Proverbs chapter 18, verses 1 to 21.
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire.
He breaks out against all sound judgment.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
The words of a man's mouth are deep waters.
The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice.
A fool's lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
A fool's mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels.
They go down into the inner parts of the body.
Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower.
The righteous man runs into it and is safe.
A rich man's wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.
Before destruction, a man's heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.
If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
A man's spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit, who can bear?
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the year of the wise seeks knowledge.
A man's gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
The one who states his case first seems right
until the other comes and examines him.
The lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.
A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
From the fruit of a man's mouth,
his stomach is satisfied.
He is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
The previous chapter we looked at last week
closed with the commendation of a cool spirit
and closed lips,
representing self-control and restrained speech.
And that chapter taught us that such restraint
and self-control come from knowledge
and understanding of God,
that it begins with the fear of the Lord.
So chapter 18 is continuing that theme,
and it teaches us that the Lord
lifts up the humble listener,
but brings down the prideful talker.
So first we're going to look at the prideful talker
in verses 1 to 9,
and then the humble listener in verses 10 to 21.
Verses 1 to 2 give us an introductory portrait
of this prideful talker.
It says,
Whoever isolates himself,
seeks his own desire,
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
So first it tells us that the fool
isolates himself.
Why?
Because he seeks his own desire, it says.
When you are in a community with other people,
you can't get everything you want.
You can't have everything your way.
So the person who seeks his own desire
isolates himself.
And in doing so,
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
It says,
Such a person is a fool
who takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his own opinion.
Because he has removed himself
from the accountability
and correction of other people.
There's a survey entitled
The State of Theology,
I think it was some years ago now,
that was conducted by Ligonier Ministries
and Lifeway Research.
It polled Christians throughout the country
on their views on various theological issues,
asking whether or not they agree,
disagree,
or are unsure about 47 statements
of religious belief.
The survey found that
an alarming percentage of professing Christians
held many unbiblical theological positions.
But it found that Christians
who attend church once a month or more
were the most likely of any demographic group surveyed
to provide biblical responses
to the questions.
In other words,
when you isolate yourself,
when you remove yourself
from the church community,
you're more likely to hold heretical beliefs.
This is true in other areas as well.
Alan Jacobs is an English professor
in Baylor University
and a celebrated cultural critic.
He writes for The Atlantic,
The New Atlantis,
First Things,
a lot of articles you can find from him
in those publications.
A few years ago,
he wrote a book entitled
How to Think,
A Survival Guide for a World at Odds.
And in the book,
he writes that all of us,
quote,
all of us at various times in our lives
believe true things for poor reasons
and false things for good reasons.
And that whatever we think we know,
whether we're right or wrong,
arises from our interactions
with other human beings.
thinking independently,
solitarily,
for ourselves
is not an option.
End quote.
He's articulating the truth
of Proverbs 18, verses 1 to 2.
Thinking for oneself
is an illusion.
We should give up such futile endeavors
and instead engage with people
and groups that challenge
our prideful desire
to have all of our opinions validated.
Whoever isolates himself
seeks his own desire.
He breaks out against all sound judgment.
The fool is preoccupied solely
with expressing his opinion
and for that reason,
he doesn't take the time to listen
and therefore is incapable
of reevaluating his opinions.
And that person takes no pleasure
in understanding.
He has a closed mind
but an open mouth.
Words like lip, mouth, tongue
are repeated eight times
in this passage
indicating the main theme
of this passage.
And in verses 1 to 3
depict a downward spiral
of this sinful pride.
First, it begins with isolation
that leads to ignorance,
which then leads to wickedness
and dishonorable deeds,
which then leads to contempt
and disgrace.
This chain reaction of sin
begins with pride,
but it ends in humiliation
because the Lord lifts up
the humble listener
but brings down
the prideful talker.
Then verses 4 to 8
tell us more specifically
what kind of talk
this prideful talker engages in.
And this subunit
is enclosed by verse 4 and verse 8,
which both begin
with the phrase,
the words of.
Verse 4 says,
the words of a man's mouth
are deep waters.
The fountain of wisdom
is a bubbling brook.
It's not immediately clear
what it means
that the words of a man's mouth
are deep waters.
Is deep waters a good thing?
Is it like something deep,
profound, and wise?
