16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

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1 Subject: PROVERBS Title: Contrasting Truths Continued Text: Proverbs 16:1-33 Chapter 16 continues with more contrasting truths. The differences between the fool and the wise. Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. * If you re going to answer correctly from the heart, and if you re going to say the right things, you re going to have to go to God and His Word to get instruction and wisdom to be able to say the right things. But again, what comes out of your mouth is what is already in your heart, Luke 6:45. 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. * Everyone thinks by nature that he s right - I m right about my decisions in life or my position. The natural tendency in all of us is to think that our reasoning, logic and conclusions are correct. Proverbs 16:25, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man... It s nice to know that our ways can be clean, but we must remember, the Lord weigheth the spirits. Sometimes you may be wrong, but not for a wrong reason. Sometimes we are just wrong in our conclusions and observations, but the Bible says the Lord weigheth the spirits of the conclusion. He s looking at our logic or observations and He s not so concerned about the facts that we come up with, as He is the spirit that we have when we come up with the facts. In other words, He wants to know our attitude, motives and why we have come to those conclusions. Many of the conclusions that we come to are relatively self-serving. We come to those conclusions because they work for us. Proverbs 16:25 continues,...but the end thereof are the ways of death. 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. * That s an issue of priorities. If we ll get our priorities right and seek ye fi rst the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33), Jesus tells us that all these things shall be added unto you. If we give Luke 6:38 says it shall be given unto you. If we sow bountifully, II Corinthians 9:6 says we ll reap bountifully. In other words, if we ll put the Lord first in our lives, our priorities right in our lives, and put Him and His work first, then the rest of our lives will pretty much fall together properly because Proverbs 16:3 says, thy thoughts shall be established. Put God first and the rest of your thinking will logically play out. 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 119

2 * Everything that is made was made for the LORD. Revelation 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. * He created you and me to glorify Him. Everything that was made was made for Him, even the wicked for the day of evil. 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. * We ve already seen in the Proverbs that God hates pride. 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. Proverbs 6:16-18 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. * You can get a bunch of proud people who are reinforcing each other, hand join in hand, who will lock arms and say, We re right in what we re doing. The majority does not rule, and though you can find all kinds of people who agree with you, act like you, and are arrogant like you, wrong is wrong, and he shall not be unpunished. Proverbs 11:21 Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. *It s true about our sin being purged...by mercy and truth. It is the truth of God s Word. The mercy and the grace of God saves us from our sin (Ephesians 2:8-9). * The fear of God means at the least that you believe what God says and you believe that God means what He says, but it s much more. 120

3 - Psalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever. - Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. - Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. - Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. - Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. - Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confi dence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. - Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. - Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom. - Isaiah 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. 16:7 When a man s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. * I know that s not absolutely true in the sense that if you re pleasing the Lord that means nobody in the world will be at odds with you, but the point is that when you re right with God, God has a way of getting people that aren t right with you, right with you - maybe even looking favorably upon you. If you re a good neighbor in the community, good things will happen. When a man s ways please the Lord, people will respond! 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. * This is similar to Proverbs 15:16. You re better off to be righteous with a little than you are with a lot and being unrighteous. A little money, a little house, a little car, a small wardrobe, whatever it might be, is better with righteousness than great revenues, or a lot, without right. You can be very wealthy but very sinful. 16:9 A man s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. * The meaning is the same as Proverbs 16:1. In the converted heart, not the wicked part, when a man is right with God, the LORD deviseth his way, and once you get a purpose in your heart to serve God, the LORD directeth your steps. You do right in your heart with God, and He will take you where He wants you to go. Our responsibility is to be right with God. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 16:10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment. * In the next few verses in Proverbs 16:10-15, you will see that they all have something in common - the word king or kings appears. These proverbs are spoken for righteous 121

