Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked though he be rich. Proverbs 28:6

Integrity and honor are character traits that are of high value in the kingdom of God.  They make a person very wealthy even though at the time they may not have a fantastic financial bottom line.  When someone is varying between two stances - which is what this passage called being "crooked," they can have all the money in the world and still be seen as far less successful than the poor man who lives a godly life.  God's way of valuing things and people is far different than that of the world.

The word "crooked" is very interesting.  The literal Hebrew means, "perverse in two ways."  What this describes is someone who is going back and forth between two opinions and two views.  According to the Theological Wordbook of the OT this term refers to the twisted and perverting nature of sin.  The word was also used to describe how a woman twists her hair for the purpose of putting it in braids.  Thus the word came to mean the way that people twist their ways and choices contrary to what God commands and desires.  The word is used to describe the way rulers "twist everything that is straight" (Micah 3:9).  In a similar Proverb about the need for integrity, this same word is used to describe how fools are perverse in their speech. 

Too often the rich think they are beyond the law - or above it because of the influence their money buys in this world.  I have several friends who are police officers who have told me again and again that they have far more trouble out of rich people they pull over for speeding than from any other group.  They are told that they should give the rich person a warning or nothing at all because of all the people they know in City Hall.  They try to throw their influence around to intimidate my friends in law enforcement into ignoring the law - or might we say perverting it.  They want my friends to act crookedly.  These guys write them tickets seeking to enforce the law - only to have them ignored by those in power when they come to court.  Too many of the rich make the mistake of placing their hope in riches and what they provide in this world - rather than in God and the hope of His reward in eternity.  I say this not to absolve the poor of integrity issues - because the problem is not money - it is the love of money.  I've seen the love of money in every financial category there is.  The warning here is to run after integrity and honor - and not allow money to make us think that these things don't matter as long as you are well off financially. 

Just an aside here for our mutual benefit.  I've heard a saying again and again that grieves my heart.  Here is the saying, "Money may not be able to make you happy, but it makes your misery much more bearable."  Those who say that are truly deceived.  They think that a few years of less miserable riches are worth trading for all of eternity.  God does not countenance such foolishness.  They are truly deceived because they do not understand that their momentary happiness in their wealth and stuff will actually make their judgment more severe.  The Scriptures tell us, "To whom much is given, much is required."  Whatever brief comfort they find in their things and their wealth will be infinitely offset by the searing judgment that awaits them for loving the world and therefore not having the love of the Father in them.  Again - that was for free - because I'm tired of fools sounding wise to this world when they are only multiplying their foolishness for a judgment that awaits them at the throne of God.  True wisdom is seeing the end, in this case eternity, and making sound decisions with God's ways in view.

The poor man walks differently here because he walks in his integrity.  The word "walk" is the Hebrew word "halak" which means to come and go, or to walk about.  It was a word that was used to describe a flowing river, the blowing of the wind, and the movement of animals of all kinds.  It was therefore used to metaphorically speak of the pathways of one's life - and came to mean the lifestyle that one chooses.  This poor, wise man has chosen to walk out his life using God's wisdom as his guide.  The best way to describe this integrity that the poor, wise man chooses is to walk with all of our heart in the things of the Lord.  The word here for integrity was used to describe the way that men like David and Job spoke of walking with a perfect heart.  This did not mean these men were sinless - just that they did not want to waver between two opinions and two ways of living.  They wanted to live for the Lord with all their heart - all the time. 

There is something that God values greatly in this world.  But what God values and what men value are two entirely different things.  This world does not value living for God and His ways with a whole heart.  They might give an honorable mention to the occasional religious person who they admire for a few moments because of their devotion to God, but they do not see this as a way of living for all men.  They live for the things of the world - and chase after them with all their heart.  But what is highly valued by men of this world is despised by the Lord.  He is looking for men whose heart is completely given to Him.  How much better it is to be one of these men - regardless of their financial bottom line.  It is far better to be that kind of a man and poor - than to be the richest man on earth and only enjoy it for the mere length of a breath - which is how God describes this life in comparison with eternity. 

