24) The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. 25) Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. 26) The righteous [is] more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them. 27) The slothful [man] roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man [is] precious. (Proverbs 12:24-27)
For the SIH devotional on this subject:
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom’s Opposing Counterparts: Lazyness: Proverbs 12:24-27
24) The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
25) Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
26) The righteous [is] more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.
27) The slothful [man] roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man [is] precious.
This set of proverbs now reminds us that laziness is a characteristic of a foolish lifestyle….
EXPOSITION:
24) The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
1. The wise man who is determined, eager and well prepared to fulfill the task at hand will be exalted and looked upon as faithful and trustworthy.
2. For those that are unprepared and lazy leading to failure in the completion of his task, will be demoted and placed upon the rule of another.
“And the man Jeroboam [was] a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.” (1 Kings 11:28)
“His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents.” (Matthew 25:26-28)
25) Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
1. Dread and lack of desire hinders a man weighing him down and making his task much more difficult.
2. Those who are can find encouragement to do a task at hand will find joy and contentment in fulfilling his duty
“I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.” (Psalms 38:6)
“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is] weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” (Isaiah 50:4)
26) The righteous [is] more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.
1. Those who are diligent, following the principles of the Lord with his life, will be placed ahead of others, guiding and leading them through example and speech.
2. The path of those who break God’s laws and are facing condemnation are strong enticements to laxness and irresponsibility
“[But] to the saints that [are] in the earth, and [to] the excellent, in whom [is] all my delight.” (Psalms 16:3)
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” (James 1:13-14)
27) The slothful [man] roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man [is] precious.
1. Those who are irresponsible will be wasteful by not cooking that which he has labored to obtain.
2. Those who are responsible will use that which he expends labor to gain.
“A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than the riches of many wicked.” (Psalms 37:16)
SUMMARY:
Does our life display foolishness by exhibiting a lazy, irresponsible attitude? Or, do we lead the way for others by being prepared and determined to accomplish our calling of the Lord. May we all be aware of the example we are setting and be prepared to accept each responsibility that the Lord may send our way.
By God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.
May the Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org
SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/
SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/
SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com
“There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.” (Proverbs 12:21-23)
For the SIH devotional on this subject please click link:
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom’s Opposing Counterparts: Harmful Speech (Part 2): Proverbs 12:21-23
21) There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
22) Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight.
23) A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
In this section of our study, we are presented with the second part of Solomon’s teachings on harmful speech which is the counterpart to a lifestyle that uses uplifting, truthful, wise speech to help others and glorify the Lord ….
EXPOSITION:
If you remember in our last study, Solomon began a section of teaching on harmful speech. In the previous study we saw that:
1. Those who consistently bear an untrue testimony for personal gain displays himself as being guilty of fraud and treachery – vs 17
2. There exists those who are fools whose words will cut and devour like a sword – vs 18
3. The words of a deceitful tongue will only last a short period and then, once proven false will become useless. So, too, the speaker of lies will not be trusted by others but will be ignored due to the unreliable nature of their speech. – vs 19
4. The root cause of deceptive speech is a deceptive heart. It is due to a set of desires that long to take advantage of others that evil plots are borne. Lying speech is many times an integral part of these evil, fraudulent plans of the wicked. – vs 20
He now continues the study in verse 21….
21) There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
1. Those who have become new creatures in Christ, and whose speech is now conformed to the desires of God, can be assured of lasting security and peace with God and others around them. They can know that the Lord will bless them with temporal blessings on earth, as well as blessings throughout eternity, because they have chosen a lifestyle of wisdom and obedience to the Lord.
2. In contrast, because the speech of fools brings harm to others (vs 17-20), many times, those who are harmed attempt to retaliate in like kind. This fills the fools life with trials and heartaches. Even more importantly, fools cannot expect the temporal blessings of the Lord due to their rebellious and sinful speech. But of utmost importance, they will face eternal judgment at the hands of Almighty God as they enter into eternity.
“Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ [is] God’s.” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)
“Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing [shall be] on thy glory.” (Habakkuk 2:16)
22) Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight.
1. Fraudulent, deceitful speech is disgusting and abhorrent to the Lord.
2. Those who speak sincere, transparent, honest words find acceptance, favor and pleasure in God’s sight.
“Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:” (Ezekiel 13:22)
“But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:24)
23) A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
1. A man who applies the Word to his life will limit his speech to that which is beneficial to man and pleasing to the Lord. His vain, sinful, and idle thoughts he will choose not to reveal because he realizes they will only harm others while disobeying the Lord.
