Proverbs 6:1-19

Proverbs chapter 6, this morning, we are looking, we're doing our series this summer in the

Proverbs 6 · chapter mention

book of Proverbs about wisdom, and today we get some very practical instructions and guidance

for our lives.

So, let's read.

We are reading chapter 6, verses 1 to 19.

Page 530 in the Pew Bible, if you're looking at one of those, let's read together.

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger,

if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do

this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor.

Go.

Go.

Hasten.

Plead urgently with your neighbor.

Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.

Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the

fowler.

Go to the ant, O sluggard.

Consider her ways and be wise.

Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers

her food in harvest.

How long will you lie there, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will

come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man.

A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals

with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing

discord.

Therefore, calamity will come upon him suddenly.

In a moment, he will be broken beyond healing.

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him.

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word.

We pray that you would speak to us through it this morning.

Open our ears, our hearts, our minds.

We pray that you would shape us with your fatherly instruction to us as your children this morning.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Well, so far in the book of Proverbs, we've heard some several general exhortations to pursue wisdom.

Chapter 1, we've seen a warning against following the crowd into foolishness.

Chapter 2, an invitation to seek after wisdom as a good gift from God that will come into our heart and deliver us from evil.

Chapter 3 pointed us to some benefits of wisdom, that it tends to lead to success and long life.

And chapter 4, we had an exhortation to pursue wisdom as a treasured tradition handed down from the past,

as an ever-brightening path leading into the future, and as a worthy object of our heart's desire.

But if you've been here these last few weeks or reading these chapters, you might be wondering,

okay, so Proverbs is saying, wisdom is worth pursuing.

Pursue wisdom.

Pursue it with all your heart.

It comes from God.

Well, what is it exactly, you might be asking?

What does it actually look like practically, concretely, to live a life pursuing wisdom?

And this morning's text begins to answer that question.

It speaks to three very practical areas of our lives.

Our money, our time, and our relationships.

Now, you might have noticed we skipped chapter 5.

That's not because we're avoiding the passage that talks about sex and marriage and adultery.

We're going to address it next week, along with chapter 7, which also addresses the same topic.

Pastor Nick's going to preach on that.

Then we'll go on to chapters 8 and 9, which look again at wisdom and folly more broadly.

And after that, we're going to look into more specific topics in the rest of Proverbs.

So, that's where we're going in the rest of our series in Proverbs this summer.

But today, we're looking at money, time, and relationships.

And in particular, this passage warns us against three foolish and dangerous paths.

Being irresponsible with our money.

Being sluggish with our time and opportunities.

And being divisive in our relationships.

And there's a progression in this passage.

In these three sections, verses 1 to 5, verses 6 to 11, and verses 12 to 19, it goes from bad to worse.

Starts with a well-intentioned form of foolishness.

And then there's a passive form of foolishness with really no intention at all.

And then there's a malicious form of foolishness.

Actively trying to harm others.

It goes from someone who might potentially fall into danger.

The father speaking to his son and says, if you find yourself in this situation.

To someone who is in actual danger.

Speaking to the sluggard saying, you're already in danger.

To someone who is actively endangering others.

The malicious troublemaker.

Fear.

So, that's what we're looking at this morning.

But God wants to use these negative examples, these warnings, to point us to the way of positive wisdom.

And to point us to Jesus Christ, who is the source and the one through whom we can live wisely.

In our money, in our time, and in our relationships.

So, let's jump in.

One section after another.

That's a big picture.

First danger.

Verses 1 to 5.

Well-intentioned but irresponsible financial commitments.

Now, you might say, well, what does this mean in verse 1 where it talks about putting up security for your neighbor or giving your pledge for a stranger?

Basically, that means to guarantee someone else's debts.

So, in the ancient world, if you ask someone for a loan, they would often say, okay, I'm willing to loan you some money, but give me some collateral.

Give me a pledge.

Give me something that will serve as a promise that you'll pay me back.

But what if you really want or need the loan, but you don't have any collateral?

Well, you might go to a friend and say, can you put up collateral for me?

Can you co-sign on the dotted line?

Same thing can happen in the modern world.

