Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you? Proverbs 25:8

Proverbs provides an amazing array of good practical advice for living.  It also has passages that would help in any profession a person chooses.  But there are certain proverbs that fit hand in glove with a specific profession.  Here is one that definitely fits with the legal profession well.  Since the word "argue" here has as one of its primary meanings, "to argue in court" or "to file a lawsuit" we can see that this has great wisdom to offer to someone who is a lawyer - or someone who is about to hire one.

Proverbs 25:8-9 is a great reminder to anyone who wants to argue a case with another - which of course fits perfectly with the legal profession.  We are warned to not do this "hastily."  When someone chooses to argue a case for themselves or against another - they need to make sure that they proceed with wisdom and caution.  To go out and hastily argue a case is to do so without due diligence.  There a dangers in doing this that are inherent in reacting quickly to things.  First, we have far too much emotion in our immediate reactions to argue without undue prejudice in our thinking.  We are blinded to seeing wisely - which is the ability to look at multiple angles of the issue.  When you are blind to something - you are very succeptible to being "blind-sided" when arguing your case.  A wise man takes the time to look at every angle and consider every argument before beginning to argue a case. 

Our legal system allows for argument and cross-examination.  This is inherently wise because it allows for two sides of an argument to be explored.  It is designed to expose hasty decisions and ill thought out arguments so that wisdom and prudence prevail in the end.  We would be wise to "cross-examine" ourselves when we have a knee jerk reaction that drives us to argue something too quickly.  If we did this - we would avoid embarassment when someone who is thinking more rationally dismantles our open and shut arguments - and reveal them to be way more "shut" than open.  This is what Proverbs warns us when it tells us to be careful about hasty arguments.  We are warned about being humiliated by our neighbor in the end when we do this. 

Here we find our Hebrew friend "acharith" again.  This word speaks of the end - but does so from the standpoint of being able to think about what the end of our actions will be.  Here we see that that the end of hastily argued points is humliation by our opponents.  If we saw this before we started arguing in haste, we would have stopped ourselves long enough to properly think though what we were going to say.  I am for anything that will stave off moments of high embarassment.  That has meant seeing my natural tendency to jump to conclusions as more of a jump into a pit of poisoned spikes.  To put it another way - it is very unwise to jump to conclusions.  It is wiser to look before you leap upon someone with your supposedly lock-tight arguments.  The wise man takes the time to consider first whether pre-prejudice has affected his thinking.  The wise man takes the time to decide whether silence would be more effective than blurting out what he thinks.  The wise man takes the time to consider the end of the matter - before starting it.  This, dear saints, can rescue us from a plethora of painfully embarassing moments.  Oh, and by the way, in court - it can mean the difference between a case that is won - and one that is humiliatingly lost. 

My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 24:13-14

Here we have it on biblical authority - eat honey!  There is an interesting study that comes with seeing the benefits of honey and then comparing those to the benefits of wisdom to our souls.  Let's take a look at them today and gain wisdom by learning a little more about honey and wisdom.

Solomon tells us here that we should eat honey for it is good.  Anyone who has tasted honey knows that it tastes good - but Solomon is saying more than this.  He says that honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.  There are sugars in honey that make it a wonderful source of sweetness.  Note though that Solomon is telling us to eat honey from the comb - natural, not processed.  Then we are told that just like honey is good for us an sweet to our taste - so also wisdom is for our soul.  We are reminded that when we find wisdom, there will be a future.  The word used here is "acharith" which means, "a latter end."  What the word says to us is that when we get wisdom - there is a good end to things.  If we live our lives with wisdom - our lives will have a desired end - one that is blessed and good.  We are also told that when we partake of wisdom - our hope will not be cut off.  Wisdom yields a lasting hope.  Wise living is living for eternal things.  Living for this world may seem great at first - but in the end it is bitter.  We have things now - we have pleasures now - but they are all cut off by death.  Ecclesiastes also reminds us that we may be able to enjoy the things of the world when we are young - but when we are old those same things will not satisfy.  The older we get - the less we enjoy things due to the aging of our bodies.  So to live for the foolishness of this world - is to live for a hope that is cut off more and more every year.  In the end - when the "acharith" comes - it is cut off altogether.  Wisdom will protect us from living for a hope that will be cut off.

