He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit.  Proverbs 12:17

Today's proverb has a picture to paint for us about being a person who speaks truth and what is right, or a person who is deceitful and untrustworthy in what they say.  The picture that is painted for us is framed by the Hebrew word used for "speaking" that is mentioned first in this verse.  The word used here is the Hebrew word "puah" which means to breathe.  It refers to how we breathe out.  This is a word used in a poetic way in the Old Testament.  In the Song of Solomon it speaks of the day breathing.  This refers to how the shadows of morning flee at the appearance of the sun.  Here in Proverbs 12:17 it refers to the way that we speak - but not just in a specific situation.  It refers to our lifestyle - or - what kind of things come out of our mouths in every situation in life.  Of course what we see in the rest of the proverb is that we either speak truth or deceit. 

There are those who speak truth and what is right.  "Truth" is the word "emunah" which refers to something true and faithful.  The primary thing being communicated with this word is faithfulness.  Through the rest of the Bible the word speaks of character - God's in Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 33:4, 100:5, and 119:90 - and that of people in 2 Chronicles 19:9, Proverbs 12:22, and 28:20.  When someone is speaking truth - they are being faithful in what they say.  The whole proverb says that they are speaking faithfully - and what they speak is finally defined as "what is right."  What does all this mean in the end?  The faithful man or woman declares what is right.  The word for right is "tsedeq" which is the word that speaks of righteousness - or right by God's standard.  It is an ethical word that referred to God's justice and righteousness as represented by the Law of Moses - and by the reaffirmation of God's Word by the prophets.  Here, though, is how this works out for you and me in the 21st century. 

Situational ethics unfortunately rules the day in our world.  Everything is negotiable.  There is no absolute truth - except what you yourself are comfortable in holding - and even that only applies to yourself (except when you are uncomfortable with your own standards - and then you can change those too).  What is left is a society founded upon shifting sands.  But as the people of God - the people saved by His grace - we will stand out like brightly painted, fully lit up sore thumbs!  We are those who regardless of public opinion - hold faithfully to God's Word as our source of truth and what is right.  We not only believe this in our thinking - we also faithfully speak it out of our mouths.  In the midst of a world where the winds of change and compromise drive the public conscience wherever they blow - we are a biblical breath of fresh air when we speak.  To some we will be a breath of death - but to those who are being saved - it will be a breath of life to life. 

At this point I am going to say some things that will most likely offend people - yet they need to be said.  Too often a statement is made like the one above - and yet people will interpret it according to their "situational ethic" mindset.  Thus what is right once again is mired in personal opinion.  A faithful truth-teller will speak up when it comes to biblical ethics and righteousness.  That means that they will speak up about biblical sexuality.  Biblical sexuality is abstinence before heterosexual marriage - followed by faithfulness to one spouse in that heterosexual marriage until death parts them.  Thus a faithful truth-teller will oppose heterosexual immorality and homosexuality, as well as their off-shoots living together outside of marriage and homosexual marriage.  A faithful truth-teller will state that abortion is wrong - in all cases.  A faithful truth-teller will openly stand for racial harmony - and will view racism as evil and sinful.  A faithful truth-teller will state that we are to oppose greed and selfishness by giving to the poor - but will also say that providing for able bodied people who can work is wrong.  Everywhere God's Word makes an statement of ethical morals - the faithful truth-teller will stand - and will speak it.  And . . . just in case a person decides to speak the truth - but not speak it in love - the faithful truth-teller will remind them that the spirit in which you say something (i.e. not like a jerk - and with grace and mercy - yet saying what is true even if the truth itself is offensive) is as important as the truth itself. 

There is a second kind of wind that blows from the words that people speak.  It is the false witness who speaks deceit.  The false witness is the one who speaks lies and vanity.  The word is used of those who were false witnesses in a trial - who lied on the stand.  It refers to a person who says vain things and lives their life in vain.  There is little or no other purpose to their existance than to live for themselves and love themselves.  Their deciet is an intentional misleading of others by either distorting or withholding the truth from them.  Their deceit is evidenced by the fact that there IS absolute truth - but they will not state it or hold to it.  As offensive as some will take this - the false witness is the one who does not speak according to the ethical and moral standards held by God's Law and the entirety of Scripture.  There IS a right and wrong!  God gives it to us by His divine authority - and has revealed it to us in the Scriptures.  Not holding to this - or trying to twist it in any way - is being a false witness. 

