The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. Proverbs 14:10

There are times when a person knows both a bitterness and a joy of soul that cannot be shared among humans.  It is not that people do not try to empathize and sympathize with us, they do.  It is just that certain experiences and certain things go so deep within us that the only One who can comfort and the only One who can understand is God Himself. 

The heart knows its own bitterness.  There is a pain that we can feel both in our physical realm - but much more - in the spiritual realm that is very deep.  It is so deep that we need more than human comfort to deal with it.  There are times when we face serious issues (often life threatening issues) that although we are possibly surrounded by human comforters, we need a superhuman comforter.  It is in those moments when only God can offer us the comfort that we desperately need.  The main reason we know this is because of how God used David to write songs about these moments. 

Too often we forget that the recording studio that God used to record those songs were times of great suffering, sorrow, and trial.  In those moments David expresses a depth of bitterness and sorrow that few have ever touched.  He says things to God that make us step back and gasp when we read them.  Truly he is in a "bitterness" of soul in the midst of such suffering and trial.  And Job reminds us that when a man is suffering his words are like the wind.  David is bitter of soul at times in the Psalms, but it is also in those times that he cries out to God with a passion that we may not know either.  Remember this, it is those who go the deepest in suffering, sorrow, and struggle - who also know the deepest levels of passion for God.

David cries out to God with a bitterness of heart that can only be healed by God Himself.  Actually, it is a blessing when God takes us to such depths because often it takes that kind of situation to make us wholly dependent upon Him.  We see that, indeed as Jesus has told us in John 15, "without Me you can do nothing."  In that moment of complete helplessness we cry out to Him as we've never done before, and we find that He is also, indeed, able to deliver to the uttermost!

Thus we come to the second half of this proverb.  A stranger does not share its joy.  David not only speaks of the bitterness of heart that comes with excruciating trials, he also speaks of the joy of God's deliverance from those trials.  After coming through some fairly deep trials and sorrows I've begun to touch the hem of the garment of such joy.  Just as I cannot grasp the cries of David in his deepest pain, there is also a tinge of realization as I read the Psalms that I'm not sure I am getting the fullness of His joy either.  A stranger to God's deliverance will never share the joy of knowing that God is the One who not only walked in the midst of our firey furnace, but He is the One who kept our clothes from being burned - or even smelling like smoke. 

Oh, the joy of those who know His working.  Oh the joy of those who know when He Who took them into the depths is also the One Who will bring them out again.  Oh the joys of the ones who know that He will wound us, but He will also heal us.  Oh the delight of soul that comes to the one who knows a depth of pain and bitterness of heart that goes beyond human comfort - but who also knows the only One Who can reach beyond human comprehension - beyond human ability - beyond mere human comfort - and can touch our deepest and most bitter wounds and heal them.  May God bring wisdom to you this day, dear saint of God, and may He be your Deliverer and Comforter in your every distress!

With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:9

When words fly like daggers through the air you can be assured that you are dealing with a godless man.  Ours is a day where it seems that the discourse in society is filled with such things.  When you consider things like the news, politics, and the current climate for salcious gossip - it is a wonder that anyone in the public eye can survive it all.  Many do not survive it - at least not without serious scars and damage to their character.  Of course some, by their actions, deserve the things that are said about them, but others are lampooned and skewered mercilessly without cause.  What we read here in today's proverb is that this kind of thing is not new to our particular time - but that there is a way that the righteous can be delivered from such things.

The godless man is the one who destroys his neighbor with his mouth.  The term godless here refers to a man who is impious, filthy, and godless.  The root of this word speaks of how he turns away and wants nothing to do with God.  As a result we see in Scripture where one who is like this is morally unclean (Job 13:16) and whose character lacks any of the positive aspects of godliness.  Consider the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This man has NONE of these qualities.  We also read in Scripture that because of this he often clashes and is in conflict with the righteous.  And of course from what we read here, he is cruel to others.  This godless man seeks to destroy his neighbor with his mouth.  This destruction can be through perverting someone, corrupting them - but the eventual goal is to spoil or ruin or destroy them. 

I hesitate to use politics as an example, except for the fact that we have watched our political discourse turn so bitterly vicious over the past 10-15 years.  I know that some would assert that the political discourse has always been this way.  You can read some pretty horrible things that were said about our political leaders in any generation - but - the way in which the two parties want to destroy each other has reached fever pitch in the last couple of decades.  The way we speak of our President - whether he is a Republican or Democrat has really reached the level of gutter speech.  I was able to vote for the first time in the Reagan election.  Since that time I've watch EVERY president treated with greater disdain and with more incidiary rhetoric in the media since then.  The goal is no longer to point out bad policy and direction for the country in what is said.  The goal now seems to be to utterly destroy the person - and to do so with a scorched earth strategy.  We seem oblivious to the fact that regardless of which side of the aisle this person sits - they are still our neighbor. 

The greater problem that exists here is that what we see carried out in the public eye - is guaranteed to trickle down to the streets of our cities and the homes in which we live.  When we tolerate and even participate in the open destruction of our leaders - we will not escape the climate of destructive speech that it creates in our entire society.  We should learn from Paul the apostle that we are not to speak evil of a ruler of your people (Acts 23:5).  In that situation Paul was being treated wrongly in a trial by none other than the chief priest of Israel.  Yet Paul rebuked himself when he responded with words that were not only critical of his actions, but filled with too much vitriol for biblical standards.  He caught himself, prompted by the Spirit and the Word, and pulled himself back from the brink of being one who sought to destroy with his mouth.  Some might assert that we need to fight fire with fire.  When we do this - we only assure that everything will be burnt down in the end.  Contrary to the spirit of this world, we fight fire with the gospel.

