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Today, our verse by verse study through the book of Proverbs brings us to Proverbs chapter 21. If I were to give a title to this chapter, I would call it peace in the home, prosperity in life, and preparation for battle.
But of course, Proverbs chapter 21 is part of a larger section in the book of Proverbs. That's Proverbs chapters 10 through about the middle of Proverbs chapter 22. And in this larger middle section of Proverbs, we have a collection of one verse, two-line sayings of wisdom, or for the most part, we'll have an occasional three-line saying of wisdom. But most all the proverbs in this broader middle section of the book of Proverbs are in this one verse, two-line pattern, and they aren't necessarily arranged contextually. Occasionally, there will be one proverb next to another that kind of has the same sort of context or speaks to the same issues. But in general, this presents wisdom that should guide our life in a real, although general sense, and these proverbs should be understood and applied in their appropriate conditions.
So here with Proverbs 21:1, we have one of these occasional three-line proverbs that I mentioned previously. Let's take a look at this. Proverbs chapter 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water, he turns it wherever he wishes." That's a very impressive idea and word picture that the Lord presents that idea to us with.
Again, Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord." God holds and can guide the human heart. Now, if God can do this with someone as powerful and as noble as a king, then God also can do it with any man or woman that he chooses.
I like what John Trap, that old Puritan commentator, had to say about this. He said, "Thus he turned the heart of Pharaoh to Joseph, of Saul to David, of Nebuchadnezzar to Jeremiah, of Darius to Daniel, of Cyrus, and afterward of Alexander the Great to the Jews, of some of the Roman persecutors to the primitive Christians. God does this. God can change people's hearts."
Now, this principle should build our faith. That simple principle, God can guide and change hearts. Sometimes we despair when we see the stubbornness and hardness of man's heart against God and his will. This may especially affect us when we have loved ones who don't yet know Jesus Christ. They have not yet repented and believed. And maybe there's even destructive things going on in their life that give us a lot of anxiety, a lot of concern, and we just say, "Lord, what? Why can't their heart be changed?"
Friends, go to Proverbs 21:1 and receive hope from the Lord. God can change even a king's heart. He can change the heart of your loved one. You see, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, and he can guide it wherever he wishes. And remind yourself that God says "kings" here, not to shut out the idea of other people. It's not like, "Well, God can guide the king's heart, but he can't guide the heart of the peasant or the common person." No, no, no. But but because kings are the greatest example of a heart that would be difficult to guide wherever it wished, and God says, "I can do that. I can guide the heart of other people."
It's interesting too, the analogy given here in the second and third lines of this proverb. Again, we noted that this is sort of an unusual proverb. There's a few of them in chapters 10-22 of these three-line proverbs. But in the second and third line of Proverbs 21:1, it says this, "Like the rivers of water, he turns it wherever he wishes." You see, this analogy illustrates how God may guide the heart of man. In moving a river, someone does not need to carry each drop of water to a place where it's desired. No, if you can shape the banks and guide the direction of the river, then the water will go wherever you want it to go. So God does not need to do violence to the human heart to guide it. God may do it simply through arranging other circumstances, like the banks of a river, to guide the flow wherever he wants it.
Alan Ross made a similar observation in his commentary on Proverbs. He said this, quote, "As a farmer channels the water where he wants and regulates its flow, so does the Lord with the king. No human ruler then is supreme." Or to put it another way, the Lord is truly the King of Kings. That's a true statement.
So, dear brother, dear sister, don't despair. Keep praying and believing in faith. God can guide the heart of the person that you're concerned about.
Proverbs 21:2, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." It's just sort of in our nature as human beings, and maybe I should say as fallen human beings, to justify ourselves. And sometimes we do this in sincerity, sometimes we do it with deception. But our stubborn pride makes us generally think that every way of a man is right in his own eyes. But notice what it says in the second line of Proverbs 21:2. "But the Lord weighs the heart." Men and women are often confident in their own way, but God knows. You see, we may justify things according to our hearts. "It was in my heart," or "I must follow my heart," or "In my heart, I knew this was right." But friends, God weighs the hearts of men and women. Knowing that the heart itself doesn't justify anything.
Dear brother or sister, the fact that your heart wants something doesn't prove that it's right or good at all. No, God weighs the heart. And we should pray and ask God to help give us some of his wisdom in being able to know how he weighs our heart and to be able to weigh our heart in a similar way.
