Seeking Wisdom?

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Buy truth,
and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction,
and understanding

- Proverbs 23:23
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Be diligent in obtaining truth. Do not squander it.
Be earnest in gaining wisdom and understanding.

Unsatisfying Labors?

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Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.


When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.

- Proverbs 23:4-5
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Why strive for that which is not most important, nor most valuable?  Wealth is not dependable, for it can be here one day and completely gone the next.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 
- Isaiah 55:2

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 
- Jesus, Matthew 6:19-20

"For it will be pleasant"

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Incline your ear,
and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart 
to my knowledge

- Proverbs 22:17
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Put your ears to work. Engage your ears in careful listening. Do no neglect or ignore the words of the wise. Rather hear them and then heed them. Set your affections upon His knowledge. Employ your heart in knowing Him.

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FOR it will be pleasant
if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips

- Proverbs 22:18
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The End of Injustice

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Whoever sows injustice
will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail

- Proverbs 22:8
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Sowing seeds of injustice results in reaping the fruit of calamity. Such an injust one will find his wrath and judgment to become impotent.

Those who practice injustice foolishly forget about the God-Judge who is perfectly just, and who will one day unleash His perfect justice upon 100% of all the injustices ever done upon the earth. They are ignorantly digging themselves into a massive debt which they themselves will never be able to repay.

Injustice meets its end in the justice of God.

Ransoming the Righteous

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The wicked is a ransom
for the righteous,

and the traitor
for the upright

- Proverbs 21:18
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A few commentaries point to the account of Mordecai and Haman as an illustration of the principle set forth in this proverb. In that case, the Sovereign Lord arranged that the wicked (Haman) was a means of delivering the righteous (Mordecai). The wicked plans of Haman fell not on Mordecai as he had planned but upon himself. Thereby his very life was a ransom for the life of his hated enemy (although not on Haman’s terms).

Yet there is more to this proverb as it appears as a foreshadowing of that tremendous verse in 2 Cor. 5:21:
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

The righteous One gave Himself as our ransom. He took our wickedness upon Himself (made Him to be sin who knew no sin) in order to ransom those who would become right with His righteousness. This is the great exchange: The righteous given for the wicked.  The righteous One becomes wicked with our wickedness (that which did not originate in Him) in order to give us His righteousness (that which did not originate in us).

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
- Rev. 5:9

Unlike Haman this ransoming occurred on Jesus’ terms – It was not forced upon Him but He volunteered to accomplish the ransoming of the wicked (who would thereby become righteous) by the giving of Himself, the righteous (who would thereby become wicked with our wickedness and take our curse upon Himself).

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"
- Gal. 3:13

The Results of Refusing Justice

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The violence of the wicked
will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just

- Proverbs 21:7
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To refuse justice is to be eventually swept away by the ever increasing violence of the wicked. Without justice there is no border to hem in such swelling violence and thriving wickedness.

Ultimately the weapons of the wicked will be turned against themselves. We see examples of this illustrated in the gang violence that rages in the inner cities and in the wars between differing factions in organized crime. There is no end to their violence. In fact their violence only breeds more violence as those who are offended seek revenge, offend, and then are avenged upon by those whom they have offended. Yet there will finally be an end to this horrific cycle of violence, for on that great and final day the One who is perfectly Just will say “Enough.” It is then that this cycle will cease and all wrongs will at last be righted and avenged in His justice.

Doing what He does

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To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD
than sacrifice

- Proverbs 21:3
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When the Scriptures teach that something is "more acceptable to the Lord" we should probably pay attention. The Lord delights more in doing rightness and in doing justice than He does in our sacrifices.

The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, therefore what can you give to the Lord that He does not already have? Therefore what He desires from us is not what we can give sacrificially, but rather our living out His righteousness and His justice. For as we live out His righteousness and His justice we appropriately reflect the glory of His character. We then become living illustrations of the goodness of our God. Imperfect though we are, we may yet bring His rightness into situations deeply in need of it and we may bring His justice into situations which might be otherwise completely unjust – thereby displaying a glimpse of His likeness to the world around us. For as is described throughout the pages of Scripture; displaying His glory is His preeminent motivation.