But how does honey factor into all this?  There are several ways that honey is helpful and healthy for our bodies.  The first is the way that honey gives us sugars.  Refined sugar is digested in a way that elevates our sugar levels in our blood stream - making it easier to become diabetic.  Honey has actually been pre-digested by the bees - and is digested in a way that gives us the energy we need - without an elevation in our blood sugar levels.  In other words, honey gives us what we need - but does so without also giving us the negative.  Wisdom is the same way.  There are those who desire to be smart and educated - but their education lacks God's wisdom and understanding.  When this happens a person has a tendency to become very smart, but also very arrogant.  They get the blessing of knowledge and education - but do so without getting humility and submission to God.  This makes their education dangerous in that they trust a man-centered wisdom - that due to the sin nature in man - rejects the moral wisdom of God.  In the end, their learning tends to corrupt them for they reject God's revelation and view education, knowledge, and wisdom to be purely a human endeavor.  God's wisdom is different.  Like the honey - it offers the good in a way that is not harmful.  God's wisdom educates us - but with a view to submission to God.  The more we learn, the more we embrace humility.  We see that wisdom comes from God.  The Lord does not bypass true learning and education - it is just submitted to God's moral law and is used to bring glory to Him.  Because the God-centered worldview is radically different from the humanistic worldview - the learned gained in each system will lead to drastically different conclusions about life.

A second benefit of honey is that it is filled with antioxidants that help us to fight disease.  We have learned over the years that antioxidants help us fight free radicals - a type of chemical compound in our bodies that weakens them and makes them more succeptible to disease and even cancer.  Honey helps fight these free radicals and keep them from harming us.  Wisdom is like honey in this regard.  Left to ourselves we will make choices that are harmful to us.  The fall of man into sin has guaranteed that.  According to Romans 1 and Ehpesians 4 - our understanding is darkened due to sin.  We will inevitably choose to make a god of our choosing rather than honor the God who made heaven and earth.  Wisdom from God counters this tendecy in sinful man - pointing us to God as the source of wisdom and understanding - rather than turning to our own ungodly wisdom instead.  Wisdom that we gain from God's Word is like a divine antioxidant that will counter our tendency to turn to ourselves and the world for wisdom.  Whereas the world tells us that we are free to make our own sexual choices - even if that involves sex outside of marriage - God's wisdom tells us that sexual intercourse outside of marriage is wrong and harmful to us.  God's wisdom has been vindicated as study after study shows us that abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in it keeps us from all kinds of disease that runs rampant in the sexually promiscuous population.  Like a divine antioxidant, the Word protects us from the free radicals of our sinful nature and the world system around us. 

Another benefit of honey is that is it a wonderful antibacterial and antibiotic.  I learned from a local honey grower in our town that honey is wonderful to use in fighting infection - especially among burn victims.  In China honey is used to keep burn victims from getting infections.  Their success rate in keeping burn victims from getting infections puts ours to shame in America.  Wisdom is just like honey in this regard.  It is a divine remedy to keep us from being infected with the world's thought - and thus from the world's maladies.  God's wisdom tells us that in relationships we should be selfless and patient.  The world tends to be all about themselves in relationships.  That is why there are so many broken relationships in the world.  Marriages are protected from selfishness infections when God's wisdom prevails.  Families are protected from self-centered outbreaks when we apply a healthy dose of God's wisdom to the inevitable difficulties and problems that we will face in this world. 

These are just a couple of the ways that honey and wisdom are good for us body and soul.  When we choose to have a daily diet that includes these things, we will be blessed.  As we read earlier - this will provide us with a desired end and a hope that will not be cut off.  We will find ourselves energized with God's power - as well as protected from the infections of the world in our minds, hearts, and spirits.  So eat up dear saints!  Eat honey - do so wisely, but partake of it.  Take a healthy daily dose of wisdom from God's Word as well.  You will find that when you do this - there will be blessings that will last far beyond a moment - or even a day.  You will be given blessings that will last a lifetime. 

Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

This is a simple admonition here in Proverbs - and yet if we will look at it carefully, it will yield to us some very helpful information. 

The first thing we see is that we are to apply our heart to discipline.  The word "apply" here means, "to bring to" - thus what God is saying to us is that we need to bring our hearts to something.  Here we read that what we bring our hearts to is discipline.  The word discipline is "musar" which means to instruct with discipline.  It refers most often to the discipline given by a father - both by word and by the rod. 

It is very easy when discipline is applied to us for us to not allow it to reach the heart.  We may hear the words - and receive the correction - but we do not bring our hearts to it.  True correction and discipline is for the heart - not the bottom.  It might be applied to the rear end with the rod - but the aim in these things needs to be directly to the heart.  Those who protest the use of the rod see the issue being striking a child - and they see it as evil in all circumstances.  But the godly parent is not aiming for the rear end alone.  They want to instruct with their discipline.  They want their words and their use of the rod to affect the heart of the child.  If you have their heart - in the end you will truly change their behavior.  What Solomon is saying though, is for the one receiving the discipline.  Apply your heart to what God is trying to teach you. 

If you are like me - there are times when you bristle at discipline.  It is not pleasant to have God apply the rod to us.  It is not a delightful thing for us to be corrected and rebuked.  But when God grants us discipline it is only for our best interests.  We can be absolutely assured of this.  Therefore we need to train ourselves to receive it joyfully - gratefully - and educationally.  If we do, maybe we won't need a second dose of discipline to complete the job for us. 

The second admonition here is that we also apply our ears to words of knowledge.  Knowledge here refers to more than just head-learning.  Solomon is telling us about a knowing of God and His ways.  He refers to a working knowledge - a practical knowledge - intimate knowledge - knowledge that truly changes the way we act.  The verb "apply" is assumed here - thus we are told to bring our ears to this knowledge that God is seeking to give us.  It is more than just hearing it - it is concentrated listening.  It is listening to learn and to apply it to one's life.  This is key to us becoming wise. 

If we will truly bring our hearts and ears to what God is seeking to communicate to us, we will be blessed greatly.  God longs for us to be wise and to know and follow Him with all our hearts.  These two practices - bringing our hearts to times of discipline - and bringing our ears to hear obediently what God says to us - will assure that we grow and personally experience all the godliness that God desires to give us when He works and speaks in our lives.

He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish. Proverbs 22:8

The other day something truly amazing happened.  I had planted a batch of tomato seeds, and after a couple of months I went out and harvested a whole bucket full of orages from the vines that grew there.  Now if you are someone who is even the least bit familiar with agriculture, you know that this last statement was false.  If I planted tomato seeds into the ground - the only thing I will harvest from them is tomatos.  There is an unbending principle at work here - whatever you sow is what you will reap.  That principle is what is at the core of what is taught in today's proverb.

Here we have a man who is sowing iniquity.  The word used here is a pretty tough word.  It means unrighteousness, injustice, or wrong.  This doesn't sound too bad until you begin to look a little deeper into the word and its usage.  It is used to describe violent injustice and outright wickedness.  Keil and Delitasch state that this word means, "unsympthizing tyranny, cruel misconduct toward a neighbor."  It describes the actions of one who wants the person who feels his wrong to feel the fury of his anger.  The second half of this proverb makes that clear.  The iniquity that he is sowing is manifest in the "rod of his fury," which is felt by those unfortunate enough to be his victims.  These kind of actions are usually those of a despotic king - or a person who is misusing their authority. 

When one sows like this - they are going to reap vanity.  The word for vanity here is the Hebrew word "aven" which means emptiness or nothingness.  It can also mean sorrow, trouble, evil, or mischief.  The idea here is that this despotic individual thinks he is going to reap the power of his authority - when in reality he is going to reap nothingness.  The thought behind this nothingness is that of utter destruction.  We've watched as this has happened right before our eyes.  Saddam Hussein thought he was building an empire - but what he received in the end was a rude awaking in a hole - and the end of a hangman's noose.  The Word of God warns in Galatians 6:7 that God will not be mocked - whatever a man sows he shall also reap.  If he sows to the flesh, as he is here, he will from the flesh reap corruption.  No one can outrun the hand of God and the principles upon which the Lord has founded this world. 

