Exaltation of the Humble vs. Humiliation of the Prideful

Proverbs chapter 12 verses 1 to 28.

Proverbs 12 · chapter mention

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of evil devices he condemns.

No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

The thoughts of the righteous are just, the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them.

The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.

A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised.

Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread.

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

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

Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.

From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.

There is one whose rash words are like sore thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.

No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

As I've been sharing over the last couple weeks, chapters 10 through 15 up to verse 29 is all a series of contrasts between the righteous and the wicked.

And the faith that awaits them both.

Faith that awaits them both.

And we're going to look at another aspect of that contrast today in Proverbs 12.

And here it emphasizes the exaltation of the humble versus the humiliation of the prideful.

And the main point of this passage that Solomon wants us to take away, that God wants us to take away,

is that God bestows his favor upon those who humble themselves and learn from him.

And this chapter can be divided further into two subsections.

First, it talks about loving discipline in verses 1 to 14.

And then it talks about listening to advice in verses 15 to 28.

That's a general heading that kind of the head verses in each of the subunits talk about.

And so all of this highlights the teachability of the wise versus the kind of the incorrigibility of the fool.

The unwillingness to learn of the fool.

And it says in verse 1,

Now, this is a recurring theme that we've seen, that God blesses the humble.

He gives grace to the humble.

Those who submit to his order.

Those who yield to his molding, his shaping influence.

They are the ones that receive blessing from God.

If you've ever tried to grow an orchid as a house plant,

you know that in order for orchids to grow in your house and to bloom in a healthy way,

that they need to be attached to stakes.

That's how when you buy them from the store, usually they come with stakes attached to them.

And that's because the way they grow in the wild, the orchids actually don't grow up like that.

They grow from on top of trees.

It attaches itself to tree limbs and actually grows downward.

It bows down.

And so if you don't have stakes in your house,

it will keep bowing down and down.

And when it blooms and the flowers get heavy,

it will eventually tip over and uproot itself from the pot.

The only way a orchid grows in a healthy manner in your house, in a pot, is to be staked,

is to be attached to a stake.

And God's discipline works in a similar way.

It stabilizes us.

It keeps us from being uprooted.

It helps us to grow in a healthy way, the way God intends for us to.

And it's those who submit, even though in the moment it might feel constraining,

you might even chafe against that,

but in reality it's those who submit to God who flourish,

His order, His discipline,

those who heed His correction, His reproof that grow.

So whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates reproof is stupid, it says.

Like the guitarist who submits herself to the discipline of tedious finger exercises and scales,

they are the only ones who develop in the end an ability to perform masterpieces.

Only the athlete who submits himself to the discipline of rigorous exercise and drill,

they are the only ones that hone their bodies to win races.

If you love discipline, you love knowledge.

Because reproof, correction, and disprompt from the Lord is for our good.

And verses 2-3 continue,

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns.

No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord.

And the word good is defined,

not by our own faulty sense of morality,

but by God.

Since, as Jesus said in Mark 10-18,

no one is good except God alone.

God is the ultimate,

the only perfect standard of good.

And so a good man,

as defined by Him,

a good man who does the will of the good God,

obtains favor from the Lord.

But in contrast,

a man of evil devices God condemns.

A man of evil devices refers to a crafty person,

a cunning person who is scheming of ways to take advantage of others

for their own advancement.

And such people might get their way for a time,

but God condemns him,

and for that reason,

he will not be ultimately established.

Verse 3 says,

The following verses describe in greater detail

what the life of this righteous person looks like.

Verses 47 describe in turn

the righteous person's wife,

his words,

and his household.

First it says in verse 4,

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame

is like rottenness in his bones.

The word excellent

that's used to describe the wife here

is the same word used to describe

the excellent wife

in the famous Proverbs 31,

Proverbs 31:10–31

verses 10 to 31.

It literally means strong,

strong wife.

It refers to both the strength of her character,

her noble character,

and the strength of her competent industry.

An excellent wife possesses fortitude,

a spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional strength

that enables her to face and overcome

the adversities of life.

And such a wife is the crown of her husband.

I can't help but think about my own wife

as I'm talking about it.

The crown of her husband,

she is his pride,

his joy.

