Proverbs chapter 15

 

Memory verse: Proverbs 15:1

 

The book of Proverbs was written mostly by Solomon, who is known as the wisest man ever (1Kings 3:12, 1Kings 4:31, 1Kings 10:23). When God offered him what amounted to a blank check to ask what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom (1Kings 3). He wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. The book of Proverbs contains 888 verses, which means most of his proverbs are not contained in the Bible. Also, we only have one of his songs, the book of the Song of Solomon. At least part of the book of Proverbs was inspired by Solomon’s father David, and is a record of things he taught him (Proverbs 1:1, Proverbs 4:1-6). Solomon passed these things on to his son (Proverbs 1:8-10, 2:1-5, 3:1-32 (1, 11 & 21), 4:1-27 (1, 3-4, 10 & 20), 5:1-23 (1, 7 & 20), 6:1-35 (1, 3 & 20), 7:1-27 (1 & 24), 8:32). The phrase “my son” appears 24 times. The greatest legacy a parent, especially a father, can leave a son is not money, houses, or things. It is the wisdom he has gained from a relationship with God. The book of Proverbs is truly amazing in its coverage of so many issues of life in so short a volume. There are 105 references to the words we speak, 74 to handling money, 53 to wisdom, 36 to people in authority, 33 to diligence versus laziness, 32 to fools, 25 to women, 25 to correction with 9 additional ones specific to children, 18 to knowledge, 13 to shame, and 10 to witnesses). When people say, “Kids don’t come with and instruction manual”, I say, “Yes they do – the book of Proverbs”. Man will never be wiser than God – not even close. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10), which is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7). It is better than wealth (Proverbs 8:11, Proverbs 16:16). It is better than strength (Ecclesiastes 9:16-18). Parts of the book of Proverbs are collected individual sayings rather than entire chapters of continuous writing. That is the case with chapter 15. Some of Solomon’s proverbs were copied out in the days of Hezekiah (Proverbs 25:1).

 

Day 1 – a soft answer turneth away wrath

Verses 1-7

An answer is a response to something. Therefore, verse one is talking about someone coming to you in anger and your chosen response, and yes we do choose. It doesn’t matter if the other person is right or wrong. Our behavior cannot be based on what other people do or don’t do. It must be based on our effort to please God and do what is right to Him. God’s values are not man’s values (Isaiah 55:8-9, Ezekiel 18:25). Sometimes what God requires seems to be the opposite of what we think we should do. That is because our carnal nature is the enemy of God (Romans 8:6-9). God gives us the Bible and the Holy Ghost to guide us into a higher way of living. Even when being unjustly provoked, the best way to respond is God’s way. Answering in the same way the angry person is coming at us only aggravates and perpetuates the problem. The “oh yeah” response only shows our immaturity. The goal of the Christian is to make peace if at all possible (Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:18, Hebrews 12:14, James 3:18). If peace is not possible, it should be because the other person refuses, or because they want us to violate the scriptures to have their version of peace which is not of God. Peace is not always possible (Matthew 10:34-38). Sometimes just controlling our tone of voice without changing our position can make all the difference. Purposefully using hurtful and offensive words does just that – it shows our purpose is to be hurtful, and not to reconcile. Words cannot be taken back once spoken. We need to ask God like David did to “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3).” God sees everything, and monitors every word we speak. Jesus said, “every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36)”. Idle means lazy or careless. It takes great effort to always say the right thing (James 3). Uncontrolled and undisciplined words have done much damage. How powerful are our words! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21).”

There are 25 verses in Proverbs about correction. This is also about how we receive words. When we listen to reproof, we are wise. When nobody can tell us anything, we are fools. The righteous are not automatically materially rich. They are spiritually rich. In their house is wisdom, love, and peace. These are much greater treasures than money (Psalm 37:16, Proverbs 15:16, Proverbs 16:8, Proverbs 21:9, Proverbs 25:24). The rich are often the most miserable people of all. They have what the world says makes you happy, and they are not. They see nothing left to seek, and too often never turn to God (Matthew 19:23-26).

