million friends.
c. He was Mr. Popular, and everyone wanted to be with him.
d. But when he was in want (when his money was gone)—so were his friends.
e. He ended up eating pig slop with the pigs. His friends wanted nothing to do with him any more.
7. Again, Solomon is not saying that this is how it OUGHT to be. Rather, he is just observing that this is how it IS.
1. Verse 21 is almost like a commentary on vs. 20.
a. Vs. 20 simply states a fact. It makes no comment about it whatsoever. It simply states: this is the way it is.
b. Vs. 21 DOES make a comment on that fact.
c. The poor is hated of his neighbor, and those who do hate or despise their neighbors are SINNING against God!
d. There is the editorial statement: it’s sin!
2. He that despiseth his neighbor…
a. Solomon is not talking about any person who hates his neighbor for ANY reason.
b. Taken with the previous verse (which I think it should be taken)—we might add, “he that despiseth his neighbor BECAUSE he is poor, or lowly, or because of his social class…
c. He looks down upon him because of his poor clothing, poor grammar, broken English, beat up old car, his lowly occupation, his rough exterior, poor education, etc…
d. This is the man who despises his neighbor… he thinks that he is superior to his neighbor… he looks down his nose on him in a condescending manner…
e. Or as James warned, a group of believers that hides the poor in a corner of the church where they are not seen…
3. It is sin…
a. This is not simply rude behavior; or snobbishness; or the way the upper crust is expected to treat the little people…
b. It is SIN… rebellion against God…
c. It is PRIDE… arrogance…
d. Prov. 14:31 – It is despising those made in the image of God… he is reproaching His Maker—GOD! Dangerous ground upon which to tread.
e. His behavior is sinful, and the way of the transgressor is HARD… it’s hard to sleep at night; it’s hard to look at yourself in the mirror; it’s hard to live with a guilty conscience.
f. This person will not be happy. He will be quite unhappy.
g. He will feel guilty for hardening his heart against the poor. People with hard hearts are not happy people.
1. Deut. 15:7-11 – Jewish law REQUIRED showing mercy to the poor.
2. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if we had another war on poverty in this country?
a. Only this time, let’s have a war on poverty that is not based on handouts but on giving people in the ghettos a chance to start their own businesses… to go to college… to start out life on a more equal playing field?
b. Not a redistribution of the wealth, but a redistribution of opportunity.
c. Wouldn’t it be great if we could put our voyage to Mars on hold for 5 years and spend those many billions improving the quality of life for those STUCK in poverty?
d. A lot of people are poor because they are lazy and won’t work. The Bible says if a man won’t work, neither should he eat.
e. But most people in our country who are poor are so because they are TRAPPED in poverty with no hope of getting out.
f. This principle applies to nations as well. Happy is that nation that shows mercy to the poor.
g. Our nation would be much happier if we showed more mercy to the poor… the poor right under our noses.
3. The sinner who despises the poor is miserable in his sin, but the godly man who shows mercy to the poor is HAPPY.
a. There is a sense of satisfaction and contentment that comes with showing mercy.
b. Acts 20:35 – It really IS better to give than to receive. (blessed = makarios = happy)
c. Those who give are happy people. Those who hoard are not.
d. The only way money buys happiness is when you generously give it away… to help another in need. That’s true contentment.
e. II Cor. 8:1-2 – the poor Macedonians gave out of their deep poverty… and did so with genuine JOY.
• They gave to saints in Jerusalem who were even poorer than they were…
• And it brought them delight to be able to do so!
• Happy is he who shows mercy to the poor.
4. Prov. 19:17 – he that shows mercy to the poor is actually LENDING to the Lord.
a. Having “pity” on the poor here implies more than FEELING pity. It implies action; deeds of compassion; showing mercy.
b. It is like “lending”—like making an investment.
c. God always rewards such behavior.
d. For the Christian, it may not be in THIS life that we are rewarded, but certainly in the life to come.
e. God WILL reward those who have pity on the poor.
Proverbs 14:22
Devising Evil or Good
A.) Those Who Devise Evil
1. DEVISE = “to plow,” from which comes the idea of plans being thought up or devised as furrows in a field are plowed… and the ground is broken up.
a. When a farmer plows a furrow (row) in his field, he has to plan it out first. (Which direction; how to turn the plow around; when to plow; where to plow; crop arrangement; how far apart for each crop).
b. Plowing came to mean: planning… planning ahead… stirring up ideas and thoughts.
c. This word is used twice in 14:22 – devising evil and devising good.
d. It can be used in a good sense (planning ahead; forethought) or an evil sense (plotting, scheming, and conniving). Both are used in this verse.
e. When a farmer plows, he is breaking up the ground… stirring things up. One can stir up good… or stir up evil…
2. Those who devise evil… the people…
a. Solomon is not talking about someone who in a weak moment falls or slips into sin. (anger, lust, tongue, etc…)
b. That kind of evil is bad enough, but what Solomon describes here is far worse.
c. He is speaking about premeditated evil… sin that has been thought out well in advance… planned… plotted… and finally executed… even though he doesn’t mention the execution of it here—it is implied.
d. Solomon describes the man (woman, or child!) who is meticulous in planning out his sin… and he thinks that either he will not get caught… or that because of his scheme, his sin won’t hurt anybody—and therefore won’t be so bad (committing fornication—it won’t hurt anybody…).
3. Other uses of this term:
a. Prov. 6:14 – some men are devising evil continually.
• It is continual… it is the nature of this kind of person… and thus his/her wheels are always in motion…
» Such devises are their pastime. They spend their waking moments plotting evil…
» They think of ways to hurt people… ways to steal… ways to knock somebody down… ways to slander… how to inflict pain on their enemies… (political campaign managers!)
» It comes out of an evil heart.
» They are described as naughty persons (base; worthless); a wicked man; (vs.12)
» Their minds gravitate towards these kinds of thoughts and devises.
• Prov.2:14-16 – forwardness is the PATH… the course of life for this person.
» He rejoices in his evil! He loves stirring up trouble! That’s how he gets his kicks.
» Because he loves it—he keeps it up.
b. Prov. 6:16, 18 – God hates this kind of heart… one which devises wicked imaginations.
c. Prov. 12:20 – their hearts are full of deceit. They devise evil, but do it secretly… behind your back…
» Our hearts are deceitful too.
» Do you find yourself thinking of evil things?
» Count it as sin… confess it and forsake it. God hates it!
» Don’t train your mind to think evil things.
» Renew your mind by filling it with good things: Scripture!
B.) They Err
1. There are those who devise evil. Solomon says, “Do they not err?”
2. Err = wander; go astray; stagger; to be mislead mentally or morally.
3. This is a fatal error… they THINK that their plans and schemes will bring them great success, but they are in error… serious error… perhaps a fatal error.
4. People who train their minds to think this way (devising evil) will eventually bring ruin to themselves.
5. Wrong thinking and wrong patterns of thoughts always produce undesirable consequences.
6. God is not mocked. Those plans and plots may end in their own ruin… as was the case with the wicked plotter Haman! He had an ingenious plan… but it all backfired and resulted in his death.
7. Prov. 12:2 – God will ultimately condemn the man whose life is characterized by wicked devises.
A.) Those Who Devise Good
1. Devise good (same word as devise in first part)… only in a good context.
2. While evil men sit around thinking about how they may carry out their evil plans and purposes, good men sit around and think about how to go about doing GOOD.
3. Phil. 4:8 – We are commanded to THINK on good things…
a. It will affect our actions. If we fill our minds with good thoughts… it is likely that we will be DOING good things.
b. Our actions are always preceded by thoughts… good or bad.
c. Jesus went about doing good. And rest assured, it was all thought out ahead of time… well planned and devised…
4. Thinking ahead and planning is good… especially when planning good things.
a. If you know you have a free afternoon, THINK of ways you can use that time for the glory of God. THINK of some good things you can do for your spouse… your children… your neighbor… your brethren…
b. If God has given you a talent, DEVISE a plan to put it to good use… to help others… to edify the saints… and ultimately, to exalt Christ.
c. Very often good does not occur with out a measure of devising… planning… forethought.
d. Can’t sleep at night? Then use that time to think of ways to go good for someone.
e. Have a long commute? DEVISE ways you can do good at the office… and when you get home…
f. Want to minister to the Body? THINK of someone who might be discouraged and think of something you could do to help!
g. Gal. 6:10 – as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men.
• Doing good is a command, but it takes planning to carry out. This is what Solomon is talking about.
• Opportunities abound… but it requires a bit of effort on our part to put those opportunities into action… it takes some thinking, planning, devising.
B.) Mercy and Truth Shall Be to Them…
1. Mercy = pity; goodness; kindness.
a. Those who devise good things will receive mercy from the Lord… kindness… pity…
b. Just as one thinks of ways to display pity and kindness to others, he will receive pity and kindness from the Lord.
c. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
2. Truth = faithfulness; reliability; surety; security; firmness.
a. Those who devise good things for others will experience God’s truth and God’s faithfulness in his life.
b. God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. Devising good is an expression of faithfulness to God.
c. Ps. 25:10 – mercy and truth shall be to those who walk in God’s ways… and devise good along the way.
3. II Chron. 6:8 – David devised good.
a. He planned to build the Temple.
b. And even though he was never able to carry out his plan, God said that it was GOOD that he was making such devises in his heart!
c. God blessed David on the basis of what was in his heart.
d. God is pleased even when we THINK of ways to do good—even if we are not able to perform it!
4. Isa. 32:7-8 – two men and two devises.
h. One thinks of ways to advantage himself by lying and taking advantage of the poor.
i. The other man (liberal—not theological or political) thinks of ways to show liberality… to be generous to the poor! This man shall be stand!
j. Stand = to maintain oneself; to be established, be confirmed; to endure; to be fixed; to be fulfilled; to persist.
k. Think of ways to be liberal… generous… helpful to others… and ACT upon those thoughts.
l. God’s blessings will be upon you… God will establish you; strengthen you; cause you to be firm, fixed, and stable, settled… at rest.
Proverbs 14:23
Labor vs. Talk
Introduction:
1. This proverb deals with a theme that occurs often in Proverbs: laziness vs. diligence.
2. Every passage that deals with the subject brings out a slightly different shade of meaning… or looks at the subject from a different perspective.
3. Here, Solomon makes a contrast in this proverb—between labor and talk… the hands vs. the mouth… practice vs. theory… diligence vs. laziness…
a. This includes all labor of the head (studies).
• There is profit in laboring mentally: reading; studying; observing; investigating; researching; inventing; writing.
• Students don’t always SEE the profit of their studies in the immediate… and might question this principle.
• What good is studying algebra? Why bother studying Spanish? Latin? What profit is there in learning science? I’m not going to be a scientist!
• The profit is not always seen or appreciated in the immediate… but there IS profit in it all.
• Even if the subject matter itself is not exactly in line with your career path, the discipline involved is good! Stretching yourself mentally is profitable… thinking in ways you would not otherwise have thought is profitable.
b. There is profit in all labor of the hands too (manual labor):
• Building; painting; cleaning; raking; mowing; fixing; repairing; manufacturing; washing; sculpting, practicing music; art; carpentry; landscaping; drafting.
• Therefore, whatever your hands do, do it with all your might! (Ecc. 9:10) Do the work now… and the benefits of it will be enjoyed now. When you’re dead, all opportunity is over.
• Usually, laboring with one’s hands produces concrete results and usually faster than labor of the head.
• But sometimes, laboring with one’s hands seems useless: why do I have to practice the same music scale 300 times? I remember the nuns making us fill both sides of lined papers with thousands of circles in penmanship class. It did help. Though I hated it—it was profitable.
• ALL labor is profitable.
2. Profit: superiority; abundance, plenty.
a. In all labor on a musical instrument there is profit (superior skills gained) Practice makes perfect.
b. Labor produces ABUNDANCE. Much good, hard, labor in the fields produces an abundant crop…
c. 10:4 – the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
• Of course, time and chance affect everything.
• But all things being equal—diligence results in prosperity… in any area.
d. 12:11 – he that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread.
• Who gets the best crop? The farmer who tills his field, or the farmer who TALKS about tilling his field?
• Which farmer is satisfied at harvest time?
• Whose wife and kids will be the most pleased?
• Young girls: when looking for a husband, don’t forget this important trait. Is he hard working? Or is he a mere talker? Be careful. If you marry a lazy bum, he’s yours for the rest of your life!
• Young men: looking for a wife? Don’t forget this trait either. Remember, Paul warns that women who are lazy, sit around the house doing nothing but gossiping and being a busybody. That makes for a lousy wife. You have been warned!
• He that is hard working and tills his field will be satisfied—and so will his family be satisfied. The sluggard and his family will be quite UNsatisfied!
e. 12:24 – the hand of the diligent shall bear rule.
• The diligent man will get ahead. He will be on top and not on the bottom… a ruler not a subject…
• This too is the profit of hard work—getting ahead in life. And here it is seen in a good light.
• The diligent man stays on top of his finances. He RULES his financial life. It does not rule him.
• The lazy man spends on credit cards and is a SLAVE to the credit cards.
f. 21:5 – the thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.
• Note here that Solomon is describing a diligent man.
• This diligent man also THINKS. He plans. He even talks and discusses.
