Sovereignty of the Lord Over Human Rebellion

In Proverbs chapter 19, verse 23, right all the way to chapter 20, verse 12.

Proverbs 19:23

Can you read out loud for us?

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests to satisfy.

He will not be visited by honor.

The slugger buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Strike a scoffer and the simple we run up to him.

Reprove a man of understanding and he will gain knowledge.

He who does violence to his father, chases away his mother, is a son who brings shame and reproach.

Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.

Condemnation is ready for scoffers and beating for the backs of fools.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion.

Whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be poorer.

The slugger does not plow in the autumn.

He will seek an harvest and have nothing.

The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw him up.

Many a man proclaims his own step-by-step love, but a faithful man.

The righteous who walks in his integrity, blessed are his children after him.

A king who sits on the throne of judgment, minnows all evil with his eyes.

He can say, I have made my heart pure.

I am praying for my son.

Omniple weights and unequil measures are built for my own foundation to him.

When the child makes himself known by God, by whether his conduct is pure or not good,

the hearing, ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord has made me.

This is God's glory and glory to the Lord.

Please excuse the noise and different things we're dealing with.

It's sitting on a second Sunday here, so I think we're still working out some of the things.

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People who are serving on the sound and live stream and all that.

In some ways, those are really thankless jobs because people only notice when something's not working.

And then they're fiercely contacting people who are in charge and whatnot.

But you don't notice it many times.

It's broken seamlessly.

And a lot of people serve together to make this service possible.

Just to remind you guys from last week's passage, it concluded by saying that it's better to be poor than a liar.

And our passage begins in chapter 19, verse 23, by saying this,

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied.

He will not be visited by heart.

So using the imagery of resting satisfied, this is an image of being contented after a wholesome, tasty meal.

And verse 23 reiterates the fact that it is not luxurious banquets and abundant feasts that ultimately satisfy.

It is the fear of the Lord that ultimately satisfies.

Because people of this world think that they can buy contentment with enough worldly goods and experiences,

enough money, enough boyfriends and girlfriends, enough parties, enough power, enough food.

But the truth is, they are never enough.

Just as hunger indicates that there is such a thing as food,

just as thirst indicates that there is such a thing as water,

our spiritual hunger, the persistent feeling of emptiness,

that feeling of being unfulfilled,

that lingering sense that something is not quite right about this world,

that longing for eternity,

that every human being innately knows,

can only be satisfied by one thing,

and that is the fear of the Lord,

being restored to proper relationship with God,

between the Father and the Spirit,

between the Creator and creatures,

between the King and His subjects.

So the fear of the Lord is the main theme of this passage,

and really, if you can whip us throughout this series,

is to put the problems,

the theme of every passage in the book of Proverbs.

And the main point that this passage teaches us this morning

is that those who mock God's ways

will be judged by the Lord's anointed King.

So we see the fool's mockery in chapter 19, verse 23,

and chapter 20, verse 1.

And then the King's judgment,

in chapter 20, verse 2 to 12.

Let me know if there's anything I need to do here.

So let's look at the fool's mockery first,

chapter 19, verse 23,

to chapter 20, verse 1.

Verse 24 is continuing that image

of being satisfied with food.

It says,

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish

and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

This is true on multiple levels.

The sluggard who spurns the diligence commanded by God,

it's God's wisdom,

as a way of gaining and being satisfied.

This sluggard who spurns that is depriving himself.

And the image is really ridiculous,

if you think about it.

The image of a sluggard burying his hand in the middle.

He's burying his hand in the middle of a dish with food,

but he's too lazy to actually lift his hands

and feed himself, bring it to his mouth.

But it appropriately captures the plight of the sluggard.

It's not that work is not available to him.

It's not that the means of satisfying his hunger

is unavailable to him,

but he's unable to make use of the means

that are afforded to him.

He has food, but won't feed.

