PROVERBS 272007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Proverbs 27

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 2007.

Good evening, and this evening we are looking at Proverbs 27, and as we continue our study in the book of Proverbs, you are quite familiar now, we've looked at it probably 27 or so times, at what the book of Proverbs is all about. It's God's principles for living.

These are the things that God says, look, if you really want to experience the abundant, joyful life that I intend for you, then take these principles and live by them.

Forget about what the world says. Forget about what all the great new age thinkers say. Think about or forget about what you are brought up to think and to believe. Forget those things. And in place of those things, take my words and live by them. Because these truly are the things that you need in order to live life God's way. Seeing that God is the one who created us. Seeing that he is God.

the God of heaven. And we're here on earth, just like the song goes. We need to let our words be few.

And stop with the excuses in many areas of our lives and simply be obedient to what God speaks to us from his word. And so this evening, I would encourage you and challenge you to do just that. As God speaks to your heart in some of these different proverbs, to take note of it and not to excuse yourself or not to think of the reasons why it doesn't apply to you or why so and so needs to hear this, but.

why you need to take and receive what God is saying and then allow that to impact your life and live it out tonight and tomorrow and going forward. That you take God's principles and live by them. Because that is wisdom. To take from the one who knows best

who loves unconditionally and perfectly, and to receive his instruction is the most wisest, the best thing that you could possibly do. The foolish thing to do would be to take the counsel of the one who has created everything and knows everything and just toss it out the window. That's foolish. You're bound to get hurt. You're bound to receive destruction as a result of that.

But the best thing for you to do, the best thing for me to do, and it's a constant, continual learning process, but it's taking God's principles and living by them. We start in verse 1 of Proverbs chapter 27, which says this, Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. He starts off,

Putting us in our place. And I love how the Bible is able to do that. To humble us and put us back in our place.

He says, do not boast about tomorrow. All the wonderful plans and all the things that you have in store for tomorrow, the things that you're telling everybody else about tomorrow or next year or next week, the wonderful things that you think you're going to do or accomplish. He says, do not boast about those things because you do not know what a day may bring forth.

I think it's so often that we are full of ourselves. Making our plans, telling everyone what we're going to do, boasting about the income tax refund we're going to receive or the things we're going to accomplish or the things that are going on and we plan to do. Solomon says, do not do that. You don't even know what's going to happen today, much less tomorrow. And it even gets less and less complicated.

or reliable, the farther out you go. You don't know what's going to happen today, so definitely tomorrow you don't know, and next week you don't know, and next year you don't know. You need to put yourself back in your place. And remember, you are in the Lord's hands. Now, of course, this does not mean that we're not supposed to plan ahead.

But instead, this is an issue of pride and flaunting before others or thinking highly of ourselves and how we've got it all figured out, knowing what's going to happen today and tomorrow.

In the days following. In James chapter 4, James deals with this same issue. In verses 13 through 16, he says,

Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Here, James says, for me to make plans, I'm going to spend a year here and I'm going to make this profit and make this money and invest in this way. And then I'm going to come back and make this investment and spend the money this way and accomplish this or that. He says that type of boasting is evil because you're not factoring into the equation the Lord. It's all about you. It's all about what you hope to accomplish and what you think that you can do.

He says, no, instead, here's what you should do. Say, if the Lord wills, then we shall accomplish these things. Again, have the plans, but your plans need to be centered around the Lord's will.

Not the other way around. Lord, here's my plans. Make it your will. Bless it. Do wonderful things and fulfill the plans that I have. No, Lord, is this your will? And submitting to him in his will. It's more than just mouthing the words. It's more than just saying if the Lord wills and still having the same attitude. But it's submitting to him in regards to the plans that we have made. Lord, these are my plans, but I want to live according to your will.

This is what I plan to do, but Lord, your will be done. James reminds us that our life is but a vapor. It's just for a moment. We don't know what's going to happen today. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. So instead of relying upon ourselves for our plans and our grand schemes, we need to look to the Lord and allow him to accomplish his purposes in our lives. Verse 2.

Let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips. So, George, could you tell everyone how great I am? No, I'm just kidding. You know, it's the idea I'm tired of talking about me. Why don't you talk about me now? You know, you tell me how great I am. No, the lesson again is humility. Humility.

The lesson is do not make yourself the subject of conversation. Everything doesn't have to revolve around you. We learned in verse 1 not to boast about tomorrow. But here he's saying, look, don't boast about yesterday either. Don't boast about what you've accomplished and the things that you have done successfully in your life. Now, this can be very difficult since I believe that I'm pretty wonderful. So it's hard sometimes not to tell you how great I am.