• BUT—his thoughts and dreams and talk are not the end of it. He is diligent and puts those thoughts into ACTION.
• He thinks and then he works. That is a powerful combination.
• By the way, this proverb is not disparaging talk.
• It is not that the diligent do NOT talk; or plan; or discuss things.
• They do. But in ADDITION to their talk is diligence; hard work.
• The result is plenty… profit… abundance.
• The sluggard on the other hand talks and dreams, but doesn’t WORK. It never gets beyond the talk stage.
3. Ecc. 1:3 – Solomon here seems to contradict the proverb.
a. The difference: in Proverbs, Solomon is looking at labor from an earthly vantage point…
b. In Ecclesiastes, he is looking at a broader picture of life. (What profit is it to work hard, gain much earthly profit, and then die and leave it all behind!? Especially if you go to hell!)
c. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon looks at life “under the sun”—as if this life is all there is. If that is the case, then our labors are in vain… all is vanity…
d. Hence, Ecclesiastes is a bit more reflective of life than some of the proverbs. Both are true, but from a different vantage point.
e. So don’t take this proverb to lengths God never intended. This does not justify being a workaholic! Nor does it justify living for profit… living life just to strike it rich.
f. The proverb simply states a fact: hard work pays off.
g. This is an observation of life. No spiritual commentary is given here.
1. Talk of the lips: Solomon is not saying that talk is bad, evil, or wrong.
a. Rather, he is saying that talk ALONE is vain… it is MERE talk with no action that is spoken against here.
b. We say of this kind of man that he is all talk and no action.
c. Talk of the lips includes: promises; plans; wishes; dreams; boastings; theorizing; philosophizing; (one of these days I’m going to get around to that…
d. Faith without works is dead.
e. So is talk without works dead…useless… empty…
f. Talk is not bad… but if that’s all there is, it is VAIN.
g. Anybody can SAY, “Be warmed and filled.” It is vain without deeds.
h. Talking about all of our good intentions won’t ever get the job done.
2. Matt. 21:28-31 – one boy SAID he would do the work, but did not DO. That kind of an attitude will lead to poverty in every realm… spiritually and in his earthly life.
a. Oh yeah, I’ll take out the garbage…
b. I’ll clean my room…
c. I’ll paint the fence later…
d. I’ll do my homework tomorrow… and tomorrow comes and there is another excuse…and the homework never gets done.
e. It is easy to SAY I’ll do the work. It is another thing to actually DO it.
3. We ought to be careful about the PROMISES we make with our mouths… if we are unable to keep them.
a. Businesses promise service but never produce.
b. We promise to help someone—and never follow through.
c. We promise to do a chore—and a year later it is still not done.
d. Promises don’t help anyone. They don’t get the job done.
4. Talking when you are supposed to be working is wasting valuable time.
a. Sorry boss, we didn’t have time to get to that today. Maybe tomorrow… (when you wasted time talking and goofing off).
b. As Christians, we need to be careful of our testimony at work. If we are constantly talking, we are a poor testimony. The company didn’t hire you to sit around and talk all day.
c. Students can waste valuable time talking in school… time you COULD have used to get your homework done… or to do more thorough studying for a test… wasted on idle chatter.
d. Talking can be means of procrastinating.
• You know a job needs doing, so you gab until it’s too late to begin the project. Mañana!
• Some workers talk in order to LOOK busy… so that someone else has to do the work.
e. Acts 17:21 – the Athenians earned a reputation for doing nothing other than talking about every new thing that came along… (seems to be stated in a negative sense—not highlighting their intellectual curiosity, but rather their idle chatter…).
5. Talk tends to penury: poverty; need; lack; wants.
a. Talk without work leads to poverty… unmet needs… wants…
b. Prov.13:4 – the soul of the sluggard DESIRETH, and hath nothing.
• He has a desire for the profit… but is not willing to work.
• He just TALKS about how nice it would be… how lucky others are who have it… how unfair it is that he doesn’t… etc…
• 21:25 – his unfulfilled desires KILL him! He starves…
c. 28:19 – following VAIN people results in poverty… those engaged in vain, empty talk…
• Notice that persons is italicized.
• It could refer to following vain people: or vain pursuits; following emptiness; chasing air bubbles…
• Following vanity is in contrast to tilling the land (doing your work!)
• This results in poverty. Be careful who you pick for friends… are THEY following vanity? If you follow them, YOU will be following vanity!
• And that does not lead to a prosperous life… it leads to poverty.
• You may think the guys hanging around the mall… or hanging around the corner are cool… but what are they pursuing in life? Hang around with them, and that will be YOUR pursuit in life too…
• And the same is true for us adults too. Following vain things results in poverty… both materially and spiritually.
d. Prov. 21:5 – those who are HASTY end up poor too… taking the quick and easy route…
• Hasty: a careless one who makes hasty decisions and actions without thinking them through.
• Hasty to get rich… wants to make it in life the quick and easy way…without doing the work… without doing his homework… by cutting as many corners as he can… without doing the research…
• The diligent thinker does well. The lazy non-thinker does poorly… and will suffer want.
• There is no free lunch… no easy, painless, labor-less way to succeed in life.
• The same is true spiritually too! Doing well in the spiritual realm requires effort on our part too. “Give all diligence” to add virtue to your life!
Application to our spiritual lives:
1. Those who LABOR in their spiritual lives will be profited spiritually. (II Pet. 1:5-7)
• There is spiritual PROFIT in the effort we put into prayer; reading the Word; evangelizing; ministering to the brethren; service; etc.
• The profit may not be noticed in this life, but will be rewarded in the life to come.
• Heb.6:10-11- God does not forget.
• In ALL labor there is profit—especially laboring in the spiritual realm… labor to enter into His rest! There is profit in that!
2. Those whose faith is nothing more than TALK will be exposed. That kind of faith doesn’t save!
• And even true believers who TALK about walking with God and TALK about serving God and do not DO what He says are building with wood, hay, and stubble…
• But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. If we only TALK about God and spiritual things, and are not DOING… and LIVING them… we will be spiritually poor!
Proverbs 14:24
The Crown of the Wise
1. The term “crown” is used here in a figurative way…
a. It represents a benefit or reward of wisdom.
b. It is a valuable and visible benefit from wisdom.
c. In a race, it’s not always the fastest runner who wins the crown. Often it is the smartest runner… he wins the crown.
d. Like the tortoise and the hare. The hare ran quicker, but the tortoise ran smarter… slower, but more consistently. The tortoise was crowned. For his wisdom in running he got a crown.
e. The crown is an ornament and an honor for the wise man.
2. Solomon states here that for a man’s wisdom, he is crowned with riches.
a. It is the reward for operating wisely.
b. The crown IS his riches… his riches are his crown…
c. Riches are the reward he receives for his wisdom.
d. There are some very practical benefits from using wisdom: you will be better off!
e. It is an honor for a wise man to have riches… like a crown. It is an honor for this man, because since he is wise, he will use them wisely.
f. Ecc. 7:11-12 – an inheritance is a good thing; but an inheritance with the wisdom to use it properly is far better!
g. This is true in both the physical realm (earthly crown) and in the spiritual realm (heavenly crown).
3. Wisdom is behind them both… NORMALLY (remember these are proverbs!)
a. Ecc. 9:11 – the exceptions to the rule.
b. “Time and chance” happen to all… the swiftest runner can catch a cold the day of the marathon… the wisest business man can see his business destroyed when a new invention makes his product obsolete… and sometimes fools inherit great riches.
c. Solomon is not contradicting his words in proverbs. Rather, Proverbs makes an assumption: all things being equal… wisdom is usually crowned with riches.
d. In Proverbs Solomon observes generalities about life… the way things usually are.
e. In Ecclesiastes 9:11, Solomon observes some of the aberrations in life and laments over them… sometimes (in fact often!) the best laid plans of mice and men go astray.
f. Ecc. 11:15 – sow your seed, but you don’t really know if it will catch or not… or if the weather will be favorable or not… but sow the seed anyway. Be as wise and as diligent as you can, but acknowledge that time and chance affect everything we do.
g. Time and chance may foil your best plans and undermine your diligent work, but that is not an excuse to not make wise plans or to be diligent. Sow the seed anyway, Solomon says!
h. In most cases, all things being equal… barring some unforeseeable catastrophe, normally, men who apply wisdom to their efforts do well and profit in their businesses.
i. The proof of the wisdom they employed is their riches… their crown.
4. Proverbs deals with this topic in several other passages as well.
a. Prov. 3:16 – in the right hand of Lady Wisdom are riches and honor.
b. Prov. 8:12 – Wisdom is speaking. Vs. 18 – riches and honor are with me.
c. Prov. 8:21 – the houses of those who love wisdom are filled with treasures.
5. Wisdom results in riches for a few good reasons…
a. God’s wisdom exalts diligence and hard work. (Prov.10:4; 12:11; 13:4)
b. This diligence goes for the student in school; the child at home doing his chores; and for the worker in the plant or office; a musician; an inventor;
c. Wisdom DEMANDS diligence… and that usually promotes prosperity. The lazy man is not wise… and his lifestyle results in poverty.
24b But the foolishness of fools is folly.
1. The wise man applies wisdom to his efforts and obtains riches.
2. The fool obtains more folly. All a fool ever gets is folly. That’s all he should expect.
3. There is great benefit in wisdom: riches.
4. What is the benefit of being foolish? More folly. Folly leads to more folly. Wisdom leads to riches. Folly leads to nothing but more folly.
5. A word to the young people… a word to the wise: hang around with fools and you may find yourself sucked into a life of folly…
6. And at the end of your days, what will you have to show for it? Folly… nothing but folly.
7. The fool attempts to get his riches the easy way—usually by some dishonest means…stealing, cheating, etc.
a. Prov. 28:22 – He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
• Seeking fast money—the quick buck—usually ends up in poverty. That’s not wisdom.
b. Prov. 13:11 – Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
c. It is the fool who attempts to obtain riches by a manner other than the way of wisdom. It often results in poverty.
SPIRITUAL APPLICATIONS
1. The crown of the wise is their riches. The man who is spiritually wise has a crown too.
a. The person who is spiritually wise will put his wisdom to use that he might obtain riches too… heavenly riches.
b. Wisdom put to good use in the natural realm usually results in advancing and prospering in the natural realm… which is good.
c. But putting spiritual wisdom to use in the spiritual realm is far better.
d. Matt. 6:19-20 – the person who LIVES for earthly riches may obtain them… but he might end up lacking the true riches.
e. A spiritually wise man will be putting spiritual wisdom to work. He will lay up treasures in heaven… where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt. That is true wisdom.
f. The worldly-minded man might scoff at him as being foolish! He gave up the opportunity to obtain earthly riches… for what? A pie in the sky? A worldly man would not think that to be very wise. The worldly man thinks like Esau. He wants his porridge now and doesn’t think about tomorrow.
g. However, the spiritually minded man is no fool. It IS wise to give up that which we cannot keep in order to obtain that which we can never lose! That is real wisdom!
h. The earthly minded man may get to wear a crown on earth… but the spiritually minded man will receive a crown in glory! (II Tim. 4:7-8)
• Paul suffered much on earth.
• He sacrificed his earthly crowns… and counted them but dung… refuse that he might win Christ and be found in Him (Phil. 3:7-8)
• Whatever Paul gave up in this life, he more than gains in the life to come.
• If there IS no heavenly crown… no heavenly reward, then sacrificing in this life would be sheer folly! (I Cor. 15:19) But since there IS a heavenly crown, then the man who gives up now to gain later is no fool. He is wise.
• The man who cannot think outside the box of this world is the real fool. He gains a little now and looses out on heavenly rewards that he could have had… forever.
i. Just as in the natural realm, earthly wisdom results in earthly riches (a crown), so too in the spiritual realm, spiritual wisdom also results in heavenly riches (a crown—a reward at the Bema seat).
• This principle in Proverbs applies well to both realms.
• In this life, it makes perfect sense to apply wisdom to our work and efforts, and that usually results in prospering. That is a good thing. Solomon exalts wisdom here.
• But the man who applies spiritual wisdom will prosper too… and this benefit FAR outweighs wisdom in the natural realm.
j. BOTH forms of wisdom would be IDEAL!
• A man who applies every-day wisdom by doing his job well and wisely will prosper… he will gain riches… like a crown!
• That same man should also apply spiritual wisdom to the USE of those earthly riches which he obtained by earthly wisdom…and invest them in such a way that they reap an eternal dividend… using them for the glory of God… and gaining a heavenly crown!
• That is the doubly wise man!
k. This is an example of a principle Paul mentions: godliness is profitable in this life and in the life to come. (I Tim. 4:8)
Proverbs 14:25
A True Witness
1.) True: firmness; faithfulness; truth; sureness, reliability; trustworthiness; honesty.
a. Used in Isa. 25:1 – God’s counsels are faithful and true. You can count on it.
2.) Witness:
a. Witness; testimony; evidence.
• Ed – the root means to repeat.
• A witness is one who repeats what he knows; what he has seen; or what he has heard.
b. A witness is a person who has firsthand knowledge of an event or one who can testify on the basis of a report which he has heard (?Lev. 5:1?).
c. Such a person is under obligation to testify (?Prov. 29:24?)
