Desire realized is sweet to the soul, But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil. Proverbs 13:19
One of the key things that will lead to a happy life is when we realize godly desires in our lives. Today's proverb gives us some very wonderful counsel when it comes to realizing the desires that will truly bless us. Let's take a look at this - because it truly is a very important principle when it comes to living a contented, happy life. Desire realized is sweet to the soul. This easily could be misinterpreted to mean that we are to run after whatever desire rises within our hearts. We know this is not true because we know that our struggle to be godly and to please God has much to do with putting to death the desires that rise out of our flesh - and surrendering ourselves to those which are giving to us by the Holy Spirit. Also the second half of our proverb warns against the man who will not turn away from evil. Therefore we know that these "desires" have boundaries set for them to keep them from being dominated by our flesh. If all we ever do is dream - and those dreams are not realized in any kind of fulfillment, we will be a miserable soul indeed. God made us so that we have the function of desire - and also that we would dream of things far beyond ourselves. But only a lazy man will dream alone without any kind of fulfillment of those dreams that make his heart burn within him. It is given to us to dream and desire so that we will be moved to action to see those desires fulfilled. Such desires motivate us to DO something. Often the doing is the undoing of many desires and dreams. We are unable or often unwilling to put the effort and the steadfastness into our dreams to see them become reality. Oh, but what sweetness is ours when that desire is realized. Let me illustrate in a couple of examples. Ever mow your lawn? I dread the start of mowing my lawn. If there was not the reward of a freshly mowed and manicured lawn at the end of that process, I might never address the grass that grows around my house. But when I am finished, I love to stand and look at a lawn that looks good. There is something very sweet about that particular desire realized that seriously motivates me to take up that task. As a pastor I am constantly starting up various projects that we do as a church. There is the desire to see something done that starts the process. Then there is the nuts and bolts work of doing that particular task. Often the details and the work is where we get bogged down in this process. But as we apply ourselves as a fellowship, we are blessed with the desire realized in the end, which is sweet to all those who have given themselves to the task. This is life - and those who follow these paths from the desire stage to the accomplishment at the end know the sweetness of which Solomon speaks. The second half of our proverb tells us that it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil. Most projects that are undertaken are for good purposes and plans. The fool though knows nothing of this kind of lifestyle. He thinks too highly of his comfort to actually work toward a goal. The fool is both lazy and undisciplined. For him to realize a desire of his would require him to get up off of his duff and do something. He finds such things an abomination. He would much rather do his own thing - which is usually nothing. The other fact about the fool is that he loves his evil too much to allow God to guide his desires into something positive and helpful. The vast majority of his desires are in a close orbit around himself. Therefore he despises the rebuke and leading of God to break out of a self-centered orbit to explore the vast recesses of what true selflessness could accomplish. Unless he get some sort of selfish pleasure that immediately placates his own love of self - he is not interested. Therefore much of his life is spent either in a short-term immediate pleasure that leaves him empty later - or in wanting things he in no way will be disciplined enough to actually do. Misery follows the fool wherever he goes. His life is spent wanting much for himself - but gathering realitvely little. The wise man's journey is much different thnough. He spends his life seeking the heart of Another. In seeking the heart of God he finds himself drawn into activities and dreams that both bless others as well as glorifies the One Who placed the ideas and dreams into his heart in the first place. He has the sweetness of desire realized because the One Who put them into his heart also empowers him to see them accomplished. Ah what blessedness lies in that wise path that first receives from and then relies upon God to bring about those things which glorify His great name as well as bless the heart of man.
