WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.779 Please turn with me to Proverbs chapter 10, starting in verse 23, and we're going all the way to chapter 11, verse 31. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:28.100 Proverbs chapter 10, verse 23 to chapter 11, verse 31. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:42.140 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:49.019 What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:56.920 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:04.120 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the slugger to those who send him. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:10.620 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the ears of the wicked will be short. 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:17.219 The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:23.719 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. 00:01:24.120 --> 00:01:28.379 The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land. 00:01:29.180 --> 00:01:33.799 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:39.739 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. 00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:45.719 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. 00:01:46.459 --> 00:01:50.519 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with a humble is wisdom. 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:57.119 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 00:01:58.399 --> 00:02:02.919 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:10.400 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:17.659 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:23.900 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. 00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:28.980 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:35.120 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:42.719 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of gladness. 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:49.819 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:56.120 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. 00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:03.259 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps the thing covered. 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:12.000 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:19.300 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands and pledge is secure. 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:24.040 A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches. 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:28.920 A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. 00:03:30.020 --> 00:03:35.380 The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. 00:03:36.700 --> 00:03:41.260 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die. 00:03:41.980 --> 00:03:47.260 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight. 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:54.099 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.019 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:05.620 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath. 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:08.959 One gives freely yet grows all the richer. 00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:12.699 Another withholds what he should give and only suffers want. 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:19.379 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:25.379 The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:31.560 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it. 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:38.439 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:45.420 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:53.019 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. 00:04:54.060 --> 00:05:00.839 If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner. 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:04.519 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:14.579 In this world, there is much sin and injustice, and sometimes the innocent are condemned and the guilty are acquitted. 00:05:15.799 --> 00:05:18.719 Sometimes bribes blind the eyes of the judge. 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:23.599 Sometimes false witnesses rise up to imperil the falsely accused. 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:28.900 And if you have been the victim of such injustice, you've grown. 00:05:29.400 --> 00:05:37.340 And if you've been an observer of such injustice, you've grown with the rest of creation under the weight of it all, as Romans 8 speaks of. 00:05:38.200 --> 00:05:43.680 But Proverbs 10, 23 to 11, 31 reminds us that this is not the way it's supposed to be. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:55.300 It gives us a picture of God's perfect order of justice, and teaches us that we should live righteously, trusting that God's justice will ultimately prevail. 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:58.360 That's the main point of this passage. 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:02.980 First, we're going to look at the permanence of the righteous versus the transience of the wicked. 00:06:03.460 --> 00:06:06.240 Chapter 10, 23 to chapter 11, verse 8. 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:14.699 And then we'll look at the advantage of the selfless versus the disadvantage of the selfish in chapter 11, verses 9 to 31. 00:06:15.340 --> 00:06:23.780 The whole section, this whole first collection of Solomon's Proverbs is divided into two subsections I mentioned last week. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:33.620 And this first subsection goes to 1529, and is a series of contrasts between the righteous and the wicked, as we saw today as we were reading the passage. 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:40.180 And so he's emphasizing here the permanence of the righteous versus the transience of the wicked. 00:06:40.740 --> 00:06:44.139 And that's trying to motivate us to live righteously, trusting in God's justice. 00:06:44.840 --> 00:06:46.319 It says in verse 23, 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:52.379 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. 00:06:52.780 --> 00:06:56.340 A joke, a laughing matter, a mockery. 00:06:56.980 --> 00:06:59.319 To the fool, wrongdoing is like a joke. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:01.620 It brings pleasure and amusement. 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:07.480 It's not only sociopaths who laugh at the expense of others' suffering. 00:07:08.340 --> 00:07:11.360 People who advance themselves at the expense of others. 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:12.699 People who hate others. 00:07:13.060 --> 00:07:16.100 They smirk and laugh at the downfall of others. 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:19.319 And their ghastly smiles reflect their foolish heart. 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.280 But in contrast, for a man of understanding, 00:07:22.740 --> 00:07:25.060 it's not wrongdoing, but wisdom. 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:28.920 That is the object of his pleasure and enjoyment. 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:36.520 And the parallel between doing wrong and wisdom shows that wisdom is not merely theoretical, 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:39.120 but concrete and practical. 00:07:39.939 --> 00:07:44.560 The wisdom that Proverbs offers is a skill of right doing or right living. 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:50.819 The wise person finds joy and delight in the wisdom of God, in obedience to God. 00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:55.079 Though the fool finds pleasure in wrongdoing, 00:07:55.719 --> 00:08:01.300 this doesn't mean that a sinner lives a life of pleasure without a care in the world. 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:08.740 Verse 24 tells us that there is a deep-seated insecurity in the fool and the sinner. 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:09.100 It says, 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:17.960 So God has given every human being a conscience, 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:19.460 a sense of right and wrong, 00:08:19.700 --> 00:08:22.200 as well as a sense of divine justice. 00:08:22.960 --> 00:08:26.320 And wrongdoers, even if they get away with wrongdoing, 00:08:27.080 --> 00:08:29.760 live with the sense of foreboding and dread 00:08:29.760 --> 00:08:32.279 that they will eventually get what is coming to them. 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:49.459 Notice the contrast in the language that is used to describe how these things come. 00:08:49.459 --> 00:08:52.220 What the wicked dreads will come upon him. 00:08:52.959 --> 00:08:54.339 It will overtake him. 00:08:55.199 --> 00:08:56.799 It will catch up to him. 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:01.079 The phrase communicates this inevitability. 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:02.319 It will come upon him. 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:05.179 In contrast, the desire of the righteous will be granted. 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:08.519 It's like a gift from our God. 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:11.819 The graciousness of God rewards those who follow him. 00:09:13.179 --> 00:09:15.299 And as verse 25 confirms, 00:09:15.699 --> 00:09:18.359 verse 25 confirms his contrast. 00:09:18.359 --> 00:09:18.719 This is, 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:21.039 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, 00:09:21.500 --> 00:09:23.759 but the righteous is established forever. 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.980 However, the tempests of life, the troubles of life, 00:09:27.539 --> 00:09:29.019 inevitably come, 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.580 and when they do, the wicked is no more. 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:33.500 They are like a house built on sand, 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:37.279 or a tree with a shallow root that is uprooted by the tempest. 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.819 However, the righteous is established forever, 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:41.519 like a house built on a rock, 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:46.080 like an oak tree with deep roots that fears not the tempests that come. 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:48.519 In God's ultimate justice, 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:50.319 the wicked sprout up for only a moment, 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:52.539 but the righteous flourish forever. 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:56.879 And because the wicked take pleasure in wrongdoing, 00:09:56.980 --> 00:09:58.039 and their doom is sure, 00:09:58.379 --> 00:10:00.259 because the wicked are transient, 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:02.980 they are unreliable, 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:06.399 and should not be trusted or employed. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.120 That's what verse 26 is speaking of. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:09.419 It says, 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:11.899 Like vinegar to the teeth, 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.379 and smoke to the eyes, 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:17.220 so is the slugger to those who send him. 00:10:17.939 --> 00:10:19.179 In the ancient Near East, 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:22.720 the messengers who conveyed the words of the sender, 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:24.680 and represented the sender in negotiations, 00:10:24.920 --> 00:10:27.180 had a very important role in society. 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:28.300 However, 00:10:28.420 --> 00:10:31.960 the wicked sluggard should never be employed in such a role, 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:35.379 because they will surely bring trouble to their sender. 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:40.040 The vinegar in view here is the undiluted acidic form of vinegar 00:10:40.040 --> 00:10:42.540 that's corrosive to your teeth. 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:44.399 It weakens the enamel on your teeth. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:49.120 And without the benefit of the advanced dental care we now enjoy, 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:51.919 and people still have teeth trouble nowadays, 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:53.419 but imagine people back then, 00:10:53.699 --> 00:10:54.980 what kind of teeth they would have had. 00:10:55.659 --> 00:10:57.319 If you're drinking some acidic vinegar, 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.360 that would be a very unpleasant sensation. 00:10:59.500 --> 00:11:01.279 That's what's in view in this imagery. 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:03.620 Be very sensitive to that. 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:04.820 Similarly, 00:11:05.060 --> 00:11:07.220 smoke is an irritant to the eyes. 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:08.960 When you're camping out, 00:11:09.060 --> 00:11:09.840 or you're barbecuing, 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:12.460 and you get smoke in your eyes, 00:11:12.560 --> 00:11:13.740 it causes a burning, 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:15.060 itchy sensation, 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:17.299 and it can make you tear up. 00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:18.740 And so in those ways, 00:11:18.820 --> 00:11:19.980 like vinegar to the teeth, 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:20.980 and smoke to the eyes, 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:23.779 the sluggard cannot be tolerated for long. 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:26.940 He will corrode the reputation of his sender, 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:29.639 he will frustrate the interests of the sender, 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.360 and he will irritate the sensibilities of the sender. 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:34.259 And that's the warning. 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:37.679 And after that brief aside, 00:11:37.819 --> 00:11:40.539 Solomon returns again to the theme of the permanence of the righteous 00:11:40.539 --> 00:11:43.439 versus the transience of the wicked in verses 27 to 30. 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:46.500 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, 00:11:46.899 --> 00:11:49.000 but the years of the wicked will be short. 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:51.799 The hope of the righteous brings joy, 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.919 but the expectation of the wicked will perish. 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:58.480 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:01.019 but destruction to evildoers. 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:03.820 The righteous will never be removed, 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:06.580 but the wicked will not dwell in the land. 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:12.940 So the hope of the righteous endure and it's fulfilled, 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:14.980 and for that reason it brings joy. 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:17.759 But the expectation of the wicked perish, 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:21.000 so they do not experience the joyful fulfillment of the righteous, 00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:22.300 that the righteous do. 00:12:22.920 --> 00:12:26.240 Even though at times it seems the wicked linger longer than we would want. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.100 In truth, they are short-lived. 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:34.200 And this theme is continued with an emphasis on speech in verses 31 to 32. 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:37.400 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, 00:12:37.540 --> 00:12:40.060 but the perverse tongue will be cut off. 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:43.259 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:46.180 but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:49.980 The righteous speak what is appropriate or acceptable, 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:53.080 while the wicked speak what is inappropriate and perverse. 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:57.300 And for that reason, the mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom. 00:12:57.520 --> 00:12:59.259 That word literally means to bear fruit. 00:12:59.520 --> 00:13:03.320 The mouth of the righteous are like trees that bear fruit, good fruit. 00:13:03.980 --> 00:13:08.379 And they're like vines that grow sweet clusters of wisdom grapes. 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:11.660 But the mouth of the wicked, in contrast, 00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:14.220 is like a vine that grows sour grapes 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:16.480 and will therefore be cut off. 00:13:16.900 --> 00:13:17.920 It is useless. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:21.799 And an acceptable speech of the righteous 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:25.240 is connected to the acceptable deeds of the righteous. 00:13:25.979 --> 00:13:28.299 And that's the transition to chapter 11, verse 1. 00:13:28.939 --> 00:13:29.179 It says, 00:13:29.319 --> 00:13:32.419 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, 00:13:32.719 --> 00:13:35.439 but a just weight is His delight. 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:38.839 The word delight is the same Hebrew word 00:13:38.839 --> 00:13:41.819 that's translated in chapter 10, verse 32 as acceptable. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:45.459 So a just weight is acceptable to God. 00:13:45.460 --> 00:13:49.720 The righteous say what is acceptable in their conversations. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:53.540 And the righteous use an acceptable way 00:13:53.540 --> 00:13:55.019 in their commercial activities. 00:13:55.680 --> 00:13:58.900 Scales and weights were widely used in the ancient world. 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:02.460 And deceitful sellers and buyers 00:14:02.460 --> 00:14:06.780 used tampered scales or forged weights 00:14:06.780 --> 00:14:09.019 in order to take advantage of others, 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:10.820 to exploit others for unjust gain. 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:14.139 So for example, some merchants used a false balance, 00:14:14.139 --> 00:14:16.460 a tampered scale that they would manipulate 00:14:16.460 --> 00:14:18.299 to their advantage when they're negotiating. 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:21.659 And traders also used forged weights. 00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:24.139 So people back then carried these stones 00:14:24.139 --> 00:14:27.879 that weighed a certain amount. 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.419 It would be written on the stone that it weighs this much. 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:34.819 And that was used for commercial activities. 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:36.519 However, a deceitful trader, 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:38.519 when purchasing grain, 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:40.539 he would use a false weight 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:43.259 that is, for example, marked 15 pounds, 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:46.159 when in reality it was only 10 pounds. 00:14:46.699 --> 00:14:48.699 So that he would receive payment 00:14:48.699 --> 00:14:50.319 for 15 pounds of grain 00:14:50.319 --> 00:14:52.339 while giving only 10 pounds of grain. 00:14:53.099 --> 00:14:54.519 And of course, they would do the opposite 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:57.159 when they're buying grain. 00:14:58.339 --> 00:15:00.240 And in doing these things, 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:01.620 they exploited others 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:04.219 and gained unjust wealth. 00:15:04.220 --> 00:15:06.300 And the use of these false weights 00:15:06.300 --> 00:15:08.220 is condemned repeatedly throughout Scripture. 00:15:08.560 --> 00:15:11.139 And this is contrasted with using the just weight, 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:11.960 the full weight, 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:13.660 which is the Lord's delight. 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:15.340 It's acceptable to him. 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:19.580 And we might deceive our neighbor 00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:21.500 through these practices. 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:23.840 And there's a number of ways we might do that, 00:15:23.899 --> 00:15:25.840 whether it's the way we do taxes 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:30.759 or the way we present things in ads 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:33.420 or the way we talk to people 00:15:33.420 --> 00:15:34.879 in negotiating on Craigslist 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:35.980 or whatever it might be. 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:37.899 We might defraud our neighbor, 00:15:38.560 --> 00:15:40.700 but we can never fool God. 00:15:41.420 --> 00:15:43.080 We can never deceive God. 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:45.720 And the Lord who hates a false balance 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:47.000 will surely punish the wicked. 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:52.940 And these exploitative practices, 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:55.740 it stems ultimately from pride. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:59.320 And that's why it says in verse 2, 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:00.600 when pride comes, 00:16:01.019 --> 00:16:02.360 then comes disgrace. 00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:05.019 But with the humble is wisdom. 00:16:05.160 --> 00:16:06.899 Why do these things come from pride? 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.180 Psalm chapter 94 verses 4 to 7 00:16:10.180 --> 00:16:11.759 capture what this looks like. 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:12.420 It says, 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:14.519 They pour out their arrogant words, 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:16.120 all the evildoers boast. 00:16:17.160 --> 00:16:18.700 They crush your people, O Lord, 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:19.840 and afflict your heritage. 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:22.019 They kill the widow and the sojourner 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:23.280 and murder the fatherless. 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:23.980 And they say, 00:16:23.980 --> 00:16:25.879 The Lord does not see. 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:28.759 The God of Jacob does not perceive. 00:16:29.659 --> 00:16:31.779 That's at the heart of all wickedness, 00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:32.159 isn't it? 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:35.360 People believe that they could get away with it. 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:37.980 People believe that God does not see. 00:16:38.180 --> 00:16:39.399 They believe that justice 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:41.080 will not catch up to them. 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:43.480 And that's the essence of their pride. 00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:46.120 And so they use false balances and weights, 00:16:46.620 --> 00:16:48.200 pridefully thinking that they could escape 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:48.920 God's judgment. 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:51.279 But when pride comes, 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:52.740 then comes disgrace. 00:16:52.979 --> 00:16:53.899 This is the inevitable, 00:16:54.079 --> 00:16:56.099 inescapable law of divine justice. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:59.819 If you invite pride into your heart against God, 00:17:00.199 --> 00:17:03.360 disgrace will soon come against you in your life. 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:05.420 The two are joined together at the hip. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:06.799 They always come together. 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:10.579 In contrast with the humble is wisdom. 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:14.399 The humble recognize that they are under the authority 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:15.500 and governance of God. 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.200 They live under His watchful eyes. 00:17:18.620 --> 00:17:20.720 They live in submission to His rule. 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:22.240 They know their place 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:23.740 and accept their limits. 00:17:25.320 --> 00:17:27.920 The wicked may pride themselves in being shrewd 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:30.580 or being imagined that they're wiser than the righteous. 00:17:30.820 --> 00:17:31.380 But in truth, 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:33.700 it's the humble who possess wisdom. 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.759 Submitting under the bounds of God's law. 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:41.559 And verses 3 to 8 tell us that this humility toward God 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:44.319 is what produces integrity toward men. 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:45.259 It says, 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:48.180 The integrity of the upright guides them, 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:51.700 but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:54.720 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, 00:17:54.879 --> 00:17:56.920 but righteousness delivers from death. 00:17:57.539 --> 00:18:00.660 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:03.740 but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:06.500 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, 00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:09.200 but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:10.839 When the wicked dies, 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:12.240 his hope will perish, 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:15.180 and the expectation of wealth perishes too. 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:18.059 The righteous is delivered from trouble, 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:20.799 and the wicked walks into it instead. 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:23.980 There's a recurring contrast 00:18:23.980 --> 00:18:26.160 between what is straight and upright 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:29.119 versus what is crooked and treacherous. 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:32.380 The straight or upright people, 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:33.299 they are guileless. 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:34.880 There's no deception in their ways, 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:38.660 unlike the crooked who are devious in their ways. 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:47.140 And this is the principle that this section of Proverbs 00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:49.280 hammers home again and again, 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:50.500 that in the end, 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:52.620 there will be justice. 00:18:53.620 --> 00:18:57.220 Even unjustly gained wealth do not profit in the day of wrath. 00:18:57.340 --> 00:18:59.160 Only righteousness delivers from death. 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:05.519 And this is what Martin Luther King Jr. had in mind when he said, 00:19:05.940 --> 00:19:08.779 the arc of the moral universe is long, 00:19:09.040 --> 00:19:11.340 but it bends toward justice. 00:19:12.340 --> 00:19:13.560 In the end, 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:15.300 cheats never prosper. 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:17.040 It's honest work that pays. 00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:20.259 The arc of the moral universe is long, 00:19:20.360 --> 00:19:22.380 but it bends toward justice. 00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:24.360 We should live righteously, 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:26.840 trusting that God's justice will ultimately prevail. 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:29.539 In one sense, 00:19:29.639 --> 00:19:30.659 then living righteously, 00:19:31.019 --> 00:19:34.519 righteously is one of the most self-serving things that a person can do. 00:19:35.159 --> 00:19:38.579 Because it ultimately is what is most beneficial to oneself. 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:41.099 And in verses 9 to 31, 00:19:41.399 --> 00:19:43.459 Solomon then elaborates on that paradox 00:19:43.459 --> 00:19:46.079 by contrasting the advantage of the selfless 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:48.579 versus the disadvantage of the selfish. 00:19:48.579 --> 00:19:50.799 The righteous person, 00:19:50.899 --> 00:19:51.679 according to Proverbs, 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:54.179 is someone who disadvantages himself 00:19:54.179 --> 00:19:56.220 in order to serve the community. 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:58.319 But the wicked person is someone 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:00.480 who disadvantages the community 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:02.299 in order to serve himself. 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:03.699 However, 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:04.539 in the end, 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:05.599 it's the selfless, 00:20:05.699 --> 00:20:06.319 not the selfish, 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:08.019 who gain the edge. 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:09.819 It says in verses 9 to 11, 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:30.059 This is pretty straightforward, right? 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:31.859 The wicked seek to destroy their neighbors. 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:32.839 And for that reason, 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:34.679 the neighbors don't applaud them, 00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:38.279 are not happy about their prospering and their success. 00:20:38.819 --> 00:20:40.159 But the righteous, however, 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:41.399 bless the people, 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:42.639 bless their city, 00:20:43.179 --> 00:20:45.480 and they deliver their neighbors. 00:20:45.619 --> 00:20:46.200 And for that reason, 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:47.419 when it goes well with them, 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:48.480 the city rejoices. 00:20:49.859 --> 00:20:51.480 Because they serve others, 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:53.700 the righteous are celebrated by others. 00:20:54.399 --> 00:20:56.980 And the wise not only benefit others by what they say, 00:20:56.980 --> 00:20:59.900 but they also benefit others by what they don't say. 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:02.440 It says in verses 12 to 13, 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:05.640 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:09.220 but a man of understanding remains silent. 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:12.920 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, 00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:15.620 but he who is trustworthy in spirit 00:21:15.620 --> 00:21:17.480 keeps the thing covered. 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:20.860 We should never yield to the temptation 00:21:20.860 --> 00:21:22.880 of belittling a neighbor. 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:27.100 Even the neighbor that is closest to you 00:21:27.100 --> 00:21:27.880 in your own family, 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:28.600 your household. 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:32.360 Every human being is created in the image of God. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.000 And because of that, 00:21:34.080 --> 00:21:36.600 has intrinsic worth and dignity, 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:38.700 no matter how debased they are 00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:40.780 by their sins and by their environment. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.980 So when we belittle other people, 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:50.120 it's a way of kind of exalting ourselves, isn't it? 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:51.740 We aggrandize ourselves. 00:21:51.740 --> 00:21:53.799 We make ourselves seem bigger 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:55.839 by making others seem smaller. 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.440 We lift up ourselves by putting down others. 00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:03.140 And that's such a subtle sin sometimes, 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:04.519 such an insidious sin. 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:07.140 And it can pass with a lot of, 00:22:07.299 --> 00:22:08.960 it masquerades a lot of different things, 00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:10.440 but it destroys community. 00:22:11.339 --> 00:22:13.120 Instead of belittling a neighbor, 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:14.980 a man of understanding, 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:16.620 it says, remains silent. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:19.319 It reminds me of James chapter 3, 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:20.299 verses 8 to 10, 00:22:20.299 --> 00:22:20.759 which says, 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:22.779 no human being can tame the tongue. 00:22:23.419 --> 00:22:24.639 It is a restless evil, 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:26.339 full of deadly poison. 00:22:26.980 --> 00:22:29.079 With it, we bless our Lord and Father, 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:30.599 and with it, we curse people 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:32.440 who are made in the likeness of God. 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:35.779 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing, 00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:36.180 my brother, 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:37.680 these things are not to be so. 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:41.659 If we have a proper respect for God, 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:45.779 we wouldn't dare to hold in contempt 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:48.300 people who are created in the image of God. 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:51.080 Every single one of our neighbors, 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:53.540 regardless of their educational attainment, 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:56.040 regardless of their socioeconomic status, 00:22:56.040 --> 00:22:58.460 regardless of the complexion of their skin, 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:01.380 regardless of their history or background, 00:23:02.220 --> 00:23:04.200 regardless of their political affiliation, 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:07.019 they bear the image of God Almighty, 00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:09.700 and he who belittles his neighbor 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:13.400 can only be described as someone who lacks sense. 00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:19.100 But we have to do this even when it's hard. 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:20.840 It's especially hard to be silent 00:23:20.840 --> 00:23:22.940 when we are ourselves insulted 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:24.960 or reviled by our neighbor. 00:23:25.360 --> 00:23:26.279 But even then, 00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:28.880 out of respect and reverence for God, 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:30.080 we are to hold our tongue 00:23:30.080 --> 00:23:31.460 rather than respond in kind. 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:35.960 So the wise person does not go about 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:38.460 slandering and revealing secrets. 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:39.759 He says, 00:23:39.840 --> 00:23:41.680 What has been confided to you in secret 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:43.840 should not be broadcasted in public. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:46.220 This too is a way that the wicked 00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:47.640 disadvantage others 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:49.660 in order to advantage themselves. 00:23:50.420 --> 00:23:52.240 By speaking ill of others, 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:54.059 they seek to speak well of themselves, 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:57.380 to present themselves in a better light 00:23:57.380 --> 00:23:58.500 by comparison. 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:00.759 They seek to elevate their own standing 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.460 in their community 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:03.660 and improve the way others perceive them 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:05.180 by speaking ill of others. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:06.819 In contrast, 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:09.200 he who is trustworthy in spirit 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:10.700 keeps the thing covered. 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:13.559 The trustworthy person restrains 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:15.099 rather than loosens his tongue, 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:16.819 rather than divulging a secret 00:24:16.819 --> 00:24:18.940 to damage one's neighbor. 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:20.940 The trustworthy person covers it 00:24:20.940 --> 00:24:23.200 in order to protect his neighbor. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:26.720 Like we saw last week in chapter 10, verse 12, 00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:28.360 hatred stirs up strife, 00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:31.080 but love covers all offenses. 00:24:32.539 --> 00:24:33.880 And continuing this line of thought, 00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:35.940 verses 14 to 15 contrast the way 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:37.819 the wise provide counsel and guidance 00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:38.500 to their community 00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:39.620 and benefit their community. 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:43.819 And the fool, however, 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:45.140 bring themselves under the authority 00:24:45.140 --> 00:24:45.819 of a stranger 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:47.400 by putting up security for him. 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:48.319 It says, 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:49.400 Where there is no guidance, 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:50.240 the people falls, 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:52.019 but in an abundance of counselors 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:52.980 there is safety. 00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:54.660 Whoever puts up security 00:24:54.660 --> 00:24:55.420 for a stranger 00:24:55.420 --> 00:24:56.819 will surely suffer harm, 00:24:57.120 --> 00:24:58.559 but he who hates striking hands 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:00.099 in pledge is secure. 00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:02.880 The wise speak words of wisdom 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:04.000 to guide their community. 00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:06.420 The foolish speak words of folly 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:07.279 and get entangled 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:08.759 in the affairs of strangers 00:25:08.759 --> 00:25:10.779 by becoming a surety for them. 00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:14.400 And this talks about 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:15.779 how there's strength in numbers. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:17.500 There's strength in numbers 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:19.539 in warfare, of course, 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:21.119 but there's also strength 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:22.539 in numbers in wisdom. 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:23.799 It says, 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:25.039 Where there is no guidance, 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:26.140 a people falls. 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:28.839 A people refers to a people group, 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:29.579 a nation. 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:31.660 Even nations fall 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:33.180 for the lack of guidance. 00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:35.920 But in an abundance of counselors, 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:37.359 there is safety. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:40.359 We have a similar proverb in English, 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:41.900 two heads are better than one. 00:25:41.900 --> 00:25:43.039 It's saying, 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:44.859 Don't make important decisions 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:46.359 in your life by yourself. 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:48.919 If you're in the habit of 00:25:48.919 --> 00:25:51.219 being the master of your own faith, 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:52.919 you only make decisions yourself 00:25:52.919 --> 00:25:54.099 and don't listen to others, 00:25:54.519 --> 00:25:56.179 then don't get out of that habit. 00:25:56.279 --> 00:25:57.299 Consult with others. 00:25:57.879 --> 00:25:59.539 Seek out many people's advice 00:25:59.539 --> 00:26:01.539 because there's strength in numbers 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:03.500 and getting an abundance of counselors. 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:04.479 And the reason for that 00:26:04.479 --> 00:26:06.359 is because it's in the interplay 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:07.659 between arguments 00:26:07.659 --> 00:26:09.099 and counter arguments 00:26:09.099 --> 00:26:11.679 in the weighing of competing ideas. 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:13.519 That's where truth is discovered 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:15.820 and winning strategies are formed. 