• This speaks of a situation where a thief has stolen goods and has a “partner” in crime… someone else who either helped him, bought the goods, or at least knows what happened; who did it.
• He “hears cursing” (An oath is taken in a courtroom setting)…
• He bewrayeth it not (he does not speak up… (he keeps it to himself).
• This man “hates his own soul.” = he is doing damage to his own soul…
• He is as guilty as the thief… because he knew who did it… COULD have brought a just resolution to the situation, but for whatever reasons… chose to keep silent.
d. A true and faithful witness will SPEAK UP for the truth…and testify to the truth. God EXPECTS witnesses to testify for the truth that they know.
• Prov. 24:11-12 – If we know the facts of a case and refuse to speak up, God will judge us according to our works!
• I wonder how many people there are in our country today who KNOW who committed a particular crime… and sat around and said NOTHING while an innocent man was convicted and sentenced for it…
• We might conjure up all kinds of excuses for not speaking up: (1) I don’t want to get involved in that mess; (2) fear of retaliation; (3) fear of having their name and picture associated with the crime; (4) afraid of being labeled a squealer; (5) or afraid that others might squeal on them and their crimes!
• God says that knowledge makes us accountable and responsible, especially if you have the power to deliver a soul from death!
• Light makes us accountable.
• This is simply being conscientious… it is integrity…
• This could certainly be applied outside the courtroom… to the school classroom… or the office setting… or among siblings in the home…
3.) True Witnesses Deliver Souls.
a. Deliver: to snatch away, save, to rescue from enemies, trouble, or death.
b. Souls: used here in the sense of “lives.”
c. True witnesses save lives.
d. Truth can save lives from the death penalty in a law of court.
• This seems to be Solomon’s main point in this proverb.
• Many lives have been saved in court because of a true witness who was willing to speak the truth.
• He couldn’t have committed that crime in NY, he was with me in NH on that date!
e. Truth can also save reputations… from a false accusation.
• How many people have been slandered, and had their names dragged through the mud because of a false accuser who had an ax to grind…
• Sometimes all it takes is for a person who knows the truth to have the guts to step forward and speak the truth… and deliver that man or woman from the false and slanderous accusations which were ruining their reputation.
f. Truth can also save a great expense… from a false accusation.
• In an auto accident… people tend to lie to cover their skin…
• One driver might false accuse the other of going through a red light…
• But a true witness—who saw the whole thing—can speak the truth and deliver that soul from a law suit… or financial ruin.
g. Sometimes a true witness is a whistle blower.
• If a person has witnessed a crime… or child abuse… or prisoner abuse… or government corruption that results in oppressing people or putting innocent people to death… he has an obligation to speak up with the truth.
• In doing so, he delivers souls—he saves lives…
h. In every aspect of life, TRUTH is vital. This is perhaps why Matthew Henry called truth the cement of society.
4.) Life often depends upon the truth.
a. The lives of our soldiers in Iraq depend upon good intelligence. If a spy infiltrates and gives the leaders wrong information (a false witness), the soldiers could be led into an ambush and killed! Good intelligence saves lives.
b. The lives of patients depend upon good, accurate, truthful reports from their physician to the surgeon. (if a man has kidney failure in his left kidney, and the surgeon is told to remove his right kidney, that man’s life is in danger!)
c. The lives of people flying into busy city airports depend upon good reports from the control tower… a false witness… a wrong report could mean hundreds of deaths… good, reliable, trustworthy reports save lives.
d. Countless examples could be cited of this principle: life often depends upon truth.
5.) In the spiritual realm… life depends upon truth.
a. John 14:6 – Men are perishing apart from Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
• I Cor. 15:1-4 – men need to hear the gospel in order to be saved—their souls delivered from death.
• II Cor. 11:4 – A false witness… a false gospel cannot save. Their souls will be lost forever.
• Without the truth of the gospel, men will perish forever.
b. BUT—a true witness delivers souls.
• Are you a true witness?
• Are you sharing the gospel? Sharing the truth… or keeping it to ourselves?
c. Is your LIFE a true witness?
• Perhaps we are sharing the gospel, but does our life back up what we say?
• If not, perhaps we would do well not to say anything!
d. Each of us should be a true witness for Christ.
• Prov. 14:5 speaks of a faithful witness.
• Prov. 14:25 speaks of a true witness.
• Rev. 1:5 tells us that Jesus Christ is the faithful and true witness!
• We are to testify of Him…
• Our lives should be a reflection of Him…
• Rev. 3:14 – Christ speaks of Himself in those terms as He addresses the church at Laodicea… Here was an assembly that NEEDED a true witness—to testify AGAINST them and their carnality… and self centeredness.
• Jer. 29:23 – God is the ultimate “witness” to all that we do, say, or think. God sits in judgment over us all as the omniscient witness and observer of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
e. A pastor needs to be a faithful witness of the truth to the believers too… not just in gospel preaching to the lost.
• I Tim. 4:6 – a good minister puts the brethren in remembrance of these unpleasant topics… seducing spirits… doctrines of demons… false teachers… worldliness…etc.
• And in doing so, the souls of believers are delivered from being ensnared by the devil.
• I Tim. 4:16 – a pastor who is a faithful witness will also GIVE himself wholly to studying and teaching the Word… a faithful witness of the truth…
• And in doing so delivers those who hear (delivers believers from false teachers and their evil influence.)
• If a pastor is going to be a faithful witness, he needs to have a warning ministry… whether people like to hear such warnings or not.
1.) Implied but not stated: false witnesses lie—and in court this lie could cost a man his life.
a. How many innocent men have been sentenced to death because of false witnesses?
b. How many innocent men are in prison today because someone lied about them?
c. How much damage has been done to our military because of spies stealing secrets and lying to us, and purposely giving false and misleading information?
d. Prov. 25:18 – how much DAMAGE is associated with a false witness… like a maul… a sword, and a sharp arrow…
2.) False witnesses have wreaked havoc in this old world—ever since the devil lied to Eve… (ye shall not surely die!)
a. Lying is an especially satanic sin according to Jesus in John 8:44. Jesus said that Satan was a liar and the father of it. He is the fountainhead of all lies.
b. I Kings 21:10, 13 – false witnesses set up by Ahab to lie against Naboth to have him put to death.
c. Men brought deceitful witnesses against Jesus… and as a result He was taken to trial and eventually executed.
d. Men bore false witness against Stephen… claiming that he blasphemed the holy place and the law.
e. Men bore false witness against Paul… and accused him of all sorts of things.
f. Men may well speak lies against you and me too.
g. That’s what deceitful witnesses do… they speak lies in order to hurt… harm… damage… even kill.
h. Darkness hates light… it always has and always will.
Proverbs 14:26-27
The Fear of the Lord
Introduction:
1. In these two verses Solomon returns to the subject of the fear of the Lord.
2. Here he links fearing God to three positive results: confidence, refuge, and life.
3. What Solomon says in these verses is related to what he says elsewhere about the fear of the Lord.
a. 3:7; 16:6 – The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil.
b. This basic truth is IMPLIED in what Solomon says in chapter 14, though not stated.
c. The end of verse 27 comes quite close to this: to depart from the snares of death.
d. But the three positive results of the fear of the Lord all stem from this truth… that the fear of the Lord is to depart from evil.
1. Confidence: trust; confidence; refuge; act of confiding; object of confidence; state of confidence, security.
a. Isa. 32:18 – translated “sure” dwelling places…
b. Prov. 25:19 – confidence in an unfaithful man… (leaning on; relying on; trusting in)
c. Psalm 71:5 – O Lord God, thou art my “trust” from my youth…
d. The term speaks of trusting in that which is sure…and from that trust springs a sense of security… strong confidence.
e. When you find an object that is totally reliable and secure, it produces this kind of confidence in our hearts when we lean upon it… stand upon it.
2. The fear of the Lord is that object.
a. This sense of safety and security comes from the fear of the Lord.
b. How does this work?
• Those who fear the Lord depart from evil.
• Because they fear displeasing God, they stay away from those things which God calls evil… regardless of how men describe them. (men call evil good!)
• Those who fear the Lord RUN away from all such evil… they stay away… want nothing to do with it.
• Depart means depart! They don’t even want to touch the unclean thing.
• Thus, they can have strong confidence in areas where others tremble!
c. Examples of how God fearing people who depart from evil have confidence:
• Alcohol: Prov. 23:29, 31-32 – don’t even look at it!
» Those who fear God depart from alcohol.
» They don’t touch it.
» Hence, they have confidence that they will never become an alcoholic… their family will never fall apart because of alcohol abuse!
» They not only have confidence but STRONG confidence!
» If you don’t take your first drink you will NEVER become an alcoholic! (Even if you ARE genetically predisposed to the “disease”!)
• Aids: Prov. 7:21-27 – Solomon warns young men of the sin of immorality.
» Those who fear God run away from temptation… like Joseph from Potiphar’s wife.
» Those who fear God depart from evil… want nothing to do with it.
» Those who do NOT fear God… those who do NOT depart from this kind of evil do NOT have confidence. They are scared to death about aids.
» But those who fear the Lord can have strong confidence. This disease isn’t going to affect you if you walk with God and fear Him.
• Imprisonment: Rom. 13:1-4 – Paul warns the believer that if we obey the laws of the government, we have nothing to worry about.
» Those who fear God will obey the government that God established over us.
» Those God fearers can have strong confidence that they will escape the sword… they won’t be fined, imprisoned, or harmed by the Government.
» But those who do NOT fear God—and demonstrate that by not obeying the laws of the land have NO grounds for confidence. They ought to be trembling in their boots!
» Eventually, the sword of the Lord will catch up to them. God’s wrath will be executed against them. No confidence… no sense of safety or security.
d. The fear of the Lord delivers men from many of the things men in the world fear most…
• The God-fearer is delivered from fear and can stand in confidence.
• Not self confidence, but confidence in God and His Word.
• There is safety and security in walking with God and fearing His Word.
3. The fear of the Lord produces CONFIDENCE… and boldness.
a. The fear of men causes us to cower and shrink away.
b. The fear of man causes us to tremble… to fear what they might DO to us… that removes all confidence and sense of safety.
c. But the fear of the Lord produces confidence.
• It was the fear of the Lord that enabled John Knox to stand up to the evil queen… and proclaim the truth.
• It was the fear of God that enabled Martin Luther to stand up to the Roman church…
• It is the fear of God that enabled the martyrs to have the boldness to face death rather than deny the Lord.
• The fear of the Lord will also enable you and me to be able to stand up for what is right… to speak up for Christ when the Spirit moves… and not to fear men.
• The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
• Cf. Psalm 112:1,2,6-8 – the God fearing man is secure; safe; his heart is fixed; his seed will be mighty upon the earth!
1. This speaks of the children of a God fearing man or woman.
2. Young people: if your parents are walking with the Lord and fear God—you are in a privileged position… a place of safety.
a. In a sense, YOU are advantaged by THEIR fear of God.
b. Prov. 20:7 – if your father is a godly man who walks in integrity, there is a blessing that his children receive from that. Kids benefit from godly parents… from their lifestyle.
3. I Cor. 7:14 – in a sense, this is what Paul meant when he said that the children in a household where a believer resides are “holy.”
a. Holy = set apart; separated.
b. This does not mean that the child is saved or even has a holy lifestyle, necessarily.
c. Rather, it means that that child is separated from all other heathen children in the sense that there is a Christian testimony in his home.
d. That child is in a special environment where he will hear God’s Word… see a God-fearing person live before them…
e. They have the very special advantage that a Christian lifestyle brings to a home… (parents that love each other; minimal fighting; no swearing; no infidelity; no gambling; no drinking)
f. Children brought up in that environment are “holy” in the sense that they live in a special and unique—a set apart environment… and that has its advantages.
g. Unfortunately, children brought up in Christian homes don’t even KNOW how the other half lives… and thus don’t VALUE the special privilege and advantage that it is to be brought up in a Christian home!
4. A place of refuge.
a. Place of refuge: refuge; shelter: from rain or storm, from danger; from falsehood.
b. Children who have God-fearing parents are holy—in a set apart, special, unique, privileged position.
c. Children who have God-fearing parents are in a place of shelter and safety: from the storms of life that attack other families; from different forms of danger;
d. They are in a place of safety—from falsehood! Their parents know God and fear Him. They know the truth—and bring those children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
e. This is an AWESOME advantage…
f. These children have the advantage of being taught God’s Word; they have been prayed for daily by a godly parent; they can SEE the power of God operating in their godly parent…
g. Those children (OUR children) are growing up with a hedge about them… they are sheltered from storms, trouble, danger, and snares of life that other children face every day!
h. Not every child HAS a place of refuge.
• Some are forced to live in abusive situations… physically, emotionally, and even sexually abused.
• Some grow up with parents who are stoned on drugs or drunk on alcohol and have to try to survive through it all.
• Some grow up in an atmosphere of constant fighting.
i. But the children of those who fear God have a place of refuge from all that.
• They don’t appreciate it, but that’s what God says.
• It might be a good idea sometime to let our kids actually SEE how other children have to live…
• Many of the children on the Indian reservations have a struggle just to survive in their homes… hardly a place of refuge.