Perhaps you've been in a situation where you've wanted to apply for a mortgage on a house or a loan on a car and your income wasn't enough.

And so, the bank told you you need a co-signer.

Maybe someone has approached you and said, will you co-sign on my loan?

You're not going to have to pay it.

I fully intend to pay the loan myself, but I need you to co-sign.

Otherwise, I can't get the loan or I get a terrible interest rate.

And you might think, well, I know this person.

They're well-intentioned.

They wouldn't try to hurt me.

I want to help them.

But Proverbs warns us, don't do it.

Now, when we're applying the wisdom in Proverbs, we need to remember two things.

Number one, we live in a different culture and economic system.

So, we need to think carefully about how the principles in Proverbs apply in our different cultural context.

So, sometimes there's a straight line and sometimes we need to apply the principles in a different context.

Second thing is Proverbs tends to give general principles, but implicitly acknowledges that the world is messy and sometimes there are exceptions.

Having said that, in this case, the teaching of Proverbs is very consistent and strongly worded about putting up security for debts.

Proverbs 11.15,

Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm.

Now, chapter 17, verse 18, one who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.

Chapter 22, 26, and 27, be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts.

If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?

Proverbs said the same thing, whether it's a stranger or a neighbor.

Someone close by or far away, known or unknown.

It says, don't put up security for someone else's debt.

Now, you might say, wow, that sounds a little harsh.

I mean, is Proverbs saying everyone for himself?

Don't help out your neighbor, just keep everything for yourself?

No.

Proverbs doesn't say that.

There are many places where Proverbs encourages generous giving to people who have real needs.

Proverbs 14.21 says,

Blessed is the one who is generous to the poor.

Proverbs 19.17,

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.

So, if you want to help someone, you can always give them whatever they need.

Or you can loan them the money yourself.

Now, in the Old Testament, God's people were allowed to loan money to each other,

but they couldn't charge interest, and every seven years they had to cancel all debts,

whether they were paid or unpaid.

So, it prevented people from being enslaved perpetually and on the very long term in debt.

And in the New Testament, we see an interesting example in the book of Philemon.

The Apostle Paul is writing to someone, and he says,

If Onesimus owes you anything…

Onesimus had become a Christian, was Paul's friend.

He says,

If Onesimus owes you anything, charge it to my account.

In other words, Paul's saying,

I'm willing to pay off all his past debts.

Now, Paul doesn't say,

Whatever debts Onesimus may incur in the future for any reason, I will pay for them.

Right?

Paul doesn't make an open-ended financial commitment

that he can't actually follow through on.

But he's generous in his giving.

The Bible encourages generous giving,

but it warns us against giving what we don't have.

Or putting up security for someone's debt.

Right?

So, don't put up collateral for a debt.

Or co-sign someone else's loan,

unless you are prepared to pay the whole thing yourself.

That's the question you should ask yourself.

If someone ever comes to you and says,

Will you co-sign on my loan?

The question is,

Are you willing to pay the whole thing yourself?

And give it…

And effectively give it as a gift to that other person.

Right?

So, when you're co-signing,

the thing doesn't actually belong to you.

You're helping someone else get something.

So, that's a question you need to ask.

You can't give what you don't have,

so don't promise what you can't deliver.

So, that's the direct implication of this text.

Right?

It may be well-intentioned,

but Proverbs is saying,

It's not wise.

Don't co-sign unless you are ready to pay the whole thing yourself,

and unless you have the resources to do so.

And if you're married,

you've talked to your spouse and agreed

that it would be a wise thing to devote your resources in that way.

Some other practical implications of this text.

Three other practical implications.

Number one,

more broadly,

don't make financial commitments impulsively

or under emotional pressure.

The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 says,

Each one should give as he has decided in his heart to give,

not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.

That applies to our offerings in church.

That also applies to giving more broadly.

So, practical examples.

If you're walking downtown,

and someone comes up to you

and asks you for $20

because I need to take the train to New York

because I'm stranded

and I have no way to get back there,

don't just give them $20

because you're in a rush

and because you don't want to feel guilty for saying no.

