The poor man utters supplications, But the rich man answers roughly. Proverbs 18:23
What is it about wealth and wealthy men that makes them think they can talk down to other people? I've watched human behavior over the years and have been amazed to watch many rich people speak as if the world should bow at their feet. We've all heard the stories of celebrites and other rich individuals who treated store clerks, servants, and even the police with contempt. Now we read in Proverbs this very same thing - that the rich answers roughly while the poor of this world embrace humility when speaking. First of all - we need to be careful not to over-generalize on this matter. I do know wealthy people who embrace humility and I also know plenty of the poor who are arrogant when they speak to others. But the truth is the truth. When you are poor you tend to offer supplications - the word means to make a request. The idea here is that the poor see their state and thus embrace humility more easily than the rich. The poor man has little to find pride in according to this world's standards, thus he knows that when he comes to ask something - it is best not to add manners to the list of things he has little of in life. The wealthy, though, do have a lot. That is why they have a tendency to speak and answer roughly. Their thought is that their wealth should be respected. They have power - and often are willing to wield it if someone is not jumping through hoops to meet their needs. I remember watching a television show where a rich woman was marching through a store ordering the poor clerks around as if they were her personal slaves. Her actions and attitude were terrible. Granted the purpose of the salesperson is to serve the customer, but that does not give the customer the right to treat them with total contempt. But, this woman was extremely wealthy and with her wealth came worldly power. The idea behind the way the rich answer is interesting. The word "roughly" means the following: "to be strong, powerful, insolent. When used of isolence it refers to a strong, forceful person - wonw who is determined and defiant - in some contexts it also has the idea of greed, covetousness and an insatiable appetite for such things as power and wealth. When referring to how one speaks, it almost always has the idea of answering arrogantly. When reading this list of adjectives one can only shake their head like they would when watching one of this ilk run rough-shod over whomever they think should be serving them at the time. Thinking that their money, power, and position are everything, they consider the world a collection of peons whose purpose is to serve them and show whoever else is watching they are a person of influence and power. This will continue usually throughout their lives unless they receive the wonderful gift of God's humbling, saving grace. What a shock it will be for those who don this kind of attitude at the judgment. Suddenly they will find the tables turned - and a forced humility very bitter indeed to swallow. Yet that is what they face. It will only be in that moment that they will embrace humility and brokenness - which they should have embraced in life - only it will be too late. What can we learn from this proverb? First, we can learn eternal values. What consitutes riches in God's sight is far different from what the world says they are. We read in the New Testament that God has made the poor in this world rich in faith! The currency of heaven does not bear the image of past presidents. That currency flows through faith believing the truth. Second, we can embrace humility toward others - no matter who they are. How have we treated those who serve us in what we would consider menial jobs? Do we answer those we consider "less wealthy" than us with rough arrogant attitudes? Are we gracious no matter what the socio-economic level of person with whom we deal? When looking at this proverb this way - there is much we can learn. The truth is that Jesus Christ was the wealthiest man ever to walk this earth - yet when we watch His interaction with men and women - what we see is Someone who showed precious humility no matter what the state of the man. Oh, that we would learn the same lessons - and manifest the same spirit. And may we grasp that true wealth has little of nothing to do with your wallet - and everything to do with the spirit in which you wield it!