• Young people: thank God for what you have! Learn to appreciate it! It is only by God’s grace that you live in a place of refuge.
1. Here Solomon states that fearing God prolongs life… because it results in departing from evil… and the snares of death that are often associated with evil.
a. Longevity was mentioned in conjunction with certain types of behavior.
b. Prov. 3:1-2 – Obedience to parents results in longevity…
c. Prov. 3:13,16 – following the ways of wisdom results in longevity
d. These are not promises in each and every case… but are proverbs: those who live in the fast lane will die in the fast lane.
e. A refusal to go by the rules will normally shorten one’s life.
f. Those who fear God have a fountain of life… a fountain that refreshes, restores, and sustains life.
g. God in His great wisdom has told us which roads to take and which roads to avoid.
h. Those who fear God will comply—and it will enhance their lives… prolong their days…
2. Those who do NOT fear God will find that they will not escape the snares of death.
a. They don’t fear God… don’t walk in His ways… don’t listen to His words of wisdom…
b. Hence, they will pay a dear price.
c. These are the young fools who contract aids and die…
d. These are the young fools who drive drunk and wrap their car around a tree… killing themselves or their friends… or themselves AND their friends…
e. These are the young rebels who run up huge gambling debts and discover that people with guns are looking for them…
f. The fear of the Lord KEEPS men from the snares of death. But a LACK of Godly fear leads a man, woman, or child right into that snare… right into that trap…
Proverbs 14:28
A Multitude or Lack of People
1. The multitude of people.
a. If a nation grows to a great multitude, there is often good leadership linked to it.
b. If the population dwindles, it is often due to people moving away (because they don’t like poor leadership).
c. But when people stay, are happy with the nation, and it grows, it is to the king’s honor.
2. It is also true that normally, the multitude of people over which a king reigns is related to the KIND of reign he establishes…
a. Is his reign and leadership the kind people will want to follow… or the kind people will flee from if they get a chance?
b. Prov. 14:34 – righteousness exalts a nation. People will want to stay in that kind of a land. It is to the king’s honor to promote righteousness in the land.
c. Prov. 16:12- when the king promotes righteousness in the land, his own throne is also established! People want to live in such a land.
d. Prov. 29:4 – the king by judgment (justice) establishes the land.
e. Prov. 29:14 – the king who takes care of the poor will find that his land will remain… be strong…
f. Prov. 20:28 – his throne is upheld by mercy.
g. Prov. 24:22-26 – a wise, fair, just king will be beloved of his people.
h. People will be willing to STAY… to fight for… and to work for a country that is well managed… governed by justice and honesty. When that is the case, the population would normally increase. (no civil war; no flight out; etc.)
3. Solomon notes that the king’s honor (or political leader’s honor) is linked to the fortunes of his country.
a. If the country grows to a great multitude, the king is honored and gets credit.
• We have all heard of the names of the leaders of large, prosperous countries. We know the Prime Minister of Great Britain… Russia… France… Japan…
• But who knows the name of the Prime Minister of Albania?
• A king gets honor from the size and prosperity of his kingdom.
b. If the country’s economy does well during his reign, the king is honored… gets the credit for it.
c. The king’s interests and the interests of his people are ONE… or they ought to be one. Their interests ought to be linked because their honor is linked.
d. Psalm 72: (a psalm attributed to Solomon—writing of himself and Messiah)
• vs. 1-6 – the wise reign of the king
• vs. 7 – the righteous shall FLOURISH in his days
• vs. 8 – his DOMINION or kingdom will expand
• vs. 11 – he shall have victory over enemies and they will serve him…
• vs. 13-14 he spares the poor and needy… and he values his subjects
• vs. 16c – they shall FLOURISH like the grass… into a multitude
• vs. 17 – his NAME shall endure… to the honor of that king!
4. A wise leader will therefore be CONCERNED for the welfare of his people…
a. Foolish decisions will drive them away. Wise decisions will keep them there…
b. A wise leader will take care of his people. He will promote their increase, security, prosperity, and general well being.
c. If the king is only out for his own welfare, personal exaltation and personal prosperity… and cares not for the people… his kingdom will dwindle.
d. The kings in the Old Testament were referred to as “shepherds.” Good shepherds cared for the sheep… and a well cared for flock would normally prosper and do well… and increase.
e. A wise king will realize this and take good care of his people.
f. This can also be applied to the local church… a wise leader will care for the people… (Not giving them whatever they want… but feeding them food that is truly good for them!)
• Sheep that are well fed and cared for will want to stay in the flock…
• The honor of the shepherd is directly linked to welfare and honor of the sheep. IF the sheep aren’t being fed and protected, they will not respect the shepherd.
• As the king’s honor lay in the multitude of people, so too Paul’s joy lay in the people he led to the Lord! (I Thess. 2:19-20)
g. A wise king will take good care of his people, because he is NOTHING with out them!
• A king with no kingdom is worthless.
• A leader with no one following is not really a leader.
• Since the king’s honor is linked to his people—he would be wise to take GOOD care of them.
h. This can be applied to the home.
• A wise father will care for his family… providing them with that which is spiritually best for them…
• A family that prospers spiritually is to the credit of the one in charge: dad!
• Happy is the man who has his quiver full! In ancient times the more kids the better… the father who ran a farm would do well if he had 15 sons! (I’m not sure I would recommend 15 kids today…)
• Children who are loved and well cared for normally respect their father… there are some rebellious, selfish, exceptions… but sensible children will respect their dad. When the flock is cared for… the leader is respected for it.
5. Titles can be empty and thus worthless.
a. King with no kingdom; CEO with no company; Teacher with no students.
b. If the title carries no weight or authority, it is worthless.
c. A warning against worldly vanity and pomp (seeking a worthless title!)
• Don’t present yourself in a false air of grandeur by a meaningless title.
• Saddam Hussein was captured and introduced himself as the President of Iraq… even though his country had been invaded and defeated and he had absolutely no authority in the land.
• He insisted on his title… as they dragged him out of a hole in the ground… dirty and disheveled…
• In that condition, insisting on his title was almost laughable… or perhaps pitiable…
• There is no honor to a title if there is nothing behind that title. It is just a vain show. –
28b In the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
1. Want: cessation; diminishing.
a.) Here Solomon speaks about a kingdom where the population dwindles… diminishes…
2. There are lots of different reasons the population could dwindle…
a. demographics flow… people moving to a warmer climate… jobs;
b. people migrating to a land more fertile…
c. people moving away from a drought ridden area to a more lush area with more rainfall…
d. natural disasters… plagues; volcanoes; earthquakes…
e. It could also include foolish decisions by the king—excessive taxation… entering into unnecessary wars…
3. The destruction of the prince.
a. Destruction = ruin; downfall.
b. When the population or the economy dwindles, it could mean the ruin of the political leader.
c. His revenues dwindle; his army dwindles; his strength as a national entity dwindles; his prestige among the nations dwindles;
d. The king’s honor is linked to the welfare, prosperity, and population of the nation.
e. If the population dwindles, the ruler is blamed… it happened on his watch… and it is considered HIS ruin.
f. If the economy goes south, the ruler is blamed for it. It is his ruin.
g. Proverbs 28:2 – (transgression in the land = rebellion… hence trouble…) trouble and turmoil in a nation usually results in turnover of leadership. When things are not going well, the people take it out on the leader… at the polls…
4. This is so, even if the king had nothing to do with it! (good or bad)
a. The population could dwindle because of a plague—that has nothing to do with the king… his wisdom… his ability to rule and reign effectively…
b. The economy could take a nose dive during the reign of the wisest of kings or presidents… and it may have to do with world economy… floods… droughts… natural disasters… but the ruler is LINKED to what occurs on his watch… and gets either the credit or the blame.
5. Of course sometimes it IS the leader’s fault.
a. Consider Solomon’s son, whose foolish decision divided the nation and resulted in his kingdom being reduced to 1/6 of what it was before. (I Kings 12:13, 16-17)
b. This was NOT to his honor… but to his shame.
c. He should have listened to the older men’s words of wisdom… but he did not.
6. The overall point of the proverb: SINCE a king’s honor is linked to the population and their prosperity and security… a king would be wise to TAKE CARE of his people!
a. The same is true of a father in a family… a teacher in a class… the president of the US… the mayor of a city… and elders in the local church…
b. The king who chooses to advance, and honor himself will find the people turn away from him.
c. The king who chooses to advance and honor the people will discover his own honor linked to theirs.
d. While none of us here are kings, we can certainly apply this principle to whatever realm we do have authority over (parent; office manager; factory foreman; teacher; church officer; girl scout leader) — the honor of the leader is linked to the well being of those he leads.
Apply this to the King of Kings
1. In the multitude of the people is the king’s honor.
2. Think of the honor that shall belong to the Lord when great multitudes of every nation stand before Him to worship and honor Him! (Rev. 7:9-10)
3. Consider the songs of praise around His throne—both men and angels! (Rev. 5:9-14)
4. This will all be to God’s honor and glory… a multitude saved by the Good Shepherd… and led safely home!
Proverbs 14:29
Slow to Wrath
A. Slow to Wrath
1. Wrath
a. Its first meaning is nostril or nose… and even face.
b. It can also mean breath, i.e., the vapor and air which comes out of the lungs through the mouth or nostrils.
c. It then came to mean (and the one used most often in the Bible) is wrath.
d. Evidently, it came to mean wrath because you could SEE anger on a man’s face; in his nostrils. (The term is also sometimes translated face or countenance.)
e. This wrath is the fruit of the flesh (Gal. 5:19)
f. It is NOT something believers are to tolerate. And it is easy to get into the bad habit of tolerating anger… and justifying it by saying, “Everybody gets mad.”
g. We are to put away wrath. (Eph.4:31)
h. Even though everybody does it… God says its sin. The fact that everybody sins, is no justification for it.
i. God’s Word is clear: anger and wrath are the works of the flesh and they are to be put away. It is unacceptable behavior.
2. Slow
a. Slow = long 2 patient, slow
b. Used in conjunction with the terms “wrath” (slow to wrath) and “longsuffering”
c. The fact that we are to be SLOW to anger indicates that God expects us to have CONTROL over it.
d. Blowing up quickly is unacceptable behavior.
e. Jas. 1:19 – we are commanded to be SLOW to anger. Don’t blow up. Be longsuffering.
3. The expression implies that there are two kinds of people: those who get angry quickly, and those who get angry slowly.
a. Everybody gets angry…
b. However, we are commanded here to CONTROL our anger… be SLOW
c. This is virtually the same concept as longsuffering in the New Testament: long fused… it takes a lot and a long time before you blow up.
d. It is the capacity to hold anger in and defuse it, rather than to blow up…
e. What kind of person are you? Do you blow up easily, punch walls and throw things? Or are you SLOW to get angry?
f. What’s the difference between these two men (or women; or children)? The FILLING of the Holy Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23) Longsuffering and temperance!
g. Apart from God working in us—we ARE angry people… who WILL blow up. It is not our nature to be temperate and self controlled.
h. But we can keep our old man on the cross by faith… and the new creature in Christ will be filled with the Spirit… and thus, longsuffering and temperate.
B. Of Great Understanding
1. Understanding
a. Defined: understanding; intelligence; insight; discretion.
b. The man who is slow to wrath has great insight into life; he has discretion; he has a good understanding of human nature… interpersonal relationships…
2. What does he understand?
a. Prov. 27:3 – He understands that wrath is a HEAVY thing; heavier than a rock.
• You could get HURT trying to move a large rock.
• It could crush your foot. It could roll over on someone else and do a lot of damage.
• It is burdensome trying to deal with it.
• So too with wrath: people get hurt. You will get hurt and you will hurt others.
• It is painful living with a person who refuses to control their anger. Everybody in the household suffers from their lack of temperance and self control.
• You say things in an outburst of anger that are hurtful for weeks and weeks… and there’s no taking it back.
• You can pull the sword out and apologize… and mean it… but the wound still hurts the other party.
b. Prov. 29:22 – he understands that anger leads to sin and transgression.
• It’s good to know that. It may keep you from sin.
• If you know where a road leads, and you don’t want to end up there, then you won’t take that road.
• But if you DON’T know where it leads, you may take it.
• It is good to have understanding concerning wrath. It can keep you from sinning—if you have understanding… if you stop and think.
• It can prevent you from saying unkind words; from cursing; from slandering; from striking another person; from destroying property; from seeking revenge; anger leads to all kinds of sins!
• A man of understanding knows this—and he stops, thinks, and chooses not to go down that road.
c. Prov. 30:33 – He understands that wrath results in strife between people.
• It divides… it pits one person against another… it polarizes…
• When people are angry at something in the local church, that anger can lead to breaking of longstanding friendships… and can even lead to a church split!
• In the home, anger uncontrolled can lead to strife… that seems to go on and on… unless it is dealt with.
• Anger can turn a happy home into miserable place.
• A wise man understands this—and reasons that it’s not worth losing my happy home over the fleeting pleasure I get out of blowing up… it’s not worth it.
• A wise man understands that anger can cause strife and division in the local church… and he reasons that it is not worth it. It is better to swallow my pride—let the other guy have the last word… and bury it. That’s wisdom.