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:18.019 This is why it's so important 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:18.980 to listen to people 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.120 who don't think exactly the way you do. 00:26:23.080 --> 00:26:25.080 So let's not get used to 00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:26.779 enjoying the sound of our own voices 00:26:26.779 --> 00:26:28.420 and the logic of our own opinions 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:30.880 and listen to competing ideas. 00:26:31.600 --> 00:26:33.799 Read conservative and liberal newspapers. 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:36.400 Talk to old people and young people. 00:26:37.340 --> 00:26:39.680 Find fair-minded people of all stripes 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:40.860 who disagree with you. 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:43.860 And don't be consumed only with being heard. 00:26:44.340 --> 00:26:45.100 Seek to listen. 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:48.299 And if we never leave our own echo chambers 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:49.920 and dig our heels into 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:51.299 our own confirmation biases, 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:52.180 we will falter. 00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:53.039 That's inevitable. 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:55.400 It's in the abundance of counselors. 00:26:56.060 --> 00:26:56.680 There's safety. 00:26:58.360 --> 00:27:00.220 And verse 15 functions as a transition 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:01.720 from the topic of right speaking 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:02.960 to right living again. 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:05.000 And then verses 16 to 22 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:06.100 form a new subunit 00:27:06.100 --> 00:27:08.660 bracketed by verses 16 and 22. 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:11.160 Very colorful proverbs 00:27:11.160 --> 00:27:13.960 which speak of the woman who gets honor. 00:27:15.360 --> 00:27:18.320 These verses continue to contrast 00:27:18.320 --> 00:27:19.960 between the advantage of the selfless 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:21.500 and the disadvantage of the selfish. 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:25.340 But it says in verses 16 and 17, 00:27:25.339 --> 00:27:28.119 A gracious woman gets honor 00:27:28.119 --> 00:27:30.359 and violent men get riches. 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:33.359 A man who is kind benefits himself 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:35.099 but a cruel man hurts himself. 00:27:35.899 --> 00:27:37.879 So look at the gender, 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:38.779 the number, 00:27:38.980 --> 00:27:41.439 and the reward of these two verses, 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:42.439 how they all vary. 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:44.639 And I think intentionally. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:47.119 First notice the contrast in gender and number 00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:48.359 in verse 16. 00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:51.659 Woman singular and men plural. 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:53.540 This shows the interplay 00:27:53.540 --> 00:27:56.060 between individual responsibility 00:27:56.060 --> 00:27:58.500 and collective responsibility 00:27:58.500 --> 00:28:00.060 that we saw last week also. 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:03.000 Chapter 10 verses 45 taught us that 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:05.160 a slack hand causes poverty 00:28:05.160 --> 00:28:07.080 but the hand of the diligent makes rich. 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:09.220 He who gathers in the summer 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:10.019 is a prudent son 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:11.100 but he who sleeps in harvest 00:28:11.100 --> 00:28:12.400 is a son who brings shame. 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.640 So that's the message 00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:15.820 of personal individual responsibility 00:28:15.820 --> 00:28:18.180 that conservatives would embrace. 00:28:19.080 --> 00:28:20.180 If you're poor, they say, 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:21.780 that's because you didn't work hard enough. 00:28:22.620 --> 00:28:23.700 Now but that's qualified 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:25.400 by chapter 13 verse 23 00:28:25.400 --> 00:28:26.860 which we also looked at last week. 00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:28.540 The fallow ground of the poor 00:28:28.540 --> 00:28:30.380 would yield much food 00:28:30.380 --> 00:28:33.200 but it is swept away through injustice. 00:28:34.060 --> 00:28:35.140 That's the message 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:36.660 about systemic injustice 00:28:36.660 --> 00:28:38.280 and societal responsibility 00:28:38.280 --> 00:28:40.280 that liberals would rally behind. 00:28:40.780 --> 00:28:41.600 If you're poor, 00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:43.059 that's because of a system 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:44.519 that is rigged against you. 00:28:45.459 --> 00:28:46.819 According to Proverbs, 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:49.199 both aspects are true 00:28:49.199 --> 00:28:50.799 and must not be neglected. 00:28:51.579 --> 00:28:53.519 And we see a similar interplay here. 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:54.659 A gracious woman 00:28:54.659 --> 00:28:56.519 because of her own virtue 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:57.439 gets honor. 00:28:57.639 --> 00:28:58.799 That's the way it should be. 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:01.139 Unfortunately, it's also true 00:29:01.139 --> 00:29:02.740 that violent men get riches. 00:29:03.259 --> 00:29:04.199 Do they deserve it? 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:05.319 No, they don't. 00:29:05.719 --> 00:29:07.399 But men who are generally stronger 00:29:07.399 --> 00:29:08.919 and hold more systemic power 00:29:08.919 --> 00:29:09.939 seize the riches 00:29:09.939 --> 00:29:11.199 by their violence. 00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:12.779 through injustice. 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:15.299 But make no mistake 00:29:15.299 --> 00:29:17.660 that honor is the far better reward. 00:29:18.580 --> 00:29:20.380 Proverbs chapter 22 verse 1 says, 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:22.460 A good name is to be chosen 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:23.720 rather than great riches. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.980 And favor is better than silver or gold. 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:29.799 So the relatively powerless woman 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:30.799 that is in view here, 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:32.480 by her righteousness, 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:34.980 by her virtue of graciousness, 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:37.039 gets the greater reward. 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:39.200 And this is in stark contrast 00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:40.200 to the woman at the end 00:29:40.200 --> 00:29:41.079 of this subunit. 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:42.180 It forms a bracket, 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:42.960 these two proverbs. 00:29:43.059 --> 00:29:43.900 Look at verse 22. 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:46.900 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:48.700 is a beautiful woman 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:49.620 without discretion. 00:29:49.619 --> 00:29:53.299 This is the worldly way. 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:54.479 I can't help but laugh 00:29:54.479 --> 00:29:55.799 when I read that proverb. 00:29:55.919 --> 00:29:58.059 It's such a colorful proverb. 00:29:59.179 --> 00:30:01.059 This is the worldly way 00:30:01.059 --> 00:30:02.339 of gaining honor and power 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:03.179 for women. 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:05.000 It's physical beauty 00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:06.939 and external adornment. 00:30:07.799 --> 00:30:10.239 Despite all the progress 00:30:10.239 --> 00:30:12.619 touted by feminists, 00:30:13.139 --> 00:30:13.979 women have become 00:30:13.979 --> 00:30:15.519 more sexually objectified 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:17.039 now perhaps than ever before. 00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:20.099 In the name of sexual revolution 00:30:20.099 --> 00:30:21.339 and feminine liberation, 00:30:21.579 --> 00:30:22.339 women have been told 00:30:22.339 --> 00:30:24.299 to wield their sexuality 00:30:24.299 --> 00:30:25.700 as a weapon to their liking 00:30:25.700 --> 00:30:26.519 without the fear 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:27.220 of getting pregnant, 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:28.480 without the fear 00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:29.180 of being condemned 00:30:29.180 --> 00:30:30.680 by prudish crusaders. 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:32.920 But this is nothing new. 00:30:33.899 --> 00:30:34.879 Women used beauty 00:30:34.879 --> 00:30:35.839 and outward adornments 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:36.639 as instruments 00:30:36.639 --> 00:30:38.539 for seducing and subduing men 00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:39.859 in the ancient world as well. 00:30:40.599 --> 00:30:41.500 And there's plenty 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.379 of ancient literature 00:30:42.379 --> 00:30:43.659 that testify to that. 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:45.500 So they say, 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:46.579 do you want to be noticed? 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:48.259 Do you want to gain power? 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:49.579 Do you want to matter? 00:30:50.899 --> 00:30:53.379 That's what the TV ads, 00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:54.299 magazine covers, 00:30:54.379 --> 00:30:54.879 and the movies 00:30:54.879 --> 00:30:55.639 tell the women 00:30:55.639 --> 00:30:56.359 of our generation. 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:56.980 Well then, 00:30:57.420 --> 00:30:58.839 you have to wear tight pants, 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:00.159 short skirts, 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:01.519 low-cut shirts, 00:31:01.819 --> 00:31:03.139 adorn yourself with makeup, 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:03.779 hairdo, 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:04.619 and shiny jewels. 