The Gospel According to Proverbs 21:2

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Every way of a man
is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart

- Proverbs 21:2
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Every man considers himself good in his own eyes. Yet man's heart is deceitfully wicked and is quick to justify even the most heinous of his deeds.

Man thinks he is fine, yet his opinion is not the one that finally matters. The scale that man uses to evaluate his life is feeble and inaccurate at best and is completely useless at worst. However the scale which the Lord uses to weigh the hearts of men is a perfect scale. He measures in the minutest detail for He sees everything and nothing ever escapes His view. The Lord knows man intimately, seeing even into the thoughts and intents of his heart.

Now the miracle. The Scriptures do indeed teach us that man's heart is wicked and thereby man is deserving of God's justice. Yet though the Lord is amazingly just, He is also astoundingly merciful. He has gone out of His way to make a way for us where there was no other way. And now, having made the way, He calls to us and pleads with us to enter therein.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
- Psalm 2:12, John 3:16, 2nd Peter 3:9

Governing Those Who Govern

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The king's heart
is a stream of water
in the hand of the LORD;
He turns it wherever He will

- Proverbs 21:1
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The kings of earth represent earthly sovereignty and rule as they please, yet even they who rule on earth are subject to the ultimate sovereignty of the Lord who rules in the affairs of men. The Lord directs the king’s heart wherever He pleases as easily as He directs rivers and causes them to flow where He wills.

He who is truly Sovereign sets up kings and governments and brings them down just as easily. He has purposes even in permitting the wicked to rule for a time. Therefore what have we to fear for even the wicked who govern have no authority over us except it has been given to them by Him who purposes all things according to the counsel of His will, to the praise of His glory.

Those who govern on earth are governed by Him who uses the earth as a footstool.

Wisdom & Intolerance

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A wise king

winnows the wicked

and drives the wheel over them

- Proverbs 20:26
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This proverb highlights the wisdom in the destruction of the wicked by a king or governing authority.

Intolerance of wickedness and of wicked people is a hallmark of wise governing. For to permit freedom to such evil is to allow society to become sickened by its poison.

“The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.” (Psa. 12:8) A wise and righteous king / governing authority will not tolerate such free strutting about by the wicked, nor permit the honoring of what is vile.

Presently, in our fallen world, we do not often see such displays of righteous intolerance. Rather it seems that our day is a day in which the only thing that will not be tolerated is intolerance. We do not however despair in this because we hold fast to the hope that one day we will finally see, and delight in, the ultimate display of the grace and truth of this proverb. For then the King of Kings will finally unleash His intense intolerance of the wicked as He Himself will drive His devastating wheels of justice over them for eternity.

Thankful?

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The hearing ear and the seeing eye,

the LORD has made them both

- Proverbs 20:12
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Ever stand in awe at the glory of being able to see? Ever delight to hear the voice of a loved one or a great piece of music? The magnificent gifts of seeing and hearing are given by the Lord. Yet we often entirely overlook such blessings and fail to consider from whom they are given.

Amazingly He displays His goodness by giving such wonderful blessings even to His enemies and to those who have no gratitude for His kindness. In this He demonstrates that which He has taught, “But I say to you love your enemies.” One more example of Him making the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sending rain on the just and on the unjust.

Life is War!

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Plans are established by counsel;

by wise guidance wage war.

- Proverbs 20:18
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A wise man will solicit counsel and carefully consider the advice thereof. One who develops and engages strategic plans will be more effective than one who does not.

When life and death are on the line wisdom is especially valuable. While living in the valley of the shadow of death strategy, planning, and heeding wise counsel are well advised.

Life is war and the battle is for the affections of your heart. Therefore, with eternal consequences at stake, we must fight this battle and engage in this warfare with all diligence and with all available resources.

Steadfast Love, Poverty, & Dishonesty

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What is desired in a man
is steadfast love,

and a poor man
is better than a liar

- Proverbs 19:22
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Part 1:

Faithful and committed affection is both:
A) desired by mankind (man is the recipient)
and
B) desired from mankind (God is the recipient)

A) Desired by mankind

Steadfast love, which could also be described as faithful and committed affection, is a rare and treasured commodity among mankind. The greatest and purest source of this steadfast love is the love of God which was demonstrated most clearly in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He put His magnificent love on display by going through extraordinary means in order to make a way for us to know Him and enjoy Him forever.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
– Rom. 5:8

Mankind hungers for the magnificent love of God, though admittedly he may not know it. He does however endeavor to satisfy this hunger by a persistent pursuit of happiness – whether he seeks this happiness in God or elsewhere because of his ignorance of the ultimate source of true happiness.

