Proverbs chapter 6, this morning, we are looking, we're doing our series this summer in the
book of Proverbs about wisdom, and today we get some very practical instructions and guidance
for our lives.
So, let's read.
We are reading chapter 6, verses 1 to 19.
Page 530 in the Pew Bible, if you're looking at one of those, let's read together.
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger,
if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do
this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor.
Go.
Hasten.
Plead urgently with your neighbor.
Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.
Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the
fowler.
Go to the ant, O sluggard.
Consider her ways and be wise.
Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers
her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will
come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man.
A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals
with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing
discord.
Therefore, calamity will come upon him suddenly.
In a moment, he will be broken beyond healing.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him.
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you for your word.
We pray that you would speak to us through it this morning.
Open our ears, our hearts, our minds.
We pray that you would shape us with your fatherly instruction to us as your children this morning.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Well, so far in the book of Proverbs, we've heard some several general exhortations to pursue wisdom.
Chapter 1, we've seen a warning against following the crowd into foolishness.
Chapter 2, an invitation to seek after wisdom as a good gift from God that will come into our heart and deliver us from evil.
Chapter 3 pointed us to some benefits of wisdom, that it tends to lead to success and long life.
And chapter 4, we had an exhortation to pursue wisdom as a treasured tradition handed down from the past,
as an ever-brightening path leading into the future, and as a worthy object of our heart's desire.
But if you've been here these last few weeks or reading these chapters, you might be wondering,
okay, so Proverbs is saying, wisdom is worth pursuing.
Pursue wisdom.
Pursue it with all your heart.
It comes from God.
Well, what is it exactly, you might be asking?
What does it actually look like practically, concretely, to live a life pursuing wisdom?
And this morning's text begins to answer that question.
It speaks to three very practical areas of our lives.
Our money, our time, and our relationships.
Now, you might have noticed we skipped chapter 5.
That's not because we're avoiding the passage that talks about sex and marriage and adultery.
We're going to address it next week, along with chapter 7, which also addresses the same topic.
Pastor Nick's going to preach on that.
Then we'll go on to chapters 8 and 9, which look again at wisdom and folly more broadly.
And after that, we're going to look into more specific topics in the rest of Proverbs.
So, that's where we're going in the rest of our series in Proverbs this summer.
But today, we're looking at money, time, and relationships.
And in particular, this passage warns us against three foolish and dangerous paths.
Being irresponsible with our money.
Being sluggish with our time and opportunities.
And being divisive in our relationships.
And there's a progression in this passage.
In these three sections, verses 1 to 5, verses 6 to 11, and verses 12 to 19, it goes from bad to worse.
Starts with a well-intentioned form of foolishness.
And then there's a passive form of foolishness with really no intention at all.
And then there's a malicious form of foolishness.
Actively trying to harm others.
It goes from someone who might potentially fall into danger.
The father speaking to his son and says, if you find yourself in this situation.
To someone who is in actual danger.
Speaking to the sluggard saying, you're already in danger.
To someone who is actively endangering others.
The malicious troublemaker.
Fear.
So, that's what we're looking at this morning.
But God wants to use these negative examples, these warnings, to point us to the way of positive wisdom.
And to point us to Jesus Christ, who is the source and the one through whom we can live wisely.
In our money, in our time, and in our relationships.
So, let's jump in.
One section after another.
That's a big picture.
First danger.
Verses 1 to 5.
Well-intentioned but irresponsible financial commitments.
Now, you might say, well, what does this mean in verse 1 where it talks about putting up security for your neighbor or giving your pledge for a stranger?
Basically, that means to guarantee someone else's debts.
So, in the ancient world, if you ask someone for a loan, they would often say, okay, I'm willing to loan you some money, but give me some collateral.
Give me a pledge.
Give me something that will serve as a promise that you'll pay me back.
But what if you really want or need the loan, but you don't have any collateral?
Well, you might go to a friend and say, can you put up collateral for me?
Can you co-sign on the dotted line?
Same thing can happen in the modern world.
Perhaps you've been in a situation where you've wanted to apply for a mortgage on a house or a loan on a car and your income wasn't enough.