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:06.720 But unfortunately, 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:08.480 and perhaps unsurprisingly, 00:31:09.339 --> 00:31:10.720 this lack of chastity 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:11.460 and modesty 00:31:11.460 --> 00:31:12.779 plays right into 00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:13.920 the sinful desires 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:15.180 of lustful, 00:31:15.580 --> 00:31:16.019 immature, 00:31:16.580 --> 00:31:17.160 selfish, 00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:19.000 and manipulative men. 00:31:21.740 --> 00:31:22.620 That's because 00:31:22.620 --> 00:31:23.600 these are the principles 00:31:23.600 --> 00:31:24.200 and values 00:31:24.200 --> 00:31:25.060 of a sinful world. 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:26.940 That's because, 00:31:28.080 --> 00:31:29.220 and that's why the Bible 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:30.320 in both the Old 00:31:30.320 --> 00:31:31.340 and New Testaments 00:31:31.340 --> 00:31:32.840 consistently resists 00:31:32.840 --> 00:31:34.680 the sexual objectification 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:35.060 of women. 00:31:35.059 --> 00:31:37.220 Like a gold ring 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:38.539 in a pig's snout 00:31:38.539 --> 00:31:40.039 is a beautiful woman 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:41.059 without discretion. 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:44.079 What good is a gold ring 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:45.659 that adorns a pig's snout? 00:31:45.879 --> 00:31:47.099 The pigs rolling around 00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:47.619 in the mud, 00:31:48.019 --> 00:31:49.079 and in the ancient world, 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:50.599 they were usually fed swill. 00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:52.480 That's kitchen compost, 00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:53.359 waste. 00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:55.559 That's what they grew up 00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:56.359 and that's what they ate. 00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:57.740 For these reasons, 00:31:57.819 --> 00:31:58.599 they had a reputation 00:31:58.599 --> 00:31:59.619 for being dirty. 00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:02.519 What good is outward adornment, 00:32:02.659 --> 00:32:03.459 outward beauty 00:32:03.459 --> 00:32:04.099 for a woman 00:32:04.099 --> 00:32:05.419 who for her lack 00:32:05.419 --> 00:32:06.899 of inward graciousness 00:32:06.899 --> 00:32:08.179 and judiciousness 00:32:08.179 --> 00:32:09.359 rolls around 00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:10.459 in the mud of sin 00:32:10.459 --> 00:32:12.359 and eats the swill of sin? 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:13.719 What good is that? 00:32:15.579 --> 00:32:16.819 Her outer beauty 00:32:16.819 --> 00:32:18.439 forms a grotesque contrast 00:32:18.439 --> 00:32:19.639 with her inner ugliness. 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:25.559 And while the gracious woman 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:26.599 of verse 16 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:28.079 forms a contrast 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:29.479 with the violent men, 00:32:30.139 --> 00:32:32.439 she forms a complementary pair 00:32:32.439 --> 00:32:33.699 with the man who is kind 00:32:33.699 --> 00:32:34.599 in verse 17. 00:32:35.559 --> 00:32:35.819 It says, 00:32:35.979 --> 00:32:37.739 a gracious woman gets honor 00:32:37.739 --> 00:32:38.859 and violent men get riches. 00:32:39.299 --> 00:32:40.559 A man who is kind 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:41.599 benefits himself, 00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:42.919 but a cruel man 00:32:42.919 --> 00:32:43.799 hurts himself. 00:32:44.219 --> 00:32:45.099 So then this parallel 00:32:45.099 --> 00:32:46.339 between verse 16 and 17 00:32:46.339 --> 00:32:47.979 invite a comparison 00:32:47.979 --> 00:32:49.319 between the second halves 00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:50.079 of these verses 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:52.000 that qualify one another. 00:32:52.459 --> 00:32:53.599 Because verse 16 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:54.479 does concede 00:32:54.479 --> 00:32:55.359 that violent men 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:56.059 get riches, 00:32:56.659 --> 00:32:57.679 but then verse 17 00:32:57.679 --> 00:32:58.559 qualifies that 00:32:58.559 --> 00:32:59.279 by telling us 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:00.019 that in the end 00:33:00.019 --> 00:33:01.119 a cruel man 00:33:01.119 --> 00:33:02.119 hurts himself. 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:04.519 Those who do violence 00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:05.160 to others 00:33:05.160 --> 00:33:07.160 in the ultimate calculation 00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:07.759 of things 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:09.279 are doing violence 00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:10.299 to themselves. 00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:11.879 If you want 00:33:11.879 --> 00:33:13.220 any lasting benefit, 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:14.119 if you want 00:33:14.119 --> 00:33:14.940 true honor, 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:16.240 then you must be 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:16.700 gracious 00:33:16.700 --> 00:33:18.059 and kind. 00:33:18.059 --> 00:33:20.059 because there will be 00:33:20.059 --> 00:33:20.839 divine justice 00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:21.859 for those who cause 00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:22.740 the loss of others 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:23.779 for their selfish gain. 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:26.779 Verses 18 to 21 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:28.119 continue to reassure us 00:33:28.119 --> 00:33:28.679 of this truth. 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:28.940 It says, 00:33:28.940 --> 00:33:29.360 the wicked 00:33:29.360 --> 00:33:29.380 the wicked 00:33:29.380 --> 00:33:29.400 the wicked 00:33:29.400 --> 00:33:30.840 earns deceptive wages, 00:33:30.980 --> 00:33:31.240 but one 00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:32.519 who sows righteousness 00:33:32.519 --> 00:33:34.240 gets a sure reward. 00:33:34.779 --> 00:33:35.820 Whoever is steadfast 00:33:35.820 --> 00:33:36.380 in righteousness 00:33:36.380 --> 00:33:37.220 will live, 00:33:37.320 --> 00:33:38.700 but he who pursues evil 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:39.460 will die. 00:33:40.039 --> 00:33:41.460 Those of crooked heart 00:33:41.460 --> 00:33:42.380 are an abomination 00:33:42.380 --> 00:33:43.279 to the Lord, 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:45.340 but those of blameless ways 00:33:45.340 --> 00:33:46.440 are his delight. 00:33:47.140 --> 00:33:47.920 Be assured, 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.779 an evil person 00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:50.240 will not go unpunished, 00:33:50.500 --> 00:33:51.299 but the offspring 00:33:51.299 --> 00:33:52.059 of the righteous 00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:53.539 will be delivered. 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:55.200 This illustrates 00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:56.220 the principle taught 00:33:56.220 --> 00:33:57.059 in many places 00:33:57.059 --> 00:33:57.519 in scripture 00:33:57.519 --> 00:33:58.099 and especially 00:33:58.099 --> 00:33:59.379 Galatians chapter 6 00:33:59.379 --> 00:34:00.000 verse 7 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:00.839 which says, 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:02.039 do not be deceived. 00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:03.700 God is not mocked 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:05.159 for whatever one sows 00:34:05.159 --> 00:34:07.180 that will he also reap. 00:34:08.039 --> 00:34:08.960 You will reap 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:09.779 what you sow. 00:34:10.179 --> 00:34:11.199 If you sow sin, 00:34:11.279 --> 00:34:12.099 you will reap trouble. 00:34:12.259 --> 00:34:13.340 If you sow righteousness, 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:14.840 you will reap a sure reward 00:34:14.840 --> 00:34:15.759 from the Lord. 00:34:15.820 --> 00:34:16.639 So don't be deceived 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:17.800 by the appearances 00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:18.440 of things. 00:34:19.860 --> 00:34:20.219 Yes, 00:34:20.279 --> 00:34:21.000 for a little while 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:21.880 the wicked might appear 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.539 to prosper, 00:34:22.539 --> 00:34:24.099 but there is injustice 00:34:24.099 --> 00:34:24.699 in this world, 00:34:24.779 --> 00:34:25.380 but none of it 00:34:25.380 --> 00:34:26.920 escapes God's notice 00:34:26.920 --> 00:34:28.039 and none of it 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:29.179 will escape God's 00:34:29.179 --> 00:34:30.539 final judgment. 00:34:30.739 --> 00:34:31.679 So be assured, 00:34:31.820 --> 00:34:32.619 an evil person 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:34.840 will not go unpunished. 00:34:35.559 --> 00:34:36.920 And if you sow righteousness, 00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:38.779 that's to scatter 00:34:38.779 --> 00:34:40.059 the seeds of righteousness, 00:34:40.940 --> 00:34:42.179 it says in verse 21, 00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:43.820 the offspring of the righteous, 00:34:44.019 --> 00:34:44.539 that's literally 00:34:44.539 --> 00:34:46.079 the seed of the righteous, 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:47.279 will be delivered. 00:34:47.719 --> 00:34:48.960 You will bear much fruit 00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:51.900 and plant, 00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:52.300 I mean, 00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:52.980 and reap 00:34:52.980 --> 00:34:54.639 or reach a rich harvest. 00:34:55.840 --> 00:34:56.880 And this principle 00:34:56.880 --> 00:34:57.880 of divine retribution 00:34:57.880 --> 00:34:58.539 should govern 00:34:58.539 --> 00:35:00.260 the way we live 00:35:00.260 --> 00:35:00.880 and also, 00:35:01.220 --> 00:35:01.780 more specifically, 00:35:01.960 --> 00:35:02.599 what we do 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:03.680 with our money. 00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:05.539 It says in verses 00:35:05.539 --> 00:35:06.760 24 to 26, 00:35:06.760 --> 00:35:09.020 one gives freely, 00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:10.900 yet grows all the richer. 