The crown is a symbol of honor and authority.

And because of her,

the husband enjoys honor and prestige

in the community.

Because of her,

he is the man he is.

Because of the excellent wife,

she is.

And in contrast,

she who brings shame

is like rottenness in his bones.

Unlike the excellent wife

who brings her husband honor,

there's a wife who brings him shame.

Not only does this wife

not bring her husband honor in public,

she also makes his life miserable

in private.

This is described by the rottenness in his bones.

When your blood-forming stem cells

in the bone marrow are destroyed,

it causes fatigue and shortness of breath

so that you can't even do the lightest exercises.

It makes you bruise and bleed more easily.

It literally saps you of your vitality and strength

and destroys you from the inside out.

And that's what the wife who brings shame

to her husband does.

Her influence in his life

is like rottenness in his bones.

The wife,

this is telling us,

has the power

to either make or break a man.

And if you are a married woman,

this is a good question to ask yourself.

Does the way you conduct yourself,

does the way you support your husband

bring him honor

or does it bring him shame?

Are you sapping him of his life and strength

or does your strength of character

and competence build him up?

And if you are single

but hoping to get married,

consider this,

that marriage is no light matter.

It can make or break you.

Choose prayerfully and deliberately.

And verses five to seven

return to the familiar contrast

between the permanence of the righteous

and the transience of the wicked

that we've been seeing

throughout these chapters.

It says,

An excellent wife

helps to establish her husband

in the community

and the righteous man

in turn establishes his house,

his household

by living uprightly before God.

His thoughts are just,

right,

fair,

true,

rather than deceitful.

The words of the wicked

are personified here as hunters.

It says that they lie

and wait for blood.

But the mouth of the upright

is personified as a rescuer

or a deliverer.

The wicked hunt the members

of their community

with what they say.

The righteous,

in contrast,

rescue the members

of their community

with what they say.

And this difference

in wisdom

between the righteous

and the wicked

can also be seen

in the way they do their work.

Verse eight says,

A man is commended

according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind

is despised.

The righteous have good sense.

Their sense works well.

The wicked, however,

have a twisted mind.

They can't think straight.

Their perception,

their worldview is skewed.

It is twisted.

It's warped.

And then in verses 9 to 14,

Solomon unpacks

what this contrast looks like

when it comes to one's work

and employment.

Verse nine says,

Better to be lowly

and have a servant

than to play the great man

and lack bread.

To be lowly here means

to be lightly esteemed,

to be dishonored even.

It's better to be regarded,

it says,

as lowly by others

and to have a servant,

which suggests actual,

in reality,

prominence and prosperity.

It's better to do that

than to play the great man

and lack bread.

Than to act like some wealthy

and important person

when in reality

you don't even have bread to eat.

This is very similar

to Proverbs 13, verse 7

Proverbs 13:7

that we saw a couple weeks ago

that one pretends to be rich

yet has nothing.

Another pretends to be poor

yet has great wealth.

Right?

The rich may live frugally

well below his means

in order to be a good steward

of the resources

that God has given him.

But the poor, in contrast,

may live lavishly

well beyond his means

out of a desire

to be perceived as wealthy

and to gain social standing.

And so verse 9

is highlighting the folly

of trying to gain

the approval of people

using your wealth

or your perceived wealth.

Because God bestows his favor

upon those who humble themselves.

Instead, it says

we should focus on

what verse 8 taught us.

A man is commended

according to his good sense.

It's our good sense

through our wisdom,

through the fear of God

that we should seek

to win commendation,

not by flaunting our wealth.

And then verse 10

shifts to how we have

to gain wealth.

It says,

Whoever is righteous

has regard for the life

of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked

is cruel.

As we saw last week,

the righteous person

selflessly disadvantages himself

for the sake of others,

while the wicked person

selfishly advantages himself

at the expense of others.

And so this applies

even in the way

they treat

their domesticated animals.

Whoever is righteous

has regard

for the life

of his beast.

The Bible tells us

that God has compassion

even for the animals

he created

in numerous places

in Scripture.

And the Ten Commandments

specified

that we are to grant

Sabbath rest

even for the animals

within our possession.