And so, the bank told you you need a co-signer.
Maybe someone has approached you and said, will you co-sign on my loan?
You're not going to have to pay it.
I fully intend to pay the loan myself, but I need you to co-sign.
Otherwise, I can't get the loan or I get a terrible interest rate.
And you might think, well, I know this person.
They're well-intentioned.
They wouldn't try to hurt me.
I want to help them.
But Proverbs warns us, don't do it.
Now, when we're applying the wisdom in Proverbs, we need to remember two things.
Number one, we live in a different culture and economic system.
So, we need to think carefully about how the principles in Proverbs apply in our different cultural context.
So, sometimes there's a straight line and sometimes we need to apply the principles in a different context.
Second thing is Proverbs tends to give general principles, but implicitly acknowledges that the world is messy and sometimes there are exceptions.
Having said that, in this case, the teaching of Proverbs is very consistent and strongly worded about putting up security for debts.
Proverbs 11.15,
Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm.
Now, chapter 17, verse 18, one who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
Chapter 22, 26, and 27, be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts.
If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
Proverbs said the same thing, whether it's a stranger or a neighbor.
Someone close by or far away, known or unknown.
It says, don't put up security for someone else's debt.
Now, you might say, wow, that sounds a little harsh.
I mean, is Proverbs saying everyone for himself?
Don't help out your neighbor, just keep everything for yourself?
No.
Proverbs doesn't say that.
There are many places where Proverbs encourages generous giving to people who have real needs.
Proverbs 14.21 says,
Blessed is the one who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 19.17,
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
So, if you want to help someone, you can always give them whatever they need.
Or you can loan them the money yourself.
Now, in the Old Testament, God's people were allowed to loan money to each other,
but they couldn't charge interest, and every seven years they had to cancel all debts,
whether they were paid or unpaid.
So, it prevented people from being enslaved perpetually and on the very long term in debt.
And in the New Testament, we see an interesting example in the book of Philemon.
The Apostle Paul is writing to someone, and he says,
If Onesimus owes you anything…
Onesimus had become a Christian, was Paul's friend.
He says,
If Onesimus owes you anything, charge it to my account.
In other words, Paul's saying,
I'm willing to pay off all his past debts.
Now, Paul doesn't say,
Whatever debts Onesimus may incur in the future for any reason, I will pay for them.
Right?
Paul doesn't make an open-ended financial commitment
that he can't actually follow through on.
But he's generous in his giving.
The Bible encourages generous giving,
but it warns us against giving what we don't have.
Or putting up security for someone's debt.
Right?
So, don't put up collateral for a debt.
Or co-sign someone else's loan,
unless you are prepared to pay the whole thing yourself.
That's the question you should ask yourself.
If someone ever comes to you and says,
Will you co-sign on my loan?
The question is,
Are you willing to pay the whole thing yourself?
And give it…
And effectively give it as a gift to that other person.
Right?
So, when you're co-signing,
the thing doesn't actually belong to you.
You're helping someone else get something.
So, that's a question you need to ask.
You can't give what you don't have,
so don't promise what you can't deliver.
So, that's the direct implication of this text.
Right?
It may be well-intentioned,
but Proverbs is saying,
It's not wise.
Don't co-sign unless you are ready to pay the whole thing yourself,
and unless you have the resources to do so.
And if you're married,
you've talked to your spouse and agreed
that it would be a wise thing to devote your resources in that way.
Some other practical implications of this text.
Three other practical implications.
Number one,
more broadly,
don't make financial commitments impulsively
or under emotional pressure.
The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 says,
Each one should give as he has decided in his heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
That applies to our offerings in church.
That also applies to giving more broadly.
So, practical examples.
If you're walking downtown,
and someone comes up to you
and asks you for $20
because I need to take the train to New York
because I'm stranded
and I have no way to get back there,
don't just give them $20
because you're in a rush
and because you don't want to feel guilty for saying no.
You're probably not helping them by doing that.
I mean, everybody knows.
It's the oldest trick in the book.
Right?