4 governmental authority who understand that their authority has been given by God and how they are to execute that authority. *A king who realizes that a divine sentence is in the lips of the king because he is given the authority to rule by God. The government has the right, for the good of the people, to establish laws - driving laws, immigration laws, etc. This is one of the Scriptures among many in the Bible where government is given the authority to make such laws. As long as the government makes laws for the good of the people and it does not violate any principle in God s Word, that law is morally binding. When the judge says, Guilty - 30 days in jail, that s a divine sentence. Even though it comes from a human judge, as long as he s acting as a righteous authority, he is a representative of God, and his mouth transgresseth not in judgment. 16:11 A just weight and balance are the LORD S: all the weights of the bag are his work. * See Proverbs 11:1. In the midst of these verses on government, vs.11 shows up. This puts a responsibility on the king to be just in his judgments, just according to God s Word. God gives the judge in his authority the wisdom and the logic to be able to discern or exercise good judgment when he s dealing with the law and violations of the populace, all of the weights of the bag are his work. God gives the judge the tools to make righteous judgment and when the judge gives a sentence, it s a divine sentence and he doesn t transgress. 16:12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. * When you do something wicked, the righteous king in authority is going to confront you on that, for the throne is established by righteousness. In other words, the throne or governmental authority is established in the righteousness of God. 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right. * When you tell the truth, the king loves it ideally, but when you lie, the king hates it and he ll deal with you for lying. You tell the truth, you say right things. People will love you when you tell the truth. 16:14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it. * If you re on the receiving end of the wrath of the king, it s a message of punishment, to the degree that he can punish you with death, as was seen in the case of Timothy McVeigh who bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City and killed 168 people in * In contrast, a wise man will pacify the wrath of a king. A wise man who will pacify the king s wrath, means that you understand the king has the power to execute wrath upon you, and you do that by obeying the king. 122

5 16:15 In the light of the king s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. * When you live in the favor of the king, he is happy and you get an extra blessing, and rightfully so. If you live right, people will treat you right, and every now and then you get an extra benefit for living right, his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain which helps bring in the harvest. You might be a little envious of people who seem to be in favour, but they get extra blessings because the Bible says there will be blessings for righteous living. 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! * The most important thing you can get in life is wisdom - God s wisdom. It s worth more than gold and silver. Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. * The highway of the upright is the road of life and should be paved with righteous living. You keep living on the right highway, you preserve your soul. Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that fi nd it. 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. * See Proverbs 18:12 and 29:23. There are a lot of examples in the Bible of people whose pride led to their destruction, i.e., Lucifer, Samson, Ahab, Haman, Saul, Absalom, Nebuchadnezzar, Jezebel. 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. * This Proverb is similar to Proverbs 16:8, Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. You are better off being humble and existing with the meek and lowly than to divide the spoil and living amongst the proud. 16:20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. * When you handle matters wisely according to God s plans, things usually go well, and if you trust the Lord to work things out, you can be happy with the consequences, even if it 123

6 doesn t go the way you think it should have. You can rest in the peace that God allowed it to happen the way it did for a reason. There are many stories that reflect that in hindsight. Often going through situations that don t seem to be working out the way you want are understandable as you look back. 16:21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. * Verses 21, 23, 24 refer to wise and pleasant words. Pleasantness is similar to sweet in 16:24; 24:13; 27:7. If you talk to people respectfully, you get a lot further with them than if you talk to them with disdain, sarcasm, and a demeaning spirit. People learn that when you talk with sweet lips, it increases learning, but when you speak with bitter lips, people don t want to listen anymore and tune you out. 16:22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly. * When you have understanding, it leads to a great life and is refreshing like cold water in a well. We see where in the story of the Prodigal Son. The Father learned how to deal with his wayward son. He had understanding in the nature of children and when his son returned, it was a wellspring of life unto him. * In contrast, fools just talk about foolishness. Fools teach fools foolishness. That s why it s so important for you to choose the right kind of friends, because when you choose a fool, he s going to teach you to be like him. Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. 16:23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. * Teach yourself what to say. Don t say anything and everything that comes to your mind. You must learn what to say, when to say, how to say it and when not to say it. Do you have smart lips? Do you have PhD lips - a doctorate in speech, and I don t mean the kind you get in a university. Learn how to talk to people and how to control your tongue. 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. * Say something nice and make people feel good, which is the same idea seen in Proverbs 15:30, The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat. 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. * Proverbs 14:12 says the same thing. The right way is seen in John 14:6 when Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 124