But here's what Solomon is saying. Look, we need to have humility. Don't boast about your own self. Don't praise yourself. Don't tell everyone how great you think you are.

Sometimes we look for the ways to bring up something that we did or accomplished. Solomon says, don't do that. Don't boast about tomorrow, but don't boast about yesterday either. Have humility and remember your place. It's the Lord who gives. It's the Lord who accomplishes through us. Verses 3 and 4.

A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool's wrath is heavier than both of them. Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy? Now, verse 3 can be translated a couple of different ways. Some render it this way, that a stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool's wrath is heavier to those around them than both of them.

A stone or a sand. And the idea is that it's a burden to all those around them. The idea is that it's a trouble to all those around them. It's something to bear. It's something that is a problem whenever a fool is always angry. And of course, we've seen the fools throughout the scripture, throughout Proverbs, and they give full vent to their wrath. And so it's a constant, continual burden upon all those around them.

Another rendering of it is more like this, though. A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool's weight or wrath is heavier than both of them. And that is that the idea is that they cannot remove it from themselves. So you have a stone that's heavy, you have sand that's heavy, and you understand what that's like, how you cannot move it from its place.

And so the idea is that the fool is trapped by their own wrath. They're not able to deal with it. They're not able to get it out of their lives or roll it out of the way. They're subjected to it. They're trapped under the burden of it and they cannot do anything about it. Either way, a fool's wrath is a great burden to themselves or to everyone around them. Something that's a big problem.

However, as burdensome as wrath can be, verse 4 goes on to tell us it doesn't compare with jealousy. Wrath and anger, these things are temporary. They're outbursts. They're things that are temporary. But jealousy doesn't just come and go. Jealousy is more furious. It's all-consuming and it endures longer.

And so he says, essentially, watch out for jealousy. Watch out for envy. Watch out for that attitude, for stirring it up within yourself as well as for others because it cannot be satisfied. Just like the weight that you wouldn't be able to get it out of your life, when you allow jealousy to take root in your life, it's going to be a great struggle to get that out of your life. When jealousy becomes part of your life,

It becomes all-consuming. And you can see that as you look at jealousy throughout the examples in the Scripture. It's something that isn't just a little bit of a problem here and there, but it begins to infect the whole person.

And so keep your heart from envy. Keep your heart from jealousy. But also keep yourself from provoking the jealousy within others. Proverbs 6.34 tells us that jealousy is a husband's fury. Therefore, he does not spare in the day of vengeance. And so it's important to keep yourself from the jealousy of others by putting yourself in a place that you do not belong. Verses 5 and 6 says,

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Here Solomon begins to deal with friendship. And he has a couple different things throughout chapter 27 to say regarding friendship. But here he shares with us that true love, true friendship is demonstrated through

Not on Valentine's Day. Not by hugs and flowers and kisses. No, true love, true friendship is demonstrated by rebuke. And I think it's important for us to recognize this and consider it from both sides, from both perspectives. On the one hand, it's necessary for us to rebuke others. To conceal love...

What he says there in verse 5, open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. To conceal love is to hold back from offering correction and rebuke to someone who needs it. It's to hold back from sharing those words or confronting the problem when it needs to be confronted.

Better than concealing your love, which is really hypocrisy, pretending that you love, but really you don't because you're not willing to rebuke and correct. He says open rebuke is better. It's better to openly correct. It's better to deal with the situation, to confront the issue head on than to pretend everything's okay and just hide it.

Shuffle it under the carpet and pretend like nothing has happened. Now, rebuke is not an easy thing to do, and it should never be an easy thing to do. In fact, if you enjoy rebuking, then you're not doing it right or you're not doing it because of love. But for a true friend, true love, rebuke needs to take place. It's a must. It's a requirement.

And since it's difficult, our tendency can be to hold back. But we need to learn the truth of verse 5. It's not right for us to conceal and hide love by holding back those words that need to be said. Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. The other side of the coin is that sometimes we need to be rebuked. And that's what verse 6 is for.

We need to remember in those times that the wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Just as it's necessary for us to have the ability to rebuke those that we love, those who are our true friends, it's necessary for us to receive rebuke from those who love us. Now, just as it's not easy to rebuke a friend,

To receive a rebuke, it's not very easy. None of us really enjoy being rebuked. Again, because we're full of ourselves and we need to be put back in our right place. Of course I think I'm great. It hurts me when someone says that I'm not. But we must remember verse 6. Even though it hurts, I need to be corrected. The wounds of a friend are faithful. Tim just today was correcting me and it hurt.

