Last week the folks at our church (Luverne First Assembly) made camp stew. On Friday the ladies peeled and chopped potatoes and onions, while the men cooked the meat.
Then they brought the meat in and put it in tubs to cool – and this is where the story turns GREAT. They had to take the meat off the bones and pull it all apart – beef, chicken and pork.
And guess who got some of the bones? Yep, me and Scout. Mom brought us each a big pork bone home and we chewed on them the rest of the day.
Proverbs 16:20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.
This begins by telling us that if we deal honestly in the things we do and say we will experience the good that comes from being thsi way. We also know that because we belong to God and trust in Him we can be happy every day. When we have Godly wisdom people recognize it and have respect for you because of the decisions you have made.It is also easier for someone to listen to a person that speaks nice things and they will learn more from someone like that. The “sweetness of the lips” reflect intelligence, judiciousness and discernment in speech referring to a great teacher of the wise. As this scripture continues we see that as the word tells to hide His word in our heart gives us understanding to know that when we need it it will come forth. It will be just like a well that we continually draw water from over and over the word will continually come to us .A fool has no stored knowledge. He has no well to draw from. Let us continue to study the word of God so we can face any situation comes before us in our day.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
This first verse is one that is familiar to a lot of people. A haughty person thinks to highly of himself and their actions leads to life without God. As the next verse shows it is better to be humble than haughty. By our actions we choose either to follow God or to follow Satan. The humble have chosen God but the proud would rather gain what they can here on this earth by any means possible. We can see in Malachi 4 what will happen to the proud,
Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”
Let us humble ourselves to God and strive to be in His will daily.
Proverbs 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
We have seen in previous verses that gold and silver cannot buy salvation. We should know to that with wisdom, understanding and knowledge we gain gain all the gold and silver we want.. Divine wisdom yields the greatest treasures, riches, honor , long life, profit, peace, and happiness. The next verse lets us know that the road we take should be one of righteousness to lead us away from evil. As long as we stay on this road road we will be safe. Matthew 7:13-14 says it all, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right. 14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it. 15 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.
These scriptures give us a view of social influence whether it for good or bad. Kings in the old testament were usually in place because it was God’s will. They had great responsibility and were expected to set a good example for the people. If they did not God would remove them. Kings in those days believed in telling the truth and preferred others to be truthful with them. The kings also had the power of life and death in their hands and this could be used in a good way or a bad way. Kings would rather be in a good mood than not and when they were it was as when the rain came just at the right time before harvest. You may ask how does this relate today in our government? With the corruption we have seen in last few years we need to concentrate on putting Godly people in office so our nation can prosper like God intended it to. We are seeing some change for the better but I feel we have a long a to go before we get to where the founding fathers intended this country to be. We need to be constantly praying for all the leaders in our government today.
Proverbs 16:10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
11 A just weight and balance are the LORD’S: all the weights of the bag are his work
We learn here that the decision made by a king should be one that comes from the wisdom of God. By doing this that decision is usually a good one for all concerned. Sometimes we know that it is not , as in the case of Herod who only made decisions to serve himself. Also the kings were to judge fairly. Just as the kings were to make right judgments we know that God only permits exact measurements. Just scales and balances are an ordinance that God established. In all God does He is exact in His dealings and expects the same from us. God expects us to use everything He teaches us as He said it in His word and not compromise or change it in any way. This is why it is so important for us to continually study Gods word and fellowship with other Christians. If you do not have a church to go to today you are welcome to come Luverne First Assembly God, 788 Glenwood Rd, Luverne AL, where you will be loved and taught the true word of God.
Proverbs 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.
9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
In just a few words this verse says it is better to poor and righteous than rich and wicked. A lot times the rich are always worried about loosing what they have and they could care less who they have to step on to get what they have. The people who have what they need are usually always happy and at peace with people. The next verse goes on to say that man may plan what he wants to do but God will decide whether it happens or not. Their are several examples in God’s word where people had planned for things to go one way but God had other plans and in time His will was fulfilled. In the end it all comes down to the fact that God will overrule the the plans of men to fulfill His purpose. So let us be mindful that even though we may think what is best may not be God’s will and be open to listen for Him to direct us.
Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
We see now that by the mercy of God and thru His truth our sins are purged. Through that healthy fear of God we will do our best to stay away from sin. Because we have a reverent fear of God we can truly show Him the love He deserves. This scripture goes on to show us that when we please the Lord He will even make our enemies be at peace with us. If we show others the love that God has shown us it is hard for them not to accept the the love we show. We should be aware though that sometimes no mater what you do some will never accept that love. We should still though try our best to share the love of God wit everyone and remember His word says to pray for your enemies.
Proverbs 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
When God created everything He created it to be good. God did not create an evil man but instead gave man a choice and some choose to be evil and will never except the salvation that Jesus gave those who accepted Him. They will always be bad. As his continues we see the ones who choose not to accept the ways of God let pride take over their lives. God wants us to be a humble servant and not someone who has to be in total control of and think are are like God. We know the saying “Pride cometh before a fall” and from this scripture we know even if the wicked ban together it will not stop the punishment God has for them. Again we need to strive to learn as much as we can about the word of God so we will have the wisdom and knowledge to resist evil and walk in ways God would lead us.
1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
We begin this chapter with God preparing our hearts so that it inspires what we speak. God does not want us for our worldly abilities, he wants us so we can be molded into His image.Then we see that the ways of a righteous man are clean to himself but God ponders and judges the true motives of the spirit. While man can be self deceived God judges His true motives.God always judges the heart and not the deeds we do. Finally the any job we do should be done as though we were doing it God Himself. This includes the jobs we get paid for, to me if we are not doing our job as if we were doing for God we may not get paid what we should or could lose that job. If we will take God as our partner in everything we do it will succeed.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I John 5:7
