Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro
 
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.

 
 
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.
 
 
He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool. Proverbs 26:6

There are certain things you do not ever give to a fool.  One of these things is any message that you want given to another.  The fool, who is ultimately concerned with himself, will do a bad job of doing anything given to him.  Here we have two amazing statements made about the man who gives the job of communicating a message through the means of a fool. 

The first is that sending a message through a fool is akin to cutting off your own feet.  One expects a fool to take a message and use his own two lets to get the message to another.  Seeing that a fool is lazy and undisciplined, this is a very unwise choice.  When we send a message through a messenger - we are supplementing the use of our own legs with the legs of the one who carries the message.  Here though, the fool is utterly unreliable in this task.  Therefore sending a message with him is like cutting off your own two feet.  Your chances are if the messages is communicated at all, it is communicated badly. 

The second picture is of a man who drinks violence.  The reason you send a message with another is so that you will be refreshed by their work on your behalf.  A message sent by a faithful envoy is like a cool drink - it refreshes you and it lessens your own work load in the time being.  Unfortunately, when you send a message by the hands of a fool, that is not going to happen.  When you do this it is like drinking violence.  You will have to deal with the damage and the scorn of those who have either not received the message at all - or they have not heard what you meant for them to hear.  When this happens, you are facing a situation where someone is offended and angry over the "messing-up of the message."  Rather than your work being lessened, it is increased - and that with a new problem of someone who is angry with you. 

Those by whom we send messages to others ned to be those with the highest levels of responsibility and trustworthiness.  The communication of that message can either be a delight or a debacle.  The wise man makes sure that his messages are carried by those who are wise like him.  Better to take the message yourself than to have a fool take it and create a very bad situation.  Even better than this is to cultivate good messengers who will truly and selflessly take any message given to them and faithfully transmit it to those to whom it is sent. 

 
 
Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your intimate friend; That they may keep you from an adulteress, From the foreigner who flatters with her words. Proverbs 7:4-5

Solomon is teaching his son the kind of relationship you should have with wisdom and understanding.  He uses two interesting pictures here to describe this relationship - but they become so much clearer when you see the issue that wisdom is addressing in our lives. 

"Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister."  That is the first metaphor that Solomon uses to describe our relationship with wisdom.  Wisdom should have a place in our heart like family does.  Like a sister walks with us and can speak to us - so wisdom is to have that access in our lives.  We are to allow our sister wisdom to warn us - and this is especially true in the area Solomon is about to mention.  Verse 5 tells us that this is in the area of the adulteress.  There are few people who can help a brother better than his sister when it comes to knowing when a woman is in his life that should not be.  I did not have any sisters, but I've watched my own daughters know in moments whether a woman was good for their brothers or not.  I've also seen them speak to their brothers lovingly yet firmly of this as well.  But even closer to us that the wise counsel of our sisters is the counsel of the Holy Spirit as He speaks wisdom to us concerning this issue.  He is trying to get us to see things from the perspective of the Father in heaven - who sees exactly what a woman is and is not.  Oh, how we need to listen and to heed his warnings - and see the adulteress outside our hormonal view that too often dominates and deceives us. 

Another way to see this is to call understanding our intimate friend.  Here is a word that is even more fascinating.    Intimate friend here is the Hebrew word "moda" which means a kinsman or relative.  What is truly wonderful about this word is that it is the word used in Ruth for the kinsman redeemer.  This is a picture of Christ, who redeems us out of our slavery and out of our troubles.  Understanding can redeem us from a bad situation when we are about to be involved with a woman who will destroy us.  When we understand, we discern godly actions - and that discernment helps us to make right choices.  We not only see wisdom, but we comprehend it.  

Zhodiates comments on this word are eerie when we see it used here.  "A lack of this kind of understanding was morally culpable and resulted in sin."  When we lack understanding - when we do not discern that an action is evil and will result in us sinning against God and others - we are in great danger.  We've all heard the statement - it is one thing to know the Bible, but another to understanding it and apply it to all of life.  That is what Solomon is saying to his son here - that understanding should be like his kinsman redeemer.  Understanding and the abilty to discern evil from good - as well as the direction to actually choose it as well - will rescue him from many dangers.  The lack of these will leave him open to much harm - and that is multiplied when it comes to situations involving the adulteress.

