1 The
preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the
LORD.
The word “preparations” is only used once in the entire
Bible. It comes from the Hebrew root
meaning to set in order or arrange and has a sense of high value. There is one thing we need to consider and
that is where our heart is focused.
Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also.” Often
I have thought I treasured the things of the LORD, yet to my dismay those
things became dull in significance as He enlightened me through His grace,
chastening and Love. As Wisdom grows
within us and Her understanding becomes our own understanding it is obvious why
“the answer of the tongue” becomes “from the LORD.”
Wisdom’s advice is to yield your heart to the right place and your
tongue will spout treasures unto eternity.
2 All
the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth
the spirits.
It is so important to have the right motive in what we do. The fact that this verse follows a verse
concerning the heart is no accident.
Having your spirits weighed is monumental. I heard a preacher say one time, “what if we
could take all the things we’ve done and put them on this overhead so all could
see?” I am afraid I would not be so comfortable in
that setting. Its not bad enough that we
would see the list of rotten things we have done but then add next to all the
good things our motives. In some cases even our good things would be done for the wrong
reasons. Isaiah 64:6 "But we are
all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away." If
you are like me, many times I think to myself, “I did that pretty well.” The sad thing is though when I consider why I
did it, oftentimes it was for my own glory.
We have a tendency to justify what we do and
somehow blend our circumstances into our motivations.
3 Commit
thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
Have you ever been on the phone and someone was talking a mile a
minute? How many times have we been
caught with our thoughts somewhere else?
In a kind of twisted way that is exactly what it means here to have
established thoughts. However, it is
much deeper than that.
One of the greatest stories in the Bible about commitment is in
the book of Nehemiah. You have heard the
story about Sanballat, Geshem and Tobiah, how they
continually harassed Nehemiah while he was committed to rebuilding the walls of
Jerusalem. Sanballat and Geshem sent a
letter to Nehemiah asking him to come down and see them. Nehemiah was busy building the wall and in
fact was at a place where all the walls were done but the doors were not up
yet. So you
might say he was at a point where taking a break was appropriate. His commitment however was such that he
kindly sent a letter back saying he was very busy. They sent back four more letters and Nehemiah
sent back four more responding as in the first.
Then Sanballat sent his personal servant to have a face to face with
Nehemiah. The servant explained the
concerns of Sanballat that Nehemiah was building all this in order to send back
word to Judah that he himself was now a king and was going to revolt. Nehemiah sent word back by the servant saying
this, Nehemiah
6:8-9 "8Then I sent unto him, saying, There
are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. 9For they
all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be
weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen
my hands." Then, Nehemiah was
prompted to hide in the temple by Shemaiah to keep from being killed. Here is where Nehemiah’s thoughts where
established. He said to Shemaiah, “I perceived
that God had not sent him…therefore he was hired, that I should be afraid, and
do so, and sin, and that they might have a matter for an evil report, that they
might reproach me.” (Neh 6:12-13)
Because Nehemiah had committed his work unto God, his thoughts
were established and the walls were done in fifty-two
days. Consider this however, some of the
thoughts he had were not from within himself.
Else, how would he perceive the intentions of those around him? Some would even consider his actions foolish but he knew God was speaking to him throughout this
committed work.
4 The
LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of
evil.
There is not a thing known or unknown that God did not make and this helps to even explain the evil we often
see. Part of the responsibility of
having Wisdom is understanding the condition and purpose of His entire
Kingdom. Many things have
to be accepted in Faith yet knowing He made them is stated clearly. This certainly does not explain the why but it does say that He did and in some areas that has
to be understood as His will.
5 Every
one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in
hand, he shall not be unpunished.
This refers to list in chapter six again and this one is the first
mentioned in the list. The kind of
pride, which is an abomination to the LORD, is the kind that renders a person
as self-righteous. Something to consider
here is the fact that often we tend to seek strength by finding others to join
us in our cause no matter how wrong that cause might be. Pride is one of the most
dastardly of tools used by the Deceiver.
It blinds its host to his or her condition in such a way that they are
unable to consider even the smallest problems within themselves. There is nothing wrong with being proud of
ourselves but the very next thought we should have when we feel that notion is
how fortunate we are to have gotten here by the LORD’s perfect will.