When it comes to your words - what kind of breath flows from you throughout your day?  Are you one who breathes forth deceit.  Please understand that in our culture this person is the norm.  They breathe forth the lies of our immoral and biblically unethical society.  We hear them every day on the news - in our entertainment - everywhere.  You and I are to be a breath of fresh air.  They may not see it as fresh because they have been breathing in the sulfuric lies of the pit for a lifetime.  But to speak lovingly and biblically is to speak fresh, life-giving air to those all around you.  Speak the truth.  Speak faithfully.  Speak life-giving, fresh air to all with whom you come into contact!  Be a faithful truth-teller!

The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out. Proverbs 10:31

One of the topics that the book of Proverbs touches on a great deal is that of our tongues and the benefit or damage that they can do.  Here we have another of those proverbs that counsel us on having a tongue that honors and glorifies God.

The mouth of the righteous is described here liks a fruitful tree.  The word "flows" is the Hebrew word "nub" which speaks of something that flourishes.  It means to bring forth or to bear fruit.  It is also used in the Old Testament to speak of someone who is experiencing prosperity.  We are told that the mouth of the righteous has an abundant harvest of wisdom.  The words that the righteous man speaks are like a tree laden with fruit.  That fruit when eaten will lead us to wise, godly choices.  The reason this is true is because men speak out of their mouths what resides in their hearts.  The righteous man can speak forth wisdom because the Word of God dwells in his heart.  Therefore as his heart gives his lips the substance of his words - those words will be in accordance with the Word of God.  Truly then, you will get wisdom from the things that he says.

Not only is the mouth of the godly man mentioned in this proverb, but also the perverted tongue as well. Perverse as used here means something deviated and distorted.  It describes deceptive and corrupt speech.  Here in Proverbs it refers to one who intentionally distorts what is straight and right.  Thus, this man is not sharing God's wisdom, but a perversion of it.  This kind of tongue will be cut out.  This may sound gruesome at first, but the idea is that of cutting something out of the ground.  It referred to uprooting a plant that was not productive - or one that was counter productive.  The picture that we have from this proverb is an agricultural one.  We have a mouth that is like a fruitful tree - and a tongue that is like a harmful weed.  One is a blessing, the other is a curse.  One will be welcomed as wisdom flows forth from it, while the other will be viewed as a weed that disrupts the production of a garden.  The difference between these two is very simple.  One comes from a man who loves with is right in the eyes of the Lord, while the other comes from a man who distorts what is right and true.  He does so because he values having his own desires fulfilled, rather than doing what is right and good for all those around him. 

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man's hands will return to him.  Proverbs 12:14 

How does a man have a "full" life?  This is an interesting question because first you would have to get a definition of what a "full" life is - and then you might be able to answer this question.  My own personal definition of a full life is one that remains full after death when we stand before God.  I know many people who describe a full life - but often their definition rests on a fullness that is very temporary.  Their fullness will go away - and often it will go away quickly.  They will find that either their fullness will end after their pleasure runs its course and begins to cost on the back end - or it will become a glaring emptiness once they leave this life and stand in the presence of God giving account for why they considered what God calls empty - fullness. 

God tells us how to have a "full" life.  It is by being a man who understands the power of words - and uses them to build up - to encourage - to bless - rather than to kill, steal, and destroy.  This man uses his words to bless because we read here that he is satisfied with good "by the fruit of his words."  Every word he speaks is like a good seed - one that God approves and desires for us to speak.  People are blessed and built up.  They are glad that they have been in his presence to hear these encouraging and wonderful words.  That is why he is blessed by them - because rather than his words coming back to haunt him - they are coming back to bless and reward him.  Please do not misunderstand, this is not a "yes" man who only says what you want to hear.  He is a man who speaks the truth - even when the initial reaction is negative.  But he is not wanting a reward of the instant reaction of his words - he is wanting the "fruit" of them.  It takes a while for fruit to develop.  Thus he lives for the long-term affects of his words.

