Greetings everyone. Let’s pick the Bible Study up in Proverbs by turning to Proverbs 21:15. It says in Proverbs 21:15:
15 It is joy to the just to do judgment: —
That’s right. A person can change and overcome and submit to God and get to the point to where the thing that really is a tremendous amount of joy and fun and fulfillment is to do the right thing. It’s not a matter of “Okay, I’ll do it because I have to. I don’t really want to but I have to.” No, we can come to the point in our lives and do so quickly when we start yielding to God to where it is a great joy to do the right thing, to treat other people well, to please and serve God.
15 — but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
And it’ll be that way every single time. Those who sin, those who practice the way of sin, those who love iniquity, those who wallow in filth and wickedness, destruction is the sure end of such action. There will be no escaping it. As long as the workers of iniquity continue to do that, to practice iniquity, destruction will come every single time sooner or later in some form or the other.
16 The man that wanders out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
And what a sad thing to see someone do that. This is talking about an individual who serves God, obeys God, understands the truth of God, lives by God’s word, and yet begins to kind of drift, begins to slide spiritually, starts to let up on their prayer and Bible study, starts to focus their attention away from God and on a different way. And therefore if he or she continues to look in the wrong direction and practice wrong things, maybe just a little bit at first and then more later, then finally fully. That individual is going to drift away, wander out of the way of understanding, out of the way of obedience, out of the way of righteousness, out of the work of God and out of the Church of God. And the end result is terrible to think about, terrifying to think about.
It says here, they —
16 — shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
They’re going to die spiritually and if they don’t repent and change, they’re going to die for all eternity. Nobody gets two chances to fully understand God’s way and God’s truth and live that way. Everybody who’s ever lived will get one full chance to understand the truth and to live God’s way. But we better be careful and we better take care of that opportunity by staying close to God and by walking with God because if we don’t do that, we can start to slip and we can start to drift and before long, we can start to wander out of the way of understanding and end up in the congregation of the dead. What a devastating, horrific thing to contemplate. And yet it has happened, and unfortunately it probably will happen.
But, you know, even though it can happen to anybody, it doesn’t have to happen to anybody. So let’s make sure that we take this admonition here in verse 16 as God’s people and as Christians, and let’s make sure we don’t let it happen through the power of God’s Holy Spirit and by following Jesus Christ wherever He leads and by staying close to the great God in heaven. Then we won’t wander out of the way and we won’t end up in the congregation of the dead.
17 He that loves pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loves wine and oil shall not be rich.
You know, as you drive through your city and through your neighborhood, I know that there are bars and there are pubs and there are places of ill repute. And they’re open day and night. And I know that there will be cars in the parking lot. You’ll find people in their prime who ought to be fully engaged in working and achieving and producing, and fully involved in profitable things, and being responsible and diligent—you’ll find people in their prime who are doing that, but you’ll find people in their prime who are not doing that. But rather, they love pleasure so much that they’ll be in the parking lot of these places of pleasure, and they’ll be there in the middle of the day and they’ll be there in the middle of the night because they just love to satiate the flesh, they love to titillate their five senses. And so instead of carrying out profitable enterprises and practices, they just want to wallow in pleasure. And it says right here that anyone who does that is going to be a poor man, and anyone who loves wine and oil is not going to be successful.
Now, proper pleasure, pleasure that comes from obeying God, that’s wonderful. And the results of that is good, and moderation in wine and oil, that’s a blessing. And anyone who practices moderation of those things is going to enjoy it and it won’t take away from success. But this is talking about the wrong use and too much interest in those things mentioned in verse 17, instead of keeping it in balance.
18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.
In other words, those who are obeying God and those who are upright are not going to be having to pay penalties and punishments and go through agony and pain and suffering as a result of wickedness and sin. There’ll be trouble and trials and tests and setbacks because we’re human and because we have to learn lessons and we have to endure and build faith. But those trials and tests and setbacks are not like the wicked and like the transgressors have as a result of sin. And so, instead of the righteous and the upright having to go through those things, the wicked and the sinner will have to go through those things and pay the price of their actions.