The commentator Dwayne Garrett said this about Proverbs 21:2. He said, "Yahweh's power of discernment goes beyond unmasking those who fool others. He even finds out those who have fooled themselves." Dear friend, it's possible that you're someone who has fooled yourself. That's a bad place to be in. God can weigh your heart, and you should make it a sincere prayer before the Lord. "Lord, weigh my heart and give me discernment even in the places where I have fooled myself."
Proverbs 21:3, "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." This proverb speaks about the way that we treat people. That's what's inherent in the phrase "to do righteousness and justice." It's what we might call our horizontal relationships. And this is what we need to realize is that our horizontal relationship is important to God. God wants us to do righteousness and justice in this world. He cares about the way that we treat one another. And that, as it says in the second line of this proverb, is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
You see, under the Old Covenant, animal sacrifice was a way to walk in right relationship with God. That concerns what we might call our vertical relationship. But God here says that how we treat others is more important than how we perform religious ceremonies, such as sacrifice. This was the truth missed by the priest and the Levite in the story Jesus told about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. If you remember, the priest and the Levite were ready to pass by a man who was in desperate need because they felt that they had to fulfill a religious obligation. And Jesus said, "No, meet the needs of the people immediately in front of you, and then put in a second place the observance of religious rituals."
Friends, if you were on your way to church, and by the way, I'm positive about you going to church. I think it's a good thing. It's a good thing. Ideally, Christians belong to a good church. But if you're on your way to church and you pass by someone who diverts your attention, and there's a desperate need in front of you that must be taken care of. I mean, to use an extreme example, there's an automobile crash on the way, and you can help in some way. It would be better for you to help in that need rather than to fulfill even your valid religious obligation, so to speak, of going to church. No, this is the principle of this proverb. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Proverbs 21:4, "A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin." I think it's interesting here that in Proverbs 21:4, a haughty look is connected to a proud heart. Oftentimes, a proud heart is displayed through a haughty look. And there's no shortage of either one among humanity. A lot of people are filled with pride, and they show that pride in their facial expressions as they look upon other people and their circumstances.
The commentator Charles Bridges said this. He said, quote, "This sin assumes so many different forms that until God's Spirit reveals a man to himself, he does not think it applies to him. Indeed, he manages to be proud of his pride." I like that quote from Charles Bridges. Isn't it true that there are people who believe that they are wonderful people because they're so humble? They're proud, and indeed they're in the midst of their pride, but they're proud of it.
So notice the proverb again from the beginning. "A haughty look, a proud heart." Now the second line, "and the plowing of the wicked are sin." These three things, the look, the heart, and the plowing of the wicked, are each called sin. Even the hard work of the wicked, and that's what plowing is. Plowing here, I think, is just a representation of hard work. Even the hard work of the wicked can be regarded as sin before God because they often use the benefit of their hard work for an evil purpose. Think about the man who's very dedicated to work hard, but so that he can make a lot of money and spend that money on sinful, wicked, depraved things. Well, I don't think God admires the hard work of that man. I think God would hold it in judgment.
Now, I do need to say something about this. Some commentators, and even the respected commentator Derek Kidner, uh, agrees with this, that this translation of "plowing" here should be translated as "lamp." Now, I I don't know all the nuances of the ancient Hebrew that would lead to a variant translation here. But Derek Kidner would be those who would say that the verse should read, "and the lamp of the wicked are sin." Now, again, I don't know how much difference that makes in the interpretation of the verse, other than just to show that even the product of what the wicked produce is sin. Whether it be through the hard work of plowing or the good thing of a light-giving lamp, even those things can be sin.
Proverbs 21:5, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty." When good planning is combined with diligent work, there's going to be a harvest of plenty. So you see the truth in the first line of Proverbs 21:5. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty." You have good plans, and you have diligent work. But notice the opposite here given in the second line. "But those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty." The person who wants to avoid work, find shortcuts, and cut corners will find failure instead of plenty. Their path surely leads to poverty.
So that's a careful consideration. Work hard, keep your head down, do that work, and God will bring you to a place of plenty. Again, we regard these as general principles of wisdom and not absolute laws that govern the universe. For example, I'm sure that there are some hardworking people who lack the plenty that's mentioned there in the first line of Proverbs 21:5. But as a general principle, I think this is beyond dispute.
