PROVERBS 252007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Proverbs 25

You're 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 2007. You're turning there to share something briefly with you. It was about two weeks ago and I was on a Saturday. Kim came home from work and she was hungry and I was there at home and I was hungry as well.

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We decided it'd be best because we're both hungry to call it in so that I'll go and pick it up and when I come and when I get there, it'll be ready already. Just pay for it and bring it back. And so we're both hungry. We call it in. I walk out the door of the house at about three o'clock. Now,

For those of you who know where I live, I live in Pastor Tom's house over off of Surface Club, kind of in the western part of Corona, just as you're exiting Corona really off the 91. And so I take the back way from my house to go to Ontario to start heading towards South Corona so that I can go to pick up sticks. And I get to Sam's Club on Ontario and I realize I'm

I must have passed it because I know it's not on that side of the 15. It's on this side of the 15. So I turn around and I start heading back down Ontario and

Keep going and I can't seem to find it. I end up at the other side of Ontario back by my house where I've started and I'm getting confused and so I start to begin to think maybe I don't actually know where pick up sticks is Maybe I don't know where it's located. Maybe that's the problem So as I'm turning around on Ontario, I call pick up sticks and and they say yeah Oh, we're located on the corner of Maine and Foothill. It's really easy to get to oh

Oh, OK. Thank you very much. Mean and Foothill. I remember where that's at. So I hang up with them and I start going down Ontario and I come to Main Street and I make a right down Main Street. Now, if you're tracking with me, OK, I've gone down Ontario South. I've come back north. I've gone back south. Now I'm making a right on Main Street.

And I get to the next intersection, and it's where Maine and Magnolia meet. And if you're familiar with that intersection, it looks like Maine stops because Magnolia is going like this, and Maine kind of hits the T. And I think, this is a dead end. I can't keep going up here, and there's no foothill around here. So I decide I'm in the wrong place. So I make a U-turn on Main Street, and I head back down going the other way on Main Street.

I've got to find my place in my notes. And so I'm heading back down Main Street, and I'm looking for it and looking for it. I can't seem to find it. And I get to 6th Street, and I know there's a problem. I must have missed it somehow. Something is wrong. I know it's not this far. I know it's not past 6th Street.

So I called Pickup Sticks again, and I tell them where exactly I'm at. And they say, oh, you're way off. You're on the other side of town. You've got to come back up Main Street and where I thought it dead-ended, of course, if you know the intersection. Actually, if you make a right, that's where Main Street continues, and Foothill is the very next intersection. So it turns out Main Street doesn't dead-end. You just turn right, and it's right there.

Next to where I was, I was so close, I almost circled around it a couple of times. So I left at about three o'clock and 22 miles and 65 minutes later, I brought back some cold Chinese food that we were able to eat and enjoy.

I share that with you because I left the house thinking, I know Corona. I've lived in it for I don't know how many years, but I grew up in this area. I grew up in Riverside, Corona, Norco. I've lived here my whole life that I as far as I can remember. And it didn't even occur to me. I never even considered maybe I need to get directions or maybe I need to make sure I know where it's at.

I needed to, but I didn't realize that I did. And that is what the book of Proverbs is all about. Because so often in life, you and I are convinced we're right.

So convinced, in fact, that it doesn't even occur to us that we could be wrong. It doesn't even occur to us that we might need directions. Not that we're opposed to directions necessarily, although that is often the case. But many times we're not opposed to directions. We're just oblivious to the fact that we need them.

We don't even consider that we might need to know or to have some instruction for the situation that we're facing. You know, we've been a Christian for a while now. We know how to live right. We've experienced some things. We've got some victories in our belt. And so we know that we can handle the situations. And sometimes we become comfortable and complacent in that in thinking that we do not need the instruction and direction from God anymore.

So much so that we don't even bother to consider maybe I should spend some time in prayer about this or maybe I should search the word of God about this.

Now, that's why there's another characteristic that we need besides wisdom. It's something that we must have before we can even start to obtain wisdom. As we've been going through Proverbs, we've been talking about wisdom is not how smart you are, but how well you receive instruction, how well you receive and obey God's word or God's directions.

But before you can even receive that wisdom, before you can obtain that wisdom and those directions, there's something else that you must have. And that is humility. Humility is the characteristic of a person that realizes, I do not know it all. I do not know what's best. I must rely upon the Lord for guidance and direction.

