Gaining and Governing

Heavenly Father, it is our deepest desire to please you.

You are our King, our Lord.

You are our God.

You are our loving Father.

But in order to please you, we need to train up our discernment to know your good and perfect will.

To know all that you desire for us that which is true, right, and good.

So as we open up your word together, please teach us this evening to know your will and grant us the humility, the fear of God, to follow you and obey you.

No matter the cost in every aspect of our lives.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

I will read Proverbs 28 and 29.

Please follow along with me in your Bibles.

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

When a land transgresses, it has many rulers.

But with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.

A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them.

Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of glutton's shames his father.

Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death.

Let no one help him.

Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.

Whoever robs his father or his mother and says,

There is no transgression, is a companion to a man who destroys.

A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

When the wicked rise, people hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase.

He who is often reproved yet stiffens his neck will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

By justice, a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.

A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices.

A righteous man knows the rights of the poor.

A wicked man does not understand such knowledge.

Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

If a wise man has an argument with the fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.

The poor man and the oppressor meet together.

The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.

The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall.

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest.

He will give delight to your heart.

Where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint.

But blessed is he who keeps the law.

By mere words, a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond.

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir.

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

The partner of a thief hates his own life.

He hears the curse, but discloses nothing.

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.

An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

The Bible is not an exhaustive rulebook that has a corresponding rule for every conceivable situation.

And if you treat it that way, you will be disappointed because it doesn't answer all of your questions.

Rather, it's God's personal revelation.

It's a way that God has chosen to reveal himself personally to us.

And for that reason, it culminates with the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

who is the very image of the invisible God.

And when we read the Bible in this sense, then we are not merely familiarizing ourselves with the rules for life,

but rather we are familiarizing ourselves with a person.

In much the same way we get to know each other through conversing with one another.

We get to know God by reading his word.

We learn to think his thoughts after him.

Another way to put that is that we grow in discernment.

The ability to discriminate between what is good and what is evil.

Discernment is something that requires training.

Romans 12.2 says,

Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,

what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul says in Philippians 1.9-11,

that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent,

and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

Hebrews 5.14 similarly says,

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment,

trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

We live in a complex universe where many situations are not black and white,

where even Christians who agree that Scripture is God's inspired and inerrant word

still disagree on a number of issues.

This is why we need to grow in discernment,

to learn not only the content of God's word,

but also the tenor of God's word,

to learn to know what God's good and perfect will is.

These two chapters in Proverbs are all about discernment.

The word understand or understanding,

which is ESV's rendering of the Hebrew word for seeing or discerning something,

occurs six times in these two chapters.

And these chapters tell us that we are to train our discernment of God's will

by keeping the law,

that's in chapter 28 verses 1 to 12,

and repenting from sin,

submitting to discipline,

and fearing the Lord.

And this last point,

fearing the Lord,

is really the sum of all four of the points,

that we are to train our discernment by living with the fear of the Lord.

So first,

let's start in the obvious place.

We are to train our discernment by knowing and keeping the law of God.

Verses 1 to 12 mentioned the importance of keeping the law four times.

It says in 4 to 5,

verses 4 to 5,

those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

but those who keep the law strive against them.

Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

In a similar way,

that common sense,

which we take for granted,

or tend to assume most people have,

is actually not that common.

In a similar way,

this assumption that everyone has basically the same conscience,

the same sense of right and wrong,

is also misleading at times.

While human beings do have the innate,

God-given sense of right and wrong,

due to our sinful rebellion against God,

we have become futile in our thinking,

we have become foolish and darkened in our hearts,

as Romans 1 talks about,

apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

And because of this,

as Proverbs 16.25 earlier said,

there's a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

It means people's consciences are often confused.

People don't know what is right from wrong.

So what results is verse 4.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked.

We should not be surprised,

as we live in this sinful world,

when people praise that which God says is wicked.

We should not be surprised by that.

We should expect that.

Because these people,

this world,

has forsaken God's law.

But as those who keep the law,

we strive against them.

Evil men do not understand justice.

Don't assume that when people use,

people of this world use the same words that we use,

words like justice,

words like righteousness,

don't assume that they mean the same thing

that the Bible does.

Only those who seek the Lord

understand justice completely.

If you want to grow in your discernment,

we need to seek the Lord.