You're probably not helping them by doing that.

I mean, everybody knows.

It's the oldest trick in the book.

Right?

Or if you answer a phone call

from some unknown number,

and they ask you to make a donation on the spot

for starving children

halfway around the world

in some orphanage,

don't do it.

The reason why there are so many scams out there

is some people actually get fooled by them.

If nobody ever said yes to them,

they would stop calling all of us.

Psalm 41.1 says,

Blessed is the one who considers the poor.

That word means

who takes time to think

about how best to help people

who really have a need.

Godly wisdom is not being naive and gullible.

It's not saying yes to every request

that comes your way.

It's being thoughtful and intentional

in our generosity.

Second, practical implication,

think twice before you loan money

to someone else.

Now, I'm not saying never do it,

but ask this question,

is there a good reason

why I'm willing to agree to a loan,

but I'm not willing to give the money

to them outright?

Sometimes there is.

But sometimes I think we can agree

to loaning money to someone

because we don't want to say no to them,

we're afraid of their disapproval,

but our heart's not really in it.

We don't really want to just give them the money,

and so a loan is sort of

a half-hearted compromise.

And then it gets more complicated

if they can't pay you back the loan

or disappear.

So that's one reason why

the deacons of this church

are in charge of a benevolence fund

to help people who have financial needs.

And sometimes people come to me

or one of the other pastors,

one of the deacons,

and say,

I need some help to pay my bills

or pay my rent this month,

but I can pay the church back next month.

And what we always say is,

we will certainly consider your request.

The deacons will be happy

to consider your request.

We want to think carefully

about how best we can help you.

But we won't give money on the basis

that you promise to pay us back next month.

Because what if something happens,

you know,

there's all kinds of things

that can happen,

and you can't pay the church back.

You'll be tempted to lie

or you'll be tempted to run away.

And we don't want you to run away.

You're a lot more valuable to us

than whatever amount of money

you are asking for.

And so we are,

we try to be careful

as the deacons try to be careful

and thoughtful

and generous in our giving.

But we've decided not to go the lone route

for that reason.

Third implication.

What verse three to five says,

if you have made well-intentioned

but foolish financial commitments

that are hanging over your head,

if you've made promises to other people

that you really can't keep,

if you've signed on the dotted line

for a big loan

that is bigger than the amount of money

in your bank account,

don't just close your eyes

and hope it'll all work out for the best.

Proverbs says,

go,

quickly,

humble yourself,

plead,

beg,

say,

I need to get out of this.

I'm sorry.

I spoke too quickly.

Figure out some way

that that won't be hanging over your head

and it won't catch you in the trap.

Don't live by wishful thinking

that everything's going to turn out okay

and call it hope.

Wishful thinking is not hope.

Real hope is based in the promises of God

and in reality.

It's not the same as wishful thinking.

So, Proverbs says,

if you've promised something you can't deliver,

go now and be honest and say,

I'm sorry,

I promised something that I can't follow through on

and I need to figure out how to get out of this.

And also,

don't ask somebody to do these,

don't ask somebody to promise what they can't deliver.

Right?

Sometimes if you're in a hard situation,

I understand,

there's a lot of hard situations that come our way

and it's fine to ask for help.

There's no wrong,

there's no shame in asking for help.

We all need help.

I mean, goodness,

why did Jesus come into the world?

Because we needed a lot more than

a little financial help.

We needed a Savior.

Right?

We all acknowledge that.

So, whatever kind of help you need,

it pales in comparison to the help

we all need from Jesus.

So, there's no shame in asking for help.

But don't put someone in a situation

where you're asking them to promise

what they can't deliver.

Where you're asking them to co-sign

or put up security for a debt

that is putting them

in an enslaving situation.

So, there's some practical implications,

but let me go one step deeper.

Why are we tempted

to make well-intentioned

but irresponsible financial commitments

to other people?

Now, I've done this a few times myself.

And usually, it's one of two things.

It's being afraid of someone's disapproval

if I say no.

The Bible calls that the fear of man.

Or being gratified

because I feel like I'm rescuing someone

and no one else can.

That's called a Savior complex.