• The same thing holds true in the office, or in school, or in the neighborhood — blowing up in anger isn’t worth all the chaos it causes.
• Blowing up in anger is a bit like a bomb blowing up. It always creates flying shrapnel, and destruction in its wake.
d. Prov. 19:19 – He understands that wrath is addictive… that it makes it easier to blow up the next time…
• The man with no control over his anger might have a friend who will dig him out of one mess he made… BUT — he will just dig another hole and must be delivered repeatedly… UNTIL he deals with the root of the problem: ANGER!
• And wrath brings its own punishment.
• What IS the punishment for uncontrolled anger?
• You have to live with yourself… and you have to live with all the messes, hurts, strife, and sin that your anger produced.
e. Prov. 15:1 – He understands that usually a soft word will turn away wrath.
• He is wise enough to know that although it feels good for the moment to blow up… afterwards there is a mess to deal with…
• AND that that mess can usually be averted by the tone of your voice… and a careful and gracious choice of your words. That’s wisdom.
• The man of understanding is slow to wrath. He understands HOW to control wrath. He understands how to prevent it from erupting and exploding.
• He knows enough to nip it at the bud… before it gets out of control and the damage is done.
• Prov. 15:18 – he understands that by being slow to anger he can actually appease strife. (appease = to quiet down). He is wise enough to know that by controlling his temper, he can control the situation… and even bring quiet to chaos.
• Proverbs 16:32 – He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. The man who is slow to anger actually has more power and might than the ruler of the city. This is a powerful quality…
2. All of this crystallized into the proverb: it is WISE to control one’s temper!
1. The opposite is true as well: it is FOLLY to be hasty of spirit… to blow up easily.
a. Hasty = short; impatient.
b. A man of understanding knows this too, but the fool doesn’t.
c. Prov. 14:17 said nearly the same thing: He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly:
d. Prov. 12:16 – a fool’s wrath is presently known. When he gets angry, everybody knows about… instantly! You can hear him spewing out his anger way down the hall… all over the house… perhaps throughout the neighborhood… And note: this is the wrath of a FOOL.
3. If you KNOW what anger and wrath lead to (sin, strife, division, broken relationships, hurtful words and deeds, etc.) then it is folly indeed to be HASTY to become angry!
a. Hasty of spirit = the opposite of slow to wrath.
b. It is the opposite of patience, longsuffering, and being slow to wrath.
c. It is being HASTY to get mad…
d. It is the person who flies off the handle for every little infraction… whenever things don’t go their way.
4. Not only does he commit folly, he EXALTS folly!
a. Exalts: to lift up; rise up; to be on high; lofty.
b. The man who blows up instantly makes his folly conspicuous. Everybody knows he’s a fool. Just listen… watch! He proves it every time.
Proverbs 14:30
Envy
A. A Sound Heart
1. Sound: health; healing; cure; restoration; a state lacking disease and weakness; wholesome.
2. Heart: inner man; mind; will; heart; understanding; mind; knowledge; thinking; reflection; inner part; midst.
3. Having a sound heart means that our inner man is whole… healthy… pure… wholesome… not diseased with sin… having a pure conscience… strong on the inside, not weak… an inner man that is in a wholesome relationship with God… no sin interfering with the fellowship… the heart is healthy spiritually…
B. The Life of the Flesh
1. Here Solomon states that a healthy INNER man has a healthy effect on the OUTER man.
a. When your soul, your emotions, and your inner man are in good shape, it is like LIFE to the flesh… to the body.
2. What’s going on on the inside is often reflected on the outside.
a. Prov. 15:13 – a merry heart (inner man) is expressed in one’s countenance (his outward appearance).
b. Prov. 17:22 – a merry heart is like medicine!
• This passage hints at a real psychosomatic condition… that the condition of our inner man can have a direct effect on the condition of our outer man… the body.
• If you are down physically… dealing with a chronic disease or if you are dealing with a loss or a trial… a good attitude is like medicine! The worst of circumstances are lightened and lessened by a merry heart.
c. I’m sure we’ve all seen the difference in the way different people handle similar trials. Perhaps you’ve noticed the difference in the way different children in your own family deal with troubles… Some are cheerful… others are not. Some handle things well… others do not.
d. Prov. 18:14 – the spirit of a man will sustain him… if your inner man is healthy… a healthy spirit about you… then that will enable you to sustain circumstances that might ruin others without a healthy spirit.
e. A sound heart is LIFE… it enhances life… enables us to endure the hardships of life… it helps maintain the health and vigor of the body.
f. A healthy heart (free from sin; bitterness; anger; worry; envy; etc)… a heart that is wholesome, cheerful, pure, free from guilt, right before God and man… has a healthy effect on one’s body and one’s whole life.
g. A good heart is good for you! It’s life!
A. Envy
1. Defined:
a. Zeal; jealousy; a strong desire and deep devotion for an object; rivalry.
b. A grudging regard for the advantages seen to be enjoyed by others.
2. Prov. 6:34 – translated jealousy: the rage of a man!
3. Prov. 27:4 – it is worse than wrath and anger!
a. It moves men to commit horrible sins: murder; theft; slander; etc…
b. Acts 7:9 – Joseph’s brothers were envious of him and they sold him into slavery… and left him for dead. (Gen. 37:11 – And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.)
c. Jas. 3:16 – Envy leads to many other sins… confusion and every evil work!
B. Rottenness of the Bones
1. Rottenness: rotten; decay; degeneration; used figuratively.
2. When the heart is healthy and wholesome, it has a healthy effect on the body.
3. When the heart is sick… decayed… rotten with sin—like envy!—it too has an effect on the body…
a. It is not like medicine, but more like a poison… a disease.
b. Envy is like a disease that eats away at your insides.
c. A healthy, sound heart is continually being strengthened, edified, built up and restored.
d. An unhealthy heart (one riddled with envy and jealousy) is not strengthened, but ruined… decay is taking place… destruction… a rotting away from the inside out… like a house full of termites… like a body being destroyed by disease…
e. God doesn’t have to punish men who live in envy. Envy carries its own punishment… its own judgment: rottenness of the bones!
f. Job 5:2 – Eliphaz says (and rightly so!) “Envy slays the silly one!”
4. The man, woman, or child who allows ENVY to fester in their inner man is in for a life of misery.
a. If you see others with things that you WANT… and you keep your eyes focused on those things… it will eat away at you on the inside.
b. You will become a person who is internally corroding from unhealthy passion… decaying and corrupting on the inside.
c. You will become bitter, discontent, unhappy, miserable… rotten!
d. And the reason? Your eyes are focused on earthly things rather than on the Lord!
• Envy is the work of the flesh (Gal. 5:18-19)
• Envy is earthly, sensual, and devilish! (Jas. 3:14-15)
• Our spiritual enemies are never going to encourage us to look to Christ… rather, they will encourage us to grovel in the dirt… that which is earthly, sensual… even demonic.
e. Even if you DON’T have any of those things that others have (money; power; looks; property; leisure time; popularity; fancy cars; etc…) you don’t have to obsess over them.
f. If you do, you will start rotting on the inside… and things that rot soon begin to stink. People won’t want to be around you…
5. Prov. 4:23 – KEEP your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of LIFE.
a. By taking care of the heart… keeping it sound, wholesome, healthy… we can maintain LIFE the way God intended for it to be lived.
b. It is SIN that brings misery and rottenness on the inside.
c. It is a spiritually HEALTHY heart that results in experiencing the abundant life.
d. Hence: KEEP your heart. Don’t let disease settle down inside.
e. DEAL with sin when it begins to take root in the heart: envy, jealousy, anger, lust, greed, covetousness, pride, discontent…
f. It will just breed more and more misery. It is its own judgment!
g. HOW do we keep our hearts?
• Jas. 3:16 – Envy leads to many other sins… confusion and every evil work!
» If you want to AVOID such sins, then DEAL with envy before it leads to them! This is how we guard our hearts.
» When God points out sin—don’t ignore it. Deal with it.
» Don’t push it aside and try to get comfortable without dealing with it—like a pebble in your shoe. Get the pebble OUT of the shoe!
» Titus 3:3 – Unbelievers learn to LIVE with envy. That should not be the case for the believer. We should REMOVE envy from our lives.
• I Pet. 2:1-2 – Envy HINDERS real spiritual growth. It MUST be put away before we will hunger and thirst for the Word of God again…
• Ps. 73:2-3 – Being envious of the wicked who prosper in the world can be the ruin of our walk with God. It can cause our feet to slip, spiritually. That’s what happened to Asaph. His answer: he went to the Temple to be alone with God…
• Prov. 23:17 – “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.”
» Don’t envy sinners; fear God!
» Don’t focus on men and what they have; focus on God and who He is. That will result in fear and respect for God.
» When we stand in awe of who God is… the glitter and gleam of earthly trinkets will grow strangely dim…
• Ps. 119:80 – Keep it sound by keeping your heart in the Word of God.
» Spending time in God’s Word will have a cleansing effect on our mind and heart.
» It will cause our eyes to be focused on things above—rather than the things of earth that provoke us to envy and jealousy.
• I Tim. 6:8 – be CONTENT with such things as you have!
• Phil. 4:10-11 –Paul LEARNED to be content… in whatsoever state God allowed him to experience… either abounding or abased!
• Gal. 5:25-26 – Walk in the Spirit… and don’t envy. Spirit filling results in LOVE… and love envieth not.
• Ps. 37:7 – REST in the Lord and WAIT patiently for Him.
» Learn to lean upon the Lord and begin to experience what we have in the LORD.
» We have ALL spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus!
» Let the others have their earthly trinkets. What we have in Christ is far better.
» Learn to REST in that truth… it will calm all storms of envy that might arise.
» Resting is much better for your bones than fretting.
Proverbs 14:31a
Oppression or Mercy to the Poor
Introduction:
1. In this proverb, Solomon shows the relationship between the way we treat people and our attitude towards God Himself.
2. Solomon exposes the lie and the hypocrisy of the man who, on the one hand, claims to love God… and on the other hand, oppresses those made in God’s image.
Oppressing the Poor
1. Oppression: to press upon; oppress; violate; defraud; do violence; get deceitfully; extort; exploit.
a. This term speaks of those who take advantage of the poor.
b. It was used in the sense of abuse of power… taking advantage of those who are unable to defend themselves.
c. Lev. 6:4 – “deceitfully gotten”
d. Deut. 24:14 – the law forbade oppressing servants who were poor—whether they were brethren or foreigners.
e. Ex 23:3 – Denying justice to the poor because of their social status (Cf. vs.6)
2. Poor Defined:
a. Strong’s: low, poor, weak, thin, one who is low
b. Dict. of Biblical Languages: Having little wealth and so of a humble condition and low status and vulnerable to oppression.
3. The usual attitude toward the poor
a. Prov. 14:20 – the poor is hated even of his own neighbor.
b. People tend to look down upon those who are not as well off as they are… who live on the other side of the tracks… there is often an heir of superiority about them…
c. Prov. 21:13 – People tend to close their ears to the cries of the poor… but consider the consequences!
d. There is also a tendency among us as Americans to assume that if someone is poor, it’s their own fault: it must be due to drug or alcohol abuse; laziness; undisciplined; etc. (and there are plenty of those!)
e. But that is not always the case. The Bible teaches that while behavior, diligence, and personal responsibility have an important role to play in this, they are not the only factors.
f. God is sovereign over wealth… and the ability to accumulate wealth.
g. Job 1:21 – And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
h. Job 2:10 – shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and shall we not receive evil?
i. Ecc. 5:19 – riches come from God… not simply our hard work or talent or from our business and marketing skills…
j. Jas. 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights…
4. Results Personally:
a. Prov. 22:16 – he who oppresses the poor for personal gain shall come to want…
b. Ecc. 4:1 – no comfort for the oppressor either!
c. Mal. 3:5 – God is against and will judge those who oppress.
d. Ps. 72:4 – God will BREAK the oppressors.
e. Ps. 140:12 – God maintains their cause.
Reproaching His Maker
1. Maker: Creator; the One who made them
a. Prov. 22:2 – the Lord is the Maker of both the rich and the poor; both the oppressor and the oppressed.
b. Job 31:13-16 – how shall we answer God if we oppress a servant or the poor. Did not the same God make both of us in the womb?
2. Reproach: to reproach; taunt; blaspheme; treat with contempt; insult; ridicule.
a. Note that in this proverb, the opposite of reproach is honor.
b. Hence, Solomon is using this in the sense of bringing dishonor to God… through insult, ridicule, taunting, scorning, etc…
c. It is fair to say that the one who dishonors God is SINNING against God.
d. By oppressing the poor, he is sinning… dishonoring the God who made the poor… dishonoring the God in whose image those poor people were made.
e. God is affronted by ill treatment given to the poor. He takes offence personally by such treatment.
3. Ecc. 5:8 – the Creator observes ALL oppression done to the poor.
4. Prov. 22:22-23 – Oppressing and opposing the poor is not wise because it is God Himself who pleads the cause of the poor. God is on their side.