And I wanted to, you know, say things back, start to wiggle around the issue. But I'm studying for this evening and I learned faithful are the wounds of a friend. Oh, I just need to receive it. We need to learn to receive rebuke and correction from those who love us. And if they don't love you, hey, then watch out for their flattery. He says, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

That's deceptive. For those who just kind of speak to you and butter you up and just tell you wonderful things, those are the people you need to watch out for. But those that really love you, you can tell by the way that they correct you and encourage you. Verse 7, a satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.

Now, this is one of the best reasons when you go to a restaurant to make sure that you order dessert first, because otherwise you get to the end of the meal and it doesn't sound good any longer. Right. When you're full, the sweet honey that you love, it's not so desirable anymore. But when you're really hungry, even the food that you do not like so much sounds really good. That's what he's saying. And I think there's an important principle here. It's more than just talking about our stomachs and taste buds.

If you remember Jesus in John 7, 37, it says that on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. The scriptures teach us that all of us have a natural thirst, spiritual thirst for God.

But here's the thing. On that feast, as they were remembering their thirst in the wilderness, Jesus stands and says, look, this feast that you're celebrating, it's about a thirst that you had in the wilderness. But the reality is you thirst.

Spiritually, you have a spiritual need for a relationship with God. And Jesus says, if you thirst, if there's an ache, if there's an emptiness, if there is a thirst within you, he says, let him come to me and drink. Jesus says, I will satisfy your thirst. I will satisfy your need to have relationship with God. I will satisfy your need for a spiritual relationship.

Christianity, as we often say, is a relationship and not a religion. It's not just practicing things on the outward and going through ceremonial things, but it's about having a real, intimate, personal relationship with God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Your soul will be satisfied as you spend time with Jesus.

Your soul is satisfied by your relationship with God through him. But if you do not have relationship with him or if you have not been staying close to him, then your soul, you will find, is not satisfied. That thirst will begin to manifest itself again. That thirst will become quite evident within you. And it's at that point when we thirst that we need God.

To come back to Jesus Christ and drink. If we do not, if we do not let God quench our thirst spiritually, then we become susceptible or vulnerable to be deceived. You know, there's a saying, if you don't stand for Christ, you'll fall for anything. And as you look at some of the different religions and some of the different things that people believe, and sometimes you look and wonder, how can anyone believe this?

How can anyone fall into this? And how can they believe these things? Some of them intelligent doctors and lawyers and great intellects, but they're believing these weird and crazy things that do not make sense. How is that possible? Well, to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet. Because if you do not fill your thirst, if you do not quench your thirst with relationship with God,

You will satisfy or attempt to satisfy that with anything else. If you're not willing to receive Jesus Christ, you'll fill that void with something else. If you're not walking close to Jesus, you'll find your soul begins to crave even bitter things, false religions, legalism, which is horrible and crushing and binding. You'll find your soul craving the things of the flesh.

indulging the flesh, involved in sin. But if you stay close to Jesus, if you keep your soul satisfied in Him, you won't be tempted even by the sweetest temptations because a satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb. Verse 8, Like a bird that wanders from its nest is a man who wanders from his place. Here Solomon is talking about

fleeing from responsibility or the place that God has given to you. This word wander, it literally means to flee or to run away. As a bird would experience trouble, toil, hardship and danger, away from its safe home, its safe nest, a man who wanders from his place.

Will find himself in trouble. In toil and hardship and danger. Much like the prodigal son of Luke chapter 15. You remember he asked his inheritance from his father. Early. Not when he was supposed to get it. But he says I want it right now. And he took that inheritance. And he went away and he wasted it it says. With prodigal living. But you know the story. He ended up feeding pigs.

Because he had no more money, no friends. He ended up as low as you could possibly get, desiring even to eat the food that he's feeding to the pigs. Because he left his place. He wandered from his place. He fled from

From the role and the responsibility that God had given to him. And we can apply that in all kinds of ways. I mean, you know in your heart where God is calling you to be. As a husband, we need to fulfill our role and not flee from our responsibilities. As a wife, you need to fulfill your role and not flee from the God-given responsibilities and your role within the marriage. Children, you need to fulfill your role as children and not flee from

From the authority of your parents as an employee and so on and so forth. God has given you a place in the body of Christ, in your family, in this world. He's given you roles and responsibilities that he's called you to fulfill. And if you wander from them, if you flee from them, if you run from God, you will find yourself facing hardship, toil, trouble, lots of danger. Verses nine and ten.

