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Proverbs 16

Sunday Morning Bible Study

December 10, 2017

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm

Video: The Bible Project – Proverbs Introduction

Video: Proverbs Introduction

The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.

Wisdom is not about knowing facts.

Wisdom is about knowing what to do with what you know.
Wisdom is knowing when to do it.
Wisdom is knowing how to do it.

We are now in a new section of the book of Proverbs.

We’ve finished the “mini-lectures” that Solomon gave to his son in the first nine chapters.

The rest of the book are what we typically call the “proverbs”.

Proverbs are sayings, typically short, that give wisdom and insight into everyday things.

They are intended to help you lead a better life.

They are not absolute promises, as in “if you do x,y, then z will always happen and your life will be perfect”.

They are general principles – that if you do them your life will be generally better than if you didn’t do them.

I want to encourage you to have a pencil or pen ready as we work through each chapter.

Though we will read the entire chapter, I won’t be taking time to unpack every single proverb.

God may want to use one of the proverbs that we simply pass over to speak to you, so be ready to mark up your Bible or write down a verse.

It’s going to be a little like drinking from a fire hydrant.

The Proverbs are Hebrew poetry…

Hebrew poetry is about ideas, not sounds.

Most of these proverbs are in two lines.

Sometimes the second line is a parallel of the first. It expresses the same idea with different words.
Sometimes the second line is an opposite idea, still clarifying the first, but by way of contrast.
Be careful that you don’t look at one phrase without looking at the other.

Proverbs 16

:1 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

preparationsma’arak – arrangement, plan, preparation

answerma’aneh – answer, response

(Proverbs 16:1 NLT) We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.

(Proverbs 16:1 The Message) Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.

:2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits.

(Proverbs 16:2 The Message) Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good.

(Proverbs 16:2 NLT) People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.

Sometimes we can talk ourselves into thinking that even our motives are pure, but God really knows what’s going on in our hearts.

David wrote,

(Psalm 139:23–24 NLT) —23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

:3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.

:3 Commit your works to the Lord

commitgalal – to roll, roll down, roll together

When Jacob first met Rachel at the well, he “rolled” the stone away from the well so she could water her flocks. (Gen. 29:10).
(Genesis 29:10 NKJV) And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
I think it’s the idea of taking this big rock that symbolizes the things you’re working on, and rolling them into God’s hands.

worksma’aseh – deed, work

thoughtsmachashabah – thought; plan, purpose

(Proverbs 16:3 The Message) Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.
(Proverbs 16:3 NLT) Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

will be establishedkuwn – to be firm, be stable, be established

In this verse, Solomon isn’t telling us to commit our “plans” to the Lord, but the things we’re actually doing.

I think that when we open ourselves to allowing God to inspect the things we are involved in, He has a better chance to mold and shape our plans.

:4 The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

:4 even the wicked for the day of doom

(Proverbs 16:4 The Message) God made everything with a place and purpose; even the wicked are included—but for judgment.

Let me be clear –God does not predestine people for hell.

God isn’t happy when wicked people die and are condemned.
(Ezekiel 33:11 NLT) As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
God wants people to be saved.
(1 Timothy 2:4–6 NKJV) —4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

God wants all to be saved and to find the “truth”.

The truth is that God has provided only one way to be saved – Jesus.  Jesus is the only one who died to save us from our sins.

This verse is reminding us that the wicked do not somehow escape the notice or the purposes of God.

If a person chooses to persist in their wickedness, they will face a part of God’s purposes apart from salvation – they will face judgment.
If you’ve never opened your life to Jesus, today you will be faced with a choice.
Will you choose to follow Jesus, God’s only way to be saved, or will you choose to face God’s judgment?

:5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

(Proverbs 16:5 The Message) God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place.

We’ll talk about pride a little later…

:6 In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

Some translations make it sound as if mercy and truth are the things that will atone or make up for sin:

(Proverbs 16:6 HCSB) Wickedness is atoned for by loyalty and faithfulness, and one turns from evil by the fear of the Lord.

Yet atonement requires more than mercy and truth.

Mercy and truth are the qualities of God by which He makes atonement possible.

Atonement is made to God through sacrifice.

It’s in God’s mercy that He allows this.

:7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

:7 He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him

Here’s another example of a general principle and not an absolute promise.

When your ways are pleasing to the Lord, your life will be characterized by things like…

(Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV) —22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control…
As a general principle, people like to hang out with folks who act like this.
Yet even these kinds of folks will find trouble from time to time.

(2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

:8 Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.

:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

:10 Divination is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in judgment.

(Proverbs 16:10 NLT) The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly.

I think this is a case of what should be.

A leader needs to recognize the importance of making wise and fair decisions. People are hoping that the leader will make God’s decisions.

:11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s; All the weights in the bag are His work.

:11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s

We’ve talked about this before.

Buying and selling was done with the help of balance scales and weights.
If you go to the market and you want to buy one pound of cinnamon, then the merchant puts a one pound weight on one side, and then weighs out the cinnamon until the scales are balanced.
Some merchants would use different weights as a way to cheat people.
God wants us to deal honestly with each other.

:12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by righteousness.

(Proverbs 16:12 HCSB) Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, since a throne is established through righteousness.

Something for our politicians to think about.

:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.

(Proverbs 16:13 HCSB) Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he loves one who speaks honestly.

In one sense, we may not have any kings sitting in church, but a “king” is the one who makes decisions, who makes the tough calls.

There are times when each of us is faced with making a difficult decision.
When you have to make a tough call, don’t you want to be making it based on truth, and not some sort of deception?

This is another reason why it’s so important that we work at speaking truth to one another.

:14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath, But a wise man will appease it.

Be careful about making a king mad.

:15 In the light of the king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.

:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

And a parallel thought…

:19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

(Proverbs 16:19 The Message) It’s better to live humbly among the poor than to live it up among the rich and famous.

:18 Pride goes before destruction

(1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Lesson

Dangerous Pride

Pridega’own – pride, arrogance (bad sense)
haughtygobahh – height, exaltation; haughtiness
I think some kinds of pride are not a problem – pride in a job well done, pride in your family, etc.
It’s the arrogant, false sense of superiority, look-down-your-nose kind of attitude that is so offensive to God.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 23:12 NKJV) And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Peter wrote,
(1 Peter 5:5–7 NKJV) —5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Pride affects our relationships with each other.

We ought to learn to be “submissive” to each other, taking time to listen to each other and learn from each other.

Pride affects our relationship with God.

God doesn’t like the proud person – He resists the proud person.

The proud person is the one who doesn’t think he needs any help, so he tries to do everything on his own.

The humble person is the one who knows how much he needs God, and casts his cares on God.

God can humble the proudest person, to allow them to “fall”.
We see an example of this in the life of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on earth in his day. He ruled over the known world and could put people to death simply by commanding it.

God had a hand in Nebuchadnezzar’s life.

(Jeremiah 27:6 NKJV) And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him.

It was God who used Nebuchadnezzar to bring judgment on God’s own rebellious people, the nation of Judah.

One day, God warned Nebuchadnezzar about the pride that was filling his heart, and a year later, Neb was walking through his royal grounds…

(Daniel 4:30 NKJV) The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

And with those words, the great Nebuchadnezzar was struck by God, going crazy and acting like a cow for a period of time until the day came that he finally turned his eyes up to God and acknowledged that God was greater than all. And at that, God allowed Neb to return to his place as king of the world.

Neb concluded…

(Daniel 4:37 NKJV) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen to me?
We can all be tempted with pride.
Humility doesn’t come without you and I making a point of intentionally cultivating it.
Jesus demonstrated this on the night of the Last Supper.

In those ancient days, when you gathered for supper at someone’s house, it was customary for the host to make sure that the guest’s feet were washed.

Feet got dirty in those days. This was simple hospitality.

Yet washing feet was something that servants did, not the master of the house.

At the Last Supper, nobody took care of the feet washing. I imagine none of the disciples wanted to be seen as being the “servant” of the others.

Video: Gospel of John – Washing Feet

(John 13:2–17 NKJV) —2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

What had Jesus done?
He gave us an example to follow.
He had humbled Himself and did the work of a servant.
Jesus had said,
(John 13:15–17 NKJV) —15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Paul wrote,
(Philippians 2:3–5 NKJV) —3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Jesus had lived from eternity past in the glories of heaven with the Father, yet He willingly laid it all aside to take on human flesh, become a servant, even to the point of dying for us.

How do we “cultivate” humility?
Recognize the needs around you.
Learn to serve others.

:20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

:21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

:22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.

(Proverbs 16:22 NLT) Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.

Are you learning wisdom? Are you growing in wisdom? Are you learning the lessons of “discipline”?

:23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.

(Proverbs 16:23 HCSB) A wise heart instructs its mouth and increases learning with its speech.

If you are a wise person, you are continually growing in how you use your words.

:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

:26 The person who labors, labors for himself, For his hungry mouth drives him on.

