This is the beginning of a section of proverbs that seems to “cut
to the bone,” if you will. Most of the
verses run in tandem with an opposing circumstance or result. If you look carefully at the examples with a
willingness to find yourself often on the wrong side of the tandem, you will
grow as we walk through this section.
This chapter has 13 references about Righteousness (3, 6, 7, 11, 16, 20,
21, 24, 25, 28, 30, 31, 32) which is more than any chapter in the Bible.
1 The
proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father:
but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Are you a wise son or daughter?
If you are, you honor your earthly father and mother by being so. If you are raising children
it is important to understand the purpose of your privilege. Children get their perspective of God from
their father and their picture of Christ from their mother. This verse only hints at the difference
between a child that honors his or her parents and one that does not. The discouragement of the heart in a parent
is they can clearly see the resulting calamity.
The “foolish” one is described in Pr 13:13 – 14; “13The desire
accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to
depart from evil. 14He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but
a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Notice even the companion of fools is
destroyed. That lends credence to the
concern of parents as to whom their children hang around with. Running with the wrong crowd could destroy
them. The “heaviness of his mother”
describes her sorrow. A sorrow similar to that of Christ toward those that do not come to
Him. Pr 14:12 – 14: “12There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death. 13Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the
end of that mirth is heaviness. 14The backslider in heart
shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from
himself.”
2 Treasures
of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth
from death.
Keep in mind here that treasures are more than possessions or
things. Treasures are the things that
motivate us to pursue or arrange our lives in such a way as to make us
happy. Mt. 6:21 “For
where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.” A drunkard might treasure having booze and righteous man might
treasure having his family home safely at the end of a day. Both would tax themselves to achieve their
goals. Actually
if you think about it that way, treasure is seldom the chest full of jewels and
splendor but instead the things we cherish.
The danger is that if they consume us and distract us from the things
that are important, they become wickedness.
3 The
LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
This is an awesome promise from the LORD. If you are righteous your soul will not
suffer. We have to
be careful here too as the soul and the physical is not the same thing. It is not saying you will enjoy good health
here. It is saying that your soul will
not suffer. The common torments of the
soul that is suffering are of the heaviest perplexities. Part of the relief is having Wisdom and with
that Wisdom a rejuvenated Trust. Trust
is the foundation of contentment and serenity.
We will never have true happiness until we have a foundation built on
Trusting in the LORD.
The substance of the wicked is simply the things they are willing
to bargain away in pursuit of the ultimate treasure. The ultimate treasure of the wicked is simply
to land the one big prize of never having to do anything for the rest of their
lives. The wicked are devoid of
understanding and they are without the persistence of the Holy Spirit’s
discomfort.
4 He
becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the
hand of the diligent maketh rich.
The NIV states it like this: “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” This is nothing new to us, everyone knows
that there are things we should be or could be doing. Doing them is important
and doing them well is paramount but sometimes we let things get in the
way. I suppose you could say, as
indicated in verse two, the treasure thing comes into play here. What do you feel the strongest about making
sure is in place? Is it pleasure? Is it practicality? Is it daily
necessities? The word “diligent” in this
verse means, pointed and sharp and has the sense of being very focused.
I heard a speaker one time talking about utilizing our time. One of his demonstrations was a very simple
one. He said, “I am going to start this
stop-watch. I will let it time out
exactly one minute. During that entire
one-minute you are to say nothing, do nothing, just look up here. I have asked all of those working to clean up
from our fine meal to stop as well. I
want you to see and feel how much time is in one minute. When he started the stop
watch, the room fell silent and the time seemed like forever. You might try it. The point was to signify that most of us have
time we just don’t use time to do the right things. A good thing to think about doing is making a
simple plan for the day. It might
consist of the things that need to get done or people you need to call on the
phone. What ever your plan consists of,
make sure it has time for the LORD.
5 He
that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth
shame.
“Gathereth” refers to the gathering or
tending to livestock. Pr. 6:8 “Provideth
her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food
in the harvest.” Again this is more
about time management and the things that make a man complete. It is important to realize there are indeed
times to do things and get them done and out of the way. The result of that is there is time for ourselves and a more peaceful time to relax and enjoy the
fruits of our labors. We seem to be
enamored by the fact that we see so many having fun, we naturally assume they
have their lives and responsibilities “gathered”. They surely have not left things that need
tending to, to be there. Don’t be caught
up in the psychological justifications either.