At times, he will even choose to withhold his knowledge of the Word of God, realizing the hearer’s heart has not been prepared to receive it.
2. A man who is a fool, will desires to say everything that is on his mind, regardless of the end result of his speech. He will display an attitude of selfishness, putting his fleshly desire to “speak his mind” over the desires of God and the needs of those around him.
“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” (Psalms 34:13-14)
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion [is] vain.” (James 1:26)
SUMMARY:
In all of the above examples we find one general basic principle… a wise man learns to control his speech based upon his determination of the following:
1. What will be the future results of my speech? – vs 21
2. Is my speech truthful ? – vs 22
3. Will my speech meet the needs of others? Will my speech please the Lord? – vs 23
Our speech will reflect the genuine concerns of our heart. Our speech will reflect our true priorities of life.
What does our speech teach us about ourselves?
By God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.
May the Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org
SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/
SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/
SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com
[He that] speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment. Deceit [is] in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace [is] joy. (Proverbs 12:17-20)
For The SIH Devotion On This Subject Please Click On Link:
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom’s Opposing Counterparts: Harmful Speech (Part 1): Proverbs 12:17-20
17) [He that] speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
18) There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.
19) The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment.
20) Deceit [is] in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace [is] joy.
In this section of our study, we are presented with harmful speech which is the counterpart to a lifestyle that uses uplifting, truthful, wise speech to help others and glorify the Lord ….
EXPOSITION:
17) [He that] speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
1. The wise display honest and sincere speech which presents their lifestyle as being one of submission to the Lord and alignment with His laws.
2. Those who consistently bear an untrue testimony for personal gain displays himself as being guilty of fraud and treachery
“A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful [witness] speaketh lies.” (Proverbs 14:25)
18) There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.
1. There exists those whose words will cut and devour like a sword
2. There are also those whose speech brings strength and healing to those who are frail and sick.
“Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; [and] lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.” (Psalms 52:2-3)
19) The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment.
1. When honest, sincere truth (especially the truth of the Word), because it is truthful, will have a sure foundation so that it will not be defeated nor proven false. Also, the one speaking will be respected and trusted due to the reliability of his words.
2. The words of a deceitful tongue will only last a short period and then, once proven false will become useless. So, too, the speaker of lies will not be trusted by others but will be ignored due to the unreliable nature of their speech.
”Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
“That the triumphing of the wicked [is] short, and the joy of the hypocrite [but] for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; [Yet] he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where [is] he?” (Job 20:5-7)
20) Deceit [is] in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace [is] joy.
1. The root cause of deceptive speech is a deceptive heart. It is due to a set of desires that long to take advantage of others that evil plots are borne. Lying speech is many times an integral part of these evil, fraudulent plans of the wicked.
2. For those who bring peace and harmony to their hearers by sharing spiritually uplifting and beneficial counsel will possess great joy. This joy will come knowing that they are faithfully serving the Lord by helping others through their words.
“He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for [there are] seven abominations in his heart. [Whose] hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the [whole] congregation.” (Proverbs 26:24-26)
“Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil. And who [is] he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?” (1 Peter 3:8-13)
SUMMARY:
Our speech is a wonderful indicator of the spiritual condition of our heart. Do we love the Lord and desire to obey Him? If so our speech will be uplifting, sharing the Word of the Lord, seeking to meet the needs of others. This is a direct result of seeking to love the Lord with all our hearts and others as if they were ourselves.
Do we live our lives selfishly? If this is the case our speech will be spoken to mislead and take advantage of others. It will be spoken from a heart that only cares about how our speech will affect ourselves with little or no concern for its affects on others.
What does our speech teach us about ourselves?
By God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.
May the Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org
SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/
SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/
SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com
Gen 3:8 (KJV) And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
For the SIH lesson on this subject please click on link below:
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
(Prov 28:1)
There are many aspects to the working of the human conscience that is within us. One of the ways to come to an understanding of the functions of the conscience is by looking at descriptions of the conscience’s effects in the lives of Biblical characters.
In our study for today, we will be looking at many pictures of the conscience working in the lives of Old Testament characters.
THE SCRIPTURES:
Gen 3:8 (KJV) And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Gen 20:5-6 (KJV) Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Gen 42:21 (KJV) And they said one to another, We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
1Sam 24:5 & 10 (KJV) And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt…. Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and [some] bade [me] kill thee: but [mine eye] spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he [is] the LORD’S anointed.