So this proverb

applies certainly

to the humane treatment

of animals,

but it doesn't apply

merely to animals.

In 1 Corinthians 9,

1 Corinthians 9:9–10

verses 9-10,

Paul argues

that God's command

in Deuteronomy 25-4,

which is,

You shall not muzzle an ox

when it treads out the grain.

In other words,

you got to let the ox eat

if you're going to

use him for your work.

He argues,

Paul argues

in 1 Corinthians 9

that this applies

not merely to the oxen,

but also to human employees.

Because the plowman

should plow in hope

and the thresher

thresh in hope

of sharing in the crop.

He argues that

the farmers

who share in your work

should also share in the crop,

the fruit of their labor.

If even the animals

are to be treated humanely

and given what is due to them

for their labor,

how much more

fellow human beings

created in the image of God?

So if you are involved

in any kind of

leadership

or managerial role,

if you have people

that you are in charge of,

you should have regard

for the life

of your employee.

Care

for their well-being.

Don't reduce

your management

merely to getting

the most out

of your workers

to increase,

to improve

your margins,

the bottom line.

don't reduce

your work

to meeting quotas.

Your workers

don't exist

simply to make

you richer

and more successful.

Humble yourself.

Don't make it

all about you.

Have some regard

for others.

In contrast,

the mercy

of the wicked

is cruel.

The mercy,

word mercy

literally means

bowels,

your innards.

It's a figurative

representation

of kind of your,

the center

of your compassion

and mercy

from a place,

a figurative

representation

of the place

from which people

have well-loved

with compassion

for others.

And it's so interesting

the way this is phrased.

Even the wicked

have bowels,

but it says

even their bowels

are cruel.

They're so thoroughly

corrupted

that even their

mercy

is cruel.

When they are

being cruel

and insensitive,

abusive

and manipulative,

they delude

themselves into

thinking that

they're being

merciful.

What are you

complaining about?

You should be

thankful.

I don't have to

do any of these

things for you.

I'm being merciful.

That's the delusion

of the wicked.

Even their mercy

is cruel.

And so we should

be kind to our

employees and work

diligently on the

task at hand.

And then verse 11

says,

Notice the contrast

between verse 11

and verse 9.

Verse 9 spoke

of the foolish

person who plays

the great man

and lacks bread.

In contrast,

whoever works

his land will

have plenty

of bread.

Verse 11 says,

He who follows

worthless pursuits

lacks sense.

And it's such

people who,

according to verse 9,

who lack bread.

If you care for

your workers

and work diligently,

work your ground

diligently,

you will in turn

have plenty of

bread.

Now,

worthless pursuits

literally mean

empty or vain

pursuits.

Vanity projects.

Things that people

do when they have

too much money

and time

on their hands.

But in reality,

people do

such things

even when they

don't have

enough money

and time

on their hands.

Pursuing things

that are

insubstantial

and or elusive.

Instead of

doing your job

and being faithful

to the roles

that God

has placed you in.

Indulging your vanity.

Flaunting your wealth

and status.

Playing the great man.

Going to a club

or a casino

with a large entourage

and spending lavishly.

Things that people

do when experiencing

a midlife crisis.

Finding a mistress.

Buying a sports car.

Expensive jewelry.

Worthless pursuits.

Those who do

such things

might not lack

time,

money,

and power.

But they lack

sense.

And verse 12

continues,

whoever is wicked

covets the spoil

of evildoers.

But the root

of the righteous

bears fruit.

The word spoil

is a translation

of the word

that literally

means net

or snare.

The things

that

refers

figuratively

to the unjust

gain

of evildoers.

That's why

it's translated

as spoil here.

And the image

contrasts well

with the root

of the righteous

in that same verse.

The righteous

are rooted.

They grow

and bear

their own fruit.

The evildoers,

however,

steal the wealth

of others

with their net,

their snare,

through unjust

gain.

And only the wicked

covet such

get-rich-quickly

schemes.

Notice how

verses 8-12

all deal with

the theme

of work and money.

It says,

you should be lowly

and have a servant.

Don't flaunt

yourself.

You should have

regard for the

life of the

workers and

animals under

your charge.

You should keep

your head down

and work hard

instead of raising

your eyes and

imagination to

vain,

worthless pursuits.