The wicked man thinks that the rod of his fury will make others bow down and obey him.  He rules only with fear - and trusts that fear alone will bring him the results that he desires.  But the proverb tells us that this man - after all his furious tiraids - will perish.  All his fury will do for him is ensure that his place in history is set as a terrible ruler or leader.  His memory will not be blessed - men will curse it and use it as a byword.  They will remember him not as a wise man - but as a fool.  There lies the man who thought he could rule the world through wickedness and through fear.  No one fears him now - and what awaits him is the utter vanity for which he worked.  Having spent his life living for himself and for his own arrogant pursuits - he will die facing the fury of the One before Whom he will stand and give an account for his actions.  Having rejected His love and His offer of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, unfortunately for him, the fury of God will never cease.

The violence of the wicked will drag them away, Because they refuse to act with justice. Proverbs 21:7

When a man is unjust an violent, he is headed for disaster.  Although at first it may look like his ungodly ways are a means of getting somewhere in life at first, his violence will eventually drag him down to destruction.  In today's proverb, God makes it clear that the violent man is headed no where fast - and that a life of injustice and wickedness will not prosper in the end.

The first half of today's proverb speaks of how the violence of the wicked will affect the wicked man.  We are told that his wickedness will drag him away.  The word for violence here can point to violence itself - but it can also mean robery and a whole host of other socially unacceptable behavior that causes havoc in people's lives.  The wicked think that they can use violence to get what they want.  The extreme examples of this are people who rob others violently - either beating their victims or even shooting them and killing them.  Their actions trigger a man-hunt that works to bring them to justice for their wrong.  In the end, their violence drags them away - and they are either arrested and sentenced to prison for a long time - or in some cases are killed while trying to be apprehended by the police.  Others violently misuse their power to gain things.  The number of CEO's that have gone to jail for abusing the law - and violently stealing the money from their clients and companies is too numerous to list here.  But one thing is for sure.  The violence of their wicked behavior dragged them down in the end. 

The whole problem with these individuals is that they refuse to act justly.  They ignore the laws of the land as if they are immune to them and to the consequences they promise.  They see them and may have even read them - but they think they are above them.  Their refusal to act with justice will destroy them.  That is how God has set things up in this world - that laws are given to identify lawbreakers and bring them to justice.  He even puts the rod and the sword into the hands of government to punish those who do wrong.  The truly wise man sees the laws of society and realizes they are there for the purpose of protecting and keeping people safe from the sinfulness of man.  He does not refuse to act with justice . . . he chooses a just and righteous lifestyle for the wise one knows that it is the way of life. 

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a trustworthy man? Proverbs 20:6

I love it when one of the proverbs has a perfect biblical example in the New Testament.  This is the case with today's proverb.  It speaks of those who declare their own loyalty - but then asks the question of whether anyone can even find a trustworthy man. 

The situation we learn of in the New Testament is the history of Peter.  He declared that though all the other disciples would abandon Jesus - he would not!  Peter made this statement during the Last Supper - and it was followed by strong declarations made by all the rest of the disciples.  But what we saw at the crucifixion was a very different situation.  Peter followed Jesus at a distance and eventually denied he even knew Jesus.  The others did not even make it that far - abandoning Christ in the garden when the mob came to arrest Him.  So much for the prideful declarations of those who proclaim their own loyalty.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a man who trumpets his own loyalty.  Filled with pride - he makes boasts of how loyal and trustworthy and faithful he is.  Such declarations really should be made by those whom he serves.  They are the ones who have evidence of his loyalty - and they should be the ones who speak of it.  Yet this passage states that this guy is blowing his own horn.  Be careful then with those who boast of how faithful and true they are.  And if you are one who has done this in the past, take the advice of another proverb and, "Let another praise you, and not your own lips." 