And this indictment is true also about the sluggard

who refuses to be satisfied with the fear of the Lord,

the wisdom of God.

It's not that God's wisdom is withheld from him.

He has access to it.

It is presented to him,

but he is too lazy to receive it.

And this is a sobering warning to all of us

who are busily satisfying our bodily appetites

to the neglect of satisfying our spiritual hunger.

Even in dire situations, times like ours currently,

we are all going to grocery stores

or having groceries delivered to us

by people who may or may not have contracted the virus.

We are visiting hospitals for urgent treatments.

Even with the threat of COVID-19,

we're still meeting with and spending time

with family and friends

that we deem essential to our well-being.

But can we say, as Job did in Job 23, 12,

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips.

I have treasured the words of his mouth

more than my portion of food.

When people around us observe our lives,

will they say his values, her values?

He or she values God's word more than food.

Will they say so-and-so treasures eternal life

more than temporal life?

Or will they say that we are sluggish

with regard to satisfying our spiritual appetite,

which is of the utmost importance?

People respond in various ways

when confronted with this truth.

In verse 25,

the scoffer and simple

both belong to the category of fools.

But the scoffer is the worst.

Scoffers are those who are too prideful

to listen to or to submit to anyone else.

They have an overinflated confidence

in their own opinions,

and so they sneer,

they mock,

they express their disbelief and disapproval

toward others in ways

that make them feel small.

And they feel superior to others,

these scoffers.

And to others,

to many people,

they come across as intelligent,

even sophisticated,

but in reality,

the Bible describes them as fools.

And because they're immune to correction,

they're not known to change their minds

on issues.

Proverbs 9, 7 to 8 warned us,

Whoever corrects a scoffer

gets himself abused,

and he who reproves a wicked man

incurs injury.

Do not reprove a scoffer

or he will hate you.

So there is no use trying to rebuke the scoffer.

It's a waste of time.

And the scoffer only understands

one language,

and that is

a flogging,

literally,

or striking, it says.

The word strike

refers to the standard method

of punishment

that was used in these days

by the authorities

who were given the charge

to execute those things.

And so,

this is not talking about,

you know,

if you find a scoffer,

start a fistfight with them

because that would be

a foolish thing to do.

But that's what's appropriate

for a scoffer.

The flogging, however,

is not merely punitive.

It's not just punishing.

It also has a pedagogical purpose.

It's intended to teach.

Verse 25 continues,

Strike a scoffer,

and the simple will learn prudence.

The second category of people

is the simple.

The simple refer to

the ignorant and naive.

Their minds are not closed

like that of the scoffer,

but they are empty.

So what they need is learning.

And one of the ways

that they learn

is by seeing

the wicked scoffer hunt.

And then there's

the final category of people,

a man of understanding.

Reprove a man of understanding

and he will gain knowledge.

In contrast,

the scoffer

who does not learn

even after flogging,

and in contrast,

the simple who only learns

after watching

a wicked person flaw.

A man of understanding

learns only after

a word of correction.

Unlike the mind

of the scoffer

that's closed,

unlike the mind

of the simple

which is empty,

the mind of the man of God,

the man of understanding

is open.

That's the hallmark

of wisdom,

humility,

and a receptiveness

to the word of God.

The wisest among men

is the most teachable

while the foolish scoffer

is incorrigible.

But how do some people

end up as scoffers?

It doesn't happen overnight.

Verses 26 to 27

tell us,

He who does violence

to his father

and chases away his mother

is a son who brings

shame and reproach.

Cease to hear instruction,

my son,

and you will stray

from the words

of knowledge.

Their wickedness

and psychomockery

originated in the home.

The scoffer is immune

to learning and correction

out in society

because he failed

to listen to the instruction

of his parents

when he was still

in their home.

This is why

it's so important

for parents

to bring their children

up in the discipline

and instruction

of the Lord.

By learning humility

and obedience

from their parents

and humility before

and obedience to God

is also learned.