Or is it a bad thing?
So all the references
to a person's mouth or lip
or words in this subsection
are negative,
which suggests that the words
of a man's mouth
might be being contrasted
from the fountain of wisdom,
which is a bubbling brook.
The metaphor of deep waters
does not represent
profundity, depth, wisdom,
but rather it represents
inaccessibility.
We know this from a similar verse
in Proverbs chapter 20,
verse 5,
which says,
the purpose in a man's heart
is like deep water,
but a man of understanding
will draw it out.
So the purpose in a man's heart
is like deep water,
meaning it's hard to discern.
It's out of reach.
The expression deep water
is used poetically
throughout Scripture
to represent something
that is mysterious
and or ominous.
For example,
Psalm 69, 14 says,
deliver me from sinking
in the mire.
Let me be delivered
from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
With this in mind,
verse 4 likely means
that the words of a man's mouth
are concealing in their nature
and therefore mysterious
and even ominous.
In contrast,
the fountain of wisdom
is a bubbling brook.
The words of the wise
are often called
a fountain of life
throughout Proverbs.
It is like a bubbling brook
or a rushing stream.
It's not hiding something,
but it's out in the open.
It's not mysterious and ominous,
rather it's transparent
and clear.
And interpreted in this way,
Proverbs 18, 4 is very similar
to Proverbs 10, verse 11,
which says,
The mouth of the righteous
is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked
conceals violence.
The words of the wise
are an inexhaustible source
of life-giving wisdom,
but the words of the fool
are inaccessible,
mysterious, and ominous.
It has hidden intentions.
Along the same line,
verse 5 says,
It is not good to be partial
to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous
of justice.
Whoever is a judge in court
should not let the words
of his mouth be like deep water,
concealing his true intentions
and showing partiality
to the wicked.
Instead, he should let his words
be true and transparent
like the flowing stream
and give the righteous justice.
And then, verse 6 and 7
tell us about the rashness
and quarrelsomeness
of the fool's speech.
A fool's lips walk into a fight
and his mouth invites a beating.
A fool's mouth is his ruin
and his lips are a snare
to his soul.
So verse 6 and verse 7,
they mirror each other.
Verse 6 begins by saying
that a fool's lips
get him entangled in fights.
And then verse 8 ends
by saying that a fool's lip
ensnares his soul.
And in the middle,
it repeats the idea
that the fool's mouth
brings him beating and ruin.
Proverbs repeatedly speaks
of how the wise person
avoids unnecessary conflict
and seeks to resolve conflict
as soon as possible.
For example,
Proverbs chapter 17, 14,
we looked at last week,
warned us,
The beginning of strife
is like the letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel
breaks out.
The fool, however,
walks headlong into quarrels.
He is incapable of speaking
graciously and prudently,
and his own words
with which he intends
to inflict damage on others
actually ends up inflicting
the severest damage
on himself.
The word soul
represents his life.
So it's escalating
the consequence
of the fool's quarrelsome speech.
It goes from a beating
to death.
So the fool's speech
is not only concealed,
covert,
it's not only quarrelsome,
but it's also idle.
He engages in idle speech,
gossip and slander.
He says in verse 8,
The words of a whisperer
are like delicious morsels.
They go down
into the inner parts
of the body.
Just as dinner guests
devour a delicious meal
that is served to them,
the words of a whisperer
get greedily consumed
like delicious morsels.
And like poison
that spreads
throughout the entire body,
they go down
into the inner parts
of the body.
This proverb highlights
the insidious,
danger of gossip.
The quarrelsome speech
of the fool
antagonizes the hearer,
but idle speech
it lures the hearer in
and makes them partake
in the sin of gossip.
But just as contaminated food
causes food poisoning,
gossip goes down
into the inner parts
of the body
and poisons our mind,
our thoughts,
our attitudes
toward others.
So whether it's
concealed speech,
controversial,
quarrelsome speech,
the fool's speech
has the effect
of dividing
and destroying
the community
he is in.
And then,
in verse 9,
Solomon throws in
one more category
of the foolish talker
who destroys his community.
Whoever is slack
in his work
is a brother to him
who destroys.
The slacker
is connected
to the idle talker
because if you're
busy talking,
you're not busy working.
Proverbs chapter 14,
23, 24
made this explicit connection.
