 Proverbs 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
When God gives us wisdom, it is amazing to see how often it involves our mouths and the words we speak. Here we learn that fools talk too much, but the wise and prudent person restrains the number of his words. When we speak many words – transgression is unavoidable. What an astounding statement to make. The more we speak, the less likely we are to measure and weigh our words enough to make sure that we do not sin against a person – and more importantly God Himself. Later in the book of James we hear the admonition, “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) Moses would affirm this as it was his words spoken in anger that kept him from entering the promised land. Measured and weighed words are wise words. The more of them we speak – the more likely our sin nature will be expressed in them. Thus the greater volume of words – the more likely there will be ones spoken that are sinful. The word “transgression” is an interesting word to use in this proverb. Transgression is the Hebrew word “pasha” which means a rebellion or revolt – a breaking with authority. The idea is that of breaking with God and His perfect and absolute truth and wisdom. Instead we speak and within those words we depart from what He says. In a verse that promises us prosperity, God says to Joshua to not let God’s Word depart from his mouth. This is true when speaking with men and with God. In a wonderful reminder of being careful what we speak before God, Solomon says this in the book of Ecclesiastes. Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (NASB) We are warned here as well as in Proverbs 10 that many words – even in the presence of God – are not wise. Our first impulse in God’s presence should be to listen rather than to speak or, as Solomon puts it, “offer the sacrifice of fools.” This is not saying that we should not pour out our hearts before God – for we are enjoined to do that in the Scriptures. The wise man though, measures his words before speaking them. The last part of our Proverb for today says that he who holds his tongue is wise. I cannot count the times that I myself have thought that if I had only chosen to say nothing my situation would be much better. That sentiment has been echoed to me by countless others who have paid a high price realizing that once words are spoken they cannot be taken back. We can ask for forgiveness for careless words – but the sting of their hurt cannot be altered. If the pain of foolish words is not enough of a warning to us to avoid them, we should then remember the words of our Lord Himself on this matter. Jesus said this about careless words, "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37 (NASB) We will give an account for the words we speak. That should remind us to speak fewer of them unless necessary. As a godly man once told me, “It is better to be quiet and have everyone wonder if you are wise or not, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt that you are not."
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Proverbs 29:22 An angry man stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
A man who flares his nostrils and who is easily filled with passionate anger about things is not going to be a godly or wise man. That is what today's proverb teaches us. Let's look at how anger that is not controlled by the Spirit of God can be a very dangerous thing in our lives. The "angry man" in this proverb is one who often flares his nostrils. That picture to the Hebrew was a picture of a man who often became angry. We read that this is not wise because such a man often stirs up strife. His easily angered temperament will be the source of much fighting. He will not be long suffering and patient. He will grumble and complain thereby stirring up strife and anger in others. This will lead to a situation where he seems to be constantly surrounded by others who are angry - or who have grievances against the ones he is angry with as well. There will be a controversy swirling about him that never seems to die down. Problems and broken relationships will be all around him as the proverbial pot is always being stirred. This man is likened to a "hot-tempered" man. His temperament is set so that it will boil over very easily. He becomes angry quickly - and that anger will lead to arguments and problems often. Contrary to this is the man surrendered to the Holy Spirit whose fruit is peace, patience, gentleness - and - self-control. Slights and problems roll off the Spirit filled man like water off a duck's back. He is a peacemaker and as such is known as one of the sons of God. King Saul had these bad traits in his life. He perceived a slight when the women sang that He had slain thousands and David ten thousands. Jealousy and envy bred anger in King Saul that boiled over in many angry and hot-tempered acts. He was well known for dealing with his anger not by patience and long-suffering, but by throwing spears. He threw them at David because of his jealousy. He threw them because he did not want to deal with his own sin - and came to hate David for how God was with him. He eventually threw them at his own son because he dared love and protect David. His hot-tempered ways led him to kill all the priests in the city of Nob because he raged against the priest seeking The Lord on David's behalf. His uncontrolled anger led him away from God and into abounding levels of transgression and sin. That is what our proverb warns against today. We are warned that an uncontrolled temper let loose in fits of anger will land us in an abundance of sin. If we are not careful we will wind up like Saul whom God would not answer - and whom God removed because of his sin. Patience is a virtue. It is a godly thing to be able to handle a slight - an insult - a perceived put down - and act graciously and godly - without a descent into a fit of anger. A wise man knows that it is not the estimation of men that matters - but the Word of God. Be careful therefore to learn graciousness, kindness, and the ability to be slow to anger. That is the heart of our God - and when we are filled with His Spirit and instructed by His Word - ours as well. Proverbs 29:16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases; but the righteous will see their fall.