 We begin to grasp why wisdom and understanding need to be our sister and kinsman redeemer when we see the way that the adulteress seeks to capture men.  The wise father here is offering very sage advice to his son - in an effort to rescue him from the snares of immoral women who would capture him with their wiles. Wisdom and understanding keep us from the adulteress.  There is something we need to hear in our day - or any day for that matter.  If a man does not walk in this world with his spirit open to the Holy Spirit - he will have the normal abnormalcy of walking in his flesh.  I call this normal - because it is the state of all who come into this world.  I call it abnormalcy because that was not how God originally made man - nor is it where God wants us to be.  Too many men, young and old, walk blind to spiritual realities.  This makes them sitting ducks for immorality and every other kind of vice common to mankind.  It is only seeing things from God's perspective that will guard us from the adulteress.  Thus we need to think in cooperation with the Holy Spirit who desires to give us wisdom and understanding - not with our desires and with our labido.  We need to be guarded and protected . . . from ourselves. 

This "strange woman," which is what the Hebrew literally says, is a foreigner.  This term may surprise you, but it has more to do with a "spiritual" foreigner than any kind of nationality issues.  God warned Israel about the nations that surrounded her because their daughters would intermarry with Israel's sons.  God's concern was that this situation would result in Israel's sons worshipping the false god's that these women worshipped.  As a result, these sons would turn from the Lord and follow the false gods of the nations instead of the one true God, Jehovah.

The adulteress has a secret weapon in her arsenal.  It is one that God warns us of - and yet still hundreds and thousands of men fall for it every day.  She "flatters" with her words.  Men love for their egos to be stroked and pampered.  They love it when a woman says nice things about them - compliments them - and tells them how wonderful they are.  (As a man, I fear that this comes from the arrogant prideful thought within me that when they do - they are so right - because . . . well . . . because I just so incredibly awesome!)  Oh, here is the danger, men!  We want the ego strokes because of our pride.  When a man has been married for a while - too often these ego-strokes begin to fade in the marriage due to men being doofusses and due to the natural progression of sin. 

(Just a note to wives . . . ladies, you cannot ever grasp how important it is for your husband to know you appreciate him - and that you still consider him your hero - and a warning as well is needed here.  If you don't do this - or think its just dumb to say things like this cause you've been married 5, 10, 20, 30 years.  I can promise you that at some point, some other woman may begin complimenting and flattering your husband.  He is still responsible to be godly, be pure, and be faithful.  But that task becomes all the more difficult - when he receives no encouragement at home - no ego-strokes - no compliments.  This makes it harder to resist when someone finally appreciates him.  This is not meant to justify unfaithfulness - it just hopefully helps you see that your God-given task of being his helpmate (which includes encouragement and seeing him as your hero) will make it so much easier for him to see the smooth, flattery of the adulteress for what it is . . . a trap!)

The adulteress uses flattery to trap a man.  She uses compliments and smooth statements as bait for another woman's husband.  The word for flattery means words that are smooth and slippery.  What a picture of the deception and the lies that are at work here.  She worships herself and her own desires - and she is working hard through her slippery, smooth comments to get this poor sap to join her in her worship.  He can worship himself and enter into her worship of herself through an illicit relationship.  She catches her prey by luring him in through the baited compliments she places into her trap.

Wisdom and understanding are essential to delivering us from such things.  God's viewpoint is simple men.  Are you married?  Do you presently have a wife?  Then this is totally and completely out of bounds!  If this is absolutely outside of God's will for you - then who could be behind such counsel and such temptation?  We need to see these compliments for what they are.  They are bait on a hook!  If you nibble at the bait - a hook is going to tear through the flesh of your lip - possibly rip open your jaw - and no matter how hard you fight, you're going to be reeled in and mounted as a trophy on Satan's wall!  My how that description just changed how we view the flattery and slippery speech of the adulteress!  We went from being enamored with her beauty and the promise of ecstasy - to feeling sick at our stomachs at the thought of a hook tearing through our skin and the pain that it would yield.  Good!!  That is what wisdom and understanding are supposed to do.  They are supposed to take the silly trappings off of the devil's lies - off of our flesh and its deceptive thoughts - and show us the horror of what truly lies ahead. 