And if they don't listen

to your instructions now,

if you're parents,

they will stray

from the words

of knowledge

in the future

and bring shame

and reproach

to the household.

And verse 26

says that this fool

does violence

to his father

and chases away

his mother.

This could be

literal or figurative

but in this society

where the elderly

depended exclusively

on the care

of their children,

this was an especially

heinous crime.

18th century

American theologian

Jonathan Edwards

puts it this way,

a Christian family

is as it were

a little church

and commonwealth

by itself.

And the head

of the family

has more advantage

in this little community

to promote religion

than ministers

have in congregations

and magistrates

in the commonwealth.

They being always

with them

and having them

at continual command

and having always

opportunities

of instructing them.

For the children

who are listening,

that means

listen to your parents.

The son

who ceases

to hear instruction,

however,

becomes a scoffer.

He says in verse 28

and 29,

a worthless witness

mocks at justice

and the mouth

of the wicked

devours iniquity.

condemnation

is ready for scoffers

and beating

for the backs

of fools.

So the words

mock and scoffer

are the same

Hebrew word

translated differently

and this word

occurs four times

throughout this

first half of the passage

and the word

justice and condemnation

are also

different translations

of the same

Hebrew word.

And so there's

a poetic word play

here

that expresses

God's poetic justice

that those

who mock justice

will meet

his justice.

And in this world

there are people

wicked people

who instead of

being sated

satisfied by the

fear of the Lord

as verse 23

says we should do

they make doing

evil deeds

their bread and butter

as verse 28

says that the mouth

of the wicked

devours iniquity.

In this world

they scoff

at the righteous

and mock justice

imagining that they

will never be held

accountable.

But don't be

disheartened

when that happens

around you

when the wicked

seem to thrive

because God's

justice stands

ready for scoffers.

In the last verse

in this verse

chapter 20

verse 1

again the word

occurs mocker

wine is a mocker

strong drink

a brawler

and whoever is

led astray by it

is not wise.

By personifying

wine and strong

drink as a mocker

and a brawler

Solomon graphically

portrays the

tendency of

over consumption

of alcohol

to draw out

the folly

in all of us.

Even a typically

demure person

when drunk

becomes a brash

mocker.

Even a typically

timid person

when drunk

becomes a

swaggering brawler.

Proverbs

often warns

about the dangers

of alcohol.

21-17

warns about

the addictiveness

and the expensiveness

of alcohol

and how it

impoverishes

people.

Chapter 31

verses 45

warn us about

the tendency

of alcohol

to blur

our judgment.

But on the

other hand

some verses

in Proverbs

such as

chapter 3

verse 10

speak of

abundant wine

as a sign

of God's

blessing.

And this

tension

between seeing

wine as a

blessing from

God and

seeing it as

a dangerous

substance to

steer clear

from

that tension

runs throughout

the entirety

of scripture.

And that means

we need to

hold on to

that tension

because that's

there intentionally.

On the one

hand those

who abstain

from drinking

altogether

should not

paint those

who drink

with broad

strokes.

And remember

that alcohol

can be enjoyed

appropriately

responsibly

in the right

context.

On the other

hand those

who enjoy

drinking

should keep

the very real

dangers of

alcohol always

in their

mind.

And be

self-controlled

always in

their drinking.

Chapter 20

verse 1

preserves this

tension.

Wine is a

mocker,

strong drink

of brawler,

and whoever

is led

astray by it

is not

wise.

It's not that

drinking in

and of itself

is foolish,

but being led

astray by it

is.

The word

led astray

has a double

meaning.

It means to

be led

astray from

God's wisdom,

but it also

means to be

staggered,

so you

can picture

someone who's

staggered by

wine.

So then

those who

get staggered

by alcohol

are straying

from the

ways of

God.

That's the

mockery,

the false

mockery.

