Transcription
[Music] Proverbs chapter 20 is where we come to today in our verse by verse, chapter by chapter study through the book of Proverbs. And Proverbs chap 20 is part of that large middle section of the book of Proverbs, approximately Proverbs chapter 10 through 22. And in this large middle section of Proverbs, uh, it presents a collection of one-verse, two-line sayings of wisdom that should guide our lives in a real, although general sense. And these sayings of wisdom should be understood and applied in their appropriate conditions. But almost the entirety of Proverbs 10-22 is made up of these one-verse, two-line sayings. There are a few exceptions, as we're going to come to right here in the very first verse of Proverbs chapter 20, where we have a one-verse, three-line saying. Let's take a look at that right now.
Proverbs 20, verse 1. "Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is a brawler. And whoever is led astray by it is not wise." I can think of at least two ways that wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler. First, alcohol mocks and fights with those who abuse it in any sense. You see people who have a life history of alcohol abuse, and it can fairly be said that alcohol has mocked them and that alcohol has fought against them. But there's a second sense in which these things are also true. Alcohol leads someone to be a mocker. It leads someone to be a brawler. Many men and women have had their lives dominated by the mockery and the brawling of alcohol. John Trap put it this way. He said that alcohol mocks the drunkard and makes a fool of him, promising him pleasure but paying him with the stinging of a snake. And John Trap, in his commentary, also defined what strong drink was. Because if you notice the phrasing here, it says, "Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is a brawler." He defined strong drink like this: All kinds of drink that will alienate the understanding of a man and make him drunk, as ale, beer, cider, whatever. Anything that can intoxicate you, you need to take a great deal of care with. Because as it says here in the third line of Proverbs 20:1, "Whoever is led astray by it is not wise." You see, wisdom is displayed by the ability to not be led astray by alcohol. For many people, this means not drinking alcohol at all. And I think that this would be especially true for pastors and other church leaders. But for other people, this will mean a decided, evident moderation in their use of alcohol. If a Christian brother or sister tells me that they really feel that they have the freedom, the liberty to enjoy an alcoholic beverage now and again, one thing I tell them, uh, it's not the only thing I tell them, but one of the things I do is that if you do drink alcohol, you should let your moderation be conspicuous. Everybody should be able to see, "Oh, look, they didn't even drink the whole glass of wine." "Oh, look. He's only having one beer and he's leaving some in the bottle." Again, let your moderation be conspicuous. Otherwise, it could be for you, as it describes here in verse one of Proverbs 20, you will be led astray. Charles Bridges, in his commentary on Proverbs, said, "So mighty is the spell of alcohol that the overcome slave consents to be mocked again and again." Or as Alan Ross put it in his commentary on Proverbs, he said, quote, "Moreover, given the ease with which one may make a habit of this, it is wise to avoid alcohol entirely. In the Old Testament, the use of alcohol was not prohibited. In fact, it was regularly used at festivals and celebrations, but intoxication was considered out of bounds for a member of the covenant community." And then he goes on to cite many passages in the book of Proverbs. Oh, it's true, friends. Take it down into your mind, into your soul. Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is a brawler. And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Proverbs 20:2. "The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion. Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life." Here he's using an image from a previous proverb. Back in Proverbs chapter 19:12, there was a similar imagery presented. And this proverb reminds us that those in power, those in leadership, have potential for a great and a fearful exercise of wrath. Yes, the wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion. Therefore, second line of verse two, "Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life." You see, since in many ways the king held the power of life and death over his subjects, therefore to provoke the king to anger was to endanger someone's own life. Now, knowing this principle should make us more reverent, not only to human rulers around us, but far more to the King of Kings, the Lord God who governs our lives. And we should be happy that our King of Kings is rich in mercy, that he is slow to anger.
Proverbs 20:3. "It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel." Many men feel that honor drives them to dispute and fight with others. This proverb reminds us that often times it is even more honorable for a man to stop striving. Why? Well, because any fool can start a quarrel. In many circumstances, it takes a man of honor to stop the fight, but any fool can start the quarrel and continue it. As Bruce Walke said in his commentary on Proverbs, "The wise are more concerned to bring peace than a desire to be right, but the fool cannot restrain himself and at the first opportunity explodes and shows his teeth." Friends, don't be like the fool here. Be like the honorable, wise person who seeks to stop the striving.
