Archive for the ‘Proverbs 19’ Category

Proverbs 19:01 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: August 19, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 19, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 19:01 – Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. 

A blameless life is far more valuable than wealth, but most people don’t act as if they believe this.  Afraid of not getting everything they want, they will pay any price to increase their wealth-cheating on their taxes, stealing from stores or employers, withholding tithes, refusing to give.  But when we know and love God, we realize that a lower standard of living-or even poverty- is a small price to pay for personal integrity

Personal integrity is better than riches. The man who walks uprightly, though he is poor, is more of a success in the eyes of God and good men than a perverse fool, though he is rich. The wisdom of God and Solomon promotes holy living far over financial success.

There is an ellipsis here – words left out by design to shorten the sentence and make it more powerful. You know there is an ellipsis by the incomplete antithesis, for there is no contrasting term for poor, and the good Lord gave you the full version in Pr 28:6. It is not just a poor honest man compared to a perverse fool, but rather to a rich perverse fool.

Here is one of Solomon’s many priorities – teaching wisdom by comparison. Young men should strive for righteous lives more than advancement in their profession or financial success. Honest dealings are more important than economic progress. You should choose holy living over any professional ambitions. Consider the comments on Pr 13:7.

There are some related comparisons found in the book of Proverbs. Little money with the fear of the Lord is better than riches with trouble (Pr 15:16); a little money with righteousness is better than great revenues without right (Pr 16:8); a poor honest man is better than a rich liar (Pr 19:22). These comparisons should set the priorities in your life.

Young man, ignore television advertisements, a fast track boss, or a wealthy neighbor. Making money and getting ahead are less important than walking uprightly in all you do. The man who does not fear the Lord and says profane things with his mouth is a loser, regardless of how much money he makes or the size of his house. He is going down.

You will face choices, maybe today, where you must choose between integrity before God and “getting ahead.” Will you falsify a quote or estimate to make a big sale? Will you be silent when your competitor is falsely accused? Will you pass a promotion that would require you to work for a dishonest boss? Will you tell the whole truth in the application for a job you really want? Will you falsify financial statements to a bank?

You have been warned. If you put professional or financial success ahead of holy living, you lose, both now and later! The Lord sees your heart and every action, and He will treat you strictly now and at His judgment seat. But He can also give joy now that no money can buy (Ps 4:7), and He will give eternal life to those who live righteously (Matt 7:21).

Your goals should be gracious and honest speech, impeccable business dealings, being a loving spouse, training your children well, and doing good to all men. You must avoid hypocrisy, evil thoughts, and even the appearance of evil. And you should do all this with God first in your motives and goals. Such a man is better than compromising rich men.

A wise man will consider that God measures His moral performance, rather than worry about this foolish world that measures men by financial gain. The priority in ambition and goals of this proverb is from God Jehovah and written agreeably by Solomon. Believe it! Choosing these priorities when young can make you great before God.

Nabal was a very great man with much riches and a beautiful wife, but he was a fool and a son of Belial (I Sam 25:2-3,17,25). David was the most wanted man in Israel and running for his life, living in the woods and fields with the sheep. Which man would you want to be? Which man was better? What happened to these men? Give God the glory!

God turned Nabal into stone for ten days of cold fear, killed him, and gave his wife to David. God protected David, put him on the throne, and made him very great in the end. One sold his soul to the devil, and the other walked with God. One likely went straight to hell at death, and the other died the death of the righteous. The difference in time and eternity between these two men is immeasurable. Consider it! What are your priorities?

Young man, the way of the wicked seduces many (Pr 12:26). The lifestyles of the rich and famous are hard to ignore. It is the prosperity of fools (Pr 1:32); you should reject it, for it does not tell their horrible future (Ps 73:16-20). What did Solomon say, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch” (Pr 11:28).

If you give up the things of this evil world for Jesus Christ, He promises to reward you with a hundredfold now and with eternal life in the world to come (Mark 10:29-31). Though this sounds hard to believe, it is true. How can you lose with such an incredible and certain offer from the King of kings? Earn it today by choosing godliness over riches.  Do your actions show that you sacrifice your integrity to increase your wealth?  What changes do you need to make in order to get your priorities straight?

Proverbs 19:23 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 18, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 19, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rest content, untouched by trouble.

The good life is possible! Even probable! Even certain! All you need is to understand this precious proverb and put its simple requirement into practice. The good life can be yours!

Read this marvelous sentence and comprehend it. You can have a great life, with lasting satisfaction in your heart, and avoid the pain and trouble that afflict others. What could be better? How could God and Solomon offer you more? Is this the best proverb? Maybe.

First, the fear of the LORD leads to life. The word “lead” means much more than an inclination or possibility of occurrence. Here it means to have a specific result, if allowed to act; to lead or conduce to some state or condition. It means more than possibility, or even probability – it means definite certainty (Pr 10:16; 11:19,24; 14:23; 19:23; 21:5).

