WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.980 It's Proverbs chapter 16, verses 1 to 15. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.979 For its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:38.100 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord. 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:41.219 Be assured he will not go unpunished. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:46.960 By steadfast love and faithfulness, iniquity is atoned for. 00:00:47.900 --> 00:00:51.320 And by the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil. 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:57.299 When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 00:00:57.299 --> 00:01:03.439 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:08.739 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 00:01:10.899 --> 00:01:13.359 An oracle is on the lip of a king. 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:15.959 His mouth does not sin in judgment. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:19.379 A just balance and scales are the Lord's. 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:21.799 All the weights in the bag are his work. 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:25.219 It is an abomination to kings to do evil. 00:01:25.219 --> 00:01:28.060 For the throne is established by righteousness. 00:01:29.260 --> 00:01:31.379 Righteous lips are the delight of a king. 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:34.299 And he loves him who speaks what is right. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.560 A king's wrath is a messenger of death. 00:01:37.859 --> 00:01:39.939 And a wise man will appease it. 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:43.000 In the light of a king's face there is life. 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:46.519 And his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. 00:01:47.379 --> 00:01:49.539 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:01:49.540 --> 00:02:04.600 Is that better? 00:02:04.600 --> 00:02:07.460 Is that better? 00:02:08.040 --> 00:02:08.860 Yeah, that should be better. 00:02:09.620 --> 00:02:09.860 Basically. 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:12.240 Oh no. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:14.700 It's hot. 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:27.179 Whether it's schools canceled due to COVID-19 or wedding plans postponed. 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:29.979 Or a sudden move of a friend. 00:02:30.839 --> 00:02:32.579 An unexpected job loss. 00:02:33.299 --> 00:02:34.739 A surprising pregnancy. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:36.879 Or a death of a loved one. 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:42.979 We've all experienced what it's like to have our carefully laid plans derailed. 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:46.159 By the unexpected circumstances of life. 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:49.780 And these experiences can be unsettling. 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:54.359 Because they remind us of just how little control we actually have over our lives. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:59.659 But this passage reminds us that there's someone who does have control over our lives. 00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:05.439 And by putting the Lord's sovereignty and the human responsibility side by side. 00:03:05.579 --> 00:03:12.439 Solomon teaches us that we should live with a posture of humble submission under the sovereign Lord. 00:03:13.579 --> 00:03:16.240 And this passage is divided into two main sections. 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:21.319 Which are clearly marked by the repetition of the word Lord in verses 1 to 9. 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:24.180 And the word King in verses 10 to 15. 00:03:24.819 --> 00:03:28.500 So verses 1 to 9 is about the sovereign rule of the Lord. 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:33.560 And verses 10 to 15 are about the intermediate rule of a king. 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:38.400 So first let's look at the sovereign rule of the Lord in verses 1 to 9. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.819 These verses are bracketed by verse 1 and verse 9. 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:43.340 Which sound a similar theme. 00:03:44.099 --> 00:03:44.699 Verse 1 says, 00:03:44.819 --> 00:03:46.920 The plans of the heart belong to man. 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:50.020 But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:52.620 Verse 9 says, 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:54.920 The heart of man plans his way. 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:58.020 But the Lord establishes his steps. 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:04.139 So these verses relate and contrast divine sovereignty and human responsibility. 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:08.500 It is our responsibility as humans to make plans. 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:12.020 The plans of the heart belong to man. 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:14.680 The heart of man plans his way. 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:18.579 But though man gets the first word in these verses, 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:20.399 God gets the last word. 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:24.099 The answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 00:04:25.060 --> 00:04:28.000 We might plan one thing, but the answer we get, 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:31.219 the outcome is determined by the Lord. 00:04:32.979 --> 00:04:36.599 Men devise their plans, but God decides. 00:04:37.459 --> 00:04:40.339 Man proposes, but God disposes. 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:46.099 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 00:04:47.299 --> 00:04:49.719 And the steps we take, the ways we walk, 00:04:49.799 --> 00:04:52.959 they are not in ourselves, but in the God who directs our steps. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:59.239 So the notion that we are masters of our own faith is ultimately an illusion. 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:03.280 And this truth is first of all humbling for us. 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:08.240 Being in Cambridge, many of you are, by the world standards, incredibly successful. 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:13.800 But it would be presumptuous to think that we are responsible for that success. 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:19.400 Even if you worked diligently to earn your degrees and land your jobs, 00:05:19.780 --> 00:05:22.939 all that we have ultimately comes from God's hand. 00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:26.219 We were all born with a certain genetic makeup. 00:05:26.860 --> 00:05:29.199 We were all born in a certain zip code. 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:32.040 We were all born with certain parents. 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:34.579 We were all given certain opportunities. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:41.139 In fact, there is nothing we have ever done for which we can take sole credit. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:46.279 For this reason, we should live with a posture of humble submission 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:47.819 under the sovereignty of the Lord. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:52.339 And this truth is not only humbling, it is also liberating. 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:56.360 Because we should expect the unexpected. 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:00.079 We should plan to have our plans fall through. 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:03.060 Uncertainty is certain. 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:07.899 We should not imagine that we are in control, that everything is up to us. 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:13.659 People who live with such delusions live harried and always hurried lives 00:06:13.659 --> 00:06:18.240 like frantic mice scurrying about after their winter nest is destroyed. 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:24.280 The 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns penned this famous line 00:06:24.280 --> 00:06:28.720 after reflecting on such mice scurrying about after their winter nest was destroyed. 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:29.840 And he said, 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:33.500 The best late schemes of mice and men often go awry. 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:38.879 But if we live with a posture of humble submission under the sovereignty of the Lord, 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:40.220 we can rest. 00:06:40.839 --> 00:06:42.000 We can trust. 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:44.180 We can have peace. 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:47.680 We can have, in the midst of uncertainty, 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.000 the certainty that God provides. 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:54.660 In the midst of our insecurities, we can know God's security. 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:58.640 We need not live with fear and anxiety. 00:06:58.880 --> 00:07:03.520 We can live in the quietness of trust if we live with humble submission to God. 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:08.700 So verse 2 continues that theme of the Lord's sovereignty over the hearts of men. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:08.960 It says, 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:11.640 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:13.920 but the Lord weighs the Spirit. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:19.020 We think that we are justified in all that we do, 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:23.400 because if we didn't think so, then we wouldn't do it. 00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:27.200 We think that we are right in all that we believe, 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:30.319 because if we didn't think so, we wouldn't believe them. 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.980 In this way, we are all self-justified. 