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He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him. Proverbs 11:27
What you seek will eventually be seeking you. That is the wisdom that Solomon is seeking to give to his children - and God is seeking to give to His. We have a fairly general statement made here about this - nevertheless it is still wise to hear it. The words good and evil are the usual words that we see in Scripture. The word "good" means something beneficial, well-pleasing to God, fruitful, morally correct, proper or convenient. The word "evil" meaning something bad in a moral and ehtical sense. The final arbiter of whether something is in either category is God and His Word. What brings a distinction to this is the use of the word "seeks." In this passage each time it is used - it is a different Hebrew word - and that helps us to see what is going on in this passage itself. The first time this word is used it is used to speak of diligently seeking good. The word here is "shachar" in the Hebrew and it means to inquire after something or someone. Here what the person is iquiring about is what is good. This is a passionate search to know and to walk in what is good. The second time the word is used it is the Hebrew word "baqas." This means to seek something so that you can obtain it. When these two words are put together they communicate something very important to us. The wise man is the one who diligently inquires of God what is good. He wants to understand what is morally right and good - what is beneficial to others and to himself. But he or she inquires (seeks) it because he or she wants to obtain favor from God. Thus the seeking (inquiring - questioning - study - longing for knowledge) is so that they can please God and obtain His favor. There is another aspect of this that simply means by inqiring what is good morally - they also will obtain favor with others as they watch their selflessness and willingness to give of themselves. The last time the word "seeks" is used - it is used in the context of seeking evil. The Hebrew word here is "darash" which means to seek after something by frequently going after it. It has the idea of treading a path again and again. It speaks of someone who is seeking after something by going somewhere often. Thus the idea here is that the one who is seeking evil - is choosing to tread a path to it again and again in their lives. We are told that those who do such things, evil will come to them. King Saul is an example for us of someone who did this. Although Saul started out well - he began to seek out evil by not obeying the Lord. He tried to obey God - his way. He did not carry out God's wrath against Amalek. He decided to keep what he thought was good and use it to serve God. He did not honor God's way of sacrificing to Him. When Samuel did not come in an allotted time - Saul did God's will his way. He made the sacrifice. This led to a pathway to evil for King Saul. As he walked this path again and again it became easier to disobey than obey. His walk with God deteriorated. He soon found it easier to follow his own flesh than respond to the Spirit's leading. In time evil came to him - and he followed it. His life is a reminder that we need to seek to know and do good - rather than frequent the path to evil. What we seek is what will eventually come to us. Seek evil and evil will be ready to lead you any time you need direction. Seek good - both to know what it is and then to own it by having a heart that seeks good - and favor from God and from others will be granted to you. The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
Proverbs 11:23 What do you want? That is a pretty general question - but it is the one that is addressed in today's proverb. The thing is that we are looking at what people want from the perspective of God, not just what people or the "market" wants. From God's standpoint we are oing to watch Him put boh the righteous and the wicked man into the balances, weigh them and their choices, and state what each deserves. First we see that God places the righteous into the scales. He says that the righteous man's desires are only good. This coincides with what Jesus says in the Beattitudes. In Matthew chapter 5, we read the following, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." God not only is pleased with those who hunger and thirst for what He says is right - He promises wonderful levels of satisfaction for those who do. There is also another statement made in the Psalms that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. It is so important to know that when we are living for righteousness and pursuing what is right - God cuts us loose to enjoy as much as we want. That is why He says here that these kind of desires are "only good." The wicked, though, have no sch guarantee. We read that the expectation of the wicked in wrath. It is helpful for us to see that word "expectation" here. The reason it is so important is because often what the wicked desire will give them an immediate positive feeling. The person who abuses alcoholic drinks has an immediate positive response as he feels better and is much more free in his expression of himself. But he can expect problems later. Having been a drunkard before I was saved I can concur with God's statement here. The expectation of the drunkard is only wrath and bad consequences. There is the hangover that comes in the morning. There is also the realization that the supposed freedom that you felt the night before took away your natural defenses against saying something stupid. Can't tell you how many times a Friday night bender led to a whole week of consequences with friends and aquaintences. Another area I want to address here is that of sexual