There is a principle at work here - and one that has been seen again and again in the world. The more the wicked increase in a society, the more that the society will turn toward wickedness. This is not a recent phenomenon - it has been happening ever since the fall of man. In fact, one of the most powerful examples of it was not long after man fell into sin. We read in Genesis chapter 6 of this kind of situation. "Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose." The progression here is fascinating to see. First the wicked began to multiply. You might wonder why I think the wicked multiplied - and not the godly. The reason for this is because man is sinful - and will always orient himself toward his sin and ungodliness unless God intervenes by His grace to change things. The next step was that the wicked began to modify - and they modified God's intention for marriage. They married at will - based on something other than God's plan. This led to the wicked multiplying even more. The god-desired role of the family was perverted and rather than pass on godliness - men began to pass on and even grow in his wickedness. We read in verse 5 of that same chapter of Genesis, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Two more things began to happen. The wicked began to magnify their wickedness. God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth. The original intent for creation was to magnify the Creator, God. Now it was filled with men who magnified the creation, man. The second thing that happened was the Wicked began to meditate on their wickedness. Every intent of the thoughts of their heart became evil continually. God's desire was for men to meditate on Him and His Word - instead; they meditated on their godless desires - which led to even worse conditions. The wicked then turned to mayhem and murder in their wickedness. God said the following to Noah about this in verse 13 of chapter 6 of Genesis. “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth." James warns us in chapter 4 of his letter that the cause of our fighting is our lusts that wage war within us. This leads us to even kill so that we can fulfill our lusts that rage for more within us. The sad ending of all this is that the choices of the wicked led to the condemnation of the wicked. God destroyed that generation. As we turn our attention back to our proverb - we see just what Solomon is communicating to his sons - and to all who would read these words. When the wicked increase, transgression among men increases as well. But in the end the righteous will see their fall. Wickedness cannot reign long in a land - it consumes it to a point of catastrophe. It did so in Noah's day - and we read that as it was in the days of Noah, so also it shall be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. The ungodly will always be ungodly - and the wicked will seek to multiply their wickedness. But what is there for us to learn from this - just don't be wicked? No, there is a message for us today - one that will magnify the grace of God in the gospel. How can we keep the wicked from increasing? Every time a child is born - another ungodly heart enters the human race. We are fallen - and we multiply into more fallen men and women over time. The answer lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the ONLY way that we can stem the tide of the wicked multiplying on the earth. We must multiply! We must be about sharing Jesus Christ with all who are around us. We must take the one thing that can take a wicked heart and transform it into a godly one. That one thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus sent us into the world to make disciples of all the nations. As the early church took that mandate seriously they multiplied disciples - leading them to Christ - baptizing them as they identified with Christ - teaching them to obey all Jesus commands - and then doing it in each and every generation until the end of the age. This, and only this, can stand against the wicked and their wickedness multiplying in a society! May God give us grace to accept no substitutes in this matter - no political or social or military option, which in the end will only fail. May we see that the glorious mandate to minister the gospel - and make disciples IS God's only answer for our world! He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13
Here is a proverb that agrees perfectly with what is said in the New Testament. We read in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is the truth of 1 John 1:9 stated in another way. Whereas the 1 John passage states this truth in the positive only, this proverb also warns us of the consequences and danger of not dealing with our sins. The Concealer . . . First we are told about the fate of the one who conceals his transgressions. The word "conceal" means to cover - and has the idea of a cover up. This man is hiding his transgressions (word meaning a sin or rebellion - here against God and His Law and His way). Thus the concealer is not willing to bring his sin to light before God. He therefore hides his rebellion thinking that God does not see him. This same word was used to describe how Joseph's brothers tried to hide their sin when they dipped his coat in goat's blood and brought to Jacob. There was an attempted cover up by Joseph's brothers which eventually came to light. In the same way, we are warned against covering up our sins. They will come to light - and the way this happens in by a loss of the blessing of God. Psalm 32:5 also speaks of his particular sin of hiding and trying to cover up our sin. The Psalmist says, "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah." When he was trying to hide his sin from God, the Psalmist had nothing but grief and pain. When he faced his sin before God he received forgiveness. Hiding our sins is not only counterproductive - it is also ridiculously foolish. We serve a God Who is omniscient. He