Humility is the state of relying upon God and knowing I don't have what I need. I need to look to God. Even though I may have experienced this situation or similar situations in the past, that doesn't mean I have the answers. I need to look to God. I need to rely upon the Lord. I need to hear from him what he wants me to do. Humility is something that we must have in order to obtain wisdom.

Proverbs chapter 11, verse 2 tells us that when pride comes, then come shame. But with the humble is wisdom because the humble one is the person who is open, the person who seeks out wisdom.

Wisdom, guidance, direction, instruction. The humble person is the one who recognizes their need to say, I need to know what to do. God, what do you want me to do? And as they're open to receiving and not just open in the sense of, well, if it came, I would receive it, but open in the sense that they're seeking after the instruction of God.

They become wise as they receive God's word, receive God's directions and put them into practice. I challenge you this evening to learn some humility. Be humble enough to believe that you need help in this life and look to God through our portion of scripture this evening to speak to you, to guide you, to lead you through his word. We're in Proverbs chapter 25, starting in verse one. It says this.

These also are Proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied. It starts out, we're starting a new section now in the book of Proverbs, going back to the Proverbs of Solomon. These particular Proverbs were compiled by the men of Hezekiah. He was a king of

And the land of Israel, specifically over the nation of Judah, the southern kingdom. And he was a king at the time when the nation was on a decline. It was headed towards judgment and destruction because of idolatry, because of rebellion against God.

And Hezekiah came in, he takes the throne and he restores back the worship of God. He opens the doors of the temple. He knocks down the high places and the idolatry that was taking place there. You can read about him in 2 Kings chapters 18 through 20 or 2 Chronicles 29 through 32. But he, being a wise man, being a worshiper of God, has his men gather together and compile the wisdom of Solomon, the Proverbs of Solomon that says,

Being a humble person, he would have the instruction from God. He would have God's directions for life. The things that he needs to practice and do as a man and as a king of the nation. Going on in verses 2 and 3, it says, It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is.

is unsearchable. Here's the beginning of the Proverbs that were compiled by Hezekiah's men. The first one here says that it's the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. God likes to conceal things. Here it says that he glories in it. And I find this interesting because

But biblical, if you remember Jesus in John 539, he's talking to the scribes and the Pharisees and he tells them, you search the scriptures because in them you think you have life. But these are they which testify of me.

And we know as believers in Jesus that Jesus Christ is concealed in the Old Testament. That's what Jesus is saying. You hold on to them. You think they have life in you have life in them. But in reality, these are speaking of me. They're pointing to me. I am concealed there in the Old Testament.

Remember Jesus, what Paul tells us in Colossians chapter two, verse three, it says that in in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden or concealed within the person of Jesus Christ. If you remember when Jesus taught.

He taught the people in parables. Luke chapter 8, verse 10, he tells the disciples, To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand. The truth of it, the point of it, it's concealed in the parable. There is a point and it's God's word and it's what they needed to hear, but it's concealed in parables.

The story, the parable, the teaching that Jesus gave. God likes to conceal truths and wisdom and knowledge. Now, some in hearing that or considering that might think, you know, that's kind of mean. God shouldn't hide those things. He shouldn't hide truths from people. But we must understand that he does not hide what we need in a way that is impossible to find. He hides in a way that if we seek, we will find.

It's kind of like, for Americans, the tradition of hiding Easter eggs.

Do you think it's mean to hide the Easter eggs from the kids? Well, no, of course not. It's kind of the point. Then the kid gets to have the joy of searching for the eggs and the excitement of finding the eggs. Or if you've ever done a treasure hunt or something along those lines, it's not hidden in a way that's malicious or mean, but it's hidden in a way that will provide joy and excitement for the people who search for those things.

And that is the way that God conceals things. God glories in concealing things because it brings great joy and excitement to those who will search them out. God has great wisdom and treasure for you.

But you won't know those things. You won't know what he has for you unless you search. It's not just going to come overnight. You're not just going to wake up and know everything that God wants you to know. You're not going to discover the hidden truth and the depths of the wisdom that there is in God until you search, until you seek. And as you do that,

He will be revealing himself to you. That's why it's so important for you to dig into the word of God on your own, to spend time with God, because he will be revealing himself to you. Learn the joy of searching God's word and the excitement of finding the nuggets of truth, wisdom and direction. We're encouraged to search and to seek. And God has designed it so. But the one thing he says that is unsearchable for us is the heart.