Or if you answer a phone call
from some unknown number,
and they ask you to make a donation on the spot
for starving children
halfway around the world
in some orphanage,
don't do it.
The reason why there are so many scams out there
is some people actually get fooled by them.
If nobody ever said yes to them,
they would stop calling all of us.
Psalm 41.1 says,
Blessed is the one who considers the poor.
That word means
who takes time to think
about how best to help people
who really have a need.
Godly wisdom is not being naive and gullible.
It's not saying yes to every request
that comes your way.
It's being thoughtful and intentional
in our generosity.
Second, practical implication,
think twice before you loan money
to someone else.
Now, I'm not saying never do it,
but ask this question,
is there a good reason
why I'm willing to agree to a loan,
but I'm not willing to give the money
to them outright?
Sometimes there is.
But sometimes I think we can agree
to loaning money to someone
because we don't want to say no to them,
we're afraid of their disapproval,
but our heart's not really in it.
We don't really want to just give them the money,
and so a loan is sort of
a half-hearted compromise.
And then it gets more complicated
if they can't pay you back the loan
or disappear.
So that's one reason why
the deacons of this church
are in charge of a benevolence fund
to help people who have financial needs.
And sometimes people come to me
or one of the other pastors,
one of the deacons,
and say,
I need some help to pay my bills
or pay my rent this month,
but I can pay the church back next month.
And what we always say is,
we will certainly consider your request.
The deacons will be happy
to consider your request.
We want to think carefully
about how best we can help you.
But we won't give money on the basis
that you promise to pay us back next month.
Because what if something happens,
you know,
there's all kinds of things
that can happen,
and you can't pay the church back.
You'll be tempted to lie
or you'll be tempted to run away.
And we don't want you to run away.
You're a lot more valuable to us
than whatever amount of money
you are asking for.
And so we are,
we try to be careful
as the deacons try to be careful
and thoughtful
and generous in our giving.
But we've decided not to go the lone route
for that reason.
Third implication.
What verse three to five says,
if you have made well-intentioned
but foolish financial commitments
that are hanging over your head,
if you've made promises to other people
that you really can't keep,
if you've signed on the dotted line
for a big loan
that is bigger than the amount of money
in your bank account,
don't just close your eyes
and hope it'll all work out for the best.
Proverbs says,
go,
quickly,
humble yourself,
plead,
beg,
say,
I need to get out of this.
I'm sorry.
I spoke too quickly.
Figure out some way
that that won't be hanging over your head
and it won't catch you in the trap.
Don't live by wishful thinking
that everything's going to turn out okay
and call it hope.
Wishful thinking is not hope.
Real hope is based in the promises of God
and in reality.
It's not the same as wishful thinking.
So, Proverbs says,
if you've promised something you can't deliver,
go now and be honest and say,
I'm sorry,
I promised something that I can't follow through on
and I need to figure out how to get out of this.
And also,
don't ask somebody to do these,
don't ask somebody to promise what they can't deliver.
Right?
Sometimes if you're in a hard situation,
I understand,
there's a lot of hard situations that come our way
and it's fine to ask for help.
There's no wrong,
there's no shame in asking for help.
We all need help.
I mean, goodness,
why did Jesus come into the world?
Because we needed a lot more than
a little financial help.
We needed a Savior.
Right?
We all acknowledge that.
So, whatever kind of help you need,
it pales in comparison to the help
we all need from Jesus.
So, there's no shame in asking for help.
But don't put someone in a situation
where you're asking them to promise
what they can't deliver.
Where you're asking them to co-sign
or put up security for a debt
that is putting them
in an enslaving situation.
So, there's some practical implications,
but let me go one step deeper.
Why are we tempted
to make well-intentioned
but irresponsible financial commitments
to other people?
Now, I've done this a few times myself.
And usually, it's one of two things.
It's being afraid of someone's disapproval
if I say no.
The Bible calls that the fear of man.
Or being gratified
because I feel like I'm rescuing someone
and no one else can.
That's called a Savior complex.
Now, sometimes we're called
to spend and be spent
for other people
within the kingdom of God.