5. Ps.12:5 – God will stand up for the poor.
6. Prov. 17:5 – Mocking the poor is also reproaching God.
a. Mock: to mock; deride; ridicule.
b. We may not be in a position to oppress the poor as a king would or a political leader.
c. But this verse brings it a little closer to home: making fun of them is also a reproach to God their Maker.
d. Solomon equates this with gloating over the misfortunes of others. That is sin and God hates it.
e. Rather than mocking the poor, we should say, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
f. Those who do will not go unpunished… either in this life or the life to come… punishment here… loss of rewards there.
Showing Mercy on the Poor
1. Mercy: to be gracious, show favour, pity; an act of kindness, compassion to another.
a. Usually (though not exclusively) when the poor are mentioned in Scripture, the author generally refers to the poor among God’s people.
b. Giving to the poor usually meant giving to the needs of the poor “brethren”… whether in Israel or in the church.
c. But of course, showing mercy is not to be restricted to believers. It is part of our testimony as believers to do goodunto all men… but especially unto the household of faith. (Gal. 6:10)
2. We have a responsibility to show mercy to the poor. This has always been God’s will… in any age.
a. Deut. 15:7 – If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.
b. I John 3:17-18 – when we have the ability to help a poor brother, we should…
c. Thus, Solomon is saying that it is not enough to stop oppressing them… but on the positive side, we are to show MERCY to them!
d. Put off the behavior of the old man… and put on the behavior of the new man.
e. Eph. 4:28 – Stop stealing and start GIVING. Stopping the bad behavior is only ½ the duty. Go the extra mile and start GIVING to those in need.
3. There are certain BENEFITS to showing mercy to the poor!
a. Prov. 14:21 – happy is he!
b. Prov. 19:17 – lendeth to the Lord and will be repaid.
c. Prov. 28:27 – he that gives to the poor shall not lack.
d. Of course this should not be our motivation. We should not give in order to get.
e. But when we DO give with pure motives… (to glorify God by helping others) then there is a blessing attached!
4. Be gracious and generous, but also be discerning.
a. When Solomon speaks of the “poor” he seems to imply those who are poor through no fault of their own…
b. He is not speaking of the scam artist, or the man who refuses to work, or the man who begs money for a bottle of Jack Daniels or a bag of cocaine.
c. We have no obligation to give to those folks—even if they are poor… even if they are starving! God says that if a man will not work, neither should he eat.
Honors God
1. Honors: to make heavy; honourable; to glorify; esteem of great value.
a. Those who want to honor God will demonstrate it by showing compassion to the poor…
b. God says that He is honored by this kind of action.
c. When a believer does this… empowered by the Holy Spirit… for the glory of God… he is manifesting the indwelling LIFE of Christ.
d. God is HONORED by that practical manifestation of life.
2. This is an example of God identifying with His creatures.
a. Jesus said of the Jews in the Tribulation: “for I was hungry and ye gave me meat…”
b. Jesus said of the church: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
APPLICATIONS:
1. These words were written by a king to his son… who would one day have royal authority.
a. Hence, oppressing the poor was a sensible warning in that case.
b. Solomon’s son would one day be in a position where he would make decisions that would affect the poor in the land.
2. While it may not directly apply to us (we do not possess political power—and are not really in a position to oppress the poor or show mercy to them on a large scale… yet in our small circle of influence, the principle applies to us as well.
a. The way we treat people is a reflection of our attitude towards their Maker.
b. We may never be in a position to lift the poor out of poverty as a whole… or to improve their standard of living… but we CAN show mercy to those whose lives intersect with ours.
c. It doesn’t have to cost a million dollars either.
• Buy a family in need a bag of groceries…
• Mail a gift card anonymously to someone in need
• Send in a check for tuition to a family struggling to keep their kids in Christian school…
• Drop a bag of clothes off at a brother’s house…
• Buy some new shoes for their kids…
• Send a gift to a missionary…
d. In doing so, Solomon says we are honoring God.
• That’s a worthy goal… and a very practical way to glorify God.
Proverbs 14:31b
Mercy on the Poor Honors God
SHOWING MERCY ON THE POOR
1. The poor defined:
a. Strong’s: in want, needy, chiefly a poor, needy person. 2 subject to oppression and abuse. 3 needing help, deliverance from trouble, especially as delivered by God. 4 general reference to lowest class
b. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament: ebyôn emphasizes “need” and thus is to be distinguished from oni^ “afflicted,” dal “poor,” and raš “weak”.
c. Thus, Solomon used the term that speaks primarily of one in NEED… and especially in need of “goods.” (food, clothing, shelter, etc…)
2. Mercy: to be gracious; show favour; pity; an act of kindness; compassion to another.
a. In this passage, it speaks especially of the very practical side: meeting a need.
b. It is not a FEELING of pity… but an ACT of mercy… DOING something to alleviate a person’s lack or need.
3. God Himself has mercy on the poor… the needy. It is His nature to be merciful.
a. Deut. 10:17-18 – God does not respect persons.
• He is not impressed with a person’s position or wealth.
• In fact, He executes judgment for those who are in need: fatherless and widow and the stranger… people in need.
• God is OFTEN spoken of as a father to the fatherless… He shows mercy to those in need: the poor; fatherless; orphans; widows; etc…
b. When the Savior came to earth, He related to the poor and the needy…
c. Ps. 113:7 – …He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among the princes.”
d. Ps. 40:37 – I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me…
e. Ps. 72:12-14 – God delivers and spares the poor and needy. (He not only thinks about their condition… He does something about it!)
f. Ps. 132:15 – He satisfies the poor (in Zion) with bread.
4. Usually (though not exclusively) when the poor are mentioned in Scripture, the author generally refers to the poor among God’s people.
a. Giving to the poor usually meant giving to the needs of the poor brethren… whether in Israel or in the church.
b. But of course, showing mercy is not to be restricted to believers. It is part of our testimony as believers to do goodunto all men, but especially unto the household of faith. (Gal. 6:10)
5. We have a responsibility to show mercy to the poor. This has always been God’s will… in any age.
a. Deut. 15:7 – If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.
b. I John 3:17-18 – when we have the ability to help a poor brother, we should…
c. Luke 6:36 – We should be merciful because of who God is… it is His nature to be merciful. Therefore, when filled with the fullness of God, we too should be merciful!
d. Prov. 3:3 – mercy should be engraved on our heart…
e. Ps. 37:26 – it is characteristic of a righteous man… of saints.
f. Thus, Solomon is saying that it is not enough to STOP oppressing them… but on the positive side, we are to START showing mercy to them!
g. Put off the behavior of the old man… and put on the behavior of the new man.
h. Eph. 4:28 – Stop stealing and start GIVING. Stopping the bad behavior is only half the duty. Go the extra mile and start GIVING to those in need.
6. There are certain BENEFITS to showing mercy to the poor!
a. Prov. 22:9 – the bountiful eye is blessed…
• This speaks of someone who keeps their eyes open for opportunities to show mercy…
• He is LOOKING for opportunity to show mercy.
• This man is eager… he shows mercy, not out of compulsion, but with cheerfulness… which is just the way that WE are to show mercy!
• Rom. 12:8 – he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
b. Prov. 14:21 – happy is he!
• There is a built-in blessing for those who give.
• Jesus said, It is MORE blessed to give than to receive.
c. Prov. 19:17 – lendeth to the Lord and will be repaid.
• Showing pity to the poor = LENDING to the Lord.
• The one who gives money to the poor, in a sense, is giving it to the Lord.
• Only it is GIVEN to the poor, but on LOAN to the Lord… for the Lord repays!
• This does NOT mean that the one who lends to the poor will be repaid monetarily from the Lord.
• Deut. 15:10 – Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.”
• As a Christian, our repayment is the JOY of being used of the Lord. We can expect the BLESSING of God in our lives… joy, contentment, peace, rest…
d. Prov. 28:27 – he that gives to the poor shall not lack.
• Gods’ ways are not our ways.
• We think that if we are to avoid lack, we must hoard… keep it all to ourselves. That’s the way to avoid lack.
• God says just the opposite: he that GIVES to the poor shall not lack.
• Prov. 11:24 – There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
• God thinks differently than man does.
• Here the Lord states that giving is like scattering good seed. When you scatter seed, you end up with less seeds… but you increase in your crops.
• The one who holds and hoards all the seed and doesn’t sow it… ends up with a handful of seeds… while the other man has fields full of crops!
• God’s ways DO make perfect sense.
e. Prov. 11:17 – doeth good to his own soul. (it feels good!)
• Again, there is a blessedness that comes from giving…
• Blessed are the merciful… for they shall receive mercy!
• The soul who gives out mercy… will also receive mercy… from God and others.
• Heb. 6:10 – One of the ways that GOOD is done to his own soul is the fact that God REMEMBERS the good we have done to others… and He rewards such service.
f. Of course this should not be our motivation. We should not give in order to get.
g. But when we DO give with pure motives… (To glorify God by helping others) then there is a blessing attached!
7. Be gracious and generous, but also be discerning.
a. When Solomon speaks of the “poor” he seems to imply those who are poor through no fault of their own…
b. He is not speaking of the scam artist or the man who refuses to work, or the man who begs money for a bottle of cheap wine.
c. We have no obligation to give to those folks—even if they are poor… even if they are starving! God says that if a man will not work, neither should he eat. (II Thess. 3:10)
d. By showing mercy to such folks, we could be doing more harm than good. We re removing the God-instituted STING designed to motivate the man to work!
HONORS GOD
1. Honors: to make heavy; honourable; to glorify; esteem of great value.
a. Those who want to honor God will demonstrate it by showing compassion to the poor…
b. God says that He is honored by this kind of action.
c. When a believer does this… empowered by the Holy Spirit… for the glory of God… he is manifesting the indwelling LIFE of Christ.
d. God is HONORED by that practical manifestation of life.
e. Prov.3:9 – we are to honor God with our substance… with the way we USE the money, property, or assets that God has entrusted to us. This includes giving TO the Lord’s work… but also includes using our resources to help those in need. That also honors God.
f. Phil.4:17-18 – it is honoring to God; it is a sweet smelling savor to Him.
2. This is an example of God identifying with His creatures.
a. Jesus said of the Jews in the Tribulation: “for I was hungry and ye gave me meat…”
b. Jesus said of the church: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
c. The way we treat people is a reflection of our attitude towards their Maker. (Helping the needy = honoringGod)
d. We may never be in a position to lift the poor out of poverty as a whole… or to improve their standard of living… but we CAN show mercy to those whose lives intersect with ours.
e. It doesn’t have to a million dollars either.
• Buy a family in need with a bag of groceries…
• Mail a gift card anonymously to someone in need
• Drop a bag of clothes off at a brother’s house…
• Buy some new shoes for their kids…
• Send a gift to a missionary…
f. In doing so, Solomon says we are honoring God. That’s a worthy goal… and a very practical way to glorify the Lord… and manifest Christ to the world.
Proverbs 14:32
The Wicked and the Righteous Face Tragedy
Introduction:
1. In this proverb, Solomon discusses the fact that BOTH the wicked and the righteous face tragedy and death…
2. He also notes the contrast in the way it affects them.
3. Same struggles and trials; different results.
1. The wicked:
a. Defined: wicked; criminal; guilty one; one guilty of crime; sinners; the unsaved.
b. Gen. 18:25 – the Old Testament separates mankind into two classifications: the wicked and the righteous.
c. Deut. 25:1 – a criminal who is guilty of a crime
2. His wickedness:
a. Evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity, evil, adversity…
b. This term seems to describe not so much the wickedness of his activities, but the evil consequences…
c. It speaks of the calamities that enter his life BECAUSE of his wickedness.
d. A sinner sins; a criminal commits crimes; wicked men do wicked things… AND sooner or later, they PAY for it.
3. He is driven away:
a. Driven away defined: to be thrust down, be cast down; pushed violently; trip up.
b. Used in:
• Ps. 118:13 – Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall…
• Ps. 35:5 – Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.
• Ps. 36:12 – There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise…
c. Their wicked lifestyle eventually catches up to them, and it brings distress and misery into their lives.
• Eventually, it will trip them up; cause to stumble
• It will knock them down violently…
d. Criminals bring calamity to their lives… the calamity of 10 years in prison!
e. People with uncontrolled anger bring calamity into their lives… the calamity of broken relationships!
f. Drug abusers bring calamity to their lives… the calamity of disease!
g. Immorality brings calamity into one’s life… the calamity of aids…
h. Lazy people bring calamity into their lives… the calamity of unemployment and poverty.
i. Gossipers bring calamity into their lives… the calamity of a loss of friends.
j. Adulterers bring calamity to their lives and the lives of others… the calamity of a broken home… and kids whose lives are damaged…
4. Solomon’s point: Evil lifestyles bring calamity into one’s life.
a. When tragedy comes into the life of the wicked, it is especially violent…
b. It knocks them down… it thrusts them down and pushes at them violently…
c. Wicked lifestyles come back to bite you… often in this life… but always in the life to come.
d. Solomon makes a transition in thought here… from the fact that the wickedness of wicked people knocks them down… to the ultimate… the final knocking down of the wicked.
e. In his death, the unsaved, whose lifestyles are characterized by wickedness eventually, are cast down violently and driven away into the Lake of Fire.
f. Psalm 9:17 – the wicked are turned away into hell.
1. The righteous:
a. This man stands in contrast to the wicked…
b. His lifestyle is characterized by righteousness… most likely because he is righteous before God… justified by faith… a believer.