Though there

are many who

make mockery

of God's

wisdom,

for that

reason God

appoints kings

to execute

his judgment,

and that's

what chapter

20 verses

2 to 12

is about,

the king's

judgment of

these foolish

mockers.

It says in

verse 2,

the terror

of a king

is like

the growling

of a lion.

Whoever

provokes

him to

anger

forfeits

his life.

This is

speaking of

his fierce

wrath like

a lion,

young lion

that lays

claim on

its prey

by roaring.

And

earlier,

chapter 19

verse 11

and 12

paired a

proverb about

the king's

righteous wrath

with the

proverb about

patience.

And the

same thing,

Solomon's doing

the same thing

here,

because it

says in

chapter 20

verse 3,

it is an

honor for

a man to

keep aloof

from strife,

but every

fool will

be quarreling.

People often

get into

heated arguments

and quarrels

in order to

defend their

honor,

but verse 3

teaches us

that it is

an honor

actually for

a man to

keep aloof

from strife.

The wise

person reserves

his wrath for

appropriate occasions

and does not

pick fights

unnecessarily.

The fool,

on the other

hand,

has no

restraint and

jumps into

the fray

wherever he

sees an

opening.

Verse 4

describes another

type of fool,

the slugger.

While the

foolish mocker

is too

motivated for

quarreling,

the foolish

slugger is

too unmotivated

for work.

The slugger

does not

plow in the

autumn,

he will seek

and harvest

and have

nothing.

Plowing is

the initial

preparatory step

in farming

where farmers

break up the

fall of

ground in

order to

make it

more conducive

to planting.

farming.

So this

slugger is

too lazy to

take part in

that first

step of

farming.

However,

he wants

nevertheless to

participate in

the last step

of farming.

He will seek

at harvest

and have

nothing.

The folly of

this slugger is

that he wants

results without

hard work.

He wants to

skip to the

fruit of the

harvest without

the toil of

plowing.

the slugger

wants a

job without

acquiring the

skills to

do the

job.

He wants

to be fit

and healthy

without exercising

any self-control

in his diet.

He wants to

get an A in

the class

without reading

the assigned

books.

He wants

all the

pleasures of

a romantic

relationship

without any

of its

hardships.

He says,

such a person

is a slugger

who will not

be rewarded.

Humans are

complex beings

and it's

difficult to

tell what's

really on a

person's mind

at times.

What's really

in a person's

heart.

But verse

5 says,

the purpose

in a man's

heart is like

deep water,

but a man of

understanding

will dry out.

It takes a

wise,

discerning

person to

draw out the

hidden impulses

and purposes

of a man's

heart.

And sometimes

we don't even

understand our

own hearts,

right?

We don't even

understand the

purposes that lie

behind our

own agenda.

And so it

says in verse

6,

many a man

proclaims his

own steadfast

love,

but a faithful

man who

can find

him.

There's the

contrast between

the many and

the one.

Many people

claim to have

steadfast love,

but one real

faithful man

who can find

him.

In other

words,

many of us

are hypocrites.

We all tend

to think that

we are more

ethical and

godly than

we actually

are.

There are

more people

who think that

they are

spiritually mature

and righteous

than there

are actually

people who

are spiritually

mature and

righteous.

We assume

the answer to

that rhetorical

question,

a faithful man

who can find

is no one.

There is no

one who has

steadfast love

and faithfulness

toward God

in an absolute

sense.

But there are

some who follow

God even though

in an imperfect

way.

And that's what

verse 7 is

describing.

The righteous

who walks in

his integrity

blessed are his

children after

him.

they will

live a legacy

of blessing

for their

progeny.

And in

all of this

it's the

king's job

that God's

appointed king

to tell apart

the hypocrites

from the

genuinely

righteous.

He says

in verse 8

a king who

sits on the

throne of

judgment

winnows all

evil with

his eyes.

Who can

say I have

made my

heart pure?