They always tell us that a person has to have
that time. Some would contend they don’t
have, nor can they find, that time to relax. They have to
force themselves to relax or take time off.
Pr. 26:3 “The slothful man saith, There
is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.” If there is no way to get all that really
needs to be done, tended to, then there are too many things in our life. Now it could be there are things we place a
high value of importance on that are not daily necessities. Wisdom will set us free of those burdens
gracefully.
Another way to look at this passage is where the summer is the
youth of our lives and the harvest encompasses the activities of preparing for
the evenings of security and relaxation we will find
ourselves in when we are older. It does
not change the fact at the root of its intentions; be diligent in what you do
with your time as you are allotted. We
should endeavor to make more of that allotment and make sure that the priority
of that commitment is wedged deeply in our salvation. Time is indeed a gift of His awesome
Grace. Through Wisdom’s guidance
harmoniously with the desires of the Holy Spirit in us all time is
supernatural.
6 Blessings
are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth
the mouth of the wicked.
I find it curious how our
society and even our ancestors how they have always pondered the news of daily
events. I think you would have to agree
that the news these days is mostly violent.
If we turn on the TV and it says “live” and we see the cameras rolling
from a helicopter, we know there is something serious going on. It would really be something someday to see a
gentleman from a helicopter hovering in the air and the commentator describing the
activities as a gentleman gets out of his car.
The commentator announces, “Folks, he is out of his car.” In a curious voice he says, “He is walking
around to the other side of the car.”
“He is reaching for the car door?”
“The door is open.” “Fred, zoom
in closer so we can see.” “Yes, he is
helping his wife out of the car.” “What
a gentleman, folks!” No, our news is
filled with the torments of nature and violence of a society focused on that
which is sensational. If its not
sensational, it barely deserves our time these days. Blessings on the other hand are upon our
heads. We have to
make sure we acknowledge them as often as we can. Realizing God’s Grace and the concern He has
set in place for us is the ultimate sanctity one can find.
7 The
memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Have you ever had the occasion when you said, “What ever happened
to so and so?” Then you find out they
got into trouble and after that they disappeared. Contrast that with the memory of a just
person. Even in our time they
exist. Also note here this is the second
time blessings are mentioned. The third
mention is in verse 22. Three times in
the same chapter means that Wisdom is telling us there are distinct and
prominent differences between one with Wisdom and one without.
8 The
wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
“The wise in heart” has tilled the soil of his soul with the spade
of preparedness and is as fertile as the legendary Nile. They are committed to doing what it
takes. They agree and understand the
purpose of LORD of harvest is to make our barns full. Pr 3:10 “So shall
thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” The warning here is to watch also what comes
out of our mouths. Pr. 4:24 “Put
away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” A prating fool is one that constantly runs their mouth with a
high degree of rubbish. Most of that
rubbish may be in the form of profanity, offensively intended innuendos or as
the Hebrew definition includes, emptiness.
Empty idle words may also be a source which is keeping us from purpose and
carrying out the instructions mentioned in verse 5.
9 He
that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth
his ways shall be known.
In order to walk uprightly (rightly) you have to
be on track. Don’t confuse this with
walking around like you own the place and have the snout so far in the air
you’d need a beacon to warn aircraft of your impending doom. Walking uprightly is the gift of Wisdom as
she stokes the coals of that which motivates you. You are sure because Wisdom is sure. Truth is sure. This is the purest form of
truth, truth between you and your soul.
For out of the heart comes the wellspring of life.
The fact that this verse also contains “his ways shall be known”
referring to him “that perverteth” also refers
indirectly to the uprightly surely walking dude, he too will be known. You see, sometimes we ourselves fall into the
trap of letting our pride stoke the furnace of our perspective when it comes to
how we view ourselves. This could be the
warning you need to bring you back into walking uprightly and closer to Him.
10 He
that winketh with the eye causeth
sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
It should be understood that the meaning of
the word “winketh” is in the negative sense. It could be the signal
or the acknowledgement of an evil act pending or completed. It also has the sense of belittlement. It is possible to wink at someone as to
indicate you are in charge or superior in some way. Another instance that the wink would cause
sorrow is to have been winked at when something wrong happened to which when
winked at suddenly you are an accomplice.
