Instead of Many Words - Proverbs 21-25
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It was a “Take Your Child to Work Day” and the doctor had brought his six-year-old daughter to the hospital. He introduced her to everyone, gave her a tour of the building, and then showed her the corner office he worked out of.
He was sure she was impressed by how important her daddy was, and when she picked up his stethoscope he felt a surge of excitement. He had impressed her so much he was sure that she would want to be a doctor just like him.
He watched his little girl put the stethoscope to her ears.
As tears of pride came to the doctor’s eyes, his daughter lifted the end of the stethoscope to her mouth and said,
“Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order please?”
As you know by now, the book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom. It’s a compilation of the thoughts of King Solomon who was considered the wisest man who ever lived.
Proverbs means “instead of many words”. There are thousands of sayings that are said in short concise verses that are full of wisdom to help guide and direct our lives. If applied correctly, the wisdom in this book becomes a helpful tool to navigate through life in a way that God would find pleasing.
It’s impossible for us to keep all the truths in our mind at all times and impossible for us to apply all the wisdom in every situation we face. This is why it’s important for us to continually study the wisdom found in the book. Our lives should become a reflection of the wisdom we find as we daily seek God in this book.
Our assignment this past week was to study chapters 21-25. I want to recap each chapter and then dive deeply into a few verses that might help us in our spiritual journey.
Chapter 21 is a continuation of the long series of wise statements. They just keep coming, one right after another, what seems like random thoughts of wisdom.
What strikes me right away in this chapter is that God knows our innermost thoughts. Just by “doing” what is considered right is not enough to please God. He knows whether or not in our doing if we are acting in humility, arrogance or pride. He knows if our actions are motivated by worship or selfishness.
2 We may think we are doing
the right thing,
but the Lord always knows
what is in our hearts.
Chapter 22 is different instead of just reading the wisdom of Solomon we are told in verse 17 that the next 30 sayings are written by other people, but that Solomon agrees with and endorses as true and valuable.
These teachings warn against exploiting those who are weak or disadvantaged, avoiding people who cannot control their anger, and unwise financial investments.
Chapter 23 is a continuation of these 30 sayings. The first five are in chapter 22 and we find 6-18 in this chapter.
He brings us overeating, greed, money - two of my favorite verses for the week:
4 Give up trying so hard
to get rich.
5 Your money flies away
before you know it,
just like an eagle
suddenly taking off.
We also see verses of wisdom concerning our children. Discipline is given to help children learn to make good choices. It’s a reminder that God can also correct us because He loves us as His own children.
In this chapter I’d like to point out verses 17 and 18:
17 Don’t be jealous of sinners,
but always honor the Lord.
18 Then you will truly have hope
for the future.
Solomon encourages the reader not to be jealous of those who engage in sin—their hope is limited, while those who honor God can look forward to eternity.
We need to be reminded that real hope is not in this world, but in the world to come.
In this chapter we also find massive warnings about the abuse of alcohol. Drinking to get drunk will lead us to all sorts of danger.
I’ll tell you, the Bible does not forbid all use of alcohol, but it clearly states that being drunk is a sin.
18 Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.
We also have a responsibility to set a good example and not lead others to a path of addiction. We should live above reproach.
Chapter 24 is continuing these 30 sayings. This is not the first of last time wisdom reminds us to take care of the disadvantaged.
11 Don’t fail to rescue those
who are doomed to die.
12 Don’t say, “I didn’t know it!”
God can read your mind.
He watches each of us
and knows our thoughts.
And God will pay us back
for what we do.
God really does love the lost and He wants us to love them too! We know when someone needs help. We need to condition our heart to reach out and help those in need. God sees our heart and will reward our efforts in this life or the next.
Starting in verse 23 we are back to the wisdom written by Solomon.
I like how he remembers a personal time.
30 I once walked by the field
and the vineyard
of a lazy fool.
31 Thorns and weeds
were everywhere,
and the stone wall
had fallen down.
