The thoughts of the righteous are just, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. Proverbs 12:5
Why is it far more wise to deal with a righteous man than with someone whom the Bible would refer to as wicked? That is what is set before us today in Proverbs. The first thing we see here is that the very thoughts of the righteous are described for us. The word "thought" here is the Hebrew "machashabah" and it means a thought, a purpose, a device, or an intention. The word means the actions and deeds that spring from the thoughts that fill someone's mind. These thoughts that lead to actions are described as "just." These thoughts are governed by the justice and the right-ness of God. The righteous man has as his guide and as his governing principles the Word of God. As the Spirit of God uses the Word to guide him - the righteous man wants to do what is just in God's sight - and thus is most likely to do that which is truly just and right in any situation. That is why you definitely want to do business and to be in the counsel of a righteous man. He is not governed by his lusts and by wicked desires. Things like dishonesty and stealing are just wrong to him. Therefore you can trust him to do what is right at all times and in all situations. One of the psalms describes this man as one who will swear to his own hurt - and not change. This means that even when he sees later that he has made a business decision that is not in his best interests - he will be true to his word - even when that means being hurt by it. The counsels of the wicked on the other hand - are deceitful. You do not want to do business with a man the Bible describes as wicked - because of the issue of character. The counsels here are the advice and the counsel that this wicked man follows. They are consistent with his character, which by the way is seriously lacking. His counsels are deceitful. He may promise something, but in the end he will not deliver on it. He is out for his own good and does not even blink at lying to someone if he can gain from it. He is not trustworthy - and therefore any commitment and any decision he makes is not worth the paper it is printed upon. This is why you want to know the character of those with whom you do business. This is important because a man's word should be his bond - but often it is not. Let me close this particular proverb with a cry for godly Christian businessmen to rise up and make themselves known in our society. As a pastor, I deal with brothers who are businessmen. One thing that I have heard that grieves me deeply is how they talk of other Christian businessmen - and of born again Christians in general. They have made statements that they really don't like to deal with those who readily identify themselves as Christians. The reason they say this is because of the number of times they have been burned by so-called brothers in business deals. What a horrific commentary this is on the church! God's people SHOULD BE the best people to deal with in business matters. They should be the most honest - the most godly - the most righteous and trustworthy. What I hear though is that they are not. In fact what I hear consistently is that the one person you don't want to do business with is a Christian. I say this not to denigrate the church - but to chastise myself and all true born again Christians for not being the witness that they should be when it comes to how we do business. God calls us to be a witness for Him - not just in words - but in all that we do. It is the counsels of the wicked that are to be deceitful. The thoughts and ways of the righteous - they are to be just. May God gives us grace to reclaim the culture in the days ahead so that the name of Christ no longer has to bear the disgrace of ungodly believers.
0 Comments
That they may keep you from an adulteress, From the foreigner who flatters with her words. Proverbs 7:5
We begin to grasp why wisdom and understanding need to be our sister and kinsman redeemer when we see the way that the adulteress seeks to capture men. The wise father here is offering very sage advice to his son - in an effort to rescue him from the snares of immoral women who would capture him with their wiles. Wisdom and understanding keep us from the adulteress. There is something we need to hear in our day - or any day for that matter. If a man does not walk in this world with his spirit open to the Holy Spirit - he will have the normal abnormalcy of walking in his flesh. I call this normal - because it is the state of all who come into this world. I call it abnormalcy because that was not how God originally made man - nor is it where God wants us to be. Too many men, young and old, walk blind to spiritual realities. This makes them sitting ducks for immorality and every other kind of vice common to mankind. It is only seeing things from God's perspective that will guard us from the adulteress. Thus we need to think in cooperation with the Holy Spirit who desires to give us wisdom and understanding - not with our desires and with our labido. We need to be guarded and protected . . . from ourselves. This "strange woman," which is what the Hebrew literally says, is a foreigner. This term may surprise you, but it has more to do with a "spiritual" foreigner than any kind of nationality issues. God warned Israel about the nations that surrounded her because their