And he says it's the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search it out. And that's for us to do, to search it out and to seek it out. But then in the next verse, he explains, but the heart is something that you're not going to be able to search out and seek out. The heart of the kings is unsearchable. In Jeremiah chapter 17, verses 9 and 10, God tells us the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

And then he goes on in verse 10 to say, I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. The point is, don't be so concerned about searching out your own heart, wondering why you do the things you do and feeling the way that you feel. Don't be worried about those things. Instead, search out the things of God.

And as you search out the things of God in his word, his word will be searching out your heart and transforming you into the person God wants you to be. Transforming you to become like his son, Jesus Christ. Verses four and five. Take away the dross from silver and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne will be established in righteousness.

I thought this was a great proverb to meditate on. Take away the dross from silver and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. That word dross, it's a worthless impurity within metal. And so if you just think about this with me for a moment, the silver is valuable. It's already valuable. But the way that it's made more valuable is by removing what is worthless from it.

It's not made more valuable by adding things to it, but it's made more valuable by removing the worthless things from it. Or put another way, the way that silver is made useful is by removing what is worthless from it. And I think this is an important concept for us to consider and meditate upon because it's not made more useful by adding things, but it's made more useful by removing what is worthless.

And it conjures up in my mind the pictures of the things of the flesh. You know, there's not much more worthless than the dead skin that's on our bodies. It just sits there. It has no life. It does nothing. It's worthless. And it's the picture for us of the flesh, the practices, the habits, the things of the flesh that are worthless. And if we remove those things, we become more useful people.

In the hands of our maker. We become ready and prepared for God to use us. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 20 and 21 tell us that. Paul tells us there, hey, in every house and all of us, there's vessels for gold and silver. There's wood and clay, some for honor, some for dishonor. But if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, the things of dishonor, the things that are worthless, he'll be a vessel for honor. Notice, sanctified and useful for the master. Prepared.

For every good work. You say, I want to be used by God. And the typical idea or the things of the world would say, great, add on these things. Get this education. Add on this program. No, it's not about adding on, but it's about subtracting.

We don't become more useful to God by adding things on to ourselves because there's nothing good of ourselves. But subtracting is what makes us more useful and valuable. Removing what is worthless is what we need to do. It's a challenging question for you and I. Are there worthless things in your life that need to be removed?

Are there worthless things, just dead skin hanging that needs to be cut off that you may be more useful to God? Sure, it's lawful. You can be a Christian and do that thing. But is God asking you to let it go so that you can be sent to the silversmith for jewelry, to be used in something more valuable or more precious? Now, Solomon goes on to explain that the same thing applies to authority.

The way that the king is established, the way that his rule flourishes is by removing the wicked, removing the impurities. He says there in verse five, take away the wicked from before the king, just like you're to take away the dross from the silver and take away the flesh from our lives in front of the king. Take away the wicked and his throne will be established. And as we've seen so often throughout the Proverbs, the king takes.

We can look at those who have positions and roles of authority and understand that God is speaking to you as he makes reference to the king. Those of you who have authority over others, if you want to be established, then take away the wicked. Remove the wicked. Remove those who practice wickedness.

And your rule will be established. Verses 6 and 7. Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king and do not stand in the place of the great. For it is better that he say to you, come up here, than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince whom your eyes have seen. This is something Jesus refers to in Luke chapter 14.

The idea, very simple, don't exalt yourself and try to take the place of honor because you'll probably think higher of yourself than you are. And what will end up happening is you'll be humbled as you're asked to take a lower seat because you presumed that you were the most honorable of the place.

And so it says, do not stand in the place of the great. Don't exalt yourself. Don't consider yourself to be worthy of more honor and take the place of honor. Instead, take the place of humility. Take the role of humility. Let God take care of any honor that is due to you.

And some would become nervous at this teaching and think, well, then I would never be successful because then everybody else would take the credit for what I do in the business place or in the office because I'm taking the role of humility and not exalting myself. Well, don't worry about that. Let them take the credit if that's what they want to do. Let God take care of the honor that's due you. Don't exalt yourself.

Don't promote yourself. Take the role of humility and trust God to take care of the rest. Verses 8 through 10. Do not go hastily to court. For what will you do in the end when your neighbor has put you to shame? Debate your case with your neighbor and do not disclose the secret to another. Lest he who hears it expose your shame and your reputation be ruined.