6 By
mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Truth will always win in the long run. There is one thing that will never change
whether you are there or you are absent, the
Truth. The word “Iniquity” in the
original Hebrew means to bend, twist, or distort. This is saying then, truth will reconcile
bent, twisted, or distorted matters.
Think of the relief that would have on your mental attitude. Seems it would make it easier to see why one
would “Commit thy works unto the Lord.”
Knowing that in all things, nothing is exempt, all will fall to
the scrutiny of Him. As we grow in
Wisdom, we recognize the evil and wickedness we unconsciously allow to riddle
our armor. As we repair those wounds and
fix our sights on that which He would have us do, then we have exemplified the
fear of the Lord. You could say that the
fear of evil is from the Lord, for without the Lord there would be no good and
evil would no longer have an opponent. Again I must say, the fear of the Lord should not be
depicted in your mind as one lying in a corner, balled up in the fetal
position. The fear of the Lord is a
matter of actions being taken while using Wisdom.
7 When
a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him.
The key here is the word “ways” because this is not some singular
act like tithing or going out on visitation.
This is a path and a direction of life.
Wisdom would certainly condition our thinking at this point to
understand why even our enemies would be at peace with us. It is about the path and direction we are
taking. The early journey might be tough
as we move away from our enemies but the road becomes
smoother with each commitment.
8 Better
is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.
I am sure that most of us have said at one time or another, “ah
the simple life.” In this day and age we tend to fall victim to the high speed, high energy,
busy way of life. There is as much if
not more time spent planning a day than praying.
9 A
man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
This could be one of the most important verses you have ever read
in Scripture. The LORD is so loving He
allows us to choose our path and then He comes along and directs our
steps. I have heard many say they are
waiting on direction from the LORD when in fact they should choose a path and
seek it with diligence. The fact that
our LORD lets us decide what we want to do with our lives is confirmation of
“Free Will.” Make no mistake about “free
will” where one does as they please but instead may choose his or her path in
life while serving the LORD. This is why many Christians are wondering in the wilderness,
so to speak, waiting on the LORD to tell them what to do, when in fact, His
purpose is not to tell us what to do but instead direct us along our chosen
path. Get busy and make a path!
10 A
divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth
not in judgment.
This is talking about the statements and edicts handed down from a
just king. It is a sort of wake up call to us.
We need to listen to those who are in authority over us. Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers
of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Trusting in the LORD to govern the king’s
heart toward us is a fundamental part of Wisdom.
11 A
just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his
work.
The phrase “weight and balance” is talking about the way we deal
with people in our everyday life.
Dealing fairly in every aspect of our life is what is being taught
here. Proverbs 11:1 "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just
weight is his delight."
Proverbs 20:23 "Divers weights are an
abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good." In chapter 11 we discussed this in depth but
here it is again. Another thing to
consider is the purposes which motivate our direction or path in life. Keeping balance in our life is important. Too much intensity in earning more money may
leave us without a family. Too much
intensity in having the newest or nicest gizmo may leave us without the
necessities. And of course, being too
self-centered may leave us without our LORD.
12 It
is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established
by righteousness.
If we find ourselves in a position of authority, make sure to deal
justly or we may find ourselves outside on our rump wondering what
happened. The LORD has a way of
correcting us in such a way that seemingly to us we are in ruin, however, He
sees us as standing at the gate to the right path.
An abomination is a serious thing: Leviticus 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as
he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall
surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
13 Righteous
lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh
right.
It is difficult to find someone willing to only dispense the
truth. Many times
we fall into the trap of just telling people what they want to hear. Being known as a “truth-teller” is a good
thing but often tough.
Proverbs 17:15 "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth
the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD."
14 The
wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.
This “wrath” of a “king” or royalty (someone in charge or
ruling) is a furious rage, which is carried out by “messengers of death.” “Messengers of death” were those who show up
at the residence to give the news of some family member’s death. In other words it is
bad news when the king is upset.
However, with Wisdom, a wise man can soothe the rage and bring peace to
the situation. In today’s terminology,
when the boss is upset a wise employee brings poise to the situation along with
focus and solutions.
15 In
the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour
is as a cloud of the latter rain.
“In the light of the king’s countenance” means to be standing in
his presence. Standing in the presence
of the king and finding “his favor” would be good and in fact, because of his
power over his dominion, give life. The
term “latter rain” is refers to the rains that come in the spring to water the
crops and get them growing. They are a
life-giving rain.