To lay down our lives
for each other.
And that certainly means
sharing our material possessions
when people have a real need.
Opening your home.
Right?
Giving your money.
The Apostle John says,
how can you love your brother
or sister in Christ
who's really in need,
who's without food and clothing
if you don't give them
some of your stuff?
If you're not willing to share.
But there's a fine line
between sacrificial giving
and having a Savior complex.
And if you cross that line,
it feels pretty good for a while.
It feels gratifying
because you feel like
you're really rescuing someone
and you're doing what no one else can
and no one else will.
But in the long term,
you will either become codependent
and unhealthily enmeshed
or you will become resentful
and burned out.
If the person continues
to need more and more.
And either way,
you'll only hurt yourself
and the other person in the end.
The Bible says
there's only one Savior.
There's only one Messiah.
It's not me.
It's not you.
And that's good news.
In Job chapter 17, verse 3,
Job speaks to God
using some of the language
in this passage.
He says,
give me the pledge you demand.
Who is there
who will put up security for me?
What Job's saying is,
Job goes to God and says,
God, I need you to help me
because I've got nobody.
I've got nobody
who can cover my back.
I'm in a bad situation
and I'm a bad risk.
I've got a bad history.
No one else
will promise themselves for me.
I need you to pledge yourself for me
because nobody else can.
And the message of the Bible
is that's the situation
we're all in,
spiritually speaking,
and Jesus Christ
has paid our greatest debt in full.
Jesus didn't just say,
I'll co-sign with you.
You try to pay it off yourself
and if you can't,
well then,
I guess I'll be there for you.
He said, no,
I'm going to pay it in full,
up front,
for all your sins.
He has paid for all your sins
by His most precious blood
that He shed on the cross.
That's the most precious gift
that we have
that can never be taken away.
So treasure Jesus.
And then He will lead you
to use your money
generously and wisely.
That's the first point
about money.
The second point
concerns our time.
And the warning here
is against passive sluggishness.
Now this section begins
with a positive portrayal
of wisdom
in verses 6 to 8.
Go to the ant,
O sluggard.
Consider her ways
and be wise.
Do you notice
Proverbs is not above
using some sarcasm
and ironic humor
to provoke,
especially in regards
to the sluggard.
Here's some other Proverbs
about the sluggard.
Chapter 26,
verse 14 and 15.
As a door turns
on its hinges,
so a sluggard
turns on his bed.
The sluggard
buries his hand
in the dish.
It wears him out
to bring it back
to his mouth.
Proverbs is not above
using irony and sarcasm.
Sometimes we think
sarcasm is always a sin.
I don't think it's always a sin.
It's right here in the Bible.
Now you've got to be careful
with sarcasm.
You can use it
to cut people down.
But Proverbs use it
to provoke people
who need a little provoking.
But he goes on
to point out
two positive aspects
of wisdom
that the ant exemplifies.
Self-discipline
and diligence
or foresight.
Now ants are very interesting.
I learned something
about ants this week.
Modern scientists
have discovered
that ant colonies,
while they do have
some structure
and leadership,
they don't operate
through a top-down
chain of command.
ant.
There's no one ant,
even the queen,
who is sort of
directing everything
and supervising everyone.
So one scientist
wrote this.
An ant
is a very simple animal.
It can perform
10 to 40
elementary behaviors.
But ant hills
are very complex.
One can find nursery,
warehouses,
or kitchen gardens.
Some individuals forage,
others take care
of the eggs,
repair the nest,
or protect the ant hill
against miscellaneous threats.
What is the secret?
How can such mindless animals
achieve such complex organization?
In economics,
division of labor
leads to efficiency,
but some sort of supervision
is necessary.
The different tasks
have to be coordinated.
But no such supervisors
exist in ant hills.
No ants,
particularly not the queen,
are able to manage
this exploit.
The coordination
results from
some sort of
self-organization
process.
Now,
Proverbs isn't
precisely anticipating
modern scientific insights.
It's simply making a point
based on general observation.
Ants display
a kind
of self-discipline
and internal
motivation.
