Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts. Proverbs 21:2
Men will rationalize everything and think that their views and choices are right. The Lord tells us that these men consider their way right - in their own eyes. The problem is that our greatest scrutiny is not that of our own eyes - but rather the Lord God who weighs our hearts. God told Samuel, when he was looking at Jesse's sons, not to look at the outside appearance. Jesse was impressed with the size and the look of several of Jesse's sons - yet God was not looking for a well wrapped package - he was interested in the contents - the heart. God's instruction to Samuel that day was that man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart. The saying goes, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." There needs to be another phrase added to this saying. "You can't ever fool God." The Lord weighs what is going on in our hearts. The pharisee may look awfully good standing on the street corner praying out loud - but God sees the pride and selfishness of his heart. The giver may make an offering at the temple which sounds and looks impressive to men - but the widow with her two pennies is the one with the most heart in the matter. Oh, how we need to fundamentally distrust what we think is right in our own eyes. It is too easy to be deceived in this matter. Wait for the Lord - search His Word - know His heart and you will find the true measure of any man and any situation. The Word warns us to wait for God's judgment. We are to wait until God weighs in on all things. He is not affected by greed or injustice - He cannot be bought off with bribes or wrongly influenced by flattery - He cannot be misled or deceived. His statements are true statements - and they arise from One who has absolute omniscience - thus we know He does truly know everything. Wait for God's evauation in the end - when every man will receive His praise from God. Until then - trust what the Scriptures say on all matters for a true picture of His mind and what brings joy to His heart. Search them daily and live according to what you find there. That way you will not be deceived into the false evaluation of your own heart - but you will be looking to the One who is right in His estimation of all things.
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Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3
Fighting, arguing, quarreling are addressed in this proverb for today. There are many who think that quarreling is fine - even a sign that a person will stick up for themselves. But according to this proverb - any fool will quarrel. The truly wise man is the one who keeps away from strife. He is the man who knows how to walk away from a fight. He knows when to keep his mouth shut - knowing that saying things at the wrong time can cause a situation to escalate quickly. There are probably men and women who wind up in jail every weekend because they do not know how to walk away from a conflict. They wade into it - either speaking strife-causing statements or going further by swinging fists at someone else. This is a sure sign you are dealing with a fool. The fool thinks that he has to answer everything - he has to put down anyone who threatens him. Thus he is constantly arguing and fighting with others. This gains him great honor - the best seat in the jail cell or the most honored picture among the mug shots. The honorable thing to do is to seek to keep away from strife. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the peacemakers were the ones blessed - not those who can argue the best. It is not those who encourage and enter into strife that will bring peace - it is those who do their best to keep away from strife that fulfill this role. The truly wise man is the one who does not need to quarrel. He speaks the truth in love - he speaks it forcefully - but when things degenerate into strife and quarreling - he extricates himself from such a discussion quickly. Quarreling has the idea of two people fighting over something to make it so. The believer does not have to enter into a quarrel because there is no need to quarrel over his point. When the believer speaks the truth - the Scriptures - he is standing on very firm - very solid ground. He has no need to quarrel over the matter. When the Word of God speaks something, it is the truth. One can argue against it - but all such arguing is pointless. God has spoken and thus the truth has been given. Those who want to quarrel over such matters actually weaken the biblical argument (if that were possible). Their quarreling only demonstrates that they think they have to win in the realm of human wisdom. The godly man - the wise man speaks God's Word and allows the authority of God Himself to bring it to bear on a man's heart. Thus the wise man can step away from a quarrel after speaking the truth. It is an honor for him to do so - and it shows he truly seeks to honor the Word of God. A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will not escape. Proverbs 19:5
Lying is not a wise way to live. Speaking as one who was an avid liar before salvation, the lifestyle of a liar is a complicated one. When you bear false witness or lie about something or someone, you begin a horrific maze of having to remember what you've said - and to whom you've said it. Soon you have quite an elaborate maze of lies which you have to maintain. Either you need to remember the story you've told and the various details you've made up so far - or - you have to remember what you've said in lying to various individuals. This is the only way to keep up the ruse. When you think about it. Speaking the truth is far superior to lying in that you simply say what is accurate and what you truly know and do. There is no back tracking to remember what you've said in the past - because it is always what you say. Eventually a false witness will be punished. When caught they face various punishments. Some who lie in a court of law could face criminal punishments. Those who are caught in social situations face the punishment of shame and disgrace. If caught lying enough times people won't even trust you any longer. They refer to you as the liar - the person who, "you can't trust a single word that comes out of their mouth." The problem with a web of lies is that they eventually catch up with you in the end. You think you are catching others with the lies you tell when in fact the only one who is caught in the web is you. When a wicked man comes, contempt also comes, And with dishonor comes scorn. Proverbs 18:3