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:39.439 The truth is, however, we do not see everything rightly, 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:41.580 because our knowledge is partial. 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:46.139 But God, on the other hand, sees everything and knows everything. 00:07:47.139 --> 00:07:49.839 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:52.439 but the Lord weighs the Spirit. 00:07:52.979 --> 00:07:55.639 The Spirit refers to a person's inner life, 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:58.759 the invisible center of one's motives. 00:07:59.339 --> 00:08:01.899 And the image of weighing a Spirit, 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:05.039 which also is translated sometimes as wind, 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:07.019 is intentionally paradoxical. 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:09.759 Spirit, wind, it's weightless. 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:11.099 It is invisible. 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:14.240 We human beings cannot weigh the Spirit, 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:17.419 but the Lord weighs the Spirit. 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:20.519 We human beings cannot peer into the hearts of people, 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:23.039 but the Lord sees the invisible, 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:26.159 sees the hearts of men and women in the world. 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:28.879 And this reality should, again, 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:31.039 make us live with the posture of humble submission 00:08:31.039 --> 00:08:32.379 under the sovereignty of the Lord. 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:37.200 So then, instead of becoming complacent in our delusion 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.939 that we are right and justified about everything, 00:08:40.460 --> 00:08:44.340 we should regularly examine ourselves under the searching light of Scripture. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.539 We should pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 00:08:48.539 --> 00:08:54.059 We should invite rather than spurn the advice and accountability of the church community. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:58.659 We should pray as it says in Psalm 139, 23-24, 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:00.939 Search me, O God, and know my heart. 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:03.600 Try me and know my thoughts. 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.519 And see if there be any grievous way in me. 00:09:06.819 --> 00:09:09.339 And lead me in the way everlasting. 00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:15.299 Knowing that all our ways are pure in our own eyes, 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:17.339 and knowing that only the Lord weighs the Spirit, 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:21.579 we should seek to align our plans with God's 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:23.660 and entrust our works to Him. 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:26.340 And that's what verse 3 is talking about. 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:28.000 Commit your work to the Lord, 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:30.400 and your plans will be established. 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:34.320 The word commit means literally to roll over. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.200 It means to turn it over to God 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:38.740 and to leave it there. 00:09:39.700 --> 00:09:41.160 To entrust it to Him. 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:44.300 Psalm 37, verse 5, conveys the same idea. 00:09:44.460 --> 00:09:45.900 Commit your way to the Lord. 00:09:45.900 --> 00:09:48.340 Trust in Him, and He will act. 00:09:49.040 --> 00:09:50.420 To commit your work to the Lord 00:09:50.419 --> 00:09:53.000 doesn't merely mean to do whatever you want 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:54.519 and then ask God to bless it. 00:09:55.579 --> 00:09:59.019 Rather, it means to seek to do what God blesses. 00:09:59.899 --> 00:10:02.759 It means to align our wills with the will of the Lord. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:04.259 To lean toward Him. 00:10:04.319 --> 00:10:06.319 To roll our ways over to Him. 00:10:06.579 --> 00:10:07.639 And leave them there. 00:10:09.219 --> 00:10:10.620 And when we do that, it says, 00:10:10.719 --> 00:10:12.659 our plans will be established. 00:10:13.379 --> 00:10:15.879 The word established is repeated in verse 9. 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:17.639 The heart of man plans his way, 00:10:18.059 --> 00:10:20.339 but the Lord establishes His steps. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:24.019 The way to make sure that our steps will be established then 00:10:24.019 --> 00:10:27.360 is to plan the ways of the Lord. 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:30.559 To align our purposes and priorities with His. 00:10:31.379 --> 00:10:34.219 This is how we should engage all of our endeavors. 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:36.679 Our summer internships. 00:10:37.199 --> 00:10:38.079 Our jobs. 00:10:39.099 --> 00:10:40.079 Our business. 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:41.719 Our marriage. 00:10:42.079 --> 00:10:42.839 Our parenting. 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:43.620 Our studies. 00:10:43.620 --> 00:10:45.639 We should commit our ways. 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:46.720 Our works. 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:47.679 To the Lord. 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:51.659 Lord, I want to do what You want me to do. 00:10:51.980 --> 00:10:54.379 In the way You want me to do it. 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:58.200 Lord, Your will, not my will, be done. 00:10:58.700 --> 00:11:00.279 And to commit our work to the Lord 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:03.179 is to pray what John Wesley once prayed. 00:11:04.060 --> 00:11:04.379 Quote, 00:11:04.379 --> 00:11:06.720 I am no longer my own, but Yours. 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:08.759 Put me to what You will. 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:10.919 Rank me with whom You will. 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:12.299 Put me to doing. 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:13.620 Put me to suffering. 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:15.419 Let me be employed for You, 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:16.820 or laid aside for You. 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:18.080 Exalted for You, 00:11:18.139 --> 00:11:19.519 or brought low for You. 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:20.820 Let me be full. 00:11:20.939 --> 00:11:21.799 Let me be empty. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:23.480 Let me have all things, 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:24.700 and let me have nothing. 00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:27.000 I freely and wholeheartedly 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:28.040 yield all things 00:11:28.040 --> 00:11:29.259 to Your pleasure and disposal. 00:11:29.900 --> 00:11:30.660 And now, 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:32.300 glorious and blessed God, 00:11:32.460 --> 00:11:33.740 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:35.280 You are mine, 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:36.960 and I am Yours. 00:11:37.420 --> 00:11:38.400 So be it. 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:40.940 That's what it means 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:42.780 to commit our works to the Lord. 00:11:45.060 --> 00:11:46.520 This doesn't mean, however, 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:47.680 that when we do that, 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:49.259 everything will go smoothly for us 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:50.080 from that point on. 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:52.940 As we have seen over and over again 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:53.780 throughout this book, 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:55.220 the book of Proverbs, 00:11:56.439 --> 00:11:57.519 in this world, 00:11:57.659 --> 00:12:00.179 we see both God's good order 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:03.220 and man's sinful subversion 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:03.860 of that order. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:06.100 For this reason, 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:07.799 while it's generally true 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:09.679 that honest hard work 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:10.720 leads to prosperity, 00:12:11.419 --> 00:12:13.879 sometimes the fruit of honest hard labor 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:15.519 is swept away by injustice. 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:19.319 Similarly, the plans of the righteous 00:12:19.319 --> 00:12:21.279 do not always prevail, 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:23.720 but are sometimes spoiled 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:24.899 by the plans of the wicked. 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:28.139 But verses 4 to 5 teach us 00:12:28.139 --> 00:12:29.120 that we need not fret 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:30.160 the presence of the wicked. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:31.639 It says, 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:33.420 The Lord has made everything 00:12:33.420 --> 00:12:34.540 for its purpose, 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:35.899 even the wicked 00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:37.340 for the day of trouble. 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:40.160 Everyone who is arrogant in heart 00:12:40.160 --> 00:12:41.740 is an abomination to the Lord. 00:12:42.560 --> 00:12:43.320 Be assured, 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:45.560 he will not go unpunished. 