I am

clean from

my sin.

So once

again the

metaphor of

farming comes

back.

The winnowing

connects to

when the

farmers are

trying to

separate the

kernel from

the chaff

using the

wind.

And so the

slugger who

does not

plow but

want to

take part in

the harvest

is like

chaff that

the king

needs to

winnow out

to filter out

this kind of

slugger.

It's the

king's

responsibility

to do that.

All the

types of

fools that

are mentioned

in this

passage,

the sluggers,

the liars,

the perjurers,

the cheaters,

the mockers.

It's the

king's job

to winnow

all such

evil.

The king

must do

this because

he represents

the Lord

who appointed

him.

Verse 10

says unequal

weights and

unequal

measures are

both alike

an abomination

to the

Lord.

It's because

the Lord

upholds

justice and

the king

sits on

the throne

of justice

is he

must at

God's

behalf

winnow all

evil with

his eyes.

Verse 11

says even

a child

makes himself

known by

his acts

by whether

his conduct

is pure

and upright.

How much

more then

can the

king judge

fully grown

men and

women by

their conduct?

That's what

this proverb

implies.

The hearing

ear and the

seeing eye

the Lord

has made

them both

persuade.

The Lord

is the

creator of

the hearing

eye and

the seeing

eye.

It's the

Lord who

grants

discernment

and wisdom

to the

king so

that he's

able to

winnow all

evil with

his eyes.

Unfortunately,

the historical

reality is that

Israel's king

did not live up

to this ideal.

Even Solomon,

the sage king,

the principal

author of this

book of

Proverbs,

did not walk

in integrity

or winnow all

evil with his

eyes during his

days.

1 Kings 11

tells us about

Solomon's failure.

It says,

Now King Solomon

loved many

foreign women

along with the

daughter of

Pharaoh,

Moabite,

Ammonite,

Edomite,

Sidonian,

and Hittite

women from

the nations

concerning which

the Lord has

said to the

people of

Israel,

You shall not

enter into

marriage with

them,

neither shall

they with

you,

for surely

they will

turn away

your heart

after their

gods.

But Solomon

clung to

these in

love.

He has

700 wives

who are

princesses,

and 300

concubines,

and his

wives turned

away his

heart.

For when

Solomon was

old,

his wives

turned away

his heart

after other

gods,

and his

heart was

not wholly

true to

the Lord

his God.

The king

who wrote

this book,

who wrote

chapter 20,

verse 27,

ceased to

hear instruction,

my son,

and you will

stray from

the words of

knowledge.

He himself

ceased at

some point

of his

life to

hear instruction,

and as a

result he

strayed from

the words

of knowledge.

And the

failure of

kings and

rulers and

presidents

throughout the

history of

humanity has

meant the

failure of

justice.

Sluggers

fill their

bellies.

Scoppers are

given platforms

and microphones.

Children bring

shame and

approach to

their fathers

and mothers.

False

witnesses

rise up to

pervert justice

in our society.

The wicked

devour in

equity like

it's their

daily bread.

And the

drunkards

mock and

brawl.

Why?

Because we

have kings,

we have

lapped kings

rather,

who walk in

integrity or

winnow all

evil with

desires.

And I can

assure you,

another four

years of

President Trump

is not going

to solve all

our societal

ills,

nor will

a President

Biden make

our problems

magically

disappear.

there's a

reason why

there's a

shift in

the balance

of power

between the

two major

political

parties in

our country

every decade

or two.

Because over

time,

dissatisfaction

grows.

Because society

is still

sin-ridden.

Because there

is still

injustice.

There will be

no perfect

justice and

peace until

the true

King,

the Lord's

anointed,

the Messiah

reigns over

us all.

And we

know His

name.

His name

is Jesus.

When Jesus

returns,

He will make

right all

that is wrong

about this

world.

That breaks

your heart

right now.

When Jesus

returns,

He will meet

out perfect

justice against

those who

have mocked

justice.