Instead of

desiring the

stolen spoil

of evildoers,

you should bear

fruit from your

own root of

righteous hard

work.

Now,

verses 13-14

continue this line

of reasoning

with regard

to one's

speech.

It says,

an evil man

is ensnared

by the

transgression

of his lips,

but the

righteous escapes

from trouble.

From the fruit

of his mouth,

a man is

satisfied with

good,

and the work

of a man's

hand comes

back to him.

Verse 12

warned us

not to covet

the spoil

or the snare

of evildoers.

And now,

verse 13

says that an

evil man is

ensnared

by the

transgression

of his lips.

The wicked

ensnare

others

for unjust

gain,

but in

the end

they ensnare

themselves.

In contrast,

the righteous

escapes from

trouble,

it says.

Verse 12

said,

the root

of the

righteous

bears fruit,

and likewise,

verse 14

says that

from the

fruit of

his mouth,

a man

is satisfied

with good,

and the

work of

a man's

hand

comes back

to him.

The righteous

person not only

is diligent

in the work

of his

hands,

he is also

disciplined

in the words

of his

mouth.

And so

they both

bear fruit,

his mouth,

his hands,

in keeping

with his

righteousness.

So in sum,

to summarize all

this,

the righteous

person is

humbly

submitted to

God and

lives with

the fear

of God.

He lives

and works

within the

divinely

instituted

order.

The righteous

love God's

discipline.

And just as

the first

half of

chapter 12

began with

the statement

about the

humility

and teach

ability

of the

wise.

So the

second half

begins with

a similar

statement

in verse

15.

The way

of a fool

is right

in his

own eyes,

but a

wise man

listens to

advice.

Thinking that

you're always

right,

this kind of

stubborn

self-assuredness

that we can

cultivate

sometimes as

sinners,

that's the

trait of a

fool.

This fool

that Proverbs

is speaking

of is

incapable

of listening.

He never

learns because

he already

thinks he

knows

everything.

In contrast,

a wise man

listens to

advice.

This doesn't

mean, of

course, that

a wise man

doesn't have

any of his

own opinions

or convictions,

but rather

that he

listens to

advice.

There is a

willingness to

be challenged

or to be

corrected.

The fool's

eyes are

full of

himself only,

but the

wise man's

ears are

full of

the advice

of many

counselors.

The wise

humble

themselves,

and have

a learning

posture.

Verses

16 to

23 focus

on what

the way

of wisdom

looks like

in terms

of one's

speech.

It first

speaks of

the timeliness

of wise

speech,

and then it

speaks of

the truthfulness

of wise

speech.

First,

it speaks

of timeliness.

Verse 16

says,

The

word

agitated,

agitated,

annoyed,

or angered.

When a

fool is

agitated or

annoyed,

it is known

at once,

immediately.

The very

same day,

you're going

to hear

something from

him.

The fool

is easily

annoyed and

quickly angered.

He is

characterized by

outbursts of

anger.

He's always

ready to

pick a

fight.

He wants

everyone to

have a

piece of

his own

mind.

Compare this

to verse

18.

There is

one whose

rash words

are like

sore thrusts,

but the

tongue of

the wise

brings

healing.

The rash

words of

fools are

like sore

thrusts.

You don't

want to

approach

someone who

is flailing

his arms

wildly with

the sword

in hand,

because if

you do,

you are

bound to

get hurt.

And the

fool's rash

words are

like that.

We don't

in our

house let

our kids

use sharp

knives in

the kitchen,

understandably

because they

don't have

enough strength

and control

over the

knife.

They can

hurt themselves

and others.

The fool

likewise has

no control

over his

tongue,

which he

wields wildly

like a

dangerous sword,

and it

cuts.

In

contrast,

the tongue

of the wise

brings healing.

The fool's

tongue is like

a sword that

kills,

it's destructive,

but the

wise person's

tongue brings

healing.

It's like a

bomb to

one's soul.

So let's

return to

verse 16.

The vexation

of a fool

is known

at once,

but the

prudent

ignores

an insult.

The word

ignores is

a translation

of the same

Hebrew word

that is often

translated cover

or conceal.