Proverbs 20:4. "The lazy man will not plow because of winter. He will beg during harvest and have nothing." The lazy man always finds some excuse not to do his work. It's always too early or too late in the season to begin. It's always winter and the ground is always too hard for plowing. Any excuse will work when the heart is set on not working. I like what Charles Spurgeon had to say about this proverb. He said, quote, "Suppose it were not cold. Do you know what he would say? 'Oh, it is so hot. I cannot plow. The perspiration runs down my cheeks. You wouldn't have me plowing this hot weather, would you?'" Supposing it was neither hot nor cold. Why? Then he would say, "I believe that it rained." And if it didn't rain, he would say that the ground was too dry. For a bad excuse, he believes is better than none. And therefore, he will keep on making excuses to the end of the chapter. Anything he will do rather than go and do the work he does not like, that is plowing. Friends, plowing here in this proverb represents hard work. And people who are lazy will find any excuse they can to avoid hard work. The lazy man will not plow because of winter. But don't miss the second line of this proverb. "And will beg during harvest and have nothing." I find it interesting that the lazy man will work. Well, you could say that he'll work after a fashion. He will do the work of begging. Having no reward from the work of his hands, he will even have to beg during harvest. And often his begging will go unrewarded. He will beg during harvest and have nothing. Friends, don't be the lazy man or the lazy woman. If you have trouble with this, ask God to give you the strength to be a hardworking, diligent man or woman.
Proverbs 20:5. "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out." Wisdom may lie deep within a man or a woman and not be immediately apparent. It may be a hidden reservoir ready in the season of need. Or some people believe that the metaphor being used here is of a well that is very deep, and you have to draw a bucket down deep into the well and then carefully, with much labor, draw it up. Oh, the counsel is there, but it's like deep water. And second line here of verse 5, "A man of understanding will draw it out." You see, wisdom not only knows how to get wisdom, it not only knows how to have wisdom, it knows how to use it. The man of wisdom, the man of understanding here in verse 5, knows how to draw wisdom out for practical and ready use. It's not just wisdom up on the shelf, so to speak. A a book on the shelf that you never use. No, no. It's wisdom that's drawn out and ready for use.
Proverbs 20, verse 6. "Most men will proclaim each his own goodness. But who can find a faithful man?" It is true that most everyone feels that they are good in their own eyes. And many people are happy to proclaim it to other people, wanting others to know their supposed goodness. So it is absolutely true what it says there in the first line of verse six. "Most men will proclaim each his own goodness." But second line now, "Who can find a faithful man?" True faithfulness in a man is different than self-advertised goodness. I think about this when it comes to social media. Do you think how much social media is giving over to proclaiming to everybody how good we are, how great our life is, what good people we are? Oh yeah, everybody's ready to proclaim their own goodness. But who can find a faithful man? You see, a faithful man doesn't want or need to proclaim his own goodness. The quiet satisfaction of faithfulness to God and faithfulness to his fellow man, well, that's enough. Charles Bridges, in his commentary on Proverbs, said this about this particular proverb. "Look at yourself in the mirror of God's word. Does your neighbor or your friend find that you are a faithful friend? Do you often speak what you know will be accepted rather than what is true? Never underrate the importance of moral integrity. Who can find a faithful man?" We don't find enough of them. Not in our present day, nor I'm sure Solomon would say the same of his own day.
Proverbs chapter 20:7. "The righteous man walks in his integrity. His children are blessed after him." For a righteous man or woman, their upright living and integrity will actually be lived out. They will walk in their integrity. And it's good, good not only for himself, but look at the second line of verse 7, "And his children are blessed after him." You know, the greatest gift a parent can give to a child is for that parent to be a righteous, upright person who walks in integrity. That's in the first line of verse 7. That second line tells us that his children will be blessed after him. You see, that one will create a home and atmosphere that will be a blessing to their child. Dear parent, the best, most important thing you can do for your own child is to be a man or woman who walks in his integrity, honoring the Lord, honoring the people of God. That will make your children blessed after you.