knows all things. When Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden - it was out of shame and rebellion. The problem for them was that God could still see them - and did even as they committed the first sin. Cain answered God rebelliously when God asked where his brother Abel was. Cain must have thought God did not see - but he did - and Abel's blood was crying out to God from the ground. Moses thought he could kill the Egyptian and hide him in the piles of grain - but God saw - as well as some other Hebrews. HEre is a fact you should always remember. We can never hide our sin from a holy, omniscient God. He truly sees all! He warns his people, "Be sure that your sins will find you out!" Proverbs tells us that this man who is trying to conceal his sin will not prosper. Prosper is the Hebrew word "tsalach" which means to succeed or to be victorious. This word has the idea of breaking out or breaking through - and has a military aspect to it. It spoke of how an army would break through their enemies - which was a sure sign that they were about to win the battle and defeat them. Proverbs says to us is that concealing our sins is way to ensure we will NOT PROSPER. God wants us to confess and forsake our sin. When we choose rebellion and sin against God, we are in serious trouble. We are facing judgment if we do not know Christ - or discipline if we do. What we need is grace - we need God's compassion. That is exactly what Proverbs is wanting to teach us. God wants us to know how to obtain His compassion when we sin? How do we obtain God's compassion and restoration? First, we confess our sins and rebellion. What is fascinating here is the word that God uses to describe confession. The Hebrew word is "yadah." This word means to throw towards - to cast something towards. Here it means to throw off our sin and cast it towards God. It means that we are throwing all our sin and rebellion to God - with a desire for Him to show us forgiveness and compassion. What is wild is that this same word is used for praising God - meaning that we are casting our hands up into the air and casting our praises toward God. God does not want us to try to hold our sins close to us - He wants us to cast those sins away from us and toward Him for His compassion and grace! There is a second thing that puts us in line for God's compassion and forgiveness. Some teach that all we need to do is to confess our sins and everything is fine with God. That is partially true. There is suppose to be a second attitude present. If it is not - I do not believe the Bible says that we will receive forgiveness. That attitude or action is to forsake our sins. This word means to abandon, desert, leave behind, completely neglect and STOP. When we come to God seeking His compassion and forgiveness - we need to come with a heart that says, "Please forgive me God . . . and I also want to forsake and abandon my sin." This is the kind of heart that finds compassion and forgiveness before God. This verse is vital in us knowing the fellowship and grace of God. It is so important for us to grasp the call of God to deal with our sins and rebellion. I honestly believe that just as 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed verse - this verse in Proverbs 28:13 is as well. Oh that we would hear this and heed it as well. It would throw open to us the door to God's grace, mercy, and compassion that we need every day of our lives. He who loves transgression loves strife; He who raises his door seeks destruction.
Proverbs 17:19 There are those in this world who love rebellion - whether against God or against "the man." These people, because of this rebellious bent, also love strife. Theiy love a good fight where they can quarrel with others and contend with anyone who holds an opinion other than theirs. This kind of insolent, arrogant attitude brings such a one into multiple situations where they fight and where violence is almost certainly to break out eventually. I remember a friend of my youth - who just loved to fight, whether it was with words or fists. This happened weekend after weekend as he would drink and party. One weekend he went too far and was shot a couple of times at a bar where he had previously picked another fight. Fortunately for him he was not killed in the incident. But this is what the proverb is trying to get us to see. The second part of the proverb here is a Hebraism. It speaks of the one who "raises his door." The habit of the Jews was to make the front door of their compound very low to the ground so that no one could get in without permission. They also would intentionally not make their doors ornate - so as to draw attention to themselves - and unintentionally draw the attention of thieves or those who would seek to plunder their homes and compounds. Over time this practice eventually came to speak of someone who was ostentatious and filled with pride. Those to "raise their door" came to mean those who act with excessive pride and arrogance. We are warned that doing this is dangerous and destructive. When we live with such excessive pride and arrogance - even one that fights with everyone - and that loves sin - we are setting ourselves up for destruction. The wise man is a peace-maker, not a fighter. He is one who loves righteousness, peace, and humility. True, these things will not make him stick out - won't make him noticed by the standards of men. Yet, for the believer, this is not a good thing - to try to be noticed by men. We want God to be the One who promotes and gives us favor with others. The favor we crave and desire is not that of men (which often means we will have to love sinning as they do). We crave with an ever-increasing intensity the favor of God! And that kind of promotion does not draw the attention of men unduly - as does arrogant self-promotion does. An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble. Proverbs 12:13