immorality. The person who is sexually immmoral loves the immediate pleasure provided by it. Unfortunately, the crisis pregnancy, the positive STD test, and the broken relationships are not so pleasurable. The pornography may give us a temporary high feeling and sense of thrill as we look at it, but later the bondage that results, the pull into deeper perversion, and the way it leads people to treat the opposite sex as an object can be devastating. The Word of God speaks of God's "judgments." These are things that God has said concerning certain behaviors in life. When we choose to disobey God and embrace our lfleshly lusts we do so because of the promise of pleasure and immediate satisfaction. The problem is that God has said what His response will be to such things. These are His judgments. He says that problems will result - disasters are on the horizon - and blessing will be forfeited. These judgments WILL COME upon those who choose to disobey regardless of what God says. They can expect the wrath of God when they rebel. God has made this very clear when He said in Romans chapter 1, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness ofmen who suppress the truth with their unrighteousness." God's attitude and actions toward ungodliness and unrigteousness have been settled from eternity past. Those who reject Him and His Word need to know that He has amply published the results of such behavior - and it has never been good. Therefore the truly wise man knows that blessings await those who embrace righteousness - but for those who chose a wicked lifestyle - only wrath awaits them. Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:21
Punishment is something people do not want to discuss. We live in a day when we are uncomfortable talking about people being punished. Yet Scripture makes it very clear that God is going to bring judgment upon the wicked and the evil. Today's proverb addresses these things. The proverb starts off with an interesting Hebraism. The proverb says, "hand in hand" as it begins. This phrase means that though people join hand in hand. It speaks of those who are evil. There are many evil men and women who feel that if they join hands - their evil can prevail. One of the most famous of biblical examples of this is the people who joined together together to build the Tower of Babel. They did this so that they would not be scattered. They constructed the tower in rebellion against God. Their thought was that together their project would prevail against God's will. But this is why the verse opens up with this statement - assuredly. Thus we know that even though every wicked man and woman on the planet were to join hands to stand agaisnt God - the fact is that they will not go unpunished. God's judgment WILL prevail - and His authority and power will prevail over any who choose evil. The evil man will be punished - end of story. But there is more - because God promises that the righteous will be delivered from the wrath of God. He promises that there will be deliverance for the seed of the righteous. God is going to destroy the wicked - but His grace will cause the righteous to be delivered from that judgment and wrath. The righteous here are not those who are self-righteous - but rather those who are righteous by faith. They have believed on the lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world. Their righteousness was not based on their own works - but rather on the work of Jesus Christ. This is what will deliver the righteous from the judgment of God. They are delivered because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is what speaks for them before a holy God. Remember this . . . one man will face punishment - while another will be delivered from the wrath of God. One embraces evil - the other what is right. In the end the one who chose righteouensss made the truly wise choice. For no matter how many hands were gathered together - they will never stand before a holy God. All that will matter in that day is whether we have the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death. Proverbs 11:19
Here we find life gained and life lost. Both life gained and lost have to do with what we pursue and steadfastly desire in our walk on earth. It is no shock to us to learn that those who are steadfast in their desire and pursuit of righteousness are those who receive life. The word "steadfast" here means to set something up so that it will be firm and established. Here it refers to how someone views righteousness - and pursues it in their lives. Are you building a life whose foundation is laid in God's view of righteousness - or more simply put, in what God says is right? That is the life Christ referred to in Matthew 7 when He spoke about foundations. The one who hears the Word of God and heeds it - he is the man who has built his foundation on a rock. When the winds and storms of life come upon that man, as they surely will, his house will stand. That is why the steadfast in righteousness will attain to life. The life lost is the one that is actively pursuing evil. Consider King Ahab in the Old Testament, along with his wicked wife, Jezebel. They pursued evil together. They were the poster couple of pursuing wickedness and sin. They excelled in it - and ran after it with an ever-growing lust for more. They worshipped false gods, stole, killed, and plotted their way to the top. When at the top they continued in their ways of evil - and heartily encouraged all of Israel to follow their foolish example. It is no wonder then that they both brought about their own death. Ahab foolishly ignored the prophetic statements of Miciah, who warned him that God had allowed a deceiving spirit to move among Ahab's false prophets - so that he could be lured to