Proverbs 20:8. "A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes." Remember that in the ancient world, kings did not only govern. They were also the highest court and judge in their kingdom. A faithful king would carry out this responsibility and sit on his throne of judgment. Well, when a king does this, he should be the one who scatters all evil with his eyes. In other words, he judges righteous judgment. That godly justice and judgment in a kingdom, for example, needs to begin at the top. If you have leadership that does what is right, you will much more likely have followers who do what is right. You see, the presence alone of a king in judgment over his realm is enough to scatter all evil. When a people know that evil will be punished by godly and just leadership, it makes evil scatter. I like what Alan Ross said about this. He said, "Certainly the principle stands that a just government roots out the evils of society." Now, if this is true, and I do believe it is, it's even more true that the spirit of the Lord will test and refine humanity. When the spirit of the Lord sits on his throne of judgment over our life and we allow him to examine our life, he will scatter the evil in our life with his eyes, with his searching judgment, which convicts us by the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 20:9. "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean. I am pure from my sin'?" You know, it's a part of human nature to overestimate and to boast over one's self. Many people can say what this proverb says, uh, "I've made my heart clean. I'm pure from my sin." But there are very, very few people who can say those words with real humility and integrity. I like what Matthew P., the old Puritan commentator, said about this. He said, "No man living upon earth can say this truly and sincerely." And G. Campbell Morgan said about this verse, "This is the eternal challenge which has but one answer. When a man recognizes this, he begins to inquire for a savior." Who can say this? Who can say, "I've made my heart clean"? Who can say, "I am pure from my sin"? Now, if this is meant in any ultimate sense, this is the boast or the claim of a fool. Sometimes there are claims to a clean heart or purity from sin by some godly men in the Bible. But those claims are only true in a relative sense, such as the comparison between one's self and one's enemies. I like what Charles Bridges had to say about this in his commentary on Proverbs. He said this about Proverbs 29. He said, "Only vain people can boast that they have pure hearts, but the boast, far from showing their goodness, demonstrates their blindness. Man is so depraved that he cannot understand his own depravity." There's some truth to that. And Solomon here in Proverbs 20:9, with those words, "Who can say, 'I've made my heart clean. I am pure from sin'?" It's meant to drive us to an awareness of our need for a savior.
Proverbs 20:10. "Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike an abomination to the Lord." God wants business and trading to be done fairly and justly. To have diverse weights and measures means that you will cheat both the buyer and the seller. God wants our weights and our measures to be proper and to be consistent. And when they are corrupt, when they are diverse weights and diverse measures, look at the second line of verse 10. "They are both alike an abomination to the Lord." God feels so strongly about deceptive business practices that he used the strong word abomination to describe them. You see, God himself has fair weights and measures. And so therefore, he expects humanity, who is made in his image, to have fair weights and measures also. Do you understand that God knows how to perfectly weigh and measure things? Oh, I mean, it's true in a literal sense. If anyone knows exactly how much the world weighs, it's God. But listen, we know that not only true in a literal sense, but true in a metaphorical sense. God knows how to measure our lives, how to weigh our lives perfectly. And because he is true in his weights and measures, God expects us to be true in our weights and measures.
Proverbs 20:11. "Even a child is known by his deeds whether what he does is pure and right." You know, especially in the realm of religion and faith, it is easy for us to think of ourselves only by what we believe instead of also by what we do. Now, we are more than what we do. But even a child is known by his deeds. We shouldn't deny that other people see and understand us by the measure of our deeds. Friends, you may proclaim a great faith. You may may have every doctrinal and theological box ticked correctly. Okay, great. But you're going to be known not only by what you proclaim and profess as faith. You're going to be known by your deeds. And this is true even for children. Look at that phrase again in the first line of Proverbs 20:11. "Even a child is known by his deeds." I like what Adam Clark, that old Methodist commentator, had to say about this. He said this, quote, "We may easily learn from the child what the man will be. In general, they give indications of those trades and callings for which they are adapted by nature. And on the whole, we cannot go by a surer guide in preparing our children for the future life than by observing their early propensities. The future engineer is seen in the little handicraftsman of two years old." You know, there's a lot of truth to what Adam Clark says there. Even a child is known by his deeds. Look at a child, look at their propensities, look at their gifts, look at their interests, look at their skills. Many times you can tell even when a child is very young by what they are good at and what they can be good at. The second line of Proverbs 20:11 says, "Whether what he does is pure and right." To to the outside world, to our own community, to God in heaven, they all look at our deeds and see if they are pure and right. Friends, you may wish that the surrounding world judged you by your beliefs, by your faith, but please know they're much more likely to judge you by your deeds, whether what you do is pure and right.