Now, sometimes we're called

to spend and be spent

for other people

within the kingdom of God.

To lay down our lives

for each other.

And that certainly means

sharing our material possessions

when people have a real need.

Opening your home.

Right?

Giving your money.

The Apostle John says,

how can you love your brother

or sister in Christ

who's really in need,

who's without food and clothing

if you don't give them

some of your stuff?

If you're not willing to share.

But there's a fine line

between sacrificial giving

and having a Savior complex.

And if you cross that line,

it feels pretty good for a while.

It feels gratifying

because you feel like

you're really rescuing someone

and you're doing what no one else can

and no one else will.

But in the long term,

you will either become codependent

and unhealthily enmeshed

or you will become resentful

and burned out.

If the person continues

to need more and more.

And either way,

you'll only hurt yourself

and the other person in the end.

The Bible says

there's only one Savior.

There's only one Messiah.

It's not me.

It's not you.

And that's good news.

In Job chapter 17, verse 3,

Job 17:3

Job speaks to God

using some of the language

in this passage.

He says,

give me the pledge you demand.

Who is there

who will put up security for me?

What Job's saying is,

Job goes to God and says,

God, I need you to help me

because I've got nobody.

I've got nobody

who can cover my back.

I'm in a bad situation

and I'm a bad risk.

I've got a bad history.

No one else

will promise themselves for me.

I need you to pledge yourself for me

because nobody else can.

And the message of the Bible

is that's the situation

we're all in,

spiritually speaking,

and Jesus Christ

has paid our greatest debt in full.

Jesus didn't just say,

I'll co-sign with you.

You try to pay it off yourself

and if you can't,

well then,

I guess I'll be there for you.

He said, no,

I'm going to pay it in full,

up front,

for all your sins.

He has paid for all your sins

by His most precious blood

that He shed on the cross.

That's the most precious gift

that we have

that can never be taken away.

So treasure Jesus.

And then He will lead you

to use your money

generously and wisely.

That's the first point

about money.

The second point

concerns our time.

And the warning here

is against passive sluggishness.

Now this section begins

with a positive portrayal

of wisdom

in verses 6 to 8.

Go to the ant,

O sluggard.

Consider her ways

and be wise.

Do you notice

Proverbs is not above

using some sarcasm

and ironic humor

to provoke,

especially in regards

to the sluggard.

Here's some other Proverbs

about the sluggard.

Chapter 26,

verse 14 and 15.

As a door turns

on its hinges,

so a sluggard

turns on his bed.

The sluggard

buries his hand

in the dish.

It wears him out

to bring it back

to his mouth.

Proverbs is not above

using irony and sarcasm.

Sometimes we think

sarcasm is always a sin.

I don't think it's always a sin.

It's right here in the Bible.

Now you've got to be careful

with sarcasm.

You can use it

to cut people down.

But Proverbs use it

to provoke people

who need a little provoking.

But he goes on

to point out

two positive aspects

of wisdom

that the ant exemplifies.

Self-discipline

and diligence

or foresight.

Now ants are very interesting.

I learned something

about ants this week.

Modern scientists

have discovered

that ant colonies,

while they do have

some structure

and leadership,

they don't operate

through a top-down

chain of command.

ant.

There's no one ant,

even the queen,

who is sort of

directing everything

and supervising everyone.

So one scientist

wrote this.

An ant

is a very simple animal.

It can perform

10 to 40

elementary behaviors.

But ant hills

are very complex.

One can find nursery,

warehouses,

or kitchen gardens.

Some individuals forage,

others take care

of the eggs,

repair the nest,

or protect the ant hill

against miscellaneous threats.

What is the secret?

How can such mindless animals

achieve such complex organization?

In economics,

division of labor

leads to efficiency,

but some sort of supervision

is necessary.

The different tasks

have to be coordinated.

But no such supervisors

exist in ant hills.

No ants,

particularly not the queen,

are able to manage

this exploit.

The coordination

results from

some sort of

self-organization

process.

Now,

Proverbs isn't

precisely anticipating

modern scientific insights.

It's simply making a point

based on general observation.