Now, if you ever want a good picture of what Solomon is saying here, just turn on some of the court TV shows that are on today. You know, it's kind of funny and amusing to watch people come in convinced that they will win, convinced that they're right, convinced that they can argue the best and can win the case, you know, just by showing enough attitude.

But so often it's turned around upon them. Their shame is exposed and their reputation ruined. The point of this is Solomon is saying, do not escalate issues unnecessarily. Don't rush to bring it into court. Do your best to deal with it outside of that. Do your best to deal with it just between you and that person. Do your best to deal with it as quickly as possible with as few people involved as possible.

And it will be best for you. Verses 11 and 12. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear. This is the first of a few verses that we'll see in this chapter that use the word like.

And he uses the word like to paint for us a good picture to better understand the truth of what Solomon is saying. The idea is that if you will meditate on this picture that he is painting, that you'll get a better understanding of the principle and the truth that he's trying to present. So a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver or like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.

Commentators debate over what the apples of gold and settings of silver are. Some say it's golden colored apples that are served in silver or silver trays. Others say that it's actually oranges instead of apples, which are sometimes called that. Still others say it's just a decoration that we don't know much about. But whatever it is, we get the picture of something that is beautiful and pleasing, beautiful.

And that is compared to a word that is fitly spoken, something that is said at the right time or said the right way. The right words spoken are so beautiful and so pleasing. You know how it is when someone just says exactly the right thing and it's at the right time and how perfect it answers the situation. It might be an answer to a difficult question or it might be something that just diffuses a tense situation.

It might be, guys, we would do well to consider this, the two words, I'm sorry. It might be a joke that lightens things up, or it might be a word of encouragement. It's whatever is necessary for the moment. It's that perfect word that answers the situation. Or, as verse 12 indicates, sometimes a word fitly spoken is a rebuke.

Now, just quickly by a show of hands, how many like to be rebuked? We don't like to be rebuked. Nobody likes it for the moment. Hebrews 12 tells us that chastisement, discipline for the moment, it's not pleasurable. It hurts and it's painful. But the other side of the coin is if you don't love rebuke, you're a fool.

If you don't listen to rebuke, you're a fool. It's not comfortable. It's not easy. In fact, many times it's painful, but it's necessary for us. Proverbs chapter 15 verse 32 says that he who disdains instruction despises his own soul. You hate yourself if you despise instruction, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.

If you hate instruction, if you disdain it, you hate yourself. You're destroying yourself. But you will get understanding if you heed it, if you take note and respond to the rebuke that you're given. The Proverbs also tell us that open rebuke is better than hidden love. And so for us, it's important to receive rebuke and understand that sometimes that's the word fitly spoken.

That's the right thing for the situation. It's what we need to hear. But also, sometimes we need to remember, don't hold back rebuke because of the fear of confrontation. Show your love and rebuke. Speak that word that's fitly spoken, that right word that's necessary for the moment, if that's what needs to be said. Verse 13 says,

Like the cold of snow in a time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him for he refreshes the soul of his masters. I thought this was interesting considering all the news that we've had in California about the cold weather and how that's affected the crops. Because it says like the cold of snow in a time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him. You know, they said that the freeze in California is costing about a billion dollars to

of the fruit and the crop that has been lost. And so how is it that cold of snow in a time of harvest can be something that's refreshing, as this verse indicates?

What I didn't know and I learned as I was looking up and researching is that people of that day would store snow from the winter. As it would snow in the winter, they would have underground caves and underground things where they would store snow. They would keep it cool and it would be kind of like a refrigerator. So they would be able to use it.

during the rest of the year, just like we use ice today to keep things cool, to water or to cool down their drinks and so on and so forth. And so the idea is that you're working hard during harvest and how refreshing it is to have a drink that's ice cold.

And the idea is compared to that, to a faithful messenger. So you can picture a hard day's work, having a nice ice cold tea or whatever your drink of choice is. And that is compared to a faithful messenger. That is, it's so refreshing when an employer can rely upon a faithful employee to do what they're supposed to do, to do what they're sent to do, to deliver the message that they're sent to deliver.

It's so refreshing. And it's so important for you and I as Christians to be like this for our employers, to be that faithful messenger. I was at Pastor Rawls Church on Tuesday morning, and one of the guys was sharing about an employer within the fellowship who came to the leadership and said, don't send me any more Christians.