And it says
some of us
would do well
to learn from them.
Even though
that sounds humbling
when you think about that.
Self-discipline
and diligent foresight.
Ants are mentioned
in Proverbs 30, 25,
one other time
in the book,
the same point is made.
They are small,
but wise.
They are not strong,
but they provide
their food in the summer.
In other words,
they see an opportunity
and they take it.
They see danger ahead
and they prepare for it.
God provides food
for them in season,
but they go and get it.
If we forget
to sweep
under our kitchen table
after dinner,
you can see that
right in our house.
Right?
The ants,
they're coming,
taking those little
crumbs of bread
and taking them
over to their
little corner.
All right.
So, the ants are a picture
of self-discipline
and foresight
or diligence.
But then in verse 9,
Proverbs turns away
from the ant
and turns back
to the sluggard.
How long will you
lie there,
O sluggard?
When will you arise
from your sleep?
And in verse 10,
we sort of hear
the sluggard's response.
Just a little longer.
A little more sleep.
Just a little snooze.
Just a little rest.
Derek Kidner wrote,
He deceives himself
by the smallness
of his surrenders.
So, by inches and minutes,
his opportunity slips away.
By inches and minutes,
his opportunity
gradually slips away.
A little nap
becomes a long sleep.
And finally,
verse 11,
danger strikes.
Poverty will come upon you
like a robber
and want like an armed man.
Now, this word
translated poverty,
it doesn't just mean
having limited means
or living a simple lifestyle.
It's not the same word
that's usually translated,
the poor,
in the rest of Proverbs
or the Bible.
This word translated poverty
means ruin,
destruction,
destitution.
And here,
it's self,
and pretty much everywhere
it appears,
it's self-inflicted.
That's the warning.
Ruin will come upon you
if you continue
in this passive path.
Now, what exactly
is the problem
with the sluggard,
we might ask?
It's not that he wants
to get a good night's sleep.
Psalm 127,
verse 2 says,
the Lord grants
to his beloved sleep.
It's a gift sleep.
A good night's sleep
is a gift from God.
Ecclesiastes 5 says,
the sleep of a labor
is sweet.
Think of the last time
you got a really good
workout during the day
and you slept well at night.
Man, it feels good.
You might wake up
a little sore,
but you sleep well
after you work hard
when your body's working right.
The problem is not
that he wants
a good night's sleep.
The problem is not
that he wants
a simple and quiet life.
That's also a biblical virtue,
generally speaking.
The problem with the sluggard
is that he's full
of desires and cravings,
full of hopes
and expectations,
mostly unrealistic ones,
full of opinions
and ideas,
but unwilling to do
the important
and necessary work
to make step-by-step progress.
He doesn't follow through.
He perpetually procrastinates.
He indulges in various
kinds of escapism.
Proverbs talks a lot
about this.
21-26,
the desire of the sluggard
kills him,
for his hands refuse
to labor.
All day long,
he craves and craves.
It's not that the sluggard
doesn't care about anything
and doesn't want anything.
He wants lots of things,
but he just doesn't
follow through
and do what he needs
to get what he needs.
13-4,
the soul of the sluggard
craves and gets nothing.
26-13,
the sluggard says,
there's a lion in the road,
there's a lion in the streets.
In other words,
he makes excuses.
He attaches himself
to excessive
and irrational fears
and lets himself
be driven by those fears
instead of fighting
against those fears.
Maybe you feel those fears.
Crushing anxiety.
Are you fighting against it
or are you just letting yourself
be driven and blown along by them?
Fight against them.
It's hard.
But God will give you strength
and other people
can encourage you.
The sluggard is a perfectionist,
criticizing much
and accomplishing little.
But there's hope
for the sluggard.
Proverbs doesn't abandon
the sluggard to his passivity.
He exhorts him firmly
because there's hope for him
to listen and change
and become wise.
And so Proverbs exhorts us
who may have become sluggish.
Don't live your life
hesitating,
making excuses,
waiting for someone else
to take the lead
when decisive
and courageous action
is called for.
