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Proverbs 10:1-32
“The
proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. 2 Treasures of wickedness profit
nothing: but righteousness delivereth
from death. 3 The LORD will not
suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away to substance of the
wicked. 4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the
hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son
that causeth shame. 6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence
covereth the mouth of the wicked. 7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. 8 The
wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall. 9 He that walketh uprightly
walketh surely: but he that perverteth
his ways shall be known. 10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall. 11 The
mouth of a righteous man is a well of
life: but violence covereth the mouth of
the wicked. 12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. 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. 14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. 15 The
rich man’s wealth is his strong
city: the destruction of the poor is
their poverty. 16 The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit
of the wicked to sin. 17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth. 18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a
slander, is a fool. 19 In
the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. 20 The tongue of the just is
as choice silver: the heart of the
wicked is little worth. 21 The
lips of the righteous feed many: but
fools die for want of wisdom. 22 The blessing of the LORD maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. 23 It
is sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom. 24 The
fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.25 As
the whirlwind passeth, so is the
wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. 26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as
smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard
to them that send him. 27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be
shortened. 28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the
expectation of the wicked shall perish. 29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. 30 The
righteous shall never be removed: but
the wicked shall not inhabit the earth. 31 The mouth of the just bringeth
forth wisdom: but the froward tongue
shall be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is
acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.”
Introduction
“The
Holy Spirit kind of switches gears here, as we come to chapter 10. You’ll notice as we’ve gone through some of
the earlier chapters, there have been long portions, sermons, on immorality,
the foreign woman, the adulterous woman, on laziness, on work, and now starting
in chapter 10 there’s a shift of gears, and now we will come to what is a
collection of sayings, most of them are all one-liners. There’s 375 of them
from chapter 10 to chapter 22:16. Most
of them are contrastive. As we head into
this chapter you’re going to see each sentence says, if you look in verse 1, “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son” and it sets up
a contrast. Ah, several of them are what
we’d call constructive, it tells you something and then says “and,” so it’s not contrasting it’s
adding. And there are some that are
comparative, it’s not really a contrast, it may say “for,” it just gives you the idea of ‘Here’s a further thought in the same direction.’ We’ll maybe point those out as we head
through. But now look, just a lot of
short one-liners, sayings. So, this is
easy for most of us, most of us can still remember one line. And as we head into chapter 10 we head right
into good verses evil, choices that need to be made, particularly in regards to
the tongue, but it in different subjects. And look, if you’re anything like me, if I get up in the morning and
read through one of these chapters, and I read four or five verses that kind of
stick to my memory about my mouth, I tend to remember them during the day when
I want to fire off both barrels, something will happen and I’ll remember the
proverb, and think ‘OK, if I’m a fool,
I’m gonna do this right now, and if I have any wisdom I’m gonna keep my trap
shut, you know.’ And again, I’m
convinced when I get to heaven [or into the Kingdom of heaven], I’ll be more
kind of, I’ll feel bad more about things that I did say than things I didn’t
say, you know, as I finish this pilgrimage, more regretful about stuff I should
not have said than what I did say. There
won’t be many times I’ll be thinking ‘Boy,
I should have said this,’ because I ruin all those opportunities, I jump in
with both feet most of the time. I get
paid to talk, you know, so it’s hard. So, let’s begin here.
No One Is Wise Or Foolish
To Themselves, It Effects Others
“The
proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father:” contrast, “but a foolish son is the
heaviness of his mother.” (verse 1) And by the way, if a foolish son is the
heaviness of the mother, it becomes the heaviness of the father whether he
likes it or not. Because once mom is
heavy dad is going to be heavy, he has no choice. No one is wise or foolish to
themselves, it always effects others, our wisdom or
our foolishness effects others, particularly family, it can be very difficult,
very hurtful. So, “A wise son” and I know this, “maketh
a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.”
Righteousness Is The Best
Security System Available
Treasures of
wickedness profit nothing:” the idea is, they’re short-lived, “but
righteousness delivereth from death.” (verse 2) That’s pretty remarkable. It says the treasures of wickedness, and we
live in a world where money is more important than blood. [read L. Fletcher
Prouty’s “JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate
John F. Kennedy”] And it says here,
in the final analysis, that is short-lived. It may seem like something, but it’s gone
before you know it. Because true riches
are eternal, “righteousness delivereth
from death.” Take note of that,
because the next verse says “The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish:” to fade away, he’s not going to
allow that, “but” actively, “he casteth away the substance of the
wicked.” (verse 3) So, as we look at this, it’s saying to us in one sense, righteousness
is the best security system available. You’ve got a security system for your home, you’ve got a security system
for your car, you can have an alarm there, so somebody doesn’t get in your
windows, doesn’t get in your doors, I think in the world we live in, that’s
prudence, nothing wrong with that. But
it’s saying here, it says “The treasures
of wickedness profit nothing: but
righteousness delivereth from death.” (verse 2) “The LORD will not suffer the soul of
the righteous to famish:” so no matter how much security you get, if you’re living in sin or you’re an
evil person, bells and whistles aren’t going to do you any good.
Wisdom Recognizes Seasons, He That Gathers In Summer Is Wise
It
says in verse 4, “He becometh poor that
dealeth with a slack hand:” contrast, “but the hand of the diligent
maketh rich.” The ideas
is, hard work pays off. “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack, lazy hand.” doesn’t work, apply himself. “but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” Faith isn’t lazy, wisdom isn’t lazy, it’s just saying that hard work pays off. “He
that gathereth in summer is a wise
son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son
that causeth shame.” (verse 5) So you back up, it says the diligent person,
no doubt is the one who gathers then in the summer, is a wise son, verse 1, who
makes his family glad because he does this. But the it says “he that
sleepeth” the lazy person, has a slack hand “in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” We’ve followed that idea resonating through here. Listen, this is what it’s saying, one thing about wisdom is, wisdom recognizes seasons. If we’re wise and we seek the LORD, and we’re in his Word,
sometimes we just know, ‘You know, right
now in my life, this is a season when God wants me to do this, he wants me to
labour diligently here in regards to this particular thing, ah, he wants me to
give myself to this, it’s not gonna be easy, it’s not pleasant, I’d rather lay
in bed, I’d rather sleep during harvest, but wisdom is not lazy, wisdom is
diligent, I’m going to give myself to this,’ and it says, basically, it
tells us ‘Wisdom recognizes seasons, he that gathers in summer is wise.’