Because the ones that I've gotten, they're lazy. They don't do their job. They're the hardest people to work with. Just don't send me any more Christians. And how sad that is. As believers in God, as believers in Jesus Christ, we're not to be that way. We're to be submitted to our masters, to our employers. We're to be faithful messengers that they can rely upon whether they're watching or not.

To carry out the things that were commanded. Colossians 3.22, we studied a few weeks ago. Be the type of employee that your master can trust. That you are faithful and you'll be very refreshing to them. Verse 14 says,

Now, here in Southern California, we don't like rain very much. And so maybe this proverb loses some of its meaning.

Unless maybe you do like rain, but for me, and I only speak for myself, it's just irritating. You get wet, it messes up the driving, there's more traffic, and it's just more trouble to deal with. But there in that situation and in many places today, rain is very important. Especially when farming is your livelihood, when you're living in the deserts of Israel, rain is vital. And so to see the dark clouds and the wind picking up, it would be cause for joy, right?

For much needed rain, for the waters of refreshing that would be necessary for the crop or for the land. Their needs would be met because it's going to rain. And so there would be this hope and this anticipation. And the same is true for those who are in need when someone falsely boasts of giving. When someone talks about and boasts about and promises, but doesn't come through. It turns out to be a lot of wind and nothing else. Verse 15 says,

By long forbearance, a ruler is persuaded and a gentle tongue breaks a bone. I just like that phrase, a gentle tongue breaks a bone. I think this is another great verse for us to meditate upon. You're probably familiar with the saying, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, right? But here this proverb is saying something different. This mentality that's prevalent in our society, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

The biblical method or the biblical mentality is quite different. In our society, if we don't get what we want, we get impatient. We get upset. We get loud. And then, very likely, we get what we want. The idea is if you throw a big enough fit, you'll get what you're looking for. You'll get the grease. And I have to say, it's just horrible.

for us to practice that as believers in Jesus Christ. Shame on us for acting like spoiled brats in those situations. The right way to handle a situation is by following this verse, long forbearance and a gentle tongue. Solomon says, have great patience. Don't get upset and throw a fit. Have a gentle attitude, speaking gentle words. And the gentle words are forceful enough to break a bone.

You don't have to swing the hammer. You don't have to throw things. The gentle words are forceful enough to break the bone. Great patience, a gentle tongue. Those are effective and powerful. Not only that, but it demonstrates a trust in God that it's not up to me to get this to happen by my great tantrum. But God is going to do what's just and right for

I'm just going to be patient, speak gentle words with a gentle tongue and look to God to come through. If you think about it, it's how Jesus would respond. It's much easier and healthier for you in the long run. So have great patience and a gentle tongue. Verse 16. Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit. There's a lot of portions of scripture that we can look at.

Similar to this, the important point is everything in moderation. If you've ever watched the learning channel, you've probably seen the life lesson figurines that they have there in their commercials. And one of them I enjoy. It says that the all you can eat buffet is not a challenge.

It's not a challenge to see how much you can eat. It's just an offer. It's all you can eat. Now, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The idea of this proverb is, have you found something that you love? Hey, that's great. You love honey. That's great. But show restraint, exercise self-control, or it will become something that makes you vomit. Don't fill yourself too completely. Don't become consumed by that. Verse 17 says,

And I think this is perhaps another thought along the same line as the previous verse of not having too much honey. Oh, yes, it's a good thing, but be careful how much you take in or how much you ingest. You find that you really enjoy your neighbor and you have a great time at their house. You have a great time with them, but that doesn't mean that you should live there or be there every day.

You know, when I was young, my mom and my sister and me, we would drive down to my aunt's house in La Mirada and we would have a great time there with my cousins and my aunt and our dads were both working and stuff and we were all homeschooled. So we would just be able to spend a couple of days and we would always have such a great time. And every time we would go to go home, it would be this big fight like, no, we don't want to go. We're having such a great time. It's so great. And so if they if we left, then all of us would be upset, the kids, that is. And

Sometimes we would be able to persuade them to let us stay for a couple more days. But you know when you've been there too long. We always know when we had been around each other too long, when everyone began to get irritated at each other. Things that would have been forgiven on the first day of the visit were now cause for great fights and slugs and fists and pulling of hair and great contention that would take place within the house in the same way.

A good way to end a great relationship is to spend too much time together. Yes, it's good to be at your neighbor's house. You had a great time, but he seldom go there. Go there from time to time and it will be better for you. Verse 18, a man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword and a sharp arrow.