In all toil
there is profit,
but mere talk
tends only to poverty.
The slacker,
like the unjust judge,
like the quarreller,
like the gossip,
destroys both himself
and his community.
And that's the first section
dealing with
the prideful talker.
Now, as a contrast
to this grim portrait,
let's look at
the humble listener
in verses 20 to 21.
Who, instead of trusting
in his own mouth,
trusts in the Lord
and listens to his word.
It says in verse 10 and 11,
The name of the Lord
is a strong tower.
The righteous man
runs into it
and is safe.
A rich man's wealth
is a strong city
and like a high wall
in his imagination.
The two verses
form a memorable contrast.
The righteous man
runs to the name
of the Lord,
which is a strong tower
for him
and keeps him safe.
Now, this doesn't mean,
you know,
superstitiously invoking
God's name
for some kind
of magical protection.
The name of someone
represents
the identity
and character
of that person.
And to trust
in the name of the Lord
is to trust in Him,
to believe
in what He has said,
to trust and rely
on what He has promised.
And this imagery
of a defensive fortification
is particularly appropriate
after verse 9,
which spoke of
the foolish talker
with a brother
to him who destroys.
When injustice,
quarrels,
gossip,
and slander
seek to destroy him,
the righteous person
runs to the Lord
for defense
and vindication,
trusting that God's
righteous judgment
will prevail.
That's what God's
calling us to do.
I'm sure you've all been
subjects
of a malicious gossip
or slander.
Been part of arguments,
quarrels,
victims of injustice.
You can run to God
for protection
because His promises,
His word is true.
In a striking contrast,
a rich man's wealth
is his strong city
and like a high wall
in his imagination.
It's quite the dig.
The rich man thinks
that his wealth
will protect him
from destruction
and get him
out of trouble.
But this is ultimately
an illusion,
a figment
of his imagination.
In the end,
the rich man
will die
and face
God's impartial judgment
like every other man.
And this is ironic.
The rich man's
visible wealth
is but an imaginary defense,
but the righteous man's
invisible Lord
is a real
stalwart defense.
brothers and sisters,
rich people
might hire bodyguards,
flee dangerous situations
in private jets,
pay for world-class
medical treatment
and access,
pay for access
to vaccines
that are not available
to common folk.
They might build
walled mansions
with security cameras,
hire the best lawyers
to protect their reputation
and destroy other people's,
but don't ever think
that they have it
better than you do.
That they are more protected
than you are
because that is not true.
The fortification
that they buy
with their wealth
is only imaginary.
But the Lord our God
is a real,
invincible fortress.
If we run to him,
he will deliver us.
If we are faithful to him,
his justice
will vindicate us
in the end.
So we have nothing to fear.
Those who trust in God
are not the ones
who will be destroyed
in the end.
As verse 12 says,
before destruction,
a man's heart is haughty,
but humility comes
before honor.
It's the haughty,
those who elevate themselves
before God,
the prideful talker,
the self-sufficient rich,
those who trust in themselves
and not in God,
they will be destroyed
because God exalts
those who humble themselves
and humbles those
who exalt themselves.
The Lord lifts up
the humble listener
but brings down
the prideful talker.
In the preceding verses,
words like mouth,
lip, tongue,
you know,
they predominated
but highlighted
the folly of the talker.
But here,
in the following verses,
we see words like hear
and ear
and the concept
of listening
and learning predominate.
It says in verses 13 to 15,
if one gives an answer
before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
A man's spirit
will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit
who can bear.
An intelligent heart
acquires knowledge
and the ear of the wise
seeks knowledge.
Because,
as we saw in verse 2,
a fool takes no pleasure
in understanding
but only in expressing
his own opinion,
he also tends
to give an answer
before he hears.
He jumps to conclusions,
presumes to know
other people's thoughts,
what they are talking about
before really hearing them out,
considering their points of view.
They prematurely form judgments
and in doing so,
they expose themselves
to be a fool,
to be fools
who bring shame
upon themselves.
And the consequence
of such folly,
it says,
is a crushed spirit.
Verse 14 says,
A man's spirit
will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit
who can bear.
Humanity has known
for thousands of years
that there is a relationship
between the mind
and the body
and in one's health,
overall health.