This is why wisdom is to be our sister - and understanding our kinsman redeemer.  They can take the most sensual, inviting situation and show it for what it is.  It is going to be horrible!  It is going to be bondage!  It is going to be regretted in the end!  May God give us grace to see these things - to wake up out of the stupor of our fleshly sleep - and see the truth before it is too late. 

 
 
"For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. Proverbs 8:7

Wisdom is calling to us to come and learn wisdom from her.  Her call is to all places where we walk and live.  Her comes everywhere - and if we will listen we will be blessed throughout every day. 

Wisdom wants to assure us what we will receive when we heed the Spirit's desire to teach and instruct us.  Wisdom will utter truth to us.  The word "mutter" here is very instructive in how wisdom works in our lives.  This word means "to growl, groan, sigh, or mutter."  It means figuratively to meditate or to ponder.  When wisdom speaks to us - it will often be as we take the time to meditate upon and ponder what God's Word says to us.  Psalm 1 and Joshua 1:8 promise blessing and prosperity to those who meditate upon the Word of God.  A wise man is one who meditates upon the things of the Lord - who meditate on the Word of God.  The Spirit of God will speak to us when we meditate - and He will guide us into wisdom and understanding when He does.  Want wisdom?  Then learn to ponder and think about the Word when making decisions about your future and decisions. 

Wisdom also assures us what we WON'T hear when God speaks to our hearts by His Holy Spirit.  We are told that wickedness is an abomination to the lips of wisdom.  When we listen to the Lord as He teaches us the Word, we can be assured that we will NOT hear anything wicked.  This actually will help us to know when the Spirit of God is speaking and when He is NOT speaking.  If we hear something wicked - it is NOT the Spirit of God offering His wisdom to us.  Too often people make really ignorant decisions when they think they've heard God.  But if they are counselled to do something ungodly - something wicked - something unscriptural - it is NOT God speaking.  But if we hear truth - and realize the ramifications of what His wisdom would have us do - then we are hearing the Spirit of God.  Once again the Word "mutter" is so helpful to us in understanding God's ways here.  We will much more likely be receiving God's wisdom when we are taking the time to think and ponder God's Word than in doing any other activity we can do.  It is the mouth of God who is speaking truth to us as we mutter to ourselves concerning what the Word of God says. 

God is wanting to speak truth to us - to lead us in His way.  But to hear Him we need to take the time to ponder and seriously think about what the Word of God says to us.  When we do - we will enter into the counsel of God as He speaks to us about what is right in God's eyes.
 
 
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

According to most folks - you can get wisdom from numerous sources - all of which are pretty much equal to one another.  I know this is not a popular statement - but that view is contrary to what the Scriptures state.  The Word of God makes it clear that the true source of wisdom is Jehovah and the Words that come from His mouth (i.e. revelation of Himself in Scripture).  The world will actually lead you astray in the end - God never will.

Now in order to undestand the previous statement, you have to grasp a biblical view of life.  It is not enough for us to go around and make semi-wise choices in life.  The purpose God gave us life is that we would live for and unto His glory.  That includes coming to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ - then living the rest of our lives to the glory of God.  That is wisdom.  Anything that does not ultimately lead to that end is foolishness. 

Some assert that Confucius, Plato, Socrates, and other philosophers and sages offer us great wisdom.  I do not disagree that they have sayings that are wise - but I also assert that the only reason their sayings reach the level of wisdom is because they agree with what the Scriptures teach us - either directly or in spirit.  The problem with following such wisdom as a source is that none of these men ever came to faith in the God of the Bible.  Thus, in spite of their temporary wisdom - they ended their lives in utter foolishness - following the same rebellious purposes of mankind.  Unfortunately, none of their so-called wisdom led them to see their own sinfulness and the God of creation.  None of their so-called wisdom led them to turn away from their own works and look in faith to God and His solution for the sin of mankind.  I realize that such a statement seems either unbelievably bold or incredibly arrogant.  But this is the standard worldview of the Bible. 

The LORD gives wisdom - this is the assertion of this proverb.  If you really want wisdom - turn to God.  If you want to grasp knowledge and understanding, you are going to have to realize such things come from God's mouth - i.e. the revelation of Scripture.  Jesus said, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."  This does not mean that we have to hear God actually speaking to us every day.  Jesus was speaking of how the Scriptures give us God speaking - His revelation of Himself and His will and ways.  If we learn to listen to Him through the Word - we will truly be wise. 

