Greetings everyone. Let’s pick up our Bible Study through the book of Proverbs with Proverbs 13:14. Proverbs 13:14 says:
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Or to turn one away from the snares of death. Now, this does not mean that we all have our own law and a wise man has his own law. That’s not what it’s talking about at all. A wise person wants to do what God says. A wise person wants to please God. So what law would a wise individual consider to be his law, if you please? Well, of course, God’s law, the Ten Commandments. All ten of them.
So the way of life, the path that a wise man follows, the code of conduct, the principles, precepts, values, standards and virtues that a wise individual lives by is God’s law. So the law of the wise, God’s law, is a fountain of life.
You’ve seen a bubbling, pristine, clear, clean, wonderful fountain or spring or creek or river. It’s a wonderful thing to see that or to drink from it if it’s unpolluted, and so that’s the analogy here. That’s the example given for God’s law.
The law of the wise is as a fountain of life. It’s refreshing, it’s invigorating, it’s strengthening to the individual who follows it, and it helps us depart from the snares of death. It guides us away from trouble and from pain and suffering and setback and failure and death.
15 Good understanding gives favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.
Someone who has good understanding, has wisdom, has good knowledge—we gain favor when we have that kind of ability or capability or understanding or knowledge or information. Because when we have good understanding then we will do good things, we will accomplish wonderful things, we will make good choices, we will produce good fruit. And that will gain favor both in the eyes of God and in others because it will be right fruit, it will be right actions, right success. The results will be good, and therefore others will be pleased and above all God will be pleased.
15 —but the way of transgressors is hard.
It may not seem that way, it may seem easy, it may seem smooth. It may seem like the person is getting away with it, but it won’t turn out like that. It’s a tough way to go. It’s full of obstacles and traps. It’s full of all kinds of unexpected pits and snares. The person will stumble and struggle. It’s just hard, the way of transgressors. It’s hard because it brings penalties that otherwise would not come on an individual if we choose God’s way, the way of understanding. That’s just some of the wonderful information contained in verse 15. Notice verse 16 now:
16 Every prudent man deals with knowledge: but a fool lays open his folly.
In other words, a prudent man, a wise man, a man that considers and weighs, and really thinks about what he’s doing and saying, he’s going to act out of knowledge, he’s going to live and move out of knowledge, he’s going to speak from good knowledge.
But a foolish person, a shallow person, a person that has no depth, no maturity, he just babbles along. He just blabs and acts and moves foolishly. There’s no anchor. There’s no direction. There’s no compass. There’s no foundation. He’s driven by whim and fancy and emotion and he creates folly. He creates trouble and complications and clutter and complexities for himself and for others. Not the way to go.
17 A wicked messenger falls into mischief:—
or trouble
17 —but a faithful ambassador is health.
Or brings health. Now, can you imagine, let’s just look at, for instance, ambassadors of nations. Suppose an ambassador of the United States was sent on a mission and he collected facts or she collected facts and were the eyes and ears of the government in that particular country and then brought back information that was wrong or information that was modified or information that was partially true and partially false, or information that was totally false. A wicked messenger, a wicked ambassador, well, that would just create all kind of trouble for the government and especially end up creating all kind of trouble for the wicked messenger.
But a faithful ambassador, one that carries out the assignment and carries out the charge faithfully, collects accurate information and amasses proper facts—truth, in other words, is what that ambassador operates on and then brings the truth, the facts, real information, helpful information back—well, that’s a healthy thing. That brings good results, that brings helpful information that can be acted on.
Now, of course, the same is true in terms of anyone that’s in a family, anyone that’s in a company, anyone that’s in the church, anyone that is a Christian. We have to be faithful ambassadors of Jesus Christ. We have to truly represent God and Jesus Christ and their way of life, and if we do, that is a very healthy thing and that brings spiritual and physical health to us and to others. So we must be faithful ambassadors. We cannot be duplicitous. We cannot be deceptive. We cannot be double–minded, double–tongued, speaking out of both sides of our mouth, misrepresenting the truth, misrepresenting God and Jesus Christ and His word, misrepresenting anything, if we’re really going to be happy and blessed of God and true Christians. Notice verse 18.
18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction: but he that regards reproof shall be honored.
It’s not normal, it’s not really typical of people who are just filled with their human nature to accept any kind of correction, any kind of direction, any kind of instruction. And so because hardheaded, stubborn, rebellious mankind will not be taught, will not be instructed, will not be corrected, poverty and shame is going to come on the whole world in future fulfilled prophesies. Those prophesies about the future in terms of war and famine and disease epidemics and the great tribulation, those prophecies are going to come to pass because humanity refuses instruction from God and therefore poverty and shame is going to be the result of that.
Well, it’s also true in individual matters and it’s also true in family matters, that if a family will not be instructed or corrected or directed or if an individual refuses instruction, direction and correction, poverty and shame will result. In other words, they’ll continue to go in the wrong direction, continue to make the same mistakes, continue to make the wrong choices and therefore poverty and shame result. But notice the last part of this verse:
18 —he that regards reproof shall be honored.