Now, to bear false witness is to lie, to lie against your neighbor. And so lying is compared here with three weapons so that you could get a great visual understanding of what this verse does and what it is that lying actually accomplishes. He says, first, it's like a club, not the one that you put on your steering wheel, the club that you beat people with, the thing that crushes bones. Lying is like that. It's like a sword, something that cuts.

It's like an arrow, something that pierces. That is what one who bears false witness is like. Someone who crushes, someone who cuts, and someone who pierces. Now, I considered putting some graphic pictures of these weapons and actions on the screen to help you understand, but you'll just have to use your imagination because I thought better of it afterwards. Don't lie. Don't think that it's just a little thing. It's destructive. It causes great hurt and pain.

So don't do it. Verse 19. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot out of joint. Another great picture for us to meditate on. Have you ever had a bad tooth? You know, you're eating something and from then on out, you can't trust that side of your mouth and you don't want to go to the dentist. So you go for months on the other side of your mouth, just eating all the food, right? Or have you ever had a foot out of joint? Confidence.

I was thinking about this as I was reading it. You know, when I was playing racquetball, it was about a year ago with Richard and Mario. And suddenly I'm there, I'm playing, we're getting ready for the next play. And boom, my foot broke and I'm on the ground in great pain. That's the idea here. It's painful to rely upon someone who is unfaithful.

To rely upon an unfaithful man in a time of trouble, it's like having a bad tooth or a foot out of joint that right when you need it the most, then they're not there. And that's when it causes the most pain and that's when the most hurt is inflicted. On Sunday, we saw that Paul commended Tychicus and Onesimus as faithful men. Paul trusted them and calls them faithful because he knew he could rely upon them in any situation.

It's very important for you to surround yourself with faithful people, not just people who will like you and help you when things are good, whether for you or for them, things are good, but people who will be faithful even in tough situations. And you as a friend, as an employee, as a servant of God, you be faithful to

to your spouse, to your employer, to your friends. Most importantly, you be faithful to God that no matter what happens, you stand strong in your relationship with God. You stand strong in your commitment to God. Don't be unfaithful because you're causing them to have a foot out of joint or to feel like a bad tooth. Verse 20 says,

Now this is one you can try this out tonight after service. If someone is walking to their car, just walk up and try to take their jacket out in the parking lot. I'm just kidding. Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather.

As one who sings songs to a heavy heart. Or like the vinegar on soda. Now, this soda is not Coca-Cola. It's not what we think of as soda. It's a chemical called Natron or Natron or something like that. Found in the Middle East. Found in the lakes of Egypt. And when vinegar is poured upon it, it begins to be irritated and disturbed. It reacts making a noise and hissing. And that's the idea. Hey, if you try to steal someone's jacket in cold weather. If you pour this stuff on...

this vinegar, this soda, then there's going to be the reaction, the same reaction that takes place when someone sings songs to a heavy heart. Sometimes we try really hard to cheer people up, but we need to be careful because singing songs and making jokes and stuff like that can make it worse and inflict pain rather than comfort and bring healing to the situation.

You know, and sometimes within Christian circles, people are rebuked for having a heavy heart. Well-meaning believers say, you know, hey, you should be praising the Lord. You should be counting it all joy. They'll start singing, blessed be the name. It's not right. It's good to come alongside someone with a sincere, heartfelt encouragement, but to sing songs to them, to be lighthearted and kind of flippant about their situation, but

is a rebuke. It's like a slap in the face. And so we need to be encouraging and not disturbing. Verses 21 and 22. If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat. And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For so you will heap coals of fire on his head and the Lord will reward you. If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat. If he's thirsty, give

Give him water to drink. I like what Ironside had to say on this portion of Scripture. He says that vengeance should be far from the thoughts of the saint. That's you as a believer in God. He is to show grace and compassion even to his enemies, losing no opportunity to minister to their need. That's the heart of Jesus. If you remember in Matthew chapter 5, he commanded us to love our enemies.

In the following verses, Matthew 5, 44 and following, he challenges us, hey, if you love only those who love you, you're no different than anybody else, than the tax collectors and the sinners. True love is shown when you love the unlovable. True love is shown, it's demonstrated, when you love those who do not love you.

