I continue to examine the wisdom packed into Proverbs, the 21st chapter. King Solomon is giving us insight to righteous behavior, comparing good to bad. We as Christians are called to be separate from the world. This, by design, calls us to produce different fruit, to behave differently. We continue to break down the verses, moving on to verse 13- Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
“A deaf ear will be turned to him by both: the same measure he has measured shall be measured to him again; no mercy shall be shown to an unmerciful man, either by God or man”
I can say simply that it would do us all well to look at a situation and instead of seeing someone else in it, see yourself. I know that a lot of people want money, and there are deceivers out there who look to steal from you. But if we use that blanket to justify miserly ideology, denying those in real need, what good is our heart, where is our compassion? Not all giving has to be money. We really can give food, and if in the right space, we can give work. Did you know that the original welfare system was the church? I personally do not believe in any of the non-profits out there. I think most churches have, long ago, closed the doors. They used to be out in the communities. But they retreated and closed the doors behind them. Now a days, the only time we see churches in the community is holidays. Other times, you must be a member. Now, this is not all churches. There are some that have many programs to help those down and out. Not all churches have abandoned the principle that we are our brother’s keeper; not all have turned their ears from hearing the cries of the poor, but many have. This caused a black hole, a vacuum. This need was then filled by the government and the non-profits. Have you ever heard the saying, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime? We need to get back to teaching men to fish? A hand out is a hand out, its value is short lived. The value of a hand up is immeasurable. When it comes to salvation, no matter who we are, what we do, we all need that hand up. We are all in a hole. Without Christ, we are doomed. And if John Gill is right, ask yourself, do you simply get the hand out, or do you get the hand up?
16 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
In order to wander away from understanding, you must first have the understanding. This verse should make every believer understand that the devil is out there searching the earth to and from for those whom he may devour. Satan is not just trying to interfere with your rewards, He is trying to devour you. IF all he wanted was to make you stumble and to interfere with your rewards in heaven since you are now saved, that would make your salvation and all of Satan’s efforts about you. That is a very arrogant and misguided approach to both sin and salvation. You chose to wander. No one makes you do it. Satan tempts you and you agree to follow. It happens to the best of Christians. When you do, you will remain in the congregation of the unsaved, the dead. J. Vernon McGee comments, and I paraphrase, We have glorified the theater, they provide our morals and today things are upside down. Jesters were called fools and to this day he doesn’t believe it has changed, entertainers today are sacred cow. I totally agree with him. It is a profession where, because they can act well, we somehow believe they are an authority on everything else. God is to be our idol, He is to be our moral authority, after all, He is the creator of morals to begin with.
“That follows gaming, fowling, hunting, coursing, etc., when he should be attending to the culture of the fields, shall be a poor man; and, I may safely add, shall be so deservedly poor, as to have none to pity him.”
20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.
21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
22 A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.
23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
“Spendeth it up – literally, swalloweth it. The wise man keeps a store in reserve. He gains uprightly, spends moderately, never exhausts himself. But the proverb may have also a higher application. The wise man stores up all “treasure to be desired” of wisdom, all “oil” of divine influence, which strengthens and refreshes, and so is ready at all times for the work to which the Master calls him.”
Be aware, and ready. Earn and work honestly. Save and rest often. Spend and work prudently. These behaviors are of a Christian who has something else in mind, something other than the amount. There is an end coming. That end will not care about your possessions, nor your bank accounts. Faithfulness is the bounty to be measured. I was once told that God did not call us to be successful, he called us to be faithful. I think we, me included, sometimes get sidetracked into the success part. We measure the success by different standards. God might want us to go through a thing where the reward is wisdom. We go through it and we are thinking substantial tangible rewards, money or prizes. But as it continues, if we follow after Christ, if we obey, and we recognize that we are not worthy of His mercy and yet be so eternally grateful for it, we find life. If we can understand that if we remain under the care of our LORD, our wisdom will provide us victory over the confidence of the enemy. Verse 22 reminds me of the picture of David and Goliath. David was wise to pick the weapon he was most proficient with. He did not seek a big weapon for the big giant. He used his talent and wisdom, and defeated the giant. We can too. Verse 23 is the stumbling block for me. To know when to speak and when not to speak, a gift that the elders of a church should hold seminars on.
“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue,…. Guards the one and bridles the other; is careful of what he says, that it is truth, and without dissimulation and guile; and is not injurious to the characters of men, and is not offensive and provoking; who abstains from ill and wrathful language, and which tends to stir up wrath and contention.”
Ephesians 4:29 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.
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
The bible, Jesus himself, could be quoted over and over when talking about speech. In today’s culture we understand this to mean that we must dilute the truth because the tongue “cuts to and fro”. The words that come from the brain and then out of the mouth can kill. Jesus stated that it is not that which goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but that which comes out. He also said that what comes out of the heart, which is the brain, reveals who the man is. Without the spirit, we are told that our brains can only imagine wickedness. Wait….WHAT!?!?!?!?! Yes, even those who spend their whole life doing great things and inspiring others are wicked if their service is not for the glory of God. It is all idolatry if they are not inspired by God and give glory to God for all the blessings from their words. The wisest man that has ever lived is telling us that the man who learns to watch his words, tells the truth without omitting the hard stuff, the fine or minute stuff, and does so not to cause injury to the listener, but to grow and disciple the listener does well. Be mindful, therefore, in the thought to withhold truth or soften the truth so as not to offend. Truth is easily lost in the weeds of fluff.
Proverbs 21:28 A false witness shall perish:
Joseph Benson– one who is forward to swear or speak false things, or such things as he hath neither heard nor seen, but devised in his own heart
John Gill By telling lies in trade; by bearing false witness in a court of judicature; or by preaching false doctrines in the church of God: such treasures, though ever so great, are like any light thing, smoke or vapour, straw, stubble, chaff, or a feather, tossed about the wind; which is expressive of the instability uncertainty of riches ill gotten; they do not last long, but are taken away and carried off by one providence or another; and they are likewise harmful and pernicious; they issue in death: and those that seek after them, and obtain them in a bad way, are said to “seek death”: not intentionally, but eventually; this they certainly find, if grace prevent not;
We see again that words contrived in our hearts, not based in truth are wicked, telling lies and making up stories that harm others. Additionally there is no watering down of the consequence. A liar shall perish. That’s pretty simple to read and understand. God wants the truth. There is love in the truth. We are a society that has become afraid of the truth. We would much rather hear a lie that makes us feel good than the truth which heals us, completes us, makes us whole. Again, God does not want the truth used as a weapon. But it is an agent for change; change that is for the better.
The 21st Proverb is filled with wisdom for the ear that is willing to hear. The truth can be hard to hear sometimes. It can hurt, it has a sting. But the great thing about those who tell the truth with love is that they remain to walks us through that pain and help us endure that sting. Love is not disguised, it is not covered in balls of cotton so thick that it cannot be seen or heard. The truth just is, and that is why there is no escape from it. The bible itself has been attack for thousands of years, including this year. And yet it stands just as truthful today as it was the day they penned it, or chiseled it. It is always important to be led by love. Let the Holy Spirit take control and guide your tongue. Let the spirit tell you when you should speak and when to remain quiet; when to be gentle and when to be direct. At the end of the day, however, I would rather be alone on an island in communion with almighty God, than to be seen as a Saint by a million dear friends and relatives because my words simply make them FEEL good.
If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!
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