But recently,
there has been
a recovery
of this neglected wisdom,
which was written
in the book of Proverbs
nearly 3,000 years ago.
In an article entitled,
The Will to Live,
published by
the Stanford Center
for Integrative Medicine,
The Authors Ernest
and Isadora Rosenbaum
write about how sometimes
two patients
of similar ages
and same diagnosis,
same degree of illness,
and same treatment program
will nonetheless experience
vastly different outcomes.
And often,
one of the few
apparent differences
is that one patient
has a stronger will
to live than the other.
They write about,
in that article,
the rise of the field
of psychoneuroimmunology,
where researchers
experiment with the effect
that mental and emotional
activity have
on physical well-being.
This is what verse 14
is talking about
already almost 3,000 years ago.
A man with a robust spirit
can endure sickness,
but there is no hope
for a crushed spirit.
spirit.
The word spirit
and heart
are often used
interchangeably
in poetic literature.
We can see this
in Proverbs 17,
verse 22.
A cheerful heart
is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit
dries up the bones.
Now,
knowing this,
we can make out
what the connection is
between verse 13,
14,
and 15.
Because verse 15
says,
an intelligent heart
acquires knowledge,
and the year of the wise
seeks knowledge.
So there's a connection
between the intelligent heart,
the heart of understanding,
and the spirit
that endures its sickness.
The fool who answers
before he hears
has a crushed spirit,
but the person of understanding
who seeks God's knowledge,
who is eager to learn,
who has a strong spirit,
he can endure sickness.
That's the paradox
that runs through
the entire book of Proverbs.
The fool who has much to learn
is impervious to learning.
The sage,
on the other hand,
who has humbled himself
before God,
is open to learning,
quick to hear.
So the key then
to a robust spirit
is a humble trust in God,
which produces joy,
hope,
thanksgiving,
peace.
The Lord lifts up
the humble listener,
but brings down
the prideful talker.
Humble listening
is important
in the courtroom as well.
Verse 16 says,
A man's gift
makes room for him
and brings him
before the great.
What's in view here
is a bribe.
As we saw in chapter 17,
verse 23,
a bribe grants
the giver
an audience
before judges
and princes
so that he gets
the first hearing
and has an opportunity
to curry their favor.
A gift,
however,
should not be
a prerequisite
for a fair hearing
in court.
So verse 17
warns against that.
The one who states
his case first
seems right
until the other
comes and examines him.
This is why
a judge
should never
take bribes
or give priority
hearing to one party.
If you only hear
one side of the argument,
that side
always
sounds right.
This is why
in courts
we have the practice
of cross-examination.
People always
present themselves
in their own arguments
in the most favorable light.
It's only when
they are cross-examined
that misrepresentations,
exaggerations,
and flat-out lies
are exposed.
This is a helpful practice
outside of the courtroom
as well.
When you hear
an argument
or an accusation
made by one side,
whether it's
among your family
and friends
in your lives
or whether it's
in the news,
make sure you listen
to the opposing side also.
And make sure you give
each side
a fair hearing
instead of prejudging
the case.
Parents experience
this all the time.
They're not listening.
One child comes up
and says,
she said this,
did this to me.
And then,
you grab the other child
and ask her,
and then you learn
very quickly
that the first child
didn't tell you
the full story.
Adults do the same thing.
Okay.
So we must remember
that the one
who states his case
first seems right
until the other
comes and examines him.
Verses 18 to 19
then look beyond this
to cases that may not
be resolved
in the courtroom.
And the two verses
qualify one another.
The lot puts an end
to quarrels
and decides
between powerful contenders.
A brother offended
is more unyielding
than a strong city,
and quarreling
is like the bars
of a castle.
The quarrel,
the word occurs
in both verses,
is the topic
of despair.
And verse 18
teaches us
that in some situations
when there's a stalemate
in a conflict
and a satisfactory
resolution
cannot be reached,
a lot
can end the quarrel.
The lot
because it is impartial.
And as Proverbs
chapter 16
verse 33
said,
the lot
is cast
into the lap,
but it's every decision
is from the Lord.
So in submitting
to the lot,
one learns
humility before God,
self-denial,
and faith.
But there is
one particular
type of quarrel
that is especially
difficult to resolve.
And that is the case
of an offended brother.