his death in battle. Ahab's response was to imprison the prophet - and have him fed with barely enough bread and water to survive until he returned from battle. Miciah's fateful last words to him were, "If you return, the Lord has not spoken through me." In another desperate but foolish move, Ahab then disguised himself and did not wear his royal robes into battle. Thinking he had cheated death and God - he went into battle feeling safe. We read in Kings that a random archer shot an arrow into the air - and God guided that arrow so that it hit a joint in Ahab's armor. Badly wounded, he retreated to watch the battle from a distance until he died in his chariot. Jezebel, having learned of a plot to destroy her family and their legacy in Israel, painted herself and called to her executioner from a tower. Thinking herself safe there - her executioner called for the men in the tower to throw her down. They did so and Jehu crushed her beneath his horses and chariot wheels. These two who pursued evil so passionately both brought about their own death because of their rebellion against God. In Deuteronomy God reminded Israel that He put before them life and death. There was a choice for them. If they pursued evil and rebellion against God - they needed to know that their sin would find them out. They would be pursued by the very One against whom they rebelled. They would learn that He was not impotent as they thought. They would learn that the One they defied is God - and that He will prevail. They will also bring about their own death with the evil they think frees them from His authority. But life is also available to us. It is received by pursuing righteousness steadfastly. What is amazing to those who receive that righteousness is that to pursue it, one must pursue by faith. The just (righteous) man lives by faith. Their steadfastness is gained by rejecting their own works - and turning to God who Himself will declare them righteous as a gift. They will learn that the only way of being steadfastly righteous, is to steadfastly cling to God's gift of righteousness which comes only through His Son, Jesus Christ. That, dear ones, is the only way we can be steadfast in righteousness - and thereby know life. The merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm. Proverbs 11:17
There is a way to live that will guarantee that we will be greeted with good from others. There is also a way of living and interacting with others that may give us an advantage in the short term, but in the long term will do us tremendous harm. The difference between these two lifestyles is found in how they treat others - especially when someone has done something wrong to them. Our proverb begins by introducing us to someone called "the merciful man." This is the man who is gracious to others when they wrong him. He is called the "merciful man" because he delights in showing mercy to others. Mercy is best described this way. Not getting what we deserve. That may not sound all that great until you realize that the context for mercy is when you do something wrong, or act in a way that merits punishment. The man who shows mercy to others is willing to endure beging wronged. He does not always demand "fair" treatment when it comes to himself. He does not demand his pound of flesh whenever he is wronged. By doing this the Bible says that he does himself good. The literal Hebew here reads, "he does good to his own soul." There are actually two benefits to being a "mercy-man." The first benefit is that others who receive mercy from you are far more likely to show you mercy as well. Jesus, in the Beattitudes, said this same thing. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." When we show mercy, others are more apt to show us mercy as well. The second benefit is one we receive inwardly. The passage says that we do our souls' good. When we react with anger to every supposed slight and wrong, our spirit and our emotions are in a constant turmoil. That is not healthy for us - because stress levels will be elevated all the time. But when we learn to show mercy (and not take ourselves so seriously in the process) it will do wonders for our stress level. The end of today's proverb deals with the problems that the "cruel man" brings upon himself. We read that the cruel man does himself harm. The Hebrew word for "cruel" here means someone who is fierce and who lacks any kind of sensitivity, compassion, or mercy towards others. Since we have an example from our news, I will use it to illustrate this. Ghadaffi was the leader of the nation of Libya. He was a living example of a "cruel man." He ruled with an iron fist over his people. He was not known for his wonderful acts of mercy, but rather for his horrible acts of cruelty. The day came when he no longer had an army to protect him. The media informed us of his last moments on this earth. He hid in a drainage pipe, hoping to escape those who were hunting him down. When they found him they treated him just as he had treated others. I won't go into detail as to what was done to him, but it was a horrible end. His cruelty was the example that was set for the people of his country. No wonder when he was caught he was subjected to the same lack of compassion and kindness he was known to use upon others. The way we respond to others will prepare the way for our own treatment in life. That is why the man who chooses to show mercy will have good come upon him for his choice. The cruel man has a much different end. Having chosen a lack of compassion throughout his lifetime of interaction with others, he has nothing except the overflow of his own cruelty awaiting him in this life - and the full measure of God's wrath in the next. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.