Ants display

a kind

of self-discipline

and internal

motivation.

And it says

some of us

would do well

to learn from them.

Even though

that sounds humbling

when you think about that.

Self-discipline

and diligent foresight.

Ants are mentioned

in Proverbs 30, 25,

one other time

in the book,

the same point is made.

They are small,

but wise.

They are not strong,

but they provide

their food in the summer.

In other words,

they see an opportunity

and they take it.

They see danger ahead

and they prepare for it.

God provides food

for them in season,

but they go and get it.

If we forget

to sweep

under our kitchen table

after dinner,

you can see that

right in our house.

Right?

The ants,

they're coming,

taking those little

crumbs of bread

and taking them

over to their

little corner.

All right.

So, the ants are a picture

of self-discipline

and foresight

or diligence.

But then in verse 9,

Proverbs turns away

from the ant

and turns back

to the sluggard.

How long will you

lie there,

O sluggard?

When will you arise

from your sleep?

And in verse 10,

we sort of hear

the sluggard's response.

Just a little longer.

A little more sleep.

Just a little snooze.

Just a little rest.

Derek Kidner wrote,

He deceives himself

by the smallness

of his surrenders.

So, by inches and minutes,

his opportunity slips away.

By inches and minutes,

his opportunity

gradually slips away.

A little nap

becomes a long sleep.

And finally,

verse 11,

danger strikes.

Poverty will come upon you

like a robber

and want like an armed man.

Now, this word

translated poverty,

it doesn't just mean

having limited means

or living a simple lifestyle.

It's not the same word

that's usually translated,

the poor,

in the rest of Proverbs

or the Bible.

This word translated poverty

means ruin,

destruction,

destitution.

And here,

it's self,

and pretty much everywhere

it appears,

it's self-inflicted.

That's the warning.

Ruin will come upon you

if you continue

in this passive path.

Now, what exactly

is the problem

with the sluggard,

we might ask?

It's not that he wants

to get a good night's sleep.

Psalm 127,

Psalms 127:2

verse 2 says,

the Lord grants

to his beloved sleep.

It's a gift sleep.

A good night's sleep

is a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 5 says,

the sleep of a labor

is sweet.

Think of the last time

you got a really good

workout during the day

and you slept well at night.

Man, it feels good.

You might wake up

a little sore,

but you sleep well

after you work hard

when your body's working right.

The problem is not

that he wants

a good night's sleep.

The problem is not

that he wants

a simple and quiet life.

That's also a biblical virtue,

generally speaking.

The problem with the sluggard

is that he's full

of desires and cravings,

full of hopes

and expectations,

mostly unrealistic ones,

full of opinions

and ideas,

but unwilling to do

the important

and necessary work

to make step-by-step progress.

He doesn't follow through.

He perpetually procrastinates.

He indulges in various

kinds of escapism.

Proverbs talks a lot

about this.

21-26,

the desire of the sluggard

kills him,

for his hands refuse

to labor.

All day long,

he craves and craves.

It's not that the sluggard

doesn't care about anything

and doesn't want anything.

He wants lots of things,

but he just doesn't

follow through

and do what he needs

to get what he needs.

13-4,

the soul of the sluggard

craves and gets nothing.

26-13,

the sluggard says,

there's a lion in the road,

there's a lion in the streets.

In other words,

he makes excuses.

He attaches himself

to excessive

and irrational fears

and lets himself

be driven by those fears

instead of fighting

against those fears.

Maybe you feel those fears.

Crushing anxiety.

Are you fighting against it

or are you just letting yourself

be driven and blown along by them?

Fight against them.

It's hard.

But God will give you strength

and other people

can encourage you.

The sluggard is a perfectionist,

criticizing much

and accomplishing little.

But there's hope

for the sluggard.

Proverbs doesn't abandon

the sluggard to his passivity.

He exhorts him firmly

because there's hope for him

to listen and change

and become wise.

And so Proverbs exhorts us

who may have become sluggish.

Don't live your life

hesitating,

making excuses,

waiting for someone else

to take the lead

when decisive

and courageous action

is called for.