Like a bird that wanders from her nest, So is a man who wanders from his home. Proverbs 27:8

Birds begin every spring by gathering what is needed to construct a nest.  Usually they select a place that they believe will give them protection and shelter.  This becomes the location where they then lay eggs and work to build a family.  The nest serves as the location of safety and of security.  For a bird to leave the nest is dangerous.  Note that the term used for this leaving is the word wander.  The bird is not flying from the nest for the purpose of hunting or finding food for itself and its young.  This bird is just following its own curiosity wandering away from the nest to see what he can see.  This indicates that we are probably speaking of the young - because an adult bird knows better than to wander from the nest.  There is a word for birds who wander from their nests - prey!  They become prey for those who are watching to see if they leave the protection and cover of the nest.  They are sitting ducks as they go out from the nest just wandering wherever they go.  It is a very dangerous thing to just go wandering away.

The picture of a bird wandering from its nest is compared to a man who wanders from his home.  Here again is God's wisdom.  God establishes the home as the central unit of society.  It is also the place where God intends for children to be reared to maturity.  There God provides for the child two loving parents who are focused on selflessly giving themselves for this child's good.  As long as the child stays within the home (meaning its influence and protection) that child is safe.  When the child wanders from that place - he is in danger.  But what we have said to us here is not about a child - it is about a man.  The man who wanders from his home is like the bird wandering from his nest. 

What would cause a man to wander from his home?  There are many things actually that work toward guiding a man toward this disaster.  First is another woman.  Many men wander from their home and wind up being involved with a woman who is not their wife.  They wander away from their commitment - away from their vows to God and to their bride - and much like the bird wandering from his nest - this man is caught . . . trapped . . . hunted and captured.  Sexual immorality and adultery are both strong traps that have destroyed many a man who wandered from the nest of his home and marriage.  Another thing that causes men to wander is outside interests that begin to dominate their lives.  Please understand I'm not against a man having outside interests like hunting, fishing, sports, cars, motorcyles, or whatever else a guy chooses to pursue.  What I warn men against is having pursuits that take them away from the home far too often.  Our commitment as a husband and father is to our wives and our children.  Anything that takes us away from them - and hinders us from being there for them as we should - is not good.  It is another way men "wander" from the nest - and leave themselves (and their families) unprotected.  There is more to this than just the damage done to the man who wanders away.  When he is in this "wandering" state, his family is left unprotected.  His sons are untaught in the things of the Lord - and undirected into God's way by watching and participating with their father in vastly important ways.  His daughters are left unprotected - and grow up with a sense that they have to take care of themselves.  They face dealing with boys on their own - and since dad has been off acting like a boy - they don't know what a real man looks like.  Too often this leads to disaster as sons grow up being boys perennially as they follow the footsteps of a father who leads them there by not growing up himself.  Daughters grow up unprotected and wind up going out with and marrying the wrong kind of man.  There are truly multiple disasters that come from a man wandering from his home. 

Men . . . God wants you to be MEN!  That means leaving behind boyhood and choosing to be the man God wants you to be in your home.  The church and our world desperately needs men like this.  We need guys who choose to die to themselves and see more and more as they grow older that life is not about them.  They grow up and realize that shirking serious responsibilities in the home and in the church is creating a horrific society and a broken nation.  We cannot continue on the course we are on - because to do so is to embrace destruction on a national scale.  I realize that this is not just a problem for us - it has been a multi-generational problem in our nation.  Many of us are like we are - because we have had fathers who wandered from the home - either physically, emotionally, spiritually, or all the above.  But we cannot continue on this path - it surely leads to disaster!  May God move in our hearts and in our homes to fulfill His promise in Malachi 4:5-6.  There the Lord spoke of a day when he would send us "Elijah the prophet" before the great and terrible day of the LORD.  His purpose and ministry would be to, ". . . restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers . . ."  God's promise here was so that He would not have to come and smite the land with a curse.  I think we see all the marks of that curse on our land today.  To be honest, the vast majority of the responsibility for that curse lies on the fathers of today and yesterday - for wandering from home.  May the work of revival and reformation bring fathers back home - first back to the Lord Himself, then back to their wives and children.  Basically - back to the nest - a place they never should have wandered from in the first place.