What kind of life is offered? A great life! Great in every way of happiness, prosperity, and success. David and Peter called it loving life and seeing good days (Ps 34:9-16; 112:1-3; I Pet 3:10-12). Solomon called it a rich, long, and honorable life avoiding dysfunction and death (Pr 10:27; 14:27; 22:4). Jesus called it the abundant life (Jn 10:10).

Second, the fear of the LORD brings lasting satisfaction. The world is unhappy. Consider their divorces, drugs, drunkenness, and extreme everything. They crave fulfillment and peace, but they cannot find it. God will not let them have it (Is 48:22; 57:21). God reserves peace for those that fear Him (Ps 25:12-14; 128:1-6; 149:19; Pr 14:26; 15:16).

Third, the fear of the LORD saves from evil. Pain and trouble are everywhere, because worldly men have no Protector like God is committed to those that fear Him (I Tim 4:10; Ps 145:19; II Chron 16:9). Read Psalm 91 and see how God protects those that fear Him from every danger. No wonder the righteous are as bold as a lion (Pr 28:1; 14:26).

What must you do to have these three great benefits, guaranteed by God and King Solomon? Fear the LORD. Do you fully understand this short expression used often in the Bible (Pr 1:7; 9:10; 15:33; 23:17; Deut 10:12; II Sam 23:3; Job 1:8; Ps 36:1; Eccl 7:18; 12:13-14; Luke 12:4-5; Acts 10:22; II Cor 7:1; Eph 5:21; Heb 12:28-29)?

First, to fear the LORD, you must know Him. Who is the LORD? These letters, all capitalized, represent the tetragrammaton of the Hebrews – four consonants for the true and living God’s name – I AM THAT I AM (Ex 3:14). When pointed up with vowels to pronounce, it is the name JEHOVAH (Ex 6:3). Do you know Jehovah God of the Bible?

No other god will do. Allah, Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Buddha, the Great Spirit, the Great Architect of the Universe, and other gods are lies! They are the manmade names for imagined deities of nations and men that reject Jehovah of the Bible. They have no more reality or value than Zeus, Jupiter, Aphrodite, and Venus of the Greeks and Romans.

No false concept of Jehovah will do. The followers of Charles Taze Russell, the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses, do not know Him. The Russellites, as they should be called, stole God’s name from the Bible to justify their cult of false prophecies, adoration of pyramids, and the blasphemous demotion of Jesus Christ to merely “a god” (John 1:1).

Do you know God Jehovah of the Bible? The God that created all things from nothing in six 24-hour days by His voice just 6000 years ago (Gen 1:1; Heb 11:3)? The God that made all things for Himself, even the wicked for the day of evil (Pr 16:4)? The God that will soon send Jesus Christ as God to judge the earth (Heb 1:8-12; Acts 17:29-31)?

Second, to fear the LORD Jehovah, you must fear Him. To rightly fear God is to greatly love Him, reverently worship Him, and faithfully serve Him (Deut 10:12; Eccl 12:13-14; Heb 12:28-29). It is not the terror that Adam and Eve had in Eden when they hid from Him, and it is not the terror of the devils that met Jesus Christ when He was on earth.

The fear of the LORD is belief in the Creator God of the Bible with an awestruck consciousness of His glory and greatness and a loving desire to obey all He requires to please and worship Him and avoid disappointing Him in any way. It is like the humble adoration and affection that good children give a loving yet authoritative father.

Do you fear the LORD? Unless God has regenerated you, it is impossible, for the men of this world do not fear Him (Ps 36:1; Rom 3:18; 1:18-32). You must be born again by the Spirit of God to fear Him (John 1:13; 3:3; 8:47; Gal 4:6). If you have a sincere desire to love and serve this God, then you have been saved like Cornelius (Acts 10:2,22,35).

Do you fear the LORD? Thank Him for your existence to know Him (this is why you exist)! Thank Him for His word, including Proverbs, to know how to please Him! Thank Him for His Son Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death to save His elect people! Confess your sins, beg His forgiveness in Christ Jesus, and commit to always love and serve Him.

The three wonderful benefits and blessings of this proverb are yours! Humbly claim them before this glorious God, giving Him all the praise and worship due to His great name. Trust Him and His word in all matters of life and eternity (Ps 119:128), and He will be with you for a great life, for lasting satisfaction in your soul, and to deliver you from evil.

You might ask, but what about the martyrs? Surely they feared God, but look what happened to them. Their testimonies before dying and the witness of those who watched them die prove contented joy that cannot be fully described. They have eternal life, were and are fully satisfied, and the lions’ teeth or flames only sent them to Paradise early!