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:48.540 The Lord has made everything 00:12:48.540 --> 00:12:49.480 for its purpose. 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:50.659 The word purpose 00:12:50.659 --> 00:12:52.360 is literally answer. 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:54.440 It's the same word 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:55.620 that was used in verse 1. 00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:56.820 The answer of the tongue 00:12:56.820 --> 00:12:57.460 is from the Lord. 00:12:57.539 --> 00:12:59.159 So then everything in life, 00:12:59.680 --> 00:13:00.779 without any exception, 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:02.759 has its answer 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:03.920 from the Lord. 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:05.779 God has a purpose, 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:06.860 an answer 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:08.860 to everything in the world, 00:13:09.180 --> 00:13:10.480 including the things 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:11.039 that you find 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:12.480 the most difficult to explain, 00:13:13.300 --> 00:13:15.120 including even the wicked 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:16.779 who appear to flaunt 00:13:16.779 --> 00:13:17.700 the will of God. 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:20.299 Think of it this way. 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.019 If I were foolhardy enough 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:25.279 to challenge Magnus Carlsen, 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:27.639 the current world chess champion, 00:13:28.279 --> 00:13:29.419 to a chess match, 00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:33.279 I will surely capture 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.320 some of his pieces, 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:37.360 thinking that my plan is working. 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:39.840 But in the end, 00:13:40.060 --> 00:13:41.720 I will learn to my humiliation 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:43.779 that all of my moves, 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:44.360 in fact, 00:13:44.460 --> 00:13:46.000 played right into his hands. 00:13:46.940 --> 00:13:48.740 All the pieces I took 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:50.580 would have been sacrificed 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:51.720 by design, 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.800 all playing a part 00:13:53.800 --> 00:13:55.360 in the Grand Master's plan. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:58.600 Similarly, 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:00.860 in an infinitely more significant, 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:03.460 an infinitely more transcendent way, 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:05.500 all evildoers 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:06.800 who oppose God 00:14:06.800 --> 00:14:08.660 play right into his hands. 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:11.899 They might think 00:14:11.899 --> 00:14:13.000 that they are getting their way. 00:14:13.839 --> 00:14:14.539 They might think 00:14:14.539 --> 00:14:16.000 that they are defying God. 00:14:16.439 --> 00:14:17.240 But in the end, 00:14:17.459 --> 00:14:18.279 they are pawns 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:20.100 on His chessboard. 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.360 They are being prepared 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:23.500 for the day of trouble. 00:14:24.319 --> 00:14:26.539 They will not go unpunished. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:29.299 And verse 5 emphasizes 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:31.159 that God particularly despises 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:33.000 everyone who is arrogant in heart. 00:14:33.839 --> 00:14:34.779 The word heart 00:14:34.779 --> 00:14:35.959 is repeated three times 00:14:35.959 --> 00:14:36.539 in this passage, 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:37.220 verse 1, 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:38.039 verse 5, 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:38.620 verse 9. 00:14:38.659 --> 00:14:39.500 There is a focus 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:41.699 on the heart, 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:44.199 what man plans 00:14:44.199 --> 00:14:45.219 in his own heart. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:46.219 And it says, 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:48.519 everyone who is arrogant in heart, 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:49.679 literally high 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:51.480 or exalted in heart, 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:52.699 is an abomination 00:14:52.699 --> 00:14:53.639 to the Lord. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:55.000 Whoever has 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:56.519 an overweening heart, 00:14:56.620 --> 00:14:57.939 a heart that contends 00:14:57.939 --> 00:14:58.799 with God, 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:00.379 a heart that says, 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:01.500 I am in charge, 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:02.759 a heart that says, 00:15:02.839 --> 00:15:03.679 I am the master 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:04.459 of my fate, 00:15:04.839 --> 00:15:05.639 a heart that says, 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:06.879 God does not see, 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.199 a heart that says, 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:09.420 God will not hold me 00:15:09.420 --> 00:15:09.900 to account. 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:11.680 Such a person 00:15:11.680 --> 00:15:12.420 is an abomination 00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:13.259 to the Lord 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:14.220 and will surely 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:15.300 be punished. 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:18.580 Verses 6 to 8 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:19.460 then give us a picture 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:20.420 of the righteous 00:15:20.420 --> 00:15:21.900 that contrasts 00:15:21.900 --> 00:15:22.620 with this portrait 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:23.460 of the sinful wicked, 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:24.740 the prideful wicked. 00:15:25.379 --> 00:15:26.400 It says in verse 6, 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:28.120 by steadfast love 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:28.620 and faithfulness, 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:31.159 iniquity is atoned for, 00:15:31.579 --> 00:15:32.779 and by the fear 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:33.299 of the Lord, 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:34.379 one turns away 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:35.019 from evil. 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:37.279 The first half 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:37.980 of verse 6 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:39.639 prescribes the remedy 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:40.659 for past sins, 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:42.240 and the second half 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:43.840 presents the preventative 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:44.879 for future sins. 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:46.240 Steadfast love 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:47.100 and faithfulness, 00:15:47.439 --> 00:15:48.059 as we saw 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:49.579 in chapter 14, 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:50.279 verse 22, 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:51.480 they're two of the most 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:52.539 commonly mentioned 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:53.500 attributes of God 00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:53.940 in Scripture. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:55.539 And when describing 00:15:55.539 --> 00:15:57.940 God as having 00:15:57.940 --> 00:15:58.799 steadfast love 00:15:58.799 --> 00:15:59.639 and faithfulness, 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:00.600 they're together 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:01.860 referring to God's 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:03.120 unmerited favor 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:04.460 and His unchanging, 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:05.740 unwavering commitment 00:16:05.740 --> 00:16:06.500 toward His people. 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:09.259 But this particular verse 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:09.820 does not have 00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:11.139 God's steadfast love 00:16:11.139 --> 00:16:11.860 and faithfulness 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:12.340 in mind. 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:13.559 Instead, 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:15.500 it has our response 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:16.899 to God's steadfast love 00:16:16.899 --> 00:16:17.840 and faithfulness 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:18.519 in view. 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:20.539 We know this 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:21.440 because it's paralleled 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:22.120 by the fear 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:22.600 of the Lord. 00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:24.779 Then by our 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:25.740 steadfast love 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:26.980 and faithfulness, 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:29.460 iniquity is atoned for. 