Isn't it true

that the only thing necessary

for the triumph of evil

is that good people do nothing?

Spiritually speaking,

don't be a slugger

in the fight against sin

for righteousness.

Don't ignore a besetting sin,

a habitual sin,

just hoping it'll go away

if you don't think about it

and ignore it

and pretend it's not there.

No, confess it

to a brother or sister in Christ

and face it head on.

Maybe you've had

a major spiritual failure

with lasting effects

on yourself and others.

I want you to know

there is a path

to healing

and restoration

for you,

but it is a painful path

and there are no shortcuts.

You have to dig deep

to pull out the roots

of the poisonous weed

from the soil of your heart.

Otherwise,

it's just going to stay

under the surface

and be liable

to grow back

in a different form.

You have to expose

the shame,

the self-pity

and self-justification,

the lies you've let yourself believe.

Bring all that out

into the light

with the help of mature

brothers and sisters

in Christ.

That's part of the road

to restoration

and healing

and wholeness

and opportunity.

Don't just lie down

by the side of the road

in the slough of despond

and stay there.

It's miserable.

You're just trying

to blind yourself

and not deal with life.

Don't deceive yourself

into thinking

that your sin

will just magically go away

without actually dealing with it.

You can deal with your sin

in light of the cross.

Bring it before the cross

where Jesus died

and paid for it all

and before the empty tomb,

the empty grave

that shows that He has risen

from the dead

and triumphed over sin and death

and in the power

of the Spirit of holiness

who lives in you.

You are not your own.

You belong to Christ.

So rise up,

spiritually speaking.

Rise up from your

spiritual slumber.

The Apostle Paul says this

in Romans 13, 11,

the hour has come

for you to wake up

from your sleep.

The night is far gone.

The day is at hand.

Let us cast off

the works of darkness

and put on the armor of light.

Let us walk properly

as in the daytime,

not in orgies

and drunkenness,

not in sexual immorality

and sensuality,

not in quarreling

and jealousy,

but put on the Lord Jesus Christ

and make no provision

for the flesh

to gratify its desires.

Hebrews 6 says,

we desire each one of you

to show the same earnestness,

to have the full assurance

of hope until the end,

so that you may not be sluggish,

but imitators of those

who through faith

and patience

inherit the promises

of God.

God has given us

the Holy Spirit

to live within us,

to give us

that internal motivation,

the spirit of power

and love

and self-discipline.

So, let's make the most

of the opportunities

God has given us,

even in these days.

So, that's the second point

about our time.

We've dealt with money,

we've dealt with time

and opportunity,

and finally,

we come to our relationships,

the last point.

The last warning

is against malicious

troublemaking

in our relationships.

verse 12 to 19.

Verse 12 begins

with the phrase,

a worthless person.

Literally, the phrase

is a son of Belial,

which is a Hebrew word

used to describe

a person who is useless

for any good purpose

because he is bent

on destruction

and rebellion.

And later,

that word Belial

becomes a name

that's used

for the devil himself.

The father of lies,

destruction,

and rebellion

against God

appears in 2 Corinthians 6.15.

Proverbs go on

to describe this person

who is bent on,

not just in danger

of harming himself,

but actively seeking

to undermine

and bring other people down.

Verse 12 to 15

and verse 16 to 19,

both of these sections,

we see five bodily

expressions of wickedness.

Look down at verse 12.

Crooked speech.

Verse 17,

a lying tongue.

That's the first one,

the tongue.

Second,

verse 13,

winks with his eyes.

Verse 17

talks about haughty eyes.

Third one,

verse 13 again,

signals with his feet.

Verse 18,

talk about feet

that make haste

to run to evil.

Number four,

points with his finger.

Verse 13.

Verse 17

talks about hands

that shed innocent blood.

So we have mouth,

eyes,

feet,

hands,

our words,

attitudes,

and actions.

Every part of this person's life

has been corrupted

by sin

and oriented

toward destruction.

and then we come

to verse 14,

the fifth and final member

of the series.

The heart

with perverted heart

devises evil.

In the Bible,

the heart is the center

of our thinking

and feeling

and decision making.