daughters would intermarry with Israel's sons. God's concern was that this situation would result in Israel's sons worshipping the false god's that these women worshipped. As a result, these sons would turn from the Lord and follow the false gods of the nations instead of the one true God, Jehovah. The adulteress has a secret weapon in her arsenal. It is one that God warns us of - and yet still hundreds and thousands of men fall for it every day. She "flatters" with her words. Men love for their egos to be stroked and pampered. They love it when a woman says nice things about them - compliments them - and tells them how wonderful they are. (As a man, I fear that this comes from the arrogant prideful thought within me that when they do - they are so right - because . . . well . . . because I just so incredibly awesome!) Oh, here is the danger, men! We want the ego strokes because of our pride. When a man has been married for a while - too often these ego-strokes begin to fade in the marriage due to men being doofusses and due to the natural progression of sin. (Just a note to wives . . . ladies, you cannot ever grasp how important it is for your husband to know you appreciate him - and that you still consider him your hero - and a warning as well is needed here. If you don't do this - or think its just dumb to say things like this cause you've been married 5, 10, 20, 30 years. I can promise you that at some point, some other woman may begin complimenting and flattering your husband. He is still responsible to be godly, be pure, and be faithful. But that task becomes all the more difficult - when he receives no encouragement at home - no ego-strokes - no compliments. This makes it harder to resist when someone finally appreciates him. This is not meant to justify unfaithfulness - it just hopefully helps you see that your God-given task of being his helpmate (which includes encouragement and seeing him as your hero) will make it so much easier for him to see the smooth, flattery of the adulteress for what it is . . . a trap!) The adulteress uses flattery to trap a man. She uses compliments and smooth statements as bait for another woman's husband. The word for flattery means words that are smooth and slippery. What a picture of the deception and the lies that are at work here. She worships herself and her own desires - and she is working hard through her slippery, smooth comments to get this poor sap to join her in her worship. He can worship himself and enter into her worship of herself through an illicit relationship. She catches her prey by luring him in through the baited compliments she places into her trap. Wisdom and understanding are essential to delivering us from such things. God's viewpoint is simple men. Are you married? Do you presently have a wife? Then this is totally and completely out of bounds! If this is absolutely outside of God's will for you - then who could be behind such counsel and such temptation? We need to see these compliments for what they are. They are bait on a hook! If you nibble at the bait - a hook is going to tear through the flesh of your lip - possibly rip open your jaw - and no matter how hard you fight, you're going to be reeled in and mounted as a trophy on Satan's wall! My how that description just changed how we view the flattery and slippery speech of the adulteress! We went from being enamored with her beauty and the promise of ecstasy - to feeling sick at our stomachs at the thought of a hook tearing through our skin and the pain that it would yield. Good!! That is what wisdom and understanding are supposed to do. They are supposed to take the silly trappings off of the devil's lies - off of our flesh and its deceptive thoughts - and show us the horror of what truly lies ahead. This is why wisdom is to be our sister - and understanding our kinsman redeemer. They can take the most sensual, inviting situation and show it for what it is. It is going to be horrible! It is going to be bondage! It is going to be regretted in the end! May God give us grace to see these things - to wake up out of the stupor of our fleshly sleep - and see the truth before it is too late. Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Proverbs 4:5
How do you become wise? There is a question for the ages, yet the answer as you will see is much easier than you would think. Becoming wise involves first wanting to be wise. We've seen from other Proverbs that the first step in becoming wise is to realize that you are not wise. That may at first sound ridiculously simple - but you would be surprised how many people miss it. Once you realize that you are not wise, the next step is told to us here. You begin to do all that you can to acquire wisdom and understanding. Of course I know the next question will be, "How do you do that?" That is what we will examine today as we look at this Proverb. If you want to acquire wisdom, you hang out with wise people. This is important mainly because it should move you toward God. Since He is the author of all wisdom - you would want to spend a lot of time reading what He has to say and listening to what He desires to communicate to you. This also means you want to cultivate the habit of being very sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you in the Word each day. One of the quickest ways to move from foolishness to wisdom is to listen to and to