2. The righteous man hath HOPE:
a. Hope defined: to seek refuge; protection; to put trust in (God), confide or hope in (God)
b. Dictionary of Biblical Languages: To go to a place where one will find safety, rest, or comfort, implying the place of refuge is a place to be trusted to keep one safe.
c. This term speaks of coming to God for refuge; protection; comfort in time of trial… knowing that you can trust in Him.
• II Sam. 22:31 – He is a buckler to those who trust in Him.
• Ps. 57:1 (2X—trust and refuge)… “In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge…”
• Ps. 61:4 – I will trust (seek refuge) in the covert of thy wings…
• Ps. 91:4 – He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
3. In his death…
a. Textual issue in this verse
• Most manuscripts read death here…
• Some read integrity
• Majority Text = integrity; Textus Receptus = death
• I found 5 translations that translated this term integrity or righteousness. Most translated it as “death.”
b. If integrity… it makes good sense:
• The wicked are cast down violently because of their wickedness… but the righteous take comfort and refuge in their integrity.
• They don’t have to worry about a wicked lifestyle coming back to bite them.
• They lived a life of integrity… and can take COMFORT in that.
• They aren’t worried about aids… or being caught by the IRS… or being sentenced to prison… or divorce.
• Just as there are evil consequences to a life of sin, there are GOOD consequences to a life of integrity.
• Similar thoughts are found elsewhere in Proverbs.
» Prov. 10:25 – the wicked are blown away… but the righteous is on a firm foundation… because of his integrity and righteousness.
» Prov. 12:7 – the righteous shall stand…
» Psalm 25:21 – “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.”
» A wicked lifestyle knocks you down; a life of righteousness and integrity holds you up.
• Translating the term as “integrity” maintains the clearest balance between the two parts of the proverb.
» Wicked vs. Righteous
» Knocked down vs. safety / refuge
» The consequences of wickedness vs. the consequences of integrity
c. If death… it also makes good sense:
• The wicked are cast down because of their wickedness… and especially so at death; and the righteous have comfort in their death.
• Most translations insert the word “death” here.
d. The righteous hath comfort and refuge in his death.
• When the righteous die, he does so with confidence… bright hope for his eternal destiny.
• He dies in comfort… knowing his relationship to the Lord… while the wicked are thrust down violently into death… with no comfort.
• Both the wicked AND the righteous face calamities in life… and ultimately, death.
• But there is a BIG difference in the WAY they face calamities.
• The wicked are thrown down violently because of them.
• The righteous have comfort and refuge in the midst of them… and especially when facing life’s final calamity: death!
• The righteous also have comfort when they face death-like trials in this life.
• His righteousness and integrity preserve him… and bring comfort.
• He can come under the shadow of the Almighty… and find refuge, safety, comfort, and protection.
• In every possible way—whether in life or in death—righteousness is superior to wickedness.
Proverbs 14:33
The Heart of the Wise and the Fool
CONTRASTS:
• A man of understanding vs. the fool
• Wisdom vs. that which is a fool (usually – folly)
• Resting vs. making it known
1. Him that hath understanding…
a. Understanding: to discern; understand; consider; to perceive; to have insight.
b. This term does not emphasize a man’s great intellect, but rather his discernment… his ability to distinguish… discern… a man with insight…
c. This capacity is quite different than the capacity to merely store large amounts of data in one’s head.
d. This capacity is in fact even MORE valuable… because this man understands HOW to USE that data in a wise manner… how to put all the facts together and the discernment to know what to make of it all.
2. Wisdom RESTS in his heart…
a. Rests: preserved in quietness for use; to rest, settle down; to be in repose; be quiet; settle; remain, i.e., leave in a place for any period of time, (Gen. 8:4 – the ark rested on Mt. Ararat).
b. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: REST not only absence of movement but being settled in a particular place (whether concrete or abstract) with overtones of finality.
c. Wisdom has settled down and remains there; it’s at home there; resting comfortably… with no thought of leaving…
d. Wisdom is seated comfortably in the heart of a discerning man… it is at home… resting…
• It is preserved in quietness there for use when needed.
• It is not loud and showy and put on display for all to see. It is preserved in quietness for use when needed.
• This implies that the truly discerning man POSSESSES much more wisdom than he makes known.
• Note that his wisdom is not just swimming about in his head… (as Matthew Henry put it!) but is resting in his heart.
• There are a lot of smart people with many isolated pieces of valuable information swimming about in their heads… but that does NOT mean they also possess the wisdom to know HOW to use it properly… or the tactfulness to make it helpful to others.
e. A truly wise man is modest about his wisdom. He hides it, rather than shows it off.
• He might be quite quiet about his wisdom. He may not speak out often. He may be a man of few words. He waits for just the right time.
• But when he DOES speak: out comes a jewel of wisdom!
• That jewel was resting comfortably in his heart all along… but he felt no compulsion to blurt it out until the proper time.
f. He is a DISCERNING man. He not only has jewels of wisdom… but he also has the discernment to know WHEN to speak up… and when to be quiet!
g. Too often men have either one or the other quality.
• Some men have lots of helpful words of wisdom… but lack the tactfulness and discernment to know what to speak and when to be quiet.
• Others may be quite tactful and considerate and modest… but they don’t HAVE any jewels to share.
h. You reap what you sow is truly a jewel thought. That concept is repeated in many ways in Proverbs.
• But there is a time to share that truth and a time NOT to share that truth.
• When a brother comes you to for advice and he is considering going into partnership with an unbeliever… or marrying an unsaved girl… you may want to warn him with that jewel… you will reap an evil harvest if you do!
• But when a teenager went out and got drunk and totaled his car and you are visiting him in ICU… as they are about to amputate his leg… that’s NOT the time to share that jewel: you reap what you sow.
• A discerning man will keep that jewel in his heart at that point.
• Words of knowledge and wisdom can be quite hurtful if not handled with discernment.
• That’s why the two need to go together… (Jewels of wisdom AND the discernment to know HOW to use them)…
• Together they are powerful and helpful. Separately, they can be hurtful and dangerous.
• I see things that believers need to know… I see areas in the lives of others that could use some adjustments; (Language; attitudes; dress; music; etc.)
• But I also pray for the DISCERNMENT to know when, how, where, and under what circumstances to offer help or advice.
• There is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven.
3. Prov. 29:11 – A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
4. The point of contrast here is primarily between what a discerning man does with that which is in his heart… and what a fool does with that which is in his heart.
a. The man of understanding allows his wisdom to rest and remain in his heart.
b. The fool on the other hand makes known whatever is on his heart…
5. The fool lacks:
a. Modesty…
b. Discernment…
c. Self control…
d. Tact…
e. A proper sense of timing…
6. He lacks modesty to hide wisdom in his heart…
a. Instead, if a thought comes to his mind, he blurts it out…
b. If he has a word of wisdom, he shows it off… he displays it for everyone to see and hear.
c. Thus, when he shows off his jewels of wisdom, it is not so much to help others, but to exalt himself.
7. He lacks the discernment to know HOW to use wisdom properly.
a. And yes, even a fool can have words of wisdom.
b. A fool could memorize the book of Proverbs… and have all that information floating about in his head.
c. The fool may have some good information about appropriate dress… but lacks the discernment to know HOW to use it properly…
d. So he walks up to a near total stranger and begins criticizing his appearance… and while what he said may be accurate… he has no concept of appropriate human relationships… and how to get along with people… and how to minister to people.
e. If a total stranger walked up to me and told me that my clothes didn’t match, I would think him to be rude. But my wife tells me things don’t match all the time… and I know that it is for my good. She’s earned the right to criticize me. A total stranger hasn’t.
f. The fool lacks the discernment to know how to put the good information he has to good use.
g. Would you sit at a sidewalk café and make comments about all the people passing by… to their face? (Hey lady, you’re skirt is too short! Hey buddy, those tattoos on your arm and the metal hanging off your tongue is not all that flattering. That man’s body might be found in an alley the next day. A wise man may see people walk by and draw the same conclusions… but he has the discernment to keep it in his heart.
h. Even in the local church, we need to use discernment in ministering one to another.
• You may have some gems of wisdom… but please, use tactfulness, grace, courtesy, kindness, and discretion in sharing it!
• It’s not always the best idea to walk up to a near total stranger in the local church and say, “Hey, your skirt’s too short” or “your kids are out of control” or “you shouldn’t use that version of the Bible”…
• You may have the best of intentions, but good words and good intentions are not enough.
• In addition, we need discretion and discernment.
• Build up a relationship with that person so that they know you, trust you, and respect your opinion. THEN share with them! It is much more likely to be well received that way.
• The fool blurts out whatever is in his heart without giving it much thought…
» Without thinking about the MANNER in which he says it… the spirit…
» Without thinking about the way it will be received…
» Without the people skills to know HOW to approach a person about such an issue.
» Without thinking about whether this is the time or the setting to bring it up.
» Without thinking about whether that believer is mature enough to handle what you are about to share…
» A man of understanding allows those words of wisdom to REST in his heart… and doesn’t bring them out until just the right time.
i. Prov. 12:23 – A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
• There is a time to conceal knowledge.
• WAIT until the right time.
j. Prov. 15:2 – The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
• The fool utters all his mind.
• He may have some good points to make… but he demonstrates his folly by blurting it all out… and the most inappropriate time or setting.
PRAY for God to open our eyes that we might see gems of knowledge and understanding in His Word.
PRAY for the wisdom to be able to use those words of knowledge in a way that edifies others and glorifies God.
Proverbs 14:34a
Righteousness Exalteth a Nation
A. Nation
1. Nation defined:
a. Translated as “nation” 374 times
b. Translated “heathen” 143 times, “Gentiles” 30 times, and “people” 11 times.
c. Strong’s: a nation; a people; usually of non-Hebrew people; Goyim = “nations.” (Although it is sometimes used of Israel – Gen. 12:2 – I will make of thee a great nation.)
d. Dict. of Biblical Languages: A large group based on various cultural, physical, geographical ties, often extended clan relationships; the Gentiles, i.e., a national group or groups that are not Jewish, with the associative meaning of being uncultured, pagan and heathen.
e. But in its broadest meaning, it simply means a “people.”
2. Usage:
a. Gen. 10:5 – used 2x – translated “gentiles” and “nations.”
b. Gen. 17:5 – Abraham was made the father of many “nations.”
c. Gen. 18:18 – all “nations” of the earth shall be blessed through Abraham.
d. Lev. 26:33 – If Israel disobeyed the Law, they would be scattered among the “heathen.”
e. Isa. 60:3 – and the “gentiles” shall come to thy light.
f. Judges 2:20 – this “people.”
g. The term is broader than a political nation… a government. It can refer to any group of people.
h. The context has to determine its meaning… but there is no context in Proverbs.
i. Hence, in our proverb, it is best to be understood in its broadest sense: any group of people is exalted by righteousness… and any group is reproached by sin.
B. Righteousness
1. Defined: justice; righteousness; righteous acts; the state or condition of fairly deciding what is right in a legal case; without prejudice.
a. The root basically connotes conformity to an ethical or moral standard
b. The term refers to the nation that does things RIGHT… according to God’s moral standard of righteousness.
c. The term implies that which is in harmony with a standard of ethics… namely God and His revealed Word.
2. A nation is righteous when it is law abiding… and follows a righteous standard (Deut. 6:24-25)
a. Israel was given a moral standard by God.
b. But even the pagan nations can benefit from this principle—by following the MORAL laws of God…
c. God gave governments the sword to execute righteousness.
d. Gen. 18:25 – God is a Judge who does that which is right. He expects those who represent His authority (human governments) to do the same… to be just and do things right.
3. The term implies legal justice
a. A nation should be characterized by justice… and justice for ALL, not just for the rich and for those who can afford expensive lawyers.
b. A nation should have a judicial system that is not controlled by an oligarchy of self interest… but rather governed by the principle of justice for all.
c. A judicial system wherein no one is above the law… rich, powerful, famous, government officials, etc…
d. Ex. 23:7 – a judicial system that does not slay the innocent or the righteous or justify the wicked (Deut. 25:1).
e. Amos cried for justice in the gates (5:15, 24).
4. The term implies justice without prejudice.
a. Justice for men and women
b. Justice for red, yellow, black, and white.
c. Justice regardless of religious affiliation… or political party affiliation…
5. The term implies an economic system of fairness in the marketplace.
a. A just balance prevails
b. A system that does not revolve around theft, fraud, corruption, etc.
c. Prov. 11:1 – fairness in the marketplace brings delight to God. He hates injustice, theft, and corruption.
C. Exalts
1. Defined: to rise; rise up; be high; be lofty; be exalted; to magnify.
2. The basic root meaning is height; it is used as symbolic of positive notions such as glory and exaltation, or negatively as of pride and arrogance.
3. The practice of righteousness has a BENEFICIAL effect on a nation. It exalts or lifts up a nation.
4. Prov. 4:8 – when wisdom is exalted, she EXALTS (promotes) an individual or a nation…
a. When a nation ignores wisdom and begins to make FOOLISH decisions, it will suffer the consequences.
b. Prov. 29:8 – Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath. (the wrath of other nations and perhaps the wrath of God!)