Proverbs 21:6, "Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death." There are some people who hope to talk their way into money, and they often do it with a lying tongue. They plan deals and make promises that aren't honest, and they hope that it can bring them treasure. As the second line of Proverbs 21:6 says, "This is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death." You see, the hope of great treasure through lying words is a dream of those who are on their path to destruction. They hope to find great treasures with little work, and they put their trust in a fleeting fantasy instead of putting their trust in God.
Alan Ross says about this, "The point of this verse then is that ill-gotten gain is a fleeting pleasure and a crime for which punishment is prepared."
Proverbs 21:7, "The violence of the wicked will destroy them because they refuse to do justice." I think it's true that the wicked often love violence, and they use it for their own gain. This does not please God, and God allows such people to reap what they have sown. It's true, the violence of the wicked will destroy them. How many violent, wicked people have been destroyed by violence? Why? The second line of verse 7 tells us, "Because they refuse to do justice." You see, it isn't only what the wicked do in the sense of violence and other sins, of course, but it's also what they do not do. What they do, according to this verse, is violence. What they refuse to do is justice. God cares about both what they do and what they don't do, and he will pass judgment over both of them.
Proverbs 21:8, "The way of a guilty man is perverse, but as for the pure, his work is right." I want you to think about this phrasing here in the first line of Proverbs 21:8. "The way of a guilty man is perverse." Every life is on a way, some kind of path. There's some kind of road that it's following. And some people walk a way that is twisted and perverse. And those who walk this crooked way are guilty before God. Again, as it says in Proverbs 21:8, "The way of a guilty man is perverse." But look now at the second line. "But as for the pure, his work is right." The crooked way belongs to the guilty man, but right work belongs to the pure man. The path we walk will display who we are.
Proverbs 21:9, "Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman." The corner of a housetop is not a great place to live. It's small, confined. I mean, it's in a corner, after all, and it's on the housetop. It's exposed to the elements because it's on the roof. Yet, in some circumstances, the corner of a housetop can be a better place to live. You know, it was common in the biblical world, in that part of the world, uh, Israel, the ancient Near East, for people to have some kind of dwelling place on the top of their house, on the roof of their house. But you wouldn't live there. You'd use it for like an outdoor patio of some kind, but it would be exposed to the rain, to the wind, to the hot and the cold. No, it was better to live in the house, except if you shared that house, as the second line of this verse says, if you shared that house with a contentious woman. You see, to be able to live in the whole house, but to live in constant conflict with a contentious woman is misery.
Now, the same principle would be true of a contentious man. But one would be better off in a more humble living situation than to have peace, excuse me, and to have peace in the home. By the way, I I want you to note here that it says "a contentious woman" and not necessarily "a wife." According to Bruce Waltke, the word "woman" here is somewhat ambiguous. It can refer to other women in the household, not just a wife. It could be a mother, a grandmother, a mother-in-law, a daughter, and that's probably more focused upon the wife. Uh, that's what it says in Proverbs 18:22. But it could include women of other kinds. The the simple thing is this, is that it's good to have peace in a house. And women, you have a large share, not the only share by any means, but you have a large share of the responsibility for keeping and maintaining a harmonious home. Take that responsibility seriously. Make your home a good place to live.
Proverbs 21:10, "The soul of the wicked desires evil. His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes." When a wicked man or woman does evil, it's because their soul desires it. "The soul of the wicked desires evil." You see, their inward corruption is expressed through their desires. You could say that evil is natural for Satan. It's what he desires. It's what he does. And it's also true for those who imitate Satan in his ways.
I like what Derek Kidner said about this. He said this, quote, "An important truth about depravity. Men can sin not merely from weakness, but eagerly and ruthlessly." Let's remember this. Sometimes we sin out of weakness. We do wicked things that we don't really desire to do, but we don't have the strength to resist the temptation. Some sin is like that, but not all sin. There is sin that comes from our own wicked desires.
Now, when that is true, again, look here at the entire proverb. Proverbs 21:10, "The soul of the wicked desires evil." The next line, "His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes." You see, the evil that marks the wicked person is expressed in their inability to get along with a neighbor. They look upon everyone else with no favor in their eyes. We should be careful of those who can't get along with other people. It may be an indication of other evil that is in their life.