Again, Solomon deals with the subject of friendship and how important it is

For us to have friendship, he says, ointment and perfume delight the heart and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by his hearty counsel. The importance of us encouraging and giving hearty counsel to those around us, to our friends, to those that we fellowship with.

Even to the point that he says, hey, don't forsake your own friend or your father's friend, nor go to your brother's house in the day of calamity. It's better to go to a neighbor that's nearby than a brother far away. Many have experienced something unique in being a part of the body of Christ. And that the fellowship that exists, the unity that exists, the relationship that exists between people,

Brothers and sisters in the Lord is oftentimes much stronger, infinitely better than the relationship that we can have with our own family who do not walk with the Lord. He says, look, it's better to go to a neighbor nearby, someone who's close.

And we could be talking about proximity. You know, when you're in trouble, go to your neighbor. Go to those who you have relationships with as opposed to going great distance for your family. But also we can see here the spiritual implications of the importance of us looking to and relying upon those that God has placed in our lives. Looking to our spiritual family, those who are close, even if it's our family.

neighbor or co-worker or someone within the body of Christ, as opposed to a family member who is far away in the sense that they do not walk with God. In other words, again, we're to look to one another and rely upon one another. And the wonderful thing is the ointment and perfume that comes back because of hearty counsel.

The wonderful refreshing that we have when instead of seeking out the world's ideas or our family's ideas, we seek the Lord's ideas through the people that he has placed in our lives. And as they share with us hearty counsel, as we look to them, it's a delight to the heart like ointment and perfume. Verse 11, my son, be wise and make my heart glad that I may answer him who reproaches me.

My son, be wise and make my heart glad. Wisdom, again, is listening to God, receiving from Him His principles and living by them. That's wisdom. That's the best thing, the wisest thing. That's the right thing for us to do. But not only is it good for our own life,

If you want to be blessed, live life by God's standards and you'll experience the blessed life that he intends for you. But not only is it in your benefit for you to be wise and to live life in obedience to God, even your parents and those around you will be blessed. He says, if you be wise, you'll make my heart glad. Your parents will be blessed. Your family will be blessed.

Your children will be blessed as you're obedient to God at his word. So apply his principles to your life. Verse 12. I think this is a very important proverb to spend some time meditating upon.

Because the prudent man is one who thinks ahead, looks ahead, considers the path that he's on and the direction that he's going to see if he is on the path towards evil. And seeing evil, he hides himself.

But the simple, the simple is the opposite of the prudent. The simple is the one who doesn't consider what's going to take place or where the direction might be leading or going. He doesn't consider what might lay in store around the corner. The simple just is concerned about right now. Their immediate happiness, their immediate joy, what immediately brings them pleasure and has no concern for what lies in the future.

The wise thing to do is to think about and consider the path that you are walking down. Because you are headed somewhere. You're headed towards something. Everything in this life is progressive. Meaning that you're building upon something.

The things that you're involved in right now are building upon and preparing you for the things that you're going to be doing the next day and the next day and the next day and the next day. And so if you're headed towards destruction, you're headed in an increasingly speedily manner. You become more and more solidified in your way towards destruction as you continue down that path, as you live in that lifestyle.

But as you learn to walk with God and as you decide today, I'm going to make right decisions. I'm going to draw close to Jesus Christ. You prepare yourself for tomorrow to draw a little bit closer and the next day to draw a little bit closer and to continue growing in a relationship with God. We need to stop and consider, how am I living my life? Am I headed towards evil?

Is the path that you're on, the activities that you're involved in, the things that you do, the way that you speak, does that lead you to sinful activity? Is the path that you're on leading you towards destruction? A prudent man foresees evil. Look ahead. Think about how you're acting and how you're living and what is that going to mean?

How will that impact your life and those around you in the future? Of course, we've seen the principle over and over again that you reap what you sow. If you sow to the Spirit, you reap blessing, everlasting life. But if you sow to the flesh, you reap corruption. But the thing that tricks us and fools us every time is there's time in between the sowing and the reaping. And we sow to the Spirit and reaping.

