Proverbs 14

Good morning Church! It is a real privilege to be with the people of God this hour as we once again look to hear His voice, with great perspicuity and great clarity, from the pages of His word. Every book written by man under his own inspiration will never compare to the crystal clear teachings of this book. So many Christians are looking to discern God’s will for their lives. Many times with great struggle and difficulty. And yet so much of God’s will for us is easy to find if we would just search the Word of Truth.

For example, IS it always God’s will to take care of widows and orphans? I can say emphatically, Yes. Not because I am some kind of prophet or clairvoyant, or I have some kind of hidden knowledge that everyone else isn’t privy to. No. It’s because this Word says in James 1 verse 27 that to look after orphans and widows is pure, undefiled religion.

Those that care for, love, and serve widows and orphans are smack dab in the center of God’s will. His word couldn’t be clearer.

Saints, many of us act as though we are looking for him to somehow open up the heavens and speak with a big booming voice. This is my will. Or we look at God like he’s some sort of apparition. Knock once for yes. Knock twice for no. And yet, so much of His will is clearly laid out to us if we would only mine it from His Word, that very word we are exploring here today in Proverbs 14. In fact, let’s turn their. turn to Proverbs chapter 14 as we start a new chapter today. Let’s read the entire chapter together. I am reading out of the ESV this morning.

14 The wisest of women builds her house,but folly with her own hands tears it down.2  Whoever walks in uprightness fears the LORD,but he who is devious in his ways despises him.3  By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,but the lips of the wise will preserve them.4  Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.5  A faithful witness does not lie,but a false witness breathes out lies.6  A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.7  Leave the presence of a fool,for there you do not meet words of knowledge.8  The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,but the folly of fools is deceiving.9  Fools mock at the guilt offering,but the upright enjoy acceptance.10  The heart knows its own bitterness,and no stranger shares its joy.11  The house of the wicked will be destroyed,but the tent of the upright will flourish.12  There is a way that seems right to a man,but its end is the way to death.13  Even in laughter the heart may ache,and the end of joy may be grief.14  The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.15  The simple believes everything,but the prudent gives thought to his steps.16  One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,but a fool is reckless and careless.17  A man of quick temper acts foolishly,and a man of evil devices is hated.18  The simple inherit folly,but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.19  The evil bow down before the good,the wicked at the gates of the righteous.20  The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,but the rich has many friends.21  Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.22  Do they not go astray who devise evil?Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.23  In all toil there is profit,but mere talk tends only to poverty.24  The crown of the wise is their wealth,but the folly of fools brings folly.25  A truthful witness saves lives,but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.26  In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence,and his children will have a refuge.27  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,that one may turn away from the snares of death.28  In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,but without people a prince is ruined.29  Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.30  A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,but envy makes the bones rot.31  Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,but he who is generous to the needy honors him.32  The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,but the righteous finds refuge in his death.33  Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.34  Righteousness exalts a nation,but sin is a reproach to any people.35  A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

One of the wonderful things about the Proverbs is that we can relate. We can relate with those it is instructing. Proverbs speaks to the everyday mothers, fathers, children, friends, and colleagues. We find wise men and foolish men. We find women of wisdom and woman devoid of it. We find those who are passionate and are driven to do what is right and what is required. We also find those who are lazy and absent of any diligence. We also find those tempted by sin and those who are doing the tempting. In Proverbs we find those who love God and those who have a disdain for Him.

In essence, we find the condition of the human heart with and without God. It is such a relatable and practical book to glean wisdom and truth from. The everyday living, spirit walking nature of this book is why it is so important for us to be students of it. It has the power to change how we live this life in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

If you want to know God’s will for your life from day to day, just open this book up and soak it all in. This is a manual for your everyday living.

King Solomon begins verse 1 by stating...

 The wisest of women builds her house

As we begin studying this chapter verse by verse and line by line, it would help us to know who are the wisest of women being spoken of here. And we will let Scripture interpret Scripture here as we discover who these women are. Turn with me to a chapter of this book we haven’t yet studied and that chapter is chapter 31 and let’s read about these wise women starting with verse 10. Let’s read it together.