But there is more we learn here.  This man also has the "deeds of his hands" return to him as well.  These deeds are those that honor and glorify the Lord.  They are deeds of kindness - and deeds which Jesus said would cause men to glorify God your Father when they experience them.  Thus they are biblically blessed words - and biblically condoned deeds.  How God wants us to have these kind of words and deeds be those that characterize our lives.  How do we live a life that speaks these kind of words and does these kind of deeds?  It is a life that turns to the Word of God for direction, for counsel, and for the words and deeds that is says and does.  What does God call a good deed?  Do that kind of deed.  What does God say are good words to speak?  Speak those kind of words. There really is no magic formula for a life that is blessed in the end.  It is simply a life that turns to God's Word to define how life is lived - and how one's mouth is used.

Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things. Proverbs 23:33

In our look at the life and times of the drunken fool we next encounter the physical effects of alcohol on our eyes and mouth.  It is a proven fact medically that alcohol will affect our minds - and through that our ability to think and respond to things clearly.

Our brains control both of these functions and since the brain has a large blood supply going to them, they are more quickly influenced by the alcohol levels rising in our blood due to drinking.  Within less than an hour two major problems develop for the drunken fool.  First the
brain itself is hindered from its ability to have nerves function normally.  Alcohol in the blood supply depresses our nerve conductivity - thus it also results in a slow down of our ability to think and react to things.  Next as the blood alcohol level reaches muscles - our eye muscles will lose their full ability to function and we will begin to have blurred vision.  As these things are multiplied by the drunken fool - the brain may begin to misinterpret information and won't react properly to stimuli that are coming to it.  The more acute the situation the more that things become distorted with some even having hallucingenic conditions in their comprehension of what is happening to them.  One thing I learned while researching these things on the internet is that this is why we should never drink and drive.  The more drunk someone is - the more their ability to react to stimuli is impaired - making them very dangerous on the road.  One test involved giving goggles to drivers that simulated various stages of drunkenness.  At lower blood alcohol levels the failure level of drivers to pass even simple tests was frightening to see.  Things only got worse as the person's blood alcohol levels rose. 

The second statement here is that not only will the drunken fool see strange things - but he will also say "perverse things."  When the brain is filled with higher and higher levels of blood alcohol - the brains ability to filter things is severely hampered.  Things that would normally be supressed flow freely.  The fact that perversity flows more at these blood alcohol levels should be of little shock to us since we know that the Bible says that we are fallen and sinful.  I've been around people who said the most horrible things when they were drunk.  There are people who are the nicest most discreet folks until they get some liquor into them.  Suddenly their mouths are transformed as they begin to curse and say sexually perverse things to the opposite sex.  Some were horrified to learn how they spoke the next day as they recovered from their drunken state.  Yet a simple reading of Romans chatper 3 should remind us that one of the traits of the sinful nature is its horrific effect on the mouth and the tongue.  Romans 3:13-14 tells us that sinful man's throat is, "an open grave."  We are also told, "With their tongues they keep deceiving.  The poison of asps is under their lips."  Finally we are reminded there that their mouths are, "full of cursing and bitterness."  Oh how the mouth of fallen man is loosed without any discernment when alcohol numbs their thinking and their conscience.  Unfortunately, I've known of relationships that were ended because of things that were said in a drunken stupor. 

The wise man knows that the last thing he needs is a relaxation of his ability to discern and discreetly chose how he speaks and lives.  Since alcohol deadens these things, wisdom tells us to steer clear of all abuse of alcohol.  Wisdom warns us against drinking any level of alcoholic beverages because it may deaden our heart's ability to hold our tongues from saying truly stupid and foolish things.  Such passages as these in Proverbs should warn even the novice that taking up an alcoholic drink can be dangerous indeed - especially if we want to see things clearly and speak those things that honor and glorify God.

Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances. Proverbs 25:11

There are certain people who know just what to say at the perfect moment.  Something needs desperately to be said and they are the ones who usually say it.  Whether you know it or not, it is wisdom that gives them the ability to say these kinds of things. 

Like apples of gold in settings of silver.  Now there is something that is worth a little.  You can imagine this artwork as not only being beautiful to the eye - but also of amazing wealth as well.  It is the kind of thing one would hang on a wall as a decoration, but would also have listed as a very valuable asset too.  This is equated to how very valuable a word spoken just at the right time is.  This statement speaks of how appropriate words used just at the right moment in time can be invaluable to someone. 

We see Jesus doing this again and again in His life.  When attacked by the Pharisees and Saducees with a question they think is unanswerable without incrimination, Jesus speaks the perfect word at the perfect time.  This kind of ability and skill is a wonderful thing to have when counselling or when offering comfort to those who are hurting or have just lost a loved one. 

In order to be able to say these kinds of things we need to have an ear open in two directions.  First, we need to have our ears open to God.  He is the One who can give us the perfect thing to say - because He is the One who can see into every heart and know just what to say.  Knowing and being able to communicate God's Word in one-on-one situations is such a blessing to those who receive it.  But to know these kinds of statements, we must walk close to God.  Second, we need to have our ears open to those around us.  Far too many people are never able to speak these kinds of words, because they don't even know that others around them need to hear them.  So preoccupied are they with their own trials and troubles - or honestly with their own desires - that they don't hear the hearts of those who are struggling and in desperate need of a word of encouragement and edification. 

James encourages us to be quick to hear and slow to speak.  That kind of wisdom will allow us to hear others - to hear their hurts and their problems - so that we can apply the Word of God in a way that brings healing and grace to them.  It will be then that we can offer these apples of gold in settings of silver to those around us who desperately need to hear more than just words - they need to hear the right words - the perfect words for their circumstances.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down. Proverbs 11:11

The upright and the wicked have a way of affecting the cities in which they live.  The upright are said to exalt a city by the way they speak.  They bless the city.  The word for bless here is "berakah" and it means to bestow favor upon something or speak well of it.  What is interesting about this word is that its root form has the idea of kneeling and blessing.  What I see here is that the upright may doesn't just speak blessings over his city - he primarily blesses it when he falls to his knees and prays for it.  The blessing here is when a city has many praying, godly men within it.  

I know a story of a small town in Alabama where three precious grandmothers began to have great concern for their city.  Their concern was that the spiritual climate in the city was going down year after year.  They watched with broken hearts as the children of the city grew up and no longer were concerned about spiritual things.  Their response to this was to ask a local Methodist minister if they could pray at the altar of their church each night.  The ladies began praying at 10 o'clock each evening and ended at 11.  Soon, though, they could not finish their prayers at 11 so they prayed longer.  Before long the ladies were praying through the night - night after night - crying out for the youth of the city - and for God to bring revival.  God answered these prayers when an outpouring of the Holy Spirit came upon the city - first in that little Methodist church - then moving the meeting to the Baptist church because it could seat more people - and eventually to the local High School football field because only it could hold the people who began coming.  They watched the entire atmosphere of that city radically changed because hundreds of children and youth came to Christ.  Truly these little ladies - "the upright" - had blessed the city with their words of prayer and intercession.

The wicked though, have no such blessing.  They only tear a city down with their actions and words.  It is telling what this passage calls these people.  They are called, "the wicked" which is the Hebrew word "rasha."  This term refers to the wicked - and one of the ways they are described is as the "criminally wicked."  These men not only do not bless the city - they are taking from it - and promoting a criminal and lawless lifestyle.  No wonder that the city is torn down by their actions.  Their actions promote people disobeying the law and living a selfish and self-centered lifestyle. 