Like the legs which are useless to the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Proverbs 26:7

There are certain things that are useless in life.  A screen door on a submarine, a picture window in tank, an honesty pledge by a congressman - and here we learn that a proverb in the mouth of a fool is another.

A Proverb in the mouth of a fool is a complete waste of time and energy.  A fool wants nothing to do with wisdom - and this word for fool indicates that he is immovably opposed to God and the morals that come from knowing God.  The fool doesn't care about the future.  He only cares about his own immediate desires.  He thinks that God's Word and ways are stupid and a burden to live by - and rejects them for whatever his lusts are telling him to do. 

The example here to compare how useless it is to have a proverb in the mouth of a fool is that of how the legs of the lame are useless to them.  They cannot walk and cannot move.  Therefore their legs are useless to them.  They just hang there and have no purpose any longer.  This is a tragedy - but then again so is the proverb in the mouth of the fool.  He may say one thing - but his lifestyle militates against it - and he desires something altogether different. 

When you hear a proverb being spoken by a fool - you can listen to the wisdom of the Proverb - just don't expect that wisdom to be carried out by the fool who speaks it. 

Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men; For it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen. Proverbs 25:6-7

There is a real danger of claiming honor in the presence of leaders and people of importance.  The danger lies in whether they agree with your evaluation of yourself or not.  That is why it is wise to embrace humility when in the presence of leaders and people of importance.

We are told not to claim honor in the presence of the king.  This is because a king or a great man already has a standing of honor and respect.  When we claim one - we may claim something they don't think we should have.  We are also told to be careful about standing in the place of great men.  Your mother may think you are awesome and great - but that's because she is your mom.  Not everyone in the world carries a picture of you in their wallet.  The wise man embraces humility and a low view of himself.  He is not boastful and full of himself.  Instead he chooses to let his works, his attitudes, and his value be evaluated by others who see what he does.  He focuses on being a servant and being a person of excellence.  Whatever happens as a result of his actions he lets others decide.  This way, if he is lifted up and praised, it is due to the words of others and not due to the arrogant braggadocio of his own words. 

This is what verse 7 presents to us.  We are told that is it better for others to say to us that we should, "Come up here."  What is being said is that we should leave the praise to others.  When we receive it - others are elevating us.  We simply receive their praise graciously and gratefully.  There is one of the dangers of having too high a view of ourselves.  We begin to believe our own press.  We think we are awesome and that others really should be praising us and lifting us up.  This places us in a very precarious place. 

We read the final admonition to us in this verse and it is one we should think about very seriously.  It's better for someone to say, "Come up here," than or us to be demoted in the presence of the prince.  To be humbled is . . . well . . . a humbling experience.  It is bad enough to be humbled in a one on one situation - but here we are talking about being humbled before a prince - and probably before his court as well.  Arrogance has a very high cost - and that is seen nowhere more clearly than in this one who decided to assume a high place in the court of a king or a prince. 

The Biblical example of this is found in the book of Esther.  Haman was elevated to a high place in Ahasuerus' kingdom.  He was given authority which quickly went to his head.  Soon Haman decided that everyone should exalt him - like he was king.  When Mordecai would not do this - he decided to abuse his authority not just to hurt Mordecai, but to destroy his people as well.  This plot seemed like it would succeed, were it not for the prayers of God's people and God's intervention.  This process wasn't hindered at all by Haman's exceedingly great pride and arrogance.  His fall came when he was asked by the king what should be done for the man who the king desired to honor.  Haman's pride was at its highest and worst point when the only thought that came to him was that he was the one whom the king spoke of when asking this.  Little did he know that the one the king decided to honor was his rival.  Suddenly all the arrogance and pride in destroying an entire people for a slight he felt to his pride was caving in upon him.  He faced devastation as a series of events took place where he was no longer asked to, "Come up here," by the king.  His was a careening fall from grace to his death by execution. 