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:30.899 By our fear 00:16:30.899 --> 00:16:31.379 of the Lord, 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:32.320 we turn away 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:33.500 from evil. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:35.860 How is it 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:36.840 that our steadfast love 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:37.460 and faithfulness 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:38.700 leads to the atonement 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:39.419 or cleansing 00:16:39.419 --> 00:16:40.340 or covering up 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:40.940 of our sins? 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:42.799 Our covenant loyalty 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:43.500 to God, 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:45.320 our repentance 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:46.919 and faith in Him, 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:48.639 our aligning ourselves, 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.539 pledging allegiance 00:16:49.539 --> 00:16:50.500 to God, 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:51.019 to Christ, 00:16:51.019 --> 00:16:52.039 that's what makes 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:53.279 God graciously 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.399 pardon our sins. 00:16:55.599 --> 00:16:56.099 And likewise, 00:16:56.259 --> 00:16:56.799 it's the fear 00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:57.299 of the Lord 00:16:57.299 --> 00:16:58.240 living in humble 00:16:58.240 --> 00:16:58.779 submission 00:16:58.779 --> 00:16:59.679 before the watchful 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:00.299 eyes of God 00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:01.259 that makes us 00:17:01.259 --> 00:17:02.299 turn away from evil. 00:17:03.439 --> 00:17:04.299 Our love 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:05.019 and faithfulness 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:05.659 are the remedy 00:17:05.659 --> 00:17:06.700 for sins. 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:07.980 Our fear of God 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:08.879 is the preventative 00:17:08.879 --> 00:17:09.759 for sins. 00:17:10.379 --> 00:17:11.180 And when we live 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:11.619 like this, 00:17:11.700 --> 00:17:12.480 God's blessings 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:13.379 naturally follow. 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:15.339 It says in verse 7, 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:16.439 when a man's ways 00:17:16.439 --> 00:17:17.259 please the Lord, 00:17:17.659 --> 00:17:18.599 he makes even 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:19.259 his enemies 00:17:19.259 --> 00:17:20.059 to be at peace 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:20.519 with him. 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.039 But as Proverbs 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:23.679 often does, 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:24.679 it juxtaposes 00:17:24.679 --> 00:17:25.339 verses that 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:26.480 qualify one another. 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:28.079 So verse 8 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:28.959 qualifies 00:17:28.959 --> 00:17:30.379 verses 5 to 7. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:31.919 It says in verse 8, 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:33.179 Better is a little 00:17:33.179 --> 00:17:34.179 with righteousness 00:17:34.179 --> 00:17:35.839 than great revenues 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:36.919 with injustice. 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:39.480 Living in a manner 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:41.139 that pleases God 00:17:41.139 --> 00:17:42.220 will lead to peace 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:42.899 and prosperity 00:17:42.900 --> 00:17:44.100 and the wicked 00:17:44.100 --> 00:17:45.120 will ultimately 00:17:45.120 --> 00:17:45.900 be punished. 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:47.480 But this is not 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:48.220 guaranteed 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:50.220 in this life 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:52.580 because we live 00:17:52.580 --> 00:17:53.840 in an upside down world. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:55.560 Nevertheless, 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:57.060 verse 8 00:17:57.060 --> 00:17:57.960 reminds us, 00:17:58.340 --> 00:17:59.500 Better is a little 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:00.420 with righteousness 00:18:00.420 --> 00:18:01.620 than great revenues 00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:02.300 with injustice. 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:04.900 In this upside down world, 00:18:05.040 --> 00:18:06.080 some wicked people 00:18:06.080 --> 00:18:07.019 will enjoy 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:07.940 great revenues 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:08.759 with injustice. 00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:12.039 And, 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:13.500 in contrast, 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:14.879 in this upside down world, 00:18:15.059 --> 00:18:16.119 some righteous people 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:17.279 will have little. 00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:19.539 But having little 00:18:19.539 --> 00:18:20.319 with righteousness 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:21.579 is better 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:22.559 than having 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:23.339 great revenues 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:24.599 with injustice. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:26.819 Interestingly, 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:27.519 verse 8 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:28.519 is the only verse 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:29.599 in this first section, 00:18:29.700 --> 00:18:30.599 verses 1 to 9, 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:32.079 that does not mention 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:32.579 the Lord. 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:34.879 Perhaps to convey 00:18:34.879 --> 00:18:35.579 the sense 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:37.000 of the seeming 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.140 absence of God 00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:39.400 when the wicked 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:39.940 prosper. 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:42.360 But we can rest 00:18:42.360 --> 00:18:43.240 assured that 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:44.820 God is not absent. 00:18:45.800 --> 00:18:47.020 As verse 9 concludes, 00:18:47.100 --> 00:18:47.860 The heart of man 00:18:47.860 --> 00:18:48.700 plans his way, 00:18:49.080 --> 00:18:49.640 but the Lord 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:50.980 establishes his steps. 00:18:51.800 --> 00:18:52.880 As verse 4 says, 00:18:53.340 --> 00:18:54.259 The Lord has made 00:18:54.259 --> 00:18:54.820 everything 00:18:54.820 --> 00:18:55.880 for its purposes, 00:18:56.560 --> 00:18:56.940 even 00:18:56.940 --> 00:18:58.560 the wicked 00:18:58.560 --> 00:18:59.160 for the day 00:18:59.160 --> 00:18:59.620 of trouble. 00:19:00.620 --> 00:19:01.540 And this is why 00:19:01.540 --> 00:19:02.220 we should live 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:02.940 in a posture 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:03.800 of humble submission 00:19:03.800 --> 00:19:04.560 under the sovereignty 00:19:04.560 --> 00:19:05.060 of the Lord. 00:19:05.059 --> 00:19:07.659 Having addressed 00:19:07.659 --> 00:19:08.480 the sovereign rule 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:08.940 of the Lord 00:19:08.940 --> 00:19:09.940 in verses 1 to 9, 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:10.819 Solomon turns 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:11.720 to the intermediate 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:12.659 rule of a king 00:19:12.659 --> 00:19:14.500 in verses 10 to 15. 00:19:15.059 --> 00:19:16.279 God sovereignly 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:17.500 rules over all, 00:19:17.679 --> 00:19:18.500 but in this world 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:19.559 he also rules 00:19:19.559 --> 00:19:21.099 through an intermediary, 00:19:21.659 --> 00:19:22.960 through a human king 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:24.000 or governing authorities. 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:25.299 That's what verses 00:19:25.299 --> 00:19:26.759 10 to 15 are about. 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:28.519 Verse 10 begins, 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:29.279 An oracle 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:30.299 is on the lips 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:30.980 of a king. 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.179 His mouth 00:19:32.179 --> 00:19:33.220 does not sin 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:33.920 in judgment. 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:36.120 An oracle 00:19:36.120 --> 00:19:37.120 refers to 00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:37.940 revelation 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:38.900 that a prophet 00:19:38.900 --> 00:19:39.579 receives 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:40.360 from the Lord. 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:42.380 This doesn't mean 00:19:42.380 --> 00:19:43.180 that the king 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:44.200 also has to be 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:44.660 a prophet, 00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:46.180 but it's conveying 00:19:46.180 --> 00:19:46.660 the truth 00:19:46.660 --> 00:19:47.640 that the king's 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:48.079 judgments 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:49.779 should be consistent 00:19:49.779 --> 00:19:50.819 with the Lord's 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:51.160 judgments. 