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Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly. Proverbs 17:12
Here I am standing at a crossroads. If I go down one path I'll meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs. To say she is angry about this is the understatement of the century. She is not subject to reason - but pretty much wants to tear apart anyone of anything that she even considers standing between her and recovering those cubs she so prizes. That particular path has to be one of the most dangerous known to mankind. Only a person with a death-wish would ever remotely want anything to do with that path. Yet as I stand contemplating which to take, I'm seriously considering that path, because to be perfectly honest - the other one is even more dangerous. What in the world could be on that path?! Look down that ominously dangerous path - through the fog as the eerie music plays in the background. What do you see - a werewolf - a vampire - a hideous monster - a rabid, ravenous beast? Well, not exactly . . . what you do see is . . . wait for it . . . some fool acting according to his or her foolish thoughts - let's call those thoughts, his folly. Really? You'd rather face a bear robbed of her cubs than that fool acting according to his own folly-filled thoughts? The answer to that question is a resounding YES. Proverbs warns us that the fool is considerably more dangerous. WOW! Maybe we should investigate just what this means. First of all the danger is not just from any fool - a specific one is mentioned. The fool while in his folly is the dangerous one. So don't panic if you simply run into a fool - the really dangerous fools are those who are active in their folly. But what does a fool in his folly look like? Proverbs 10:8 says a fool babbles - just keeps talking about things that are of no consequence. They would rather talk than receive any kind of direction or command. Meet one of these and you are in danger. By the way - this babbling fool is also mentioned in verse 10 of this same chapter. In Proverbs 18:2 we see him again wanting to tell everybody what is on his mind instead of listening to others. This talking/babbling thing is dangerous. Evidently listening to words that are foolish can be a cause of deep trouble. Because there is so much said about the fool I'll try to expedite this overview of the fool. He spreads slander, loves doing wickedness, and is arrogant and careless. He rejects his father's discipline, doesn't respond to correction, and does not stay away from strife. His speech is perverse and his eyes are on the ends of the earth rather than on payin attention to his immediate surroundings. He always loses his temper and trusts his own heart when making decisions - because he considers himself wise in his own eyes. Run into someone like this - and you are taking your wisdom and discernment into your own hands. Better to depart from this man and find far better company. Spend some time with him and your own views will be warped before long. Spend a lot of time with him and he will corrupt your character and lead you down a path of destruction from which it will be hard to return. Believe the Word for it tells you that his map is defective and he is unable to read it anyway. Examine what has happened to those who met up with him - destruction - devastation - being misled. Spend enough time examining all the disaster that comes from meeting up with him in his folly - and having that folly become your wisdom - and soon that path with the crazed mother bear is looking better all the time. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives. Proverbs 16:2
Motives . . . everything can look great that a man is doing until someone begins to reveal his motives. I remember the first time the Lord revealed to me the issue of motives. It was like a light went on inside of my spirit. When the light went on, things did not look very pretty. In fact, things looked horrible the first time God decided to show me my motives in something I had done. If all we do is look at the outward acts of a man - most men will look fairly good. But why is this man doing what He does? Is there an ulterior motive behind all the good works that reveals a darker side to things? This is why Solomon says that even though a man's ways are clean in his own sight, the Lord is going to weigh the motives behind his deeds. It is like a man giving millions to a cause - for all the good press it will earn him in the eyes of men. Sure the money will still bless those who receive it, but the heart of the one who gave it is far from sterling. The word "motives" here is the word "ruach." It is plural, so the literal word means spirits. The Lord weighs the spirits involved in whatever acts that we do. The weighing the Lord does involves taking the act or acts and putting them through His "moral evaluation" where not the act itself is tested, but the spirit in which the act was done. It is possible to do the right thing the wrong way or with the wrong spirit. Such heart-searching is a minefield for humans because they are fallen and will usually think whatever they are doing is fine. That is why the verse says that in his own sight a man considers all his own ways clean (a word used to describe the objects used in worship of Jehovah in temple worship). We need God to reach into the deepest recesses of our spirit and reveal what is truly going on there. Then and only then can we know if an action in which we are engaging - a path we are taking - a word we are speaking - is the right or godly one. It takes going to the level of the work of the Holy Spirit to truly understand yourself. Only God Himself can test us to the level of our spirit. Thus, in the end, fellowship with God and walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit is the only way to ensure that you are walking in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, How much more the hearts of men! Proverbs 15:11