Proverbs 20:12. "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both." God has given men and women remarkable capacity to see and understand the world around them. Our ability to hear and see should be for us gateways to wisdom. And why is it true that the hearing ear and the seeing eye have such capabilities? Why? Because the second line of verse 12 tells us that "The Lord has made them both." Since our hearing and our sights are gifts from God, we should determine to use them for his honor and glory. This reminds us that we can hear and see because we are made in God's image. The Lord himself has a hearing ear and a seeing eye. And because God alone has made the ear and the eye, he has perfect perception. He sees and hears exactly what is going on.
Proverbs 20, verse 13. "Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty. Open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread." To love sleep and the laziness connected to it is to bring oneself to poverty. I like what Dwayne Garrett had to say about this in his commentary. He said, "The number of hours one sleeps per day is not the point here. Love of sleep refers to laziness. But one can be lazy although sleeping very little." Now, that's true. Look, if you're lazy, don't don't compliment yourself because you stay up all night doing useless and stupid things. No, no, no. Get to work. Or, as it says here in the second line of Proverbs 20:13, "Open your eyes and you'll be satisfied with bread." It takes some initiative and some energy to open your eyes, to get out of bed, and to get to work, but the reward is worth it. You will avoid poverty and you will be satisfied with bread. In God's economic system, hard work is definitely rewarded.
Proverbs 20:14. "It is good for nothing, cries the buyer, but when he has gone his way, then he boasts." What does the buyer cry out in the marketplace when he's haggling for the best price he can get? He looks at the item and he says, "It's good for nothing." This is in the game and competition of bargaining. And in that game and competition, the buyer always wants to speak less of what he wants to buy, hoping to get a better price from the seller. Oh, this bottle of water is good for nothing. It won't do me any good. Why would I ever want it? He wants to talk it down because he wants to pay a lower price. But then it says in the second line here of Proverbs 20:14, "But when he has gone his way, then he boasts." This tells us something. The bargaining words of the buyer are empty. They're only a strategy for negotiation. No. Wh why put this proverb with this self-evident truth in here in Proverbs chap 20:14? I'll tell you why. This proverb reminds us that what people say isn't always what they believe. And people will speak falsehood for their own advantage. Or let me put it another way. People will lie when they think it will help them to lie. Oh, I I want this bottle of water. I think it's a great bottle of water, but I'm going to talk it down and say that it's useless. I'll lie about it, so to speak, simply for my own advantage. Friends, don't forget that principle. People will lie for their own advantage. What they say isn't always what they believe.
Proverbs 20:15. "There is gold and a multitude of rubies, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel." Solomon here presents the picture of a large pile of gold and precious stones. We think of this pile, you can picture it in your mind. We're impressed at its value. Look at that. It's It's so much money. It's so worth so much there. This pile of gold, this multitude of rubies. But then he says in the second line of Proverbs 20:15, "But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel." You see, now Solomon is going to present to us another treasure, the precious jewel of wise words, that is lips of knowledge. Now, when you look at the pile of gold and rubies, you instantly know that's worth something. But what we need to do is better appreciate the value of wise words. Oh friends, they have a value that can go even beyond that of gold and precious stones.
Proverbs 20:16. "Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger and hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress." Exodus 22:26 and 27 say that an Israelite could take someone's outer garment as a deposit or a guarantee for a loan, as long as they returned it each evening so it could be used as a night covering or a blanket. Solomon's advice here is that if you loan to someone who has already foolishly agreed to be surety for a stranger, then make sure you get the depositor's guarantee. If they were foolish enough to be a guarantee or a surety for a stranger, then they should be regarded as a credit risk. And make sure that you take a deposit from them before you loan them money. Basically, this is giving wise financial practices. Don't foolishly lend money to other people. And if you do, it's perfectly fine to hold them to their obligations, to make them responsible for their debts. As it says there in the second line of Proverbs 20:16, "Hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress." Now, most translations favor the word stranger or foreigner here instead of seductress. In other words, hold it as a pledge when it is for a stranger or for a foreigner. The idea here seems to focus on someone who is outside the covenant community. One should demand more security for a loan to someone who's outside the community of your knowledge and reference. If they're a stranger to you, well, there's nothing wrong with asking for more of a guarantee of the loan.