The question that is asked in the second part of this proverb is also interesting.  "Who can find a trustworthy man?"  Let us take a look at that for a few moments.  There are trustworthy men found in the history of the Bible.  Solomon knew of one because of his own mother.  She was married to a man named Uriah.  Now he was a trustworthy man.  He was faithful to God and to David.  When David brought him home under the guise of asking about the battle, he would not go to his home and sleep with his wife.  That was what David desired so that he could cover his own adultery with Bathsheba.  But Uriah was a trustworthy man.  He said he would sleep in the open like his fellow soldiers - and not go to his home and to his wife.  His faithfulness eventually cost him his life.  David, who was not being a trustworthy man, had Uriah killed by taking him too close to the wall - where the archers were able to kill him.

The history of the world is a history of men being unfaithful.  When Solomon asks if anyone can find a trustworthy man - he is asking a very poignent question.  There are actually no trustworthy men on the face of the earth - except one.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  All have turned aside and become worthless.  There is a sin nature that is in every man and woman alive that will eventually prove they are not an absolute trustworthy person. 

There has only been one trustworthy man - the man Christ Jesus.  God testified to that at His baptism where He declared, "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased."  Near the end of his time on earth - God allowed James, John, and Peter to see Jesus' inner nature at the Mount of Transfiguration - where the absolute purity and trustworthiness of Jesus was allowed to shine forth.  And His resurrection from the dead was absolute proof that He was the only trustworthy man ever. 

Solomon's question is a good one.  There is only One Who is trustworthy.  That man is Jesus Christ - the God-man.  He was trustworthy and faithful in all God's commandments.  That is why He was able to go to the cross and die for all our sins and rebellion.  It is also why God can now declare us righteous.  It was because of the One Man Who was a trustworthy man.  Although it was said in a different context - Pilate was right when he declared, "Behold the Man!"  Even Pilate could not find any fault in Jesus.  The only sentence Christ was declared guilty of - was the fact that He said that He was the Christ.  The Pharisees and Saducees on the council declared Him a blasphemer - but God declared Him the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead!  The truly wise cling to the resurrected Jesus Christ as the only faithful and trustworthy Man.  He alone is trustworthy to save to the uttermost those who come to Him in repentance and faith!

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a trustworthy man? Proverbs 20:6

I love it when one of the proverbs has a perfect biblical example in the New Testament.  This is the case with today's proverb.  It speaks of those who declare their own loyalty - but then asks the question of whether anyone can even find a trustworthy man. 

The situation we learn of in the New Testament is the history of Peter.  He declared that though all the other disciples would abandon Jesus - he would not!  Peter made this statement during the Last Supper - and it was followed by strong declarations made by all the rest of the disciples.  But what we saw at the crucifixion was a very different situation.  Peter followed Jesus at a distance and eventually denied he even knew Jesus.  The others did not even make it that far - abandoning Christ in the garden when the mob came to arrest Him.  So much for the prideful declarations of those who proclaim their own loyalty.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a man who trumpets his own loyalty.  Filled with pride - he makes boasts of how loyal and trustworthy and faithful he is.  Such declarations really should be made by those whom he serves.  They are the ones who have evidence of his loyalty - and they should be the ones who speak of it.  Yet this passage states that this guy is blowing his own horn.  Be careful then with those who boast of how faithful and true they are.  And if you are one who has done this in the past, take the advice of another proverb and, "Let another praise you, and not your own lips." 

The question that is asked in the second part of this proverb is also interesting.  "Who can find a trustworthy man?"  Let us take a look at that for a few moments.  There are trustworthy men found in the history of the Bible.  Solomon knew of one because of his own mother.  She was married to a man named Uriah.  Now he was a trustworthy man.  He was faithful to God and to David.  When David brought him home under the guise of asking about the battle, he would not go to his home and sleep with his wife.  That was what David desired so that he could cover his own adultery with Bathsheba.  But Uriah was a trustworthy man.  He said he would sleep in the open like his fellow soldiers - and not go to his home and to his wife.  His faithfulness eventually cost him his life.  David, who was not being a trustworthy man, had Uriah killed by taking him too close to the wall - where the archers were able to kill him.