So, how much do you think God knows about you? How much do you think He knows about every person there is and ever has been? How we answer this question often will betray how we live as well. For the person who thinks of God in very low ways, God does not have a knowledge of everything going on in our world. This is especially true when it comes to themselves. God doesn't know everything about me - every thought and every motive. The result of such thinking is that such a person will sin more frequently and reason within themselves that God doesn't know what is going on in their lives. There is a problem with this thinking though - it is inaccurate. This proverb may seem strange to us at first - but it's purpose is very clear once we grasp what it is saying. Remember the fear of the Lrod is the beginning of wisdom. Thus we need to have adequate reasons to respect, honor, and fear Him. One of those reasons is the fact that everything lies open before Him. Nothing - including the thoughts and intents of our hearts is hidden from His sight. This One Who is Judge - knows every conceivable fact about our lives that can be gathered. Sheol is the place of the dead. That place lies open before the Lord. He knows everyone there - and everything about them. The place of the dead is not a mystery to God. He konws every intimate detail about those there - and about everything they did before they arrived. Even in death His knowledge is absolute. What seems to be the idea here is that no matter who you are - God knows all there is to know about you - even when you are dead. But what about those who reject Him - those who say either He does not exist, or if He does - that they offer Him no information about themselves? Well, that is an interesting question - and one which this passage answers. Abaddon lies open before the Lord. What is Abaddon? This is the place of the wicked dead. It means "destruction" and is the Old Testament equivalent to hell. This lies wide open to God. He knows everyone there - and knows all there is to know about them. Even those who reject Him - are known intimately by Him. There is an interesting statement made by some - that God is not present in hell. That is not Scriptural. He is there - but only in absolute judgment and wrath. Those in hell know God - but they only know Him in His wrath and judgment - and will only experience this for all eternity. He knows all about their rebellion and arrogance - and every last bit of it is reaping eternal destruction and devastation. Now, if Sheol and Abaddon lie open before God - where do you think this places the hearts of men still living today? Since God knows everything there is to know about everyone who has ever died - godly or ungodly - it is not a stretch to realize that every man's heart lies open before Him. What a comfort this is to those who seek Him - yet what a terror to those who think they can reject and shut him out of their lives. Yet that is the very purpose of this passage - this proverb. It is given to bring men to the terrifying realization that the One Who stands as their Judge - is One Who has absolute knowledge about them down the tiniest detail of their lives. To rebel against Him is the height of insanity. All their hearts are open before Him - and they will have to answer for every deed and word - every action and attitude - every mood and mood - every sin - all this will be at His instant disposal. This is meant to humble us - possibly even horrify us if we are living definantly toward Him. May He do His work through it to bring men to the end of themselves and to a point of repentance and faith in His only answer, Jesus Christ. Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge. Proverbs 14:7
Ah, the fool . . . here is a guy you will get to know as you read through the book of Proverbs. He is a main character - and what a character he is. Let's take a quick look at this word "fool" and learn a little about who he is and a little about how he thinks. The word "fool" is the Hebrew word "kesil". This word is translated as fool or stupid man. It refers to a stupid fellow or a dullard. This is the dull or obstinate one who does not desire or consider God's ways or paths as worth emulating or following. This guy is someone who does not concentrate on what is right and is apparently unable to see any proper way or conduct. He has no delight in understanding or discernment, hates knowledge and most of all does not fear the Lord. As a result he is a serious detriment to those who are around him and to society in general. His actions not only cause him problems but also endanger all those who are around him. When you read the definition above you can understand why God tells us to "leave the presence of a fool." The New Testament offers sage advice when it tells us that bad company corrupts good morals. To hand around a fool is to invite stupidity into your life. The problem a fool brings is that his very lifestyle rebels against discernment and knowledge. He doesn't want to distinguish between good and evil. His attitude is, "anything he wants is good - anything that goes against his desires is evil." Not only does he militate against discernment - but he also won't listen to words of knowledge. Knowledge refers to skill and ability with wisdom - and any kind of skill that refers to God's view of things - the fool considers a form of torture. If you want to be discerning, if you want to have a skill in taking God's wisdom and applying it to life situations, if you want to have wisdom, you need to be with people who are wise. Being in the presence and under the influence of a fool is not the way to go. You want to be around those who know and love God's Word. You want to seek out those who have walked wisely over many years. You want to be in the presence of godly men to learn these things. As for being around the fool, there is one good piece of advice . . . RUN! The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. Proverbs 13:13