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:12.700 Another withholds 00:35:12.700 --> 00:35:13.600 what he should give 00:35:13.600 --> 00:35:14.920 and only suffers want. 00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:17.100 Whoever brings blessing 00:35:17.100 --> 00:35:18.000 will be enriched 00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:19.260 and one who waters 00:35:19.260 --> 00:35:20.560 will himself be watered. 00:35:20.900 --> 00:35:22.080 The people curse him 00:35:22.080 --> 00:35:23.140 who holds back rain, 00:35:23.240 --> 00:35:24.180 but a blessing is on 00:35:24.180 --> 00:35:25.460 the head of him 00:35:25.460 --> 00:35:26.200 who sells it. 00:35:26.620 --> 00:35:27.980 This is paradoxical, 00:35:28.100 --> 00:35:28.280 isn't it? 00:35:28.300 --> 00:35:28.820 It's because 00:35:28.820 --> 00:35:30.080 from a worldly, 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:31.680 just financial perspective, 00:35:31.680 --> 00:35:32.620 the more money 00:35:32.620 --> 00:35:33.260 you give away, 00:35:33.320 --> 00:35:33.620 of course, 00:35:33.680 --> 00:35:34.740 the poorer you become. 00:35:34.739 --> 00:35:37.559 But because of God's justice, 00:35:39.019 --> 00:35:40.500 one gives freely, 00:35:40.699 --> 00:35:41.799 yet grows all the richer, 00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:44.179 while another withholds 00:35:44.179 --> 00:35:44.939 what he should give 00:35:44.939 --> 00:35:46.000 and only suffers want. 00:35:47.299 --> 00:35:50.099 I can witness this fact 00:35:50.099 --> 00:35:51.019 that every Christian 00:35:51.019 --> 00:35:51.679 that I've known 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:53.179 who has given generously 00:35:53.179 --> 00:35:55.459 can corroborate this reality. 00:35:55.899 --> 00:35:57.799 You cannot outgive God. 00:35:57.800 --> 00:36:00.320 2 Corinthians 9, 00:36:00.460 --> 00:36:01.260 verse 68 says, 00:36:01.260 --> 00:36:02.920 Whoever sows sparingly 00:36:02.920 --> 00:36:05.100 will also reap sparingly. 00:36:05.560 --> 00:36:07.260 Whoever sows bountifully 00:36:07.260 --> 00:36:09.700 will also reap bountifully. 00:36:10.300 --> 00:36:11.480 Each one must give 00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:12.880 as he has decided in his heart 00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:13.840 and not reluctantly 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:14.840 or under compulsion, 00:36:15.120 --> 00:36:16.260 for God loves 00:36:16.260 --> 00:36:17.480 a cheerful giver. 00:36:18.120 --> 00:36:19.060 And God is able 00:36:19.060 --> 00:36:20.480 to make all grace 00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:21.220 abound to you, 00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:23.260 so that having all sufficiency 00:36:23.260 --> 00:36:24.700 in all things, 00:36:24.860 --> 00:36:26.019 at all times, 00:36:26.019 --> 00:36:26.820 you may abound 00:36:26.820 --> 00:36:29.119 in every good work. 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:31.219 To those who give generously 00:36:31.219 --> 00:36:32.139 for the needs of others, 00:36:32.259 --> 00:36:34.019 God makes all grace abound, 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:35.639 so that you have all sufficiency 00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:36.659 in all things, 00:36:36.719 --> 00:36:38.139 at all times. 00:36:38.719 --> 00:36:40.380 Sometimes people illustrate 00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:41.159 this principle 00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:42.139 with the example 00:36:42.139 --> 00:36:43.219 of the nursing mother. 00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:46.239 The more the mother 00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:47.320 nurses her child, 00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:49.920 the more her milk supply grows. 00:36:51.199 --> 00:36:52.019 It's counterintuitive. 00:36:52.019 --> 00:36:54.019 But the more she withholds 00:36:54.759 --> 00:36:55.940 her milk from the child, 00:36:56.380 --> 00:36:58.000 the sooner her milk supply 00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:58.900 runs dry. 00:36:59.980 --> 00:37:01.099 Wealth is like that. 00:37:02.019 --> 00:37:03.500 God gives it so you might 00:37:03.500 --> 00:37:04.340 steward it 00:37:04.340 --> 00:37:06.440 and give much of it away. 00:37:06.780 --> 00:37:08.400 In his wisdom and justice, 00:37:08.599 --> 00:37:09.380 God has embedded 00:37:09.380 --> 00:37:10.019 a general principle 00:37:10.559 --> 00:37:11.019 of reciprocity 00:37:11.800 --> 00:37:13.619 to the order of the universe, 00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:15.400 so that the generous 00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:16.019 enjoy prosperity 00:37:16.699 --> 00:37:17.800 while the stingy 00:37:17.800 --> 00:37:19.019 are beset with scarcity. 00:37:19.019 --> 00:37:19.820 Scarcity. 00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:23.119 Verse 28 further develops 00:37:23.119 --> 00:37:23.679 this idea. 00:37:23.800 --> 00:37:23.940 It says, 00:37:24.199 --> 00:37:25.699 Whoever trusts in his riches 00:37:25.699 --> 00:37:26.320 will fall, 00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:27.360 but the righteous 00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:28.159 will flourish 00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:29.420 like a green leaf. 00:37:30.239 --> 00:37:31.300 Whoever trusts 00:37:31.300 --> 00:37:32.239 in his riches 00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:33.759 relies on his riches, 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:34.900 sets his hope 00:37:34.900 --> 00:37:35.960 on his riches, 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:37.800 and for that reason 00:37:37.800 --> 00:37:38.679 is tight-fisted 00:37:38.679 --> 00:37:39.519 because money 00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:40.780 is not a tool for him 00:37:40.780 --> 00:37:41.699 but is God. 00:37:42.539 --> 00:37:43.340 And that leads 00:37:43.340 --> 00:37:44.119 to his downfall. 00:37:45.059 --> 00:37:46.619 But those who are 00:37:46.619 --> 00:37:47.420 open-handed 00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:48.179 with his riches, 00:37:48.179 --> 00:37:48.719 the righteous, 00:37:48.879 --> 00:37:49.440 they flourish 00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:50.919 like a green leaf. 00:37:53.139 --> 00:37:54.739 Verses 29 to 31 00:37:54.739 --> 00:37:56.279 keep driving this point home 00:37:56.279 --> 00:37:57.779 and then verse 31 00:37:57.779 --> 00:37:58.279 concludes, 00:37:58.419 --> 00:37:58.839 If the righteous 00:37:58.839 --> 00:38:00.219 is repaid on earth, 00:38:00.599 --> 00:38:01.519 how much more 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:02.039 the wicked 00:38:02.039 --> 00:38:02.960 and the sinner? 00:38:04.539 --> 00:38:06.500 This can be misunderstood, 00:38:06.799 --> 00:38:07.179 this verse. 00:38:07.279 --> 00:38:07.899 It's an argument 00:38:07.899 --> 00:38:08.759 from the lesser 00:38:08.759 --> 00:38:09.599 to the greater. 00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:11.419 So he's saying, 00:38:11.519 --> 00:38:13.339 Even the relatively righteous 00:38:13.339 --> 00:38:15.359 are repaid 00:38:15.359 --> 00:38:17.019 for their misdeeds 00:38:17.019 --> 00:38:17.460 on earth. 00:38:19.880 --> 00:38:21.280 Do you think then 00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:22.880 God will spare 00:38:22.880 --> 00:38:23.380 the wicked 00:38:23.380 --> 00:38:23.920 and the sinner? 00:38:25.300 --> 00:38:26.400 Of course not. 00:38:26.480 --> 00:38:27.360 That's the logic 00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:28.380 of this last verse. 00:38:29.759 --> 00:38:30.519 Even the righteous 00:38:30.519 --> 00:38:31.659 will get what's coming 00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:32.019 to them, 00:38:32.079 --> 00:38:33.400 then how much more 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:34.000 the wicked 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:34.820 and the sinner 00:38:34.820 --> 00:38:35.300 who have done 00:38:35.300 --> 00:38:36.719 much more wickedness, 00:38:36.980 --> 00:38:38.380 committed many more sins. 00:38:39.099 --> 00:38:39.599 And so this is 00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:39.840 what we're trying 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:40.159 to motivate. 00:38:40.280 --> 00:38:41.559 We should live righteously, 00:38:42.119 --> 00:38:43.219 trusting that God's justice 00:38:43.219 --> 00:38:45.119 will ultimately prevail. 00:38:45.119 --> 00:38:46.699 Let me ask you, 00:38:46.759 --> 00:38:47.859 how does that make you feel 00:38:47.859 --> 00:38:49.079 about your future prospects 00:38:49.079 --> 00:38:50.380 in light of God's justice? 00:38:52.980 --> 00:38:54.639 If you're like most people, 00:38:55.039 --> 00:38:56.639 hopefully not in our church, 00:38:56.759 --> 00:38:58.219 but if you're like most people, 00:38:58.319 --> 00:38:59.380 including unbelievers, 00:38:59.659 --> 00:39:01.159 you probably feel pretty good 00:39:01.159 --> 00:39:02.119 about your future prospects. 00:39:03.859 --> 00:39:05.259 There's an article entitled 00:39:05.259 --> 00:39:07.380 The Illusion of Moral Superiorty 00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:08.460 published in Social, 00:39:08.639 --> 00:39:09.219 Psychological, 00:39:09.279 --> 00:39:10.339 and Personality Science 00:39:10.339 --> 00:39:11.179 a few years ago. 00:39:11.179 --> 00:39:13.119 It documents the phenomenon 00:39:13.119 --> 00:39:15.219 called the self-enhancement effect, 00:39:15.679 --> 00:39:17.119 which is people's tendency 00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:18.159 to overestimate 00:39:18.159 --> 00:39:19.119 their own qualities 00:39:19.119 --> 00:39:19.699 and abilities 00:39:19.699 --> 00:39:20.799 in relation to 00:39:20.799 --> 00:39:21.739 the same qualities 00:39:21.739 --> 00:39:22.279 and abilities 00:39:22.279 --> 00:39:23.179 in others. 00:39:23.839 --> 00:39:25.399 We naturally think 00:39:25.399 --> 00:39:26.719 more highly of ourselves 00:39:26.719 --> 00:39:27.719 than we ought to. 00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:29.679 And this study 00:39:29.679 --> 00:39:31.179 shows, 00:39:32.539 --> 00:39:33.419 it demonstrates 00:39:33.419 --> 00:39:34.059 that actually 00:39:34.059 --> 00:39:35.960 that self-enhancement effect 00:39:35.960 --> 00:39:37.699 is most pronounced 00:39:37.699 --> 00:39:39.539 when it comes to 00:39:39.539 --> 00:39:41.259 assessments of our own morality. 00:39:42.279 --> 00:39:43.819 We all tend to think 00:39:43.819 --> 00:39:44.839 that we're especially, 00:39:45.079 --> 00:39:45.779 when it comes to morality, 00:39:45.859 --> 00:39:46.679 that we are better 00:39:46.679 --> 00:39:47.559 than others, 00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:48.699 that we're more righteous 00:39:48.699 --> 00:39:49.980 than others. 00:39:50.659 --> 00:39:51.559 In other words, 00:39:52.279 --> 00:39:52.659 this is something 00:39:52.659 --> 00:39:53.699 the Bible has been saying 00:39:53.699 --> 00:39:54.879 for thousands of years, 00:39:55.339 --> 00:39:57.119 we're all self-righteous. 00:39:59.039 --> 00:39:59.259 Now, 00:39:59.719 --> 00:40:01.619 but the Bible presents us 00:40:01.619 --> 00:40:02.679 with a more 00:40:02.679 --> 00:40:05.139 sobering and accurate assessment 00:40:05.139 --> 00:40:05.819 than our own 00:40:05.819 --> 00:40:06.739 personal assessment. 