“The Memory Of The Just
Is Blessed: But The Name Of The Wicked
Shall Rot”
Verse 6 says Blessings are upon the head
of the just: but violence covereth the
mouth of the wicked.” ‘covereth,
overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.’ We’re going to have thirteen times in this chapter now, “the mouth”
spoken of. So this applies to all of us,
the mouth, you know, we have two ears and we have one mouth. So there’s a parable on each one of our
heads, a proverb, we should obviously be listening twice as much as you
talk. We would look funny with one ear,
one big ear here, and a mouth on each side of our heads, but…the LORD says here, “Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth” or ‘overwhelms’ “the mouth of the
wicked. The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” (verses 6-7) I
kind of like that, “shall rot.” You
know, I’ve been doing baby dedications here in Philly now for over thirty
years, and I have not dedicated Jezebel, yet, I have
not dedicated an Ahab, yet. It says the
memory of the just, I’ve dedicated all kinds of Samuel’s and Matthew’s,
Esther’s, you know, “The memory of the
just is blessed: but the name of the
wicked shall rot.” (verse 7)
The Wise Are Good Listeners, Able To Listen
“The wise in
heart will receive commandments: but a
prating fool shall fall.” (verse 8) “prating” is someone whose always talking,
chattering, the idea is they’re never quiet. You talk to a person and you try to tell them something, and you know
before your sentence is done they’ve already got their answer, their two
barrels loaded, and they’re ready to fire, and you haven’t even finished what
you’re saying yet. The idea here is,
someone whose wise in heart, they receive, they’re able
to listen, it’s coming this way, they’re able to receive instruction,
commandments. It says “but a prating fool” ‘a chattering fool, whose mouth goes faster than somebody with two
mouths and one ear, ah, they’re going to fall, they’re going to fail.’
Nobody Gets Away With Anything
“He that walketh
uprightly walketh surely: but” the contrast, “he that perverteth his ways shall be
known.” (verse 9) it’s only a matter of time,
nobody gets away with anything, “he that
perverteth his ways shall be known” you can bank on it. Now, verse
10, “He that winketh with his eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.” “He that winketh with his eye” this is not a
prohibition on winking, this is not a warning about
winkers. To tell you the truth, you read
all the scholars, this is something culturally that was understood clearly over
3,000 years ago, and there’s a number of places in the Psalms that warns about
someone who winks. Now that’s different
today, girls it doesn’t mean you let any of the guys in the church give you the
business, don’t look at them if they’re doing that to you. But that’s not the same thing. The idea is, they think it was probably
somebody giving a signal to someone, a con, it was a
con-man setting up a con operation of something. You know, you have aunts and uncles, grandmas
and grandpas that wink at you, that’s ok, they’re not
condemned here. We’re for winkers, the
right kind of winkers. “He that winketh with his eye causeth
sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.” One causing sorrow, the other’s going
down.
‘The Mouth Of The
Righteous Is A Well Of Life To Those That Hear’
“The mouth of a
righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the
wicked.” (verse 11) The Hebrew
says “the
mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” The idea is, that the mouth of the righteous
should be a well of life. If you’re
around people that love the Lord, they’re spiritually sound, what comes out of
their mouth should be encouragement, you sit with someone like that, and you
say ‘You know, I was so blessed this
morning just listening.’ My pastor,
I would get a chance to sit with Chuck Smith, or with Don, or some of those
people in my life, you just kind of spend time with them, and you’re the
beneficiary. They sow into your life
what comes out of their mouth, it’s such a blessing, ‘the mouth of the righteous, it’s
a well of life,’ “but the mouth of
the wicked conceals violence.” They have another motive they’re not letting they’re letting on what
they’re up to, is the idea, the contrast.
Hatred Stirs Up Strife, Contention, Discord
“Hatred stirreth
up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”
(verse 12) It’s “contentions” in the Hebrew. Hatred it just stirs up
slander, contention, it divides, “but” the contrast, “love covereth all sins.” In the New Testament here, “Love
covereth a multitude of sins.” So, hatred, bitterness, what comes out of the mouth causes contention
and slander, it divides, it’s divisive. ‘The
LORD says these six things do I hate, seven are an abomination, and the seventh is
he who sows discord among brethren.’ So it says
here the mouth can do that, it stirs up contentions. On the other side of the coin, ‘love
though, covers all sins.’ Because
here’s the thing, as we grow, as you get older, and you can see back further
than you can see ahead, when you’re sixteen you got all these years ahead of
you, and you got sixteen years behind you, but when you’re 64 you’re whole
life’s behind you, you have several moons ahead of you, you still got some tread
left on the tire, but the history is longer behind you than in front of you,
and you think more seriously about eternity, and you think more seriously about
forgiveness and grace, and you realize, ‘You
know what? Anybody I forgive in this
life, it’ll never compare to how much God has forgiven me.’ Anybody I love, even though they’ve hurt me,
and I’m not good at it, I’m a selfish human being, but I’m still learning,
God’s forming me into the image of his Son, I’m learning to turn the other
cheek, to go the extra mile in these things. But I really have learned, in my own relationship with Christ, that I have never forgiven anybody as much as he’s
forgiven me. So, you know, the fool,
their mouth, it stirs strife, contention, but love covers all sins.