00:19:52.259 --> 00:19:53.259 The king 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:53.980 does not 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:55.259 rule by fiat. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:56.759 He does not 00:19:56.759 --> 00:19:57.579 get to pass 00:19:57.579 --> 00:19:58.880 laws and sentences 00:19:58.880 --> 00:19:59.819 according to 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:00.420 his whim 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:02.140 because he 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:02.799 is ultimately 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:03.460 accountable 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:04.119 to God. 00:20:05.139 --> 00:20:05.659 He is 00:20:05.659 --> 00:20:06.460 God's 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:07.279 mouthpiece, 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:08.099 God's 00:20:08.099 --> 00:20:08.619 servant. 00:20:09.379 --> 00:20:09.879 He is 00:20:09.879 --> 00:20:10.519 no God. 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:12.919 This is why 00:20:12.919 --> 00:20:13.500 Israel 00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:14.720 never resorted 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:15.419 to the teaching 00:20:15.419 --> 00:20:16.139 common among 00:20:16.139 --> 00:20:16.700 their neighboring 00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:17.399 nations that 00:20:17.399 --> 00:20:18.159 kings are 00:20:18.159 --> 00:20:18.759 divine. 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:21.279 Deuteronomy 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:22.119 17 verses 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:22.980 18 to 19 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:23.659 make clear 00:20:23.659 --> 00:20:24.240 the fact that 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:24.740 king is 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:25.299 accountable 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:26.079 to the Lord. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:27.500 It says, 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:28.740 And when he 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:29.599 sits on the 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.099 throne of his 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:30.519 kingdom, 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:31.619 referring to 00:20:31.619 --> 00:20:32.220 a human king, 00:20:32.220 --> 00:20:33.220 he shall 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:33.720 write for 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:34.420 himself in 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:35.039 a book a 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:35.700 copy of 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:36.380 this law, 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:36.819 that's the 00:20:36.819 --> 00:20:37.220 scriptures, 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:38.579 approved by 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:39.100 the Levitical 00:20:39.100 --> 00:20:39.559 priests, 00:20:40.100 --> 00:20:40.420 and he 00:20:40.420 --> 00:20:41.019 shall be 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:41.720 with him 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:42.019 and he 00:20:42.019 --> 00:20:42.680 shall read 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:43.279 in it all 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:43.700 the days 00:20:43.700 --> 00:20:43.980 of his 00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:44.319 life, 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:44.819 that he 00:20:44.819 --> 00:20:45.279 may learn 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:45.779 to fear 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:46.220 the Lord 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:46.720 his God 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:47.259 by keeping 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:47.680 all the 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:48.100 words of 00:20:48.100 --> 00:20:48.579 this law 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:48.980 and these 00:20:48.980 --> 00:20:49.480 statutes 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:50.079 and doing 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:50.380 them. 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:52.640 The kings 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:53.180 of Israel 00:20:53.180 --> 00:20:53.779 ruled at 00:20:53.779 --> 00:20:54.319 God's 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:54.980 behest, 00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:56.100 and they 00:20:56.100 --> 00:20:56.700 were God's 00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:57.519 intermediaries 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.160 between God 00:20:58.160 --> 00:20:58.460 and his 00:20:58.460 --> 00:20:58.799 people. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.440 If prophets 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:01.740 represented God 00:21:01.740 --> 00:21:02.339 to the 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:02.700 people, 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:03.379 kings 00:21:03.379 --> 00:21:04.279 represented the 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:05.259 people to 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:05.639 God. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:07.200 And now 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:07.899 verse 10 00:21:07.899 --> 00:21:09.680 is not saying 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:10.319 that the kings 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:11.180 are infallible, 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:12.019 that governing 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:12.659 authorities are 00:21:12.659 --> 00:21:13.240 infallible. 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:13.940 If we look at 00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:14.659 the history of 00:21:14.659 --> 00:21:15.559 Israel's kings 00:21:15.559 --> 00:21:16.619 in the Bible, 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:17.359 we learn that 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:18.379 invariably they 00:21:18.379 --> 00:21:18.879 fail. 00:21:19.399 --> 00:21:20.379 They sin in 00:21:20.379 --> 00:21:20.720 judgment. 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:22.839 As verse 12 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:23.440 makes clear, 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:24.379 kings do at 00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:25.599 times do evil 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:26.460 and it is an 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:27.240 abomination to 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:27.960 the Lord when 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:28.579 they do. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:29.880 So then 00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:30.519 verse 10 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:31.259 is expressing 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:32.079 God's 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:32.539 ideal, 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.400 his paradigm, 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:35.420 not the 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:36.100 pattern of 00:21:36.100 --> 00:21:36.779 human kings. 00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:39.779 This is 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:40.220 similar to 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:40.860 the exhortation 00:21:40.860 --> 00:21:41.140 that we 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:41.680 receive in 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:41.940 the New 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:42.360 Testament 00:21:42.360 --> 00:21:43.140 from Apostle 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:43.620 Paul in 00:21:43.620 --> 00:21:43.880 Romans 00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:44.680 chapter 13 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:45.240 verses 1 00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:45.640 to 4. 00:21:46.360 --> 00:21:46.700 It says, 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:47.220 Let every 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:47.960 person be 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:48.600 subject to 00:21:48.600 --> 00:21:49.000 the governing 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:49.519 authorities, 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:50.340 for there is 00:21:50.340 --> 00:21:51.019 no authority 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:51.860 except from 00:21:51.860 --> 00:21:53.039 God, and 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:53.500 those that 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:54.279 exist have 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:55.059 been instituted 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:55.880 by God. 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:56.759 Therefore, 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:57.660 whoever resists 00:21:57.660 --> 00:21:58.420 the authorities 00:21:58.420 --> 00:21:59.259 resist what 00:21:59.259 --> 00:21:59.840 God has 00:21:59.840 --> 00:22:00.840 appointed, and 00:22:00.840 --> 00:22:01.180 those who 00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:01.779 resist will 00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:02.620 incur judgment. 00:22:03.300 --> 00:22:03.980 For rulers 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:04.600 are not a 00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:04.980 terror to 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:05.720 good conduct 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:06.100 but to 00:22:06.100 --> 00:22:06.440 bad. 00:22:07.120 --> 00:22:07.519 Would you 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:08.259 have no fear 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:08.779 of the one 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:09.259 who is in 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:09.640 authority? 