follow Him. This means working on the discipline of getting into God's Word every day. It means getting into it with a heart that listens to God. You are not just "doing your Bible reading," but you are seeking God's face - desiring His counsel - and longing to communicate with Him in a way that you have the wisdom you need for life itself. Some other things that would be ways to acquire wisdom would be to read often in the book of Proverbs. This is the book of wisdom itself in the Scriptures, so it is only right to spend time in this particular book. Learn to do a "daily proverb." This is the practice of reading the chapter of Proverbs that coincides with the day of the month. Since there are 31 chatpers in Proverbs you will never lack a chapter for the day of the month - and over time you will watch your mind be filled with God's wisdom. Another thing to do is to learn "the moral of the story" in the history of the Bible. We can learn a great deal from both the wise and foolish behavior of people in the Bible. You can add to this reading books written by wise men, receiving godly counsel from older, wiser men and women, and also listening and going to your own parents for counsel. These are all ways you can acquire wisdom. By the way, the word wisdom itself simply means, "learning to see things from God's perspective." That is what you are seeking as you do all these things. The verse here also says that we are to acquire "understanding." We are not just gathering wise sayings and teachings. We are wanting to be able to comprehend and discern what do to and what to say in life. This word means to have that discernment that knows how to choose the right thing and reject the wrong thing. It has a strong moral and religious sense to it. We want to gain and acquire an ability to see two things that differ (even if they only differ slightly) and know how to choose the right one and embrace it wholly. This involves not just learning and acquiring wise sayings and information - it involves using it to see our situation as God sees it. It is applying the wisdom we've learned to each and every situation that we face. This comes with time and with continued wise counsel. It comes as we do post mortem work on our previous decisions - and on the decisions of others. This is not done for the sake of condemnation - but to learn from what we've done wrong and what we've done right. It involves humility as we pick a personal disaster apart and examine just what made us make such a foolish decision. As we do this - we will better know what do to in the future - and how to recognize similar situations and make much wiser decisions when we face those sitiuations in the future. The last thing we need to do also seems so simple - but actually it is very profound. We need to remember what we've learned. The father tells his son, "Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth." As we hear the earthly father parrot these words, we should realize that these are the same words that God uses over and over again throughout the Law, the Prophets, the wisdom writings, the Psalms, and the New Testament. I think in some way all of us are afflicted with a little spiritual alzheimers. We forget what God taught us. One of the funniest, yet saddest pictures of this is the disciples freaking out in a boat that is being tossed and turned by the waves. In order to move around in the boat they had to step over the 12 baskets of food Jesus just had them gather the day before. They had to stumble over them to get to Jesus to tell Him to wake up because they were all about to perish! Jesus then got up - rebuked the wind and waves - and pretty much blew their minds at the power God gave Him. But where would they have learned this? Oh, from the feeding of the 25,000 to 30,000 people from just yesterday!! But then again - we have a bad tendency to forget what we've been taught. God calls us to remember! Remember the lessons God taught you. Don't forget the valuable information He shared with you. Don't drop the ball that He just gave you! This is not easy folks. If it was He wouldn't say it so often - and we wouldn't blow it so often. We are prone to pride and to self-sufficiency. That is often at the root of why we forget. We don't exactly embrace the whole idea of not being able to do things ourselves. We don't exactly enjoy going to God for counsel on decisions. We don't exactly warm up to the fact that we need to surrender our wills to God daily - even hourly and if it were a word, "minutely." This deals with the last bit of wisdom the father shares with his son. The last thing that keeps us from acquiring wisdom and understanding is rebellion and disobedience. The father says to his son that he is not to "turn away" from the words that he speaks. Our last problem with acquiring wisdom is that we turn away from it willingly. WE ARE REBELLIOUS! There are times when we choose to be wise in our own eyes - and chart of course for disaster in the process. This requires that we die to self daily. It requires that we recognize that though we are converted - we are not fully sanctified. We need to see the subtle workings of our flesh, the world system, and Satan in our lives. Follow these three and you will not walk in wisdom. You will not acquire it - nor keep it. Acquiring wisdom and understanding is imperative for each of us. It involves humbling ourselves and listening to God - and those through whom He would speak to us. It involves not just listening, but learning and discerning what is said and how it applies to where we are going and what we are doing and saying. It is a life long process that allows us to grow in wisdom only in so much as we continue to view our world through the eyes of God. It will only be then that we will have acquired wisdom - acquired understanding -and have learned how to glorify God in the things we say and do. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. 5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:4-5