And things don't immediately change. You say, what? It's worthless. I'm not going to read my Bible anymore. I went to church. It didn't make a difference. No. There's time in between. Just like when you plant, you have to wait. You have to water. It will come. You will reap what you sow one way or the other. But you have to give it some time.

And so if you want to walk and do what's right, then walk and do what's right. Even if you don't see the results immediately, look ahead and foresee what is going to take place as you continue down the path of righteousness or be deceived and involve yourselves in the practices of sin and the destruction of the flesh because you might not see it right away.

Look, nothing happened. I was involved in this or I'm doing this and nothing really bad is taking place or it's not really a big deal. Well, just wait. You will reap what you have sowed. You need to think ahead. Scriptures tell us that sin is pleasurable for a season. There is a season that you'll experience fun, pleasure. There's a season that you won't experience the repercussions, the consequences for sin.

But you will reap what you have sown. The simple person, the fool, does not consider what may be ahead. Does not consider that they will reap what they've sown. And so they continue to go down that path and they get into trouble and are punished. I encourage you to look ahead in your life. In the activities that you're involved in, where is it leading you? Oftentimes we feel that we're pretty strong sometimes.

So even though I know, you know, hey, this is a path that could lead to sin or could give me problems, I figure, you know, I can stop it before I actually get to that point. I'm in control of the situation. I'm in control of what's going on. That's the mentality of the simple person. I'll stop before it gets really bad or I'll stop when it gets to that point. We're just flirting, you know. I would actually stop it before anything really took place.

This is just a taste. I know when to quit. I'm not going to hurt anything. It's not going to result in the disastrous. That's the simple. Continuing on, even though it's the path to destruction. Remember that Satan hates you. He's seeking whom he may devour. And so he's plotting and planning, looking to take you out.

Looking to destroy your life. Remember Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The schemes of the devil. Because he's scheming, he's plotting, he's planning. This is how I'm going to take out this person. This is how I'm going to destroy their life. This is how I'm going to turn them away from God. And if we're simple, we just walk right into the traps. We walk right into the schemes. We play right into them. He counts on it.

They're not going to think ahead. They're not going to think about eternity. They're not going to live by God's principles. Because what's now is more important than anything else. The wiles, the scheming of the devil. No, don't fall prey to that. You don't have to fall prey to that. The prudent man foresees evil. Think ahead. Project ahead.

What is this activity going to lead to? Stop and consider your ways, your activities, the direction that you're going. If there's evil in that direction, then hide. Stop going down that path. Don't keep going thinking that you're in control, but run. Flee from temptation. Flee from that path and continue down the path to everlasting life. Verse 13 says,

Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger and hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress. This proverb is about the importance of stewardship and wisdom in our dealings. In essence, here's what he's saying. If you're going to loan something to a person who is questionable, then make sure that you have collateral. Earlier in Proverbs, we're warned against taking surety for a stranger, but

Taking surety is the idea of cosigning or being responsible for them if they default or fail to pay what they owe. And Proverbs earlier says, hey, if you're going to do that, you're foolish because how can you trust this person? Chances are you're going to end up owing that or having to pay back for what they were failed to pay. Proverbs 11.15 says, he who is surety for a stranger will suffer.

But one who hates being surety is secure. The one who is careful, who he's responsible for, he is secure. But if you are surety for a stranger, he says you will suffer. And so he says, take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger.

In other words, this person has loaned out money or has considered himself responsible, co-signed for a stranger, and now they're asking for something from you. Well, you make sure that you have some type of collateral. Take the garment of him who assured you for a stranger. Hold it in pledge if it's a seductress who is asking you to borrow money or to be loaned something. Someone who is untrustworthy, someone who is...

not have good character. If you're loaning to someone who is surety for a stranger, make sure you have collateral because it's likely that they will not be able to pay you back. And if you're loaners to a seductress, then make sure you have collateral because she cannot be trusted to pay you back. Verse 14, he who blesses his friend with a loud voice rising early in the morning, it will be counted a curse to him.

And all the late risers said, Amen. This can be a problem. My wife is not a morning person. However, as you probably guess, I am more of a morning person. And so needless to say, she's cursed me quite a few times. Early in the morning, it's not the appropriate time. So don't bless early in the morning.

Verse 15, a continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whoever restrains her restrains the wind and grasps oil with his right hand. Here's the picture that Solomon is painting for us. It's a very rainy day. So you're shut up within the house and you can't really go out because it's raining. And especially in that time, it's not like they had the vehicles and transportation like we had.