32 When I saw this,
it taught me a lesson:
33 Sleep a little. Doze a little.
Fold your hands
and twiddle your thumbs.
34 Suddenly poverty hits you
and everything is gone!
In these verses we see an example of how to observe, learn, and apply wisdom in our lives.
Chapter 25 - Most of the wisdom in proverbs was written by Solomon except the 30 we just saw in chapters 22-24. Now in Chapter 25-29 we are going to read material collected by scribes. These men worked under King Hezekiah. They seem to have collected and copied these from one set of scrolls to onto scrolls recording Solomon’s other wise teachings.
It could be Solomons sayings, but it could also be a compilation of other peoples wise sayings. We aren’t 100% sure, but we can be sure that God wants us to apply these truths to our lives.
Verses 2-10 are significant because it turns our thoughts to the fact that God knows everything. He knows the things that we can’t know or even the things we can’t comprehend.
It’s by His grace that He chooses to reveal certain truths to us, it’s our responsibility to seek that truth.
2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things
and the king’s privilege to discover them.
3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,
or all that goes on in the king’s mind!
4 Remove the impurities from silver,
and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
God will refine us as we seek His truth. What a powerful thought! What an amazing God we serve. He wants us to seek His face. He will reveal Himself as we are willing to allow Him to refine our lives.
He finishes this chapter by mentioning the danger of “too much of a good thing”, whether food or people.
27 Don’t eat too much honey
or always want praise.
Self-control and consistent lifestyle is the sign of a mature believer.
That’s the recap for these 5 chapters. There is obviously much more that could be said, but those are my observations as I studied this week.
For the rest of our time tonight I want to spend talking about a verse that really hit me as I read the scripture, read commentary, and even listened to sermons on the topic.
It’s Proverbs 22:4
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.
I think that verse stopped me in my tracks because it reminded me that I am a prideful person. I admit to you that I am proud, but I would like to be more humble because Jesus was humble.
I actually think most of us would like to be more humble. Everything in our culture wants us to be proud. Proud of our country, kids, work, and even church. But this verse reminds me that we must be humble if we are going to experience true riches.
The theme of humility is throughout the book of Proverbs. You don’t have to get very far to find out the pride is no what God wants from us.
Even outside the book of proverbs we are told this truth.
12 If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
or what about James comments on the issue:
6 In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say,
“God opposes everyone
who is proud,
but he is kind to everyone
who is humble.”
Ezekiel records what God says will happen for the humble:
26 I, the Lord God, command you to take off your royal turban and your crown, because everything will be different. Those who had no power will be put in charge, and those who now rule will become nobodies.
Pride accomplishes the opposite of what we desire: it humiliates us. But humility gets us were we want to be: it honors us.
Seems backwards right?
Think about it..it makes sense.
When we see a person who is full of himself and drawing attention to himself, what do we feel inside? Don’t we want to cut him down to size, at least a little?
And when we see someone else who is humble and lifting others up and doing a great job without expecting any thanks, don’t we want to see him get some credit?
He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted—even for us, but far more with God. We walk into a better future not through self-exaltation but through humility before Christ.
I think we need to define humility.
What is humility?
What is humility?
I think in plain english we could say that humility happens when we don’t put ourselves first.
Here are a few verses we’ve read in proverbs that teach us how to accomplish humility in our lives.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
and our main one for tonight:
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.
The fear of the Lord goes hand in hand when it comes to humility.
The fear of the Lord is us recognizing God’s character and responding by revering, trusting, worshiping, obeying, and serving Him.
In order words, when we fear the Lord, we put Him first. Above ourselves in all areas.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have self-esteem. That’s important to love yourself, but if you want to live in wisdom then you must put God first in your life.
The truth is that our Self-Esteem isn’t enough. We need to find ourselves in Christ.
When we start feeling the difference between self-esteem and Christ-esteem—that is when the idol of Self is losing its grip and Christ is saving us. It is the beginning of a whole new life.