If we as a nation will regard reproof from Almighty God, direction from Almighty God, instruction from Almighty God and repent and change and turn around and go the right way, then much of the trouble that we see boiling up in our nations now will begin to simmer down and disappear. Much of the trouble that we see looming on the horizon would simply go away.
But if we as a nation or we as a people or we as families or we as individuals will not regard reproof, all of that’s not going to go away. So we can make a choice individually—we’re going to listen to direction from God, we’re going to listen to reproof as we read His word, we’re going to take proper correction and we’re going to change. And then we will be honored if we do that as Christians. If we will only heed God’s word, we will be honored, it says in verse 18.
19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.
Isn’t it something? Isn’t it wonderful to be challenged? To set a goal and then to push toward accomplishing that goal, plan for it, work for it, maybe burn the midnight oil to accomplish it. It might be something that just looks like it’s impossible to do, it might be almost overwhelming, it’s such a big challenge, but we just gird up our loins, tighten up our belt, take a deep breath and keep chipping away at it and start making headway and start gaining on the problem or gaining on the project, and then we begin to see, you know what, this is going to actually be accomplished, and then we endure and keep going through the hardship, through the sacrifice, sometimes through the pain and suffering until we finally accomplish what we set out to do, which was a good goal, a right goal, a worthwhile goal. It’s a wonderful thing then to enjoy the fruit of our labor. It’s a wonderful thing to finally really be able to say, “Job well done, project accomplished, goal reached,” especially if it was a worthwhile project and a worthwhile goal.
It’s a wonderful thing that God has built into human beings to be able to set out and accomplish things and then to really enjoy what they accomplish and to share it with others.
19 —but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.
They don’t want to walk away from what’s wrong. They don’t want to walk away from wrong things, wrong people, wrong situations, wrong circumstances. They don’t want to walk away from immorality, from violence. They don’t want to walk away from sleaze and slop and ugliness. They just want to wallow in it, and so for them to walk away from that, that’s unthinkable. Why, the very thought you would bring it up, a fool would consider that to be an abomination. Why? Because they are void and empty of any kind of godliness. They’re fools.
20 He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
I think that’s one of the most important verses in the entire book of Proverbs—Proverbs 13:20. Think about it. We need to be careful about who our friends are and we need to be careful who our companions are. Now, we don’t want to discriminate, that’s wrong. And we don’t want to be so picky and choosy that we have no friends or companions. And we don’t want to raise the bar and level of expectations so high that nobody can reach it. But we need to look for certain attributes and certain characteristics in our companions and in our friends. And those attributes and characteristics ought to be good attitude, they ought to be striving to do what God says, they ought to be honesty and cleanliness, they ought to be high standards and morals. And if we’re around those people, walking with individuals like that and developing friendships with men and women like that and boys and girls like that, we’re going to be wise.
You know, “Birds of a feather flock together,” is the old saying. Well, that’s bad if bad birds only flock to bad birds. But, it’s kind of a good principle if we end up seeing good birds flocking to good birds. So let’s make sure that our peers are those who have a lot on the ball and who are trying to accomplish something and who have right goals, and let’s walk with them. It doesn’t mean we can’t be around others when we are on modes of transportation and when we’re working, but when we walk with someone, and that’s who we are around a lot, those are our friends and our companions. And if we will walk with wise people—those who are trying to do the right thing—it will help us be wise and help us do the right thing.
20 —but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Gravitating to people who have ulterior motives, people who think evil is fun, people who are violent, people who use bad language, go to rotten movies, watch filth on television, involved in pornography, try to cheat other people—if we’re around people like that and we walk with them, we’re going to end up being like them. That’s going to rub off on us, and we’re going to be destroyed just like they’re going to be destroyed. Let’s heed that warning.
21 Evil pursues sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid.
You know, when a person sins, evil follows them like a bloodhound. It’s just like a hound dog chasing a rabbit. I mean, there’s no way that a sinner can shake off evil. It just goes wherever they go. It pursues them. It is in hot pursuit. It follows them like their shadow. They sin and evil is right there just like a shadow. It’s so well put here in verse 21.
Evil pursues sinners. You can’t sin and evil doesn’t come. When we sin, and especially if we sin as a way of life and don’t repent of it, it’s just hovering over us all the time, like a black cloud.
21 —but to the righteous good shall be repaid.
And so we have showers of blessings and wonderful things and opportunities and breaks that come our way that are good things. That’s the kind of reward someone who is trying to do the right thing will enjoy.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children:—
That’s the idea. We ought to plan ahead and as we achieve and accomplish and we are blessed, someone who really does love his family will plan his affairs to where when he dies, that can be passed on to his children and it will probably be enough so that those children can plan their lives and some of it can be passed on even to the grandchildren, especially if the children and grandchildren are learning and trying to do the right thing from the good man.