00:22:10.220 --> 00:22:10.700 Then do 00:22:10.700 --> 00:22:11.060 what is 00:22:11.060 --> 00:22:11.480 good and 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:11.700 you will 00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:12.300 receive his 00:22:12.300 --> 00:22:13.360 approval, for 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:14.360 he is God's 00:22:14.360 --> 00:22:14.779 servant for 00:22:14.779 --> 00:22:15.279 your good. 00:22:15.800 --> 00:22:16.220 But if you 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:17.040 do wrong, be 00:22:17.040 --> 00:22:17.840 afraid, for he 00:22:17.840 --> 00:22:18.440 does not bear 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:19.100 the sword in 00:22:19.100 --> 00:22:20.060 vain, for he 00:22:20.060 --> 00:22:20.700 is the servant 00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:21.620 of God, an 00:22:21.620 --> 00:22:22.340 avenger who 00:22:22.340 --> 00:22:23.340 carries out God's 00:22:23.340 --> 00:22:24.200 wrath on the 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:24.840 wrongdoer. 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:27.459 We'd be 00:22:27.459 --> 00:22:27.879 wrong to 00:22:27.879 --> 00:22:28.579 assume that 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:29.159 Paul must 00:22:29.159 --> 00:22:29.539 have wrote 00:22:29.539 --> 00:22:31.259 these verses 00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:31.779 when there 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:32.259 was a very 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:33.179 benevolent Roman 00:22:33.179 --> 00:22:33.539 ruler. 00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:37.539 In fact, the 00:22:37.539 --> 00:22:38.199 Roman ruler at 00:22:38.199 --> 00:22:38.939 the time Paul 00:22:38.939 --> 00:22:39.559 wrote this was 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:40.480 Emperor Nero, 00:22:41.679 --> 00:22:42.319 the same 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:43.699 Nero notorious 00:22:43.699 --> 00:22:44.419 for his 00:22:44.419 --> 00:22:45.259 reckless 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:46.279 extravagance 00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:47.079 and tyranny, 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:48.379 the one known 00:22:48.379 --> 00:22:49.339 particularly for 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:50.539 his callousness 00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:51.459 and cruelty 00:22:51.459 --> 00:22:52.339 toward Christians. 00:22:52.339 --> 00:22:54.379 Nonetheless, Paul 00:22:54.379 --> 00:22:55.399 commands Christians 00:22:55.399 --> 00:22:56.599 to be subject to 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:57.419 governing authorities 00:22:57.419 --> 00:22:58.939 for there is no 00:22:58.939 --> 00:22:59.959 authority except 00:22:59.959 --> 00:23:01.379 from God and 00:23:01.379 --> 00:23:02.139 those that exist 00:23:02.139 --> 00:23:03.179 have been instituted 00:23:03.179 --> 00:23:03.939 by God. 00:23:05.399 --> 00:23:06.619 There are times, 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:07.279 yes, when we 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:08.159 must practice 00:23:08.159 --> 00:23:09.619 civil disobedience 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:10.819 and say as the 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:11.659 apostles did in 00:23:11.659 --> 00:23:12.939 Acts 5.29, we 00:23:12.939 --> 00:23:13.919 must obey God 00:23:13.919 --> 00:23:14.619 rather than men. 00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:16.019 But the 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:17.399 apostles, even as 00:23:17.399 --> 00:23:18.439 they did this, 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:19.859 were still subject 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:20.459 to the governing 00:23:20.459 --> 00:23:20.939 authorities. 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:21.100 authorities. 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:22.720 They still 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:23.759 preserved a sense 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.460 of deference 00:23:24.460 --> 00:23:25.279 toward the 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:26.039 governing authorities. 00:23:26.539 --> 00:23:27.620 For example, in 00:23:27.620 --> 00:23:28.759 Acts chapter 21 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:31.380 verses 1 to 5, 00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:32.860 when Paul is being 00:23:32.860 --> 00:23:34.440 tried unfairly by 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:35.779 the Sanhedrin and 00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:36.940 is ordered by the 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:37.960 high priest to be 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:39.180 struck on the 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:41.259 mouth, Paul responds 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:42.259 to them by saying, 00:23:42.380 --> 00:23:43.140 God's going to 00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:44.000 strike you, you 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:44.860 whitewashed wall. 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:46.460 Are you sitting to 00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:47.220 judge me according 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:48.120 to the law and yet 00:23:48.120 --> 00:23:49.259 contrary to the law, 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:50.360 you order me to be 00:23:50.360 --> 00:23:50.720 struck? 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:51.740 It's a pretty 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:54.200 vigorous defense and 00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:54.900 accusation. 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:57.059 But when onlookers 00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:58.539 scold Paul saying, 00:23:59.059 --> 00:23:59.840 would you revile 00:23:59.840 --> 00:24:01.039 God's high priest? 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:03.420 Paul does not say, 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:05.820 he who disobeys 00:24:05.820 --> 00:24:07.160 God's law is no 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:07.840 high priest. 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:09.799 Paul does not say 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:10.080 that. 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:11.380 Instead he says, 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:12.360 I did not know, 00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:12.920 my brothers, 00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:14.420 that he was the 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:14.980 high priest. 00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:16.680 for it is written, 00:24:16.819 --> 00:24:17.740 you shall not speak 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:18.740 evil of a ruler 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:19.640 of your people. 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:23.539 This is because 00:24:23.539 --> 00:24:24.420 there is a sense 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:25.120 in which all 00:24:25.120 --> 00:24:25.860 authority is 00:24:25.860 --> 00:24:27.200 derived authority 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:27.799 from God. 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:30.599 This is why 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:31.660 David, even when 00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:32.339 he was fleeing 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:33.220 from Saul who 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:34.039 had gone mad and 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:34.759 was trying to kill 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:35.960 him, even though 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:36.839 David knew that he 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:37.680 was supposed to be 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:38.519 king over Israel, 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:40.460 he refused to kill 00:24:40.460 --> 00:24:41.339 Saul when he had the 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:42.240 opportunity saying 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:43.480 that Saul is 00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:44.859 Lord's anointed. 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:47.480 Likewise, we 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:48.140 should preserve, 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:48.900 even when we 00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:49.759 disagree with the 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:50.980 policies of the 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:51.759 governing authorities 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:52.920 instituted by God, 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:54.039 we should preserve 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:55.039 a sense of respect 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:56.440 for their office 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.920 because earthly 00:24:57.920 --> 00:24:59.200 rulers teach us 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:00.200 that we are a 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:00.720 people under 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:01.200 authority, 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:02.920 that we should 00:25:02.920 --> 00:25:03.480 live with a 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:04.339 posture of humble 00:25:04.339 --> 00:25:05.559 submission under 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:06.559 the sovereignty of 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:07.400 the Lord ultimately. 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:09.440 And this is the 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:10.120 truth that Proverbs 00:25:10.120 --> 00:25:11.339 16.10 is expressing 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:12.160 and the oracle is 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:12.920 on the lips of a 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:13.180 king. 00:25:13.820 --> 00:25:14.580 His mouth does 00:25:14.580 --> 00:25:15.940 not sin in judgment. 