Isn't it true
that the only thing necessary
for the triumph of evil
is that good people do nothing?
Spiritually speaking,
don't be a slugger
in the fight against sin
for righteousness.
Don't ignore a besetting sin,
a habitual sin,
just hoping it'll go away
if you don't think about it
and ignore it
and pretend it's not there.
No, confess it
to a brother or sister in Christ
and face it head on.
Maybe you've had
a major spiritual failure
with lasting effects
on yourself and others.
I want you to know
there is a path
to healing
and restoration
for you,
but it is a painful path
and there are no shortcuts.
You have to dig deep
to pull out the roots
of the poisonous weed
from the soil of your heart.
Otherwise,
it's just going to stay
under the surface
and be liable
to grow back
in a different form.
You have to expose
the shame,
the self-pity
and self-justification,
the lies you've let yourself believe.
Bring all that out
into the light
with the help of mature
brothers and sisters
in Christ.
That's part of the road
to restoration
and healing
and wholeness
and opportunity.
Don't just lie down
by the side of the road
in the slough of despond
and stay there.
It's miserable.
You're just trying
to blind yourself
and not deal with life.
Don't deceive yourself
into thinking
that your sin
will just magically go away
without actually dealing with it.
You can deal with your sin
in light of the cross.
Bring it before the cross
where Jesus died
and paid for it all
and before the empty tomb,
the empty grave
that shows that He has risen
from the dead
and triumphed over sin and death
and in the power
of the Spirit of holiness
who lives in you.
You are not your own.
You belong to Christ.
So rise up,
spiritually speaking.
Rise up from your
spiritual slumber.
The Apostle Paul says this
in Romans 13, 11,
the hour has come
for you to wake up
from your sleep.
The night is far gone.
The day is at hand.
Let us cast off
the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light.
Let us walk properly
as in the daytime,
not in orgies
and drunkenness,
not in sexual immorality
and sensuality,
not in quarreling
and jealousy,
but put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make no provision
for the flesh
to gratify its desires.
Hebrews 6 says,
we desire each one of you
to show the same earnestness,
to have the full assurance
of hope until the end,
so that you may not be sluggish,
but imitators of those
who through faith
and patience
inherit the promises
of God.
God has given us
the Holy Spirit
to live within us,
to give us
that internal motivation,
the spirit of power
and love
and self-discipline.
So, let's make the most
of the opportunities
God has given us,
even in these days.
So, that's the second point
about our time.
We've dealt with money,
we've dealt with time
and opportunity,
and finally,
we come to our relationships,
the last point.
The last warning
is against malicious
troublemaking
in our relationships.
verse 12 to 19.
Verse 12 begins
with the phrase,
a worthless person.
Literally, the phrase
is a son of Belial,
which is a Hebrew word
used to describe
a person who is useless
for any good purpose
because he is bent
on destruction
and rebellion.
And later,
that word Belial
becomes a name
that's used
for the devil himself.
The father of lies,
destruction,
and rebellion
against God
appears in 2 Corinthians 6.15.
Proverbs go on
to describe this person
who is bent on,
not just in danger
of harming himself,
but actively seeking
to undermine
and bring other people down.
Verse 12 to 15
and verse 16 to 19,
both of these sections,
we see five bodily
expressions of wickedness.
Look down at verse 12.
Crooked speech.
Verse 17,
a lying tongue.
That's the first one,
the tongue.
Second,
verse 13,
winks with his eyes.
Verse 17
talks about haughty eyes.
Third one,
verse 13 again,
signals with his feet.
Verse 18,
talk about feet
that make haste
to run to evil.
Number four,
points with his finger.
Verse 13.
Verse 17
talks about hands
that shed innocent blood.
So we have mouth,
eyes,
feet,
hands,
our words,
attitudes,
and actions.
Every part of this person's life
has been corrupted
by sin
and oriented
toward destruction.
and then we come
to verse 14,
the fifth and final member
of the series.
The heart
with perverted heart
devises evil.
In the Bible,
the heart is the center
of our thinking
and feeling
and decision making.