Be careful what you say . . . you may being laying a trap for yourself with your words. That is the truth that today's proverb is trying to get us to understand. The Hebrew phrase used here paints an interesting picture for us. The original Hebrew reads, "In the transgression of the lips is an evil snare." What is even more fascinating about this phrase is that the snare is actually a baited trap. Of course we know that a trap is baited so that the animal that we desire to capture is lured to it. The animal is captured when it focuses on the bait rather than the surroundings of that bait. Some animals can even sense the danger of the trap, but ignore it because they become so fixated on the bait in it. What captures this fool is the fact that he does not watch what he is saying. The transgression of his lips is his unwillingness to submit how he speaks to God and God's law. The word here meant a rebellious act - here meaning the rebellious speech of this man's mouth. His rebellion is against God and against God's warnings to be careful what he says. This man ignores God's cautions to those who say too much - and who see no need to put a guard over their mouths. The bait in their trap is actually their desire to have no one or no law govern what they can say. The undeniable truth of life is that we can say whatever we want, whenever we want, to whomever we want . . . once. The ability to repeat those words - or to be able to speak effectively again may be severely damaged by that absolute freedom to say what you want. Some may read this and protest that our founders fought for the freedom of speech. I would agree with you wholeheartedly on that matter. But our founders also knew that a wise man thinks before he speaks. He thinks because although he has freedom to speak - it is wisdom that governs us in such a way that we can speak again and again without reprecussion. We are told in the second half of this proverb that the righteous will escape from touble. This word "trouble" means something that causes distress and anguish. It refers to a situation of extreme discomfort and affliction. When we say something truly stupid, we can find ourselves quickly in a situation where we are uncomfortable. We all remember the times when a public figure said something they wished they had never said. You could almost hear a collective gasp from those around as the statement was made. The firestorm that ensued for the one who said it was predictable. Some of these public statements resulted in someone losing their job before it was all over. Did they have the freedom to speak - yes. Did their misuse of that freedom cost them dearly - absolutely. The wise man will escape from these afflictions because of the wisdom with which he chooses his words. He will know that there are times when he needs to speak - and other times when it would be wise for him to be quiet. Because he has chosen to surrender his right to say anything he wants to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - he is resuced from many situations where his freedom of speech would create great difficulty for him. Wisdom means knowing when to speak, how to speak, and often when to hold your peace. By the transgression of a land many are its princes, But by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures. Proverbs 28:2
Those of us who live in the United States have never experienced a coup in our lifetimes. The most disturbing event of our republic has been the Civil War in the 1860's. There has been a remarkable stability that God has allowed in this nation when it comes to how we deal with our rulers and the peaceful transition of power down through the years. That is what this particular proverb comments upon - what brings about the stabilty and enduring character of a nation. The transgression of a land brings it many princes. Transgression here means a breach of trust or rebellion. Understanding that we are reading Scripture - we need to grasp that the rebellion spoken of here is that which is against God. When a nation begins rebelling against God - trouble is brewing for it. Contrary to our current psuedo-constitutional view of separation of church and state - (which is interpreted more like separation of state and the God of the Bible) - our nation is under God. That fact exists regardless of whether that phrase is printed on our money or recited in our public school classrooms. All nations are under God Who is Sovereign over the universe. Thus God holds all nations to His moral law. When a nation rejects Him and His moral law - a measure of chaos results which grows over time. If a nation continues on its path of rejecting God and His ways - soon there will be rumblings of the coming moral and political earthquake that will hit society. In our nation we began to reject God's ways in the early part of the 20th century. That continued through the teen's and 30's - where we faced the first world war and the beginnings of the great depression. God was trying to get our attention, but we ignored Him for the most part. The 40's brought another world war - even more horrific than the first. Europe, who rejected the Lord in greater measure than the U.S. was doing, faced devastation from this war. Unfortunately, we really didn't learn much from their example either. There was relative prosperity in the 50's but the moral rumblings were gathering to become an earthquake. Parents who chased the American dream - soon found in their children of the 60's the American nightmare. Those children rejected the idol of money their parents served and toked up, tuned out, and rebelled against everything their parents stood for in life. They also embraced publically what their parents had done privately. The 50's and 60's saw the rise of private indiscretion and adultery - the practice of keeping mistresses (though secretly for the most part) and the beginning of the divorce culture in our nation. The children of these parents rejected marriage altogether