However, the prater just falls flat on his face due to his or her lack
of control of their mouth.
11 The
mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth
the mouth of the wicked.
Why would violence covereth the mouth of
the wicked? If you think about it like
this, they want no one to be attentive to them.
They follow the golden rule of the wicked…Pr 28:1 “The wicked flee when no man pursueth:
but the righteous are bold as a lion.” In many cases they are not even around when
you need to find them. When you do find them they often have a memory laps regarding the
circumstances in question.
It is interesting to be able to have the acquaintance of a
righteous man. They have a certain
charisma about them that pulls you into their words. God promises a well of life. The well of life is one of just that,
Life. The original Hebrew for the word
“Life” used here is interesting in that it depicts eternally and everlasting.
12 Hatred
stirreth up strifes: but
love covereth all sins.
The word “Hatred” here is a very strong term in the Hebrew. It implies a hatred toward man and God. When it is used in this verse where it stirs
up strifes, the word “strifes”
means contentions. It is only used in
the Bible three times and all three times in Proverbs. Pr 6:14 “Frowardness
is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he
soweth discord.” Pr 6:19 “A
false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord
among brethren.” Hopefully you noticed the word is among those
verses describing the seven abominations.
Enough about the bad lets look at the
love here in this verse. This is a human
love for a human object. Love of a man
toward his fellow man, love of a man toward himself, love between man and a
woman, and the love that spawns Godly sexual desire. Many couples have experienced the joy and
cleansing of this love after having some discord in their marriage. What is meant here is that love quenches the
wrong. It erases the feelings and urges
to be contentious, it brings harmony. It can be said then, Love is harmony.
13 In
the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the
back of him that is void of understanding.
The Hebrew word for “understanding” is used several times in
scripture and is translated; consider, prudent, perceive, regard, discern and
even instruct.
One void of understanding will certainly encounter chastening of
some sort. Whether it is from a judge or
from the LORD it will be sure to come.
Don’t be fooled into thinking those without understanding are going to
sit by and wait for the inevitable. They
will scheme and concoct any number of plans to cloud their condition and
circumstances. However, their foolish
condition will only keep them from seeing the culminating judgment.
14 Wise
men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
In this day and age, being content to know something without bragging or seeking to
make public is nearly unheard of. The majority of us when we feel we have something that no
one else knows or understands we let them know.
True Wisdom is content to just know.
The “foolish” on the other hand seemingly dangle above the pits of
destruction constantly. How many times
have we seen others have to take back what they said
when what they thought was fact turned out to be misinterpreted? I have noticed lately, even the news media
tries to shift the blame of their misquotes or misinterpretations by blaming
someone or something which led them astray.
We have all heard the saying, “Better to keep your mouth shut and
be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” -- Mark Twain.
15 The
rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their
poverty.
The word used here for “destruction” is interesting when used like
this in that it seemingly implies the poor are destroyed. However, the Hebrew word is translated terror
or dismay or even object of terror. So in essence the verse is actually saying the terror or
dismay of the poor is their poverty.
When you look at it that way, it changes the way we read the verse. While the poverty itself is terrorizing the
poor, they can only focus on the terror and are befuddled by it so much it
becomes their focus. Be careful because
we are often in the same boat. The word
“poverty” simply means lack or to be in want.
It may be that we can pay our bills and eat in the finest restaurants but our poverty might be in some other treasure.
Do you have something that terrorizes you? Are you dismayed by some perplexing existence
in your life? If you do, maybe you need
to condition your focus on what Wisdom would have you do.
16 The
labour of the righteous tendeth
to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
Do you find it interesting that so many seek with all their might
to have certain things? Take for instance
automobiles. Don’t get me wrong, having
a nice car is not wrong but having one above your means is not right on many
fronts. It could even be considered sin
if you let that object cause you to not tendeth to
life.
17 He
is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but
he that refuseth reproof erreth.
The word “keepeth” means to guard,
observe or give heed. Which means the
instructions we get, we learn and observe them and by observe, I mean put them
into practice. This seems so obvious and
so simple when we first read this.
However, if we think about how many times someone has tried to tell us
something and we didn’t listen or thought they were wrong, there might be many
times we ended up saying to ourselves, “I wish I would have listened.” The word “reproof” means being corrected but
in a more factual presentation. Kind of
like a lawyer would prove you were wrong by demonstrating all the facts
surrounding the situation.