Proverbs 20:17. "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel." Sin and transgression admittedly have their attraction. There is something in the nature of rebellion that can make bread gained by deceit even sweeter. You see, it has a way of satisfying our desire to rebel, our desire for adventure, and our love for forbidden thrills. We might even imagine that the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden was delicious to eat. But the sweetness of forbidden fruit or forbidden bread is short-lived. There's nothing sweet or pleasant about a mouth filled with gravel. Did you see that phrase there in verse 17? How unpleasant to that sound to have your mouth filled with small pebbles, with gravel. If we really desire a lasting, ultimate pleasurable sense, then obedience is the pathway to that. Remember it is that at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Proverbs 20:18. "Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war." There is help and wisdom in realizing our own limitations and seeking counsel. This often leads to our plans being established in the sense that they would come to fulfillment. Therefore, "by wise counsel wage war." That's the second line of Proverbs 20:18. You see, this shows us that wise counsel is even more important when great matters are involved, when it's life and death matters such as war. And by spiritual analogy, we wage the spiritual warfare. And when we do, we must fight as believers with the wise counsel of God's word and with other believers. I like the remark that Adam Clark made upon this verse, Proverbs 20:18, in his commentary. He was thinking about the warlike character and nature of many nations around him. Adam Clark said this, quote, again, this is about the line, "By wise counsel wage war." Adam Clark said this, "Perhaps there is not a precept in this whole book so little regarded as this. Most of the wars that are undertaken are wars of injustice, ambition, aggrandizement, and caprice, which can have no previous good counsel." Very true.
Proverbs 20:19. "He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with the one who flatters with his lips." The man or woman who is a talebearer or gossip loves to reveal things that should more properly be concealed. There are certainly some things which should be revealed. After all, Ephesians 5:11 says, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Nevertheless, there are many things that should be concealed out of love. As it says in First Peter, "Love covers a multitude of sins." Godly wisdom will help us to know when something should be exposed, according to Ephesians 5:11, or when something should be concealed out of love, as in 1 Peter 4:8. Here in Proverbs 2:19, we see the principle, "He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets." Now, the second line of verse 19, "Therefore do not associate with the one who flatters with his lips." The person who speaks for you in an exaggerated, flattering sense, he who flatters with his lips, that person will often speak against you just as quickly as they spoke for you. It's better to stay clear of such people. In other words, do not associate with the one who flatters with his lips.
Proverbs 20:20. "Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness." The Bible commands us to honor our father and mother. That's way back in Exodus 20:12 and many other passages. To curse one's parents, as it says here in Proverbs 20:20, that's to do the opposite of the command to honor our father and mother. And what will happen to that person? The second line of verse 20 tells us, "His lamp will be put out in deep darkness." You see, God promised to bless those who keep the command to honor father and mother. You'll find that in Exodus 20:12 and again quoted in Ephesians 6:2. You see, there's a corresponding principle that those who disobey and curse their father or mother, they will have to face the judgment of God.
Proverbs 20:21. "An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end." When we get too much too soon, it often isn't helpful for us. So, a large inheritance that comes hastily and towards the beginning of our life, it's a dangerous kind of blessing. I like what Alan Ross had to say about this. He said, quote, "The implication is that what is quickly gained is either unlawfully or unrighteously. The verb describes a hurried or hastened activity. Perhaps the wayward son seized the inheritance quickly or even drove out his parents." So the idea here is some tinge of dishonesty. But even when it's not dishonest, "an inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end." This is often how it ends when someone gains too much too soon and maybe apart from their own work and initiative. When large amounts are freely received, it can work against blessing at the end. Again, notice the contrast here. "An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end." And friends, you're not just living the beginning of your life, you're living the end as well. Dwayne Garrett put it this way in his commentary on the book of Proverbs. He said this, "Easy money does not foster financial responsibility. The easily gained money is here not necessarily dishonestly gained, but even so, those who have amassed wealth slowly know better how to keep it." I think there's a lot of truth to that.