And it says,
this person's heart
is perverted,
it's twisted,
it's constantly
devising
evil plans.
You might say,
what exactly
do these bodily actions
in verse 12 and 13
indicate?
Maybe some people
have suggested
possibly they refer
to engaging
in sorcery,
casting spells,
or putting curses
on people.
More likely,
they're simply
secretive signals
intended to deceive
or cause harm.
Maybe it's also
a picture of
restless shifting
and shuffling,
a sign of inner unrest.
But in verse 14
and 19,
we see the effect
of this person
on others around him,
continually sowing discord.
Verse 14,
verse 19,
sowing discord
among brothers.
The effect
of this person
is he provokes
bitter conflict,
strife,
and dissension,
breaking apart
families,
churches,
neighborhoods,
nations,
driving a wedge
between husbands
and wives,
parents and children,
fellow church leaders,
brothers and sisters
and friends.
This is a dangerous man.
But verse 15 and 16
also tell us
that he is destined
for final
and irreversible judgment.
He seeks to ruin
his victims,
but ultimately
he will ruin himself.
He overthrows God's order
so he will one day
be overthrown.
He sheds innocent blood
so one day
he will be broken
beyond healing.
He will get exactly
what he deserves.
Verse 16 says
the first time,
verse 16 is
the first time
that the Lord's name
is mentioned
in this chapter
and it says
the Lord hates
the thoughts,
the attitudes,
the words,
the actions,
the influence
of such a person.
They are an abomination
to him.
This is very strong language.
Now what's the point
of this vivid description
of a malicious
troublemaker
and his inevitable demise?
Well, one,
I think there's a warning
against associating
too closely
with a person like this.
We saw that back
in chapter 1
with a warning
against following
the crowd
into wickedness.
It's also a warning
against becoming
like this man
in part
even if not
in whole.
One commentator
put it this way,
the reader
of this section
can almost catch
the superior look
and the shifty talk
and may wonder
when his own hands
were last employed
to an innocent
person's detriment.
When was the last time
you were
ruminating
in your heart
about someone
who has wronged you
or who has done
wrong to others?
What were you
ruminating about?
Were you praying
that God would bring
them to repentance?
Were you praying
for their ultimate good?
Or were you plotting
ways that you could
undermine them
in return?
When was the last time
you participated
in gossip?
We could define
gossip as talking
with someone
who is neither
part of the problem
nor part of the solution.
Proverbs 16, 28
says,
a whisperer,
that is,
someone who gossips,
separates close friends.
So there's a warning
in this picture
of becoming
like this person.
There's also
a comfort
if you're
on the receiving
end
of someone
who sows discord
and tears
relationships apart
and bears
false witness.
Maybe you've been
on the receiving
end
of a person
like this.
And the comfort
here
is that those
who continually
and unrepentantly
sow discord
will not escape
God's judgment.
encouragement.
So it's an encouragement.
Don't repay evil
for evil
but to overcome
evil with good.
To love even
your enemies
and to do good
to those who hate you
because vengeance
is mine
says the Lord.
This passage warns
against the divisive
person but
we also see
in the Scriptures
encouragements
to pursue unity
and humility.
This person
is characterized
by pride
and divisiveness.
The opposite
is humility
and unity.
Psalm 133
says,
how good
and pleasant
it is
when brothers
and sisters
dwell together
in unity
for there
the Lord
has commanded
His blessing
even life
forevermore.
Or consider
the Beatitudes
that we read
earlier in the service.
Jesus' words
in Matthew 5
what do they
start with?
Blessed are
the poor
in spirit.
Do you notice
the list
in verse 17
begins with
haughty eyes
pride.
Jesus
begins
with humility.
That's where
it all starts.
You have to enter
the kingdom of God
with humility
like a child
acknowledging
your total dependence
on the unmerited
grace of God
humbling yourself
admitting
I'm a sinner
and crying out
to God
like the tax collector
in the temple
saying Lord
have mercy on me
Lord make atonement
for me
cover me
I'm a sinner
and I don't deserve
your righteousness
I need you.
That's where
it all starts.