And so this is just simply talking about, in verse 18, the end results of wickedness and the end results of righteousness. And those who are righteous don’t pay the price that the wicked and the transgressor pay. Rather, they are blessed. And the wicked and transgressor will pay the price instead of the upright paying the price. Because the wicked and the transgressor sinned and they’re going to be punished. And the upright did not sin and they won’t be punished.
19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
Or in the land of the desert. In fact, what he’s saying here is, it’s better to dwell almost anywhere than with a contentious and angry woman. And so therefore a prudent wife is from the Eternal, and he that finds a wife finds a good thing as we’ve already read. And marriage is an institution from God and it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing. In fact, it’s a type of Jesus Christ and the church—when the marriage follows the laws that God has set forth for marriage.
But when those laws are broken and the husband does not love the wife and care for the wife and provide for the wife, and the wife does not submit to the husband and uphold the husband and be on the team with the husband, then you have what we read here in verse 19.
So, since it makes it plain that it’s better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman, let’s pay attention to that and make sure that if we start getting interested in a woman or interested in marriage, that we go slow, that we put God in the picture, that we get counseling, that we really get to know her and make sure she gets to know the husband, the potential husband.
We ought to realize that the single most important decision we’ll ever make has to do with deep repentance and baptism. And the second most important decision we’ll ever make, I mean all things being equal, certainly one of the most important ones, is that of marriage. So instead of doing it flippantly or carelessly or impulsively, it needs to be considered and weighed and gone into very, very carefully and with a lot of wisdom so that you know you’re not marrying a contentious and angry woman, and you know that you’re not marrying a lazy, slothful husband.
But rather, you’re marrying a Christian husband and a Christian woman who will love you and who you will love and can love and will love. So a lot of tremendous guidelines in the book of Proverbs regarding all facets of a Christian’s life, and verse 19 is an example of that, even in this matter of marriage.
Another thing that we can learn from verse 19 is, if a woman is a contentious and angry woman, she needs to recognize that fact and repent of being that way, and become a loving and kind and cooperative wife. And boy, the difference that it’ll make in the home and in the marriage, and frankly the difference it’ll make in the happiness of the woman will be astounding. And God will help any woman who wants to make that change. He’ll help them take that decision and take that course of action.
20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spends it up.
God just blesses those who are wise, those who follow Him, those who obey Him and serve Him. He will give us our needs. But He’ll give us more than our needs if we try to do what He says. And then the wise will take that treasure and use it properly. Use it in a way that really pleases God and really helps other people. They’ll be responsible. They’ll be good stewards of the blessings that God gives them.
But, you know, a foolish man might have treasure, might have oil and wine and so on. But because he’s foolish and doesn’t control his appetites and his emotions, and is not tied into a good foundation and does not follow good concepts and Godly principles, he just gobbles it up. He fritters it away, he squanders it. And it’s too bad to see that. And it’s something that we ought to make sure we’re going to avoid in terms of the blessings that God gives us.
21 He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.
Now, you know, verse 21, it is so profound and it is so astounding, and yet it’s stated so simply. I hope that we don’t go over it so quickly in our personal Bible Study, where we can really get into it in depth, and miss the incredible, profound, tremendous truth that is there. But just take notice. You see, we all want happiness. We all want our needs to be provided and then some. We all want peace. But very few want to do what is required in order to have those things. Very few people ever come to the point in their life where they’re willing to do what brings those things about. No, we seek those things, happiness, peace, and possessions the wrong way, and therefore it never really happens and even when it looks like it happens, there’s pain and suffering and strings attached.
But notice what verse 21 says:
21 He that follows after righteousness and mercy —
And the Bible defines righteousness as God’s commandments. You can find it over in Psalms 119:172 where it says: “All your commandments are righteousness.”
So if we try to obey God’s law and we try to show mercy to other people and we try to please God and do those things that are right in His eyes, every single time in the life of an individual that does that, you’re going to find righteousness and honor and the abundant life. It’s just the way it is. So therefore with God’s help why don’t we go that way? And many are and that’s good.