We need to keep His law.

Because ultimately,

our sense of right and wrong

must come from Him

and not from our own head.

As it later says in verse 26,

whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom

will be delivered.

Because our consciences are shaped

by our personal experiences,

by our cultural context,

by our feelings,

we need consciously to strive

to conform our minds

to God's revealed will in Scripture.

We need to train our discernment

by searching and keeping God's Word.

So verse 7 says,

the one who keeps the law

is a son with understanding,

but a companion of glutton

shames his father.

We possess discernment

when we keep God's law.

And whenever Proverbs gives us a command,

it also provides corresponding motivation

for us to follow.

It says in verses 1 to 2,

So one reason that we should continue

and keep God's law

is that it lets us live without fear.

The wicked are flighty

because they're always looking

over their shoulders

to see if they'll be found out

for their wickedness

because they're always trying

to cover their tracks behind them.

And due to this insecurity,

the wicked flee

when no one is pursuing them.

They're easily spooked.

They live with constant fear

of being found out and punished.

Moreover, it says,

when a land transgresses,

it has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding

and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

This verse 2 is matched

by verse 12,

which together bracket

this subsection.

Verse 12 says,

when the righteous triumph,

there is great glory,

but when the wicked rise,

people hide themselves.

The word great in verse 2

is the same word

that's translated,

great in verse 12

is the same word

that's translated many

in verse 2.

So then in a country

where the righteous prevail,

there's much glory.

But in a country

where the wicked prevail,

there are many rulers.

In other words,

when a kingdom is founded

on righteousness,

it promotes stability,

prosperity,

and longevity.

But when it is founded

on transgressions,

it breeds chaos

and conflict

with many rulers

vying for power.

And while righteousness

encompasses many things,

there's a particular aspect

of righteousness

that chapter 28

focuses on,

namely the way we treat

the most vulnerable

members of society.

Verse 3 says,

a poor man

who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain

that leaves no food.

It's not only the rich

who oppress the poor.

The poor also

oppress the poor.

This is particularly grievous

because

the fellow poor

you would expect

compassion from,

who of all people

should know

what it's like

to be poor

and should have pity,

instead betrays

the fellow poor

and takes advantage

of him,

oppresses him.

In the same way,

a rain,

you expect the rain

to bring life,

to enable you

to farm

and to produce grain

that will bring life

to your community.

But instead,

when you get a beating rain

that actually sweeps

away the gains

of hard work

of farmers,

it surprises.

In the same way,

this poor man

who oppresses

is like the beating rain

that leaves no food.

In contrast,

the discerning man

understands verse 6.

Better is a poor man

who walks in his integrity

than the rich man

who is crooked

in his ways.

In Hebrew,

nouns can be singular,

plural,

or dual,

indicating just two,

the two of one thing.

And the word ways

at the end of verse 6

is dual.

So it highlights

the duplicitous

and double-dealing ways

of this crooked man.

He not only does evil,

he deceives others

while doing so.

And even though

this seems to work for him

for a little while

because he gets rich

off of it,

in the end,

he will be punished

by God

who stands behind

his standard of justice.

And it says

in verses 8 to 10,

whoever multiplies

his wealth

by interest and profit

gathers it for him

who is generous

to the poor,

if one turns away

his ear from hearing

the law,

even his prayer

is an abomination.

Whoever misleads

the upright

into an evil way

will fall into

his own pit,

but the blameless

will have a goodly

inheritance.

We've seen this

over and over again

throughout Proverbs

that God has embedded

this paradoxical principle

in the general working

of the universe

so that those

who defraud others

will ultimately

be impoverished,

but those who are

generous with others

will ultimately

be enriched.

Those who lead

others to ruin

for their selfish gain

will themselves

come to ruin,

while those who live

blameless,

selfless lives

will have a goodly

inheritance.

This is why

it's in our best interest

to train our discernment

by keeping God's Word.

In verse 9,

it says,

if one turns away

his ear from hearing

the law,

even his prayer

is an abomination.

Even something

as commendable

as prayer

becomes an abomination

to God

if you do not

keep His Word,

if you do not

hear His Word.

So this is actually

a key principle.

If you want your prayers

to be effective,

do you keep

God's Word?