This particular verse and the next one have caused a stir among some who would like to think the Bible contradicts itself here. As usual though, when you actually study the text (rather than knee-jerk react to it) you will find no contradiction. You will find wisdom in dealing with fools - even those who have knee-jerk reactions hoping to discredit the Scriptures! The wisdom given here in verse 4 is that we are not to answer a fool according to his folly because when we do so, we become just like the fool. The fool would ask whether the infinite God can create a rock bigger than he can pick up. If we answer him according to his folly, we will become like him. The unwise man will answer, "No," to this question. He thus falls into the trap set by the fool, who then jumps on the answer saying that then God is not infinite - because God cannot make the rock. The problem with this question is that it is foolish in its very presupposition. If God is infinite (which He is according to His self-revelation in Scripture) then by this very definition He is without limits in every way. The question presupposes God is either less than infinite in power to make the rock - or less than infinite in power to pick up the rock He makes. If God is infinite - any language that presupposes anything but infinite power and ability is by its very nature foolish. Don't answer the fool according to his folly - for in doing so you will become like him. You will make the same foolish presupposition that God can in any way be limited. You answered the fool within the scope of his foolish thinking. When a fool speaks this way - he proves he is a fool. These kind of questions do not seek knowledge or answer - they seek an opportunity to pounce on anyone who answers them. Therefore to answer them at all is to place yourself on the level of the fool - to make yourself just like him - a fool. Jesus spoke of not casting our pearls before swine - because they will trample them and then turn on us. To answer a fool in his folly is to cast pearls before swine. There are times when Christians need to remain silent. Our lives and our faith should speak for us. Our wisdom at times is better revealed by saying nothing than it is by wanting to have an answer for everything. But there are times to answer a fool according to his folly. A better way to state this for our understanding is that we are to answer a fool as his folly deserves. So let's take a look also at verse 5 today - because it offers wisdom from the other way we need to deal with fools. Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes. When we answer fools it often does not need to be as they have questioned us. We don't need to get into the slop with them in their statements. But often we need to answer not their questions, but their spirit and their intent. Oh, how we need to watch Jesus on this one (actually we should watch Him all the time - but on this one He offers such great interactions with fools). When I read the gospels I am always fascinated that Jesus answers some people's questions - and others He does not. He offers answers to his disciples when they question Him about certain things - but when he is asked questions by the foolish Pharisees and Saducees - He often answers their questions with questions - or with statements that reveal their heart. Here is how to answer a fool as his folly deserves. When Jesus asks a question to answer a question - He puts the responsibility to answer back into the court of the fool. Almost every time He did this - it revealed the wicked, foolish heart of the questioner. He answered as they deserved - and answered in such a way as to reveal the motives and heart of the one who wanted to trap Him. Here is true wisdom dear saints. He took the time to see past words to the intent of their heart. We err when we think our purpose is to simply answer the words of those who questioin us. What we need to do is to answer their heart. But the question naturally arises, "How can we answer the intent of someone's heart? How can we know this?" Let me answer your question with a question. How well do you know the Word of God? How often do you discern what someone says using the Word of God? The reason I ask this question is because Hebrews 4:12-13 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Do you see the highlighted part of this verse? It says that the Word of God can judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This means when we look at all things (including what a fool says to us) through the lens of God's Word, we will be able to see thoughts and intentions of the heart that are behind the words we hear. You ability to answer fools as they deserve to be answered will rest on your ability to see what they are