Our nation is in the midst of this very proverb today.  For too many years we have had elected officials that disregard the laws they are elected to uphold and establish.  Congress actually has the gall to exempt themselves from the laws they pass.  If that were not bad enough, we seem to have an endless parade of Congressmen and Senators who are thrown into jail for breaking the law.  What have these leaders given to us over the years?  They have torn down the very country that was given to them.  Instead of protecting and defending it - they are tearing it down with their very hands.  It is absolutely essential for the future of our nation that we see this - and correct it immediately.  It is essential that we learn about our leaders and hold them accountable to be men and women of character and integrity.  If they prove to be other than this - we need to boot them out of office at the next election possible.  We need men and women in office who will bless our land once again by their godly, praying leadership.  Until we see this happen - we can only expect our nation to continue to spiral downward toward destruction.

There is a kind of man who curses his father And does not bless his mother. There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness. There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men. Proverbs 30:11-14

Today's proverb is a four verse description of the hateful, wicked man.  The way this passage refers to this is with the phrase, "There is a kind."  The word "kind" is actually the Hebrew word for generation.  When you have a generation of people who are like this - you have a very difficult time coming upon the earth.  It is an interesting list of things that make for a wicked generation.

Verse 11 describes the first godless characteristic - which is having graceless, ungrateful children who dishonor their parents.  This generation curses their fathers and does not bless their mothers.  They disobey the one commandment with a promise - Honor your father and mother.  The bedrock of any generation is their ability to learn from their parents.  When the family goes awry there will be a basic disfunction and rebellion that will pervade the entire structure of the society.  The basic unit for passing on wisdom is the family.  Proverbs makes it clear again and again in the first 9 chapters of this book that it is through a father and mother that wisdom flows to the next generation.  So, when they have basic disdain for their parents that wisdom is lost to an entire generation.  We watched this in the late 1950's and 60's as almost an entire generation cast off the morals and the wisdom of their parents and decided to start their own revolution.  They decided that their's would be a generation of love and peace.  They tuned out on drugs, turned their ears from hearing and honoring their parents, and did whatever they wanted.  It was a disastrous generation - and those who embraced this kind of lifestyle and living continue to wreak havoc on society today. 

The second godless characteristic of this generation is that they are pure in their own eyes.  The Bible considered this particular sin one that is very damaging.  Those who consider themselves pure in their own eyes are blind to the truth that they are fallen and sinful.  They will justify themselves no matter who disgusting and disobedient their behavior becomes.  It is as if they are deaf to anything God says - and decide that whatever their flesh wants is true and good.  Those who fall into this trap will find themselves hopelessly bound in their sin and wickedness - and will only be delivered by the sovereign goodness of God as He draws them and illumines them to truth that is outside of themselves.  The Word tells us that even though they are pure in their own eyes, they are still unwashed from their filthiness.  Just because we decide we are going to redefine sin in our own minds does not mean that we are not guilty of it in God's sight.  No matter how many times the world tries to redefine sin, God's Word stands as ultimate and absolute truth.  When the wicked disobey God's Word - and decide that their own thinking is what defines pure - they still wind up standing before God as sinners.  But the world in which they live is upside down - and as such it is a difficult place for believers and those who desire to lead holy lives to live. 

The third evil characteristic is that they are arrogant.  This is described as having "lofty" eyes.  This simply means that they look down upon everyone else.  They consider themselves awesome and wonderful, while everyone else is lower than them.  This makes them arrogant.  Arrogance is defined in the Bible as primarily a sin agaisnt God.  Psalm 119:21 speaks of the arrogant as those who wander from God's commandments.  They ignore and look down upon God Himself - and therefore think far higher of themselves and what they want to do than they do of the commandments of God.  Proverbs says this makes them embrace sin and be careless (Prov 14:16) as well as those who stir up strife (Prov 28:25).  An arrogant heart ultimately disregards God.  Such a generation will exalt their own thinking and reasoning above God's.  If anyone tries to instruct them or correct them - up will go their eyes and eyelids as they look down on the poor fool who has decided to oppose their perfect wisdom.  Problem is the fool is the one whose eyelids are lifted in arrogance against God and against those who walk in His wisdom.