Do you actually

believe,

do you have faith

in God's Word

enough to obey it,

to walk in accordance

with it?

Because genuine faith

is always accompanied

by good works.

And this is the

chief defect

of the rich wicked.

Verse 11 says,

a rich man is wise

in his own eyes,

but a poor man

who has understanding

will find him out.

That's his problem.

He is wise

in his own eyes.

So he sees no need

for God's Word,

no need for instruction

from God.

But he will be exposed

by the discerning

poor man.

For all Bible-believing

Christians,

Scripture is

the theoretical

authority.

But for many

Christians,

Scripture is not

the functional

authority.

Instead,

for some people

it serves merely

to lend support

to our own hunches,

our own opinions,

or the spirit

of the times.

But such people

will be found out

by a poor man

who has understanding.

And this is why

we must train

our discernment

by keeping God's law.

The second way

we are to hone

our skills of discernment

is by repenting

from sin.

That's the subject

broadly speaking

of chapter 28

verse 13

to chapter 29

verse 2.

And verse 13

is actually one

of the clearest

explanations

of what repentance

is.

It says,

whoever conceals

his transgressions

will not prosper,

but he who confesses

and forsakes them

will obtain mercy.

The word conceal

is contrasted

by two words,

confess and forsake.

This reveals

two reasons

why people

typically hide

their sins.

One reason is this,

they don't want

their sins

to be discovered

because they want

to avoid the shame

and reproach

that is associated

with it.

That's why

they don't confess it

because it's shameful.

Second reason

is this,

they want to persist

in their sin.

And if they want

to keep sinning

in that same way,

then it's not possible,

that's no longer possible

if it gets found out

so they keep it hidden.

And because

these two reasons

exist for people

to hide their sins,

we must do two things

in response to sin

in our own lives.

We must confess it.

That's the first thing

we must do,

acknowledge it.

because the darkness

of shame and guilt

is what incubates sin.

If we confess our sins,

it says 1 John 1, 9,

God is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

Sin loses its power

when it's brought

into the light

of God's mercy

and forgiveness

through confession

because the shame

and the guilt

is dealt with

in light of Jesus Christ.

The second thing

we must do

is forsake sin.

When we talk

about repenting

of our sins,

repenting doesn't just mean

to feel sorry

for one's sins.

It's not the same

as regretting it.

To repent

means to turn away

from it,

renounce your sins

and to turn toward God.

If your teacher

spots an error

in a math problem

that you are solving

and you keep going

trying to solve it

the way you were doing it

instead of going back

to solve the issue,

would he not think

that you did not

understand

what he was trying

to tell you?

If while you're

driving south

and someone tells you

that you're supposed

to be driving north,

but after acknowledging

your mistake,

you continue to drive south,

wouldn't the person

who corrected you

and gave you directions

be right to think

that you didn't hear him

or didn't understand him

or didn't believe him?

True repentance

means to believe

in God enough

to renounce

the sins

that are in your own life,

to turn away from it.

That's why repentance

is also a fight of faith

because if you really see

and you really believe

what sin is,

if you see the ugliness

of sin for what it is,

if you see the destructiveness

of sin for what it is,

if you really believe

what God says about it,

you will turn from it.

You will renounce it.

And it's only those

who confess

and forsake

their transgression

that will obtain

mercy.

And that wonderful reality

should set our hearts

toward repentance,

soften our hearts for it.

It says in verse 14,

Blessed is the one

who fears the Lord always,

but whoever hardens his heart

will fall into calamity.

Verse 14 is matched

by chapter 29, verse 1.

He who is often reproved

yet stiffens his neck

will suddenly be broken

beyond healing.

The word hardened

and the word stiffen

are different translations

of the same word.

When we are corrected

by the word of God

or by our brothers

and sisters in Christ,

we must repent

by confessing and forsaking.

A misshapen pottery

that's been hardened already

will be shattered

by the hand of God's discipline

because it's no longer malleable.

But if that piece of pottery

is softened,

if that clay is softened

by the water of God's mercies,

then it will be molded

to fit God's purposes

and priorities.

So how do you respond

to godly correction?

Is your habit

to respond

in defensiveness and denial?

Or do you have a posture

of humility

before God and others?

We are to train our discernment

by repenting from our sins.