The history of the world is a history of men being unfaithful.  When Solomon asks if anyone can find a trustworthy man - he is asking a very poignent question.  There are actually no trustworthy men on the face of the earth - except one.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  All have turned aside and become worthless.  There is a sin nature that is in every man and woman alive that will eventually prove they are not an absolute trustworthy person. 

There has only been one trustworthy man - the man Christ Jesus.  God testified to that at His baptism where He declared, "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased."  Near the end of his time on earth - God allowed James, John, and Peter to see Jesus' inner nature at the Mount of Transfiguration - where the absolute purity and trustworthiness of Jesus was allowed to shine forth.  And His resurrection from the dead was absolute proof that He was the only trustworthy man ever. 

Solomon's question is a good one.  There is only One Who is trustworthy.  That man is Jesus Christ - the God-man.  He was trustworthy and faithful in all God's commandments.  That is why He was able to go to the cross and die for all our sins and rebellion.  It is also why God can now declare us righteous.  It was because of the One Man Who was a trustworthy man.  Although it was said in a different context - Pilate was right when he declared, "Behold the Man!"  Even Pilate could not find any fault in Jesus.  The only sentence Christ was declared guilty of - was the fact that He said that He was the Christ.  The Pharisees and Saducees on the council declared Him a blasphemer - but God declared Him the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead!  The truly wise cling to the resurrected Jesus Christ as the only faithful and trustworthy Man.  He alone is trustworthy to save to the uttermost those who come to Him in repentance and faith!

He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good. Proverbs 19:8

How does the Bible teach us to love ourselves?  Here is an interesting question because there are some who think that before we can ever love someone else, we have to love ourselves.  Personally, I find that kind of teaching to be contrary to sound wisdom.  The reason I feel this way is because those who are taught such things spend all their time going deeper inward to determine if they love themselves enough.  The problem with this kind of psycho-babble is that happiness comes when we are no longer consumed with ourselves and learn to give our lives for others and for the glory of God.  A person who constantly goes inward to determine if they love themselves properly will have precious little time to love others.  It is usually a downward spiral that can lead to a person being consumed by a desire for their own happiness.  Jesus said that if we love our lives we will lose them - but if we lose our lives for Him and for His kingdom's sake, we will gain them for all eternity.  But this passage in Proverbs genuinely speaks of loving our own soul.  So what exactly is God teaching us here?

The translation here reads, "He who gets wisdom . . . " yet the actual word translated wisdom is the Hebrew word, "leb" which refers to the heart.  What Solomon was seeking to say is that the one who gets a heart - the right kind of heart - loves his own soul.  Here is where we need to grasp what the Bible says about our hearts.  We learn from the whole counsel of Scripture some very interesting things about the human heart. 

First, we learn that our hearts are messed up due to the fall of man into sin.  Jeremiah tells us that the heart is wicked and desperately evil, and is impossible to understand with our own wisdom.  (Jeremiah 17:9)  To plumb the depths of our hearts - without grasping the wickedness of sinful man - will get you no where.  That is why secular psychology will yield very little in dealing with the true human condition.  None of the major psychological constructs admits that man is a sinner - and that the real problem with humanity is a sin problem - a rebellion against God.  The next thing we learn is that God Almighty can understand the heart - and has done what is necessary to change it and transform it.  The change for the heart is available by faith in Jesus Christ.  God takes out of us our heart of stone, that does not respond to God's Word or commandments.  In its place God miraculously puts a heart of flesh that has the very commandments of God written upon it.  Thus we are regenerated in Christ with a new heart and a desire to do what He commands.  The other lesson that God teaches us in His Word is that once we are saved, our hearts and minds need to be renewed by the Word and the work of His Spirit.  While we are here on earth, we will face temptation and a constant battle with the three enemies of our soul, the world-system, the flesh, and the devil.  Because of the way that these three things want to influence our minds toward sin, it is imperative that we renew our minds with the truth - which is God's Word.  Actually, this is the way we "get heart."