Proverbs 21:11, "When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise. But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge." There are degrees of fools and their foolishness. A scoffer, at least in the context of the book of Proverbs, a scoffer is hardened in their rejection of wisdom. Well, the simple is more naive and inexperienced. A simple man or woman can learn wisdom when they see the scoffer punished. They simply say, "I don't want to be like that scoffer. I'm going to learn some wisdom from this." And the corollary in the second line tells us this. "But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge." You see, wise men and women don't need to learn everything through their own misery or through the misery of other people. The wise can learn as they are instructed.
Friends, what a beautiful, powerful gift it is of wisdom to be able to learn from other people's mistakes and from the punishments that other people receive, instead of only being able to learn from your own mistakes or from your own punishments.
Proverbs 21:12, "The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness." The Lord God is a righteous God, and what happens in the house of the wicked does not escape his sight. It says that "the righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked." God sees it, and he wisely considers it. God considers the house of the wicked with his perfect wisdom, with his perfect justice. And therefore, the second line of Proverbs 21:12 is true. "He is overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness." The wicked are judged for their wickedness. Whatever judgment they receive fits their actions.
Proverbs 21:13, "Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard." Though many proverbs tell of poverty that is caused by bad conduct, there are other proverbs that express God's compassion towards the poor. God cares about the poor, and he commands us to have a compassionate heart towards them. That's why it says here in the first line of Proverbs 21:13, "Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also himself cry and not be heard." Friends, in this sense, this proverb teaches us that we will reap what we have sown. It will be measured to us as we have measured to others. If we are silent to those who are in need, God may arrange it so that we are not heard in our own time of need.
Proverbs 21:14, "A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe behind the back, strong wrath." This is among the proverbs that speak honestly about the effectiveness of a gift or a bribe. You see, there's something about this phrasing here in verse 14 that implies to us that this gift isn't entirely proper. It's something of a bribe. There's some corruption involved. Why? Well, because verse 14 in the first line tells us that the gift is presented in secret. "A gift in secret pacifies anger." That tells us that there's something about this that isn't entirely proper. Yet, nevertheless, it might work to calm the anger of an official or a leader. You see, when a bribe is behind the back, it can calm strong wrath. Again, the secret nature of the gift or the bribe is indicated here. Even though it's morally questionable, it might work with the corrupt leader or official.
I like what Alan Ross had to say about this in his commentary. He said this, quote, "The verse does not condemn or condone. It merely observes the effectiveness of the practice." And which is true. Listen, it may be morally objectionable to give a bribe. It's certainly morally wrong to receive a bribe. Nevertheless, at least from a human perspective, sometimes it just plain works. I'm not saying, and God would never say, that that should be the only judgment of whether or not it should be done, but it's just stating the reality of the case.
Proverbs 21:15, "It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity." When a person is just, that is righteous and godly, when they are just in the inner man or woman, it gives them joy to do justice. Their good works flow out of who they are. And for us to really walk in the way God wants us to walk, we need to be transformed on the inside. Now, in contrast, "destruction will come to the workers of iniquity." That's the second line there of Proverbs 21:15, telling us that those who work iniquity also show what is in their heart, and it should make them tremble under the judgment of God. Instead of the joy of the just, they will experience destruction.
John Trap focused on that phrase here in Proverbs 21:15, "the workers of iniquity." And he seemed to focus on the idea of people being workers of iniquity. In other words, they give effort towards it. This is what John Trap said, quoting, "Wicked men are great workmen. They put themselves to no small pains in catering for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. Yes. And this they do with singular delight." Friends, if you're going to work hard for something, please don't be a worker of iniquity. Be a workman approved, fit, uh, knowing God's work and God's ways in this world. Don't be a worker of iniquity.
Proverbs 21:16, "A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead." There are two paths or ways a man or woman can walk. There's the way of understanding presented right here. And then there's wandering from the way of understanding. It is dangerous to begin on the way of understanding but not to continue on it. Now, to some extent, the truth of this proverb became tragically characteristic of Solomon, the author of Proverbs. First Kings 11, especially the first 11 verses of that chapter, tell us about Solomon's departure from God's ways. You see, the departure we may make from the way of understanding, it doesn't have to be calculated. It doesn't have to be deliberate. It may feel like wandering. "A man who wanders from the way of understanding." Friends, think about the characteristic of wandering. People don't usually deliberately wander. They just find themselves lost. No, it takes dedication. It takes focus. It takes wisdom to keep on the way of understanding, because remember the second line of Proverbs 21:16. I'll read the entire proverb. "A man who wanders from the way of understanding." Now the second line, "will rest in the assembly of the dead." If someone wanders from the way of understanding, they may very well end up in the assembly of the dead. The path that we walk on and remain on matters everything.