The rest of the subsection

offers specific examples

of how we need to live

with the fear of God

in governing society

and gaining income.

Verses 15 to 18

focus on governance.

It says,

Like a roaring lion

or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler

over a poor people.

A ruler who lacks understanding

is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain

will prolong his days.

So earlier in Proverbs 19, 12,

and 22, 20 verse 2,

the king's righteous wrath

punishing evildoers

was compared to a roaring lion.

And so the repurposing

of that same metaphor

is shocking

because here we see

that the king,

who should be executing justice

on behalf of the poor,

instead turns against

his own poor people.

Instead of protecting his own,

he preys upon them.

And he does this

because he lacks discernment,

lacks understanding.

He's untrained.

And for that reason,

he will suffer the consequences.

Verse 16 says,

He who hates unjust gain

will prolong his days.

The word unjust gain

is literally something

that is cut off,

a rip off,

a short changing of somebody.

And this forms a neat contrast

to the word prolong.

He who short changes others,

the king who short changes others

will be short lived.

Instead,

the king should be

an enforcer of justice.

It says in verses 17 and 18,

If one is burdened

with the blood of another,

he will be a fugitive

until death.

Let no one help him.

Whoever walks in integrity

will be delivered,

but he who is crooked

in his ways

will suddenly fall.

The one who sheds

innocent blood

will be a fugitive

until death.

He will,

it says,

the word fugitive

is just a noun form

of the word flee

in verse 1

where he said,

The wicked flee

when no one pursues,

but the righteous

are bold as a lion.

So the lion imagery

makes an interesting

connection to verse 15.

The ruler who preys

upon the innocent poor

like a roaring lion

will shrink and shrink

until he is

no longer bold

as a lion

like the righteous,

but instead becomes

a flighty fugitive.

Looking over his shoulders,

suspicious that his officials

will be talking

behind his back

or conspire against him,

fearful that his subjects

will rebel against him,

and increasingly filled

with fear

as he feels the grip

of God's sovereign justice

closing in around him.

As verse 18 summarizes,

Whoever walks in integrity

will be delivered,

but he who is crooked

in his ways

will suddenly fall.

A person who has nothing

to hide

has nothing to fear.

And after addressing

the importance

of governing justly,

verses 19 to 27

deals specifically

with gaining justly.

Verses 19 to 20

says this,

Whoever works his land

will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows

worthless pursuits

will have plenty of poverty.

A faithful man

will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens

to be rich

will not go unpunished.

This is the right way

to earn a living

with honest hard work,

faithfulness,

constancy,

dependability,

rather than relying on

or seeking a stroke of luck

or a get-rich-quick scheme.

And then verses 21 to 25

give us five more examples

of bad ways of earning money.

One is taking bribes.

Two is being stingy.

Three is flattery.

Four is robbery.

And five is quarreling.

I'll just expand a little bit

on the robbery

and the quarreling.

Verse 24,

it says,

Whoever robs his father

or his mother

and says that is no transgression

is a companion

to a man who destroys.

Robbing one's own parents

who raised him

and selflessly provided for him

is contemptible.

In Mark 7, 9 to 13,

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees

for doing exactly this.

For they used their piety

as a pretext

for withholding provisions

from their parents.

They would tell their parents,

Hey, what I have

is actually dedicated to God.

So I can't give it to you.

I can't help you.

There are many ways nowadays

that adults,

adult children

can shirk their feeling

of responsibility

to care for their parents.

They could rationalize

that it's all wealth

that will eventually

come to them anyway.

Well, it's all my money.

It's all in the family.

It's all shared.

Or they might argue

that their parents

are too infirm

or incompetent

to manage their own finances.

I'll take it over.

I'll manage it.

They might pocket

their parents' earnings,

their social security checks,

or like the prodigal son

in Luke 15,

and presumptuously demand

their inheritance prematurely.

All these are ways

that children can rob

their parents

and those who hasten

after wealth in this way

through bribery,

being miserly,

or flattering others,

robbery, or quarreling,

will be punished by God

for their destructive ways.

Verses 26 to 27

sum it up this way.

Whoever trusts

in his own mind

is a fool,

but he who walks

in wisdom

will be delivered.

Whoever gives

to the poor

will not want,

but he who hides

his eyes

will get many a curse.