So this principle here in verse 22 simply is talking about planning for the future for the family and showing enough love not to just waste everything and die a pauper and then the family has nothing—but to plan for the future, enjoy the blessings God gives us and then once we are gone, those blessings can carry over to the next generation and perhaps even to the next generation. So
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children:—
And notice the last part:
22 —the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
In other words, a sinner may amass wealth, but when that sinner dies, that wealth doesn’t die with him. Somebody else is going to use that wealth and quite often that wealth will go to someone who is not a sinner like that sinner is, or not all the time, but it’s not unusual for that to happen. So here’s this sinner, scratched and clawed and did everything they could that’s evil in order to amass this wealth and they can’t take it with them to the grave and now that wealth could actually end up going to children who will live better lives and use that in a better way. Yet all that sinner lived for was that wealth and when he dies, that wealth goes to someone else. Quite often even, that someone else could be an individual who is trying to live his life or her life the right way instead of the way the sinner lived. God blesses those who obey Him. It’s just that simple.
23 Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.
Quite often people who are poor don’t really do what they ought to do to climb out of their poverty. They could have potential ways to get rid of the poverty. They might have land that’s there, and if they got out and tilled it and planted, they could have a crop and they could begin to pull themselves up out of the poverty. If a person is poor and they’re obeying God, they won’t stay poor all their lives. God will bless them to where they can come out of their poverty.
But the poor have to do their part. They have to look around and ask themselves, “Do I have potential here that I’m not using? Are there potential ways that we could follow that would bring us out of this poverty?” and usually there will be.
23 —but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.
In other words, poor judgment, poor choices, poor decisions about credit cards, for instance. It’s so easy to use the plastic and use it again and again and again, and first thing you know, when the bills come, poverty sets in because of poor choices, poor decisions, poor judgment. Whereas if that individual who now is in poverty would lay down a plan to get rid of the credit cards and therefore the credit card bills, and to pay it off and come out on the other side free of all of that, then that would be a huge wonderful step forward to climbing out of poverty, and especially if they do it God’s way and have God’s blessing.
24 He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him—
Promptly is the meaning. You know, nowadays, parenting is really disintegrating. Parents aren’t engaged, parents do not lead their children, parents do not love their children, and parents do not discipline their children in most cases. There are some parents who really are fully engaged and who really do love and educate and participate in the life of their children and who teach them and instruct them, and yes, who discipline them properly when they need to be disciplined. But they’re getting fewer and fewer and further and further apart.
What we need to do in our families and what we need to do as parents and especially as Christians is we need to follow God’s instruction in His word, and if we really love our children then we are going to instruct them and we are going to discipline them and we are going to train them and we are going to teach them and lead them and love them and help them.
There’s never a time when any kind of abuse is acceptable to God—any kind of abuse. Whether it’s thumping the child’s ears, shaking the baby, kicking, pinching, pulling their hair, screaming and yelling at them—that’s not Christian. That’s not acceptable. God condemns that kind of action when it comes to discipline and when it comes to child rearing. None of that is right.
But when we instruct and when we teach and when we discipline properly and promptly for the infraction and for the mistake, and we do it in love and it’s all a part of the training of the child—that is a parent who loves their child. But a parent who won’t do that and who spares that rod of discipline actually is not loving the child. That parent is actually hating the child in the larger sense in that, that child is going to go the wrong way, end up in the wrong place, and suffer mightily for it because the parent wasn’t engaged and wouldn’t take the time and have the courage to properly and promptly discipline the child when it needed it.
And so therefore it’s a form of hatred that kind of neglect toward the child. Whereas proper discipline done with love and done promptly is tremendous love for the child. We’re going to hear a lot about that as we go through this book of Proverbs, but I thought here in verse 24, it would be good to spend a little time on that point.
25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.
Not only does the righteous eat enough, but the food is good and they’re able to enjoy it and they’re able to be thankful and appreciate where it came from—Almighty God—and they’re able to share it with others and it’s just a wonderful, wonderful experience. Why? Because they’re enjoying the fruit of righteousness, obeying God and doing the right thing.
25 —but the belly of the wicked shall want.
Nothing satisfies. They want more, they want more, they want more, and probably what they’re eating or not eating will lead to sickness and pain and maybe even death.
So verse 25 is in capsule form here. It distills and crystallizes what this section of Proverbs is all about. Here’s the right way, do that, you’ll be satisfied. Here’s the wrong way, do that, and you will not be fulfilled and, in fact, you will suffer mightily. Those are the choices. Let’s ask God to help us choose the right way and be satisfied, instead of the wrong way and end up wanting and end up suffering. That’s what God wants us to do, and that’s certainly part of living, dynamic, vibrant Christianity. We’ll stop there and pick up the Bible Study next time in Proverbs 14.
Until next time, this is Charles Bryce with the Enduring Church of God.