saying through God's Word - and avoid the traps that your own ego or your own desire to put them in their place afford. Why should a fool be answered? It is because he needs to experience God - and God's wisdom. If your desire to speak, as I said above, is because "you" want to put him in his place - well - then we have two fools speaking to each other. That kind of motivation comes from pride and a misplaced zeal that has little or nothing to do with God's honor and glory. Note in the gospels how many times the words of Jesus left men blown away with the wisdom with which He spoke. His answers left them with a touch of God. Do our answers do as much? You see, this is what we should covet. We should desire that whatever answer God has us give leaves them with a sense of God's wisdom. Amazing isn't it that when we take the time to examine the full intent of God's Word - that seeming contradictions become some of the most wonderful truths. There is a large contingent of fools out there in the world. Our purpose needs to be to walk with God so that whether we are silent or speak - they do not run into us being God's vigilante - but rather they run into God Himself. In the end He will be the One who answers all their questions and statements. But He will do so bringing them to His desired humility for their lives - but also bringing them to Himself - and to His grace that can change their hearts from foolishness to wisdom - from their sinfulness to His righteousness - from being children of wrath to being children of grace. Honestly . . . isn't that what He wants in the end? He's not after some kind of prideful display where He puts them in their place - unless the place of which we speak is His salvation through grace. To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, Proverbs 1:4
Why should we read and study the Proverbs? Here we receive additional reasons why knowing and studying this material is so important to us. We begin with the biblical fact that we are fallen due to sin. This is so important for us to understand, because it reminds us that we are so prone to being deceived and led astray. Far too many people do not begin with the sinfulness of the human heart as a starting place for learning and wisdom. We tend to deceive ourselves in thinking that we cannot be deceived. Thus we tend to be naive and don't question ourselves in our decisions and in our natural way of thinking. Here is where the wisdom of God is our greatest friend. Solomon writes that the proverbs are written to give prudence to the naive and discretion to the youth. Let's take a look at both o these things as we consider a little bit of wisdom today. The naive are the ones who are simpleminded and foolish. The Hebrew word here refers to the person who is naive and too simpleminded when considering the complexities and challenges of life itself. They do not have suficient understanding or perception to properly grasp how to make decisions in life. The naive are very broadminded - but not in a good way. What they need is skillfulness in discerning things. They need an ability to detect subtleties in life. The word for prudence actually means a craftiness which we usually consider a bad thing. But for the one who is wise it is the ability to see through things - and to detect trickery and the kind of thinking that sets traps. In Joshua 9 when the Gibeonites deceived Israel with their appearance - Joshua was deceived because he did not use the proper prudence to detect the craftiness of these wicked men. Because Joshua simple trusted his eyes and the supposed honesty of the Gibeonites motives and words - he was deceived and led astray. Unfortunately we live in a fallen world where appearances do not always relfect the truth of a situation. This is why we need God's perspective and counsel in all matters. Yes, it would be wonderful if all men and women were perfectly honest - but they are not. There are amazing subtlties in life that can only be properly understood by knowing God and going to Him for wisdom and understanding. The second half of today's proverb says to us that the youth needs knowledge and discretion. All of us have been and have known youths who know everything. They have no need for anyone to share additional knowledge - nor do they need to know the ways of mankind - because they know everything. This is definitely a product of of sin entering our world. We desperately need for the youths in our lives to hear and increase in knowledge. It is only by adding knowledge and a better skill in distinguishing things that have subtle differences that they will grow in wisdom. Without such a growth in wisdom, they will find themselves in serious trouble - and as we learn often in Scripture - deceived and led astray from God's ways. Therefore we need to keep our minds and our hearts open to God's Word and the teaching of His Spirit concerning wisdom. God wants us to have a greater ability to detect and discern His ways and paths. If we keep our hearts wide open to Him - we will know that wisdom and will be kept from many problems that might otherwise trip us up in life. Many will seek the favor of a generous man, And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts. Proverbs 19:6