Again,

the counterintuitive principle

that those who are generous

to the poor

will be enriched.

In this next subsection,

chapter 29,

verses 3 to 21,

we once again see

contrasting pictures

of the righteous

and the wicked,

and then we are taught

how to train up

righteous people.

Namely,

by training them

up through timely discipline.

So that's the third point.

Submitting to discipline

is one way

we are to grow

in discernment.

This subsection

contains several

rearing proverbs,

parenting proverbs.

Verse 3 says,

he who loves wisdom

makes his father glad.

Verse 17 says,

discipline your son

and he will give you rest.

He will give delight

to your heart.

In other words,

the wise son

who loves wisdom

is raised

through parental discipline.

Similarly,

verse 15 says,

the rod and reproof

give wisdom,

but a child

left to himself

brings shame

to his mother.

The rod and reproof

bring together

corporal punishment

on the one hand

and verbal reproof

on the other.

They join them together

as they did

in chapter 26,

verses 3 to 5.

Both are necessary

because sinful human beings

left to their own devices

will err.

They need correction.

Similarly,

verses 19 to 21

speak of the importance

of discipling

or disciplining

those under one's authority.

It says,

by mere words,

a servant is not disciplined

for though he understands,

he will not respond.

Do you see a man

who is hasty in his words?

There is more hope

for a fool

than for him.

Whoever pampers

his servant from childhood

will in the end

find him his heir.

So what's in view here

is a foolish servant?

We know that

because in Proverbs 17, 2,

it said that a wise servant

will actually take over

for a son

who is a shameful son

and he will become

one of the brothers

of the children.

So there are some servants,

wise servants,

that you want

to become your heir.

Someone who you want

as your successor.

But the one here

is not a wise servant

but a foolish servant

who needs discipline.

And it says that

this servant

will not learn

from words alone.

So if you have someone

who is foolish

under your charge,

whether it's as a,

maybe,

whether it's as your role

as a parent

or as a manager

at workplace

or if you're

a governing authority

or just,

you're in some kind

of organization,

have some kind

of leadership role,

and if you have a person

who under your charge

who needs to be corrected,

who needs discipline,

you need to bring in

some kind of negative

and positive reinforcements,

something more than words

to discipline them.

And if you're the type

of person who,

as verse 20 says,

is hasty in his words,

perhaps you're quick,

too quick to utter

threats,

empty threats

or rash promises

in order to control

this employee's behavior

that you have no intention

of following through on.

If you're that type

of person,

it says there's less hope

for you

than for the fool

that is under your charge.

You need to be careful,

measure in your words,

and you need to exert discipline

in order to bring

that person

into the right order.

Loving discipline

is one of the ways

that God also disciplines

his children.

Hebrews 12, 5-6,

says,

My son,

do not regard lightly

the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary

when reproved by him,

for the Lord disciplines

the one he loves

and chastises every son

whom he receives.

Even Jesus,

it says,

in Hebrews 5,

Hebrews 5:8

verse 8,

although he was a son,

he learned obedience

through what he suffered.

Though Jesus was perfect,

he did not need

to be disciplined

for any wrong he had done

because he was without sin,

he nonetheless learned obedience

through what he suffered.

And we know from Luke 2,

Luke 2:52

verse 52,

that Jesus,

even though he was fully God

because he was also fully man,

he increased in wisdom

and in stature

and in favor with God and man.

So then Jesus learned

what fullness of obedience

entails

through his suffering

on the cross

in obedience to his Father.

God has ordained

that we,

as his children,

train our discernment

by submitting

to his fatherly discipline.

I know that many people

in our church

are going through

some really rough patches

in their lives,

whether it's dealing

with illnesses,

depression,

or family issues,

different kinds of trouble.

Often,

if this is a measure

of hope,

comfort for you,

often periods

of intense suffering

are the times

of most prolific growth

for the Christian.

Because it's through

the crosses we bear,

because it's through

the sufferings we endure

that we,

like Jesus,

learn obedience.

We learn to grow

in our discernment

through testing.

And the rest

of this subsection

tells us about

the consequences

of not submitting

to God's discipline

or the discipline

of those who have

authority over us.