7 16:26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him. * Diligence is encouraged in Proverbs 10:4, 5; 12:24; 14:23; 28:19. If you don t work, you don t eat. Get a job. Stop living off the welfare system if you don t deserve it. Stop mooching off everybody else. If you re healthy, get out there and get a job, because he that laboureth laboureth for himself. Nobody else owe s you a living other than parents for young children. Nobody owes you food to be put into your mouth - labor for yourself. 16:27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. * Verses refer to troublemakers of various kinds. An ungodly man is always looking for something to gossip about. He s thinking things like, Let s see what I can find out about him/her, or I saw them do that, or I wonder if this is what s really going on, or I m not sure, but I m going to tell so and so like I do know it s sure. I don t want to know anymore than I have to know. Why would anyone want to go about digging it up? Are you that bored that you ve got to look at others and wonder what s going on in their lives? Have you looked closely at yourself? I ll bet you could find something there if you looked a little more objectively. * When the ungodly man finds the gossip tidbit, his lips are as a burning fi re. He can t wait to get it off his lips and tell somebody else. 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. * We ve already seen that a man who is froward is rebellious, like those who dig up gossip and are whispering to each other about it. Then they come to you and say, You know what so and so said about you. They re all talking about you back there, whispering. This certainly will separateth chief friends. If somebody came up to me to try and tell me what someone said about me, if I had the opportunity, I d stop them at that point! I don t want to hear what somebody else said about me. I probably won t believe they said it, and I don t want to be poisoned towards anybody. If you think you re doing me a favor by trying to tell me a sarcastic, nasty or demeaning remark that someone said about me, you re not. I don t want to be poisoned against anybody. I can honestly say that I don t have any enemies that I know of, and I don t want any. Put your fire out - keep it to yourself. 16:29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. * Watch out for anyone who is violent, who lashes out in physical ways. When a man cannot control his temper, that weakness or sin spills over into other areas of his life and, ultimately, a person who cannot control his own spirit will lead you into something that is not good. Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: 125

8 16:30 He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass. * This Proverb shows some of what the violent man will do. By winking (6:13; 10:10; Psalm 35:19) and pursing his lips, an evil person signals to others non-verbal clues to communicate his intentions to be involved in perversity (v.28). We ve certainly seen historical figures like Attilla the Hun, Ghengis Kahn, Stalin, Hitler and the wreckage that they left behind them. 16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. * A hoary head is someone who is older with white or gray hair. It s a crown of glory only if it be found in the way of righteousness. Just because you have white or gray hair doesn t mean you are smart or right with God. It s to your glory only if you re living a righteous life before the Lord. 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. * Being slow to anger is the ability to control your temper. Conquering oneself (14:17, 29; 25:28; 29:11) is of greater virtue than conquering a city. It takes a strong man to control his temper. You may be able to benchpress 300 pounds, but if you can t control your temper, you re weak. Strength in character comes from being able to control your emotions. It is much more important that you control your attitude or your spirit than it is to conquer a city. 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. * We see the lot is cast in the Bible a number of times, but it seems that when it is, the lot picked is directed by the Lord. Joshua 18:6 Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God...10 And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions. 1 Samuel 14:42 And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. Jonah 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. * Roman soldiers cast lots at Jesus crucifixion to full a prophecy in Psalm 22:18, They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. 126

9 Addendum - Words and Speaking in Proverbs (The Bible Knowledge Commentary edited by Walvoord and Zuck, p.918) 1. Wrong Uses of Words II. Right Uses of Words A. Lying A. Words that Help and Encourage 6:16-17a; 10:18a; 12:19, 10:11a, 20a, 21a; 12:14a, 18b: 22a; 17:4b, 7; 19:5b, 9b, 15:4a; 18:4, b; 21:6; 26:28a B. Slandering B. Words that Express Wisdom 10:18b 30:10 10:13a, 31a; 14:3b; 15:2a, 7a; 16:10, 21b, 23b; 20:15 C. Gossiping C. Words that Are Few 11:13; 16:28b; 17:9b; 18:8; 10:19; 11:12b; 13:3a; 17:27a 20:19; 26:20, 22 D. Constant Talking D. Words that Are Fitting (kind, 10:8, 10b, 19; 17:28; 18:2 appropriate, pleasant) 20:19b 10:32a; 12:25; 15:1a, 4a, 23; 16:24 25:11, 15 E. False Witnessing E. Words that Are True 12:17b; 14:5b, 25b; 19:5a; 28a; 12:17a, 19a, 22b, 14:5a, 25a 21:28; 25:18 F. Mocking F. Words that Are Carefully Chosen 13:1b; 14:6a; 15:12; 17:5a; 19:29a; 13:3a; 15:28; 16:23a; 21:23 21:11a; 22:10; 24:9b; 30:17 G. Harsh Talking (perverse, reckless, harsh, evil, sly words) 10:31b-32; 12:18a; 13:3b; 14:3a; 15:1b, 28b; 17:4a; 19:1, 28b H. Boasting 17:17a; 20:14; 25:14; 27:1-2 I. Quarreling 13:10; 15:18; 17:14, 19; 19:13; 20:3; 21:9; 19; 22:10; 25:24; 26:17, 20-21; 27:15 J. Deceiving 7:19-20; 12:2; 15:4b; 25:23 K. Flattering 26:28b; 28:23; 29:5 L. Ignorant or Foolish Words 14:7; 15:2b, 7-14; 18: