PROVERBS 9-102006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Proverbs 9-10

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006.

Wisdom. The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom. And wisdom, the word that's used most frequently, literally means skill here in the book of Proverbs. And so it describes for us skill in living, skill in making decisions, skill in discerning between or determining what is good and what is bad. As we've talked about over the past couple of weeks, wisdom is skill.

about how we live, not about what we know. It's not about how smart we are, but it's about how well we're able to follow instructions and follow the directions of God. If you want to live well, you should follow God's instructions because he's the one who created life. And so he's the one who knows best how it is to work. Wisdom, as I've shared with you many times, is following God's recipe and

for life. And as we continue through the book of Proverbs, we find many different aspects of that, how to follow God's recipe and what he has to say about life. And so we pick it up in chapter nine and let's read together verses one through six. It says this wisdom has built her house. She is hewn out her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her meat. She has mixed her wine. She also has furnished her table.

She has sent out her maidens. She cries out from the highest places of the city. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, come eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding.

Here, Solomon is continuing to write to us about wisdom and encourage us to live a life the way that God says. And he again personifies wisdom so that we can get a good picture, pretending for a moment that wisdom was a person. This is what wisdom would be doing. This invitation that's given by wisdom over and over again throughout the book of Proverbs.

Helping us to understand the picture. The house is prepared. The table is set. The food is ready. And you are invited is the picture that's painted for us here. Come, enjoy a feast.

with wisdom, the feast of wisdom. In verse three, he describes wisdom as crying out from the highest places. In other words, wisdom is not hiding and not being elusive and trying to be difficult to discover. Wisdom is not hidden in some top secret encrypted government files, but wisdom is there openly and publicly at the highest place for all to see, for all to hear wisdom.

And calling out to you and I for us to receive wisdom. Now, she's not just crying out to the smart or those who are already wise, but she's calling out to whomever will hear. Calling out to the simple, to those who lack understanding. We see in verse 4, whoever is simple, him who lacks understanding. Now, for you and I, this may be the toughest part of wisdom's invitation.

Because you cannot get wisdom if you think that you are already wise. There's a kind of a paradox that takes place there. If you think that you're wise, you will not gain wisdom. But if you lack understanding and you're able to acknowledge that and admit that if you need wisdom.

then wisdom is available to you. If you can admit understanding or your lack of understanding, wisdom is there to give you what you need. And we saw that in Proverbs chapter two, verse six, where it shared with us that God is the one who gives wisdom. And so the invitation that we see in Proverbs by wisdom is really an invitation by God to come to him and receive wisdom for all that we need.

It's the same invitation that's given in James chapter 1 verse 5, where James tells us, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. God guarantees. He says, if you come and ask me for wisdom, I will give it to you. I will give it to you. You just must ask in faith. Now, I shared last week that

Something that I think is quite humorous, but many others disagree. If you don't have wisdom, you're a fool. Now, seems obvious because those who don't have wisdom are fools. But the point is, if you don't have wisdom, you're a fool because wisdom is available to all.

So to not have wisdom is very foolish because it's there for you. It's not something that is elusive or something unobtainable. It's something for every one of us that God provides and desires to give. If only we would ask. And so if we do not have wisdom, we're fools because it's right there for the taking by the very word of God. All we have to do is humble ourselves and ask.

Now, as I've described wisdom as following God's recipe for life, we must take it one step beyond asking. And that is when we ask, we must follow through and put into practice what God says, what God speaks to our heart. And we find that in verse six here in Proverbs chapter nine, where he says, forsake foolishness and live.

And go in the way of understanding. And so God says, come, I'm offering to you wisdom. I'm offering to you what you need for life to give you direction, to give you good judgment and good understanding that you would be able to live well and prosper. But here's the thing. I'll give you the wisdom. But what I want you to do is then to use it.

And to do what I'm asking you to do and to stay away from the things I'm asking you to stay away from. Forsake foolishness and live, God says, and go in the way of understanding. As we go on in verses seven through nine, Solomon says, he who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself. And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.

Do not correct a scoffer lest he hate you. Rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be wiser still. Teach a wise man and he will increase in learning.

Now, as he goes on after this invitation, he describes the difference so that we may understand that there's a difference between the scoffer and the wise. The scoffer is very different than the wise, as we can see here. And in giving us these differences, he

Really, Solomon is giving us a good tool to discover which group we belong to. Are we scoffers or are we wise? Now, by asking this question, we're able to determine if we're scoffers or if we're wise. The question is, how do I respond to correction? The answer to that question will determine if I'm a scoffer or if I'm wise.

How do I respond to correction? We see in verse seven this about the scoffer. He who corrects the scoffer gets shame for himself. And so the scoffer brings shame upon those who

Who correct him? The word shame, it talks about dishonor or reproach or rebuke. And there are some who respond to correction with that type of response, with open mocking and trying to turn it around on the one correcting. You know, if you go to correct someone and they say, well, what about you? You do this or or you do that.

That's the shame that is brought upon one who corrects a scoffer. Oftentimes the question is asked, why are you judging me? In a sense, attempting now to rebuke the one who is bringing correction. And then they begin, of course, to spread the word about you. And that's where the shame comes from as they talk about, you know, this person who tried to correct them or tried to judge them and treat them inappropriately.

But, you know, if I may just address this as a quick side note, judging has to do with the heart and with the motives. And people often say, you know, that others are judging them whenever correction is brought to them. But if a person is practicing what the Bible calls sin and you bring that up to them, you are not judging them. The word of God is judging them.

You are only judging them if you assume that you know their heart and their motives and you're accusing them of doing something with the wrong motives or the wrong heart.

But not if you share the word of God about a specific situation or sin that they happen to be involved in. That is the word of God judging and not you. And so that is good and right. We are to share with one another as we see things in each other's lives, what the word has to say. But a scoffer will not receive it. A scoffer will bring shame upon those who try to bring that correction. It goes on in verse seven. He who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.

In the same way that correcting a scoffer brings shame, rebuking a wicked man brings harm. Some will respond violently or viciously to rebuke or correction. In verse 8, do not correct a scoffer lest he hate you. So we see that some will respond with open mocking, try to turn it around on the one who's correcting. Some will respond violently or viciously to rebuke or correction. And some will respond with hatred and

When corrected, we see this example in Ahab in First Kings, chapter 22, where he's there with Jehoshaphat and they're considering whether to go to battle. And Jehoshaphat says, well, let's call the prophets and see what they say. And there's all these prophets and their prophets saying, yes, go. And Jehoshaphat knows something's up. He says, isn't there a prophet of the Lord who's a true prophet that we can call on? And Ahab says, oh, you know, there is. In verse eight, he says, but I hate him because.

Because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And so the prophet of the Lord is prophesying evil against him. And so he hates him. The prophet of the Lord was prophesying correctly and bringing correction. But Ahab was responding with hatred. Now, the wise are completely different when corrected. As we see at the end of verse 8, rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

See, the response of a person that is wise is a response of love, recognizing their need for correction, their need for rebuke and essentially saying, thank you for caring enough about me to correct me and to bring this rebuke and correction in my life.

In verse nine, he says that he will still be wiser. He will increase in learning. And so a wise man, a wise person, when when being faced with correction or rebuke will respond with love and will continue to grow and increase in learning and wisdom. And so the question for us is, how do we handle correction and rebuke?

Are you wise or are you a scoffer? To receive correction, that is wisdom. To receive rebuke with love, that is wisdom. But to mock, to scoff, to try to turn it around, to respond with hatred, that is the response of a scoffer of the wicked. Verses 10 through 12.

Solomon says, Here in verses 10 through 12, Solomon says, Okay, so,

You do the test, find out where do I stand. But if you want to be wise, where do you start? How do you get wisdom? And he tells us in verse 10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. And so if you want to be wise, here's where you start. Here's where you begin by fearing the Lord, by fearing the Lord. Now, fearing the Lord is obedience to him first.

And as I shared at the beginning of the book of Proverbs, let's not be too quick to dismiss the fear of the Lord as simple reverence where we take off our hats when we pray. But there's a reason for us to fear God, because if we do not, we will be judged because he is holy. He made the rules. If we live by them, we will be blessed.

But if not, we will be cursed. That is why Jesus did what he did on the cross, dying for our sins, because by believing in him now, we have right standing with God and no need to fear God's judgment because we do sin and we do fall short. But the fear of the Lord causes us to respond.

To what Jesus did for us and to receive the love that he offers to us, knowing that God is God. He is the one in charge and he is the one before whom we'll stand and give an account.

So fear the Lord and get to know him. Solomon says that's the beginning of wisdom and understanding. If you want to get started on that road, it starts there, which also tells us if you do not fear the Lord, you haven't even begun to get wisdom. You haven't even begun to get understanding. As smart as you might think you are or others may claim you to be,

It starts with, it begins with fearing God, obeying him, hating evil, fleeing from sin and being obedient to the ways and the commands that he gives. Now, he goes on in verses 11 and 12 to describe for us the effects of wisdom and the fact that wisdom is for your own benefit. In verse 12, he says, if you are wise, you are wise for yourself.

It's for your own benefit that God asks you to be wise. He doesn't ask you to be wise and obey his commands so that he can get something out of it. But because that's what's best for you. And if you want to be blessed and if you want to have the life that God has designed for you, abundant, joyful life, then follow God's command. Then get wisdom because it's for your own good. Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to have fruitful years?

Then get wisdom. Respond to the invitation. Obey the Lord and get to know him.

But if you choose not to, verse 12 also ends with, if you scoff, you will bear it alone. And so if you get wisdom, it's for your own good. But if you choose not to and if you choose to rebel against God in that way, then you will bear that on your own. There'll be no one else to excuse to excuse you or that you could blame or that you could pass it off to you.

You will bear it alone. It's your decision whether you are wise or a scoffer, whether you walk with God or do not. And since the opportunity, the invitation was there, as we saw at the beginning of chapter nine, there's no excuse for anyone. There's no reason for us not to be wise because God opens the door, stands on the hill and

Everything's prepared. Everything's ready. It's yours for the asking. Will you ask God for wisdom? If you refuse correction and if you scoff, you will bear it alone. You will experience the consequences of God for rebellion against him. Going on in verses 13 through 18, we finish off the chapter with,

Solomon says,

But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell. And here in verses 13 through 18, we have another invitation. Just as wisdom we saw at the beginning of the chapter is there and has everything prepared and is calling out for the simple, for those who lack understanding to come and to receive wisdom. Here, folly exists.

is making the same invitation. Standing out by the open way in the highest places we see there, saying, come, come unto me. And we have this choice now between these two. They're both inviting. They're both in the highest places of the city, open for anyone to respond, open and available for any one of us. We have to make the choice. Which will we choose? Wisdom or folly? Which invitation will you respond to?

It's one or the other. There's no middle ground, no gray area. To choose one is to not choose the other. To not choose one is to choose the other. Now, folly, as you maybe have experienced in your life, folly has what seems to be some pretty good benefits. In verse 17, there she is. She's calling out stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

There seems to be some good benefits. It's sweet water and pleasant bread. Of course, this is a specific reference to sexual immorality, as we've seen for the past several weeks. But all of folly's invitations are the same, be it that sin or any other sin. It seems to be pleasant. It seems to be wonderful. It seems to be sweet and lovely.

Of course, that's why it's enticing, right? If it was disgusting and horrendous, well, we probably wouldn't be as inclined to go that way and receive that invitation. But because it seems so alluring and it seems like that's what we want and that's what we need, seems very great, seems very pleasant. But of course, there's a problem. We need to know the whole picture. And that's found at the end of verse 18. Her guests are in the depths of hell.

Seems to be some great benefits, but of course, the result, if you will just look beyond the immediate and the now and the pleasures of sin for right now, and you look to the horizon to where that sin, it will lead you. You will find it leading you to the depths of hell. And so that's why we must choose now and choose wisely now.

The path of wisdom and not the path of folly. We have the opportunity to choose. And we can choose what seems good now, rejecting correction, not receiving instruction, ignoring the commands of God, and we'll end up in the depths of hell. Or we can choose the fear of the Lord, to know him, receiving correction and instruction. And we will have our days multiplied in eternal life.

And so Proverbs chapter 9 really ends the first part of the book of Proverbs, the first section where Solomon has been sharing with us some invitations from wisdom and general concepts about wisdom and the dangers of immorality and walking away from God and the importance and value of wisdom. But now as we get into chapter 10,

We begin the next section of the book of Proverbs, which is really the rest of the book of Proverbs. Solomon has been discussing the importance and value of wisdom in contrast with the danger of foolishness. But he's been doing it in large portions of scripture, talking about subjects at a time and dealing with different issues. But now we begin the traditional style of Proverbs, and that is these short sayings that express powerful general truths.

And so we find these short sayings very insightful and much depth to them. And we can meditate on them for a long time. The Proverbs are true principles for life.

Although some of them we might not see fulfilled in our lifetime, for example, Proverbs 10, 27, which we'll look at in a few minutes. The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the year the years of the wicked will be shortened. And we can look around this life and we can look at examples like the book of Job and

The book of Psalms, I believe chapter 37, where the psalmist is dealing with some issues where they see the wicked prospering and the wicked doing well and their deaths are not painful and so on and so forth. And we must trust and hold on to the fact that this is God's word, that it is true. And the fear of the Lord does prolong days, but we need to think beyond this life.

Because there is eternity in view and the years of the wicked will be shortened, although we may not see it in our lifetime. The principles that we find in the book of Proverbs are true, but we must understand they're not meant to be laws or promises. They're general truths about life and things we're to base our life on. Now, the fact that there are exceptions should not discourage us from studying or applying the Proverbs. They're still God's principles themselves.

It's like what Peter or what Jesus said to Peter when he asked about John. Jesus told Peter, you know, you're going to die and you're going to be led away like this. And Peter turns around and says, well, what about him? And Jesus tells him in John 21, 22. Hey, if I will that he remain till I come. What is that to you? You follow me. And we can look around and find out, you know, all these things about what about this and what about that and what about this?

This proverb here and that proverb there. But Jesus says, don't worry and concern yourself with all those things. You follow me. Apply them to your life and watch me fulfill my promises. The power of a proverb is in the fact that it is brief, easy to remember, but it's packed with truth.

And of course, they're brought to life by their contrast and parallels and pictures. It's Hebrew poetry that we're getting into here as we see the concepts that are contrasted together. And Hebrew poetry is not based on rhythm and meter like our poetry and songs and things are today, but it's based on the contrast of thoughts and concepts. And we see, man, there's so much that we could get into, which I will try to stay out of because we'll be here for a long time. But

The contrast is the big picture, the parallels in the pictures that bring these things to life, that we can hold on to them and remember them. There's things that really will stand out within our hearts. It's kind of like this Spanish proverb I learned yesterday. I'll try to say it to you, but please forgive my Spanish. En boca cerrada no entran moscas.

For those of you who don't speak Spanish, essentially that says flies don't enter closed mouths. And so moral of the story is keep your mouth closed. You won't have any flies in there. Now, that's something I'll remember because that's a funny picture to me, something that's catchy. And that's the point of Proverbs, that these things are short, but they're powerful for life, that we can meditate and chew on them and apply them to every aspect of our life.

The majority of Solomon's Proverbs are based on contrast. Contrast between the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish, the lazy and the diligent.

The word but, which is a word of contrast, is used 24 times just in this chapter alone. And so we see that contrast over and over again. Now, as we get into chapter 10, we are entering a different section of the book of Proverbs. And since these Proverbs are independent of the others.

It makes it a little bit more difficult and it's going to be too much if we try to expound upon everyone. We could spend the rest of our lives in the book of Proverbs if we did that. And so what we'll do is we'll read through them together. I'll expound on some that the Lord really brings to my heart and strikes true to my heart. But I would encourage you as we go through these.

As there will be some that will speak to you and that will be meaningful to you or that will stand out and you might not even know why. And I would encourage you to take some time and write that proverb down and spend the next few days meditating on that proverb, on what the Lord would be saying to you through that. So we pick it up in chapter 10, verse 1. It says this.

The Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother. The Proverbs of Solomon, these Proverbs that we're reading all the way up to chapter 19, verse 22, I believe, are the Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, who is given wisdom from God, great wisdom greater than any man before him or after him, with the exception of Jesus Christ.

And so he begins his first proverb here in the book of Proverbs, chapter 10, verse 1. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother. And so we find a very simple principle here. Are you wanting to make your father proud? Are you wanting to not bring grief to your mother? Then be wise, Solomon says.

Follow God's instructions for living. Follow his recipe for life and you will bring happiness to your father and you will save your grief from your mother. Verse two, treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. And of course, treasures of wickedness

describe for us the best that wickedness has to offer, the treasures of wickedness, the really the best that it can offer, the best that it can give you, profits nothing. Be it riches or power, influence or fame, the best that wickedness has to offer has no value and has no profit. But righteousness, on the other hand, delivers from death. Now, what is more valuable than your life?

And so righteousness will deliver your life to you and keep you from death. Whereas wickedness, the best that it has to offer, cannot profit and has no value. And so we find the treasures of the wicked profit nothing. Verse three, the Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, but he casts away the desire of the wicked.

Now, this is talking about more than a physical famish, but a famish of soul. And you probably know or remember the emptiness that exists without God in your life. We were all created, as we've been told many times, with a God-shaped hole in our heart, a void that only relationship with God can fulfill.

In John chapter 10, verse 10, Jesus describes himself and his ministry in contrast to the ministry of the devil and what the devil desires to do. He says, the thief, the devil, comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. And so,

The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish. Instead, what he does is he sent his son to give us abundant life, not a famished life, but an abundant and overflowing life. The wicked do not have this relationship with God, so they try to fill that void with anything else.

They think that the next relationship will fulfill them, or the next dollar will fulfill them, or the next house or car will fulfill them, or you name it. There's all those things that we chase after,

If we don't have the Lord. And sometimes, even if we know the Lord, we find ourselves caught up in chasing after those things. But it says that the Lord casts away the desire of the wicked. And I get the picture as, you know, you're just about to get there. And you know how this is. You get that thing that you really wanted and the Lord casts away the desire. And now your desire is somewhere else on the horizon. And you're never satisfied because when you get the thing that you thought you wanted, then there's something else that you

need even more. And there's a constant thirsting and craving that cannot be filled because God designed you so that only he could fulfill and satisfy you. Verse four, he who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. This is a pretty basic proverb and many of these are, they're very straightforward, but this is why all of the get rich quick schemes do not work.

If you're lazy, you will not have much to your name. But if you're a diligent hard worker, you'll be well taken care of. Now, slack hand also can speak of deceitfulness. And so one who acts deceitfully becomes poor. One who works and manipulates to try to get riches becomes poor instead. But the hand of the diligent is made rich. Verse 5. He who gathers in summer is a wise son.

He who sleeps in harvest, or Jerry's message, is a son who causes shame. Sorry.

The value of diligence and not being lazy once again. To gather in summer, to not sleep at harvest, to be diligent about your duties when they are due or when they are to be done. Verses 6 and 7. Blessings are in the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.

Again, the contrast between the wicked and the righteous and that there's blessings on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. And we ask the question, then, how do you want to be remembered?

You will receive blessing in this life for righteousness or violence for wickedness. It's your choice. It's my choice. How will I live determines what I receive. Blessing, violence, being remembered or having my name just rot. Verse eight, the wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall.

Again, we see this principle about wisdom. You want to be wise at heart? Receive commands. How well do you receive commands from those who are put in places of authority in your life? How well do you receive commands from God? Do you obey God on the spot, the moment he says, the moment he speaks? Do you obey your employer, the government, your spouse, God?

Do you obey those that God has placed in your life? And we seem to be hitting this again and again through the last couple of weeks in the book of Proverbs, as well as the last couple of weeks in the book of Philippians, the importance of obedience and receiving commands. It's the main theme of Proverbs because wisdom is not how smart you are, but how well you receive instruction, specifically instruction from the Lord. And we saw that again in Philippians chapter two, the example of Jesus that we are to follow in

in obedience to the point of death. And if you do not receive commands, if you do not have that type of obedience, Solomon says you're a prating fool. Prating means to chatter foolishly. Someone who talks too much and speaks everything on their mind. And they will come to ruin. They will fall, Solomon says. Verse 9. He who walks with integrity walks securely. But he who perverts his ways will become known.

I was driving with Kim the other day and we were pulled up next to a police car and I was thinking about it. I told her, you know, I just noticed I don't get all freaked out anymore whenever there's a police car around. Some of you guys remember I drove for a long time on a suspended license with multiple tickets and warrants, expired registration and no insurance.

For a long time. It's very difficult to accomplish. Don't try that at home. But every time I would see a police car, I mean, I would get so nervous that that my gut would just hurt like all the way down from my gut all the way to my knees. Like there would just be this like I just got this pain. And so I realized here's this cop car next to me and I go, hey, no pain. I wonder what happens. But.

Pay your insurance and your tickets and all that and works wonders. But if you do things right, the proverb is saying, you'll walk securely. There's no need to fear. You don't have to be freaked out about those things. But you know, if you're hiding things, if there's things that you don't want to be discovered, oh, you're always afraid you're going to be discovered. You're always afraid. There's that fear. There's that need to stay hidden and to stay secluded. But a man walks securely if he has integrity.

And so have integrity. Do things uprightly. Do things right. And you can walk securely. Verse 10.

He who winks with the eye causes trouble, but a prating fool will fall. Now, again, we see the prating fool. And the contrast I find here is very interesting because it's not between righteousness and wickedness like we've seen many times, but it's between two bad things. One who winks with the eye and causes trouble and a prating fool who will fall. Now, winking with the eye is someone who will manipulate maliciously.

And tries to get things their way and work things out, you know, and he's your friend, you know, as long as he can get from you what you what he wants. And so this person, Solomon says, causes pain, trouble, but a prating fool is.

Again, one who chatters foolishly or speaks their mind on everything, he will fall or be thrown down. And the implication here is that the chattering fool is even more destructive than the malicious manipulation to yourself. So if I'm a chattering fool, that's worse for me than if I'm maliciously manipulative. He who winks with the eye causes trouble, pain and grief. But the prattling, prattling fool doesn't.

Will fall will be thrown down and destroyed. Verse 11. The mouth of the righteous is a well of life. But violence covers the mouth. Of the wicked. The righteous everything that they speak. Brings life. Refreshes. And restores.

And that's so important for us. Over and over again, we see the instruction and commands regarding the things that we say. Ephesians 4.29 says, Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers.

And we need to challenge ourselves. Is my mouth a well of life that brings forth life and restores and refreshes and encourages and builds up and edifies, imparting grace to the hearers? The contrast to that, the opposite, is violence covers the mouth of the wicked. And that phrase, violence covers the mouth,

describes someone where everything that comes out is harmful and hurtful. There's nothing that can be said that's apart from that. It's all violent. It's all harmful and bad in that sense. And so this is a very important issue. The Bible has so much to say about our words. In fact, in James 1.26, it says, if anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, he

He deceives his own heart and his religion is useless. And so our very salvation depends upon how well we speak. What comes out of our mouth? Is it a well of life or is it covered in violence? Verse 12, hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.

Hatred does not help. It always stirs up strife. It does not help. When people offend you or hurt you, hating them only adds to the problem and stirs up strife. And so don't hate because it stirs up strife. But love covers those who sin or those sins that have been done against us, just like God does with us.

And if you think about your life and you're tired of fighting, you're tired of the arguments and the contention in your life, then stop hating and start loving and forgive. And you will find that peace because hating stirs up strife. But love covers all sins. Verse 13. Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding. But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.

Now, on the surface, it may seem cruel that the rod is for one who lacks understanding, but it goes back and takes us back to wisdom's invitation. Solomon's not saying, hey, you're stupid. I can't believe you don't get it smack. He's saying, listen, you can have understanding by coming to God and getting to know him and you can receive instruction from him and wisdom will be found on your lips and you'll be blessed in your life.

And wisdom is calling out to you, as we saw last week at every door, wisdom is calling out to you from the high places everywhere you go. There's the opportunity to receive the instruction of the Lord, the correction of the Lord, or you can ignore God.

You can ignore his instructions and ways and you'll find out that he brings the rod of correction into your life. It's for those who lack understanding because the Lord chastens the ones that he loves, as we find out in Hebrews chapter 12, as well as other places. Verse 14, wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

The wise are the ones who receive instruction. They store up knowledge. They continue to grow and learn. But the foolish are nearer and nearer, closer and closer to destruction. Verse 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. A strong city is a city that has defenses and protection from attack and

provision from drought and so on and so forth. And so a rich man is like that. He has resources that protect him from whatever may come. But the poor are destroyed because they do not have anything to defend themselves with. And so the moral of the proverb is not to try to get rich, but to be prepared for what may come and find the riches that come from God, which we will talk about in a few moments. Verse 16, the labor of the righteous leads to life.

the wages of the wicked to sin. The activities, the labor, the product of the righteous leads to life.

Your labor, what you do, what you work at and what you're involved in, is it leading you to life? The result of righteousness is a blessed and fruitful, abundant life on this earth, as well as eternal life in the life to come. But wickedness just continues to lead to more sin. Either way, life is a progression.

Either we are progressing towards a more and more abundant life, growing in the knowledge of God and experiencing the grace of God, or we're progressing more and more towards corruption, becoming more and more corrupt, more and more perverse, because the way of the wicked, the wages of the wicked lead to sin and more sin and more sin.

And that's why we must choose now. Choosing later isn't going to help us. We'll be more corrupt at that point. It'll be more difficult at that point. We'll be more deceived and more blind at that point. But we can choose now to walk with God and to have wisdom and be obedient to life.

Verse 17, he who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray. Again, the importance of receiving instruction. If you do what you're told, you're in the way of life. You're not going astray. But if you do not do what you're told, then you are going astray.

God is the ultimate authority in our life. So again, first we must obey him first and foremost. He's placed other authorities in our lives as well. And we must be obedient to that authority. And if we are obedient to those authorities, we're on the way to life. But if we refuse to listen to God, we will go astray. Even if it's just in a simple area.

You will go astray if you refuse to listen to God. If it's just, oh, a little thing. It's not a major thing. It's just a little thing. You know, usually people do not completely turn away from God in one moment or instantly. But it begins with just one area. Compromise in one part of life. And in that part, we cease to keep instruction from God. We disregard his word. And once you disregard God's word in one area...

You will find yourself, mark my words, disregarding his word in more and more areas. The way of wickedness leads to sin and more sin and more sin. It takes us away from the Lord.

If you are receiving correction or refusing correction, rather, in any area, stop it. Receive the correction. Allow God to correct you. And you'll be in the way of life. You'll be on the way back to the relationship with God that you desire, that he desires, the abundant life that he desires to give to you. You'll be blessed. Verse 18. Whoever hides hatred has lying lips. And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

In reading this proverb, some will ask, well, does that mean if I hate someone, I'm not supposed to hide it? I'm supposed to let them know? When Jesus told us to love our enemies in Matthew 5, 44, he did not mean that we should pretend to love them while actually hating them. And so if you think that, well, I guess that means I'm not supposed to hide it. Well, you're missing the point. The point is we shouldn't be hating at all. It's not that we're supposed to hide it or try to hide hatred, but we're not to hate. Genuinely and honestly, we are to love.

On the one hand, there is the one who hates but hides it. That person is a liar, Solomon says here in verse 18. But on the other hand, the last part of the proverb, there's one who hates but does not hide it. And that's one who spreads slander and is a fool.

When he talks about someone maliciously or speaks evil against someone, even if it's true, even if it's right, even if it's accurate in the things that are being presented, slander is anything that cuts down, that tears down the reputation, the character of another. And so slander, that's foolishness. Solomon says if you spread slander, you're a fool. But if you hide your hatred, you have lying lips.

So what we must do then is love your neighbor. Love your neighbor as yourself. It's a command to be followed and it can be followed by the grace of Christ in every case. Matthew 22, 39, Jesus gives the command. And as we saw on Sunday, if he gives the command, he gives us the willingness and the ability to obey it. And so we must learn to love and not hate. Verse 19, in the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips and

is wise.

This is one of my favorite verses growing up just because I like to share it with all my sisters, not all my sisters, but my sister and all her friends, because they would always be talking. And if you talk a lot, the proverb says there's going to be sin involved. Always. If there's a lot of words, if you're speaking a lot, there's going to be sin. It will not be absent. It will not be lacking. Luke chapter six, verse forty five tells us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And so the reason why, if there's a lot of words involved,

There's going to be sin involved is because it's coming from our hearts, which are deceitful and desperately wicked. And there's sin in our hearts. And the more we talk, the more we make that evident to ourselves and those around us. But notice how over and over we are warned against our lips, our mouths, our words.

It's an important subject to understand, to meditate on and to surrender to God. James chapter three is another great portion to study on this subject. The importance of taming the tongue. The wise restrain their lips. And so we all should try not to talk so much. Verse 20. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver. The heart of the wicked silver.

Worth little now again notice the contrast here Which would you rather part with if you had to part with one your heart or your tongue? Which would you prefer of course we would choose well? I'd rather keep the heart because I need that to live and although life would be miserable without my tongue at least I would still be alive the heart is more valuable than the tongue, but notice the contrast a righteous person's tongue less valuable is more valuable than

than a wicked person's heart, which is more valuable. And so we find that righteousness and a righteous person's tongue is better than the most valuable thing that a wicked person has. And so we must learn to tame the tongue, restrain our lips,

Keep our mouths where they should be. Speaking things of life. Verse 19. Continuing on the same subject. The lips of the righteous feed many. But fools die for lack of wisdom. Again, your words. Are they building up? Edifying? Are they feeding? The righteous are wise. They're able to feed others. But fools, they don't have anything. They have no wisdom. And they die as a result. Again, if you do not have wisdom, you are a fool.

Because wisdom is available to everyone. Verse 22. The blessings of the Lord makes one rich. And he adds no sorrow with it. The blessings of the Lord makes one rich. We talked about riches earlier. The rich man is like a strong city. He's got provisions and what he needs.

And the blessings of the Lord makes one rich, Solomon says. He adds no sorrow to it. The riches that God gives are the best because those who seek after riches find that it comes with many sorrows. But the Lord gives riches that do not include sorrow. They're found by living life God's way. Live life God's way. Follow his laws and his commands and you'll find that he blesses you.

With riches that do not have sorrow attached to them. And of course, riches is not just speaking of monetary things, but riches and treasures that will last for eternity. Verse 23. To do evil is like sport to a fool, but a man of understanding has wisdom. If you're foolish, doing evil will be fun. It will be something entertaining, something to practice, something to perfect, like a sport. Verse 24.

We need to beware if we find pleasure in doing evil. Verse 24. The fear of the wicked will come upon him and the desire of the righteous will be granted.

The fear of the wicked will come upon him. Know this. It's a principle. It's a truth. It is guaranteed. It's a law of God. You do reap what you sow. Galatians chapter six, verse seven and eight. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever man sows that he will also reap. And so Solomon says, whatever you fear, it's going to catch up with you. However, the contrast, the desire of the righteous will be granted forever.

Psalm 37, 4, delight yourself also in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart. The righteous find their desires fulfilled and God meets them and God provides for them. But the wicked, their fears will come upon them and their desires will perish. Verse 25, when the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

Now, this reminds us, of course, of Matthew chapter seven, where Jesus tells the parable of the wise man who built his house upon the rock.

And the winds came and the floods came and the man who built his house upon the rock, the house stood. But the man who built his house upon the sand found his house swept away. The whirlwind passes by and the wicked is no more. It's swept away. But the righteous has the everlasting foundation. And of course, the key to the parable in Matthew 7, Jesus says, whoever hears these things of mine and does them.

It's like a man who built his house upon the rock. Again, it's the application, putting into practice, not just reading and listening to the study, but then taking these Proverbs and living our lives by them. Verse 26, Now I'm not sure what vinegar is to the teeth, but you can try that at home if you want. Make sure you ask your mom's permission.

But you know what it's like to be at the beach? Wanting to be close to the fire. You know, you've got the big bonfire going, but it's windy out, it's getting dark, and it's cold. And so you want to be close. You're wet still from being in the ocean. But the closer you get, the more and more the smoke begins to sting and to burn in your eyes. That's what Solomon is describing here. The smoke to the eyes is like a lazy man to those who send him. And so...

So recognize that and remember that the next time you're lazy on the job or you're being lazy for someone who sends you. Be a good employee. Don't make your boss feel that way, but give it your best. Be diligent and not lazy.

Verse 27, The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. The fear of the Lord prolongs days. If you want to live long, you want to be blessed, fear the Lord. Hate evil, obey him, and you will be blessed and have length of days. Verse 28,

The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Again, this concept, the hope of the righteous, it's going to be gladness. It's going to come to pass. Of course, the hope of the righteous is not really in this life, but in the next. And so there will be gladness there. It's guaranteed. But the expectations of the wicked, what they hope and expect to accomplish or have, they will not succeed. They will be completely destroyed.

And so we have a choice whether we will be righteous or wicked. Verse 29, the way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. Verse 30, the righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not inhabit the earth. When you walk in God's ways, you will have great strength. Oftentimes people view following God as something weak, relying upon God, believing in God. That's weak.

That's something that I don't need. I don't need a crutch. I don't need a stretcher. I don't need the hospital. I can do it on my own. But the reality is that no one has any greater strength than one who walks in the ways of the Lord. The righteous will be established and will be strong. Their house will be built upon the rock and it will stand. But the wicked will be swept away and destroyed. Again, the choice is up to us. Finally, we close it out. Verses 31 and 32.

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse? We end this chapter with a final exhortation about our words. What is it that comes out of your mouth? Is it acceptable?

Solomon says here, acceptable means delightful or pleasurable. Are others built up, encouraged, edified and blessed whenever you speak? Or is it perverse? Perverse means to turn away from what is right or good. Is it cutting down, tearing down, discouraging, full of dirty jokes or cursing or lewd comments or inappropriate subjects?

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. See, we can recognize whether we are righteous or wicked by paying attention to what comes out of our mouths and see where we stand and use it as an opportunity then to repent, to turn away. And we can often blame others for what comes out of our mouths. You know, I wouldn't have said that, but you know, you did this.

I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have spoke that way. But man, you made me so mad. Or I had a really bad day. It was a really long day. But the reality is that those things are not the cause of the perverse things that we speak. The perversity that we speak comes from the perversity of our hearts. And it should cause us to repent and ask God to deal with our hearts. God's given us many areas to check in our hearts this evening. Our words, our diligence, our

Do we receive correction and instruction? Are we righteous or are we wicked? Is God speaking to you about one of these areas or a couple of these areas? Repent. I'll leave you with verse 6 of chapter 9 that we looked at earlier. Forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding. Forsake foolishness. You can. Repent. Come to God. Receive the instruction that he gives.

And you'll find life, life abundantly. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word in which you instruct us and give us everything that we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of you.

Lord, teach us to fear you, to follow you, to stay close to you. And Lord, whatever it is that you're speaking to our hearts right now, we repent. God, forgive us. We're wretched sinners, Lord, and thank you for dying on the cross that we might have relationship with you, right standing with you, that you might be glorified in our lives. We ask God that now as we spend time in fellowship and go our separate ways and finish off the week.

that you would help us not to just hear these words and deceive ourselves, but Lord, help us to apply them to our lives, to live them out. Let these things impact and change our hearts. Lord, the Proverbs that you spoke directly and specifically to us, may we meditate on them, hold on to them. Lord, remind us of them throughout this day and the following days that we might be drawn closer to you, Lord, that you might deal and work in our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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