And here Solomon says, when you love an enemy, when you're obedient to the command of Jesus, when you show the love that God has asked us to show, number one, they'll be tortured by it. It will be like heaping coals of fire on his head. It's just more agonizing to them. Lord willing to bring them to a point of repentance. But the second thing that happens, Solomon says, is the Lord will reward you. It might be rewarding or feel rewarding sometimes.

to inflict pain or punishment, to inflict judgment, to inflict vengeance. But don't bring it upon yourself. Vengeance is reserved for God. You love and look for an opportunity to minister and bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and let God take care of the rest. Verse 23, the north wind brings forth rain at a backbiting tongue and angry countenance. There's some discussion about how this verse could be or should be translated and

Some versions render it like the New King James, the north wind brings forth rain in a backbiting tongue and angry countenance. Other versions kind of say the exact opposite, that the north wind drives out the rain, keeps it from raining in a backbiting tongue and angry countenance. But either way we look at it, I think there's some encouraging things for us. Just as sure as the north wind brings rain,

Know that if you're backbiting, if you have a backbiting tongue, it will bring an angry countenance towards you. It doesn't matter who you're backbiting or who you're talking about. You reap what you sow. And so if you're backbiting, there's going to be repercussions for that. You will reap what you sow. Or the other translation, the north wind drives out the rain. It keeps it from rain. And that is...

The best way to deal with a backbiting tongue is to give an angry countenance. That is that we should be upset with those who would backbite, not against us, but to us. In other words, they're not talking about us. They're talking about someone else, but to us. It should produce in us an angry look. It should produce in us an unwillingness to receive that type of talk, that type of information, that type of discussion.

Verse 24, it is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman. It's a great verse. Good verse, right, guys? Amen. We looked at this same exact verse in Proverbs chapter 21, verse 9. Now, since it's the same proverb, I believe it's appropriate to share the exact same thing about it. Now, this is not an encouragement to separate if things are rough.

This doesn't mean if she's contentious, then husbands go on the corner of the roof. That's not what the proverb is saying. Here's what I believe the proverb is saying. Remember that the housetops in those times, they would be flat. They would be a place to get away and enjoy the cool of the evening. But you wouldn't want to live there because you would be exposed to the elements. You'd be exposed to the heat of the sun during the day. You'd be exposed to the cold at night, the wind, the dust, and so on and so forth.

Now, what we assume when we read this Proverbs is that it's saying it's better to be alone on the housetop than with a contentious wife. But that's not what it's saying. The word alone isn't there. And here's what I believe that the proverb is saying. It's better to dwell in horrible conditions with your wife than to dwell in good conditions with a horrible wife.

Say that again. It's better to dwell in horrible conditions with your wife than to dwell in good conditions with a horrible wife. In other words, it's better for you and your wife to live on the housetop in bad weather and bad conditions than for you to live in a house but have a contentious wife.

And the point of it is that if the cost of providing a house or material goods for yourself or your family is at the expense of loving your wife as Christ loved the church, then it's not worth it because God places all the responsibility upon the man. And he says, you love her as I love the church. You love her as I set the example. And he says that as we're obedient to him, he'll take care of her. He'll take care of that.

The contentious wife, yes, she's responsible and accountable to the Lord. But husbands, you can't be pointing the finger at her. You need to turn it around and realize that God places a responsibility on you. If she's that way, look to yourself. You taught her, you trained her, you treated her to that point that she would be that way. The most important thing is not the house, the car or the clothes, but the

The most important thing is to love your wife like Christ loved the church. So guys, whatever it takes, at whatever cost, even if you have to live in horrible conditions, learn to love your wife, even if it means you don't have the things that you dreamed about. Even if it means that you don't have the promotion or the career that you've always desired, always wanted. Let your wife be more important than those things. Because it's better to dwell with her on the corner of a housetop than in a house alone.

With a contentious woman, you can provide her all the things and all the things. And well, I got you everything you wanted and you have credit cards to go shopping. Why aren't you happy? Well, because you don't love her as Christ of the church. It's the most important thing in a marriage. Verse 25 as cold water to a weary soul. So is good news from a far country. Daniel, you're going to a far country. The word gospel means good news.

It's important for us to share the good news. It's like water to a weary soul. It meets the need. You know, guys, as we walk this world, as we walk through this life, we run into many people who do not believe God, who do not know God. There's many people who are violently opposed to the idea of God. There's many people who just don't want to hear it. But there's a lot of people that we meet that are just weary and they just need that cold water.