Proverbs 21:17, "He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich." To find success and prosperity, there must be a measure of discipline and self-denial in your life. The person who loves pleasure and lacks this discipline, who lacks this self-denial, will often end up a poor man. And in this proverb, the wine and oil mentioned in the second line represent the luxuries of life. Now, there is an appropriate way to enjoy wine and oil without setting one's heart on them. But if the luxuries of life are loved beyond proper measure, it will be a pathway to poverty. "He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich."
Proverbs 21:18, "The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous and the unfaithful for the upright." This proverb presents just another way of saying that the righteous will ultimately succeed and they will triumph over the wicked. Adam Clark put it like this in his commentary. "God often in his judgments cuts off the wicked in order to prevent them from destroying the righteous. And in general, we find that the wicked fall into the traps and pits that they have digged for the righteous." Oh yes, "the wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous and the unfaithful for the upright." God promises that in the end, all his righteous ones, all his upright ones, will be lifted above the wicked and the unfaithful. That score may not be settled until eternity, but it definitely will be settled.
Proverbs 21:19, "Better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman." Now, in a previous proverb, Proverbs 21:9, it was thought better to live in the corner of a housetop than it was to live with a contentious woman. Here in Proverbs 21:19, this proverb removes the man from his house entirely. It sets his better place in the wilderness. So if you want to compare Proverbs 21:9 with verse 19, you see that the man who starts in the house, then he moves to the corner of his housetop, and finally verse 19, he ends up in the wilderness. But even that's better than dealing with the second line of verse 19, "a contentious and angry woman." Notice Proverbs 21:9 spoke of the contentious woman. This proverb adds the idea of anger to the picture, and such sets this unfortunate man even further from the house. This shows again the great value of peace and happiness in the home. Friends, please, maybe I should speak directly to the women, because it's the women who are addressed in here. Of course, a contentious and angry man can make a home a miserable place, but it's the woman who's addressed here in verse 19. Please, women of a home, do what you can. All the responsibility isn't on you, but please do what you can to keep your home a place of peace and blessing.
Proverbs 21:20, "There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it." The wise man or woman lives a life blessed by God. And sometimes that blessing is shown in material things. They have desirable treasure and good oil in their home. But notice this, "a foolish man squanders it." The foolish man would have trouble gaining what the wise man or wise woman has. He doesn't have the character of life or the blessing of God that leads to prosperity. Yet, even if the foolish man were to gain this prosperity, this material blessing, it probably wouldn't last. His foolish nature dominates as he squanders it. "There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:21, "He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor." Again, consider this picture. Every life is on a path. What are you going to follow? Well, "he who follows righteousness and mercy," you're on the path of wisdom. And if you're on the path of righteousness and mercy, then you will find life, righteousness, and honor. The path of righteousness and mercy isn't easy, and it's often opposed. Sometimes it's mocked, but God rewards it. And God rewards it richly with life. He rewards it richly with righteousness and with honor. The wise path isn't easy, but it's worth it.
Proverbs 21:22, "A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the trusted stronghold." The walls of a city are difficult obstacles, especially the city of the mighty. Yet with wisdom, someone can overcome such obstacles. The wise man can accomplish things that are impossible for other people to accomplish, especially those who are not wise. He can bring down the trusted stronghold. You see, because the wise man enjoys the blessing and guidance of God, he can defeat obstacles that are as difficult as a trusted stronghold. Now, this is true in military and practical life. Wisdom and ingenuity have won many battles. They've destroyed many strongholds. But it's also true in spiritual life. Cities and strongholds that stand against the progress of the believer can be broken down with the wisdom and the power of God.
I like this from Derek Kidner. He says, "The truth that wisdom may succeed where brute force fails has many applications, not the least to spiritual warfare." It's true. This principle of Proverbs 21:22 is true in material things and with the practical military world, but it's also true in spiritual uh warfare. Be that wise man who can scale the city of the mighty and therefore bring down the trusted stronghold.