You wouldn't go out and get on your horse or donkey or go walk around in the muddy streets when it was raining. You would stay within your house. And so it's a very rainy day. You're stuck inside the house. And because of the rain, the result of the roof and the way it is, there is some type of constant dripping rain.

leaking inside the house, or maybe perhaps you could equate it to having a leaky faucet, and you just hear the drip, drip, drip, just continually and constantly. And the idea is that it would be very annoying and irritating, but something that you could do nothing about because it's a very rainy day, and you can't fix it at that time, you can't escape from it, and so you're stuck there with that continual dripping.

He says that's the same thing as a contentious woman. It's irritating, it's annoying, it's frustrating, but you can't get away from it. Now, the contentious woman, it's referring to a wife. In fact, in many translations, that's how it's translated. The contentious wife, it's like. It's irritating, annoying, but what are you going to do? You can't get away from it because you're bound together in matrimony.

Restraining her is a fruitless endeavor. He says whoever restrains her restrains the wind. Now, when you can keep back the wind, you're pretty powerful. You're pretty strong and you'll be very rich. You can't do it. It's impossible. He says he restrains her is one who grasps oil with his right hand. I'd like to see you try that. I'll pour out a quart and you just grab it. Hold on to it. No, it'll be all over the place.

You won't be able to hold on to it. It's impossible is the point. It's impossible for you to correct the situation. It's impossible for you to restrain a contentious wife or contentious woman. So what do you do? Very simply, if it's impossible for you, who is it possible for? It's okay, you can say it. All things are possible with God. Jesus told us, hey, what's impossible with man is possible with God.

What you need to do, if that is your situation, is you need to pray and trust the Lord. You need to make sure that you are doing what he has called you to do and focus instead of on the continual dripping, but on the state of your heart, the life that you live.

If you're living according to God's will, if you're living according to the role that God has given to you. Remember, a man who leaves the house or his place is like a bird that leaves its nest.

Your role within the marriage is very specific. God gives it to you in Ephesians chapter 5. He gives it to you in 1 Peter. He gives it to you in Colossians. He gives it to you over and over again, giving himself as the example. You have a specific role to play as a husband within a marriage. And if you flee from that like a bird flees its nest, if you don't fulfill your place, if you don't fulfill the role that God has given to you,

You're bound for trouble and danger and torment and all kinds of things. Continual drippings. So the first thing you need to do is apply the word to your own life. Learn to be the man that God has called you to be. Get back to the place where he has called you and pray and trust God to deal with the situation. Verse 17. Again, dealing with the subject of friendship.

Friendship is very important for you and I as believers. This isn't limited to men. It's men and women. We need friendship. We've seen the importance of friendship already a couple of times. In verse 6 of Proverbs 27, we learned faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. We learned in verse 9 that ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by his hearty counsel.

We've learned a couple things in the area of friendship. That there's an important part of rebuke and correction within friendship. And they're faithful wounds. They're trustworthy. We know that it's what's best for us. But then also, on the other side of that, there's also the importance and the need for good counsel, hearty counsel, encouragement, uplifting and upbuilding.

We need these type of friends for correction, for encouragement, for counsel. As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. And so in more ways than one, if you do not have friends, you're pretty dull because you don't have anybody to sharpen you. You don't have anybody to refine you, to correct you, to encourage you, to uplift you.

So what do you do if you don't have friends? Proverbs 18, 24, a man who has friends must himself be friendly. If you feel like, man, I'm pretty dull because I don't have friends. I don't have the iron sharpens iron. What do I do? I would say to you, recognize a man who has friends must himself be friendly. Don't focus on receiving so much.

A person in that situation will be like, hey, you know, I need more people to be my friends. Well, you've got it backwards and you're looking at it in the opposite way that you need to. If you need good, godly Christian friendships, then first and foremost, you need to be a friend. You need to learn to love and to be a friend to those around you. Not, I need friends, not what about me. You be a friend. And as a result, you will gain friendships.

Verse 18, whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit. So he who waits on his master will be honored.

This is a wonderful promise. God promises to bless us for serving him. You remember the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 25? The parable of the talents where he gave each servant a certain amount of talents and said, hey, use this while I'm gone. And when you come back, you'll have your blessing. And the people that put it to use, the two servants that used it well and did their best served.

He came back and he said, hey, well done. You were faithful over a few things. I'll make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit. So he who waits on his master will be honored. As you serve the Lord, as you walk with God, as you are obedient and faithful with the talents and abilities and gifts and opportunities that he gives to you, you will be blessed. I wouldn't look for it in this life, but in eternity after.