10 [d] An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. 15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. 16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She dresses herself[e] with strength and makes her arms strong. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.[f] 22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

We see here a very familiar passage of Scripture that describes what a woman of God is and how the wisest of women live. She genuinely love’s her husband and her husband trusts her with his very life. She works diligently at whatever the task is before her. This woman provides those things that sustain her family and all those under her care. She cares for those in need. She’s a hard worker.

Even working at providing a quality product for sale with the merchants in the marketplace. In essence, this woman works both in the home and outside the home. She is an important and productive member of society. This woman is so good and so great at what she does, that her husband and her children praise her and called her a blessing. And not only does she get praise in the home, put she receives praise in society, in the streets, in the marketplace.

And what does God say about a woman who is and does all these things? We see what He says in verse 26. Whenever she opens her mouth. What comes out? WISDOM. And a woman who has wisdom or a woman who fears the Lord, is to be praised.

So, going back to verse 1 of Proverbs 14, we now know who the wisest women are. Those that look like the Proverbs 31 woman. Those that fear the Lord. And what does verse 1 say of the wisest women? THEY build their house. And the word house here refers to her HOUSEHOLD. In the time when this verse was written, a woman built her household, by having children, raising them in the admonition of the Lord, caring for her husband, and helping with the household economy.

Yes, God does allow women to work outside the home. In fact, wise women can and do contribute to the financial well-being of the household. However, as Titus 2 reveals, their primary ministry is to be keepers of the home above everything else. And those who model themselves after the Proverbs 31 woman, are those, as verse 1 of Proverbs 14 states, who are the wisest.

Ladies, as we see in Proverbs 31, genuinely wise woman are vital to the well-being of the home. They are vital nurturers, help meets, and contributors to the family dynamic. Ladies, God has called you to a life of wisdom and that is why it is so important that you are students of the Word.

Don’t leave it up to your husbands to instruct you in the ways of God. Yes, he SHOULD be sanctifying you by the washing of the Word, but you have a responsibility to be self-feeders when it comes to God’s Word. YOU should daily be looking to the Truth to transform your heart and the way in which you minister to your family. Reading, mediating on, and applying the Lord’s word to your life is where you become wise.

And from that wisdom you give good counsel to your husband and your children. As well as, those who are in your sphere of influence. It shapes the way in which you are salt and light to the world around you.

Ladies, you are to be Bereans, searching the scriptures with passion and diligence, as you build a house, a family, a clan, a tribe, a lineage, a godly household, a people dedicated to Christ and his kingdom. You are influencing your children with every word you say and every deed you perform. I see so much of my wife in our daughter. And the crazy thing is, much of it was caught and not just taught. Hannah is spiritually minded, she’s a student of theology, she’s also not a person who just goes with the flow of the world. And much of that was caught through her mother’s example. Ladies, wise women build their households and are called blessed.

But what about those ladies who aren’t building a household wisely? What is their end game?

Well, we see it in the rest of verse 1. Solomon writes.

folly with her own hands tears it down.

Folly here is a foolish woman who lacks good judgement, good discernment. And this woman who lacks wisdom is the same person who tears down the house. The word “tears” here in verse 1 is the idea of annihilation and destruction. In other words. Not only can a woman with wisdom build up a household by putting feet to her faith, but a foolish one can destroy that same house.

Those wives and mothers who follow after their own wisdom have the ability to wreak havoc, even bring destruction and ruin to the family. And as verse 1 says, she does it by her own hands.

Ladies, if your lives as a wife or mother revolves around selfishness and not selflessness, expect the repercussions to cause real harm to those under your care. Those that you are called to love.

Wife, if in your selfishness, you decide to live like you are single while being married, expect your marriage to suffer. If you spend more time at girls night out than you do with dinner in with the husband, it’s only a matter of time before your marriage results in ruin. I say it all the time, you can’t live like your single while being married. It never works out in the end.