‘The Wise Lay Up Knowledge’
“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.” (verse 13) they used to beat ‘em with a
stick, and that makes you smarter. Ah, “Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the
foolish is near destruction.” (verse 14) they
store it up. In other words, there’s
going to be a time where there’s an application, someone whose wise [a man or a
woman], they hear things, they store them up, that’s a great thing about
reading the book of Proverbs, you store away something in the morning, and in
the afternoon when you’re caught in a situation, you have stored up the verse
you need so you don’t get caught in it. “Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the
foolish is near destruction.” (verse 14) it’s just ready to fire, all the time.
“The Labour Of The
Righteous Tendeth To Life”
“The rich man’s
wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.” (verse 15) This is a saying, and it’s a generality, he
had talked about those who worked hard, those who labour during the harvest, ‘A
rich man’s wealth is his security,’ “the destruction of the poor is their poverty.” There is justice and injustice in our
culture in many different ways. [To
quote Tom Branson in Downton Abbey, with his Irish brogue and all, ‘That’s why I’m a
Socialist.’ Or at least I tend to
lean in that direction.] Ah, “The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” (verse 16) because they’re working in the right
direction, they’re reaping what they’ve sown. “the fruit of the wicked tends to sin.” self-explanatory.
Hearing And The Tongue
“He is in the way
of life that keepeth instruction: but he
that refuseth reproof erreth.” (verse 17) So, he is in the way of life that keeps
instruction, the idea is, somebody can instruct him, he listens, he takes and
he [or she] hears. “He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.” is
in error, that’s the direction he’s going in. “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a
slander, is a fool.” (verse 18) so this is completive, it gives us an “and”
instead of a “but” here. “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth slander, is a fool.” so both of them,
if you hide hatred, you say ‘Hey buddy,
great to see you,’ and you’re thinking ‘I
HATE YOUR GUTS.’ It’s saying that
person who does that is a fool. “he that hideth
hatred with lying lips, AND” it’s constructive, “he that uttereth
slander, is a fool.” (verse 18) “In the
multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” (verse 19) Now this is a King James’ way of saying ‘If
you talk too much, there’s no lack of sin, there’s no lack of trouble.’ So, he [or she] who is always talking is
always in trouble. [Look at all the
Proverbs about the gossip, the tale-bearer.] Ah, fools talk to much, it’s saying. ‘In the multitude of words, there’s no lack
of sin, there wanteth not sin,’ “BUT he that refraineth his lips is wise.” Better to be quiet and have someone think
you’re wise, than to open your mouth remove all doubt. “The
tongue of the just is as choice
silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.” (verse 20) “The tongue of the just is as choice silver” it enriches,
the tongue of the just being around a good man, a good woman, a mentor, someone
who can talk with you, it says, that the things they have to say are like
choice silver, they enrich. But the
heart of the wicked, there’s little worth there, no benefit. “The
lips of the righteous feed many: but
fools die for want of wisdom.” (verse 21) they
encourage. The first time in the Book of
Proverbs that we have “righteousness” literally “righteous verses fools,” but “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” [This
takes us right back to verse 17] We’re
told this in, and all of these it’s so easy to find the counterparts in the New
Testament, it says “Let not corrupt communication proceed out of
your mouth,” Ephesians, “but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that
it may minister grace unto the hearers.” You know, he says here, “The lips of the righteous feed many.” That’s what should be
proceeding, “but fools die for want of
wisdom.”
When God Gives Riches There’s No Sorrow Added To It
“The blessing of
the LORD,
it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (verse 22) with his
blessing, true wealth, the blessing of the LORD is enriching. And when the blessing of the LORD is upon our lives, there’s no
sorrow that’s added with it. You know,
it’s funny, you watch, and I do sometimes, a State somewhere has a 34 Million
Dollar Lottery, or 120 Million Dollars in the Lottery,
everybody’s buying tickets, and there’s so much money, and you see some guy and
his family just came in and they claim all this money. And then the sad thing is, you hear two or three years later, one of them is in prison, they’re
broke. But when the LORD adds,
and you’re thinking ‘If I buy one of
those lottery tickets without the LORD adding…’ I’m not telling you that, you just need to
think about it, be careful whose adding. But ‘the blessing of the LORD, it makes rich, and it doesn’t
add any sorrow with it, true wealth.’