5. Prov. 11:9-10 – When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting. 11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
a. A nation that treats righteous people well is blessed. Those who lock them up in the gulags will be judged… overthrown.
b. When the wicked perish—or wickedness is removed—the city shouts for joy.
6. Deut. 4:6-8 – as Israel obeyed God’s law, they were “exalted” in the eyes of onlooking nations.
a. What nation is so great as the one who follows such lofty principles?
b. Israel was to be God’s city on a hill… for all nations to observe.
c. They were to observe the principle in this proverb. When Israel obeyed, they were exalted. When they fell into sin, they were reproached.
7. Deut. 28:1-14 – obeying the righteousness of the law meant that God would exalt Israel… and bless her physically. Of course this promise was to Israel, not to every nation.
8. What is it that exalts a nation?
a. It is not the brilliance of its leaders.
b. It is not their political strategies or skills.
c. It is not the economic strength of the nation.
d. It is not the extent of the empire.
e. It is not its natural resources.
f. It is not the work ethic or the ingenuity of its people.
g. It is not its business savvy.
h. It is RIGHTEOUSNESS that exalts a nation—or any group.
D. Application
1. Righteousness exalts ANY group of people…
a. Nation or a City:
b. Church:
• As long as Salem Bible Church follows the righteousness of Gods’ Word, we can expect to bear fruit for God’s glory. We can expect God’s blessing… protection… life and power.
• The moment we move away from God’s Word, and tolerate SIN… (violation of the clear principles of God’s Word)… we are a reproach to the Lord… and a reproach in the eyes of the world.
• We will cease to be fruitful… cease to manifest Christ… and will cease to experience the power of the resurrection in our midst.
c. Family:
• The same is true for our families.
• When righteousness prevails… when we do things righteously before the Lord… we can expect His blessings.
• When sin is tolerated… our family becomes a reproach.
• Spiritual decline sets in… like a disease.
• This is dangerous. It can be reverse by repentance… but it is dangerous to tolerate sin.
d. Business:
• This principle holds true for a business.
• When a company does things RIGHT (a good product; honesty; good service; etc.) — that company earns a good reputation and usually does well.
• When a company becomes corrupt and dishonest… that too is eventually made known… and it brings ruin to the business.
• Who wants to buy meat from somebody who tips the scale?
2. The more righteousness, the more exaltation.
a. For the believer, there is to be continual GROWTH in practical righteousness in our daily lives.
b. Every time unrighteousness is rejected and forsaken, the nation/church/individual is lifted up a bit more…
c. Every time righteousness is embraced in some new area, there is more exaltation…
A. Sin
1. Sin: seen here as the opposite of righteousness; wrong; iniquity; i.e., that which is an offense against a standard; a moral evil that is a sexual misbehavior, with a focus on the embarrassing behavior before God or society.
2. Amos 9:8 – God’s eyes are upon a sinful nation… and He will execute justice in His good time.
3. Amos 5:12 – God is aware of each and every sin that occurs in a nation.
4. Isa. 1:21 – When men follow God, righteousness is said to dwell in the city. But when sin rules, it becomes a harlot.
5. A nation may APPEAR to get away with sin, but eventually, it will destroy them.
a. Be sure your sin will find you out!
b. Ecc. 8:11 – because God does not judge right away, men assume He will not. But men misread God’s patience and longsuffering.
c. Prov. 13:6 – eventually, sin will overthrow the wicked.
B. Reproach
1. Reproach defined:
a. It is usually translated “mercy” (kindness; lovingkindness)
b. However, it also had an Aramaic meaning that is highlighted in several passages. Its Aramaic meaning was “disgrace; reproach”
c. That is obviously how it is used in this passage… as well as couple of other verses in the Old Testament:
• Lev. 20:17 – it speaks of that which is purely shameful… disgraceful…
• Prov. 25:10 – (a slightly different form of the same word)—it speaks of shame and disgrace, associated with infamy…
2. Sin brings reproach the sight of God—and results in judgment. Consider some of the sins of OUR nation in recent years…
a. Abortion
b. Homosexuality
c. Kidnapping
d. Violence
e. Concept of a Family and Marriage
f. Issues of medical ethics in our day
g. This kind of internal, moral corruption will be the demise of our great nation.
3. Sin brings reproach in the sight of men—other nations.
a. It renders a nation despicable in the sight of other nations.
b. A nation’s sin brings on the ill-will of other nations.
• One of the reasons the Muslims hate the west so is because of our perceived “decadence.”
• On that level—they have a point. Our sin is bringing upon ourselves the hatred of others.
• Of course, their hatred and claims of moral superiority are quite hypocritical… (oppression; torture; suicide bombers; now offering their children as sacrifices in bombings; killing innocent men, women, and children, disdain for life…)
• God used the Babylonians to judge Israel. Remember Habakkuk’s concern: it seemed odd that God would use a nation WORSE than Israel morally to judge her… but He did.
• God can use ANY instrument He chooses to judge a nation for their sin… and He does.
4. Therefore, it is the responsibility of governmental leaders to promote righteousness, and to suppress sin and evil. (Rom. 13:1-4)
5. Some have said that righteousness is the recipe for a nation’s greatness… a recipe that has not yet been tried. However, the opposite (sin bringing reproach) has been proven over and over among the nations.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. History is replete with illustrations of the truth in this proverb: nations are judged… nations rise and fall according to their works.
2. When sin, pride, corruption, immorality, greed, cruelty, and injustice prevail—eventually that nation falls… as Rome, which crumbled from within.
» Greece became proud of their science and art
» Rome became proud of its conquests
» Great Britain (an empire which once championed the cause of Christ in missionary endeavors around the world) has now turned its back on Christianity
» The USA is not exempt from this principle. Those great world powers became corrupt from within and declined in significance. Sin became a reproach to those nations.
» Can the USA be far behind?
3. Israel is God’s LIGHT to the world of this principle. When Israel followed God’s Law, they were exalted. When they departed from it, they were defeated and enslaved by enemies. Read the Old Testament, especially the book of Judges—this truth is repeated over and over again… as a constant object lesson to the nations.
Proverbs 14:34b
Sin is a Reproach to Any People
Introduction:
1. Righteousness exalts…
2. It exalts a nation… a family… a business… a church… any group of people.
3. Righteousness results in wise decisions, and a good reputation, which in turn, exalt and lift up.
4. Solomon now states that the opposite is true too: sin is a reproach to any people.
A. Sin
1. Sin: seen here as the opposite of righteousness; that which is wrong, iniquity, i.e., that which is an offense against a standard;
2. Vice, immorality, alcohol, drugs, babies out of wedlock, gambling, selfish greed, corruption, theft, and violence… all of this works together to bring a nation or a people to ruin.
a. Have you any idea of how much sin COSTS our nation, economically?
• drugs; alcohol; smoking; theft; fraud; unwed mothers; laziness; cheating the welfare system; frivolous lawsuits based on raw greed; prisons; police forces; military.
• How many lives have been lost because of sin? (drunken drivers; drugs; alcohol; tobacco; murders; aids) And there is quite a cost to all that too.
• There is plenty of space on the planet; and there are plenty of natural resources for everybody… and we could all be extremely wealthy…
• BUT… men are sinners… and we steal; hoard; we waste; we lie; deceive; take back by fraud; etc… and ultimately, we pay the consequences!
• Sin is a reproach! Sin is the ruin of any people.
3. Rom. 13:3-4 – Human governments, nations given the sword to execute those who commit and promote evil in the land.
a. Thus, leaders should use their power to suppress sin, evil, and vice.
b. If they tolerate evil in the land or even worse sanction evil in the land, it is to the ruin of that people.
c. Sin is the destruction of any nation, therefore, God in His grace and mercy, instituted human governments to execute Divine wrath against such sin… to HINDER the reproach that sin brings.
B. Reproach
1. Reproach defined:
a. It is usually translated “mercy” (kindness; lovingkindness).
b. However, it also had another (Aramaic?) meaning that is highlighted in several passages. It also means disgrace; reproach.
2. That is obviously how it is used in this passage… as well as couple of other verses in the Old Testament:
a. Lev. 20:17 – it speaks of that which is purely shameful… disgraceful… (It is translated a “wicked thing.”)
» Sin brings that which is shameful to a nation/people.
b. Prov. 25:10 – (a slightly different form of the same word)—it speaks of shame and disgrace, associated with infamy…
2. Solomon writes that sin brings SHAME and DISGRACE to a people. And that brings reproach… in the eyes of men and before God.
3. Sin brings reproach in the sight of God—and results in judgment. Consider some of the sins of OUR nation in recent years.
a. Immoral activities outlawed by the government are rampant:
» Kidnapping
» Pedophiles
» Rapes
» Violence and Murders
» Drug and alcohol abuse
» Political corruption—in both parties
» These activities are carried out with increasing frequency. But at least they are illegal, and are unacceptable by our society.
b. Immoral activities approved by the government are far worse for a nation:
» Legalized abortion
» Acceptance of homosexuality
» Changing God’s design for the family
» Gay Marriage
» Issues of medical ethics in our day
» Legal prescription of drugs and legal alcohol abuse
» State sponsored gambling
» God designed human governments to condemn such behavior, not to sponsor it… and certainly not to pay for it with tax dollars!
» This is far worse. This brings shame and reproach to any nation.
» And by the way, this is not just America… this kind of approval is world wide.
c. This kind of internal, moral corruption will be the demise of our great nation. It brings a reproach.
» God has every right to judge our nation for our sins.
» Jer. 5:25 – God has every right to withhold blessings because of sins.
d. It was this kind of internal moral corruption that led to the fall of the Gentile nations (Rom. 1:22-32).
• God gave them up…
• God left them alone… to reap the natural consequences of their evil behavior.
• Unbelief, idolatry, immorality, and sin go hand in hand.
• Sin is a reproach to any people. You reap what you sow.
4. Sin brings reproach in the sight of men—other nations.
a. It renders a nation despicable in the sight of other nations.
b. A nation’s sin brings on the ill-will of other nations.
• One of the reasons Europeans claim that they do not like Americans is because of our culture… especially the trash put out by Hollywood…
» But they sure do seem to watch it enough!
» And with all their claims of superiority, they are much farther to the left than the USA.
• One of the reasons the Muslims hate the west so is because of Western “decadence.”
» On that level—they have a point. Our sin is bringing upon ourselves the hatred of others.
» Of course, their hatred and claims of moral superiority are quite hypocritical…
» They are far worse for tolerating oppression; torture; suicide bombers; now offering their children as sacrifices in bombings; killing innocent men, women, and children, disdain for life and civility.
• Hab. 1:13 – God used the Babylonians to judge Israel.
» Remember Habakkuk’s concern: it seemed odd that God would use a nation WORSE than Israel morally to judge her… but He did.
» God can use ANY instrument He chooses to judge a nation for their sin… and He does.
• He could use the radical Muslims to bring reproach upon the West in the world.
» God could use people even more ungodly than us to judge us!
» We are told to PRAY for our leaders and for all in authority.
» Perhaps this expression of righteousness might EXALT our nation and deliver us from judgment.
5. Isa. 1:21 – When men follow God, righteousness is said to dwell in the city.
a. But when sin rules, it becomes a harlot.
b. But Jerusalem USED to be known for judgment and righteousness… but then it became known for its murder and crime.
c. When righteousness ruled, Jerusalem was like a faithful wife. When sin ruled, it was like a harlot.
d. Sin became a reproach to that city and nation… and to ANY city of nation… or family, or church!
6. A nation may APPEAR to get away with sin, but eventually, it will destroy them.
a. Be sure your sin will find you out!
b. Ecc. 8:11 – because God does not judge right away, men assume He will not. But men misread God’s patience and longsuffering.
c. Prov. 13:6 – eventually, sin will overthrow (over turns; ruins) the wicked. It will eventually overthrow a nation.
d. Therefore, it is the responsibility of governmental leaders to promote righteousness, and to suppress evil.
e. Prov. 29:12 – if the leader is evil and given to lies and deception… don’t expect much different from the rest of the government officials!
f. A fish begins to rot at the head… and eventually rots the whole body of the fish.
g. What a menace to a nation is an evil leader.
h. PRAY for our country. PRAY for our elections. PRAY for all that are in authority. And VOTE for righteousness. That is what will exalt our nation.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. History is replete with illustrations of the truth in this proverb: nations are judged… nations rise and fall according to their works.
2. When sin, pride, corruption, immorality, greed, cruelty, and injustice prevail—eventually that nation falls… as Rome, which crumbled from within.
» Greece became proud of their science and art
» Rome became proud of its conquests
» Great Britain (an empire which once championed the cause of Christ in missionary endeavors around the world) has now turned its back on Christianity.
» The glory has departed.
» The USA is not exempt from this principle. Those great world powers became corrupt from within and declined in significance. Sin became a reproach to those nations.
» Can the USA be far behind?
3. Israel is God’s LIGHT to the world of this principle.
» When Israel followed God’s Law, they were exalted.
» When they departed from it, they were defeated and enslaved by enemies.
» Read the Old Testament, especially the book of Judges—this truth is repeated over and over again… as a constant object lesson to the nations.
» It is also a constant object lesson to us as a church… sin is the ruin of ANY people!