21 He that follows after righteousness and mercy —
What is the result? We’ll find life. Abundant life here, eternal life later, righteousness, and honor. What a blessing and what a tremendous privilege to know that that’s available if we will but follow righteousness and mercy. And God will help us do that if we really want to.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and casts down the strength of the confidence thereof.
It doesn’t mean that we go to war. We are not to be going to war. But what it does mean is, a wise man is going to succeed and a wise man is going to succeed even if the mighty stand in his way. A wise man is going to succeed even if there are almost impenetrable objects and strong resistance that might look like they’re going to block off that success. Because he’s wise, it’s like he’s going to scale the walls of an impenetrable fortress and he’s going to cast down the strength of overwhelming odds.
Why? Because he’s wise, and there are obstacles in life and there are pitfalls in life and there are tough times in life and there are mountains that we have to go around and go over in life. But a wise man will scale those mountains and will find a way through the problem and will come out on the other side successful and will achieve his or her objectives because their wisdom takes them into a close walk with God. And then the power of God helps them to achieve the right objectives and goals. And so that’s what the lesson is in verse 22.
23 Whoso keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble.
Boy, what a tremendous verse! What a tremendous principle to follow. So many times we find ourselves in deep trouble. So many times we find ourselves suffering pain because we didn’t keep our mouth shut. We just couldn’t keep our mouth shut. We just couldn’t keep from wagging our tongue. If we will mature, if we will grow, if we will weigh out what Proverbs 21:23 is saying, it’ll save so much trouble, so much sorrow. All we have to do is just be careful about what we say, and think before we speak. If we guard the door of our mouth and guard the door of our mind, and both are connected, and therefore then we guard the way we use our tongue, the trouble that will save is incalculable.
23 Whoso keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble.
Haven’t you said things that you wished you hadn’t said them? Haven’t you said things and you wished you could take them back? But once you’ve said them, you can’t take them back. You can’t un–ring the bell. You can’t rewind the tape. The damage is done. You can apologize. You can try to make amends, but wouldn’t it have been better not to have said it? And therefore saved yourself all that trouble. The answer is absolutely yes.
And we certainly can get to where we do take care about what we say and we do take care of the way we use our tongue. And we can use our mouth and tongue in a way that produces wonderful things. And we can grow in the wisdom and knowledge and understanding of keeping our mouth shut and not using our tongue when we should keep our mouth shut and not use our tongue, and save ourselves and others, by the way, tremendous trouble.
24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who deals in proud wrath.
There are people who brag about their temper. They just love to talk about how tough they are when they get mad. And boy, they can talk for hours about how mean and ferocious and really fearsome they are because of this terrible temper they have. Well, that’s nothing to brag about at all. It’s just going to create a lot of grief for you and for other. And it means that you are a proud and haughty person and even a scorner, if we act in arrogant pride or deal in proud wrath. So let’s don’t do that.
25 The desire of the slothful kills him; for his hands refuse to labor.
A lazy person ends up having a reduced life and having reduced things in life and finally ends up in poverty and then dying. Why? Because they’re lazy and therefore since they’re lazy, they won’t work and when they don’t work, they don’t produce. And when they don’t produce, they’re not blessed and things don’t come their way. It’s incredible how the work ethic that used to be such a vital part of our society is just melting away. Either people are working too hard and therefore becoming workaholics and letting all their other responsibilities fall by the wayside, or they’re getting lazier and lazier and lazier and wanting more and more and more.
Well, verse 25 talked about that 3,000 years ago and it certainly applies today, Proverbs 21:25. It’s very simple. You sow what you reap, cause and effect, actions and consequences. The desire of the lazy, it’s going to do him in—for his hands refused to work. So he’s not going to go very far. But if we will work and work in right balance and work diligently, the things that will come as a result of that are tremendous.
26 He covets greedily all the day long: but the righteous give and spares not.
He sits around making excuses about what he doesn’t have, about how bad his life is, making excuses about how he’s just suffering along in poverty. But he won’t do anything. The only thing he’ll do is use his energy to covet greedily all day long, instead of using his energy to work all day long. But the righteous, they have things to give. Why? Because they work and they are abundantly blessed. And so they can enjoy the abundant blessings and even give to others and share them with others and spare not to others and including the poor that need it and use it properly.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked —
Intent or
27 — with a wicked mind?