Moms, if you spend more time watching soaps than you raising your kids, it will only end in tragedy. If you spend more time on Facebook than you do on THE BOOK, God’s word, your relationships will suffer. Because, it is the very word of God that teaches us how to have successful relationships.

None of those things will result in becoming wise. They will only end in heartache and suffering. And as verse 1 states, folly, a foolish woman, tears down the household with her own hands.

Solomon continues on in verse 2 with...

Whoever walks in uprightness fears the LORD,but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

Again we find here the idea of walking in a certain manner and that manner being in uprightness. And this uprightness is God’s moral standard. In other words, for those who obey God’s commands, his precepts, his statutes. For those who desire to obey the standards He has set forth in His word, they are the ones exhibiting godly fear. And as we know, godly fear is a reverence or awe. Those that love God as is evidenced in their obedience to him, are the ones who really reverence him.

And what about those who do not fear the Lord? The rest of verse 1 speaks to their reality. Solomon says he who is devious in his ways despises him. A devious person here is characterized by insincerity or deceit. In essence, we see a person here who’s lifestyle is one of lying. Liars despise the Lord.

The Hebrew word here for “despises” is very strong. It’s the Word “bah zah” and it means to look down upon with contempt. And contempt means deserving of scorn, because one is worthless. That is what the devious person thinks about God in this passage.

Church, those that are liars have no regard for God. By their actions, they are spitting in God’s face and in their hearts they deem God worthless. Brothers and sisters, that is pretty damning stuff. Those that live a lifestyle of lying do not love the Lord. In fact, they hate Him. That’s how strong this verse is.

Saints, be very careful in getting entangled with those who lie as a way of life. They are folks with only Their best interest in mind. They are folks who look on God with contempt. They hate him as is evidenced in their disobedience to him. Every departure from God’s will for their lives, is a pitting of their will against His. It’s an endorsement of the wisdom they find in their own eyes, instead of the wisdom of the Lord. Putting themselves on the throne of their hearts.

And not only should we watch out for this in others, we should evaluate ourselves. Do our actions speak to the reality that we hate Jesus? Are we like Peter, lying, denying Jesus over and over?

When our ways are not God’s ways, we are showing him by our deeds that we do not love him. God doesn’t care about our lip service. Matthew 15 verse 8 says that people can worship God with their lips, but their hearts be far from Him. Be careful of those who’s ways are devious and deceptive. It only ends in ruin. Remember the words of Proverbs chapter 3 verse 32. the devious person is an abomination to the Lord. Only the upright are in His confidence.

Let’s continue on with verse 3 of Proverbs 14. Solomon writes.

By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Solomon begins verse 3 with a curious phrase. By the mouth of a fool comes a rod to his back.

As we know, a fool is the person who is devoid of the wisdom of God and follows after the wisdom of man. And here in verse 3, this fool opens his mouth and gets a rod to his back side. And interestingly, this particular use of the word “rod” here is find in only one other place. In Isaiah 11 verse 1. Where the word of God says, There shall come forth a shoot or a rod, from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

This verse is really talking about the kind of fruit we bear. Depending on whether we are a good tree bearing good fruit or a bad tree bearing bad fruit.

So, if we go back to verse 3 of Proverbs 14, the fruit of a fool is rod to the back. In other words, the consequence of a person speaking foolishly, is to receive chastisement. God will not let sin go unpunished.

And not only will God not let sin go unpunished, he will likely use someone else to administer this punishment. We know this because verse 3 says this rod is used on the backside. It’s pretty hard if not impossible to properly whack yourself in the rear by your own hand. Let along use a rod to spank yourself. If you can, you need to go and join the circus. This whacking of the backside is most likely done by another person.

We see all through out Scripture, instances where God used another person, or a another group, or another invading army to punish a people. In the Scriptures, God used both believers and unbelievers to accomplish His purposes and chastise those who chooses to.

