June 11, 2022

Ken Miller

Well-Rounded Wisdom

June 11, 2022

Ken Miller

1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates reproof is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
    but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3 No one is established by wickedness,
    but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are just;
    the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
    but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    but the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man is commended according to his good sense,
    but one of twisted mind is despised.
9 Better to be lowly and have a servant
    than to play the great man and lack bread.
10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
    but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,
    but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
    but the righteous escapes from trouble.
14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
    and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
    but a wise man listens to advice.
16 The vexation of a fool is known at once,
    but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
    but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
    but those who plan peace have joy.
21 No ill befalls the righteous,
    but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
    but those who act faithfully are his delight.
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,
    but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
    while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
    but a good word makes him glad.
26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
    but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
    but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
28 In the path of righteousness is life,
    and in its pathway there is no death. – Proverbs 12:1-28 ESV

Wisdom isn’t just an intellectual asset that comes in handy when having to make difficult decisions. It is a way of life – the godly life. And it encompasses everything from our inner thoughts and cognitive capabilities to our spoken words and the way we conduct ourselves in daily life. In other words, wisdom influences our thoughts, words, and deeds. And this Proverb makes that point quite clear.

It all begins on the inside, in the heart and mind of the one who desires the wisdom that God offers. Wise living can only come from one who has gained the capacity for wise thinking. It’s interesting to note that when God made the fateful decision to destroy mankind through a devastating flood, it was based on the following assessment:

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. – Genesis 6:5 ESV

Yes, their behavior had become abhorrent to God, but it had all begun in their hearts. Ever since the fall, mankind had been on a trajectory away from God. After disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve had been ejected from the Garden. They eventually settled to the east of Eden. And their future descendants would continue to move increasingly further from God’s presence, both physically and spiritually. Their migration away from Eden left them increasingly alienated from and ignorant of God. In fact, in one of his psalms, Solomon’s father, David describes the plight of all those who lose touch with God and find themselves displaying the characteristics of the fool.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good. – Psalm 14:1 ESV

Solomon states, “The thoughts of the righteous are just…” (Proverbs 12:5 ESV). It all begins in the heart and mind. And this idea is consistent with Solomon’s earlier admonition:

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. – Proverbs 4:23 NLT

And Jesus Himself warned that the heart was the repository of all man’s thoughts and actions.

“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.” – Matthew 15:18-20 NLT

Notice how many times Solomon refers to the importance of our inner thoughts.

A man is commended according to his good sense,
but one of twisted mind is despised. – Proverbs 12:8 ESV

Fools think their own way is right,
but the wise listen to others. – Proverbs 12:15 NLT

Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;
joy fills hearts that are planning peace! – Proverbs 12:20 NLT

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down… – Proverbs 12:25 ESV

God’s brand of wisdom is meant to influence man’s heart because a heart devoid of God will result in a life devoid of godliness. The individual who has lost touch with God will display a lifestyle that is out of step with His will and in violation of His commands.

Near the end of the book of Judges, God provides an assessment of the spiritual state of His chosen people, the nation of Israel.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. – Judges 25:21 ESV

Throughout the book of Judges, the Israelites are shown to have a stubborn propensity for turning their backs on God. Their real problem was not that they lacked a human king, but that they refused to honor God as their sovereign Lord. In Judges 2, we are given a synopsis of the problem that plagued the Israelites.

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. – Judges 2:10-12 ESV

And before long, the Israelites began to act like fools, displaying behavior that was out of character for God’s chosen people and out of touch with His revealed will for them. So, God was forced to discipline them for their sinful behavior. They were destined to suffer the consequences of their unwise choices and learn the painful lessons that disobedience brings. And Solomon points out man’s need to love the discipline of God.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid. – Proverbs 12:1 ESV

When we step out of line with God, He lovingly reproves and corrects us. His discipline is never arbitrary or unwarranted, but it is always lovingly and justly administered. Solomon pointed out in an earlier proverb, “My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12 ESV).