Arrogance does not pay in the end.  It will bring about a devastating end for the one who embraces it.  But the humble man who does not seek to advance himself will prosper.  He will do so in one way or another.  Either he will be advanced by the king - a turn of events he will receive with the same grace and attitude with which he served in the first place - or - he will continue to serve graciously because his goal was not honor and glory anyway.  His goal was simply to serve those around him in the name of Jesus Christ.  If he accomplishes that - he is happy.

Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.   If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:11-12

Here is a couple of verses that seem a little dramatic to us at first glance.  How often in our society do we see people being taken away to their death and staggering to a slaughter?  We need to remember though that the proverbs not only speak of physical realities but spiritual ones as well.  So how can we learn from this particular proverb?

There is the obvious slaughter to those who know Christ that is coming on the horizon.  That event is the judgment seat of Christ - and the day when all men shall give an account of themselves to God.  Too many think that on that day God's mercy will prevail and God will allow all men into heaven - or - they just deny God altogether.  The problem is that the time of mercy - where God is showing amazing mercy to mankind is NOW - not then.  Every day God has indignation with the wicked (Psalm 7:11) - and as a righteous Judge - He is showing unimaginable mercy by not consuming the wicked each and every day that He withholds the just consequences of mankind's sin.  So contrary to popular thinking, God is showing mercy NOW - but in the day of judgment that general mercy shall no longer remain.  All there will be on that day is grace for those who have run to Christ - and infinite, eternal judgment to those who chose to remain in their rebellion, thinking their own works will bear up in the judgment. 

There have been other slaughters in history.  To the Germans who watched the Jews being carted off to the slaughter houses of the Third Reich, they were responsible to do something.  To those who watched the awful specter of ethnic cleansing in country after country in our world, they were responsible to speak out against it and do what they could to stop it.  In our own nation there has been a silent slaughter that has been going on since 1973.  Abortion has dwarfed the slaughters foisted upon society by the likes of Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Mau, and Pol Pot.  Sadly, this slaughter continues at a rate of 4000 a day - all legally - and now even paid for by our government.  We've exported our murder of the innocents through the auspices of the United Nations and their wicked population control efforts.  So for us to say that such a slaughter is not happening in our enlightened century - is to simply close our eyes to the truth that the wickedness of man has only multiplied to where they have come up with far more efficient ways to slaughter the innocent. 

God's call to us in the midst of the slaughter of the innocent is to hold them back.  You can hear the cry of heaven saying, "Stop this! Hold them back from such a slaughter."  Just like the heros of the past who spoke against slavery - and the racism that desires to cleanse the world of others unlike themselves - we need to speak out and act to stop the slaughter.  To do otherwise is to be complicit with the murderers themselves.  We may not be the actual executioners - but our inactivity and unwillingness to take the cause of the innocent empowers them to continue the slaughter.  I find it the most perverse of activities that people camp outside prisons protesting the death sentence on the most vile of criminals - but justify abortion even up to the day of a child's birth.  There has never been a more disgusting form of execution than that perpetrated upon the victim of a partial birth abortion.  Yet for the most part - our society remains unmoved by this most horrific of injustices.

God's Word to those who sit silently by and watch the evils of a slaughter of innocents is terrifying.  The Lord speaks first to those who claim ignorance.  They say that they did not know this - they knew nothing of a slaughter of this kind.  They say this not because of actual ignorance - but as a ruse to cover their culpability. 