Proverbs 14:17 One of the most often repeated mistakes in life is reacting in anger quickly and because we do, making very foolish choices. That is what today's proverb warns against. We are told that a quick-tempered man acts foolishly. This quick-temper means to have a temper that is hasty in what it says and does. It is a man filled with impatience and has what a Hebrew would refer to as a "short spirit." The idea behind this concept is a man who is not truly in control of his spirit. When something happens that irritates him - he reacts quickly. He is weak in his moral disposition - and therefore will be prone to outbursts of anger and temper. The real problem this poses is that the man who is so "quick-tempered" is unable to make wise decisions. Wise decisions are made because we can step back from things and see them from God's perspective. The quick-tempered man cannot do this. He reacts quickly to problems and irritations in life. The quick knee-jerk reactions he makes gets him into a world of hurt. A fool does not think through what he is about to say or do. A wise man considers his words and steps and often resists saying or doing things that wisdom counsels against doing and saying. The second half of this proverb says that a man of evil devices is hated. The words "evil devices" is the Hebrew word, "mezimmah" which means a plan or thought. This term is used to describes the evil plans, schemes, and plots of humanity that are contrary to the will and Word of God. How is this related to the first half of this proverb? The plans and schemes that arise out of anger and rage are more than you can ever imagine. So often a person who has committed a murder or some other heinous crime did so because he or she was acting in anger. Someone has deeply offended them - or hurt them deeply - and instead of acting with wisdom and tempering their reaction - they want to act. Some grab a gun and shoot someone, killing them in the heat of their passionate outrage. Others blow their stack and then simmer in their anger until it moves them to hatch a horrible plot that they will wind up regretting for the rest of their lives. Just as the proverb says, the one who acts on this evil plot or scheme is hated. It does not matter what originally motivated them to these actions, others hate the outcome of their hatred, anger, and evil devices. We are reminded in this proverb that patience IS a virtue! We are to be slow to anger - and rich in mercy - just like our God and Father. These things will keep us from reacting in our anger and doing something truly foolish. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life. Proverbs 16:17
I live in a city where there are two ways to get around. The first is to get around the city by trying to navigate the maze of city streets that are in it. When you do this you also have the problem of constantly running into traffic lights and stop signs. What is far superior to this way of getting around town is what we call the bypass. It is a highway that goes around the city and provides a very quick way of covering large distances without having the problems of the normal city streets. The upright also have a highway that blesses them and makes sure that they have a clear path in walking with God. That is what today's proverb addresses and helps us to see. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. The best way to walk in God's will is to depart from evil. This is a pretty simple thing to understand. When we see evil - we go the other way. The difficulty in our society is determining what is and what is not evil. Our society would call good evil and evil good. They do not value God's Word and God's ways. They also in most cases even believe in truth - except as the individual views it. Therefore a lifestyle where we go to the Word of God to learn what truth is - is not the common thing. Most folks call what Christians call righteousness - judging - and intolerance. God calls it knowing the difference between good and evil. God calls us to depart from evil. Because I don't want to have anyone misunderstand what God says here - I will fully define the word "depart." It is the Hebrew word, "sur" and it means to turn away, to go away, to desert, quit, keep far away. It is also translated to stop, to take away, to remove, and to turn aside from something. So when we realize what this word means - it is very easy to see that when God calls something evil - our response to it is to stay away from it - and if we are already doing it - to depart and go away from it - keeping as far away as possible. The second thing we are told here is that the one who "watches his way preserves his life." Watching our lives means being very careful and cautious. Times when I have sinned against God are usually times when I have become careless about watching an area of my life. Sin is insidious in how it will seek to gain a foothold - and we must watch if we are going to avoid it and walk godly. The one who does watch is not being ultra-victorian as some would chide - rather he is doing what is necessary to preserve his life. This can be viewed two ways - first that he is preserving his life itself - because sin will bring death in many circumstances. Second, though is preserving the life of God that is given to us as we live by the Spirit of God who is in us. Either way - the man who watches what he says and does is wise to do it. There is a highway that is before us every day - it is marked as well as the highways upon which we drive our cars. This highway is clearly marked out for us in the Word of God. It is revealed to us as the highway of the upright - but also as the way of righteousness and the way of the Lord. The wise man is the one who daily consults with the map (the Word) and who chooses to follow it. A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. Proverbs 14:16