We "get heart" when we begin to understand God's wisdom and God's ways.  We no longer try in our own strength to deal with the myriad of temptations and trials that come to our hearts.  We know that such an endeavor is doomed to be fruitless.  Instead, we embrace what God has done in Jesus Christ.  We embrace godly wisdom and understanding.  As we do this we are actively loving our own soul!  Remember that Jesus said that if we want to save our "fleshly" lives in this world - we will lose them.  But the one who chooses to lose his soul - who dies to self - and who embraces a regenerated heart - that man loves himself in the end.  He embraces an understanding of life that has conversion and regeneration at its core.  As he does this - he finds good!  He learns to die to himself - and die to the desires of the flesh.  He learns that when his heart is drawn by temptation to a worldly point of view that he needs to reject it.  He chooses instead to "not love the world or the things of the world."  He goes to the Word of God to renew his mind so that he proves that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect.  He faces the lies and deceit of the devil and learns to expose them for what they are.  He chooses instead a life instructed by the Scriptures.  He spends time in the Word so that he is walking with "understanding" at all times. 

The two words "keeps understanding" are very beneficial to know here.  He "keeps" understanding points to the fact that he watches over it - guards it - and is constantly on the lookout for anything that would detract from God's ways and will in his life.  He keeps "understanding" points to the fact that he desires a discernment from God on all things.  The word "understanding" is the Hebrew "tebunah" which means to discern or understand how things differ.  He looks at every choice wanting to discern the difference between his flesh and the Spirit of God.  He wants to discern the difference between the kingdoms of this world vs. the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.  He longs to discern the difference between his own desires and those given by the Lord.  He yearns to grasp the difference between sin and righteousness - between glorifying self and glorifying God. 

This is the way to love yourself.  You love your own soul by protecting and guarding it from the tyranny of self.  You choose instead to embrace God's wisdom in the heart.  You decide that you will guard and protect yourself from anything that turns you even slightly from a life lived for the glory of God - from a life lived for the kingdom of God - and a life lived by the Spirit of God as He teaches and leads you by the Word of God.  Want to love yourself?  That is the way to do it!

The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. Proverbs 18:8

Gossip is a sin that is too often ignored in the church.  We think it is one of those things that is out there - and it will continue to be out there.  Many see it almost as a victimless act - but the proverb today lets us know that even if everything looks OK on the outside of this sin - the inner workings of it are very dangerous.

The "whisperer" is the gossip.  The Hebrew word means one who gossips - but does so by murmuring and complaining.  It actually means to excessively complain - and the word is used in passages that create serious relational problems between men - and between man and God.  It is combined with other sins like complaining, criticism, faultfinding, and causing trouble.  When God experienced these things with Israel in the wilderness in the book of Numbers, He had very strong reactions against it.  No matter how we define gossip and a complaining, murmuring spirit - God defines it as very serious wickedness.  He deals with this sin very severely.

Why is God so opposed to this particular sin?  It is because when someone hears gossip and complaining, it is like a dainty morsel to them.  Think of gossip like you would your worst craving for a food you know you should not eat.  For me this would be homemade chocolate chip cookies.  I can resist these for a time - but the problem is that being my version of "dainty morsels" - my ability to resist is limited.  Now, if someone set out broccoli puffs, the ability to resist is not a matter of power - it is a matter of not really wanting them in the first place.  Thus, some sins are dangerous because of what they present as well as what they promote.  Gossip is one of these.  Consider your own response to someone who says, "Did you hear about so and so?"  Imagine how difficult it is to resist statements like, "I can't believe what I heard the other day about this person."  These kind o statements are very difficult to resist.  Consider also the gossip magazines that are at the check-out lines at your local grocery store.  Why are they so tempting - and why do they sell - even though many times what they say is either completely false - or an exaggeration of the truth.  It is because the thought of knowing something about someone else that is supposed to be secret is something that is very difficult to resist. 