Proverbs 20:22. "Do not say, 'I will recompense evil.' Wait for the Lord, and he will save you." What the wise man or woman should not say is, "I will recompense evil." No. Wisdom and obedience to God teaches us that vengeance belongs to the Lord. As it's stated very plainly in Romans 12:19, knowing that, as the second line of verse 22 says, "Wait for the Lord, and he will save you." You see, wisdom teaches us to rely on God and to trust in him to recompense evil. This does not mean that wisdom is indifferent to evil and will never oppose it. No, it means that wisdom recognizes that there are many times, more times than we think, that we should let go of any kind of recompense towards evil and instead wait for the Lord to save us.
Proverbs 20:23. "Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord, and dishonest scales are not good." God is righteous in all his measurements. Whenever he measures something in the physical realm or in the moral realm, his measurement is always true. God tells us to imitate him in this aspect and to understand that he regards dishonest, diverse weights as an abomination. And additionally, as the second line of Proverbs 20:23 says, "Dishonest scales are not good." God cares that we do business honestly. The world often tells us that it doesn't matter how we make our money. But that's not how it is in the kingdom of God and for people who claim to belong to Jesus Christ. Friends, if you own a business, if you do trade, if you do sales, do your work honestly. As it simply says in Proverbs 20:23, "Dishonest scales are not good." That's God's warning to you, to me, to every one of us. Don't make your money by cheating others.
Proverbs 20:24. "A man's steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?" Men and women rightly make their plans, but God guides steps according to his own will and wisdom. He certainly doesn't leave it all up to the choices and plans of men and women. Okay. So, if it's true that a man's steps are of the Lord, what about the second line of verse 24? "How then can a man understand his own way?" Friends, this proverb teaches us humility in regard to our life choices and our path. We should not think. We should not act as if we were all in control or all doing it according to our own planned steps. No, we understand that the Lord reigns over all, and we just simply want to find out what he's doing and go with it.
Proverbs 20:25. "It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows." This proverb has in mind the practice of dedicating things to God for his use alone. And when it comes to promises of dedication to God, we should avoid the snare of emotional and rash promises. Solomon also dealt with this matter in Ecclesiastes 5:4-7. These passages show us that a commonly overlooked and unappreciated sin among God's people is the sin of broken vows. You know, promising things to God and then failing to live up to that vow. If we really will honor God, number one, we will not be quick to make vows to God. Number two, if we do make a vow to God, we will be serious about fulfilling it. And number three, we will regard broken vows as sins to actually be confessed and repented of. You see, as it says here in Proverbs 20:25, "It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy." Now, the second line of the proverb, "And afterward to reconsider his vows." When a promise to God is made foolishly, it forces us to reconsider our vows. Something wisdom would have protected us from to begin with if we would have only listened to wisdom.
Proverbs 20:26. "A wise king sifts out the wicked and brings the threshing wheel over them." An earthly ruler understands how important it is to administer justice. And part of that administration of justice is to carefully examine the wicked. Here Solomon put it kind of poetically by saying he sifts out the wicked. And if it's wise for an earthly ruler to do this, we can also expect that God does it. And God does it perfectly. Oh, believe you me, God knows how to sift out the wicked. And in the second line of verse 26, "brings the threshing wheel over them." A wise earthly ruler not only knows how to carefully examine the wicked, but then he also knows how to bring whatever punishment is appropriate, to use whatever is wise and necessary to separate the evil from the good. You see, a threshing wheel was helpful in separating the chaff from the wheat grain. God knows how to do this. A good and godly king does also.
Proverbs 20:27. "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart." There are mysteries and truths belonging to the inner man here in this verse, described as the spirit of a man. There are mysteries and truths of the inner man that only the lamp of the Lord can expose. In this respect, we can think of God's word as a lamp and a light. G. Campbell Morgan put it like this. He said, "Within the mystery of the spirit nature of every man there is light. It is the instrument of God. It illuminates life. It is by that which man is constantly kept face to face with truth. Let us make no mistake about it. The most evil men know that their works are evil." Therefore, it's true. "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord." Now, the second line of verse 27, "searching all the inner depths of his heart." The lamp of the Lord, which you could also say is the word of God. Is this not the lamp of the Lord? The lamp of the Lord, God's word, can search the depths of a man's heart like nothing else. This is because God's word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, as Hebrews 4:12 says.