Why is it wise to be cautious in our choices and decisions in life? It is because we live in a world that has fallen. I know that those of you who read this regularly in these posts may think that I emphasize this too often, but I fear that we do not fully grasp at times what mankind's rebellion against God has wrought in this world. Today's proverb tells us that a wise man fears. That is the literal translation of the word "cautious" here. It refers to the fact that the wise man fears God. He fears God becasue he reads of God's Word - God's glory, power, majesty, and holiness - and he fears displeasing and dishonoring Him. Wisdom tells us to fear God's displeasure. Wisdom also tells us that there is a way that is evil. Here is where we run into some very serious worldview problems with the world and its philosophies. The majority of worldviews do not take into account the fall of man into sin and the subsequent ruin of this world. They consider man's basic nature as good. As a result you will hear people tell others to, "Just trust what is in your heart." That is not wise or good advice. What is in our hearts is rebellion toward God and a bent toward sin. We will choose with an astounding regularity contrary to God's ways. This is because there is within us a bent toward selfishness - and a bent away from God. The wise man knows this - and as a result is cautious - and does fear making decisions and choices that run contrary to God's Word. This is the place he turns for wisdom - to the Word - because it gives us an objective revelation of Who God is and what He has said. Thus he takes time in making those decisions to check for God's will and favor in things. The fool though is said to be arrogant and careless. He is arrogant because he thinks he does not need anything to make wise decisions. He doesn't need anyone to tell him what to do - especially a "God" Who knows all things. He considers the Bible to be an ancient document that has no bearing on his life or his decisions. His arrogance is manifest by how he views himself - as just fine and having NO need of refinement - let alone a fundamental change in who he is or how he makes decisons. Therefore he is careless - he does not care about God, about God's Word, about God's will. He will make his own way. His favorite verse is an interesting rendition of Proverbs 3:4-5. It goes something like this, "Trust in yourself, and lean heavily on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge yourself and what you want. Forge your own path - make it what you want." These two paths definitely diverge from one another. One heads toward God and sees God's Word as a road map and a guide for decisions - for life itself. The other sees nothing but self and a pursuit of what the world says is valuable. Even in instances where the world is not used as the standard - this one turns to his own desires and his own ways. Correspondingly, one path leads to destruction and misery - the other to life and life abundantly. A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:13
The state of our hearts is vitally important to the way that we live - and whether we will live in joy or sadness. Also, as we will learn from this passage, the state of our countenance is also something about which we should be concerned. To say that we are Christians and know God's joy, yet for this joy never to reach our face (i.e. our countenance) is a bad testimony to those around us - and especially to the lost. This proverb holds a great deal of wisdom for us if we will open it and learn from it. First, we have the joyful heart. This heart is the one filled with joy and as a result is exceedingly glad. This gladness does not come from mere human prosperity - but truly comes from and is maintained by the blessings of the Lord. In the New Testament this joy comes from knowing Christ Jesus and the salvation that He brings to us. It comes from knowing that God loves us and that we are saved from the wrath of God through Him. This is a joy that floods our hearts no matter what our outward circumstances. It is a joy, as Peter expresses it, that causes us to greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. The foundation of this joy - obtaining the outcome of our faith - which is the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:8-9). This joyful heart communicates with our countenance - and brings us to have a cheerful face. No matter our circumstances we can stop and remember that our sins are washed away - that we are made righteous in Christ - and that as a result - we are saved. That can bring a cheerful expression to any face. I find it disturbing that some are what I would call, "lemon-sucking Christians." They seldom have a joyful or cheerful expression on their face. They always seem sour about something. It is almost that they are unwilling to be happy and joyful. This is a horrible witness to Christ and to the salvation that He brings. Sure there are things about which I am concerned - even heartbroken. But, in spite of everything that happens and can happen - the one constant is my salvation - that I will not face the wrath of God and I will enjoy fellowship with God here and now - and forever in heaven. Then there is the sad heart. The word used for "sad" here is "assebet" which clearly refers to emotional suffering - and not usually to pain or injury. This is a sadness of heart. It is truly fascinating to look at what brings on "assebet" in someone Scripturally. This kind of sadness or grief is caused by idolatry (Psalm 16:4), by a fear of spiritual discipline over our sin (Job 9:28), or by those who "wink the eye" in evil plots (Prov. 10:10). Some might refer to this to speak of someone with a broken heart over sin or over the loss of a loved one - but that is not the way that "assebet" is used Scripturally. This is a sadness brought on by disobedience, sinfulness, and a walk contrary to the ways of God. This kind of sadness causes our spirits to be broken. The word "broken" here means that we are stricken, smited, or scourged. We have a bad situation in our lives due to sin - and our spirits are broken due to the consequences of our sin. When you look at this proverb and the meanings of the words used in it, you see that wisdom therefore is to walk with God. When we do joy will come to us - and our countenance, our face will reflect it. But to walk in disobedience and rebellion is to invite a brokenness and sadness into our lives which will fill our hearts with emotional suffering. How many in our world walk in this kind of suffering every day. But, dear saints of God, we can alleviate this suffering by sharing the gospel with them and encouraging them to come to Christ - Who can deliver them from their sin and flood their hearts with His own joy. This Proverb truly helps us to see the difference between the lost and the saved - between those who embrace obedience to God versus those who mock such a lifestyle. The difference is the Source of their joy. The difference between a sad countenance - and a cheerful one - is the gospel and the joy of knowing that we are saved. |
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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