B) Desired from mankind

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
– Mat. 22:37

This is what the Lord desires, requires, and commands. Yet He does not leave us only to attempt obedience on our own, He enables that which He commands. As Augustine has said, “Command what you wish, but grant what you command.”

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
- Jer. 31:33

The Lord desires, requires, and commands this because of two reasons:
1) It honors Him
2) It is best for us – because He is best for us

Part 2:

Poverty is more valuable than dishonesty.

A great many have fallen into much trouble by concluding the very opposite of what this proverb says: that dishonesty is more valuable than poverty. Multitudes have demonstrated that they would rather lie than lose their material wealth, reputations, or positions. After all who would want to lose everything when he could simply be dishonest and avoid the hassle?

This evidences the fallen condition of creation in which the Kingdom principles are turned topsy-turvy and upside-down into the principles of this fallen world. The fallen world almost always reflects the opposite image of the Kingdom of God. In contrast, those who follow Him walk in His ways and thereby reflect rightly His glory and the glory of His Kingdom. In the midst of this topsy-turvy world, living as a citizen of His Kingdom looks quite foreign and often times even ridiculous. Does it not seem quite foolish (by the world’s standards) to be honest when it might cost you everything you own?

One famous example from recent history is President Clinton’s unforgettable lie in regards to the White House intern, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Apparently Clinton did not value honesty above his reputation or his position. Considering the moral decay which evidenced itself in this situation it is not surprising that dishonesty and perjury would be added to adultery – for when a wicked deed comes into the light it often brings its friends.

Offense & Good Sense

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Good sense
makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory
to overlook an offense

- Proverbs 19:11
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One who is wise will have control over his temper. Overlooking offenses is an honor to one who possesses wisdom.

Seems Right Until...

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The one who states his case first

seems right,

until the other comes

and examines him

- Proverbs 18:17
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The first side of the story always sounds right until the other side of the story is heard. The truth of this proverb is often demonstrated in various circumstances at work. For instance when we respond to a domestic violence incident we separate the parties and begin to interview them one at a time. The first to speak always sounds right until the second party speaks. Often times the truth lay somewhere in between the two accounts.

Being Tested?

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The crucible is for silver,
and the furnace is for gold,
and the LORD tests hearts

Proverbs 17:3
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The extreme heat of the fire purifies precious metals, so also the Lord purifies the hearts of those who are His. Considering the context of the rest of the scriptures, this verse does not seem to be saying that He tests a heart as if He does not know what is in the heart to begin with. One example of such is seen in John 2:25 where it is made clear that the Lord does not need the testimony of men, for He knows what is in man. He who sees all need not be informed as to what is in the hearts of men.

The Lord knows us intimately, yet kindly He does not leave us the way we are currently. One of the reasons He orchestrates certain events and allows particular circumstances is to purify the hearts of those who are His. He has purposes in pain - though often we may not know what these purposes are this side of eternity. His all-knowing intentionality and complete sovereignty are massive foundations for us to rest assured that our sufferings are not in vain.

The Tremendous Value of Self-Control

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Whoever is slow to anger
is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit
than he who takes a city.

- Proverbs 16:32
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Great strength is not nearly as valuable as a bridled temper. Self-control is more to be desired than great exploits.

The Devastation of Arrogance

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Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

- Proverbs 16:18
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Ruin and devastation are consequences of egotism and overconfidence. Falling results from thinking you can stand on your own.

The Contagion of Reconciliation

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When a man's ways please the LORD,

He makes even his enemies

to be at peace with him.

- Solomon, Proverbs 16:7
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Peace with men, even enemies, is a result of peace with God.

Destination Consideration

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There is a way

that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

- Solomon, Proverbs 14:12
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Who walks a path, and delights in it, knowing all the while that the path is heading in the direction of certain death? A great multitude imagine that the path they are on is correct, but they fail to comprehend its final destination.