And it says,

this person's heart

is perverted,

it's twisted,

it's constantly

devising

evil plans.

You might say,

what exactly

do these bodily actions

in verse 12 and 13

indicate?

Maybe some people

have suggested

possibly they refer

to engaging

in sorcery,

casting spells,

or putting curses

on people.

More likely,

they're simply

secretive signals

intended to deceive

or cause harm.

Maybe it's also

a picture of

restless shifting

and shuffling,

a sign of inner unrest.

But in verse 14

and 19,

we see the effect

of this person

on others around him,

continually sowing discord.

Verse 14,

verse 19,

sowing discord

among brothers.

The effect

of this person

is he provokes

bitter conflict,

strife,

and dissension,

breaking apart

families,

churches,

neighborhoods,

nations,

driving a wedge

between husbands

and wives,

parents and children,

fellow church leaders,

brothers and sisters

and friends.

This is a dangerous man.

But verse 15 and 16

also tell us

that he is destined

for final

and irreversible judgment.

He seeks to ruin

his victims,

but ultimately

he will ruin himself.

He overthrows God's order

so he will one day

be overthrown.

He sheds innocent blood

so one day

he will be broken

beyond healing.

He will get exactly

what he deserves.

Verse 16 says

the first time,

verse 16 is

the first time

that the Lord's name

is mentioned

in this chapter

and it says

the Lord hates

the thoughts,

the attitudes,

the words,

the actions,

the influence

of such a person.

They are an abomination

to him.

This is very strong language.

Now what's the point

of this vivid description

of a malicious

troublemaker

and his inevitable demise?

Well, one,

I think there's a warning

against associating

too closely

with a person like this.

We saw that back

in chapter 1

with a warning

against following

the crowd

into wickedness.

It's also a warning

against becoming

like this man

in part

even if not

in whole.

One commentator

put it this way,

the reader

of this section

can almost catch

the superior look

and the shifty talk

and may wonder

when his own hands

were last employed

to an innocent

person's detriment.

When was the last time

you were

ruminating

in your heart

about someone

who has wronged you

or who has done

wrong to others?

What were you

ruminating about?

Were you praying

that God would bring

them to repentance?

Were you praying

for their ultimate good?

Or were you plotting

ways that you could

undermine them

in return?

When was the last time

you participated

in gossip?

We could define

gossip as talking

with someone

who is neither

part of the problem

nor part of the solution.

Proverbs 16, 28

says,

a whisperer,

that is,

someone who gossips,

separates close friends.

So there's a warning

in this picture

of becoming

like this person.

There's also

a comfort

if you're

on the receiving

end

of someone

who sows discord

and tears

relationships apart

and bears

false witness.

Maybe you've been

on the receiving

end

of a person

like this.

And the comfort

here

is that those

who continually

and unrepentantly

sow discord

will not escape

God's judgment.

encouragement.

So it's an encouragement.

Don't repay evil

for evil

but to overcome

evil with good.

To love even

your enemies

and to do good

to those who hate you

because vengeance

is mine

says the Lord.

This passage warns

against the divisive

person but

we also see

in the Scriptures

encouragements

to pursue unity

and humility.

This person

is characterized

by pride

and divisiveness.

The opposite

is humility

and unity.

Psalm 133

says,

how good

and pleasant

it is

when brothers

and sisters

dwell together

in unity

for there

the Lord

has commanded

His blessing

even life

forevermore.

Or consider

the Beatitudes

that we read

earlier in the service.

Jesus' words

in Matthew 5

what do they

start with?

Blessed are

the poor

in spirit.

Do you notice

the list

in verse 17

begins with

haughty eyes

pride.

Jesus

begins

with humility.

That's where

it all starts.

You have to enter

the kingdom of God

with humility

like a child

acknowledging

your total dependence

on the unmerited

grace of God

humbling yourself

admitting

I'm a sinner

and crying out

to God

like the tax collector

in the temple

saying Lord

have mercy on me

Lord make atonement

for me

cover me

I'm a sinner

and I don't deserve

your righteousness

I need you.

That's where

it all starts.