1Sam 25:31 (KJV) That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
Job 27:6 (KJV) My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I live.
Ps 16:7 (KJV) I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
Prov 28:1 (KJV) The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Eccl 10:20 (KJV) Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
THE STUDY:
The conscience described in the OT Scriptures…
1. Gen 20:5,6 - … “she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands …Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.”
The Hebrew phrase “integrity of my heart” carries with it the idea of “completeness or perfectness of will and desires”….
This shows us that the conscience pushes us towards perfection in choices and deeds.
2. 1Sam 24:5, 10 - “And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him,…, And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people.”
The phrase “heart smote him” comes from the Hebrew meaning “to strike upon the desires, will and goals”…
By this phrase we learn that when we sin our conscience strikes in harmony with our desire to please God, warning us of our failures.
3. 1 Sam 25:31 – “That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart…”
Here, the phrase “offense of heart” is a translation of a Hebrew phrase that means “to cause to fall, or to bring to ruin, our desires, will and goals”…
Here we learn that our properly working conscience helps us to avoid ruin to our goals and desires.
4. Job 27:6 – “…my heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I live.”
The phrase “my heart shall not reproach me” comes from the Hebrew translated “my inner being will be bring shame upon me”…
From this phrase, we can learn that a properly functioning conscience will produce feelings of shame and embarrassment when we rebel against the Lord’s will.
5. Psa 16:7 - “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.”
Here, the phrase “my reigns instruct me” can be translated “my inner being teaches, chastens and corrects me.”…
Here we are told that our conscience gives us continuing instructions and corrections based upon the counsel of the Lord to regulate our choices and actions.
6. Eccl 10:20 – “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.”
The Hebrew phrase translated “in thy thought” carries with it the idea of “to receive with your senses”….
In other words, it is revealing that the conscience’s teachings can be “sensed” through our feelings of confidence, shame, or being troubled and unsure.
The conscience at work in the OT Scriptures:
1. Gen 3:8 – “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”
It was due to their conscience that Adam and Eve hid from the Lord after eating the forbidden fruit. Our conscience helps us to understand when we have sinned against God, our communion with Him is broken and our need of repentance.
2. Gen 42:21 – “And they said one to another, We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.”
It was their conscience that caused the brothers of Joseph to feel guilt concerning the mistreatment of Joseph when they had placed him in the pit and sold him to the Egyptians (Gen 37:1-36).
Our conscience shows us when we sin against others and the results of those sins in our lives.
3. Prov 28:1 – “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
It is a wicked man’s conscience that causes him to feel threatened and mistakenly expect harm to fall upon him. While the conscience gives the righteous assurance and peace knowing his heart is right with God and the Lord is with him every step of the way.
The human conscience works on the mind of the guilty causing unfounded anxiety and fear while supplying the righteous confidence and boldness in the face of danger.
THE SUMMARY:
We have looked at the Old Testament descriptions of the workings of the human conscience. We have seen that the conscience was clearly at work in the lives of both the wicked and the righteous of the Old Testament. The workings of the conscience is varied and numerous but, when working properly leads us to the things of God and to put down the acts of rebellion that we commit.
In the next section of our study, we will be looking at the New Testament descriptions for the working s of the human conscience that is within us all.
May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth.
For a free copy of this series in book form pdf version: please go to: http://settledinheaven.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/conscience.pdf
For a free copy of this series in book form docx version: please go to: http://settledinheaven.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/conscienceprotected.docx
Settled In Heaven Ministries Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com
Exodus 34:6 makes this very clear “… The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,”
For the SIH Bible lesson on this subject please click here: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/goodnessgracioussakesalive/
“Righteous” comes from Old English word:
1. “riht” which means “condition, state, way or manner”
2. ”wis” which means “genuine or excellent”
The term “righteous” or “righteousness” is used many times in the KJV Bible…
1. Old Testament words:
tsaddiyq – to be lawful, aligned with the law
yashar – to be straight or aligned
2. New Testament words:
dikaios – to be right, straight
The idea is this… to be in an excellent condition, to be aligned with the law, to be right. It speaks of the condition of being “aligned with God’s law”. In the case of man, this righteousness makes us “right” (at peace with and accepted by) God.
Here are a few samples of Biblical usage….
This term is used to describe an attribute of the Lord:
“Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” (Psalms 7:9)
This teaches us of the Lord’s perfection and His justice.
This term also speaks of an attribute that is absent from fallen mankind.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:10-11)
But can be obtained through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.
“For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:20-23)