If we are going to find
ourselves “in the way of life” we are going to have to be open to being
corrected. We have to
be humble enough to admit our mistakes.
Look at Hebrews 12:5-11, “5And ye have forgotten the
exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children,
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth
with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are
partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have
had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own
pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby.”
18 He
that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
This is not a license to run out and tell those that we dislike
how we dislike them but it is a serious conscience check. First understand any lie is wrong, for it is
the way of Satan and how he deceived Eve in the garden. Colossians 3:9 "Lie not one to
another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” Also, we
need to realize that uttering anything false about someone in order to defame
them is wrong too. Consider this for a
moment, saying something good about someone that we know to be false is also a
lie.” Wisdom will always urge truth from
our lips. Paul talks about our lips in
Romans 3:13, “Their throat is an open sepulchre;
with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their
lips:” This verse is talking about the fool who acts as though he or she
likes someone but at the same time is trying to work their folly in such a was
as to take advantage of them. They are
hiding their hatred.
19 In
the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he
that refraineth his lips is
wise.
This verse is worded in such a way that is confusing. It actually means
when there is a multitude of words being used it is usually to hide or cover a
sin. Look at how the New American
Standard Bible (NAS) words this verse; “When there are many words,
transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his
lips is wise.” Basically
this verse is telling us to not waist our time trying to talk our way out of
trouble. As in verse 17, we have to learn to face the chastening but more importantly we
have to learn to use Wisdom.
20 The
tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little
worth.
The reason “the tongue of the just is as choice silver” is because
from them there is no doubt in what they are saying. There are no conniving intentions to be
concerned about or false statements.
They tend to say it like it is.
In contrast, the things that are said by the wicked being from a heart
of wickedness are always full of lies and deceit.
21 The
lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
The word “feed” here is meant in a figurative form where the
“righteous” gives comfort to those around them.
This verse carries on the thought of the previous verse in the sense of
the “just” speak Wisdom. There is no
worry about the righteous and their intentions.
They are always concerned about truth, which is the foundation of
Wisdom.
Have you ever been in a
situation where you would like to have known ahead of time the result of some
action you took? Fools often clamor and
claw at the walls of the pit as they slide into the depths of hell. Look carefully at the way this verse says
what the fool desires. They “die for
want.” This means when they are facing
death, then they call out to Wisdom.
Remember Proverbs 1:24-32; “But since you
rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, 25
since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, 26 I
in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you- 27
when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a
whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. 28 "Then
they will call to me but I will not answer; they will
look for me but will not find me. 29 Since they hated knowledge and
did not choose to fear the LORD, 30 since they would not accept my
advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their
ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the
waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will
destroy them;”(NIV)
22 The
blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Your eyes may have fastened for a moment on the word “rich” as you
read this verse. The word means rich as
in wealthy and having riches. Notice
too, there is no sorrow with these riches.
Being blessed of the LORD will bring riches without sorrow. I think we should look here for a moment then
at exactly what being blessed means.
There are many things that fall into the “being blessed” category which
are indeed blessings but this verse is talking about
“The blessing.” This is a constant attention
to even the most trivial things by the LORD.
23 It
is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
The justification of fools when they execute their folly is to say
it was “sport” or a game. Understand as
well, this is a condition of being caught.
The fool will never reveal their wickedness until there is no other way
out. The word “mischief” here means a
plan of evil intentions and is translated as adultery as well. I remember a radio program had a segment
where they would offer someone the opportunity to send flowers to someone
special for free. All they had to do was
give the name of the person and a nice bouquet of flowers were on their
way. There was a twist however, a caller
would give the name of someone special in their lives and the radio program
would call that person and present the offer as a special promotion of some
fictitious flower store. One time a lady
called in and gave the name of her sweetheart.
The radio program called the gentleman, made their presentation and he
agreed to have flowers sent. When the
radio program asked whom they should be sent to he
gave the name of his wife and not the lady that called in. When he heard the voice of the caller he conveniently said he was just kidding.
24 The
fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous
shall be granted.
The context of the word “fear” used here is terror. This is the only place in the entire Bible
this word is used. It is derived from
the Hebrew root word meaning to dwell, which means the fear is not sudden, but
instead dwelling or long lasting. The
wicked spend the majority of their time conniving in order to make sure once
their folly begins to unfold they themselves are not
caught in the crossfire of calamity. In
other words they fear themselves because they think
they are the best there is at their craft. (Obviously, due to their delusional
state they would never confess to being wicked.)