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:18.560 Verse 11 continues 00:25:18.560 --> 00:25:19.140 this train of 00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:19.420 thought, 00:25:19.540 --> 00:25:20.800 A just balance and 00:25:20.800 --> 00:25:21.580 scales are the 00:25:21.580 --> 00:25:22.019 Lord's. 00:25:22.340 --> 00:25:23.380 All the weights in 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:24.380 the bag are his 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:24.800 work. 00:25:26.080 --> 00:25:27.320 The just balance and 00:25:27.320 --> 00:25:28.480 scales refer to the 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:29.259 measuring equipment 00:25:29.259 --> 00:25:30.340 for commercial 00:25:30.340 --> 00:25:31.100 activity when you're 00:25:31.100 --> 00:25:32.000 trading and buying 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:32.460 and selling. 00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:34.000 And it's here used 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:34.960 to illustrate the 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:36.160 concept of justice. 00:25:37.040 --> 00:25:38.519 Equal weights and 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:40.420 just scales are the 00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:40.940 Lord's. 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:40.960 words. 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:43.000 They are his work. 00:25:44.220 --> 00:25:45.680 This truth is very 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:46.860 emphatic here because 00:25:46.860 --> 00:25:48.120 every verse in this 00:25:48.120 --> 00:25:49.820 second half, in 00:25:49.820 --> 00:25:50.860 verses 10 to 15, 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:52.140 has the word king 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:52.700 in it. 00:25:52.860 --> 00:25:53.759 It's about the king, 00:25:54.180 --> 00:25:55.100 the intermediate rule 00:25:55.100 --> 00:25:55.960 of a king, except 00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:56.680 verse 11. 00:25:57.100 --> 00:25:57.880 It doesn't have the 00:25:57.880 --> 00:25:58.600 word king in it. 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:00.519 It's the only verse in 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:01.500 this second half that 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:02.680 has the word Lord in 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:02.920 it. 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:05.920 In this passage about 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:07.200 kings, this verse about 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:08.460 the Lord stands out, 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:09.840 and it's intended to 00:26:09.840 --> 00:26:11.400 emphasize that it is 00:26:11.400 --> 00:26:13.140 not the human king's 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:15.120 prerogative to tilt the 00:26:15.120 --> 00:26:16.400 scales of justice for 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:17.140 selfish gain. 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:19.940 The king is not, in the 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:21.380 ultimate sense, the 00:26:21.380 --> 00:26:22.559 arbiter of justice. 00:26:23.019 --> 00:26:24.200 He's merely the 00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:26.660 administrator of God's 00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:27.100 justice. 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:30.180 And verse 12 gives the 00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:31.500 reason why justice is so 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:31.920 important. 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:33.680 It is an abomination to 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:35.600 kings to do evil, for the 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:37.299 throne is established by 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:37.899 righteousness. 00:26:38.699 --> 00:26:40.199 The word establish is the 00:26:40.199 --> 00:26:41.480 same word that's used in 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:42.159 verse 3. 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:43.719 Commit your work to the 00:26:43.719 --> 00:26:44.919 Lord and your plans will 00:26:44.919 --> 00:26:45.659 be established. 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:47.619 And verse 9, the heart of 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:49.059 man plans his way, but the 00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:50.959 Lord establishes his steps. 00:26:51.779 --> 00:26:53.439 So then, if the king wants 00:26:53.439 --> 00:26:55.119 his plans and his steps to 00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:56.959 be established, he should 00:26:56.959 --> 00:26:59.279 make sure to eschew evil and 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:00.579 embrace righteousness. 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:02.559 He should make sure that his 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:04.359 works are committed to the 00:27:04.359 --> 00:27:04.599 Lord. 00:27:06.419 --> 00:27:07.979 And this is why even the 00:27:07.979 --> 00:27:10.379 most depraved rulers try to 00:27:10.379 --> 00:27:11.919 do some good during their 00:27:11.919 --> 00:27:12.259 reign. 00:27:12.979 --> 00:27:15.839 Because if they don't, and 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:17.259 all they encourage is 00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:19.099 depravity and decadence, 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:21.179 society would crumble and 00:27:21.179 --> 00:27:22.500 their rule itself would be 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:23.000 undermined. 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:25.919 Their throne would not be 00:27:25.919 --> 00:27:26.559 established. 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:30.000 The human king rules at God's 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:31.419 behest and therefore he should 00:27:31.419 --> 00:27:33.319 establish his throne by 00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:34.019 righteousness. 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:37.259 Since, as Psalm 89 verse 14 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:39.039 says, righteousness and 00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:41.399 justice are the foundation of 00:27:41.399 --> 00:27:42.599 God's throne. 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:46.419 And when the king's throne is 00:27:46.419 --> 00:27:47.779 established by righteousness, he 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:49.460 delights in righteousness and 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:50.779 detests wickedness. 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:53.200 Verses 13 to 14 say this, 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:55.559 Righteous lips are the delight of 00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:57.619 a king and he loves him who 00:27:57.619 --> 00:27:58.679 speaks what is right. 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:01.240 A king's wrath is a messenger of 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:03.200 death and a wise man will 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:03.960 appease it. 00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:06.180 The king who rules in 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:07.539 accordance with God's law 00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:09.039 rewards righteousness and 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:10.660 punishes wickedness. 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:15.700 However, a wise man knows how to 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:17.920 appease the king when his wrath is 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:18.339 provoked. 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:21.019 That's what verse 14 says and that 00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:22.559 was the subject of chapter 14 00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:23.480 verse 35. 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:25.559 Chapter 15 verse 1. 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:28.200 A servant who deals wisely has the 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:30.539 king's favor, but his wrath falls on 00:28:30.539 --> 00:28:32.019 one who acts shamefully. 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:35.099 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:36.919 harsh word stirs up anger. 00:28:37.579 --> 00:28:40.259 By a soft, timely word, a wise person 00:28:40.259 --> 00:28:43.200 placades the king's wrath. 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:48.440 And if the king's wrath is like a 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:50.740 messenger of death, verse 15 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:52.500 describes the king's favor this 00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:52.759 way. 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:53.600 It says, 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:55.640 In the light of a king's face there 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:57.519 is life and his favor is like the 00:28:57.519 --> 00:28:59.360 clouds that bring the spring rain. 00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:02.180 The light of a king's face is a 00:29:02.180 --> 00:29:03.819 metaphor for the king's favor. 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:06.779 That's the meaning of the Aaronic 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:09.200 blessing in number 625 when it says 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:11.880 the Lord make his face shine upon 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:12.220 you. 00:29:13.120 --> 00:29:13.820 It's saying, 00:29:14.060 --> 00:29:15.980 May the Lord look upon you with 00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:16.360 favor. 