Before I went on my recent diet I must confess that I was a somewhat regular visitor to a local donut shop. While visiting there I saw part of this proverb fulfilled on a regular basis. I would watch well dressed businessmen come in and buy two dozen donuts of various types and then head out for their important appointment. Now I do not think these businessmen were donut freaks - they were just using the donuts to gain access to a customer. Every man is a friend to him who gives gifts - especially when those gifts are donuts early in the morning. Some proverbs are meant to help us understand human nature. This is one of them. The fact is that many men will seek the favor of a generous man. The word for "generous" here means more than just someone who is giving. It also means a noble man - one born of nobility - which also usually means a wealthy man - and one connected in such a way that he has power. The simple fact of life is that many will seek this man's favor because of what he offers to them. This is why people in high positions should be careful about those who are courting their favor. It is a very rare thing for people in these kind of positions to find people who want nothing from them but friendship. The man who gives gifts will have many friends. But - there is a flip side to this as well. If you have the majority of your friends because of how generous you are - be careful to seek to court true friends in the midst of them. When the gifts cease often so does their friendship. That is why you want no only to be generous toward others - but also discerning. Generous because it is a good thing to learn to be generous toward others - but discerning as well because you also want to know who are real friends are in life. In the end - they will be the ones who will stick with you no matter what your bottom line is - or what your gifts will help to make theirs. 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. 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. That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. Proverbs 5:2
One of the ways that we know that we are being discreet in life is by what comes out of our mouths when we speak. What is fascinating about this passage is that the overall gist of the fifth chapter of Proverbs is that it deals primarily with the issue of immorality and those who fall into the trap the adulteress. One of the reasons why we need to gain wisdom and understanding is so that we may watch out to be discreet. The word "observe" in this passage means to guard and be careful. Zhodiates states that this word basically means to be on your guard. What you are guarding is "discretion." Yet the word is different than the discretion that is mentioned most often in the book of Proverbs. It means a thought - or the thoughts in our minds that are used to make up our plans. There is one major point though that needs to be distinguished about this word. It most often means evil plans and schemes that are contrary to God's ways. What Solomon is warning his son to watch out for in life is evil plans and schemes that begin to formulate in his mind. When it comes to maintaining purity in our lives, what happens in our heads is vitally important. We need to watch over our minds and what is running through them. Actions begin as thoughts - which in time turn into plans and schemes. The reason we watch and guard our minds is to make sure that when lust and immoral thoughts try to push in - we deal with them. It is not just enough to push these thoughts out - we need to bring them to the cross. The Word tells us to mortify these things - and that means to kill them! Nothing short of this will do. The second half of this proverb says that when we watch over the development of evil plans and schemes in our heads - it will help us to watch over our mouths. Our mouths will speak "a knowing" when we guard our minds. This knowing is once again primarily a discernment - but one that is specific to the situation. Remember that here this refers to sexual immorality and the wiles of the adulteress. We are warned in the very next verse that the adulteress captures men with her words and her flattery. These things often cause men to be deceived in their hearts and minds. The flattery of a woman giving them attention strokes their pride and their ego - something very dangerous to a man who doesn't watch what enters and walks through his mind. In time his pride and ego can lie to him and fill his mind with thoughts of further flattery. He begins wanting to spend more time with this woman - at lunch and eventually at secret meetings he keeps from his wife. We all know where this is going - toward an eventual adulterous relationship with this woman. Yet the real danger started with the thoughts that ran through his mind - and the words he began to speak to this woman because he didn't watch and guard against the adulterous thoughts that were fostered in his head. He may not wake up until the damage is irrepairable. It is vital to our spiritual progress and protection to keep a close eye on what is going through our minds. This is the stuff that can cause us serious problems. What begins in just a seed form in our minds will eventually sprout and bear disastrous fruit. Better to deal with seeds by being wise - than have to cut down entire forests because of a lack of watchfulness. If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:4-5