This is hard because we have this desire for self-pity, we are over-emotional, we are clingy, manipulative, and calculating. We are prideful.
Here’s a bit of good news. We do not come to Christ because we are humble. We come to Christ because we are proud, and he receives us and loves us and helps us in our pride.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,” but the grace of the Lord is the beginning of the fear of the Lord. Jesus said in his parable of the wedding feast,
4 He sent other servants to say to the guests, “The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!”
He did not say we are ready; he said the banquet is ready.
So come. Don’t worry if you are humble enough. You’re not. Neither am I. But all of us can go to Christ right now, and moment by moment, because he promises everyone who comes to him riches and honor and life.
Let your heart be melted by the grace of Christ. That is humility—all the humility you need to come into his feast.
Humility is honoring God. Revering God. Worshiping God.
Why does humility matter?
Well, let’s ask wise King Solomon.
14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
The Hebrew word for “fears” in this proverb is different from the word in “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” This word in 28:14 is more intense. It means to tremble, to shiver, to shake.
You may remember doing this to your parents or you might remember when one of your kids did this to you.
Something has been done wrong and deserves a punishment, but when it comes time to receive the punishment the kid basically is so upset that they say, bring it on!
I know one of my kids wouldn’t clean their room. I told them, they could clean their room or else they will be grounded for a week. Their response was that they would take the week!
Well, I made it three weeks! And the room got clean.
We do this to God when we don’t reverence Him. We think the crime is better than the punishment.
The warning here is that when we harden our hearts we will find ourselves in worse shape.
The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.
Oswald Chambers
Why should we remain humble? Because God is worthy and we aren’t! He deserves our humility and requires it! When we aren’t humble we invite disaster in our lives.
12 Pride leads to destruction;
humility leads to honor.
and Proverbs 29:23
23 Too much pride brings disgrace;
humility leads to honor.
These verses summarize the entire message of the Bible: humility comes before honor. Remember Jesus? The cross came before the crown.
We should take this message and apply it to every area of our lives.
The apostle Peter saw this pattern through the entire old testament; then he looked at the life of Jesus and came to a conclusion:
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
His conclusion was that Christ was to suffer, to humble Himself, before the great glory of resurrection. Peter’s entire first letter was about first having humility and then honor.
Our suffering is not worthy the name of suffering. When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death; thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Savior Christ Jesus.
Martin Luther
We’d sure rather skip the suffering and humility and get right to the honor wouldn’t we?
We’d love to pass the test without first having to study.
But that’s not life. That’s not reality. That’s not humility.
Everybody wants to write the next mega-hit. Everybody wants a place in the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the Guinness Book of World Records or whatever. Nobody wants to be a zero.
For a person created in the image of God to be a zero is unbearable. And God himself wants to honor us.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
God want’s you to be glorified - that’s part of the plan. It’s not our pride to want something more in life, that’s the grace of God! We don’t deserve it, but He wants good things for us.
He’s not out to make you mediocre; he is out to make you glorious!
But there’s a strange way to get you there.
I read it just a few minutes ago: Humility leads to honor.
This world seems like it’s spinning on it’s own. The truth is that it’s not - God is in control. He has a plan for the world and He has a plan for you.
Your life might not look like much right now, but don’t worry about it. If you are trusting God for your SIGNIFICANCE, keep on trusting. He has you right where you’re supposed to be.
Humility means you’re trusting Christ with your life. Let Him lift you up at the right times.
I can’t help but to think about King Nebuchadnezzar. This King had it all. His life was amazing. No person living would have dared to challenge him. They couldn’t imagine him being humbled because he was so great.
The Bible and God have no problem with people having authority and dominion on the earth. In fact, that’s how God wanted it to be from the beginning of time.
It’s only when we lose our humility does God have a problem.
20 But when he became proud and stubborn, his glorious kingdom was taken from him.
Here is a prayer God will never refuse: “Lord, keep me in your humility. Keep me down low before you, where I belong.”