Proverbs 20:28. "Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by loving kindness he upholds his throne." Any earthly king may be preserved by God's mercy and truth that's shown to the king, and also by the mercy and truth that the king shows to others. So, you could say that it's true what it says in the second line of verse 28. "And by loving kindness he upholds his throne." This loving kindness is the great Hebrew word, that great covenant love that God shows to his people and that his people should show to one another. You see, people often assume that thrones are upheld by armies and by raw power. But God has a better way to establish and uphold a king and his kingdom. How does a king uphold a king, his kingdom in the economy of God? By mercy, truth, and loving kindness. That's how he will be preserved. That's how his throne will be upheld. You could say that this proverb finds its final fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Was there any king ever preserved more by the mercy and truth that he practiced than Jesus himself? Was there any king who evidently showed that loving kindness upholds his throne, nothing more than the great love of Jesus?
Proverbs 20:29. "The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head." God has so designed human development that young men excel in physical strength, and this is a glory to them. It is wise and suitable for young men to take on tasks that fit that glory. Now notice the second line. "And the splendor of old men is their gray head." You see, what the old men lack in physical strength, they should make up for in wisdom that is appropriate for those who have a gray head. I like what Derek Kidner had to say about this. He said, "This is a proverb to lift the reader above the unfruitful attitudes of envy, impatience, and contempt which the old and the young may adopt towards each other. Each age has its appointed excellence to be respected and enjoyed in its time."
Proverbs 20:30. "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do stripes the inner depths of the heart." Pain is, of course, a great burden, but sometimes pain can bring a benefit. If we allow the unpleasant fire of pain to refine and cleanse away evil, then our sorrow and pain were not wasted. Something was gained. Now, Dwayne Garrett, I think, rightly points out that the context here is not the discipline of a parent to their child, but rather by the kind of beatings that someone would endure by the government, by a king's officer as punishment for a crime. You see, the king can help correct people and cleanse away evil by the punishments that they bring. And then it says secondly in the second line here of verse 30, "as do stripes the inner depths of the heart." Solomon probably used stripes here in a symbolic sense for the chastening that comes in life. If we will receive such discipline with wisdom, then it will purify us in the inner depths of the heart. I like what Alan Ross had to say about this. He said, quote, "Physical punishment may prove spiritually valuable."
Well, that's the last proverb here in Proverbs chapter 20. Before we leave the chapter, let's consider just a quick way that Proverbs chapter 20 points to Jesus. And as we did with the previous chapter of Proverbs, let's take a look at this chapter in the very last verse, how this points us to Jesus. Let me read it again. Proverbs 20:30. "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do the stripes the inner depths of the heart." Okay, we have talked about that proverb and we understand the point. People can learn and benefit even from their bad, painful experiences. Now, here's the glory of the work of Jesus at the cross. Ready for this? The glory of the work of Jesus at the cross is that we can benefit from his bad experience. Friends, it's good to benefit from your own bad experiences. That means, in some sense, they're not wasted. But you know what's even better? To learn from the bad experience and to benefit from the bad experience of Jesus. Remember Isaiah 53:5. Let me read that verse to you. "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." Now, you remember that line in Proverbs 20:30, "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do the stripes the inner depths of the heart." Whereas Isaiah 53:5 says that it's by his stripes, the stripes of Jesus Christ himself, that we are healed. Let me put it to you this way. Benefiting from the stripes of Jesus is even better than learning from your own whip marks upon your back. Dear friend, look to Jesus and benefit from the ill, vicious way that he was treated. You can benefit from his bad experience.
So, Father, that's what we do. With the eye of faith, we look to Jesus and we honor him in the sufferings that he went through out of love, out of care and concern for his people. We rejoice in those things and we simply ask, Lord, that you would help us to live lives of gratitude, lives of committed holiness, lives of devotion unto you, not to earn your great love or right relationship with you, but because these things have been granted freely to us by your grace and we receive them through faith. We do that now, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.
[Music]