It's similar

to Proverbs

Proverbs 10:12

chapter 10

verse 12,

which said,

love covers

all offenses.

Instead of

being easily

annoyed or

quickly agitated,

the prudent

person,

the strategic

person,

the shrewd

person,

ignores or

covers an

insult.

The prudent

person knows

when to

speak and

when not to

speak.

He understands

that it's

possible to

speak the

right words

at the

wrong time.

He doesn't

feel the

compulsion to

give everyone

a piece of

his own

mind because

he has

humbled

himself

before God.

He is

content to

let God

defend him

and vindicate

him.

And verse

16 is

matched by

verse 23.

This is a

prudent man

in verse 23

conceals

knowledge,

but the

heart of

fools

proclaims

folly.

The same

word conceal,

ignore.

It's the same

word as I

mentioned.

Once again,

the wise

person is

called prudent.

He is

strategic.

He is

shrewd and

he conceals

knowledge.

In

contrast,

the fool

knows no

such

restraint.

He is

like a

shaken

cup of

carbonated

soda to

drink that

bubbles over

with fizz as

soon as you

open the

can.

He spills

out folly

wherever he

goes.

There is

no cap

on it.

In

contrast,

a prudent

man conceals

knowledge.

His words

are weighed

and measured.

He knows

when to

speak and

when not

to speak.

He knows

not to

waste his

knowledge on

a blabbering

fool.

So there is

a timeliness

to wise

speech.

In

addition to

being timely,

the wise

person's

speech is

always

truthful.

It says

in verse

17,

whoever speaks

the truth

gives honest

evidence,

but a

false witness

utters

deceit.

The New

American Standard

Bible translates

this verse

more literally

this way,

he who speaks

truth tells

what is

right,

but a

false witness

deceit.

truth is

not only

factually

true,

it is

also

morally

right.

When

giving a

sworn

testimony

in court

as a

witness,

one must

swear to

tell the

truth,

the whole

truth,

and nothing

but the

truth.

This is

crucial because

a false

witness can

destroy an

innocent life.

A truthful

witness does

what is

right.

he does

righteousness

because he

preserves

justice.

He acquits

the innocent

and condemns

the guilty.

Verse 17

is matched

by verse

22.

Lying lips

are an

abomination

to the

Lord,

but those

who act

faithfully

are his

delight.

The word

faithfully

is the same

word that's

translated truth

in verse

17.

To speak

the truth

is to act

faithfully,

to do

righteousness.

Verse 22

gives us

the theological

basis for

truth telling.

Lying lips

are an

abomination

to the

Lord,

but those

who act

faithfully

are his

delight.

The wise

person lives

with the

fear of

God,

and it's

the fear

of God

that knowing

that you

are accountable

to God,

knowing that

he is the

Lord and

God and

judge over

all,

that fear

of God

constrains him

to tell

the truth.

That's why

in courts

people say,

I swear to

tell the

truth,

the whole

truth and

nothing but

the truth,

so help

me God.

The wise

person lives

under the

authority of

God.

He knows

that even

if he

successfully

deceives

the human

judge,

the human

jury,

he will

never

deceive

the divine

judge.

And this

humility

before God

constrains him

to tell

the truth.

It says

in verses

19 to

21,

truthful

lips

endure

forever,

but a

lying tongue

is but

for a

moment.

Deceit is

in the

heart of

those who

devise

evil,

but those

who plan

peace

have joy.

No

ill befalls

the righteous,

but the

wicked are

filled

with

trouble.

A

heart that

plans

evil is

behind the

mouth that

speaks deceit.

In

contrast,

those who

plan

peace

have

joy.

This

implies that

the heart

that plans

peace is

behind the

mouth that

speaks

truth.

The truth

tellers are

concerned with

genuine

peace,

true,

lasting

peace,

instead of

fake,

false

peace.

And such

a person

is rewarded

with joy.

The wise

person understands

as Jesus

said in

Matthew

Matthew 12:36

chapter 12

verse 36

that on

the day

of judgment

people will

give an

account for

every

careless

word they

speak.

For every

word.

And for

this reason

truthful

lips

endure

forever

while

lying

tongue

is

but

for

a

moment.