Saints, once again, God does not wink at sin. You may going along in this life. Living life on your terms, in your own way, by your own wisdom, for your own pleasure, and your own glory. Thinking that I’ve lived life on my terms for a long time, it seems to be working, why fix what isn’t broken. And to that I would say, don’t mistake God’s graciousness towards you in your sin as some kind of pass on His judgment. He will, at some point, exact His wrath and judgment on you. You will not go unpunished. God is so serious about our sin that He sacrificed His only Son to die because of it. If He would pour out His wrath on His own Son, don’t be a fool in thinking He won’t pour our His wrath on you. If you do not repent and believe, that is exactly what He will do.

But, what about the wise?

Solomon says in the rest of verse 3 that the lips of the wise will preserve them.

The word “preserve in the Hebrew here means “to guard or to be secure”. And how will the lips of the wise preserve them? The “them” being described here is not the wise. It’s the fools. In other words, if a fool listens to the wise words of those that counsel them, their life will be preserved. It will be guarded and secure.

Church, this is why it is so important that we counsel from the Word. That we counsel from the cross. Our words will not eternally preserve a person. Our words will not bring everlasting security to a person. Our words will never truly transform a life. Only the life giving words of Christ will do all that.

There is all kinds of counseling going on in the world today. On a professional level as well as a every day casual level. Some of it good, a lot of it bad. However, none of it can truly transform a person at the Spirit level. The counsel that has that power, is the counsel that you and I can give. The counsel of the cross. The place where real transformation happens. Whether you counsel formally or informally this week, the counsel of Christ is the most important. And as verse 3 tells us here, it’s the only counsel that will preserve a people.

Let’s continue on with verse 4. Solomon writes.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

Some of us may be scratching our heads right now saying, what did Solomon just say here? He starts off with a curious phrase. Where there are no oxen the manger is clean.

Some of you may be thinking, well duh? Of course the stable the stall will be clean without the animals food coming in one end and out the other. There’s no sty without the pigs. There’s no horse apples without the horses.

The key to a nice and tidy barn or stable or feeding trough is to just get rid of all the animals. problem solved. However, it’s those same animals, or as verse 4 says, those same oxen who help the farmer bring in a profit, or as verse 4 says, an abundance of crops.

What Solomon is trying to tell us here in verse 4 that to increase one’s prosperity, you have to accept the responsibilities that go along with increasing your prosperity.

I am reminded of every generation that comes behind the next. children wanting what their parents have now. The things that took their parents 40 years of blood, sweat, and tears to own. Wanting what the parents have worked for, but not wanting to do the 40 years of work that it took to get them where they are in life. Every generation wants to go down that path.

I want to take a moment here to address something I see in the young people today. Everyone of you have incredible potential. Everyone of you have gifts and skills and talents that can be used to do some amazing things for God, but the apathy towards your future and the lack of drive and ambition I see in you is a cause for concern.

As John Piper so emphatically points out, don’t waste your life. Don’t waste your life increasing your likability on Facebook, Instagram, and Tick Tok. Don’t waste your life living in your parents basement while you obsess over what kind of filters work best on your social media posts.

Young men, your future wives don’t need video game, couch potato warriors, being masters of their make-believe universe. They need men who are lovers of God, servants of all, and have the passion, drive, and desire to live for Jesus. Men who aren’t obsessed with their reflections in the mirror, but men who are obsessed with being a reflection of God.

Young men, DON’T waste your lives. Your future wives don’t want want men who still act like little boys. The Apostle Paul says to put away childish things. Your future wives need lovers, learners, and leaders. They don’t need husbands coming home after work, only to veg out on the Nintendo switch or the latest play station, while they live as widows in the very same home.

Young men, do something great for God. Do something that builds a fruitful legacy when you leave this planet. Don’t get sucked up into the messaging you see on every sitcom and romcom that portrays you as the village idiot or buffoon that’s just eye candy for your lady. That you are helpless, clueless, and hopeless in a marriage. Prove to the world that this depiction is not a depiction of you.