and embraced what they called, "free love" which was just the bondage of fornication. This culture of sexual immorality then gave rise to easily accessible abortion as a convenient way to deal with problem pregnancies in the early 70's. Just as Scripture tells us in Romans chapter 1 the heterosexual immorality of the 50's, 60's, and 70's gave way to the homosexual immorality of the 80's and 90's. But during this time we saw another thing begin to happen. The political dialogue, which has always had a tendency to be contentious, began to become toxic. There also was a great rise in the number of politicians who no longer cared about any kind of long term benefit or damage to our country, as long as they could be re-elected and consolidate their power. Decisions were made and money was spent without thought to the problem their debt was causing for our future. This kind of careless and selfish rule has given rise to our current political climate. Our current situation is that our country is badly divided over political and moral issues. The rift is about 50/50 - and the radicalism of those opposing each other is rising - as is the rhetoric used to describe one another. Could it be that a coup or a revolution could be in our future. I certainly hope not - but our proverb today tells us to the contrary. The "many princes" spoken of at the first part of our proverb do not refer to our current type of government with many leaders serving within it. It refers to the problem of coups and overthrows. It speaks of those usurping power. When a land or country begins having a total disregard for the Lord and His Laws - that country is headed for trouble. When people have no regard for God and His law - they will also have no regard for any law. We are watching this in our day as the enforcement of laws is being tossed to the side if those in power don't like the laws on the books. Also there is far more being "decreed" by presidential decree than is being done as our constitution directs by the Legislative branch (the Senate and House of Representatives). We are facing a growing practice of presidential dictatorship than a republic where the elected officials hash out laws in Congress. This is because as we grow to reject God - and reject law in general - people will turn to whatever is right in their own eyes (as they did in the book of Judges). The proverb also tells us how to have a nation endure. It endures by having a man of understanding and knowledge around. The two words used here are vital to us grasping what God is saying here. Understanding is the Hebrew word "bin" and it means to be discerning, to be able to perceive, to pay attention to things - having the ability to apply God's wisdom to a situation in life. The second word, knowledge, is the Hebrew word "yada" and it means to know - and here it refers to the ability to discriminate between what is right or wrong, good or bad. It also has the idea along with it of knowing what to do - which in this case refers to what God desires that the nation do. Consider these two words - their overt reference to God's wisdom - and the current way God is viewed by our elected leaders. Do you see much of a chance for our nation with leaders who reject God - and who are rejecting any kind of accountability to the laws already on the books of our nation? A wise and discerning counsellor or leader is able to help a nation endure. Think for a moment about our founding fathers and the documents they gave to us in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. These were for the most part godly men - or at least God fearing men. Their wisdom and desire to honor God in this nation resulted in a document that has guided our nation for over 200 years! Considering the history of democracies and constitutional republics, this is nothing short of astounding. They also gave us a system that recognizes the danger of sinful man. They made it difficult to change things quickly. They made it difficult for the calls of the populace to be made into law - without debate and time to consider what would truly happen if those laws were enacted. Their goal was a nation led by "WISE" leaders who would lead with that wisdom - and with caution and discernment. When a nation rejects God - and rejects His Word - they are walking in a way that will eventually destroy that nation. As they reject Him, they will reject things like wisdom, caution, discernment, discretion, and restraint. What will replace these things are the calls by the populace for instant change to fix any perceived problem quickly. Rejecting God will also bring a population to its knees as moral degradation and a lack of good character pervades society - at all levels. Consider Rome and how Rome fell. It was not primarily due to an overthrow of her enemies from without - but from a moral, spiritual, and foolish decay from within. That decay was soon seen in leaders that were chosen - in a decay of public morality among them - and in a growing preoccupation with being amused and entertained rather than in working to build a stronger individual character, strong families, and a strong nation. In time the lack of these things - as seen in the growth of transgression in the land - led to the overthrow of emperors - and eventually the overthrow of their government. Many princes ensued and the land languished - lacking the kind of people who could help it endure by leading with wisdom and understanding. What will it be for our land - for our nation? I grieve as I watch leaders from both sides of the aisle make choices that only lead our nation into greater and greater transgression. I grieve as both parties have now defended a president who has openly trashed his wedding vows - even while one was in office. I grieve as I watch and wonder if our nation would even tolerate a leader who held genuinely biblical views on sexual morality, marriage, divorce, racism, gender, violence, obedience to the laws of our land, and abortion? But I also grieve that all along the way as these things have arisen - that the church has failed to respond with brokenness, humility, repentance (for our own sins in these areas), love (for those trapped in sin) , and prayer for genuine revival first in us - then spiritual awakening in our land. In the United States it is not enough to just curse the darkness we choose to see in others. We must be people of understanding and knowledge of our own sins too. Maybe then we will be in a position to offer a more honest assessment of the transgression of our land? Will it eventually be "many princes" for our land in an overthrow or a coup? I do not long for one - but in light of current events - we may be watching this proverb come to fruition in our nation. He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13