The other reason that this sin is so dangerous is that when we hear these things - Scritpure tells us that they go into the "innermost parts of the body."  The literal Hebrew says that these statements go to the chambers of the belly.  That is why they are dangerous and difficult to control.  These statements of gossip are embedding themselves into the innermost part of our being.  We tend to remember and focus on the complaints, the gripes, the criticism and fault-finding that others throw out at us.  We look at the person against whom such criticism is leveled with a jaded eye after hearing these things.  They color how we see them and how we respond to them - and usually we respond negatively after hearing such things.  Unfortunately this is the case whether such things are true or false.  That is why the very word used for whisperer here is identified with those who cause relational troubles between people. 

So how do we deal with this sin - in ourselves and in others.  First of all we refuse to participate in gossip ourselves.  One principle that is helpful is to use any information we have about others that could be the source of gossip and criticism as fuel for intercessory prayer rather than gossip.  When we do this we will insure that we only eat our dainty morsels in the presence of God.  There we take such information and use it in mercy - to pray for someone.  We never use it for judgment - to injure them with words that we speak to others.  Secondly we refuse to listen to gossip from others.  Elsewhere in Proverbs we read that an angry countenance will send away a backbiting tongue.  Two things I try to do personally when gossip comes my way is to first say that I would prefer not hearing it.  When someone seems to want to persist, I then tell them I will listen - but only for the purpose of getting them together with the person with whom they have a problem within a couple of weeks.  This has led to two things.  It has led to people stopping the gossip from being spoken - and it when someone continues - it has led to me becoming a peacemaker between them and the person with whom they are offended.  Oh, and as people have gossipped about how I deal with gossip - it has led to the gossips avoiding me like the plague. 

Don't let the dainty morsels of gossip lodge themselves into your spirit.  Refuse to hear it - and if someone persists take the role of a peacemaker.  You will be doing yourself a favor first of all - and secondly, you will be causing blessing to come to the body of Christ as you do your part to stop this sin in its tracks when it seeks to come into your fellowship and divide the saints. 

A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers. Proverbs 17:8

Bribes are interesting things in the world around us.  I remember going on a trip to Mexico and experiencing the power of a bribe.  I watched as our group was slowed to a halt at the border.  It was very apparent that we were going to be held up for a long amount of time unless a bribe was paid.  Fortunately for us (because the border guards were talking hours before they would let us through - if even allowing us at all) the people who took us knew of these shady dealings and had money actually budgeted for bribes if they were necessary.  Once the money was paid, the wheels were greased and we were taken through customs (where we knew we had every passport and visa in order) and were on our way to minister to those for whom we had come to minister. 

A bribe is like a charm in the sight of its owner.  That charm often takes a situation where you are stalled or opposed and turns it around.  Suddenly you are moved from a stalled status - to a faorable one.  You are afforded favor where once there was no favor.  Now realize that Solomon is not saying that this is something wonderful - for elsewhere in the Scriptures we read where those who will receive bribes are those who pervert justice in doing so.  But as with some of the Proverbs - this book was written to speak of the basic behavior of men - and the blessing of knowing this behaior in advance. 

There is something that needs to be said about bribes though.  We read where Solomon speaks of how a bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner.  The "briber" here is thinking that his bribe will get him whatever he wants.  There are two instances where this will not be the case.  In fact, in these two cases a bribe will be seen as offensive and degrading.  The first place is with a just and righteous man.  To him a bribe says two things.  First it says that the men with whom he is dealing is not an honorable man.  He is not willing to let his character and works stand on their own.  He feels the need to help things along with money.  The second case is at the throne of God.  There is no payment that is enough to bribe God.  He is holy and cannot be bribed or misled by some payment.  Bribes can work like charms and prosper a man when used on the ungodly.  But remember that just as the man thinks he can charm a cobra and make it do what he wants - so also that situation - that cobra can turn on him.  If a man will receive a bribe from you - he will receive a larger one from someone else.  It is better to allow your character to speak and be the reason you prosper.  To do otherwise may gain you prosperity on earth - but will never bless you in the sight of God.