‘It’s Fun For A Fool To Do Mischief, But The Desire Of The Righteous Shall Be Granted’
“It is as sport to a fool to do
mischief: but a man of understanding
hath wisdom.” (verse 23) It’s like a game, to a fool, to do mischief,
but a man of understanding hath wisdom. Anybody can relate to that? It is
as a sport to a fool to do mischief when we were kids? Teenagers? We would do stuff, put stuff on people’s
front doors, apply stuff to people’s doorknobs, shoot stuff out, the police
come, you’d all run, we were all laughing, we were fools, we were idiots. It says it is as sport to a fool to do
mischief, but a man of understanding hath wisdom, I’m all for that now. “The
fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.” (verse 24) What is
the fear of the wicked? No doubt it’s
judgment, one of the things they hate about you and I, they hate about
righteousness, they hate about truth, because it says that you’re going to reap
what you sow, it says that you can’t sin against God with impunity, it doesn’t
happen. It says “The fear of the wicked shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous
shall be granted.” (verse 24) “As the
whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked
no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” (verse 25) “but the wicked is
no more,” that’s a sobering idea. “But
the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” Matthew tells us if you, if a wise man builds his house upon a rock,
which is Christ, the wind blows, he says ‘When the wind blows, the storm comes, it
stands, but the fool builds his house upon the sand, he’s gone, the whirlwind
passes, the storm, the world passeth, so the wicked is no more.’ [He could be taking in the wider context of
after World War III, the great tribulation, as well, most definitely applies.] “but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” (verse 25b)
The Human Sluggard, Snail
I
like this one, this should be easier for you to remember, a lot of these sound
very similar. This one stands out, “As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to
the eyes, so is the sluggard
to them that send him.” (verse 26) it’s comparative. That’s a good one, isn’t it? Some of you like health people, think you need to drink vinegar to do something for your system, like put lots
of honey in your vinegar, but I don’t think vinegar is real good for your
teeth. “As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,” the idea is,
it’s irritating, annoying, “so is the sluggard to them that send him.” you have a lazy person that works for you,
you never get anything done, you send him out to deliver something, important
papers, and a month later you don’t know where they’re at, it’s just annoying, “so as vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke
to the eyes, so is the sluggard” the snail “to them that send him.” (verse 26)
The Wicked Verses The Righteous, Upright
“The fear of the
LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the
wicked shall be shortened.” (verse 27) I like this. The fear of the LORD, it basically, you’re living
upright, you’re living righteous, it’s health, it tends towards longevity. Life is easier to live when it’s lived wisely, the whole Book’s telling us. That doesn’t mean good people are not
martyred sometimes, or killed. But these
are very true generalities that the fear of the LORD, it tends to prolong life,
that just happens. Some of us, we eat
wheat germ and all that stuff, it’s important to have fiber, the fear of the LORD, that’s a good health program
for prolonging days. And ‘the
years of the wicked, they shall be shortened.’ “The
hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall
perish.” (verse 28) There’s the hope of the righteous, you see
that, you enjoy that, the expectation of the wicked, it never manifests, it
never comes, it perishes. “The
way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.” (verse 29) “The
way of the LORD is strength to the upright” literally “a stronghold” “The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the
upright” to
walk in the LORD’s way, to listen to the Scripture, to be under
conviction of the Holy Spirit, to live the way we’re supposed to live as God’s
children, it says ‘that is a stronghold to the upright.’ “but destruction shall be to the workers
of iniquity. (verse 29b) Verse
30, “The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inherit the earth.” It’s beautiful, the Hebrew says this, “The righteous unto eternity, he will not
totter.” I kind of like that, “The
righteous unto eternity, he will not totter” he’s not going to stumble, he’s not going to fall. So, “The
righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inherit the earth.” (verse 30) and we know that. We know that as the
Millennium comes, there’s the judgment of the LORD, and during the Millennium
those who refuse to come up the Feast [of Tabernacles], it says there’s
judgment that comes on them [see Zechariah 14:16-19, and also see http://www.unityinchrist.com/kingdomofgod/mkg1.htm]. It says when the new heavens and the new
earth comes, it comes after the White Throne Judgment, and the wicked…they do
not inherit the Kingdom of God, the new heavens, and the new earth. So the wicked shall not inhabit the earth, “the
righteous, unto eternity, they will not totter” they will not
stumble. But the wicked are not going to
inherit the earth.
‘The Lips Of The Righteous Know What’s Acceptable’
“The mouth of the
just bringeth forth wisdom: but the
froward [perverse] tongue shall be cut out.” (verse 31) King James says “cut out,” it’s “cut off,”
either way, that’s not a good experience for anybody. “The
lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness [perverseness, arrogance].” (verse 32) So, the lips of the righteous, know what’s acceptable. Again, if you read this, imagine reading this
chapter on the morning of the 10th, which is a few days ahead of us,
you read this in the morning, Ben Carson told me for years now he’s been
reading every morning, he reads the chapter in Proverbs of that particular day,
and then every night he reads it before he goes to bed. So whatever day of the month it is, Ben
Carson reads that chapter of Proverbs twice, he reads it in the morning when he
gets up, and he reads it at night before he goes to bed. Ah, a wise man for sure.”
Proverbs 11:1-31
“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. 2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but
with the lowly is wisdom. 3 The
integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. 4 Riches
profit not in the day of wrath: but
uprightness delivereth from death. 5 The righteousness of the
perfect shall direct his way: but the
wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the
upright shall deliver them: but
transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. 7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. 8 The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the
wicked cometh in his stead. 9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be
delivered. 10 When it goeth well with the righteous, the city
rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting. 11 By
the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the
wicked. 12 He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his
peace. 13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit
concealeth the matter. 14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in
the multitude of counsellors there is safety. 15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiseship is sure. 16 A gracious woman retaineth
honour: and strong men retain riches. 17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he
that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. 18 The wicked worketh a deceitful
work: but to him that soweth
righteousness shall be a sure reward. 19 As
righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. 20 They that are of a froward
heart are abomination to the LORD: but such
as are upright in their way are his delight. 21 Though hand join in
hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. 22 As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. 23 The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. 24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is
meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 26 He
that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. 27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh
mischief, it shall come unto him. 28 He that trusteth in his riches
shall fall: but the righteous shall
flourish as a branch. 29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the
wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. 30 The
fruit of the righteous is a tree of
life; and he that winneth souls is wise. 31 Behold,
the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.”
God’s Bureau Of Weights And Measures
“Chapter
11, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.” (verse 1) Ah, scales or how they did things in that day. It wasn’t coinage the way we understand
coinage, silver was weighed out and gold was weighed out when you purchased
something. If it was a pound, a
particular weight, you would have a weight that was equal to that. But people would cheat. If you were buying something from someone,
and you were buying a pound of it, you had a pound weight that was heavier than
a pound, so you would put that on your scale, and whatever you were buying from
him equaled that, so you were actually getting more than a pound. [It’s even done today, when certain stores
and meat markets add water to their meat, inject water
into the meat or chicken, turkey or whatever. Amazingly enough, since they are the People of the Law, some Jewish meat
markets are noted for this practice. A
good friend of mine was a Jewish meat market owner, and he was as honest as the
day is long, but he would tell me of others in his profession that weren’t so
honest.] Ah, if you were selling
something to someone, you had light weights, and you would put that on, and it
would balance out, you’d actually be getting less than a pound. So, the Hebrew says “Scales of deceit,” ‘they’re an
abomination to the LORD.’ Because everything we’re reading about him
here is truth, righteousness, uprightness, he can’t stand someone whose crooked in business, doing bad business practices,
being deceitful. And that’s a good
exhortation for any Christian businessman, it says “a just weight is his delight.” It
should work that way, Christians shouldn’t be able to hide behind verses and do
things. We have the Christian Yellow
Pages, so often we’ll have people come to us and say ‘You know, I hired somebody from the Christian Yellow Pages, and they
ripped me off, my house is leaking, and this is going on.’ And we almost say, “Come ask us first, because we know which ones
don’t go, we know the one’s that are good.’ It’s a bad testimony. It’s the
way people are, the United States still has the United States Bureau of
Standards and Weights and Measures. And
they stop inadvertently at gas stations where things are weighed, where
everything’s measured by gallons, because people still do this today. So, I wouldn’t say it’s at the top of our
problems each day when we wake up, but it goes on.