Like Jesus said, you're laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Look for God to reward you. Jesus dealt with that in Matthew chapter 6. He dealt with in three specific areas, but it applies to all kinds of areas. He says, hey, make sure that when you do a charitable deed, that you don't do it before men to be seen by them. Because those who do their charitable deeds to be seen by men, they have their reward. Matthew chapter 6 verse 1.

In Matthew 6, 5, he deals with prayer. Hey, when you pray, don't go out and speak out and say long, lengthy prayers for everybody to recognize how great at prayer you are. Those people who do that, he says, they have their reward. But you pray just between you and the Lord and he will reward you. In dealing with fasting, he says, hey,

There's some that walk around and they mar their face and they look somber and they have their clothes, you know, all torn and dust on their head so that everybody knows they're fasting. He says they have their reward. You fast.

You do what you're called to do between you and the Lord and he will reward you. We're to look to God for reward. We're to look to God for reward for the service that we do for him and the way that we support the poor and the needy, the way that we help those that he's placed around us, the way that we serve within the ministry or serve the people around us. We're not to look for, and if you're doing it for the things of people around you or this church or anyone else,

You're in a bad place. Look to God. He will reward you far greater than anyone around here can reward you. Verse 19. As in water, face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man. The picture here is...

of a person looking into some water, or looking into a mirror, and what you see is what you got. It's your face, right? The water reflects your face, just as the mirror reflects your face, and that's what you look like. That's who you are. Unless it's one of those funny ones, you know, makes you tall or skinny or fat or whatever. But the same way the heart reveals the man. The heart reveals who you truly are. Now that's a scary thought.

Because, of course, Jeremiah tells us the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. How do you know what your heart is like to know what you are really like?

Jesus in Matthew chapter 7, he says, hey, what comes out of a man that defiles a man for from within out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, best covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man. This society that we live in today says, look, everybody is basically good.

And they're just a product of their environment. We have crime. We have abuse. We have these things because they were in bad environments where they were abused or there was things done wrong. And if it was a good environment, then you would see more of the good nature. Jesus says, look, you know what's really inside the person is what comes out of them. The heart reflects the person.

And out of your heart come evil desires, evil thoughts, wickedness, covetousness, deceit, lewdness, blasphemy, pride. All those things come out of your heart and reveal to you who you really are. No, we're not basically good. We're incredibly evil. And that's why we need a Savior. That's why Jesus Christ died.

In Luke chapter 6, Jesus kind of deals with the same area. In verse 45, he says, It's a great way to tell where we are. Our heart reflects who we really are. We can say, no, you know, it's just a product of how I was raised. God says, no, that's how you really are.

We can say, I say those things, they slip out sometimes, but that's not really who I am or what I think or how I am. Well, no, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. That's who you really are. The important point is to recognize all of these wicked things come out of me. These evil thoughts, I have them. Those wicked words, I say them. It comes out of my heart. These activities that I'm involved in, it's not everybody else's fault. It comes out of my heart.

And it demonstrates that I need a savior. It demonstrates that I need Jesus Christ. Verse 20. Hell and destruction are never full. So the eyes of men are never satisfied. It's a great picture. There's always more things to be destroyed. It's never satisfied. It's never full. In the same way, our eyes are always on the next thing.

The next gadget, the next break, the new purse, next pair of shoes, the new job, the new car. It's always on the next thing. We're never satisfied until Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He is the only thing that can satisfy us. Verse 21, the refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold. And a man is valued by what others say of him.

Notice the is valued is italicized. That means it's not there in the original language. It was added by the translators of the New King James Version to try to help give clarity. But let's read it again without the italicized words. The refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold and a man by what others say of him.

The refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold. These are the things that test the metals, that bring out the impurities, that refine them, that reveal what that metal is really made of. And the same thing is true for a man, for a woman, for you. What others say of you brings out what's really within you. You know, when others speak very critically or harshly,

And you respond. And then afterwards say, you know, I wouldn't really talk like that normally. Or I wouldn't act that way. I wouldn't do that. It's just that they did this. Well, here's what the scripture says. No, that just revealed what was really already there. They didn't put that in you. They simply revealed what was already there. Or someone speaks highly of you. Talks great things about you. The other people are praising you and not your own lips.

that reveals as well what's within you. If there's pride, arrogance, you can't look back and say, well, they told me how great I was. They said all these wonderful things about me. That's why I acted this way or that's why I had this attitude. No. What they said simply brought out and revealed what was already there. The impurities that were already there within you. Again, shows us

And helps us recognize our need. The way I respond when others speak, whether good or bad, vicious, malicious, or wonderful blessings. The way that I respond shows who I truly am and my need for Jesus Christ to change me. Verse 22. The idea is this.