 

Day 2 – a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance

Verses 8-14

It is a privilege to have access to God. We must not take it for granted. “What is man, that thou art mindful of him…(Psalm 8:4)?” Abraham said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27).” We need to be careful with our approach to Him, and remember who it is (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3). We should maintain an attitude of repentance and the utmost respect. People talk about Cain’s sacrifice versus Abel’s (Genesis 4). Some say that Cain’s was from the cursed ground, and Abel’s involved blood and death and therefore was typical of Christ. Grain sacrifices were part of the tabernacle system (Leviticus 2, Leviticus 6:14-23, Leviticus 14:10-31, Leviticus 23:13-37, Numbers 7, Numbers 15:4-9, Numbers 28-29). The bigger problem was Cain’s attitude, especially toward his brother (Proverbs 21:27, Matthew 5:21-26, 1John 3:9-12). His bad attitude and disrespect toward God was also clear (Genesis 4:9). God does not need our sacrifices. He wants to commune with us. Wickedness is disgusting to God, and causes our sacrifices to be unacceptable to Him. It is the prayers of the upright that God enjoys.

Chastisement is evil to a sinner, but that is what keeps people from destroying themselves. God can see everyone who went to hell because they refused to listen to reproof. He knows what is in our hearts. A joyful heart is reflected on the face. Joy is different than happiness. Real joy comes from a relationship with God (Nehemiah 8:10). It is a sense of the joy of God Himself that He chooses to get from our righteousness. Joy is not an emotion, and is not dependent on pleasant circumstances. It is deeper and longer lasting than  fleeting emotion. The word translated sorrow in verse 13 actually means pain, hurt, injury or wound. When we choose to continually focus in our heart on these things, we rob ourselves of the strength the joy of the Lord gives us. It can poison our spirit. It is our choice. We all get hurt. That is unavoidable (Matthew 18:7). We choose whether or not it takes over us. Whatever we feed on, we are always seeking more. The wise are seeking greater understanding. The fool feeds on more foolishness.

 

Day 3 – a wise son maketh a glad father

Verses 15-21

The days of the poor are troubled, but a joyful heart is always feasting at a banquet. It is not that the banquet causes the joy. It is that the choice to have joy regardless of the circumstances causes the banquet (Philippians 4:11, 1Timothy 6:6). It is better to have little materially and have God, than to have a lot of stuff without God. Neither poverty nor riches determine our spiritual condition. Our choice to fear God or not does. We can be poor and miserable, and we can be rich and miserable. We can be poor and spiritually blessed, and we can prosper materially and be blessed spiritually (3John 2). We can use material things to serve us, or we can serve material things (1Corinthians 7:31). The question is, do we own things or do they own us? We do not have to be rich to be owned by things. When the poor are so focused on what they don’t have instead of what they do that they cannot rejoice in the Lord and be thankful, things own them. When people are so focused on getting more things that God is not their first priority, things own them. There is a balance (Proverbs 30:7-9).

Everyone gets angry, even God (Ephesians 4:26). The question is, do we control our anger, or does it control us? “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God (James 1:20).” Angry people cause fights. Christians should be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). The way of a lazy man is like a row of hedges made of thorn bushes. It is very complex and difficult to get through, and cuts up whoever tries it. Lazy people spend more effort trying to get out of work than it takes to just so what needs to be done. The righteous just simply do the right thing (1John 3:7). It makes life so much easier. Their way is made plain. The word translated plain means to make a passable road by clearing out the obstacles and building it up. This word also appears in Isaiah 57:14, Isaiah 62:10, and Jeremiah 18:15.

We talk much about the influence parents have on their children, and well we should. However, children also influence their parents. Children can be a blessing or a curse to their parents depending on how they act. Esau kept marrying the wrong women which his parents could not stand (Genesis 26:34-35). David’s sons Absalom and Adonijah rose up against him (2Samuel 12:11, 2Samuel 15-18, 1Kings 1). “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth (3John 4).” John was talking about his spiritual children, but the principle still applies (Proverbs 10:1 & 5, Proverbs 17:2 & 6 & 21 & 25, Proverbs 19:13 & 26-27, Proverbs 20:7 & 11 & 20, Proverbs 23:13-35, Proverbs 27:11, Proverbs 28:7 & 24, Proverbs 29:3, Proverbs 30:11-17, Proverbs 31:1-5 & 28). The fool thinks he is having a great time in his folly. They think the righteous are missing out, and are the fools (1Peter 4:4). They don’t understand that there is more to live for than just immediate gratification. There is a latter end for the righteous and the wicked (Deuteronomy 8:16, Deuteronomy 32:29, Job 42:14, Proverbs 19:20, Isaiah 47:7, 2Peter 2:20). Fools do not see far off. 2Peter 1:9 talks of these people and literally uses the word we use today for nearsightedness – myopia. Wisdom considers this.