And then
verse 18
in the middle
talks about
a heart
that devises
wicked plans
but the
Beatitudes
in the middle
speak about
those who are
pure in heart
who hunger
and thirst
for God's
righteousness
and that's
what happens
when we become
born again
when we get
regenerated
and come alive
in Christ
God gives us
a new heart
if you look
to
if you have
looked to Christ
and put your faith
in Him
it means He has
already put that
new heart in you
that's why you're
looking to Christ
if you're being
drawn toward Christ
maybe God's
in the process
of doing that
He is
implanting His
Word in you
giving you a heart
that hungers
and thirsts
for God
for His presence
for His glory
and we can pray
Lord renew my heart
you've given me
a new heart
in Christ
by your grace
fill me
in a fresh way
with your spirit
renew me
we start
with humility
and the new heart
that comes
from the new
covenant
in Christ
the result
is
peacemaking
right
number seven
in the list
in Proverbs
chapter 7
verse 19
is sowing discord
among brothers
number seven
in the Beatitudes
blessed are the
peacemakers
humility
and a renewed
heart
that's changed
by God's grace
leads to
making peace
peace
and Ephesians 2
says Christ
Himself
is our peace
He suffered
and died
to make us
one in Him
to reconcile
us to God
in one body
through His cross
and that's why
Ephesians 4
says make
every effort
to keep
the unity
of the Spirit
in the bond
of peace
peacemaking
is not easy
it's not just
being
always having
a smile
on your face
and being nice
and pretending
nothing ever
goes wrong
that's not
biblical peacemaking
it's not
pretending
nothing ever
went wrong
what does it
mean to be
a peacemaker
well
sometimes it
means to
forbear
patiently
and prayerfully
that means
you tolerate
others weaknesses
because you
value them
and what the
Lord is doing
in them
sometimes it
means to
confront
lovingly
and truthfully
and speak
the truth
because you
care about
the person's
growth
in the
Lord
sometimes it
means to
acknowledge
our own
faults
even if we
think I was
only 5%
of the problem
and they
were 95%
well have you
acknowledged
your 5%
because that's
the only
that's the part
you will be
responsible
before God
for
not what they
did to you
but you
will be
responsible
before God
for your
part
to be
willing to
extend
forgiveness
as Christ
has forgiven
us
right
we can only
do this
we can only
be a peacemaker
through the
power of
Christ
through the
new heart
he's given
us
through the
power of
his cross
through the
Holy Spirit
this passage
is full of
warnings
we've seen
these warnings
against
well-intentioned
irresponsible
financial decisions
against
passive
sluggishness
with our
time
against
active
malice
in our
relationships
but it's
an invitation
in each
of these
areas
to look
to our
all-sufficient
God
Father
Son
and Holy
Spirit
to look
to our
Heavenly
Father
who sovereignly
provides
for the
needs
of each
of his
children
who has
been so
generous
in welcoming
us
into his
family
to look
to our
Savior
Jesus
Christ
who is
our
peace
who
reconciles
us to
God
and makes
us
peacemakers
by his
Spirit
living in
us
and to
live in
the power
of the
Holy Spirit
our
Comforter
who equips
and empowers
us to
not be
sluggish
but to
do the
good works
that God
has prepared
in advance
for us
to do
we have
an all
sufficient
God
so may
we glorify
him in
our money
in our
time
in our
relationships
let's
pray
Father
in heaven
we thank
you for
speaking to
us through
your word
we thank
you even
for these
warnings
that you
give us
through the
book of
Proverbs
against
potential
and actual
dangers
that we
can fall
into
we thank
you Lord
that you
are an
all sufficient
Savior
we thank
you that
we can
look to
you
and be
renewed
in our
heart
Lord we
pray that
you would
take these
words and
apply them to
each of our
hearts by
the power of
your Holy
Spirit
and help us
to look to
you this
week and
in the days
ahead that
we may bring
glory to
you in
our money
in our
time in
our
relationships
because you
have called
us to be
your very
own
love and
have loved
us with
an everlasting
love
we pray this
in Christ's
name
amen
we
be
see you
I
you