The wicked man mentioned here is one who is guilty of doing a wrong - thus a criminal or a transgressor. This is a man who has sinned against others in what he has done. We are told in this proverb that when this kind of man comes - contempt also comes. The contempt mentioned here is an attitude of disrespect and scorn towards him. Thus when the wicked man comes around there is also disrespect and scorn. There is something about someone who breaks the law - who disregards what is right - that brings about a response of scorn and disgust. Look at the recent events surrounding Tiger Woods. He was viewed as a man of great integrity and honor until it became known that he was having multiple affairs. Suddenly all the respect turned to scorn. This is how a wicked man - a law breaker is received. The rest of the proverb tells us that with dishonor comes scorn. Dishonor here refers to something disgraceful and full of shame. When this kind of thing comes, then scorn comes as well. This word means a reproach, a taunting - usually hurled at an enemy or someone who is ungodly. The wicked may be able to hide many of their actions for a time - but eventually things will come to light. When they do - then comes the contempt, the shame, the disgrace, and the scorn and reproach. It is better to walk with the Lord and keep to His paths and ways - than to face the reward of the wicked - contempt and scorn. The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts. Proverbs 17:3
In order to purify sliver it is put into a crucible or refining pot and heated to very high temperatures so that the dross can be scraped off the top. What is left is highly purified silver. Gold is similar in that the higher the purity the higher the value. Thus gold is put into a furnace to accomplish the same process. What this proverb says is that what the pot is to the silver and the furnace is to gold, God is to the hearts of men. We read in the New Testament of Peter's comments in this same vein. "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7) James also tells us of the blessing of testing and trial in our lives when he writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4). So according to both this proverb of God and the New Testament, the purifying process that God uses to test our hearts is a blessing. Why then do we have entire doctrinal systems in Christianity that disdain this process and only want health, wealth, and prosperity to be our lot? The answer to this is a lack of teaching that involves the entire counsel of God. Another reason for this also may be our affluent and oppulent lives in our world today. We seek to insulate ourselves from any bad thing happening to us - or any kind of negative setback. We have insurance and government protection to keep us from having the negative affect us too much. The problem is that God is absolutely committed to our hearts being refined so that we will be holy and godly men and women. What that means in the long run is that God is also committed to bankrupting our entire system if that is what is requires to eventually get to our hearts. There is a scary scenario - yet one that I fear is getting closer every day. God tells us in Romans that all things do work together for good for those who love the Lord and who live according to His ways and purposes. What many don't do is read the next several verses where God says that His purpose is that we are conformed to the image of His Son - that we become holy men and women whose character reflects that of Jesus Christ Himself. For fallen men and women that means testing. If we could hear silver and gold as it is put into the pot and the furnace - my guess is that they do not particularly enjoy the entire process - even though in the end they are refined and far more valuable. Neither do we find that process of trial and testing all that fun either. It is hard - and often it is stressful. It is a difficult thing to encounter - and many times it reveals rather embarassing sins in our lives. Yet as the dross is lifted off our hearts in this process - there comes out something that God can mightily use. Am I volunteering for trials and testings . . . no, but I know that if I want to draw nearer to the Lord and be further conformed into the image of His beloved Son, they are coming. It is just a comforting reminder that in this process the Lord does not have it our for me. To the contrary, this is done out of His utmost love and desire for me to know Him better and relect the heart of His son. Remember this next time you find yourself in the refining pot. He loves you through it all - and more than anything else, all this is working to show forth the glorious perfections of His Son within you. The LORD has made everything for His own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. Proverbs 16:4