Here is a proverb that agrees perfectly with what is said in the New Testament. We read in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is that truth stated in another way. Whereas the 1 John passage states this truth in the positive only, this proverb also warns us about not dealing with our sins. The Concealer . . . First we are told about the fate of the one who conceals his transgressions. The word "conceal" means to cover - and has the idea of a cover up. This man is hiding his transgressions (word meaning a sin or rebellion - here against God and His Law and way). He is not willing to bring his sin to light before God. Therefore he hides his rebellion thinking that God does not see him. This word was used to describe how Joseph's brothers tried to hide their sin when they dipped his coat in goat's blood and brought to Jacob. Psalm 32:5 also speaks of his particular sin of hiding and trying to cover up our sin. The Psalmist says, "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah." When he was trying to hide his sin from God, the Psalmist had nothing but grief and pain - but when he faced his sin before God that is when he received forgiveness. Hiding our sins is not only counterproductive - it is also kind of silly. We serve a God Who is omniscient. He knows all things. When Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden - it was out of shame and rebellion. The problem for them was that God could still see them - and did even as they committed the first sin. Cain answered God rebelliously when God asked where his brother Abel was. Cain must have thought God did not see - but he did - and Abel's blood was crying out to God from the ground. Moses thought he could kill the Egyptian and hide him in the piles of grain - but God saw - as well as some other Hebrews. The simple fact of all this is that we can never hide our sin from a holy, omniscient God. He truly sees all! Proverbs tells us that this man who is trying to conceal his sin will not prosper. "Prosper" is tsalach and means to succeed or to be victorious. It has the idea of breaking out or breaking through - and has a military aspect to it. It spoke of how an army would break through their enemies - which was a sure sign that they were about to defeat their enemies. But what Proverbs says to us is that concealing our sins is a sure way to know we will NOT PROSPER! We will not break through to God - we will not break through to victory - we will not break through to see strongholds and sins overcome. And beyond that - we won't prosper spiritually period! If this was all this proverb said - it would be great counsel - but would leave us with just a warning. Yet God does not want us only to receive correction - He wants us to receive counsel. The Lord wants us to confess and forsake our sin. When we choose rebellion and sin against God, we are in serious trouble. We are facing judgment if we do not know Christ - or discipline if we do. What we need is grace - we need God's compassion. That is exactly what Proverbs is wanting to teach us. How do we obtain the compassion of God when we sin? First, we confess our sins and rebellion. What is fascinating here is the word that God uses to describe confession. The Hebrew word is "yadah." This word means to throw towards - to cast something towards. Here it means to throw off our sin and cast it towards God. It means that we are throwing all our sin and rebellion to God - with a desire for Him to show us forgiveness and compassion. What is wild is that this same word is used for praising God - meaning that we are casting our hands up into the air and casting our praises toward God. God does not want us to try to hold our sins close to us - He wants us to cast those sins away from us and toward Him for His compassion and grace! There is a second thing God desires here for us to receive compassion. Some teach that all we need to do is to confess our sins and everything is fine with God. That is true - if this second attitude is present. If it is not - I do not believe the Bible says that we will receive forgiveness. We also need to forsake our sins. This word means to abandon, desert, leave behind, completely neglect and STOP. When we come to God seeking His compassion and forgiveness - we need to come with a heart that says, "Please forgive me God . . . and I also want to forsake and abandon my sin." This is the kind of heart that finds compassion before God. Compassion means that God shows us mercy and a deep, kindly sympathy. This verse is so key to us knowing fellowship and grace from God. It is so important for us to grasp the call of God to us to deal with our sins and rebellion. I honestly believe that just as 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed verse - this verse in Proverbs 28:13 is as well. Oh that we would hear this and heed it as well. Believe me, if we do, we will obtain the grace, mercy, and compassion that we need. 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. |
 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. 
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