Proverbs 21:23, "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles." What we say is important. And some of the instruments of speech are the mouth and the tongue. It's good to guard what we say and to not speak everything that comes to mind. I if you will guard your mouth, if you'll guard your tongue, then you will be among those who keeps his soul from troubles. You see, unguarded words can bring a lot of trouble. Having the wisdom to guard the mouth and tongue will keep us from many troubles.
Proverbs 21:24, "A proud and haughty man, a scoffer is his name. He acts with arrogant pride." Of the many types of fools, the scoffer is one of the worst. He is known to be proud and haughty. He thinks himself better than others, and often times he thinks himself better than God. What does he do? The second line of verse 24 tells us, "He acts with arrogant pride." The proud and haughty man will be known by his actions. His life will be marked with great pride, arrogant pride.
Now, this proverb, as Bruce Waltke says, let me just quote him. He has an excellent comment in his commentary on Proverbs. Quote, "The proverb does not aim as much to define the mocker as to explain that his fury against God and humanity stems from his exaggerated opinion of his self-importance." In other words, why does he do this? Why is he proud and haughty? Because he acts with arrogant pride. Friends, don't be among the proud. Remember what it says in Proverbs and in James and in First Peter that God resists the proud, but he gives his grace to the humble.
Proverbs 21:25, "The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor." You see, the lazy man has desire. That's in the first line of verse 25. "The desire of the lazy man kills him." The lazy man has desire. He just doesn't have the initiative or the energy to fulfill it. His life of unfulfilled desire is unsatisfying, and it feels like it kills him. Now, this is a death to self, but it's not a death to self in the good and blessed way described by Jesus for his disciples.
I like how John Trap dealt with this. He explained that mere desire isn't enough. He said this, quote, "Balam wished well to heaven. So did the young Pharisee in the gospel that came to Christ hastily but went away heavily. Herod for a long time desired to see Christ, but never stirred out of his doors to see him. Pilate asked Christ, 'What is truth?' but never stayed his answer." You see, friends, there's a such thing as having a desire that is unfulfilled, or at least unfulfilled in any good way. "The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse labor." Having the desire for good and blessing and prosperity, but not the desire to work, the lazy man will live a life of constant frustration and disappointment. He doesn't know the satisfaction of earned achievement. Friends, there's something beautiful in that on a human scale. Now, earned achievement is no way to go about our own relationship with God. The grace, the goodness, the blessing, the salvation we earn from him is received by simply believing and receiving. Earned achievement doesn't have its place in our relationship with God. But on a horizontal scale, in the way that we live our daily life, there is great satisfaction in what we would call earned achievement. That's something very difficult for the lazy man to have or to live in.
Proverbs 21:26, "He covets greedily all day long, but the righteous gives and does not spare." The reference here is likely to the lazy man of the previous proverb. With his desire, that lazy man covets greedily, and he does so all day long. Yet that desire is consistently unfulfilled because he does not work towards it. That's why it says by way of contrast in the second part of verse 26, "but the righteous gives and does not spare." You see, the lazy man experiences constant disappointment. But the righteous man, who by implication works hard, he has so much that he gives and he does not spare. He's so blessed that he has enough for himself, and he has enough to give generously to other people.
Proverbs 21:27, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination. How much more when he brings it with wicked intent?" God tells us in 1 Samuel chapter 15 that to obey is better than sacrifice. Religious ceremonies do not cover over a wicked life. And God may regard those religious ceremonies as an abomination. So the first line of verse 27 of Proverbs 21 is absolutely true. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination." But look at the second line. "How much more when he brings it with wicked intent?" The religious ceremonies of the wicked are bad enough, but they're even worse when they're made with wicked intent. When a sacrifice is offered, the priest or the observers, they may not be able to see the wicked intention of heart, but God can see it.
G. Campbell Morgan said something interesting on this verse, Proverbs 21:27, about that phrase "with wicked intent." He said this, quote, "It is abominable for any man who is living wrongly to make an offering to God in the way of worship. That abomination becomes worse when the offering of the wicked comes from an ulterior motive. For a wicked man to give it for his own pleasure is an evil thing. But if he hopes by his gift to win some spiritual favor while he continues in sin, that is still a deeper evil."