Think about it this way, when we find favor from our boss or those
in authority over us, we tend to find new life in our dedication and
appreciation.
16 How
much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to
be chosen than silver!
We need Wisdom and understanding in order to function
properly. Gold and silver may even be
sitting in our treasuries but without Wisdom there is no hope of fulfillment or
happiness. For example, respect. We desire to have respect among our peers and
if we are wealthy those that portray respect are as young dogs. They wag their tails with vibrancy until the
steak bone hits the floor and later end up in your favorite recliner fast
asleep. The point is they are only
willing to put forth the focus until they receive some physical benefit. If the wealth dries up
then they are off seeking another master.
Wisdom and understanding bring a righteous peace that cannot be
obtained with gold or silver. Proverbs 24:13-14 “13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the
honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou
hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be
cut off.”
17 The
highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth
his way preserveth his soul.
Notice they “highway” is leading away from evil. Most of us have enough common sense to stay
away from the obvious evil. However,
there is an evil so wicked that it cannot be known without the help of the
LORD. There are those that contrive
schemes of wickedness and evil in great secrecy and if we are not upright and
sure of our path it would be impossible to “keepeth
his way.”
18 Pride
goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall.
Sometimes its hard to define a word and gain the understanding
intended so here I have included a list from a thesaurus in order to give
examples of the arrogance implied by the word “pride.”
big-headedness, cockiness, conceit, condescension, disdain,
egotism, haughtiness, immodesty, loftiness, overconfidence, pretension, pretentiousness,
self-exaltation, self-importance, self-love, smugness, snobbery, superbity, swelled head, vainglory, vanity[1]
One word of caution here about pride, it is one of the principle
components of understanding “The fear of the LORD.” Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy,
and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."
19 Better
it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than
to divide the spoil with the proud.
Being “humble” is a quality that gets little or no attention these
days. Occasionally you might see a story
on the news about someone who overcame great difficulty and the story touches
our hearts. The word “lowly” used here
not only means poor and needy but also means afflicted. It is still better in the long run to be
afflicted than to share anything at all with the “proud.” Remember also in Proverbs 6:17 “a proud
look…” is the first abomination mentioned.
20 He
that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and
whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
Let me make something clear here for a moment, trusting in the
LORD is not a “do-nothing” and wait approach.
It is a “do-something” of weight approach. It is trusting in the principles set forth
and trusting they will result in the best possible conditions along our journey
through life. We have a responsibility
of knowing and understanding the principles otherwise it is impossible to
please the LORD. Handling a matter
wisely requires faith, trust and action.
James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being
alone."
21 The
wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.
There are 914 verses in Proverbs and this version of the word
“heart” is used 91 times. The word means
inner man or understanding. That means 1
in every 10 verses is about our inner selves.
22 Understanding
is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is
folly.
True understanding has its foundations deep in the rock of
salvation. Salvation is the confession
of the need for a Savior and Jesus Christ is that savior. Notice there is no physical act, only a heart
and understanding act which, has the power to transform mortal mankind into
immortal saints. Ephesians 2:18-20 "18For through him we
both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19Now therefore ye
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens
with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner stone;” A wellspring is the beginning of a larger stream or
river. The point here is that
understanding is the beginning of true life.
The “instruction of fools” first must be identified as such and
for most of us, without Wisdom that would be impossible. The word “instruction” means chastening or
correction and discipline. In some cases there might be some truth to what a fool will say but
that is one of satan’s chief weapons,
distortion. Remember the motivation of
the fool is personal gain and his characteristics are; one who despises wisdom,
one who mocks when guilty, one who is quarrelsome, one who is licentious. The instruction of the fool at times may seem
right and profitable but the end is always doom.
23 The
heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
Learning what to say and when to say it is one of the benefits of
Wisdom. There have been countless times
where I found myself recounting a discussion and wishing I had never said some
of the things I said. With Wisdom there
is a humble spirit, which removes the necessity to prove ourselves to
others. With Wisdom there is a
confidence in our path and direction.
There is no need to sit down and go over every instance of every
possibility of every condition in order to know what to say or teach our
mouths. Notice the “heart of the wise”
is the source. If the heart is right then what will be said is right.
24 Pleasant
words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and
health to the bones.
Have you ever been in a situation where just hearing some piece of
information would make you feel better?
The principle of sewing and reaping may be the best medication. Look for someone to edify! Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that
it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
25 There
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death.