You grind it down as hard as you can, as fine as you can, yet you won't remove foolishness from a fool. You cannot do it. You cannot remove foolishness from someone. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you grind them down, only God can do that work in a person's heart. Only God can. If a person is rebelling against God, that's a fool. If they're refusing to apply the principles that God gives, that's a fool.

And you cannot change that even by grinding him down as much as possible by inflicting the most amount of pain. You cannot change that. Only God can change the heart. And so, again, we need to look for God to do the work. The last few verses all go together. Verses 23 through 27. Be diligent to know the state of your flocks.

And attend to your herds, for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the hay is removed and the tender grass shows itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats for the price of a field. You shall have enough goat's milk for your food, for the food of your household, and the nourishment of your maidservants."

Here's essentially what Solomon is saying this. Be diligent to prepare for the future. The mentality he's warning against is the mentality of who cares about the flock? I've got money. He says, be diligent to know the state of your flocks and attend to your herds. Why?

Look at verse 24. For, here's why to be diligent to know the state of your flocks. Because riches are not forever and a crown does not endure to all generations. Money, authority, those types of things, the job that you're working at, that is not forever. That does not endure to all generations. When it's all removed, when that all comes tumbling down, how are you going to provide for yourself? What's going to take care of you?

He says, be diligent to know the state of your flocks. Take care of your flocks. Know how they're doing. Make sure that they're well fed, well prepared for. Because then, when the money fails, when you're out of authority, when it's just you, and now you have to provide for your family...

Now you'll have the flock to provide for you. They'll be able to provide your clothing. They'll be able to provide the price for the field that you need. You'll have enough milk for your food and for the food of your household. You'll be able to provide for yourself. He's saying, look, be diligent to prepare for the future. And while that's good, practically speaking, we need to be diligent. We need to plan ahead according to the Lord's will, as we learn from verse 1.

More importantly is spiritually. Are you prepared for the future? Because riches, crowns, authority, this life, it's not forever. It's going to come to an end. And you are going to spend eternity somewhere. Are you prepared for that? Are you preparing for that? Are you storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven? Or are you hanging on to

To the treasures on earth that do not last. Here Solomon says, look, you need to be diligent to prepare for your future. You need to be diligent to prepare for where you will spend eternity. To begin with, there's no salvation under any other name. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. Only by believing in Jesus Christ and having a relationship with him can you enter into eternity.

The next step, by walking with Him, by serving Him, by living in obedience to Him, you store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. By living for His glory, by living for His kingdom, you store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. You're being diligent to prepare for the future. But if you're not diligent to prepare, you'll find yourself in that time facing utter destruction. Let's be diligent. Let's prepare.

Let's not look to this life. Let's foresee evil and look ahead to how we're living and where we're going. And let's set our focus on Jesus Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God. And let's live our lives for him, for his honor, for his glory, applying his principles. That we might, as Peter says in 1 Peter, supply ourselves an abundant entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, it's so easy for us to become consumed by this life. The bills, the rent, the things that are due that we need to take care of, the issues that we're facing, the job that we want, the career that we're striving for, God, the goals and accomplishments that we seek to have, the house, the cars, the toys that we have. Lord, it's so easy to be caught up and consumed by these things. And Lord,

While you've given us this earth and this life to enjoy and to be blessed, you ask us not to hold on and not to focus on these things, the things of this life. But you ask us to focus on eternity with you. And so, God, right now, we ask that you would help us to be diligent to prepare ourselves for eternity with you.

Lord, that if there's any listening to this who are not right with you, who have never accepted you, Lord, that they would repent and turn from their ways and receive you as their Lord and Savior. And God, for us as we walk with you, that we would be striving, as the Apostle Paul said, forgetting the things which are behind and pressing forward to the things that you've called us to. God, help us to walk with you, to draw close to you.

Help us, Lord, as you reveal your word to us and your will for our lives, that we would live in obedience to it. We thank you, Lord, for your wonderful word, for the family that you've given to us, the body of Christ. Surround us, Lord, with true friends who will love us enough to rebuke us, to build us up when the time is right. And help us to do the same for those around us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.