You might ask, but what about Job? The Bible states that he feared God, yet look how he suffered (Job 1:1). Did he have a good life, with great satisfaction, and protection from evil before his trial? Indeed (Job 1:2-3,10)! Did he get everything doubled to him in the end? Indeed (Job 42:10-17)! And he got to meet God up close and personal in between!

The greatest life is to walk with God on earth and to have eternal life with Him in heaven.

The greatest satisfaction is to know God personally, including all eternity (Ps 73:23-28).

The greatest protection is passing through death into heaven and being judged righteous.

Those that fear the LORD get all three, bought and guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 19:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 19, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 19, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 19:26  He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace. 

Child! The great God will make you pay for the pain and shame your folly has cost your parents. Your ungrateful treatment of them will come down on your own head. Get ready for it. Your return of evil for their kindness and love has the God of parents sending His hungry ravens and young eagles in your direction (Pr 20:20; 30:17). They see you now!

Child! Your parents gave you life. They fed, clothed, and protected you. Your father delighted in you and saved for your future; your mother doted on you and pampered you. And now you despise them by word and deed. You waste their time and assets. You have no time for the woman who loves you most. Your wickedness has come up to heaven!

This proverb is only an observation, unless you find its hidden lesson. Proverbs are dark sayings, not sound bites (Pr 1:6). If we weigh the pain this wicked child caused his parents, we should see the fire of divine justice burning against him. If God’s words, “Be sure your sin will find you out,” are true in general, they are certainly true in this case!

A son wastes his father by spending his money in riotous living (Pr 28:7,24; 29:3; Luke 15:13). He also wastes his spirit, burdens his heart, harms his health, and sends him to the grave with sorrow (Gen 44:29). This grief is a calamity to a father (Pr 17:21,25; 19:13). What should have been for his glory and success becomes the source of his latter pain.

He chases away his mother by ignoring her warnings, fighting in her home, chasing whores, living a life she cannot abide, and alienating her affection (Pr 10:1; 17:25). In the end, when he has spent all, or whether he has much, he denies her desires and needs. How can a mother’s tenderness be repaid by such cold and crushing cruelty?

Such a son brings shame and reproach on his father, his mother, his siblings, the family name, and upon himself. But he is so in love with himself that he does not care. He tramples all under foot without regard for the feelings of his own flesh and blood or the opinions of God and men. These rebels deserve all that God shall bring upon them.

Child! Tremble before this proverb and its words. God is not mocked! Whatever you sow, you shall reap (Gal 6:7). If God ordained death for disrespectful speech or looks (Pr 20:20; 30:17; Deut 27:16), how great is His fury for these actions? If He required capital punishment for cursing or hitting, what will He do to this brute (Ex 21:15)? If honoring parents brings long life, what will the base violence of this wretch deserve (Eph 6:2-3)?

Child! Mistreating those who have loved and cared for you the most is an aggravated and perverse sin and exceedingly wicked in God’s sight. Your pride and selfishness are so great that you are without natural affection (Rom 1:30-31). You have altogether denied the Christian religion, and you are worse than an infidel (I Tim 5:8).

Child! Humble yourself now. Repent for your rebellion and self-will. Beg God and your parents for mercy. It is never too late, if you can still feel even a little conviction in your conscience about your folly. Break off your sins by righteousness and show some mercy to your parents, for it may be a lengthening of your tranquility (Dan 4:27).

Parent of a fool! Take comfort. There are no perfect parents, and the great God never justifies a child’s wickedness by parental faults or failures. He is the God of parents, and as a heavenly Father, He will remember every bit of your investment and pain for comfort here and hereafter. Beg Him for wisdom in light of your troubles (Jas 1:2-5).

Reader, how well do you honor your heavenly Father? Have you wasted any of the precious grace He has bestowed on you (II Cor 6:1; Heb 12:15)? Have you brought any shame or reproach on His glorious name (Ezek 20:39; I Tim 6:1)? Are you living like a child of God, bringing delight to your Father (Matt 5:43-48; II Cor 6:14-18; Eph 5:1)?


Proverbs 19:02 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 19, 2011 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 19, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Proverbs 19:02 – It is not good to have zeal (enthusiasm) without Knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.

We often move hastily through life, rushing headlong into the unknown. Many people marry without knowing what to expect of their partner or of married life. Others try illicit sex or drugs without considering the consequences. Some plunge into jobs without evaluating whether they are suitable to that line of work. Don’t rush into the unknown. Be sure you understand what you’re getting into and where you want to go before you take the first step. And if it still seems unknown, be sure you are following God.

We often move hastily through life, rushing headlong into the unknown. Many people marry without knowing what to expect of their partner or of married life. Others try illicit sex or drugs without considering the consequences. Some plunge into jobs without evaluating whether they are suitable to that line of work. Don’t rush into the unknown. Be sure you understand what you’re getting into and where you want to go before you take the first step. And if it still seems unknown, be sure you are following God.