God's answer to them is simple.  He who weighs hearts will consider this.  God is saying to the multitudes who want to ignore such things that He knows their hearts.  He weighs all hearts - and knows exactly what we know and what we do not know.  The term weigh here is used of God's process of moral evaluation.  The Lord says that a man's ways are all good in his own eyes - but God will weigh his motives and the "end" of his actions.  God weighs our hearts by what happens as a result of our actions.  Even when we choose to deceive ourselves - God is aware of the truth we refuse to embrace.  If this is so in the little perjuries of our souls - is it not even more accurate in the major sins which we wink an approving eye toward by our inaction?  God knows it because He keeps our souls - a term that speaks of how God watches over all that we do.  There never has nor will there ever be something we've thought or done that He does not know intimately.  This is a terrifying thought to those who think God will forget our sin.  To help us grasp this even more clearly the writer of proverbs tells us He is the one who will render to every man according to his work.  This term render is one that is sobering because it means to turn back or to return to another.  In other words, what we have done and what we have allowed - will be done and allowed upon us for all eternity. 

This is true with the physical injustices that we see in the world - but it also will be true for those who do nothing for those staggering toward judgment without Christ.  The ultimate injustice spiritually is when we refuse or cowardly back away from sharing Christ with the multitudes staggering toward the judgment seat without anything to pay for their sins.  What an injustice we perpetrate when we enjoy salvation ourselves, but do nothing to stem the fearful judgment that will come upon others.  We need to speak - speak for the wicked injustices that are happening in our generation - and speak to those who do not know Christ. 

I read a statement somehwere that said, "Daddy, what were you doing when they were killing babies?"  Each generation that passes is often asked by history what they did to stem the tide of evil in their generation.  We look back on Hitler's Germany and wonder why they did not speak out?  We look at the horrific murders of the communist regimes of Stalin and Pol Pot and wonder why no one spoke out.  And at the judgment seat of Christ the loudest thing we will hear will be the sound of our own silence in sharing the gospel as billions face the ultimate judgment of eternity.  In light of such ultimate moments we need to ask ourselves, "Why do we not lift our voices to speak for the ones being led to the slaughter?"

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Proverbs 23:9

There are people in life that you cannot speak to or teach.  That is one of the irrefutable facts of life that you need to realize and embrace . . . or go crazy.  Proverbs addresses this fact today. 

The fool is a dull, thickheaded, stubborn person who will not welcome or allow God's wisdom into his life.  Proverbs 1:7 reminds us that fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Three different words are translated fool in the Old Testament, and none of them are particularly flattering to the one who is a fool.  The first is the Hebrew word "kesl" which speaks of someone who is spiritually dull and characterized by a mind closed to God and His Word.  He is thickheaded and very stubborn in holding to his own ways, his own thoughts, and his own ideas.  This person will usually reject information from others - and is especially beligerent toward information from God.  This is the word used most often for fool throughout the book of Proverbs - and is the word used here.  The second word for fool is "nabal" which refers to one who lacks any kind of spiritual perception or discernment.  The third word for fool is "ewl" and speaks of the one who is arrogant, flippant, and mentally dull.  he is also hardened in his ways and unwilling to change in response to information from others - and once again even more so when it comes to information from the Word or the Spirit of God.  This is the person to whom you are speaking - who is either hearing you speak directly to him - or indirectly hears what you are saying.  We need to see here that we are not even to speak in the "hearing" of a fool. 

This guy will not listen - his mind is closed to the things of God - and thus his ears are too.  He is settled in his ungodly and worldly thinking.  He will not just reject your words - he will despise them.  The word despise is the Hebrew "buz" and means to hold in contempt and utter disrespect.  What we have said here in Proverbs 23:9 is the same as we read in chatper 1 verse 7.  They hate the wisdom of God.  This probably sounds harsh to some who read this and react with the template of being tolerant of everyone's views.  The problem though is not with the person who knows and loves God's wisdom - it is with the fool who is anything but tolerant of God's views.  It is so important that we remember that God's wisdom is simply seeing things from God's perspective.  We learn to look at things the way that God looks at them.  We want to have His mindset and His heart.  But when the fool hears these things - he reacts with disgust - even hatred!  He wants NOTHING to do with God's Word or His ways. 

We see this in our society more and more.  Those who are unsaved are becoming more and more hardened in their ways.  They accuse us of intolerance - and yet as we love them and share the truth with them - it is they who are the intolerant.  It is not that they just disagree with us - they want our views labelled as "hate speech" and forbidden from public discourse.  They radically and hatefully respond to our views of morality - and see them as an afront to their very existance.  Therefore when we speak - they will react strongly to us.  Some will even become so angry that they will attempt to shout us down or shut us down.  Others will go as far as taking our views to court to see them labelled as illegal.  Thus they not only reject them - they reject having them spoken out loud even when they are not present. 

So how do we deal with this?  First, we do what Proverbs says.  We realize a fool when we run into one - and we don't speak in their hearing.  It is not that we hide from them or take our message underground.  We just simply speak to others instead of them.  This is a tricky thing to manage, because we don't want to refuse the gospel to people.  Paul was very harsh toward Christians before he was saved - yet the Lord wanted him to hear the gospel.  Some who persectued the church - came to Christ simply because those persectured shared their faith with them.  So, we approach this with wisdom and the leadership of the Spirit - not just our own tendency to react to the more strident in their views among the wicked.  This being said, we do exercise wisdom and share with those who receive the message.  To do otherwise would be to waste the message with those who will reject it outright.  Even Jesus told us not to throw the pearls of the gospel before swine.  He said that they would trample them under foot and turn to attack us.  Kinda sounds like what Solomon is seeking to tell us here.  So be wise - share the gospel and the wisdom of God freely - but be wise with those who reject it violently.  Share with those who have a heart to hear - a heart where God is granting them ears to hear and a heart to respond to the Spirit's moving.  They won't despise the Word or the wisdom of God.  They will embrace it and prove it by the change that they experience in their lives.

The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave. Proverbs 22:7

Proverbs is an interesting book in that it is presenting wisdom to us.  But as we read it there are times when we struggle with what is being said.  Here we read about how the rich rules over the poor - and we wonder about the wisdom of this statement.  But before we make the fatal mistake of questioning an all-wise God, let's take a moment to look at this proverb without the liability of the class warfare that has too often been used to color our thinking about such things. 

The rich does rule over the poor.  This is too the advantage of both if they are wise in how they conduct themselves.  The rich often become that way because they have learned how to manage things and deal with them so that they are profitable.  These sound like the kind of skills needed to be a leader.  Solomon is saying that this is the case - that the ones who rule over others are usually those who have worked hard to accomplish something.  Ones who have used their abilities to manage and accumulate wealth and influence.  that influence naturally puts them in a position to exercise even greater influence over a larger and larger number of people. 

For those who are offended that the Bible speaks of the rich ruling over the poor also need to consider the things the Bible says to protect the poor.  God has said numerous things to make it clear that He bring judgment upon the man who oppresses the poor.  He warns the rich again and again not to put their hope in riches.  He also warns about how riches can deceive a man and destroy him if he decides to pursue wealth about pursuing the things of God.  God may say that the rich rules over the poor - but He does not in any way condone the rich abusing the poor.  In fact, God promises that He will rise up to defend the poor and needy. 

The second thing we learn from this passage is the dangers and evils of living on borrowed money.  We learn that the borrower becomes the lender's slave.  When I read this statement I remember the rendition of a Disney song that goes, "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go."  The borrower owns the lender - or at least he owns whatever was purchased with loans until they are completely paid off.  Things become worse for the one who owes an exorbitant amount to the lender.  More and more interest is charged the larger the amount - and the worker suddenly is working to pay off the interest without even touching the loan amount itself.  Then the borrower becomes the lender's slave.  He will never get out of debt and spends a lifetime paying for something he will never own.

When I read this particular proverb I fear for our nation.  We are no longer a lender nation - but a debtor one.  Our leadership on both sides of the aisle have mortgaged our future trying to buy our votes.  The sick reality of our situation is that they've bought our votes promising things they've bought with our money as they enact more and more confiscatory tax policies.  Thus we've been bought using our own money - and those who have used it have done so to further enslave us to government programs and promises to save us.  In the end, this house of cards will come crashing to the ground.  Our greed to become rich with loans will come home to roost as our currency and our economy become worthless. 