That little word “way” is a big word in that it means path or
direction or even manner. Wisdom has a
path, direction and manner in which we should
think. When we fashion our thoughts from
the foundation of Wisdom our thoughts are woven from the insight of the
LORD. Left to ourselves, the end is not
a good place.
26 He
that laboureth laboureth
for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.
There is nothing wrong with working hard. There is nothing wrong with working hard to
have the finer things in life. The
scriptures would only warn you of the trap of getting out of balance and out of
fellowship. The first “laboureth” has a wretched connotation in that the word is
from the perspective of bitterness in labor or working against one’s will. In the later part of the verse the word “craveth” means an uncontrollable urge or to be
pressed. Oftentimes we say things that
cause us to have to carry them out. We
may have said something without thinking or in anger or just reacted wrongly but
nonetheless we have to labor unwillingly because of
what we have said.
27 An
ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is
as a burning fire.
Have you ever met someone that never has a good thing to say? They are continuously bringing up things from
the past and how bad things are and how rapidly they are getting worse, oh, and
things are not going to ever change.
Those I have come to know that have this burning in them have also had
medical problems, relationship problems, car problems and the list goes on. When something good happens the first thing
they think is someone is messing with them to set them up for another bad
experience. The word “burning” here is
the same word used in Leviticus to describe the initial sores that announce
leprosy. Once discovered the torments
and effects are felt until death. Be
very careful what you let loose from your lips.
We have all heard the saying. “if you cant say
anything good, don’t say anything at all.”
One other thing before we move on, “diggeth”
is interesting from the standpoint that one able to dig must contemplate and connect
his or her evil veil in order to effect their
listeners. Be careful when you try to
point them in a positive direction. They
are not accustomed to thinking that way and they may have to confess their
exaggerations and forsake their fellowship.
Romans 5:6 “For when
we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
28 A
froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth
chief friends.
The word “forward” means perverse and is from the root word
meaning to overthrow or go against. This
person is trying always to substantiate themselves by strife. This is a continuation of the previous
verse. There is nothing good under the
sun in the mind of this person. In
addition to “digging” this verse points out the twisted process of divide and
conquer. The word “whisperer” is a term
used for liar. They will lie in order to
break connections others might have to monopolize and synchronize their thought
processes. This is a dangerous place to
be.
29 A
violent man enticeth his neighbour,
and leadeth him into the way that is not good. 30 He shutteth
his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.
The word translated into “violent” here means one bent on cruelty
and injustice in a treacherous manor, sometimes ending in violence. These two verses construct the thought
processes of a wicked individual. Many times when the wicked cannot achieve what they want in the
right way the turn to dastardly plans.
In the day of this writing, when a neighbor would fall into hard times
or could not make a living due to death or injury, they would have to resort to
selling or sharing their resources.
Sometimes even giving their land to a neighbor in exchange for food. In our day this verse would speak to our
everyday life where we work, say in the case of a fellow employee that you know
has done something wrong and if their faults were revealed we would
prosper. The danger is if we help to set
them up to fail for our own prosperity.
31 The
hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Gray hair or “hoary head” is the mark of experience.
32 He
that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
This verse strikes me as one that demands a long hard look at
ourselves. There are certain things that
set us off, so to speak and controlling those things is what this is talking
about. Picture for a moment the commander
of a large army moving in and conquering a city or someone who has demonstrated
bravery in an admirable way. This verse
is telling us it is better to have control of our spirit than to be like one of
these esteemed individuals. The truth
is, it would be difficult to be consistently brave or continuously lead an army
well without having control over our emotions.
33 The
lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
Casting lots was a practice used to determine the will of the LORD
in many common everyday matters.
Sometimes this method was used to divide land and see who would take
what parcel. This was the method used to
determine who would get the garments of Christ.
Mark 15:24 "And when they had crucified him, they parted his
garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take."
The word “disposing” means judgment and in a righteous or just
perspective. The way it is used here in
this verse has two perspectives, first, the decision for which lots are cast is
in the hands of the LORD, secondly, the “whole” brings the perspective of not
just this particular matter but the overall scope of
the will of the LORD. We can rest
assured the LORD is involved in even the smallest of matters we face each day
and we can be eternally grateful the LORD has a detailed plan for every person. Knowing His will is essentially achieved when
we possess Wisdom and rely on her guidance.