It says,

one might become

a companion of prostitutes

who squander his wealth,

verse 3,

or a king who exacts

gifts from his subjects

and tears his kingdom down,

verse 4,

a man who flatters

his neighbor

and thereby spreads

a net for his neighbors

and ultimately

his own feet,

verse 5,

or a wicked man

who disregards

the rights of the poor,

verse 7,

or a scoffer

who sets a city aflame,

in verse 8,

or a fool

who rages and laughs

and gives full vent

to his spirit

instead of being

self-controlled,

in verses 9 and 11.

It says in verse 12,

when a ruler

listens to falsehood,

all his officials

will be wicked.

If you're in a position

of authority

and leadership

and you give year

to falsehood,

it will make

all your officials

wicked

because they will see

and they will learn

that you're not interested

in the truth

and then they will start

to tell you

what you want to hear.

That's how kingdoms crumble.

That's how organizations

crumble.

And it's interesting

how we've seen

over and over again

throughout these two chapters

but also in previous chapters

of Proverbs

that the author often

puts rearing Proverbs,

parenting Proverbs,

right next to Proverbs

that deal with

governing a society.

Proverbs about kings.

This is because

the family

is the nucleus

of civilization.

It's the backbone

of a society.

When a generation

of parents

fail to bring up

their children

in the instruction

and discipline

of the Lord,

society itself

crumbles.

Verse 18

continues this dire warning

where there is

no prophetic vision.

The people cast off

restraint

but blessed is he

who keeps the law.

The author envisions

a time like the one

described in 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 3:1

chapter 3 verse 1.

It says,

The word of the Lord

was rare in those days.

There was no frequent vision.

It's a scary thought.

Or like Lamentations

Lamentations 2:9

chapter 2 verse 9,

The law is no more

and her prophets

find no vision

from the Lord.

Imagine how scary

that would be.

The silence of God.

The absence

of the word of God.

The guiding law of God.

When there is no one

in this world

who can discern

God's will

for the people.

When the guidance

of God

through His prophets

and through His teachers,

through His word

are lost,

people cast off restraint.

And the absence

of God,

absence of God's law

does not result

in freedom.

It results

in anarchy.

Which is the absence

of freedom

where no one

is free.

This is why

it's so important

for us

as God's people

if we don't want

that to happen

to our world,

to our nation,

to our city,

to our neighborhoods,

to our church.

We need to train

our discernment

by submitting

to the discipline

of our Lord.

And the final subsection,

chapter 29,

verses 22 to 27,

it sums up

all the preceding sections

by telling us

that we need to train

our discernment

of God's will

by living with

the fear

of the Lord.

It ends

the chapter

with the same

dilemma

that we started

out with.

An unjust man

is an abomination

to the righteous,

but one whose way

is straight

is an abomination

to the wicked.

We've seen

throughout these

two chapters

the conflict

between the righteous

and the wicked

that runs through

these entire

two chapters,

and there's no

middle ground

in this conflict

because a decision

is forced upon us.

But when there

are conflicting

visions for what

a just society

should look like,

how are we

to discern

the will of God?

That's the problem

we started

to answer.

And the key,

as I've said

throughout,

is to train

our discernment,

and we do that

by living

with the fear

of the Lord.

What the man

of wrath

who causes

much transgression

in verse 22,

and the partner

of a thief

who hears

God's threat

of a curse,

and yet still

does not disclose

his accomplice,

they have one

thing in common,

and that is pride.

The prideful assumption

that God will not

hold him to account.

Verse 23 says,

One's pride

will bring him low,

but he who is lowly

in spirit

will obtain honor.

This is the paradoxical

way that God works.

Whoever exalts

himself

is brought low.

Whoever lowers

himself,

however,

is exalted

because God

opposes the proud

but gives grace

to the humble.

And humility

before God

is essentially

what the fear

of the Lord is.

To fear the Lord

is to live

before the presence

of God

under the authority

of God

for the glory

of God.

And the fear

of the Lord

is the only antidote

to the fear

of man

described in

verse 25.

The fear

of man

lays a snare,

but whoever

trusts in the Lord

is safe.

Many seek

the face

of a ruler,

but it is

from the Lord

that a man

gets justice.

In his insightful book,

When People Are Big

and God Is Small,

counselor and seminary

professor Edward Welch

gives us two

diagnostic questions

to figure out

whether or not

we struggle

with what the Bible

calls the fear

of man.