The Righteous Verses the Proud, The Wicked
“When pride cometh, then cometh
shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” (verse 2) Literally “with the humble is wisdom.” When pride cometh, then cometh shame, it’s
not going anywhere good. But with the
humble is wisdom. “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall
destroy them.” (verse 3) That’s a wonderful idea, his wisdom, his
integrity will guide them. “but the
perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” We have a proverb, ‘Honesty is the best policy.’ It’s what it’s saying, the integrity of the upright, they love the right
balances, weights and measures and so forth, the integrity of the upright shall
guide them, the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. “Riches
profit not in the day of wrath: but
righteousness delivereth from death.” (verse 4) So, in the final analysis, you’re laying in a
hospice somewhere on your deathbed, you can’t buy your way out of that. You can’t take it with you, you can send it
ahead, you can invest in missions. Better to be the poorest man in heaven [the
kingdom of heaven] than the richest man in hell is what it’s saying here. Right? Agree with that? Better to be the poorest man in heaven than
the richest man in hell. “Riches profit not in the day of
wrath: but righteousness delivereth from
death.” (verse 4) “The righteousness of the perfect
shall direct his way: but the wicked
shall fall by his own wickedness.” (verse 5) “the perfect,” now King James, the idea is “the blameless” shall
direct his way. And in the Old Testament
the blameless was the person who understood the sacrificial system, the person
who kept his heart before the LORD, the person who said ‘LORD. I’m offering this lamb
because I’m a sinner,’ again, you came with a lamb as a sacrifice, and that in itself was an admission
that an innocent substitute had to die in your place, when you came to the
priest he never examined you, he examined the lamb, it was a foregone
conclusion you had spots and blemishes or you wouldn’t be dragging that lamb
there. The lamb was the thing that was
examined, not the worshipper, the worshipper had problems, the worshipper came
the way God prescribed it, he was considered then blameless. Not sinless. So “the righteousness of the blameless shall direct his way” this
is a person who keeps his heart right before the LORD, a person who wants to walk
with the LORD, “but the
wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.” (verse 5b) It says “The
righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.” (verse 6) From what? you’re not supposed to know. You’re righteous, you don’t have to worry about
it. “The
righteousness of the upright shall deliver them” I had somebody tell me
once that they had fallen into sin, they were in a mess, and their gripe was,
that the people around them were like Job’s counsellors, they really understood
how Job felt. And I said “Well the problem is, your sins are
self-inflicted, Job’s weren’t, and the Bible forbids me from knowing how you
feel.” The only way I could know how
you feel is if I did what you did, and I ain’t gonna do that, I’m not allowed
to know how you feel. So it says here “The righteousness of the upright shall
deliver them” and you don’t have to worry about from what. Just know you’re delivered if you’re doing
what’s right, “but transgressors shall
be taken in their own naughtiness.” King James, in their own sin. “When
a wicked man dieth, his expectation
shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.” (verse 7) that’s it, it’s the end, everything he hoped for. But the hope, it’s constructive, the hope of
unjust men, they perish. “The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
and the wicked cometh in his stead.” (verse 8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
the wicked will come in his place, look, you look at television, you watch the
news, you look at politics, you look at injustice around the world, you read
the Book of Proverbs, and you realize, in the end, it’s all going to be right. In the end, nothing is going to be
wrong. In the end nobody is going to
stand in heaven [in the Kingdom of heaven, which will end up on earth,
Revelation 21] and say ‘They got away
with it.’ Nobody is going to get
away with anything. “The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in
his stead.” (verse 8) “An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but
through knowledge shall the just be delivered.” (verse 9) the idea is, the godless, the hypocrite, somebody who tears his
neighbour. “but through knowledge shall the just be
delivered.” (verse 9b) It’s contrasting. A great proverb to memorize, ‘A
hypocrite with his mouth tears his neighbour down, destroys him, but through
knowledge shall the just be delivered.’