00:40:06.739 --> 00:40:08.399 Romans 3 verse 10 00:40:08.399 --> 00:40:08.879 tells us, 00:40:09.059 --> 00:40:10.579 none is righteous. 00:40:11.159 --> 00:40:11.619 No, 00:40:11.959 --> 00:40:13.299 not one. 00:40:15.019 --> 00:40:16.239 And this is a problem 00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:17.759 because Proverbs 11 chapter, 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:19.199 1131 told us 00:40:19.199 --> 00:40:20.079 that if the righteous 00:40:20.079 --> 00:40:21.719 is repaid on earth, 00:40:21.899 --> 00:40:22.839 how much more 00:40:22.839 --> 00:40:23.319 the wicked 00:40:23.319 --> 00:40:23.979 and the sinner? 00:40:24.819 --> 00:40:25.659 Even the righteous 00:40:25.659 --> 00:40:26.939 get what's coming to them 00:40:26.939 --> 00:40:28.879 for this little sense 00:40:28.879 --> 00:40:29.819 here and there perhaps, 00:40:30.179 --> 00:40:31.059 but we are not 00:40:31.059 --> 00:40:32.039 in the righteous 00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:33.179 category 00:40:33.179 --> 00:40:34.279 as much as we would like. 00:40:36.739 --> 00:40:38.759 in the ultimate sense, 00:40:38.859 --> 00:40:39.879 in light of God's 00:40:39.879 --> 00:40:40.759 perfect standard, 00:40:40.859 --> 00:40:42.399 we are all in the wicked 00:40:42.399 --> 00:40:43.939 and sinner category. 00:40:44.439 --> 00:40:45.439 And how then 00:40:45.439 --> 00:40:46.199 can we be saved? 00:40:47.759 --> 00:40:48.939 As the psalmist says 00:40:48.939 --> 00:40:49.519 in Psalm 130, 00:40:49.659 --> 00:40:50.019 if you, 00:40:50.159 --> 00:40:50.299 O Lord, 00:40:50.359 --> 00:40:51.579 should mark iniquities, 00:40:51.719 --> 00:40:52.000 O Lord, 00:40:52.079 --> 00:40:53.019 who could stand? 00:40:53.739 --> 00:40:55.000 No one could stand 00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:55.679 before God. 00:40:56.519 --> 00:40:57.739 No one could stand 00:40:57.739 --> 00:40:59.179 and be acquitted 00:40:59.179 --> 00:40:59.979 at the court 00:40:59.979 --> 00:41:01.199 of God's justice. 00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:02.739 And this is how 00:41:02.739 --> 00:41:03.759 the book of Proverbs 00:41:03.759 --> 00:41:04.539 points to 00:41:04.539 --> 00:41:05.960 and finds this fulfillment 00:41:05.960 --> 00:41:06.799 in Jesus Christ 00:41:06.799 --> 00:41:07.659 because that same 00:41:07.659 --> 00:41:09.059 chapter in Romans, 00:41:09.139 --> 00:41:09.839 Romans 3, 00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:10.539 which told us 00:41:10.539 --> 00:41:11.819 that no one is righteous 00:41:11.819 --> 00:41:13.199 continues in verses 00:41:13.199 --> 00:41:14.079 21 and 24, 00:41:14.199 --> 00:41:15.679 but now the righteousness 00:41:15.679 --> 00:41:16.339 of God 00:41:16.339 --> 00:41:17.419 has been made 00:41:17.419 --> 00:41:18.859 and has been manifested 00:41:18.859 --> 00:41:20.299 apart from the law, 00:41:20.699 --> 00:41:22.019 the righteousness of God 00:41:22.019 --> 00:41:22.779 through faith 00:41:22.779 --> 00:41:24.059 in Jesus Christ 00:41:24.059 --> 00:41:25.519 for all who believe, 00:41:25.839 --> 00:41:27.179 for there is no distinction, 00:41:27.739 --> 00:41:29.119 for all have sinned 00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:29.879 and fall short 00:41:29.879 --> 00:41:30.799 of the glory of God 00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:32.580 and are justified 00:41:32.580 --> 00:41:34.340 by His grace 00:41:34.340 --> 00:41:35.900 as a gift 00:41:35.900 --> 00:41:37.180 through the redemption 00:41:37.180 --> 00:41:39.600 that is in Christ Jesus. 00:41:40.300 --> 00:41:40.940 Jesus, 00:41:41.120 --> 00:41:42.060 the righteous one, 00:41:42.200 --> 00:41:43.760 died on the cross 00:41:43.760 --> 00:41:44.620 to pay the penalty 00:41:44.620 --> 00:41:45.200 of sin 00:41:45.200 --> 00:41:47.240 that we should have paid, 00:41:47.460 --> 00:41:49.320 that we should have died for. 00:41:49.640 --> 00:41:51.080 And through His death 00:41:51.080 --> 00:41:51.620 and resurrection, 00:41:51.820 --> 00:41:53.080 we are justified. 00:41:53.980 --> 00:41:55.580 That means we are counted 00:41:55.580 --> 00:41:56.660 righteous. 00:41:57.900 --> 00:41:59.380 Not as a wage 00:41:59.380 --> 00:42:00.100 that we ourselves 00:42:00.099 --> 00:42:00.759 must earn 00:42:00.759 --> 00:42:01.699 by our hard work, 00:42:01.699 --> 00:42:03.679 but by His grace 00:42:03.679 --> 00:42:05.259 as a gift 00:42:05.259 --> 00:42:06.579 freely given. 00:42:07.079 --> 00:42:08.799 We were not righteous, 00:42:09.199 --> 00:42:10.319 but nonetheless, 00:42:10.559 --> 00:42:11.759 God counts us 00:42:11.759 --> 00:42:12.420 as righteous 00:42:12.420 --> 00:42:13.420 on account 00:42:13.420 --> 00:42:14.619 of the life 00:42:14.619 --> 00:42:15.159 and death 00:42:15.159 --> 00:42:15.639 and resurrection 00:42:15.639 --> 00:42:16.659 of Jesus Christ. 00:42:16.880 --> 00:42:17.940 And that's how 00:42:17.940 --> 00:42:19.079 we come to inherit 00:42:19.079 --> 00:42:20.000 the eternal life 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:21.119 that this passage 00:42:21.119 --> 00:42:21.799 speaks of. 00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:23.299 Return with me 00:42:23.299 --> 00:42:24.000 one last time 00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:25.159 to Proverbs chapter 11. 00:42:25.259 --> 00:42:26.099 Look at verse 30. 00:42:26.099 --> 00:42:27.480 He says, 00:42:27.699 --> 00:42:29.199 The fruit of the righteous 00:42:29.199 --> 00:42:31.019 is a tree of life 00:42:31.019 --> 00:42:32.440 and whoever captures 00:42:32.440 --> 00:42:34.159 souls is wise. 00:42:35.079 --> 00:42:37.079 The outcome of a righteous life 00:42:37.079 --> 00:42:38.719 is a tree of life, 00:42:38.779 --> 00:42:40.199 a symbol of healing 00:42:40.199 --> 00:42:41.659 and eternal life 00:42:41.659 --> 00:42:43.519 that goes all the way back 00:42:43.519 --> 00:42:44.519 to the beginning of creation 00:42:44.519 --> 00:42:45.400 in Genesis 2. 00:42:45.400 --> 00:42:48.139 And it's the righteous person, 00:42:49.039 --> 00:42:50.920 the wise person 00:42:50.920 --> 00:42:52.240 in a biblical sense 00:42:52.240 --> 00:42:54.440 that captures souls 00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:55.940 and shares with them 00:42:55.940 --> 00:42:56.880 this eternal life. 00:42:57.740 --> 00:42:58.440 The phrase 00:42:58.440 --> 00:42:59.500 capture souls, 00:42:59.660 --> 00:43:01.240 it's a startling image 00:43:01.240 --> 00:43:02.619 because that phrase 00:43:02.619 --> 00:43:03.920 occurs six other times 00:43:03.920 --> 00:43:04.760 in the Old Testament 00:43:04.760 --> 00:43:06.660 and every single one 00:43:06.660 --> 00:43:07.880 of those other occurrences 00:43:07.880 --> 00:43:09.000 it is translated 00:43:09.000 --> 00:43:11.100 to take away life. 00:43:12.020 --> 00:43:13.820 It refers to killing someone, 00:43:14.580 --> 00:43:16.120 to capture souls. 00:43:18.620 --> 00:43:19.720 But here, 00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:21.780 it's used in an ironic, 00:43:22.380 --> 00:43:23.460 subversive sense 00:43:23.460 --> 00:43:25.540 to mean precisely the opposite. 00:43:26.140 --> 00:43:27.560 To capture souls 00:43:27.560 --> 00:43:29.640 in order to rescue them, 00:43:29.940 --> 00:43:31.320 to save them. 00:43:31.640 --> 00:43:32.520 It's very similar 00:43:32.520 --> 00:43:33.400 to the way Jesus 00:43:33.400 --> 00:43:34.500 told His disciples 00:43:34.500 --> 00:43:35.320 who are fishermen 00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:36.760 in Luke 5, verse 10. 00:43:36.820 --> 00:43:37.400 He told them, 00:43:37.820 --> 00:43:38.699 from now on, 00:43:38.800 --> 00:43:41.079 you will be catching men. 00:43:42.699 --> 00:43:43.500 Think about it. 00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:45.039 Fishermen usually catch fish 00:43:45.039 --> 00:43:45.940 in order to kill them. 00:43:46.960 --> 00:43:48.340 It's not an encouraging image 00:43:48.340 --> 00:43:49.300 if you think about that. 00:43:49.780 --> 00:43:50.679 They're trying to go around 00:43:50.679 --> 00:43:51.360 and catch men. 00:43:51.880 --> 00:43:53.519 And the imagery of catching 00:43:53.519 --> 00:43:54.760 is normally used 00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:55.719 in the Old Testament 00:43:55.719 --> 00:43:57.320 to refer to divine judgment, 00:43:57.900 --> 00:43:58.579 catching someone 00:43:58.579 --> 00:43:59.420 in one's net. 00:44:00.059 --> 00:44:02.780 But Jesus transforms that image 00:44:02.780 --> 00:44:04.139 as this proverb does. 00:44:04.500 --> 00:44:06.219 Jesus transformed the imagery 00:44:06.219 --> 00:44:07.300 in a surprising way 00:44:07.300 --> 00:44:07.800 that He said, 00:44:08.059 --> 00:44:09.179 those who would follow Him, 00:44:09.579 --> 00:44:10.599 those who would be wise, 00:44:10.760 --> 00:44:11.719 those who are called 00:44:11.719 --> 00:44:13.579 to find those who deserve 00:44:13.579 --> 00:44:13.920 to be, 00:44:14.059 --> 00:44:16.559 our calling is to find 00:44:16.559 --> 00:44:18.539 those who are deserving 00:44:18.539 --> 00:44:20.280 of being captured and killed. 00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:21.739 That's our calling. 00:44:22.099 --> 00:44:23.099 We were all of those 00:44:23.099 --> 00:44:24.300 who deserve to be captured 00:44:24.300 --> 00:44:24.960 and killed, 00:44:25.300 --> 00:44:25.960 but instead, 00:44:26.119 --> 00:44:26.760 Jesus says, 00:44:26.760 --> 00:44:28.700 you capture now to save. 00:44:29.760 --> 00:44:31.640 At the hands of Jesus, 00:44:32.020 --> 00:44:33.760 the instrument of death, 00:44:34.280 --> 00:44:35.080 the cross, 00:44:35.680 --> 00:44:37.000 becomes the instrument 00:44:37.000 --> 00:44:39.200 of life and salvation. 00:44:40.200 --> 00:44:42.100 We should have been captured 00:44:42.100 --> 00:44:43.260 and killed. 00:44:43.600 --> 00:44:45.600 That's every single one of us. 00:44:46.140 --> 00:44:46.700 But instead, 00:44:46.900 --> 00:44:47.880 God turns that around 00:44:47.880 --> 00:44:48.200 and says, 00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:49.560 capture those souls, 00:44:49.840 --> 00:44:51.540 not for death, 00:44:51.539 --> 00:44:52.960 but for eternal life 00:44:52.960 --> 00:44:54.480 so that they might be saved. 00:44:56.079 --> 00:44:57.420 And that's what Jesus did 00:44:57.420 --> 00:44:59.300 for He is the righteous one, 00:44:59.480 --> 00:45:00.539 the wise one 00:45:00.539 --> 00:45:02.199 who captures souls. 00:45:02.199 --> 00:45:03.739 That's in view in this verse. 00:45:03.860 --> 00:45:05.840 He did it on the cross for us 00:45:05.840 --> 00:45:07.000 and now that is our calling 00:45:07.000 --> 00:45:08.579 to receive it, 00:45:09.380 --> 00:45:10.340 to follow Him 00:45:10.340 --> 00:45:11.680 and likewise 00:45:11.680 --> 00:45:13.519 become catchers 00:45:13.519 --> 00:45:14.720 of men and women 00:45:14.720 --> 00:45:16.440 sharing this wisdom 00:45:16.440 --> 00:45:18.460 with the world. 00:45:20.100 --> 00:45:21.100 Please take a moment 00:45:21.100 --> 00:45:22.079 to think about that, 00:45:22.220 --> 00:45:23.140 of the reality 00:45:23.140 --> 00:45:24.160 of what Christ has done 00:45:24.160 --> 00:45:24.800 for us 00:45:24.800 --> 00:45:26.320 in spite of our 00:45:26.320 --> 00:45:27.500 lack of righteousness.