Well, here is a proverb that many would rather leave alone. But the good thing about disciplining yourself to walk through the Scriptures is that you have to deal with verses like this one. So . . . let's take a few moments to consider this little bit of wisdom. The first thing we run into is the fact that God made all things. The simplest sense of the Hebrew word "made" is that God is the maker of all things. This comes as a shock to those who hold to evolutionary theory. Yet even their theory does not explain where all things came from - because their theory never explains why matter itself existed. Their theory, whether they realize it or not, has far more to do with their own pride and unwillingness to submit to a god - any god, than it has to do with valid science. The proverb gives the reason why this is so. God has made everything for His purpose! The evolutionist and the atheist chaffe at this statement. They reject God so it is only consistent with their beliefs that they also reject His purposes. Yet, God HAS made everything for His purpose. This world - even as it rebels against God - is fulfilling His ultimate purpose. Oh how angry this makes them. Yet we see at the close of this proverb the most brazen statement yet. Even the wicked are fulfilling God's ultimate purposes when the day of evil comes. This presents to some a very real problem with God. God makes the wicked for the day of evil? That is what this passage says. So the question arises, "Does God make wicked people - is He responsible for wickedness?" The answer to this question is a resounding NO. God is incapable of doing wickedness or evil. He will not - in fact, He cannot sin. Thus this speaks of those who have descended from Adam - who were made after his image and likeness. It refers to God working in spite of the fall of man to accomplish His eternal counsel and plans. He does so in spite of man's wickedness. He is not responsible for it - but He will indeed judge it. Thus even the wicked God works into His purposes. But what is His purpose for them? That is a sobering reality as we see it revealed in Scripture. God's ultimate purposes for those who sin - and then who reject His grace in Jesus Christ - is that they are reserved for the day of evil. This "day of evil" could be just an ordinary day when the just desserts of wickedness are served. But when we consider this view we run into problems because even with the righteous there are days when "bad" things happen to them. This day of evil I believe refers ultimately to the day when God's judgment falls upon them. They rejected God all their lives. They rejected Him with their sinful choices and desires. When God offers forgiveness and grace they reject Him again. They continue rejecting Christ until the day of their death - thus culminating a lifelong wickedness. What remains for them is the day of evil. The day when God brings the ultimate punishment and "bad day" that will last forever. This my dear friend is wisdom. Wisdom is acknowledging God as Creator of all that there is. Wisdom is then realizing that everything He made - though originally made good - is truly messed up due to sin. Wisdom is seeing that sin is not just some ethereal concept - it is a choice. Wisdom is seeing that sin is personal - you've committed it every day of your life by disobeying God's laws and commandments. Wisdom is then realizing God's ultimate purpose by embracing Jesus Christ as His way of paying for sin and providing salvation. Wisdom is receiving the conviction of the Holy Spirit and rejoicing when you are granted repentance and faith! Wisdom is then turning from your sins and trusting Jesus Christ to pay for them with His work on the cross and resurrection! Wisdom is then living for God's purposes all the remaining days of your life - embracing His glory as your ultimate pursuit! Interesting isn't it - how a proverb that seems like a can of worms can wind up being a gracious gift from God? If we will only learn the wisdom of seeing God as the Ultimate - then living for His ultimate purpose and plan. That will be the day when we truly embrace what is wise! The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly. Proverbs 15:2
We come to another passage dealing with the abuse of the tongue - or the abuse of how we speak to others. It is an interesting fact that the Bible says much more about the abuse of the tongue than it does the abuse of alcohol or drugs. By saying this I am not condoning either of those two things, because they are very destructive. But I would venture to say that the abuse of the tongue and how it damages people every day dwarfs the evils of these other two things easily. And whereas we have many speaking of the evil of the other two things - very few are crusading for people to use their tongues to build others up rather than tear them down. The proverb instructs us that the tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable. What a loaded statement this is. Sometimes people reject the knowledge that is shared not because the knowledge itself is offensive - but because the way it is shared is offensive. There are also those who can share pretty offensive things - yet are received well because of the wisdom with which they share them. When we come to people with a know-it-all attitude or a holier-than-thou spirit they will reject anything we have to say. That is why wisdom not only gives us knowledge itself - but also will counsel us on how to share it. Two other proverbs come to mind to illustrate this. One says that more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar. This proverb tells us that if we come with a sweet spirit we will catch more people with what we say. No one that I know is interested in drinking a cup of vinegar. In a similar way people will not listen to us if our spirit is bitter like vinegar. The second proverb that instructs us is actually wisdom Solomon shares in Ecclesiastes. Solomon tells us that there is a time and a season for everything. Among these seasons is the time to speak and the time to be quiet. Sometimes the best wisdom for our knowledge we want to share is to wait for a more opportune moment. The second half of this proverb lets us know that the mouth of fools spout folly. Whereas the wise are wanting to know the most profitable way to share knowledge - the fool has no such concern. That is because the fool is too busy spouting out his folly. The word folly means perversity, foolishness, silliness, and moral deficiency. The Word comes from either a word that means to be thick-brained or stupid. Rather than sharing knowledge with others, the fool is speaking the silliness of his own thinking. He is morally deficient and thus his tongue is only uttering disgusting and perverse statements. Hang around him long enough and you will be as filled with stupid and senseless knowledge as he is. That is why over and over again we are counselled to leave the presence of a fool - and that is especially the case when he is running his mouth. It is much better to spend our time considering how best to share beneficial knowledge with others than in the company of folly-spouting fools. Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. Proverbs 14:4