The wise man does not seek riches through becoming a lender's slave.  Instead he uses industry, sacrifice, and saving to purchase what he wants - and greater wisdom to have what he has saved be used to increase his ability to earn more.  And if he is truly wise, he will use the wealth God has given him the ability to earn to bless others.  He will not allow riches to use him, he will use riches to bring glory to God.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Planning, to some this word is a blessing - to others (and honestly, I have to say I'm among this number) it is a difficult area of their lives.  Yet the Lord has some very pointed things to say here to us about the blessing that comes from diligent planning rather than hastily put together things that happen at the last minute.

We read first here that the plans of the diligent surely lead to advantage.  The word "plans" will help us to see what is meant here.  The word means a thought, purpose, or intention.  The idea is that we are thinking through things - considering their purpose and intention - and therefore laying plans that will not only plan an event - but also plan it with a sense of purpose in what it is to accomplish.  Here is something which every believer should seriously consider. 

God has given us the few years we have on this earth as a gift - but also as a responsibility and a trust.  How we use these years are important.  Do we have a purpose behind the things we are doing?  Are they working for us an eternal destiny and an eternal reward - or are we just committing "chonicide" (just killing time).  Too many times our lives are just being lived with no real purpose or intention behind what we are doing.  That leads to a wasted life. 

Solomon is telling us that the plans laid with a sense of purpose and intention to live for God's glory and purposes - are beneficial to us.  But they are not just haphazard plans - these are plans that are set in place with "diligence."  This word means something sharp and industrious.  It refers to those people who are living industrious lives that are sharp in their focus and intent.  The root word for this referred to a sharp threshing sledge.  This was used to cut the harvest - and was sharpened to make the job easier and more effective.  One might complain of the time spend with a wetstone or file sharpening the metal.  This is hard work after all - and it takes time to sharpen something well.  But if you are having to cut entire fields of grain - you know that the few moments spent sharpening your tool can save hours of time and much additional effort.  So plans laid by someone who thinks through purpose and intent can make living life much easier and more focused. 

These kind of plans lead surely to advantage.  Here is one of the times when I prefer the King James translation to the NASB.  The word here means an abundance.  It refers to an abundance of profit, materials, harvest, or whatever the word refers to and modifies.  It can also mean advantage or a more favorable position - a superior one to someone who has not planned and thought through their actions.  When you plan - you will have abundance and advantage over those who have not thought these things through well.  Planning does not negate labor and faithful effort at a task.  But it does halp ensure that the labor and effort invested is leading to a desired end. 

This way of living is compared to someone who is hasty.  The hasty man is the one who prefers reacting to life - than planning it.  The problem is that reacting to our circumstances can have us being led, not by our purpose and intent, but rather by whatever happens.  Circumstances begin being our leader - rather than us seeking to control many of our circumstances by moving in a planned direction and way.  When you live this way, the result is poverty.  Just as the plans of the diligent man will surely lead to an abundance and advantage - the lack of planning and diligent effort doing something well - will eventually lead us to poverty. 

God wants us to live on purpose.  He does not want us to spend our lives just reacting to whatever happens.  We can do much to guide our lives according to His principles if we will just spend time learning them and directing our lives according to them.  We will find that God's Word gives us a path - gives us counsel on how to live and how to plan to do things that God desires.  This will ensure that we live a life God blesses - not just one that He tries to guide through whatever emergency happens next.  To do this - with diligence and purpose . . . is wisdom indeed.

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out. Proverbs 20:5

Like deep, still waters, so the hearts of men can deeply conceal their plans.  The word "plan" here is key to understanding this particular proverb.  What this word means will govern what we need to learn.  The word is "esah" and it means advice or a plan.  What helps us most in understanding this word is the comments of Zhodiates who says the following about this word.  "It sometimes suggests the idea of a plot." 

The plots and plans of wicked men are hidden deep in still waters deep within their hearts.  Isaiah speaks of these kinds of hidden plans and plots when he says, "Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, 'Who sees us?' or 'Who knows us?'" (Isaiah 29:15).  Thus we come to understand that this proverb is warning us of the ungodly plots of the wicked.  We are told that these plans exist hidden deep within the hearts of the wicked - but a man of understanding will draw them out.