Young ladies, Don’t waste your life either. Don’t go around life thinking that it has no meaning without a boyfriend on your arm. Don’t go around being obsessed with guys. You’re more than that. Be obsessed with God. Don’t look at your life as though it CAN’T be complete without a guy in your life. That somehow life isn’t worth living if I can’t have my man. That’s a lie from the devil himself. Sister, if you are in Christ, you have everything you need. Go and do great things for God.

Don’t think that your life begins when someone else loves you. Your heavenly Father loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you. Young lady, if you are a child of God, you have worth, your worth isn’t found in another guy, your worth is found in Jesus. Be obedient to Him. Follow after Him. Work for Him. Don’t wait for a husband or a family. You may be single for the rest of your life. Your journey starts now.

Ladies, don’t measure your worth by how attractive or unattractive you think you are or by how attractive or unattractive you think a guy thinks you are. Your worth is found in Christ. It’s found in the One who has an everlasting love for you.

Ladies, go and be productive members of society. Go and use the gifts God has given you for his glory. You can’t put your life on hold based on if you will be married or not. You are called to follow after Jesus now. You are called to do the work he has set before you now. Don’t waste your life waiting. Go and be what God has called you to be now.

And as Solomon tells us in verse 4, take on all the responsibilities that come from being a productive member of God’s kingdom.

Well, we are going to stop right here this morning. Young people, I’m not telling you these things to tear you down. I’m telling you these things to raise you up. To call you up to a higher place. To call you to go against the tide of the world and swim up stream where God calls His people to live.

You may be here in this room today feeling hopeless and helpless when it comes to swimming up stream and against the wisdom and counsel of the world. You may be here this morning feeling depressed and defeated, because you don’t know where you stand with God. You don’t know if God is really fighting your battles, because you don’t know who’s side you are fighting on.

I’m here to tell you this morning, there is HOPE. You don’t have to despair and you don’t have to wonder. It all can be sorted out through the Gospel.

And the Gospel is this.

Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. Sent to this world through the virgin Mary so that he might show us how to live under the law while being sinless. The law that we break every single day and the same law that shows us we can never be good enough to fulfill it.

However, Jesus the sinless Son of the living God met all the requirements of this law, obeying it perfectly and stands ready to give us that kind of righteousness under the law, so that we can be in perfect standing before a holy God.

Jesus lived on the earth for 33 years and eventually he went to a cruel cross and was raised up on that cross to die. To die for the sins of many. And upon that cross all the sins of everyone who would believe in him were transferred to him. And He who knew no sin was made to be sin so that we might become his righteousness.

A divine exchange was made there and everything that was totally wicked and depraved about us was placed on him and everything that was perfectly holy in him was placed on us. And it was through this exchange that He reconciled us to a holy God.

There is no other way in which we can have a relationship with God the Father, apart from the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

You must call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and not look for salvation in yourself, or denominations, or baptisms, or good works, or church membership, but look exclusively to Jesus Christ and him alone.

Nothing you could ever do can save you from your sin and the wrath to come. Only Jesus and Jesus alone can accomplish that insurmountable task.

He tells us that all who come to him will in no wise be cast out. He loves and is a friend to sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came for the unrighteous. He came not for the well, but those who are sick, sick in their trespasses and sins.

Will you step out in faith today and tell Jesus you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Will you call upon Him today? Will you confess Him as Lord? Will you ask him to forgive you of your sins that offend a holy God?

If you do, the very fact you are able to do that is even a gift from Him. He gives us the faith and repentance to believe in Him.

If the Lord is calling you this morning and drawing you to himself, please heed that drawing, that calling. If you do, your scarlet sins will be made white as snow.

And you will be able to stand in perfect righteousness before a righteous and holy God. And may those of us who are being saved never stray so far that we can’t remember that such were some of us. Sinners in need of a Savior every moment of the day. May Jesus always keep us near the cross. Let’s pray.