Ultimately, God’s discipline is intended to produce godly behavior. And that seems to be the point of Solomon’s proverb. God wants to pour out His favor upon His people. He longs to bless them by rewarding their obedience to His will.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
but a man of evil devices he condemns. – Proverbs 12:2 ESV

And as God redeems and restores an individual’s heart, that inner transformation begins to show up in their words.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the mouth of the upright delivers them. – Proverbs 12:6 ESV

The wicked are trapped by their own words,
but the godly escape such trouble. – Proverbs 12:13 NLT

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness utters deceit. – Proverbs 12:17 ESV

Truthful words stand the test of time,
but lies are soon exposed. – Proverbs 12:19 NLT

But God’s reformation of the heart also produces transformed actions.

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. – Proverbs 12:11 ESV

…the work of a man's hand comes back to him. – Proverbs 12:14 ESV

Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave. – Proverbs 12:24 NLT

Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
but the diligent make use of everything they find. – Proverbs 12:27 NLT

The godly tend to be well-rounded people whose lives display an inner strength that flows out in both words and deeds. Their hearts and minds produce attitudes and actions that convey their reverence for God. They are not duplicitous or hypocritical. God does not say of them what He said about the people of Israel.

“These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

But instead, God recognizes their desire to obey His will and rewards them accordingly.

The way of the godly leads to life;
that path does not lead to death. – Proverbs 12:28 NLT

It is interesting to note than when Jesus was asked by the Jewish religious leaders which was the greatest of all of God’s commandments, He stated:

“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” – Mark 12:29-30 NLT

Heart, soul, mind, and strength. God’s intention is to transform man from the inside out, and it is His desire that every area of a man’s life is renewed and radically altered to reflect his identity as a child of God.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

June 9, 2022

Ken Miller

The Book of Proverbs

A Study in Contrasts

June 9, 2022

Ken Miller

The Book of Proverbs

1 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,
    but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 A slack hand causes poverty,
    but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
    and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
14 The wise lay up knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16 The wage of the righteous leads to life,
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
    but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
    and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
    the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
    but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.
23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
    but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
    but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
    but the righteous is established forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
    but the years of the wicked will be short.
28 The hope of the righteous brings joy,
    but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
    but destruction to evildoers.
30 The righteous will never be removed,
    but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. – Proverbs 10:1-32 ESV

In this chapter, Solomon introduces the writing style that we most commonly associate with the book of Proverbs. In it, he utilizes a series of contrasting couplets that juxtapose the righteous and the wicked. For nine chapters, Solomon has emphasized the need for wisdom and the preferred lifestyle that the way of wisdom provides to all who avail themselves of it.

Now, he begins to differentiate between God’s way and that of the world. He refers to the righteous 13 times and he mentions the wicked 11 times, and he goes out of his way to differentiate between the two. To Solomon, wisdom was far more than an intellectual commodity that one acquired over time. It was a way of life. And it stood in stark contrast to the more prevalent and popular way of the godless and worldly.

“Most of the proverbs in this section are one verse long and contain two lines each; they are couplets. The second line contrasts, compares, or completes the idea expressed in the first line. This is Hebrew parallelism.” – Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Proverbs

Solomon starts off this Proverb by declaring his desire for his son to choose the way of wisdom. That would be the preference of any loving father. No parent wants to raise a fool. No father or mother finds joy in discovering that their son or daughter has chosen the path of wickedness and unrighteousness. But unless those parents make the determination to promote and model a lifestyle of wisdom, they may very well end up experiencing the sorrow of raising a wayward and foolish adult child.

A wise child brings joy to a father;
a foolish child brings grief to a mother. – Proverbs 10:1 NLT

Parenting is hard work. It is not for the faint of heart or the weak-willed. It requires incredible energy and fortitude, limitless endurance, boundless courage, and a certain degree of blind faith. Raising children is a huge responsibility that can intimidate the bravest of souls. It can make the strong weak in the knees and turn the most confident of men into sniveling, teary-eyed basketcases.

But all the same, there is nothing more gratifying than to watch your children grow and mature, making the most of the gifts and abilities God has given them. It is a blessing to pour into their lives and see God use you in His grand scheme to mold them into the likeness of His Son. It does not always go well or even quite like you had imagined or expected. There are setbacks and heartaches along the way. Children have a mind and a will of their own, and their not afraid to use either one. They can be loving and frustrating. They can warm our hearts and try our patience. They can bring a smile to our faces and a tear to our eye – all within just a few minutes' time span.