How you view and deal with God's Word will determine in great measure what kind of life you live and in the end, what kind of reward you receive. There have been those throughout history who have despised God's Word. They hold it in contempt. They scorn and disrespect what God has said. They scoff at its commands and laugh at the worldview it presents. For at least two thousand years they have tried to tear it down and make their own words powerful. After two thousand years of this one would think the Word of God would have been beaten to dust. Yet the Word of God still stands - still speaks - still works in the hearts of those who receive it as the Word of God. Not only this, but it still is THE STANDARD by which we shall be judged before God. The man who despises God's Word will still be in debt to it. The grass withers, the flower falls off - but the Word of the Lord shall stand. Every man will have to stand before God on the day of judgment and give account for the deeds which he has done in the flesh. Every man is in debt to the commandments of God - especially those which he has broken. The call out to the living God for judgment and are tied about the neck of those who have broken them like an eternal albatross. Though they rebel against them and mock them, they will be tied to them as surely as Samson was chained to the grinding wheel for his sin. Man may shout and insult the Word of God, but man will also stand accountable to it. The debt mounts day by day - and that debt must be paid. The one who fears and respects the Word of God - who sees the commandment and trembles - that man will be rewarded. It is only as we approach the commandments of God and fear that we will receive wisdom and understanding. What is interesting is what the commandment will teach us who fear and respect it. God's commands require obedience. Our problem is that we cannot offer it - not in the manner God requires. We fall short of God's glory in the commandments and become guilty of sin. By the commandments of God no man will become righteous - for by these very commandments we become aware of our sin and accountability to Him. But the reward that comes from knowing this is that we come instead to a knowledge of our need - of a salvation that is apart from works. This salvation comes through Jesus Christ - Who alone is the reward for those who learn from the Law. As Galatians says - the law is given to us as a school teacher that we might be justified by faith. We tire of our own efforts at reform and restoration and instead turn to the only means of salvation - Jesus Christ. Despising the Word of God is a sport fit for fools. Yet those who learn from the Word - who listen to the Teacher - run to Christ and find in Him a reward greater than any we could have ever fathomed! The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel. Proverbs 12:15
When you think everything you do is great and undeserving of any criticism, you qualify as a fool. For the one who lives uncritically of their own choices in life - is bound to make some seriously dumb choices. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. This proverb speaks of the lifestyle and the consistent choices of a person. The one making these choices is called a fool. We run into the fool often in this book. The fool is the one who hates wisdom, walks in folly, who despises wisdom and morality. Indeed this man or woman is a fool. They so value their own thinking and way that they cannot see how wrong it is. Their fallen condition is not considered a reason to question what they think and how they live. They hate God's ways and paths - and consider only their own thinking as wisdom. He has a thought and immediately congratulates himself for how amazingly wise it is. He should follow through with that thought and give himself to doing it. At no time does he actually think that his thoughts need counsel or examination. The wise man is the one who listens to counsel. He does not trust his own thinking because he knows that he is naturally selfish and self-centered. He wants counsel because he does not consider himself the end of all wisdom and learning. Pride goes before a fall and a foolish man who thinks his own thinking is supreme is definitely one who is prideful. The wise man wants differing opinions and view points because he knows that in an abundance of counsellors there is victory. He wants to know what others think because he knows he can get wisdom from everyone. His heart is not filled with self - so it has plenty of room for the thoughts of others. "Follow your own heart," is the advice of the world. Yet, if we look at this proverb, we see that following such wisdom gives us way too much confidence in ourselves. What we need is the godly counsel of others around us who love the Lord, who are willing to tell us the truth, and who have our best interests in mind because their interests for us are to love, know, and follow the Lord. As a ring of gold in a swine's snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. Proverbs 11:22
One way to deal with lust is to redirect our thoughts and redraw pictures in our mind's eye so that they no longer look good to us. Interesting that Proverbs encourages us to do just that. We live in a time when women are not taught modesty according to biblical standards. It is difficult to be a man who desires to keep his eyes pure in this present world. We are assaulted daily with images from the world that present women in a way that promotes sexual immorality. The number of images that we face in an average day may shock us if we ever counted them - which I don't encourage any man to do. How do we deal with this pictoral minefield? Proverbs does it with a picture. It is not a pretty picture though - and it is meant to disgust us. God depicts a beautiful woman who lacks discretion in a way that will turn our stomachs if we think long enough about it - and that is what I would encourage any man to do when he is confronted with images that tempt him to lust. Like a ring of gold . . . there is something desirable and something beautiful. Consider a ring of 24 karat gold before you. It is designed flawlessly and is a work of sheer beauty. This could be an ornament that would enhance the beauty of any woman who wears it. The problem is a woman is not wearing it in this passage. This beautiful ring of gold is pierced through a swine's snout. When you think about this - it is a truly disgusting picture. Consider a large pig that has just come from rooting its snout in a trough of swill. As you focus on the beautiful ring - you see it is pierced through the snout of this pig. The ring itself is dripping with the refuse of all the spoiled rotten food that was in the trough. In addition to this it is also dripping with the mucus from the pig's nose. Not a pretty picture, huh? Now first of all I want