And it's up to us as believers to be on the lookout, to recognize that. And when you run into someone that's weary, share with them the good news. Here's the good news. Jesus Christ did it. It's paid in full. You can have eternal life with God.

You can have the fellowship and intimacy with God, a relationship with God because of what Jesus Christ did upon the cross. It's good news. You don't have to work for your salvation. You don't have to suffer eternal judgment and separation from God. You don't have to simply by believing in Jesus Christ. You receive the fullness of all that God has for you. It's good news.

Share it to the weary souls of your life. Verse 26, a righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring in a polluted well. This is another good picture. So a murky spring, something that's dirty. You go to drink from it, but there's all this dirt and dust and yuck and grime in it. Or you go to a well to drink and it's polluted. It's it's bitter. It's poisonous.

That's what a righteous man who falters before the wicked is like. That's like someone who says that they're righteous or is righteous, but in the moment, in the situation, they falter, they stumble, they cave. It's like we looked at last week in Proverbs 24.10. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. It's not because the wicked are so great, because the righteous are so weak. We need to be...

strengthening ourselves. We need to be building ourselves up, filling our lives with things that edify us and strengthen us so that we do not falter before the wicked. That we don't become a spring producing fresh water, bringing the cold water to the weary soul, but then it becomes murky because of the dust and the dirt that we've stirred up as we've fallen in weakness. Verse 27, it is not good to eat much honey because

So to seek one's own glory is not glory.

It's not good to eat much honey. When I was young, I was at my grandmother's house and she had made a cake. And you know those coconut shavings she put all around the cake. But it only used half the bag. And I love coconut, or at least I used to. So I took the bag and I walked into the room. And as I was watching TV, I ate half a bag, like half a bag of shaved coconut.

And of course, you don't realize till afterwards, I was so sick to my stomach. It was just disgusting to me. And so I still like coconut, but every once in a while, if I eat just like a little bit too much, I get the hint of that feeling and I go, oh, I can't eat anymore. I don't feel good just thinking about it.

It's not good to eat much honey. And in the same way, to seek one's own glory is not glory. It's not good. Now, here's the point. Sometimes we enjoy blessing.

We get exalted. God exalts the humble. He lifts up those who are humble. We enjoy great times of God blessing us. We enjoy great times of glory. But to seek one's own glory, like to fill yourself with all that, you get a taste of it. Oh, that glory is good. That's sweet. And so you chase after that. Well, now it becomes sickening. Now it becomes disgusting. Now it becomes something you'll vomit up.

Enjoy blessing, but you'll make yourself sick if that's what you seek. Verse 28, the final verse of the evening. Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls. A city broken down without walls. Here's the picture. Something that's vulnerable, susceptible to attack, ripe for the picking. And here Solomon says, if you don't have rule over your own spirit, if you're not able to control your temper,

If you're not able to control your lusts, if you're not able to control your passions, if you're not able to control your own self, you're defenseless. You have no defenses. You are vulnerable for the enemy's attack. You're vulnerable to be led astray, to be sucked into sin. You're vulnerable to be wiped out and destroyed. It's so important. Have rule over your own spirit. One of the fruits of the spirit is

Galatians 5, 22 and 23 is self-control. You don't have to respond to that situation in that way. You don't have to be subject to your own passions and desires. You don't have to be. God gives you the strength. Believe it. Walk in it. Have rule over your own spirit. Otherwise, you'll be like a city broken down without walls. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, your word.

is powerful. And we've seen such a great variety of topics this evening, Lord, that can challenge us and speak to our hearts. And so, Lord, I pray that the things that you want to highlight, the things that are specific to us and our lives, Lord, you would allow those words to continue to resonate within our hearts. That those pictures painted would be so clear before us as we face that situation tomorrow, as we experience the proverb this week.

God, may we not be blind to our need. May we be humble and look to you each day, each moment, in each situation. But help us not to consider ourselves to have the answers. Help us not to look to ourselves for the right response. But God, help us to be humble enough to understand and recognize that we need you.

And in all these areas, especially the ones that you're highlighting in our hearts and ministering to us, God, help us to look to you and to learn from you. Help us to receive wisdom as we hear your instructions and follow them through in our lives. God, I pray for strength for all of us. Lord, it's a difficult struggle, this life. Lord, you give us your word that we might have victory, that we might have abundant life. Help us, Lord, to be obedient to it.

Help us, Lord, to believe it with all of our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.