‘The City Is Blessed By The Upright’
“When it goeth
well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there
is shouting.” (verse 10) When it goeth well with the righteous, the
city rejoices for that. And when the
wicked perish, there’s rejoicing too. I
know, ‘The witch is dead, the wicked
witch is dead,’ you know, there’s the old song [sung in the movie The Wizard of Oz], the people sing when
the wicked perish, there’s shouting. [Think about the rejoicing and shouting which occurred when it was
learned Adolf Hitler was dead, just for one example.] “By
the blessing of the upright the city is exalted:” we don’t see much of that
anymore, “but it is overthrown by the
mouth of the wicked.” (verse 11) through deception
and lies. You know, it’s telling us, the
laws of our land should reward the upright and should punish the wicked. The laws of the land should uphold what is
right, and should punish what is wrong. It says here “By the blessing of
the upright the city is exalted:” good people in civil government, good
people in authority, there should be a lifting up, there should be a blessing,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
Wrong Use Of The Tongue,
Being A Talebearer, Gossip
“He that is void
of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a
man of understanding holdeth his peace.” (verse 12) ‘He that is void of wisdom despiseth or
belittles’, yours may say “slanders” ‘someone whose void of
understanding, of wisdom belittles his neighbour,’ “but a man of understanding” in contrast “holds his peace.” Look,
sometimes there’s crazy things going on around you, you want to fire off, you
want to say something, it’s just wisdom to say nothing, because once you’re in
there, once you’re in the battle, once you open your mouth, once you’re in the
contest, you’ve gone too far, you’ve put on the gloves, you got in the
ring. Do not put on the gloves, do not get in the ring. Just say ‘Lord,
let me be a spectator and not a participant. I’m watching, this situation is so crazy, Lord, just let me walk around
it and look at it with amazement, do not let me put the gloves on, do not let me get in the ring. I want to be a spectator and not a
participant.’ Because once you’re a
participant, you’re taking it personally, you’ve got in where wisdom didn’t go
with you, and you’re there without wisdom. So, “He that is void of wisdom
despiseth or belittles or slanders his neighbour: but a man of
understanding holdeth his peace.” “A
talebearer” a slanderer “revealeth
secrets: but he that is of a faithful
spirit concealeth the matter.” (verse 13) Now there isn’t anything wrong with being a
good story-teller, if you got grandkids, you should be a good
story-teller. They should like to sit
around and listen to you make up stuff. I make up such crazy stuff with my grandkids that they always have to be
on their toes. As soon as I start to
tell them something, they’re wondering ‘What
is he doing now?’ And that’s making
them wiser, they’re learning to be discerning. “A talebearer” this is in the
negative sense, “revealeth secrets:” talking
about other people [i.e. this is describing a gossip, which the Bible
condemns], “but he that is of a faithful
spirit concealeth the matter.” (verse 13) I mean, there are things that all of us here, that should be between us and the Lord, that just
doesn’t need to go any further. Satan is
the accuser of the Brethren, he always uses this. It tells us in James 3, ‘The
tongue is set on fire of hell, the tongue.’ Hell’s entrance into our existence, Satan’s
influence in our world is this way. Abortion is promoted that way, hatred is promoted that way, bigotry is
promoted that way, violence is promoted that way. The tongue is set on fire of hell is what
James tells us. “A talebearer revealeth secrets: he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”
“In The Multitude Of Counsellors There Is Safety”
Verse 14 is interesting, it says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in
the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” So, I think that’s great
for us, you know, we meet with the staff every Monday, I have a lot of guys who
are around me, I depend heavily on what they see and what they think, their
wisdom, I ask, it’s very important to me. It should be important to your life to have those people in your life,
that you can trust, people you can go to, you can ask. “Where
no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (verse 14) Now the interesting thing about
this verse is, in Israel, at the headquarters of the Mosad this verse is what’s
on the wall, it is their motto. They
translate it this way, “Without stratagems a people fall, and
deliverance is in a wise counsel.” Without stratagems a people fall, and deliverance is in a wise counsel,
it’s written in Hebrew in the Mosad headquarters, Proverbs chapter 11, verse
14. So, for us, personalized, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in
the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
Don’t Be A Co-Signer For
Someone You Don’t Know
“He that is
surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.” (verse 15) Surety, co-signing, giving a loan, stretching yourself out where you shouldn’t. Now “stranger” here is a “foreigner.” Jews [Israelites, all 12 tribes] were allowed
to lend to each other, there were ways to govern that. ‘But he that is surety for a foreigner shall
smart for it,’ like our whole country. I love the way this is written, “but he that hateth suretiship is sure.” Say that 5 times fast. You should memorize that one, even if you
don’t know what it means, just memorize that.
Grace, Honour Verses Strength
“A gracious woman
retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.” (verse 16) And the King James says “and strong men retain
riches.” It doesn’t give you the complete idea, where it says “strong men” there, the Hebrew says “tyrants or
ruthless men,” and what it says here is ‘a gracious woman retaineth
honour, whereas tyrants and ruthless men, they can retain riches,’ but
it’s pitting grace here against strength, and honour against riches. A gracious woman, it doesn’t have to be a
man, a warrior, a gracious woman retaineth honour, a woman who is gracious is honourable. ‘A
gracious woman retaineth honour, and tyrants, ruthless men, they retain
riches,’but in a different way, they don’t retain honour, it’s pitting grace here against strength, interesting.