When an intimate
friend or brother
is offended
in a way
that betrays
his confidence,
that brother
will be more
unyielding
than a strong city
and quarreling
will be like
the bars
of a castle.
And then
verses 20 to 21
conclude this section
by returning
to the imagery
of the mouth
and lip.
It says,
from the fruit
of a man's mouth
his stomach
is satisfied.
He is satisfied
by the yield
of his lips.
Death and life
are in the power
of the tongue,
but those who love it
will eat its fruit.
The book of Proverbs
often depicts
one's words
as something
that people eat,
that can influence
people.
And here,
Solomon takes
that imagery
one step further
to make the point
that we ourselves
also eat the fruit
of what we say.
It's an intentionally
paradoxical image.
By what we dish out
to others
in our words,
we will also be served.
We will eat
the consequence
of our words.
We reap
what we sow
and we eat
what we speak.
We will bear
the consequences
and so that
for that reason
we should take
all the more care
in what we say.
As verse 21 says,
death and life
are in the power
of the tongue
and those who love it
will eat its fruits.
The phrase
death and life
is a rhetorical device
called the merism
where the two extremes
are mentioned
in order to include
everything in between.
So when you say
both young and old
are invited to the party,
that means
everyone is invited
of all ages,
not just old people
and young people.
So likewise here,
when it says
death and life
are in the power
of the tongue,
it means that
the tongue
has the power
to kill
or to save
and everything
in between.
It has the power
to affect
all the highs
and lows
of life.
And those who love it
will eat its fruits.
Those who love words,
those who love language,
those who love
to use words,
they will eat the fruit
of what they say
whether it's toward life
or toward death.
And there are words
that this Proverbs 18
is pointing to,
words that we must
above all things
speak and eat.
The words that bring
blessing in this life
and ultimately
eternal life
and that word
is God's word.
Deuteronomy chapter 8
verses 1 to 3
say this,
the whole commandment
that I commanded today
you shall be careful to do
that you may live
and multiply
and go in
and possess the land
that the Lord
swore to give
to your fathers.
And you shall remember
the whole way
that the Lord your God
has led you
these 40 years
in the wilderness
that He might humble you,
testing you
to know what was
in your heart,
whether you would
keep His commandments
or not.
And He humbled you
and let you hunger
and fed you with manna
which you did not know
nor did your fathers know
that He might make you know
that man does not live
by bread alone
but man lives
by every word
that comes from
the mouth of the Lord.
God's people live
not only by bread
but by the word of God.
It's this word
that prophet Jeremiah ate
and proclaimed.
He says in Jeremiah
chapter 15 verse 16,
your words were found
and I ate them
and your words
became to me a joy
and the delight
of my heart
for I am called
by your name
O Lord God of hosts.
And this word of God
that delighted
and gave life
to the saints of old
is brought to
ultimate fulfillment
in the person
of Jesus Christ
who is called
in John 1
the word of God
made flesh.
the word of God
become man
and though we
had pridefully
rejected God's word
and lived by our own mouth
and by our own wills,
Jesus emptied Himself.
Jesus became a man.
He humbled Himself.
He became obedient
to death,
even death on a cross.
And it's by His death
that He made satisfaction
for our sins
and by His resurrection
that He gives us
abundant life
and life forevermore
in the presence of God.
Brothers and sisters,
we must listen
to this word.
We must believe this word.
We must speak this word.
We must cherish this word
because it is a matter
of eternal life
or eternal death
because our salvation
depends on it.
This is why
we take pains
every Sunday
to gather,
to sing God's word,
to profess God's word,
to read God's word,
to hear God's word preached.
Lest we forget,
lest the word of God
become less and less
real to us
and we find that one day
we no longer believe it.
So it says
in Colossians chapter 3
verse 16,
let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly,
teaching and admonishing
one another in all wisdom,
singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs
with thankfulness
in your hearts to God.
That's what the church
is all about.
That's why we're here,
to let the word of Christ
dwell in us richly.
And I pray that as you,
as we continue our worship
and as we leave
from this place,
that you will be enriched
and fed with God's word
as you go from here.
Please think about that
for a moment
and think about how
God's calling you
to respond,
what he's calling you
to change,
how he's comforting you
and convicting you.
And after you've done that,
we will pray out loud
together as a church.
tie it together as you go from here.