What does it mean to know wisdom in the area of "knowledge?"  The Hebrew word here for knowledge means a technical or specific knowledge of God, of the world, and of how to make practical decisions based upon what God says.  That is a wonderful thing to have - that specific "word" from God that comes from understanding and applying Scripture to your situation.  The ability to technically use God's Word and the knowledge of Him and His ways to know what to do in every situation you face.  The second word, understanding, helps even more.  It means the ability to discern - decide between two things and differentiate between them - thus a biblically based reason and skillfulness in chosing between what is God's will and what is sinful - or in certain cases, second best.  That means we have the ability through knowing God and His Word to see a choice between two or more things - and then be able to distinguish what is God's will and way - and what is not. 

Some want these things through a direct - or at least that is how they represent it - communication with God.  "God told me to do this or that," is their reply to just about everything.  I used to do this more than I needed to and it presents a real problem for us and for those who love us.  It places us in the position of infallibly knowing God's will.  God said it to us - are you questioning God?  I've heard from God - are you questioning Him?  The problem actually is not anyone questioning God - it is that we are questioning your ability to hear Him infallibly at all times.  Thus we place ourselves in a position of not being questioned about our decisions - and put our friends and family in the uncomfortable spot of not really being able to offer loving critique of our infallibility of having heard from God. 

Wisdom is seeing that the way we hear from God is through His Word as His Spirit teaches us - or grants us impressions and leadings.  Often what I was actually saying when I spoke of God speaking to me, was that His Word said something to me - and I was seeking to obey Him.  In all honesty - I could have misinterpreted the Word - or picked a verse that agreed with what I wanted to do.  Remember, the LORD gives wisdom - and it is from His mouth that the specific knowledge and discerning understanding come to make godly decisions.  Therefore it is wise to appeal to His Word - and also be open to correction, suggestion, and possibly even rebuke as to our impression or leading.  This requires the ability to think critically about ourselves and our decisions - which I know is very hard.  But it also requires us to be able to stand on the Word when we know it is God leading us through it.  In the end, it requires knowing the LORD, the Word, and a growing maturity in both.  God does give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to us.  He gives it freely, according to James chapter one, to those who need wisdom and understanding.  Turn to Him - to where He has spoken objectively in His Word - and learn to follow His leading - not as an infallible inner subjective word - but as a work of His Holy Spirit that can be confirmed through the Scriptures and godly counsel.  He will lead you and guide you this way - and you will be far more secure in that leading - than in a subjective feeling you have inside.
 
 
The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

Loose lips sink ships.  This was a saying used during WWII to speak of the need to be careful of what someone said - because if the enemy were to gain knowledge - it might result in the sinking of one of our vessels as it was in the European theater of the war.  This saying could be changed to "loose lips, sink lives," according to the proverb today.  Let's take a closer look and see why this is so.

The one who is "guarding" his lips is the one who watches over what comes out of them.  He keeps himself from speaking outside of what God wants to be said.  He sets a guard over his lips so that he does what Joshua was told in the first chapter of the book using his name.  Do not let the book of the law depart from your mouth.  The wise man in guarding his mouth - also is guarding and preseving his very life.  There are so many ways that our mouths can get us in trouble.  Think about the number of times we've seen public figures not watch their mouths and pay for it dearly when things were said that ruined them.  Remember Jesus said that it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.  So what comes out of our mouths reflects what truly is in our hearts.  That is why it is so vital that we guard what actually comes out of them.

The proverb also deals with the person who says that they can say whatever they want.  This is true, but there is a cost for this kind of attitude.  That cost is ruin.  The word means to be destroyed, to be ruined.  It also has the idea of terror and fear.  We may think we can say anything we want - but the fact is that when truly stupid statements are made - the devastation they render can be terrifying.  You can watch someone fall from tremendous heights of power and public opinion in a matter of hours when their mouths are not guarded in what they say. 

The guarded mouth is the wise mouth.  We all have things we want to say - but we know that such things often are better left unsaid - and honestly - repented of in our hearts.  To leave our mouths without any kind of guard or watch is like leaving a post in battle unguarded.  It will lead to ruin.