This ability belongs only to the "man of understanding."  He is the one who possesses the ability to distinguish between the good and bad, true and false, and the forthright and the one whose motives are deeply hidden.  This man of understanding has the capacity to look through outward actions and words, and see the hidden places of the human heart.  This one does not accept everything at face value alone.  He not only estimates their words, but the deep underlying motives and aims that are behind them.  It is such wisdom that allows the man of understanding to discern hidden motives or hidden agendas.  This is the way that he draws out the hidden plans and plots of the wicked. 

In the New Testament this Spirit-given ability is called the gift of discernment - or discernment of spirits.  It is a wonderful gift God has given to some to see below the surface.  They are able to see into the heart by God's grace.  What they see allows them to read below those deep waters - and see the real reason something is being said or done.  Normally, without the Spirit of God, someone could easily pull the wool over our eyes and deceive us.  A plan might be laid that we think is gracious, but actually has harm in store for us.  That is when the ability to draw out the plans and plots of men is such a blessing. 

All the brothers of a poor man hate him; How much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone. Proverbs 19:7

Fair weather friends . . . what are they.  The phrase comes from the idea of those who will be with you while the weather is good, meaning that everything is good in your life and you have no problems.  But let a storm come into your life - and they abandon you in the midst of it.  They are fair weather friends who only want friends who have no problems or needs.  That is what our passage in Proverbs addresses today.

The brothers of a poor man hate him.  The word poor here means to be a person who has very few resources and no standing or influence in society.  When a man is poor - and has nothing of this world's goods or things to offer - he is not embraced by very many.  Here we read that even his brothers want nothing to do with him.  They don't want a "nobody" as their brother or their friend.  Those who think this way miss the reality that the poor are rich in faith - a fact they would not have overlooked if they know the Scriptures.

The poor and those lacking in power and influence have not fared well over the ages.  They are overlooked and under appreciated.  Not only does the poor man's brothers hate him - but his friends abandon him.  These are the fair weather friends mentioned at the opening of this post.  Friends are not to be chosen on the basis of how much money and influence they bring to the table.  Unfortunately, that is how men think in the world - and honestly - more than occasionally in the church.  The mindset of, "What can you do for me," permeates the choice of friends.  A lack of value on things like wisdom and godliness - only add to this bad habit. 

Though the poor man puruses these fair weather friends with words, they are gone.  The idea here is that they just disappear.  It is not magic at work - it is just greed and human stupidity.  This is truly the saddest when a person plunges into poverty due to problems, sickness, or injury.  It is amazing how a series of problems when they come separate your true friends from those who only want something from you.  The poor are also abandoned in places of power and influence.  This is especially true in the courtroom.  Being poor does not exempt you from obeying the laws of our land - but often it means you do not have the kind of representation that money can buy.  As a result, the poor often feel jilted by our system of justice because of how the rich can use their money to obtain a better result. 

There is one place though where the poor can receive justice - they can receive compassion and mercy.  That is at the throne of Almighty God.  The Bible instructs us that God is not a respecter of persons.  It does not matter what you have or don't have.  God's justice is blind to those things - and is focused on the truth.  He warned His judges not to take bribes from the rich to pervert justice.  He also said that He gives grace to the poor - and that the poor and the rich are alike to Him.  When the world turns its back on the poor - the Lord will not abandon him.  If ever there were a case where money could buy influence it would have been with the rich man and Lazarus.  But the lesson we learn from that story is that God metes out justice and mercy with exacting perfection.  The rich man was held accountable for his riches and lack of mercy - while the poor man was shown mercy, having faced great difficulties in life.  Both will be held to a judgment based on their sins and whether they have been justified by faith - looking to the Messiah as the One who has paid for their sins and given them a standing of righteousness before God.  Though a poor man may not have a friend or a brother who will stand with him in this life, if he knows the Lord Jesus Christ . . . he has a friend who sticks closer than a brother.