When Jesus

returns,

that's when He

will wipe

away every

tear from

our eyes.

And death

shall be

known.

The prophecy

in Revelation

1, 13-16

describes this

magnificent

picture of

what Jesus

will be like

when He

returns.

He says

that He'll

be clothed

with the

long robe,

the golden

sass around

His chest,

symbols of

royalty,

authority.

He says

the hairs

of His

head were

white,

like white

wool,

like snow,

symbolizing

infinite wisdom.

His eyes

were like

flame of

fire,

a symbol

discernment

and judgment

so He

can win

all evil

with His

eyes and

burn of

the chaff,

as it says

in Proverbs

20-8.

And it

says His

feet were

like burnished

bronze,

refined in

a furnace,

with which

to crush

His enemies

under His

feet.

It says

from His

mouth will

come a

sharp

two-edged

sword,

symbolizing

the Word

of God

which searches

our hearts

and pierces

our souls.

That's the

King that

is coming

back.

And He

alone will

rule with

God's

perfect

wisdom.

He

alone can

bring God's

perfect

justice.

That should

fill us,

God's people,

with hope.

But for

some of us,

the inevitable

return of

Christ the

King is not

something to

cheer, but

something to

dread.

The rhetorical

questions of

verse 6 and

9 express our

dire situation.

It says,

many a man

proclaims his

own steadfast

love, but

a faithful

man who

can find.

Who can

say, I've

made my

heart pure,

I am

clean from

my sin.

Many people

in the world

think that

they are

good, but

who can

find a

person who

is truly

characterized

by God's

steadfast love

and faithfulness

in the world

who can say

that?

As Psalm

53 puts

it bluntly,

they have

all fallen

away.

Together they

have become

corrupt.

There is none

who does

good, not

even one.

And this

is dreadful

news.

Because the

king who

sits on the

throne of

judgment winnows

all evil with

his eyes.

And as

chapter 20

verse 2 says,

the terror of

the king is

like the

growling of

a lion.

Whoever

provokes

him to

anger

forfeits

his life.

We have

provoked

the king

as sinners.

And what

awakes

sinners in

the return

of the king

is his

fiery wrath

of death.

And if

you want to

avoid that

fate,

if you

want to

be on

the right

side of

history when

King Jesus

returns,

you must

come to

terms with

what he

accomplished

at his

first coming.

You must

acknowledge your

sinfulness,

submit to

him,

and confess

your rebellion

against him.

Because when

Jesus came for

the first time

about 2,000

years ago,

instead of

ascending to

a throne,

which is what

he deserved,

he ascended

to a cross.

Instead of

having a

royal diet

placed on

his head,

he had a

crown of

thorns placed

on his head.

Because he

came in

his first

coming to

save sinners

like you

and me.

We have

provoked him

by living for

ourselves instead

of for his

glory.

We have

committed treason

against him

and deserve

death,

but he died

in our

place on

the cross

so that we

might be

spared,

so that we

might be

reconciled to

him,

so we

might be

reinstated as

citizens of

the kingdom

of God.

The king

himself laid

down his

life so that

we might live

forever with him.

let me ask

you,

have you

pledged

allegiance to

Christ the

king?

Have you

put all your

trust in him?

Is he really

the Lord over

your life?

Or are you

still living in

rebellion,

pretending to

be the masters

of your own

faith?

Those who

mock God's

ways will be

judged by the

Lord's anointed

king.

as God's

people,

we have

pledged

allegiance to

Jesus,

and we

know he

has been

faithful and

true,

and I

pray that we

will be a

people who

wait for him,

wait for him

to come with

his perfect

wisdom and

justice to

consummate his

kingdom.

During this

time,

let's take a

moment to

think about

this message,

what it is

that God

wants you to

hold on to,

take hold

and take

forward.

After you've

done that,

we're going

to pray

together.

Amen.