The Merciful, Righteous Verses The Wicked
“The merciful man
doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own
flesh.” (verse 17) his own body. So, the merciful man doeth good to his own
soul, to help somebody, take them a meal, help them out changing a tire, to
call them and ask ‘How you doing?’ to
write a card. Sometimes when life is
broken down you have no idea what that means, just for a card to come, for a
meal to be dropped off, for someone to make a phonecall and say ‘How you doing?’ In giving, there’s a blessing. So the idea here is, “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul,” he ends his day at
peace, feels good inside. “but he that
is cruel troubleth his own flesh.” You
know, for years we’ve heard all kinds of things about cardiovascular disease,
how bad cholesterol is, now they’re saying the older you get the more
cholesterol you need, that’s why I keep stocked up on it [laughter]. They’re saying now, it’s not even salt,
sugar, but the idea is, stress, they’ve come to the conclusion that stress
causes hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis is exacerbated in people
that are angry and under stress all the time. It actually produces chemistry in the body that hardens the arteries,
when a person’s heart is hardened emotionally, spiritually, mentally, it laps over and become hardened physically. Isn’t that interesting? And we
live in a stressful world. I don’t know
if I go through a single day without some measure of stress, and if I just keel
over it is because I didn’t handle it well. But I think the Lord would teach us as his sons and daughters to live in
this world, without killing ourselves, he says ‘Let not your heart be troubled,
don’t let it be afraid. In my Father’s
house are many mansions, believe in God, believe also in me.’ He says ‘My peace I give unto you, not as
the world gives peace, it’s a different kind of peace
that I give you.’ He has some
remarkable things to say to us. Solomon
through the Holy Spirit writes the merciful man does good to his own life, but he that is cruel, he troubles his own flesh. Because we’re cookin’
inside. “The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall
be a sure reward.” (verse 18) there’s sowing
and there’s reaping, the Bible tells us that, it’s one place where it’s plainly
put before us. “As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that
pursueth evil pursueth it to his own
death.” (verse 19) so righteousness tends one way, so, “he that pursueth evil pursueth
it to his own death.” (verse 19b) “They that are of a froward” perverse, arrogant “heart are abomination to the LORD: but such
as are upright in their way are his delight.” (verse 20) But look what it says, “but such as are upright in their way are his delight.” I have
written here in the column next to that, ‘Father,
may I bring you joy.’ You know, ‘Father in heaven, may I bring you
delight.’ It says ‘They
that are arrogant, perverse in their heart, are an abomination to the LORD.’ “but such as are upright in their way are his delight.” it’s only through the blood of
Christ. It’s only through being right
that way, ‘such as are upright in their way are his delight.’ Imagine being a delight to Jehovah, little
old maggot-me, bringing delight to the LORD. “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be
delivered.” (verse 21) that’s great to remember
when you watch the news. You can put
this one over your television, and it will relieve a lot of your stress, that’s
hardening your arteries from the other verse. “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous” your children, your grandchildren “shall be delivered.” (verse 21) Man, that’s a promise, I’m
telling you. “Though hand join in hand,” don’t join those
hands, don’t join with them. ok? Your offspring, your heritage, your children, on the other hand, “the seed of the righteous shall be
delivered.” They watch you,
more is caught than taught. Right? You teach your
kids how to eat, table manners, but they all eat like you, more is caught than
taught. ‘Though hand
join hand,’ don’t do that. I hear people say ‘But they’re
right, Pastor Joe, they said this and they’re right.’ What do you mean, listen to what they say the
rest of the time, you’re telling me they said one right thing, they’re insane,
look at their policy. Listen, a broken
clock is right twice a day. [laughter] It doesn’t
do anybody any good. Right? ‘Though hand join hand, the wicked shall,’ that’s a proverb, isn’t it, a broken clock is
right twice a day. But you wouldn’t want
one of those, that should be the second half of the
verse. “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall
not be unpunished: but the seed of the
righteous shall be delivered.” (verse 21)
A Gold Nose-Ring In A Pig’s Nose, What A Waste
Got
to love this one, and this one is memorable. “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without
discretion.” (verse 22) I think it’s funnier that the rest of you, “As a
jewel of gold in a swine’s snout,” you know how the Jews felt about
pigs. Right? You have to keep that in mind as we’re
looking at this here. And a jewel of
gold is a nose-ring. And in this
culture, people didn’t wear nose-rings because it was cool. Ok? There were no tongue rings, rings went in ears or noses, they didn’t go in all the places they go today. But the nose ring would go on one side of the
nose. It wasn’t like an ox with a big
one hanging in the middle. It went on
one side or the other, and it was considered a sign of beauty. And it says here ‘As a nose ring in a swine’s
snout,’ ‘Boy, your pig looks so
beautiful,’ “so is” comparative, “a
fair woman which is without discretion.” ‘a beautiful woman
without discretion.’ You know,
it’s a tragedy to see, first of all, a beautiful woman is something that is
noticeable, you see a beautiful woman. Then sometimes she opens her mouth, and you think, you know, to see a
beautiful woman who uses foul language and curses and freaks out and screams,
you think ‘What a waste of beauty.’ You know, just should have made her ugly,
then everything would go together, and we could put that beauty on somebody
whose really nice, and here we got pig’s nose rings, it’s a waste. So now you can memorize it. I think it’s a great proverb, bumper-sticker,
and have some mean woman without discretion really put you in the back of your
car.
‘For Us Believers, Because Of God’s Indwelling
Holy Spirit, All We Desire Is Only Good’
“The desire of
the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.” (verse 23) That’s
good for us as we sit here this evening. Here’s the truth about it, since we’re saved, we’re born-again, the majority of all
we desire is good. You know, what
frustrates us as we watch the world we live in, it’s because it’s not
good. Because we have been born-again
by the Spirit of God, what we desire is good. “The
desire of the righteous is only
good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.” (verse 23) what they’re
looking forward to, wrath. That’s what
lies ahead of them.