Solomon is relating to us an exhortation he gave to his own children. It dealt with the search and the quest to know God. There is no greater quest for anyone in this life than to know the God of creation and the God of salvation. The search is worth all the effort that we can muster - and the rewards will eventually dwarf any cost or effort we put into it. Solomon tells his son to seek after God like one seeks for silver. The search for silver takes a man under ground. There are dangers in this search, but when you run across a vein of silver there is abundant wealth in the finding. The famous "Comstock Lode" in the Nevada region started just as a smaller vein of silver that was discovered. Yet when the search continued to areas adjacent to that area - a lode of silver of phenomenal proportions was discovered. This is how a search for silver goes. You research and study an area and search at great length to discover even a small vein of silver in the earth. But as you follow that vein there is the possiblity that you will find the "mother lode" which refers to the largest portion of the valuable silver ore. This parallels the search for the knowledge and wisdom of God. As you search the Scriptures - and seek for God Himself - He will allow you to find Him. The search may be long and arduous - but the finding is so glorious that all the hard work will seem as nothing. This search is also compared to searching for hidden treasures. There are those who know of sunken ships that contain great treasures. Those who search for them scan documents that give clues in locating the sunken vessels. They take these clues and follow them in their search. They may search for weeks and months and even years - but they know that finding the treasure will make it all worthwhile. Solomon told his son to search the Scriptures the same way so that he would know the God of his fathers. This search will yield great treasure. But our treasure is not measured in silver and gold. It is measured in discerning what is means to fear God. It is measured in what we find when we discover and know God Himself. We search the Word and the wisdom of God so that we can discern what it is to fear God. The fear of God is not a terribly popular thing in today's society - but for those who study the Scriptures the fear of God is a treasure trove full of diamonds and rubies. We've already learned in Proverbs that one doesn't even begin the trek toward wisdom until he or she learns the fear of God. As one searches the Scriptures he learns about God Himself. He learns of God's judgments and His mighty acts. Can you imagine being present as Mt. Sinai rumbled beneath a cap of smoke and fire? My guess is that those who viewed such a thing didn't respond with warm and fuzzy feelings. They looked and experienced great fear and trembling. Consider the mighty works of the Lord through the ages. Consider Sodom and Gomorrah being rained upon with sulphurous fire - consider Dathan and Abiram with their families falling into the gaping crevice that God opened in the earth to swallow them alive. Think about what it must have looked like to watch the Egyptian army crushed by millions of gallons of water as the Red Sea poured upon them - even while Israel walked on dry land with a wall of water on either side. Imagine the enemies of Joshua being crushed with huge stones that God was casting from the heavens - even as the sun was standing still in the midst of the sky. What do these things inspire? They inspire wonder and awe and fear! They should help us discern that our response to such a mighty God is to fear and honor Him. There is more though. Through this kind of search we also "discover the knowledge of God." The word here is "daath" and it speaks of a knowing by experience, by relationship, and by encounter. This is what I love about the study of Scripture. We are not just looking into what is written in a book. We are not just studying so we can add to our "head-knowledge." We are studying and examining things so that we can KNOW GOD! There is a very real relationship and encounter awaiting us. God is real - in fact He Himself is ultimate reality. We search and seek so that in the end we may experience Him. This is the incredible promise that is made to us in Proverbs chapter 2. All the listening, the crying out, the seeking and searching is so that we can know the living God in a living relationship. This is NOT just religion or a set of values that will make our lives better. We are searching and seeking for THE God of the universe - Who literally made all that we see. He reveals Himself through Scripture - so that we may know Him as we walk through our every day lives. He is here - and He is knowable! That is why we search - that is why we seek - that is why with every fiber of our being we reach out to Him. We do so because He IS there - and He is drawing us into a vital, glorious, wonderful relationship with Himself. Oh the treasure that awaits us at the end of our search. Oh the ultimate mother lode that rewards us for digging and mining in His Word. Do not ever underestimate what awaits you when you seek God. Not even the first billionth could ever be comprehended of His imeasurable wealth and riches. So search . . . search with all your heart . . . search for the ultmiate treasure which is God Himself. |
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!
Archives
August 2018
Copyright 2024 Calvary Chapel Jonesboro | all rights reserved |