(Proverbs 16:26 HCSB) A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger urges him on.

This verse doesn’t justify an employer paying wages below what his employees are worth.

The point is that when you have a “hunger” for what you are doing, you will work harder.

:27 An ungodly man digs up evil, And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

:28 A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.

:28 a whisperer separates the best of friends

This is not a “whisperer” as in a “horse whisperer” or “dog whisperer”.

whisperernirgan – to murmur, whisper; backbite, slander, talebearer, backbiter

(Proverbs 16:28 NLT) A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

The whisperer is a person who manufactures and/or spreads gossip.

Lesson

Gossip

What is “gossip”?
Oxford Dictionaries define “gossip” as “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically details that are not confirmed as being true”
Miriam-Webster defines it as “rumor or report of an intimate nature”
The problem is, we really like gossip.
(Proverbs 18:8 NKJV) The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.
There’s something enticing when you hear a bad thing about someone, whether it’s true or not.

Is it a surprise the tabloids do so well?

There is also something enticing about being the one who knows the “latest” about some situation.

It makes you feel important when you know before other people do.

Be careful about the person who is always in on the latest gossip.
Not everything you hear is true.
I have known instances where best of friends have had a falling out because some “perverse” person has shared stories that were later found out to be untrue.
Illustration
The Town Gossip
Gladys, the town gossip and self-appointed supervisor of the town's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several local residents were unappreciative of her activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence. However, she made a mistake when she recently accused George, a local man, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked outside the town's only bar one afternoon. George, a dedicated Christian and man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away without saying a word. Later that evening, he parked his pickup truck in front of her house and left it there all night. Her gossiping ceased.
Be careful that you’re not the gossip.
(Leviticus 19:16 NKJV) You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

:29 A violent man entices his neighbor, And leads him in a way that is not good.

:30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things; He purses his lips and brings about evil.

:31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.

:31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory

Video: Just For Men Mustache and Beard

I don’t want to condemn any of you who color your hair, but Solomon is saying that gray hair can actually be good thing…when its on the head of a good person.

Is it a good thing to have gray hair?

We live in such a youth-oriented society, that we find a head of gray hair to be somehow bad.
It was kind of hard finding a commercial where they didn’t make the direct implication that your sex life would improve if you got rid of the gray…so I had to cut this commercial short.

The New King James translation inserts the word “If”, making the goodness of gray hair conditioned upon whether or not a person has lived a righteous life.

Other translations omit the “If” like this:

(Proverbs 16:31 NLT) Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.
I think that the idea is that if you are a righteous person, you will tend to live longer, and hence have gray hair.
This is not an absolute promise, but a general principle.

I’m not going to try and bring condemnation on you if you are one who wants to color your hair to get rid of the gray, but just consider what Solomon is saying – a gray head can be a crown of glory.

:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

:32 He who is slow to anger

Anger is not a good thing.

Illustration

A big shot business man had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. He was a royal pain to the nurses because he bossed them around just like he did his employees. None of the hospital staff wanted to have anything to do with him. The head nurse was the only one who could stand up to him. She walked into his room and announced, “I have to take your temperature.” After complaining for several minutes, he finally settled down, crossed his arms and opened his mouth. “No, I’m sorry, the nurse stated, “but for this reading, I can’t use an oral thermometer, I have to use a rectal thermometer.” This started another round of complaining, but eventually he rolled over and bared his behind. After feeling the nurse insert the thermometer, he heard her announce, “I have to get something. Now you stay JUST LIKE THAT until I get back!” She leaves the door to his room open on her way out. He curses under his breath as he hears people walking past his door, laughing. After almost an hour, the man’s doctor comes into the room. “What’s going on here?” asked the doctor. Angrily, the man answers, “What’s the matter, Doc? Haven’t you ever seen someone having their temperature taken before?” After a pause, the doctor replies, “Yes, but never with a daffodil!”

You might think your anger is useful to you, but it’s not.

You don’t look good in anger anymore than you do in daffodils.

Paul said,

(Ephesians 4:31–32 NLT) —31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

:33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.

(Proverbs 16:33 NLT) We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.

I don’t think Solomon is suggesting we should make our choices by the toss of the dice, but that there are times in our lives when things seem to happen randomly, and perhaps they aren’t as random as we think.  Perhaps God is behind it.

 

I want to revisit a verse we shared earlier…

Lesson

Your choice

(1 Timothy 2:4–6 NKJV) —4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
God wants you saved from hell, but the choice is up to you.