Proverbs 21:28, "A false witness shall perish, but the man who hears him will speak endlessly." God is against all liars, but a false witness is a special type of liar. The primary idea here is of someone who lies in court, such as those who gave false witness at the trial of Jesus. You can find reference to that in Matthew 26. So it is true, "a false witness shall perish." But look at the second line of verse 28. "But the man who hears him will speak endlessly." The second line of this proverb has in mind another kind of injustice in the court. That is the judge or lawyer in the court who hears the false witness and may speak endlessly about the matter without ever coming to a just and fair verdict. No, true justice is carried out in practice. It's not just talked about.
Proverbs chapter 21:29, "A wicked man hardens his face, but as for the upright, he establishes his way." One characteristic of the wicked is that they may be unsympathetic to others. Their face is hard and unfriendly to others, especially towards those who are in need. That's why it says there, "A wicked man hardens his face." But the second line compares a blessed contrast. "But as for the upright, he establishes his way." The upright man or woman does not face the same self-made obstacles as the wicked man does. No, his way is established, is made sure. His compassion towards those, especially towards those who are in need, who doesn't have a hardened face against those who could use his help, that man will be blessed.
Proverbs 21:30, "There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord." Simply put, to fight against God is to fight a losing battle. You can never succeed fighting against the sovereign of the universe. Friends, let me put it to you simply. God wins, and ultimately all his purposes will be accomplished. I I like what G. Campbell Morgan said. He said this, "Therefore, it is true fully and finally that there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Jehovah. And thus it becomes true that to them that love God all things work together for good. Here then is the place of our rest. Here is the secret of our confidence. Here is the inspiration of songs in the darkest night." Friends, this is such a cherished truth by the believer that there is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord. Now, these three items, wisdom, understanding, or counsel, these are three similar terms used to express wisdom and right knowledge. God is the God of all wisdom. He's the God of all understanding. He's the God of all counsel. So those things are always for him, and they're never against the Lord.
Proverbs 21:31, "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord." In the days that Solomon wrote these proverbs, the effective use of the horse in warfare could be overwhelming against the enemy. But these horses had to be trained. They had to be prepared for the day of battle. So even though you might work hard to make your military preparations, you may prepare your horses for the day of battle. That's good. That's true. There's nothing wrong with that. But always understand that "deliverance is of the Lord." This teaches us that though it's wise to make the best preparations for battle, ultimately someone should not trust in horses or in their preparation, but in God himself. Why? Because deliverance is of the Lord. It's not only of horses, and not only of preparation.
I like what Charles Bridges had to say about this in his commentary on Proverbs. He said this, "Use the means, but do not idolize them. Those who put their trust in them will fall. Those who remember that their safety is in the Lord will stand upright." When it comes to spiritual warfare, it is even more important to exercise active faith and dependence on God.
Well, that brings us to the end here of Proverbs chapter 21. But let's think about some ways that this chapter points to Jesus. I'm going to make quick reference to three of the proverbs in this chapter, Proverbs chapter 21, that I think point to Jesus in some way or another.
The first one is Proverbs 21:8, where it says, "The way of a guilty man is perverse, but as for the pure, his work is right." Now, think about this. There was never a purer person than Jesus Christ, and his work was perfectly right. Especially his work of being the substitutionary sacrifice for his people. So we can say that Proverbs 21:8 refers to Jesus by way of contrast and by affirmation in the second line. He is the purest one whose work is right in all its ways.
Then Proverbs 21:16, we read there, "A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead." Now, think of that idea of resting in the assembly of the dead. Jesus Christ most certainly did not rest in the assembly of the dead. He rose from the dead. Therefore, Jesus never wandered from the way of understanding. Jesus walked perfectly in all his ways. And therefore, he was not subject to the principle of death, and he gloriously rose from the dead. Death had no claim over him.
And then finally, Proverbs 21:27 says, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination." Now, if it is true that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, then we may also say that the sacrifice of the righteous pleases and honors God. Think of how pleasing and honoring to God the perfect sacrifice of the perfect Son of God was. And we praise him for that great sacrifice. And we receive the effect of that work, cleansing us, making us righteous, bringing new life to us, instituting the new covenant, and all that it does in its glorious work. We receive it because Jesus made a perfect sacrifice that was a complete opposite to anything that was an abomination.
So, Father, we gratefully receive Jesus Christ, all that he is and all that he did for us. And we receive Jesus Christ as our wisdom and ask for the grace and the blessing to walk on the path of wisdom, pursuing wisdom, so that our lives may thereby shine as lights in a dark place and receive the blessings that you have for your people. Do that work in us, Lord. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
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