Humility is the safest place for every one of us. I find it good for me sometimes, when I pray, to get down on my face.
Not just on my knees—down on my face, as low as I can get.
It is contrary to my pride, but that lowest place is where I belong before the Most High God. It is also the place of blessing.
We need to be absolutely and totally deliberate in our handling of our pride. Mainly, because we don’t see our own pride most of the time.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Pride feels normal. We trust in our own minds. We feel innocent. We feel more sinned against than sinning.
The scariest thing about us is our self-assurance is that we are not alarmed by ourselves. The on-ramps to the interstate of death have no warnings, no signs, no flashing red lights. But God is telling us. We need to pay attention.
12 You may think you are
on the right road
and still end up dead.
Paul reminds us that we are people made of flesh and our desires will mess us up if we allow them to rule us.
7 Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws.
How do we escape the pull of that? We humble ourselves enough to recognize we need daily union with Christ in His word.
The Bible is a more reliable guide away from death and toward life than our own intuitions.
The Bible warns us away from death that feels like life and toward life that sometimes feels like death.
Which do you trust more—your hunches or the Bible? Humility before the Bible is a matter of life and death. That’s why humility matters.
How do we know if we are walking in Humility?
13 If you reject God’s teaching,
you will pay the price;
if you obey his commands,
you will be rewarded.
31 Healthy correction is good,
and if you accept it,
you will be wise.
13 If you don’t confess your sins,
you will be a failure.
But God will be merciful
if you confess your sins
and give them up.
There are three words in these incredible verses of wisdom that we need to see: Obey, accept, and confess.
Humility obeys the word of God, but pride despises it. When we read the Word we must remember that God is trying to speak to us, don’t dismiss verses. Seek our the meaning. It’s worth understanding that the Lord is telling you. Studying and obeying the word is an act of humility.
Humility accepts or listens to correction. We don’t like being corrected. But we need our feathers ruffled. It gives life.
When was the last time you said to someone you trust, “Help me see myself. How can I improve?” If you are not in any relationship where you trust anyone enough to open up like that and then really listen, there is a reason. The reason is not that you cannot find someone good enough for you; the reason is your pride. But humbly listening to trusted correction is essential to entering into the community of the wise.
Humility confesses and leaves behind sin. We would rather save face. But it is so freeing to confess our sins, especially to one another! When we confess and forsake our sins, we obtain mercy. The Hebrew word translated “mercy” is related to the word for a mother’s womb. Why? Because God has a soft spot in his heart for sinners who open up and come clean. God envelops us in his tenderness and warmth when we confess and forsake our sins.
How does a humble person live life? They obey the word, accept correction, and they confess sin.
The last thing I want to speak to you about tonight is a short thing.
How can we find humility?
We find it in the example of our Saviour.
6 Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain
equal with God.
7 He gave up everything
and became a slave,
when he became
like one of us.
8 Christ was humble.
He obeyed God and even died
on a cross.
9 Then God gave Christ
the highest place
and honored his name
above all others.
10 So at the name of Jesus
everyone will bow down,
those in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth.
11 And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
“Jesus Christ is Lord!”
Humility began in Heaven. We did not invent it. The Son of God revealed it. We lift ourselves up. The Son of God stepped down. Nothing is too good for us. Nothing was too low for the Son of God. We make ourselves big deals. The Son of God made himself nothing. We measure out our obedience one inch at a time, to keep control. The Son of God became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, for you and me.
And this humble God loves us proud sinners. He even wants to share his glory with us, and on terms of grace. The only price we pay is the loss of foolish ego.
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.
What new step of self-humbling is God calling you to take as you follow his Son? Whatever it is, he will honor you as you take that next step. After humility, there is honor. After the cross comes a crown.
Risk everything on God’s faithful promise. He will be true to you.
Camori - Vivian Sanders grand baby 4 days old.