Principles About Being A
Giver And Riches
“There is that
scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” (verse 24) now it’s an interesting verse
here. “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth” people that are
generous, like sowing seed, they give and they give, and there is no logical
rule for it, because it says these are people that give everything away, and
yet they increase, they grow in wealth. And then you look at somebody else, they’re a miser, they withhold more
than is fitting, and it tends toward poverty, they’re not saving anything. Why? God. God’s the one
that can bless the giver, even though they’re giving away, he can bless that
and increase, they’re not really losing anything, and there is a person who is
a miser, stingy, they try to hold on, and they’re just decreasing what they
really have. Now again, verse 25, “The liberal soul shall be made
fat: and he that watereth shall be
watered also himself.” blessed is the idea, prosperous. Water was a commodity that was worth more
than you could imagine in this culture. So the liberal soul, the generous soul, is going to be blessed by God, “and he that watereth shall be watered also
himself.” The only reason why? Look, because the generous soul, the person
that gives in the right way, is God’s channel. When you look at it and you realize ‘I
have this in my life, it’s God’s blessing, God’s given it to me not so I can
lock it away and save it, he’s given it to me so I can be his channel of
blessing to someone else.’ And when
that person learns that, God will allow his resources to flow through the life
of that person, because that person has realized ‘I am a channel for God’s blessings.’ Now, it contradicts all of our logic in this world. And it takes faith to practice this. Put God on the spot and see. “There
is that scattereth,” like seed “and
yet increaseth; there is that
withholdeth more than is meet, but it
tendeth to poverty. The liberal” or the generous “soul shall be made
fat: and he that watereth shall be
watered also himself.” (verses 24-25) “He that withholdeth corn [grain], the people
shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that
selleth it.” (verse 26) because that was the standard medium of exchange in that day, “He that withholdeth grain, the people
shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that
selleth it.” It was a commodity that everybody dealt
in and everybody needed grain, it was the staff of life. Nobody worried about being gluten free back
then, they all wanted to be glutened. “He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.” (verse 27) So, he
that diligently seeketh good, he procures favour, but
the person that seeks mischief, he’s gonna find it, it’s going to come to
him. Don’t look for it. “He the trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a
branch.” (verse 28) the idea is a green leaf,
flourishing. So, ‘he that trusts in his riches,’ it’s
good to have riches, there’s nothing in the Bible that condemns that, Abraham
was wealthy, Joseph who was in Egypt was wealthy, David was wealthy, Daniel was
wealthy, there isn’t anything condemned about being diligent, and it’s
encouraging us to do that here. But it
says ‘trusting
in that is wrong.’ You trust in
the Provider, not in his provision. “He that trusteth in his riches shall
fall:” you find out, they ain’t your riches. Again, money talks, mine does, it says ‘Good-bye!’ “He
that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” (verse 28)
“He That Troubleth His Own House Shall Inherit The Wind”
“He that
troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant
to the wise of heart.” (verse 29) Look, he that troubleth his own house shall
inherit the wind, sadly, we have too many folks in our
church that can tell that story. They
come from broken homes, they come from circumstances where somebody’s become an
alcoholic, they’ve become a raging drug addict, you know, they become a
lunatic, they have to get a protective from abuse order, they get papers, they
have to see lawyers, and what if that person gets taken out of the will. It says “He
that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind” that guy’s out of the
will, he’s out of the family, you know, just sadly. It doesn’t mean that that person can’t repent
and be saved and transformed and become a testimony to everybody. Look, we have people who come to our church,
and they see some of you sitting here, who they knew you before you were saved,
I’ve had people come to me and say “The
reason I stayed in this church is because I came here and I saw that guy
sitting here with his Bible every week, I figured if that guy is sitting here with his Bible, God has to be alive, if
that guy’s here.” So, it doesn’t say
we can’t be saved, and washed and cleansed, and born-again and be a
testimony. But what it says here is a
person that troubles his own house, the place where we should be a contributor,
that person is going to inherit the wind, “and
the fool shall be servant to the wise
of heart.”
‘We Win Souls By Our
Lifestyle’
and
‘You Reap What You Sow’
“The fruit of the
righteous is a tree of life; and he
that winneth souls is wise.” (verse 30) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
it blesses, it encourages, it enriches others. And he that winneth souls, and this is not in the way we immediately think of it, it’s not in an
evangelistic sense, because the writer didn’t understand evangelism the way we
do today. Certainly we can apply it
[that way], and it is true, ah, he that winneth souls is wise. But the idea is, ‘he that catcheth souls,’ the idea is, this person here in this verse, the fruit of righteousness is in
his life, it’s a blessing, and he reaches out to the broken, he reaches out to
other people, he embraces people, he helps people. That is a person who has eternity in view,
and that’s the idea here, the person that winneth souls, or catcheth souls is
wise. And now this last verse kind of
wraps up what we’ve been looking at, “Behold,
the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.” (verse 31) The
idea is this, consider this, the righteous shall be paid back, the idea, in the
earth, in this life. There’s sowing and
there’s reaping, because we’re told earlier in the book of Proverbs, he, God
chastens the son that he loves. We’re
told in Hebrews that we’re not to hate the chastening of the LORD, it is unpleasant for season,
but it bears the peaceful fruit of righteousness when God chastens the son that
he loves. So, you look at David, he
sinned, and in this life there was a recompense. He was sowing and he was reaping, there was
trouble in his family. You look at
Samson, you look at so many in Scripture, they were God’s children, look at
Lot, and yet what the Holy Spirit is saying is, “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:” if the
righteous are paid back in this life, “much
more the wicked and the sinner.” (verse 31) ‘Judgment’ it says ‘must
begin at the house of God,’ we’re told in 1st Peter 4:17. If God chastens the son he loves, he told us
that earlier, so it’s saying at the end of all this instruction about wisdom,
the righteous person, the person who walks with the LORD, they are dealt with, God
doesn’t just let them become spoiled children and get away with anything they
want, God chastens them, he deals with them, he straightens them out, he puts
them back on track. If God deals with
his own, how much more the wicked and the sinner. Again, great plaque to put
over your television, as we watch what’s happening in the world. Read ahead, read a chapter each morning,
depending on the day of the month it is, these are short things hopefully,
you’ll be wiser with your mouth during the day, hopefully you’ll spend less
time fixing things and more time moving forward. Really, I really think for me personally in
the morning, just to take that time, it takes me fifteen minutes to sit and
just kind of read verse by verse through that chapter that goes with the day,
and it really helps me during the day. And now I know during the day when I do something stupid and get in
trouble, I’m a fool, because Proverbs told me that in the morning. If I really hold it together I’m being like a
wise person that day, so I encourage you to do that. Let’s stand, let’s pray, read ahead, the
Proverbs of Solomon, as we go through these things. Great to listen to these things, because
we’re going to come to Ecclesiastes, where this same man is going to say ‘Hey, vanity of vanities, I had everything,
this is where I failed,’ he transgresses almost everything he writes to us
in the Book of Proverbs. Then of course
the Song of Songs, before we hear from Isaiah…[transcript
of a sermon on Proverbs 10:1-32 and Proverbs 11:1-31, given by Pastor Joe
Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia,
PA 19116]
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