Disregard for parents, purity in our own eyes, and arrogance will lead to a society where gentility is gone.  The last of these four evil characteristics is that this generation is one where their mouths are out of control.  Their teeth are like swords - their jaw teeth are like knives - to devour the needy and afflicted among men.  They have no regard for the poor and needy.  They only see them as someone to exploit for their own ends.  There is a complete lack of civility because there was never other characteristics built into their lives to encourage it.  They do not regard parents - who would have taught them obedience and selflessness.  They do not see anything as sin - because they justify their own actions - and would even justify treating the afflicted and needy badly.  Finally, they are arrogant - and view all others as beneath themselves.  This makes it far easier to have little or no conscience at all as long as they get what they want in the end. 

There is a generation that lives this way.  Before you think I am going to refer to a specific generation - think about what the Bible says about the heart condition of mankind.  This is actually what happens in every generation of men.  It happens because of the fall of man into sin.  It happens because we are in rebellion against God - and want to do our own thing.  The generation of which Solomon speaks is any generation from the fall to the end of the age.  Unless God intervenes with the gospel and the saving of mankind by His grace - we would all eventually gravitate in these four directions.  These verses teach us wisdom by helping us to understand where the sinful nature and the flesh will take us.  If anything these verses should make us very open to running to God for his grace and His transformation.  Because if we don't - this is most likely what life will look like.  A world filled with a disregard for parents, filth being called purity, arrogance, and a society filled with harmful and vicious words.  This is a generation to be avoided at all costs.  But the only way out is through the gospel of Jesus Christ - and the regeneration in Him that changes us from the inside out. 

Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another, Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away. Proverbs 25:9-10

Here is another of those Proverbs that seems to directly contradict what has been said in the previous verse.  Here it has to do with arguing your case with your neighbor.  But the thing that truly helps us to understand this proverb is that it deals with arguing your case with your neighbor "alone."  The ESV and the KJV bring this out.

When a person has a conflict with another person, the best way for it to be resolved is for the two of them to get together and to work it out between them.  This is what the writer of Proverbs is saying here.  This proverb has to do with gossip more than anything else.  When there is a conflict, take the conflict to the person with whom you have the conflict - and no one else.  That is what the writer is saying when he says not to reveal the secret of another.  When there is a conflict, we don't need to reveal that we have had one with everyone else.  That is usually what happens when there is a fight.  We decide to talk with everyone else - telling them about everything that has happened and every way that this other person has hurt us - or has wronged us.  That is revealing the secret of another. 

Here is a concept that I know is foreign to the church today.  When we have a fight or disagreement with someone - that situation is to be treated as if it is a secret between us and the person with whom we've had the disagreement.  It is to remain that way - until we've worked it out with that person.  The reason we should do this is because God will give us grace - and give the person with whom we have the disagreement grace.  But anyone we bring into the situation - will not have grace to deal with it.  They will tend to take one side or the other - and soon factions will begin to develop. 

When the person with whom we have the disagreement begins to hear that we've told others - new problems will develop.  The passage here says that when the person with whom we've had the argument hears that we're talking to others about it - they will reproach us for doing it.  There is an additional offense when this happens.  There are already problems with this person - but now they feel that they are being slandered with gossip. 

Now the next step in all this is that the argument begins to develop into a full-sized war.  They begin to send out an evil report about you.  They are so offended that you've begun to gossip, that they begin to gossip as well.  Just as you decided to share the worst of your disagreement with others - they do the same.  You feel greater offense but what they are doing is only what you've already done to them.  The sad reality with this entire situation is that it will continue toward greater and greater bitterness until one or the other involved with be Christlike enough to humble themselves and begin working toward true healing.  This involves actually talking about the problem to the person with whom you have the problem.  What is so sad is that the vast majority of the time all that happens is that the two people eventually move to an uncomfortable silence between them.  Their relationship becomes superficial - awaiting the next blow up that will come in the future. 