Two things can ruin your future success – ignorance and haste. You need to understand what you are doing before you do it, which means you must slow down for research first. You must know what is happening and what could happen before you take any action.

Ignorance is not bliss; it is not good. Ignorance is only helpful in matters of Christian liberty and in matters of sin and error (I Cor 10:25-27; Rom 16:19). Only in these areas can ignorance be useful. In all other areas, you should be knowledgeable and prudent.

Speed is not a virtue, except to obey God, hear others, or finish a job correctly (Ps 119:60; Jas 1:19; Pr 26:14). Only in such things should you hurry. Otherwise, caution and wisdom require you to slow down lest you make an error in judgment or in execution.

Both ignorance and haste are condemned by this proverb, which marks them as traits of the fool, connected to the previous proverb by “also.” Before decisions are made and actions started, Solomon required careful study and knowledge. Haste does make waste!

If others criticize or tease you for being cautious and wanting to know more, ignore the impulsive fools. There is no honor or virtue in rushing decisions without adequate research. Do not be intimidated or pressured to make decisions or start actions quickly.

Fools have no heart to learn (Pr 17:16); they are impulsive by nature (Pr 13:16). They rush decisions and actions without knowing the facts, and life punishes them. Wise men question everything (Pr 14:15); they do not rush decisions (Pr 14:29; 18:13; 25:8). They look ahead to see potential trouble and avoid it, but fools rush into pain (Pr 22:3; 27:12).

Many men might have been saved, if they had slowed down to consider the consequences of a seductress (Pr 7:21-22). Being slow to wrath is far superior to haste of spirit (Pr 14:29; Eccl 7:9). It is folly and shame to answer a matter before fully grasping the issues (Pr 18:13). Haste in financial things will bring poverty (Pr 21:5). Entering a conflict hastily will often bring shame in the end, when your ignorance is exposed (Pr 25:8).

The New Testament also teaches knowledge and caution. Paul condemned ignorance, for Christians are to prove all things (I Thes 5:21; Ac 17:11; Phil 1:9-11). Wise men examine in all directions and from all angles – they are circumspect (Eph 5:15-17). He warned against being “heady” – headstrong and impetuous actions hurried on by passion (II Tim 3:4). He listed “without understanding” as an inconvenient sin of reprobates (Rom 1:31).

Reader, do you prove the facts before deciding or acting? Are you cautious and slow with decisions? Avoid emotional reactions, rash purchases, wild speeches, impetuous decisions, and impulsive actions as folly condemned here. God expects you to be sober, calm, circumspect, cautious, prudent, and wise. The warning here is for your own good.

This generation commends marriages on emotion alone, but the proverb demands that there be knowledge as well. How many divorces and dysfunctional marriages could have been avoided by learning more about the other party? When haste is added to mere emotion, folly and its deserved pain will follow. Fifty years in marital hell is a long time.

Parents, especially fathers, should oversee dating and courting: they should be actively involved in the proving process. A young, single person does not have a clue about marriage, and he or she needs the combined wisdom and experience of parents to save him or her from great pain. To rush into such an abyss impatiently is the height of folly.

Others make investment and business decisions by foolish optimism rather than prudent caution and wise counsel (Pr 14:15; 15:22; 22:3). They are punished for these hasty decisions. It is truly better to be safe than sorry. Hard work in a boring job always works better than hastily or ignorantly following vain ideas (Pr 12:11; 14:23; 21:5; 28:19,22).

There are more means today to gain knowledge quickly on any subject than ever before. By Google searches or Bible software, answers for natural or spiritual questions can be found easily, yet many are more foolish than their parents. How can this be? They did not take the time to prove things, and Internet clutter is assumed as truth without any basis.

There are also more means to be hasty today than ever before. Instead of the days or weeks it would take to make an investment in the past, you can do so in less than a second via the Internet. Instead of courting a person for marriage who could be verified by many others, fools can connect via dating services without ever proving each other.

Many join churches without examining them by Scripture out of laziness or to please friends or family. Pastors preach things they have not thoroughly studied. But when the Lord sees such ignorant haste in His worship, He blinds to the truth and sends judgment (Mal 2:1-9; II Thess 2:9-12). Ignorant haste in religion is a horrible compound sin!

God has revealed religious truth in the Bible, where knowledge can be obtained easily and freely, for those who will search its pages and submit to its teachings. All doctrine and practice should be searched and proven from the scriptures (Acts 17:11; I Thess 5:21). There is no reason to be without knowledge or to act hastily, except in obedience!

Your success in life depends on following the wisdom of this proverb. Will you study and prove all things, retaining only what can be fully established as truth? Will you slow down in a faster-faster-faster generation to soberly consider what is right before acting?

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