This is an interesting proverb for those of us who have little or no knowledge of farming or animal husbandry. There is the first and most obvious meaning - which is that when you don't have an oxen you don't have the mess. There is no need to have a manger filled with hay for them to eat. No oxen means no work to take care of them. But - no oxen also means no real revenue. You can work by yourself in the fields - but with an ox or two, you can plow several times the amount of land you do alone. The result is that you have more crops - and more crops means more revenue! This proverb carries over to applications outside of the agricultural world. If you don't have any employees - don't have any labor-saving machines - you don't have the problems of taking care of them. You don't have to deal with people issues - with the cost of insurance - with benefits - with repairs. But . . . if you don't have them - you also don't have the revenue and the profits that they can help generate. The proverb has great application to the business world as you can see. There is a second level of meaning in this proverb though - one that goes past the agricultural or business application. The New Testament uses the ox to speak of how the man of God, who teaches in the church, should be treated. Paul does this in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18. Both passages have to do with those who minister the Word - especially in teaching and preaching. Paul is saying in both passages that the man of God who labors hard at teaching and preaching can be financially provided for in the church. Now let's look at what Proverbs says to us about the ox and apply it this way. Where there are no oxen the manger is clean. When you decide not to take care of the man of God who teaches the Word - there is less expense to the church. This is very true - it usually is one of the highest costs in any church. But when God gives a fellowship a man of God who truly labors to teach and present God's Word - there is also great benefit. Much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. There is much benefit to having a pastor or a teacher who labors hard in the Word. There is the growth that happens in individual believers - there are those who come to Christ because the gospel is taught and presented. There is the blessing of God that comes through the ministry of having a Word-based church. There a tremendous benefits to feeding the ox and having him around. So, next time you are tempted to think that it's not financially worth having your ox around (apology to all pastors and teachers for this parallel) just think of the benefit that comes from the labor he puts into bringing you the Word of God. 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. A man will not be established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous will not be moved. Proverbs 12:3
This very proverb has a wonderful parallel in the New Testament in the sermon on the mount. The parable of the foundations deals with how the man who built his house on the sand, having no foundation except on sand, had his house fall. The man who rooted his house on the rock, Jesus Christ, stood against all the storms and winds that beat upon it. The man who seeks to be established on wickedness is kidding himself. He won't know any kind of firmness or rooting. The word here means to be firm or fixed, to be steadfast and deeply founded. The picture is of a house that has deep moorings into the ground and as a result is very stable and strong. There is no promise of this for the man who wants to dig his roots into wickedness. He won't know stability - he won't have strength that will last. When troubles and trials, storms and winds come upon his life - he will fall flat. "Shoresh" is the Hebrew word used to speak of the root of the righteous. It is a word that means a deeply rooted plant that goes far down into the ground. It refers in Scripture to things like the root and base of a mountain - the roots of large trees - and even the origins of someone or something, speaking of their roots. These are righteous roots though. This man roots himself in what is right. But where can we learn what is right in every circumstance? Jesus tells us that this is when we hear His words and do them. This is the place to find what is right - but more than that - to be rooted in what is right. We are promised that this kind of root won't be moved. Just as Jesus said, this house - this life - will have the winds come down - the rain come down - the storms rise against it and beat on it. But they will not prevail - and that house and life will not fall. In a time when the world around us seems to be shaking at its very roots - men are scouring their minds trying to think of something or find something that will give them stability - it is interesting that we know there is a root that cannot be moved. Oh, that men would turn to this root and find the stability for which they long. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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