Argue your case with your neighbor alone.  That is wisdom.  It will bless you - and honestly - it will bless your church as well.  This would be such a cause for maturity in the church.  We would have to confront lovingly when we have a problem with a brother - but from what I've experienced - we would also have stronger relationships in the church or wherever we are having problems.  May God bless us so that we begin to take this very wise advice and have stronger relationships in every aspect of life. 

He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend. Proverbs 22:11

What kind of person is the king's friend?  That is in interesting question because those who have been in places of high authority know that it is often difficult to determine which ones are their friends - and which ones are befriending them for ulterior motives.  When you look at the circle of those who surround the king or leader - among them you will always find the sycophants who are there to get what they can from the king.  They offer their friendship . . . for a price.  What the leader finds in the end is that this person was not really their friend.  Unfortunately for the king, this is only learned when trouble comes - or when the king no longer can give the person what they want.  So what kind of person is the king's friend?

First we learn that he is a person who loves purity of heart.  The term purity here was often used to describe the condition of being "clean" in Israel.  This was a pretty strict definition - and thus it describes someone who is pure to a very high standard.  When used of a person's heart, it referred to someone who was morally pure - as well as ethically pure.  Since it refers to the condition of someone's heart - it speaks of someone who has wonderful morals, wonderful ethics, and whose thoughts and intents were as pure as the driven snow.  The king gravitates to this kind of person because of that purity of heart.  This is a person who would never be the king's friend for the ride.  If he chose to befriend the king - it would be because he wanted to be the friend of the man - who just happened to be the king.  That purity of heart would be such a comfort to someone who could give you so much.  Most likely, this pure-hearted man would refuse the king's gifts and honors - choosing instead to simply be the king's friend - not the king's benefactor.  It is interesting that among the many named as those who surrounded David, one man, Hushai the Archite, was simply known as the king's friend.  He befriended David just because he wanted to be David's friend. 

Hushai the Archite was an interesting man.  We only hear of him twice in Scripture.  in 1 Chronicles he is simply referred to as the king's friend.  The other place we learn of him is in 2 Samuel 15-17.  We see him meeting David as David reaches the top of the Mount of Olives after David has had to leave the throne due to being deposed by his son, Absalom.  He arrives with his coat torn and with dust on his head.  Here was a friend who stuck with David in the very worst of times.  Sometimes the king will only know his true friends when he is deposed.  Hushai was one of those friends who did not care whether David was king or not - he was still his friend.  But when David faced such horrific circumstances, Hushai was there grieving with him through it all.  But Hushai's friendship went far deeper - and endured even more challenges.  David asked him to return to the city and act as Absalom's servant - to thwart the counsel of Ahithophel.  This was dangerous to say the least, because as soon as Absalom sees him - he notes that this was his father's friend.  He even chides him for being a poor friend, turning on David in his hour of need.  At that moment Absalom could have had Hushai killed or imprisoned.  But Hushai went - and served David well.  He did thwart the counsel of Ahithophel - and later alerted David to get over the Jordan for safety even if they possilby did follow Ahithophel's advice.  Here was a true friend, willing to risk his life to protect his friend.

The other factor in being the king's friend was that you needed to have speech that was gracious.  There are times when I wish we would translate Hebraisms directly - because I think they paint a much more powerful picture for us.  The Hebraism here literally says, "and who has grace on his lips."  What a great picture this paints of how this man speaks.  He speaks the truth - but does so with plenty of grace.  That is the kind of friend the king needs.  He needs someone who will tell him the truth - but will do so with much grace as he does so.  Too many around the king simply tell him what he wants to hear.  They become suck-ups who are too busy trying to woo the king's favor.  But a true friend will both speak the truth to us - but will also speak with much grace in what he or she says. 

Here is the friend of the king - with a pure heart and with grace on his lips.  As we look at him closer, we should see here not just a fitting friend for the king, but in all honesty - a fitting friend for anyone!  This description fits what we should want in a friend period.  May God be gracious to us and allow us to find such a friend in our lifetime.  If we do find one - we should thank God for them - and - be such a friend to them as well.