One diagnostic

question is this,

have you ever

experienced peer

pressure?

Maybe as an

adolescent.

If you

experienced it

as an

adolescent,

it probably

still resides

within you.

It just

manifests itself

in different ways,

in more adult

ways.

That's just

another term

for the fear

of man.

Second diagnostic

question is this,

is self-esteem

a critical

concern for you?

If you're

very concerned

for others

to support

your own sense

of well-being

and identity,

your esteem

of yourself,

then you deal

with the fear

of man.

Because in both

cases,

your life revolves

around what others

think about you.

And the heart

of the problem

is that you

need people

for your own

glory rather

than loving

people for

God's glory.

the antidote

to this fear

of man

is the fear

of the Lord.

To be consumed

for the glory

of the Lord.

To be so aware

of God's

importance,

of God's

power,

that what man

says about you

matters very

little.

And the fear

of man

ensnares us.

So if you're

driven by the fear

of man in your

life,

you're not going

to discern

rightly the will

of the Lord.

Instead,

whoever trusts

in the Lord

is safe.

If we falsely

believe that our

fate, that our

well-being, our

future depends

on a human

being, a human

ruler perhaps,

then we will do

everything in our

power to curry

that person's

favor, whether

it's flattery

or bribery.

But if we trust

that from the

Lord the man

gets justice,

we will discern

what is right

and live with

integrity.

that's the

key to

living with

the fear.

Living with

the fear of

the Lord

is the key

to growing

in discernment

of God's

will.

I mentioned

earlier in

chapter 28

verse 13

of how God

promised us

when we come

to him

to confess

our sins

and forsake

them that we

will obtain

mercy.

The word

obtain mercy

is actually

derived from

a Hebrew

root for the

word womb.

it describes

the kind

of emotion,

the compassion

that a mother

feels for the

baby in her

womb.

That tender

compassion

for that

vulnerable,

frail

human being

that belongs

to you.

Do you know

that about

God?

if you've

been

wallowing

in guilt,

if you've

been

ashamed

of the

sin that

you are

dealing

with,

the life

that you

live,

do you

know that

God's not

shaking his

head in

reproach?

That his

heart is not

callous toward

you?

Do you know

that he's not

shaking his

head in

disappointment

and disgust,

but that his

posture toward

you is this

womb-like,

tender

mercy?

mercy?

That that's

his heart

toward you?

And that

heart is

displayed most

perfectly in

the sending of

God's own

Son, Jesus

Christ, as

it says in

Luke chapter

Luke 1:78

1, verse

78 and

79, in

Zechariah's

prophecy, he

says that the

Lord himself

will come to

us.

Why?

He says in

verse 78,

because of the

tender mercy of

our God.

literally the

bowels of

mercy.

The mercy

that springs,

that wells up

from the very

heart of God

for his people.

Because of the

tender mercy of

our God, whereby

the sunrise shall

visit us from on

high, to give

light to those

who sit in

darkness and in

the shadow of

death, to guide

our feet into

the way of

peace.

That prophecy

is fulfilled in

the coming of

Jesus Christ.

The only way we

can be forgiven

when we come to

God and confess

our sins and

forsake our

sins is because

someone has

paid the price

for it.

It's because

Jesus has paid

the price for

it.

There's no

forgiveness of

sin without

shedding of

blood.

There's no

forgiveness of

sins unless

someone, a

death has

taken place to

bear the

punishment for

our sins.

And that's

what Jesus

did.

And Jesus

did it not

begrudgingly,

not merely

out of duty,

but because

of the tender

mercies that

God has

toward us.

And it's

only when

you believe

in Jesus,

you forsake

your sins and

turn to Him as

your Lord and

Savior, believe

that He died for

your sins and

was raised from

the dead, only

then do we

receive the

Spirit of God.

Only then do

we have the

law of God

written on our

hearts so that

we can actually

walk out these

two chapters,

discerning the

will of God,

keeping in step

with the Spirit,

and living in

the manner that

pleases Him.

Please take a

moment to reflect

on that truth.

How has God

been training

you to grow

in discernment

of His will?

How has He

shown His

tender mercy

to you?

Reflect on that

for a few

moments and

then we're

going to respond

together corporately

by praying.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.