The

liar

might

deceive

others

for the

sake

of

self-advancement

but his

success

is only

momentary.

It is

fleeting

compared to

the eternal

life

offered

to those

the righteous

who enjoy

to obey

God's

will.

For this

reason

it says

no ill

befalls

the

righteous

but the

wicked

are filled

with

trouble.

God

bestows

his favor.

It's the

main point

of this

passage.

God

bestows

his favor

upon those

who humble

themselves

and learn

from him.

And

as verses

16 to

23

focused on

the way

of wisdom

focused on

what the

way of

wisdom

looks like

in terms

of one's

speech

and then

verses

24 to

27

now

transition

to

speaking

of

one's

deeds

what the

way of

wisdom

looks like

in one's

deeds.

This

subunit

is bracketed

by verses

24 and

27

both of

which contrast

the

diligence

from the

slothful.

Verse 24

says

the hand

of the

diligent

will rule

while the

slothful

will be put

to forced

labor.

Verse 27

says

whoever is

slothful

will not

roast his

game

but the

diligent

man will

get precious

wealth.

So it's

telling us

that diligence

leads to

rule

and precious

wealth

but slothfulness

leads to

forced labor

and poverty.

the

diligent

person

is being

described

here as

a

self

starter

someone

who

possesses

self

control

and

because

he's

able to

control

himself

he will

attain

rule

and

governance

over

others.

In

contrast

the

slothful

person

who

lacks

self

control

and

therefore

is

unable

to

get

himself

to

work

will

be

forced

to

work

by

others

who

rule

over

them.

So

ruling

oneself

leads

to

rule

over

others.

And

after

speaking

of

the

slothful

who

will

subject

themselves

to

the

physical

oppression

of

conscripted

labor

Solomon

turns

his

mind

to

those

who

are

already

subject

to

the

psychological

oppression

of

anxiety

or

depression.

He

says

in

verses

25-26

anxiety

in a

man's

heart

weighs

him

down

but

a

good

word

makes

him

glad.

One

who

is

righteous

is

a

guide

to

his

neighbor

but

the

way

of

the

wicked

leads

them

astray.

The

phrase

weighs

him

down

literally

means

to

oppress

or

to

make

someone

bow

down.

For

example,

the

same

word

is

used

in

the

prophecy

of

Isaiah

Isaiah 51:23

chapter

51

verse

23

to

refer

to

the

tormentors

and

oppressors

of

God's

people

who

say

to

them

bow

down.

It's

the

same

word

being

weighed

down.

So

the

people

subjected

God's

people

and

then

it says

made

their

backs

like

the

ground

upon

which

they

walked

all

over.

That's

what it

says in

Isaiah

51.

So

the

word

weighed

down,

being

weighed

down in

your

heart,

has

the

connotation

of being

oppressed

and

ruled,

being

subjected

to

someone

or

something.

And I

think

that's

the

connection

between

verse

24

and

verse

25.

Those

who

are

slothful

will

be

oppressed

and

ruled

by

others.

But

the

Bible

also

acknowledges

that

some

people

are

slothful

because

they

are

already

oppressed

and

ruled

by

anxiety.

Anxiety

in their

hearts

weighs

them

down,

rules

them.

Depression,

anxiety,

these

are all

words that

convey

emotional

distress

caused

by

loss

or

by

the

fear

of

losing

something

that

one

treasures.

And

if

you

are

weighed

down

with

anxiety

there

is

hope

for

you

because

it

says

a

good

word

makes

him

glad.

One

who

is

righteous

is

a

guide

to

his

neighbor

but

the

way

of

the

wicked

leads

them

astray.

If

you

are

weighed

down

today

with

anxiety

with

heaviness

if

you

feel

oppressed

and

makes

you

slothful

unable

to

work

get

yourself

started

what

you

need

is

the

counsel

of

the

wise

and

the

righteous

person

to

guide

you

and

most

importantly

the

message

the

good

word

the

good news

of

Jesus

the

righteous

one

God

the

timely

and

truthful

word

of

the

wise

as

we

have

been

talking

about

through

this

passage

that

good

word

can

make

you

glad

it

says

if

you

have

been

downtrodden

or depressed

or weighed

down by fear

and anxiety

and sadness

you should

know that