It seems that Solomon knew well the joys and sorrows of parenting. He talked about it a lot. And he dealt regularly with the topic of the foolish child. Here in verse one of Proverbs 10, he describes two different children. One is wise and the other is foolish. He says the wise child brings joy to his father. He makes him proud. But a foolish child makes his mother sad. He brings her to her knees in prayer and despair. The specific Hebrew word Solomon uses for fool is kecîyl and it means “fool, stupid fellow or dullard.”

This is a very specific kind of fool. He is not talking about the simple fool, that child-like fool who, because of his young age, doesn't know how to make good choices and lacks good judgment. No, Solomon is describing an individual who is stubborn, arrogant, and set in his or her ways. They reject the discipline of their parents and all authorities in their lives. They seem determined to make wrong choices. They are sensual fools, driven by their passions and obsessed with immediate gratification. They refuse to deny themselves anything and lack the common sense to know better. These kinds of children don't just happen; they get this way over time. They are that innocent, young boy who one day turns out to be that insolent, rebellious teenager whose parents barely recognize him. He is lazy, unreliable, unteachable, and will ultimately be destroyed for his lack of common sense.

The words of the godly encourage many,
but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense. – Proverbs 10:21 NLT

They actually enjoy doing wrong.

Doing wrong is fun for a fool,
but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. – Proverbs 10:23 NLT

And they made a habit of making light of sin.

People who wink at wrong cause trouble,
but a bold reproof promotes peace. – Proverbs 10:10 NLT

What mother wouldn't cry over a child like that?

So, how do we keep our children from becoming sensual fools? The easy answer is that we expose them to the wisdom of God. We teach them the truth of God's Word. We model what it means to fear God and honor Him with our actions. But in the end, there is no guarantee that our children will turn out either wise or godly. Proverb 22:6 says, "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."

But that’s not a promise. Solomon is stating a proverb or maxim that contains a time-tested truth. It’s not a guarantee from God that our children will turn out well if we do our part. There are far too many examples that prove otherwise. Too many children raised by well-meaning parents have ended up turning their backs on wisdom and taking the way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

Throughout this Proverb, Solomon paints a stark, black-and-white picture that clearly distinguishes the way of the wise from the far-less-flattering way of the fool. And the descriptions he uses to differentiate the fool from the wise person are intended to make that lifestyle unappealing and unacceptable.

Lazy people are soon poor… – Proverbs 10:4 NLT

…one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace. – Proverbs 10:5 NLT

…the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. – Proverbs 10:6 NLT

…the name of a wicked person rots away. – Proverbs 10:7 NLT

…babbling fools fall flat on their faces. – Proverbs 10:8 NLT

…those who follow crooked paths will be exposed. – Proverbs 10:9 NLT

People who wink at wrong cause trouble… – Proverbs 10:10 NLT

And on and on it goes. Those who refuse the wisdom God offers and godly parents promote will likely end up with train-wrecked lives.

But God still calls on parents to do their part. They have a God-given responsibility to teach their children well, to point them to Christ, and model Christlikeness in front of them. But when all said and done, every child has a will of their own. They each have to develop a faith of their own. They may make wrong choices. They may prefer to take a different path. They may become sensual fools and bring tears to the eyes of their mothers.

We can't make godly children. Only God can do that. So, with all our effort at parenting, we must never forget that we need God’s help and our children will need His abundant mercy and grace. He alone can make our children wise. He alone can keep them on the right path. It is their relationship with God through Jesus Christ that will make them wise, not us. We have a part to play, but it is ultimately up to Him. So, we must turn them over to Him early in their lives. We must place them in His hands for safe keeping. We can do our job. We can love them, teach them, discipline them, and entrust them to God for their future well-being. We can point them to wisdom and provide them with godly counsel.

The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice… – Proverbs 10:31 NLT

The lips of the godly speak helpful words… – Proverbs 10:32 NLT

But, ultimately, our children belong to the Lord and we must trust Him to do what needs to be done so that they might fear Him live in the wisdom that He alone provides.