 

Day 4 – a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

Verses 22-27

Having good advisors is essential to spiritual success, especially for leaders (Prov 11:14, Prov 12:15, Prov 19:20-21, Prov 20:5 & 18, Prov 24:6, Prov 27:9). We need wise Christians around us who will tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear (Prov 27:5-6 &17, Gal 4:16). There are 105 references to the words we speak in the book of Proverbs, more than any other topic. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver (Prov 25:11-12)” is a most poetic proverb. Not only is what we say important, but also how and when we say it (Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 29:11). Timing is everything. A wise man looks to God for his direction (Ps 121:1, Colossians 3:1-2, James 3:14-18). He also looks to those who are above him in leadership and authority.  That is how we depart from hell beneath. There is nothing wrong with taking responsibility for ourselves, but not to the exclusion of good advice. Pride as defined in the Bible is not feeling good about doing well. It is thinking of yourself more highly than you ought to, and comparing yourself to others you think are less than you. It involves unbalanced self-reliance to the exclusion of God and His people. It says, “I don’t need God or anybody telling me what to do”. That is an expedited path to self-destruction. God did not design us to be totally independent. He created us in such a way so that we need to interact with Him and others without becoming irresponsible and overly dependent on people to do what we are supposed to do ourselves. Everyone needs a boost once in a while. God made special promises to orphans and widows. There are 21 verses where they are given special attention. There is a difference between being irresponsible and having needs that we cannot provide for ourselves.

God not only evaluates our actions. He also weighs our thoughts (Genesis 6:5, 1Chronicles 28:9,

Matthew 9:4, Matthew 12:25, Hebrews 4:12). That is where our actions come from (Matthew 15:18-19). The greedy bring trouble to their house in at least two ways. They violate scriptural principles on finance, so God cannot bless their efforts. God’s financial plan is very simple. We realize that God actually owns everything, and we are just stewards of His (1Chronicles 29:13-17). Honor Him first with tithe and offering (Haggai 1, Malachi 3:8-12, Matthew 23:23). Then we are to be good stewards of the rest. There are more details on that part, but it is really just that simple. Man makes finances much too complicated. The greedy also trouble their household by being a bad example and influence to their family. Hating gifts means refusing bribes taken to pervert justice, not birthday gifts (Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19, Proverbs 17:23).

 

Day 5 – before honour is humility

Verses 28-33

The righteous takes time to think about what he is going to say before he speaks. As the saying goes, “engage brain before mouth”.  James 1:19 says, “let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”. There is a reason we have two ears and one mouth. We should listen more than we speak. “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding (Proverbs 17:28).” A paraphrase of this verse is, “It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”.

Sin creates distance between God and us (Isaiah 59:1-2). God does not want to be distant from us. When Paul described God to the ignorant Athenians, he described a God that desires a close personal relationship with all of us (Acts 17:22-31). However, God cannot violate His own word. When we do, we choose distance instead of closeness. When we choose to get close to Him by His word, He gets close to us (James 4:8). “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light (Matthew 6:22).” When our focus is on the things of God, His light can shine throughout our whole lives. This is a recurring theme in the writings of John (John 1:4-9, John 3:19-21, John 8:12, John 9:5, John 11:9-10, John 12:35-36 & 46, 1John 1:5-8, 1John 2:8-10). His light is above that of the sun (Malachi 4:2, Acts 26:13, Revelation 7:16, Revelation 21:11 & 23-24, Revelation 22:5). When we walk in the light with the Lord, we partake of His joy. Bones don’t literally get fat, but they are the place that blood is manufactured.  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1John 1:7).” Also, it means to make healthy (Proverbs 3:8, Proverbs 16:24).

Hearing reproof is wisdom (Proverbs 17:10). You can’t even beat foolishness out of a fool (Proverbs 27:22). Only the fear of the Lord can teach us wisdom. Before honor is humility (Luke 14:11). Humility is not just groveling or self-deprecation. It is seeing ourselves the way God sees us – truthfully. God does not pretend we do not have faults, but He does call us His sons. What could be more uplifting than that?