And then

verse 18

in the middle

talks about

a heart

that devises

wicked plans

but the

Beatitudes

in the middle

speak about

those who are

pure in heart

who hunger

and thirst

for God's

righteousness

and that's

what happens

when we become

born again

when we get

regenerated

and come alive

in Christ

God gives us

a new heart

if you look

to

if you have

looked to Christ

and put your faith

in Him

it means He has

already put that

new heart in you

that's why you're

looking to Christ

if you're being

drawn toward Christ

maybe God's

in the process

of doing that

He is

implanting His

Word in you

giving you a heart

that hungers

and thirsts

for God

for His presence

for His glory

and we can pray

Lord renew my heart

you've given me

a new heart

in Christ

by your grace

fill me

in a fresh way

with your spirit

renew me

we start

with humility

and the new heart

that comes

from the new

covenant

in Christ

the result

is

peacemaking

right

number seven

in the list

in Proverbs

Proverbs 7:19

chapter 7

verse 19

is sowing discord

among brothers

number seven

in the Beatitudes

blessed are the

peacemakers

humility

and a renewed

heart

that's changed

by God's grace

leads to

making peace

peace

and Ephesians 2

says Christ

Himself

is our peace

He suffered

and died

to make us

one in Him

to reconcile

us to God

in one body

through His cross

and that's why

Ephesians 4

says make

every effort

to keep

the unity

of the Spirit

in the bond

of peace

peacemaking

is not easy

it's not just

being

always having

a smile

on your face

and being nice

and pretending

nothing ever

goes wrong

that's not

biblical peacemaking

it's not

pretending

nothing ever

went wrong

what does it

mean to be

a peacemaker

well

sometimes it

means to

forbear

patiently

and prayerfully

that means

you tolerate

others weaknesses

because you

value them

and what the

Lord is doing

in them

sometimes it

means to

confront

lovingly

and truthfully

and speak

the truth

because you

care about

the person's

growth

in the

Lord

sometimes it

means to

acknowledge

our own

faults

even if we

think I was

only 5%

of the problem

and they

were 95%

well have you

acknowledged

your 5%

because that's

the only

that's the part

you will be

responsible

before God

for

not what they

did to you

but you

will be

responsible

before God

for your

part

to be

willing to

extend

forgiveness

as Christ

has forgiven

us

right

we can only

do this

we can only

be a peacemaker

through the

power of

Christ

through the

new heart

he's given

us

through the

power of

his cross

through the

Holy Spirit

this passage

is full of

warnings

we've seen

these warnings

against

well-intentioned

irresponsible

financial decisions

against

passive

sluggishness

with our

time

against

active

malice

in our

relationships

but it's

an invitation

in each

of these

areas

to look

to our

all-sufficient

God

Father

Son

and Holy

Spirit

to look

to our

Heavenly

Father

who sovereignly

provides

for the

needs

of each

of his

children

who has

been so

generous

in welcoming

us

into his

family

to look

to our

Savior

Jesus

Christ

who is

our

peace

who

reconciles

us to

God

and makes

us

peacemakers

by his

Spirit

living in

us

and to

live in

the power

of the

Holy Spirit

our

Comforter

who equips

and empowers

us to

not be

sluggish

but to

do the

good works

that God

has prepared

in advance

for us

to do

we have

an all

sufficient

God

so may

we glorify

him in

our money

in our

time

in our

relationships

let's

pray

Father

in heaven

we thank

you for

speaking to

us through

your word

we thank

you even

for these

warnings

that you

give us

through the

book of

Proverbs

against

potential

and actual

dangers

that we

can fall

into

we thank

you Lord

that you

are an

all sufficient

Savior

we thank

you that

we can

look to

you

and be

renewed

in our

heart

Lord we

pray that

you would

take these

words and

apply them to

each of our

hearts by

the power of

your Holy

Spirit

and help us

to look to

you this

week and

in the days

ahead that

we may bring

glory to

you in

our money

in our

time in

our

relationships

because you

have called

us to be

your very

own

love and

have loved

us with

an everlasting

love

we pray this

in Christ's

name

amen

we

be

see you

I

you

you