00:29:20.020 --> 00:29:22.600 And when the king's face lights upon 00:29:22.600 --> 00:29:24.360 you with favor, it says it brings 00:29:24.360 --> 00:29:25.160 life. 00:29:26.180 --> 00:29:28.260 Similarly, his favor, he says, is like 00:29:28.260 --> 00:29:29.780 the clouds that bring the spring 00:29:29.780 --> 00:29:30.120 rain. 00:29:30.840 --> 00:29:33.140 The summer harvest depended on the 00:29:33.140 --> 00:29:33.800 spring rain. 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:35.980 So the clouds that bring the spring 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.560 rain were a welcome sight. 00:29:38.540 --> 00:29:40.180 The king's favor then is likened to 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:42.720 the sun and to the rain clouds, both 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:44.779 of which were vital sources of life 00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:47.200 in the ancient Near East, in this 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:48.560 agrarian society. 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:51.840 So then the Lord, the king of kings, 00:29:52.220 --> 00:29:55.279 rules and gives life to people through 00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:58.120 kings who are his intermediaries. 00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:01.120 And so the logic of the passage is 00:30:01.120 --> 00:30:02.740 that we ought to relate to governing 00:30:02.740 --> 00:30:05.140 authorities with the posture of humble 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:08.340 submission under the sovereignty, the 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:09.679 ultimate sovereignty of the Lord. 00:30:11.779 --> 00:30:13.939 But as we know from the Bible's 00:30:13.939 --> 00:30:16.079 history, Israel's kings were by and 00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:17.399 large all disappointments. 00:30:18.639 --> 00:30:21.000 Even the wise king Solomon, who wrote 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:24.099 this book, the Proverbs, did not live up 00:30:24.099 --> 00:30:25.480 to his own teaching in the end. 00:30:26.779 --> 00:30:29.439 1 Kings 11 recounts the tragic fall of 00:30:29.439 --> 00:30:29.819 Solomon. 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:32.480 It says he loved foreign women and had 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:36.339 700 wives and 300 concubines who turned 00:30:36.339 --> 00:30:39.119 away his heart from the Lord and turned 00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:40.939 his heart after other gods. 00:30:42.139 --> 00:30:44.799 Solomon fell into idolatry and for this 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:46.959 reason the Lord raised up an adversary to 00:30:46.959 --> 00:30:49.759 oppose Solomon and decreed that the kingdom 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:52.939 would be torn away from him and his son in 00:30:52.939 --> 00:30:53.759 the next generation. 00:30:55.159 --> 00:30:57.919 The vast majority of subsequent kings after 00:30:57.919 --> 00:30:58.959 Solomon were no better. 00:30:59.179 --> 00:31:02.019 They perverted justice and perpetrated evil. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:04.799 They produced misery and suffering for their 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:05.279 subjects. 00:31:07.019 --> 00:31:09.200 And for that reason the Israelites were an 00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:10.119 oppressed people. 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:13.099 They were conquered first by the Assyrians, then 00:31:13.099 --> 00:31:16.419 by the Babylonians, then by the Persians, then by 00:31:16.419 --> 00:31:18.559 the Greeks under Alexander the Great, and then 00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:20.220 again finally by the Romans. 00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:24.639 And after over 700 years of subjugation, the 00:31:24.639 --> 00:31:28.659 long-awaited messianic king, Jesus Christ, came. 00:31:28.660 --> 00:31:33.740 The king on whose lips will be the oracles of God. 00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:36.920 The king who does not sin in judgment. 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:40.300 The king whose throne is established by 00:31:40.300 --> 00:31:40.940 righteousness. 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:46.540 The king whose favor, whose grace brings us life. 00:31:48.300 --> 00:31:51.560 Unlike the kings who abused and took advantage of 00:31:51.560 --> 00:31:54.720 their subjects, Jesus gave his life for his people. 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:58.480 We were all disloyal subjects. 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:01.279 We had all rebelled against God. 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:04.559 We had all rejected God as our king. 00:32:05.120 --> 00:32:07.579 And his wrath had to be appeased. 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:10.200 His justice had to be satisfied. 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:13.980 We were destined to be hounded by the messenger of death 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:15.539 that is the king's wrath. 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:18.860 But the king, out of his love for us, 00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:21.360 out of love for his subjects, 00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:25.459 sent his only son, the heir to the throne, 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:27.719 his son Jesus Christ, 00:32:28.419 --> 00:32:30.500 in order to reconcile us to himself. 00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:35.139 And Jesus made atonement for us. 00:32:35.859 --> 00:32:37.659 The word atone in verse 6 00:32:37.659 --> 00:32:40.079 and the word appease in verse 14 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:43.479 are different translations of the same Hebrew word. 00:32:43.679 --> 00:32:44.799 It means to cover. 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:47.059 It means to cleanse. 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:49.799 And Jesus, the heir, 00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:53.919 the son who should have ruled in glory, 00:32:54.679 --> 00:32:59.799 humbled himself and died on that hideous cross 00:32:59.799 --> 00:33:04.639 to save filthy, feckless traitors like us. 00:33:06.099 --> 00:33:08.799 We were alienated from God by our sins 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:11.419 and he reconciled us to God 00:33:11.419 --> 00:33:13.720 by making atonement for our sins. 00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:17.039 God was alienated from us 00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:18.839 by his wrath toward our sins. 00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:21.180 But the son averted his wrath 00:33:21.180 --> 00:33:23.339 by bearing the penalty for our treason. 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:27.299 And Jesus didn't stay dead. 00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:30.940 It says in Ephesians 1, 20-23 00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:33.900 that God the Father raised him from the dead 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:36.180 and seated him at his right hand 00:33:36.180 --> 00:33:37.200 in the heavenly places, 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:39.779 far above all rule and authority 00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:41.000 and power and dominion 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:42.960 and above every name that is named, 00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:44.480 not only in this age 00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:46.000 but also in the one to come. 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:49.400 And he put all things under his feet 00:33:49.400 --> 00:33:51.900 and gave him as head over all things 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:52.640 to the church, 00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:54.220 which is his body, 00:33:54.799 --> 00:33:55.940 the fullness of him 00:33:55.940 --> 00:33:58.079 who fills all in all. 00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:02.340 Jesus is now at the right hand 00:34:02.340 --> 00:34:03.380 of God the Father 00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:05.759 above all other rulers and authorities. 00:34:06.420 --> 00:34:08.420 He is reigning over all. 00:34:08.420 --> 00:34:12.800 And this truth is our greatest hope. 00:34:14.380 --> 00:34:16.360 As citizens of God's kingdom, 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:18.059 we have a generous, 00:34:18.599 --> 00:34:19.500 benevolent king, 00:34:20.039 --> 00:34:21.420 a just king. 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:24.240 It's this truth that enables us 00:34:24.240 --> 00:34:26.220 to live with a posture of humble submission 00:34:26.220 --> 00:34:27.480 under the sovereignty of the Lord. 00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:29.980 When the nations rage, 00:34:30.240 --> 00:34:31.579 when peoples plot, 00:34:32.300 --> 00:34:33.480 Jesus is on the throne. 00:34:33.480 --> 00:34:36.039 When the kings of the earth 00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:37.800 set themselves against the Lord 00:34:37.800 --> 00:34:38.920 and against his anointed, 00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:40.860 Jesus is on the throne. 00:34:41.400 --> 00:34:43.139 When the greatest superpower 00:34:43.139 --> 00:34:44.460 of the last century 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:46.039 appears to be imploding, 00:34:46.740 --> 00:34:48.579 Jesus is still on the throne. 00:34:49.780 --> 00:34:52.240 When the pandemic rages, 00:34:53.300 --> 00:34:54.539 Jesus is on the throne. 00:34:55.260 --> 00:34:56.800 When your life seems to be 00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:58.079 spiraling out of control, 00:34:58.619 --> 00:35:00.440 Jesus is on the throne. 00:35:00.440 --> 00:35:02.159 He is in control. 00:35:02.659 --> 00:35:04.740 And that's the hope for believers, 00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:07.880 that we have a king who reigns. 00:35:08.619 --> 00:35:11.420 And I pray that God will make us a church 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:13.960 in these unusual circumstances 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:18.240 that lives with faith-filled dependence 00:35:18.240 --> 00:35:20.380 and humble submission 00:35:20.380 --> 00:35:24.200 under the sovereignty of our king.