Those who are “righteous” are not in fear and even their desires
will be granted. You see, the desires of
the righteous are righteous desires and therefore grantable.
25 As
the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but
the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
Go back and look at verse 21 and read the verses quoted from
chapter 1. That is a great reference for
explaining the process in which bring the wicked to be “no more.” They are swept away by their own evil. It is clearly a distinct choice to turn away
from Wisdom and suffer the consequences of that choice.
An “everlasting foundation” is the basic purpose of any foundation
whether it is for a building or some form of knowledge. It is meant to be permanent and built
upon. It is not the final task but
instead the rudimentary beginning to ensure what is added later has solid
footing. The righteous create solid
footing for the future of their existence and not just them but generations to
come.
26 As
vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that
send him.
If you have ever asked someone to do something and found out later
it was not done or done too late, you understand the pain this verse is talking
about. Smoke in the eyes is very painful
and normally causes us to cover our eyes and turn away to elude further exposure. We have all heard the old saying, “If you
want something done right you have to do it yourself.” This verse is similar but here it is more
like, if you want it done at all. The
sluggard has purposed in his heart to find a way out of doing anything that
requires effort. Proverbs 22:13 “The slothful man saith, There is a
lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.”
27 The
fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but
the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
In Proverbs 8:13 we discussed in detail what “The fear of the
LORD” involves. Here is that list again;
a.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil
b.
The fear of the LORD is to hate pride
c.
The fear of the LORD is to hate arrogance
d.
The fear of the LORD is to hate the evil way
e.
The fear of the LORD is to hate the froward mouth
If we avoid these things it makes sense that our days will be
prolonged. In contrast as we discussed
in Proverbs 9:11 the one with Wisdom has less of the torments of day to day
worries and in contrast the wicked are constantly looking over their shoulders
to see who might be sneaking up to take them.
Just look back at verse 24 and how the wicked live.
28 The
hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked
shall perish.
The righteous have in them hope which has a foundation of faith,
faith has its foundation upon the LORD.
Knowing the LORD means to understand His desire for what our lives
should resemble. There are a multitude
of promises for us once we are committed to serving Him. Our hope is for the fruits of those promises,
which in turn bring gladness.
In contrast the expectation of the wicked is the temporary
satisfaction of skillfully executing their folly. Once their folly has been executed
they are quickly off to the next adventure.
Earlier in this chapter, verse 3: “The LORD…casteth
away the substance of the wicked.”
29 The
way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the
workers of iniquity.
Knowing what is right brings strength and doing what is right
brings courage. Keeping the ways of the
LORD makes us upright. The word
“upright” in this verse means integrity and completeness or fullness. When we have this fullness
it is the foundation of strength.
We should find it comforting to know the result of “the workers of
iniquity” is destruction. The workers of
iniquity exhaust themselves in vain to obtain sustenance through the
propagating of their wickedness. It is
not our concern to pass judgment or execute sentencing upon them. They will eventually fall under the judgment
of their peers (other wicked workers as they feed on themselves) or they will
be judged by the LORD.
30 The
righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
This is again another promise to the righteous from the LORD. First, the righteous will never be removed
but stand strong throughout time.
Secondly, the righteous one day will not cohabitate with the wicked. Consider how that makes us feel and what is
motivated by this promise. We certainly
find great courage to maintain our character when we understand one day our
rest will be with the LORD. Hebrews 4:9 - 11 "There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief.”
31 The
mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut
out.
It may be true that the words which come from the mouth of the
just cut through the flesh yet it is that purpose of
Wisdom to purify and bring truth to all matters. Hebrews 4:12 "For the
word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Stand in strength and receive the truth and
then with courage give what Wisdom has given you to say in confidence.
32 The
lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
It only stands to reason that the work of the wicked be to speak
frowardness in order to put forth their plan.
James 3:6 "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is
the tongue among our members, that it defileth the
whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature;
and it is set on fire of hell."
It also stands to reason that the righteous would know that those things
are not acceptable. Don’t get caught up
in the deceptiveness of the wicked. They
can paint their folly many colors and the only way to recognize them is to know
Truth.