You know, there are those who try to bargain with God, politic with God. They don’t want to do what God says. But they try to compensate for that by giving Him money or giving Him stuff or sounding so nice and so holy and so wonderful, like a do–gooder. That’s not something that pleases God. It’s an abomination for the wicked to try to sacrifice to Him or try to give Him something. What He wants is, He wants the wicked to repent and quit being wicked and begin to be righteous. And then when they give something, it’s out of the right heart and out of the right intent and attitude, and then it’s acceptable.
But of all things, not only will the wicked try to make a sacrifice while they continue to be wicked, but they even come with ulterior motives and with the wrong attitude while they make that sacrifice. And God says, both actions are an abomination in His eyes. And they may as well not even bother. What they ought to do is spend their time changing from being hateful and mean and wicked, to humble and obedient. And then bring the sacrifice with the right attitude. And blessings will be poured out as a result.
28 A false witness shall perish: but the man that hears speaks constantly.
In other words, a false witness, a lying witness, one that just spews out erroneous facts and error, they’re not going to go far, they’re going to suffer failure and even perish. But the man that hears, the man that listens, the man that tries to do the right thing, the man that has something to say, he’ll be allowed to say it. That is in the court of justice, that is in a right situation and circumstance. Because he’s trying to hear and speak right things, and so he will be allowed to tell his full story. But a false witness will be found out and then he’ll be shut down. That’s not true in many courts of the land, but that’s the way it should be and that’s the way it is in God’s eyes. That’s the way it should be among Christians.
29 A wicked man hardens his face: but as for the upright, he directs his way.
Not only will the wicked man not change, he hardens his heart. He just cements his attitude and he cements his determination to continue to be wicked. He will even get a hardened look on his face and he will get a hardened attitude and a hardened approach. He will keep on being wicked because that’s what he likes to do. But for the upright person, he’s teachable. He’s easy to be entreated. He will change, and therefore his ways are established.
30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Eternal.
It goes on all the time though. It goes on all the time. People who have the audacity to think, “Well, we can do what we want to do if we just use our minds and put in enough hard work and energy. We don’t need to pay attention to what God says. If we’ve got enough power and we’ve got enough prestige and money, and we’ve got armies that are big enough, who needs God?”
They don’t understand that God is all powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. He’s in charge of everything. And no matter what puny man comes up with or how many puny men come up with how many puny things, it’s not going to succeed ever at all. God allows things to happen for His purpose for a while. But when He gets ready, He’ll take over and settle the matter. Because there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel nor anything that can be hatched, put together, and brought up that can actually succeed against the Eternal. And the sooner we all learn that lesson and believe it and respond to it, the better we all will be. And as Christians we ought to learn it quickly and respond to it immediately.
31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety —
Or deliverance.
31 — is of the Lord.
This is King James language, 1611 language. It didn’t talk about tanks and F16 fighter airplanes and aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons and laser-guided missiles and all of that. It talks about horses and chariots and spears and crossbows and all that. When you study history you’ll see that there were massive armies armed to the teeth with weapons of the day. Thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of hard and tough soldiers that are prepared for the day of battle. But when that’s all said and done at the end of the day, that’s not where security comes from, and that’s not the place of deliverance and protection.
The place of security and deliverance and protection is to serve God, obey God, and do what He says. All of man’s preparations and all of man’s techniques and all of man’s weaponry against the day of battle, that’s not really going to settle the problem, solve the situation, and produce peace and security. The only thing that really produces peace and security, and the only place there’s really safety and deliverance is in the hands of God. Mankind hasn’t learned that yet. But mankind will learn it, and soon when the Kingdom of God is established on this earth and Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Eternal is on this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then there will be safety and there won’t be no more war. As Christians, we need to learn that lesson in our lives today and look forward to the time when all mankind will learn that lesson.
We will begin the next Bible Study in Chapter 22 of Proverbs. I hope you’re following along and learning, and we look forward to getting together with you the next time in Chapter 22 of the book of Proverbs.
This is Charles Bryce with the Enduring Church of God.