We read here that the rightous will be delivered through knowledge.  I believe this deliverance is two-fold.  First, we will be delivered from the godless who want to destroy us with their words.  Several times in the New Testament we are urged to let our behavior be such that when the wicked seek to destroy us with accusations and lies - our actions and lifestyle will be such that it will answer their lies.  The way we live consistently will be a rebuke to them.  We will not have to answer or come back with our own attacks, because those around us will laugh them to scorn.  They know us - and they will reject such attacks.  That deliverance comes through "knowledge."  Knowledge here is the word "daath" which means not just a head-knowledge, but one that results in discernment, insight, and wisdom.  We get such knowledge from God's Word - and from a life spent seeking Him and walking with Him. 

The second way I believe we will be delivered is that we will not be led into "the fight."  When someone tries to destroy you with their mouth - the natural thing to experience is a strong desire to launch a counter attack.  They throw stones - we throw knives.  They shoot bullets - we drop bombs.  You can imagine where this all leads.  The righteous is delivered in part by "killing your opponent with kindness."  You do not respond in kind - you respond in kindness!  This changes everything.  They may continue to attack, and often will(sometimes kindness drives a person who is seeking to destroy you crazy with anger).  But as those around us watch the proceedings - they see clearly the one who is acting godly - and the one who is spinning out of control.  In the end, we are delivered from our greatest foe - and that is not the one attacking us.  We are delivered from ourselves.  Something deep within wants to rise up and take control - and by the way - that is our flesh.  Instead, we need to have Christ in us respond.  He will grant us power to respond with kindness and love - with mercy and forgiveness.  Know this - respond like this and two things will happen.  First, you will be delivered from your own worst aspects of your flesh.  Second, you WILL win in the end.  Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter - and as a sheep before His shearers is silent - so He did not open His mouth.  That response, dear saints, won in the end.  It did at the cross - and it will for everyone who embraces Him responding like that in their lives through His Spirit now. 

The righteous is delivered from trouble, But the wicked takes his place. Proverbs 11:8

God's ability to deliver out of trouble is nothing short of amazing.  If we only knew all the times that God has delivered us from situations and problems - we would fall and worship at His feet.  As it is we will have to wait for that day when we see Him and know as fully as we are known.  But thankfully the Lord has put some of His glorious history in the Bible from which we can glean the wonders of His power to arrange providence according to His will.

We read here that the righteous is delivered from trouble, but that the wicked takes his place.  The first thing we need to state here is that God does not promise to deliver the righteous from ALL trouble.  There are times when God's purpose is served by the death of His martyrs.  But for every martyr it seems that there are also those times when God does glorious deliverances among His people.  There are two that are amazing because they mirror exactly what is said here in this passage - that the wicked take the place of the one who was delivered. 

We read of Mordecai who would not give worship to the wicked Haman.  Haman decided to do more than just kill Mordecai.  He got authorization from the king to kill the entire people of Mordecai - going after the entire Jewish nation.  As the Jews prayed earnestly for deliverance, God was engineering a wonderful array of providence to provide deliverance for them.  Esther was queen so she had access to the king - and was willing to go even though she was not requested - thus risking her own life.  As Haman proceeded to build a gallows like none other upon which to hang Mordecai - God was having the king experience a sleepless night in which he had court records read to him.  He learned of Mordecai speaking of a plot to kill him - and desired to honor him.  That event led to a glorious change of circumstances - in which Mordecai was delivered from the gallows - yet Haman was hung on them instead.  Instead of Mordecai's family being killed - the family of Haman was hung along with him upon the gallows he built for Mordecai.  Ah, the glories of my God and King - Who can work miracles of providence to accomplish His own will in history.

The second piece of Bible history involves Daniel and a lion's den.  A group of wicked advisors to the king were jealous of Daniel - and thus sought a reason to accuse him before the king.  Darius the King was a vain man so he fell for the trap laid for Daniel.  The advisors had him sign a law that no man could pray to anyone except him for a day - with the penalty being death by lion's den if they disobeyed.  Once signed - these wicked advisors awaited Daniel's godly choice to pray to God three times a day.  When he bowed to pray to Jehovah, they were ready to pounce.  They dragged him before the king and had him pass sentence even though he was loathe to do so.  Thus Daniel found himself being lowered into a den of ravenous lions - a trouble that seemed destined to have him consumed as soon as he reached the floor of the den in which the lions awaited his arrival with salivating mouths.  But God shut those mouths and delivered Daniel until morning.  As he was raised out of the den - the lions did not have to worry about going hungry.  The king, furious with their deceitfulness, had the wicked advisors thrown into the pit with the lions who more than obliged his offer of a second meal - crushing them as soon as they hit the ground. 

God is able to deliver to the uttermost.  We need to know that and trust Him to deliver us when we face trouble because we confess His name.  We also need to know that He is also able to bring the wicked to a most horrific end as well - even having them take our place as He delivers us.  Trust Him at all times, dear saints of God.  He is good and will do what is good in our lives.  Whether He offers an earthly deliverance or not - remember this one thing.  The most glorious deliverance that He offers is that which is bought and paid for with the blood of His own Son at Calvary's cross.  There He delivered us from His own wrath and judgment - not at the cost of the wicked - but at the cost of His own beloved Son.  May that ultimate deliverance from trouble drop us to our knees daily in worship, adoration, and praise!