to thank you for bearing with me as I took you through a very disgusting picture. But there is method to my madness. Consider for a moment whether you would be tempted to stare at this ring - desring to take it and put it on as an ornament. Your rightful response would be to say, "NO! Not in the slightest would I want anything to do with that disgusting piece of jewelry." This is why God describes this beautiful woman in this way. If we focused simply upon her beauty, we would be drawn in to her. But, when we see the heart, we are introduced to something vile and disgusting. She may be beautiful, but she is lacking in any godliness or heart that seeks to honor God. She takes her beauty and uses it to lure attention to herself. She wants attention from men - and seeks to get it in all the wrong ways. She is encouraging sin in men and that is odious in God's sight. The Lord encourages her to clothe herself in righteousness and in godly good works. Instead she clothes herself in lustful outfits that draw men's attention to her figure rather than her face and character. This is not a beautiful woman - any more than the gold ring in the swine's snout is beautiful. We just need to look at things from God's perspective rather than our own. A picture is worth a thousand words - and a picture that encourages us to righteousness is worth a thousand fortunes. In a sexually super-charged world like ours - it would be wise to take this picture and use it daily. When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
Talk to much? If you do the Bible says that you are going to find transgression unavoidable. Words can be wonderful things - but when we use too many of them they can also be dangerous things. The writer of this proverb tells us that when there are many words that sin is unavoidable. The word used here for transgression is "pesha" and it means to rebel against God and His laws. I've noticed the more I talk - the more liable I am to say something that is contrary to what God says. Another proverb speaks of those who love words - and who love the power of the tongue. The warning given to them is that they will eat the fruit of this power. What the Bible is trying to say to us is that limiting what we say is actually a wise thing to do. Think of all the times you've been involved in speaking to others and you wish you could get back some of the words that you spoke. Either you said something foolish, or you hurt someone's feelings. Whatever the situation, you really regret having spoken and wished that you didn't. Taking the time to think about what you are about to say is a gift - and a wise practice. Once something is said - it is difficult to take it back. The wisdom given to us here is simply to restrain our lips. The idea here is to hold something back. Not everything that runs through our minds needs to reach our lips. In fact much of what runs throughout our minds would be better left unsaid. When we do this we are being wise. Make the most of the words that you speak - and do all that you can to make sure that the ones you do use are spoken with great kindness and wisdom. Remember, once it is said - you cannot un-say it. Thus it is better to refrain from speaking altogether, rather than speak and then spend hours and possibly days and weeks trying to undo what you've done because you spoke when you should have remained silent. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
There are many who say that they have wisdom for us - that their counsel will help us. There are even those who say that we can get wisdom from people who do not know the Lord and even from some who deny Him. Now, we might be able to get a little "temporary insight" on how to live here and now from such people, but wisdom - never. Let me explain from this passage why this is true. Wisdom lasts. There is a statement that we need to grab hold of in this life. The "temporary insight" that some have will not last. It may hold promise for tomorrow and even for a year from now - but true wisdom holds promise for eternity. Here we read the familiar statement that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we do not fear God - if we do not hold Him in highest regard with respect and honor - we are fools! We don't even start into the path of wisdom until we get this one down. Here's why this is true. If we are supposedly wise - yet all our wisdom passes away the moment we die - is that wisdom? If we are one of the truly insightful, yet we walk into judgment completely unprepared, I think it is not a stretch to say that insight of that kind is blindness. We need to acknowledge God - and honor and glorify Him as God - and then we will begin on the path of wisdom. Until we do this - we are blind, foolish, and stupid. Whereas the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord - the continuance from wisdom to understanding is knowing God. Solomon tells us that the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. We won't have a lick of understanding and discernment into this life and the next without knowing God. Lacking that is lacking what is most precious. If we don't know God - we won't be able to understand and discern what is right. There are those who want to divorce wisdom from knowing God - saying that we can gain wisdom in a way that doesn't know God. They point to the so-called wise men and gurus of this world and say that they have wisdom. Whatever wisdom they have is only because they have stumbled across Biblical principles. But if they were wise, they would turn from their false religions and run to the Lord. Because they do not - not only do they themselves act with penultimate foolishness - but they lead others to do as well. They themselves will end their lives in eternal agony as they burn in the lake of fire with the smoke of their torment going up forever and ever. They will suffer more from the reality that they have also led countless others into the same fate with their foolish advice. The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. We would do well to remember that - and cling to the wisdom that leads us to fear and know God. That and that alone is wisdom indeed. |
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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