Proverbs 15
Speech is mentioned 8 times in
chapter 15 (1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 23, 26, 28)
The way of the Lord is
persuasion, not harsh rejection.
Anger is your decision.
God listens to the heart, not to
the voice.
We often sin in our speaking.
The wise are consistent. Fools are inconsistent.
Good works are like prayer and
praise to God.
Set limits on your desires so
that you remain in control.
A simple life with love is
preferred to extravagance with out relationships.
Chrysostom says: Pleasure is not
found in abundance but abundance is found in pleasure.
Denial of God is the greatest
evil.
The lazy man’s life seems
entangled with thorns and blocked by barricades.
The person who rejects
instruction hates himself and is the enemy of his own soul.
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh
word stirs up anger.
Jesus ministry is an example of gentleness.
Isaiah prophesied of Jesus when he said:
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I
will put my Spirit on him and he will
bring justice to the
nations. He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets. A
bruised reed he will not break, and a
smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or
be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4 quoted
in
Matthew 12 17-21 in fulfillment of “Many
followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them
not
to tell who he was. This was to fulfill
what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah. . .”
It is our decision before we respond.
Will we respond in anger or try to soothe the situation? It is our choice.
We are warned in this chapter about when to be gentle with our words, but
also, silent, cautious and to speak at the right time.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
(Living Bible: A wise teacher makes learning a joy; a rebellious teacher
spouts foolishness.)
Our words have the influence of good or evil on others.
Verse 4 indicates that we can either sustain or break a person with our
words.
The word “commends” is literally “does well”.
“Does well” (“commends”)
means to do a thing well
a) “walk
finely in Pr. 30:29
b)
“play skillfully in Ezekiel 33:32
If one Hebrew letter is adjusted the word “commends” becomes possibly the
original word “drips”. Not likely.
3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the
good.
We would never want to approach God without the proper respect. Yet, the presence of God is everywhere.
We should live as if we were walking into God’s presence.
“Everywhere” refers to more than geographical locations. The Lord is not only perceiving what we do
and say.
To say the Lord is everywhere is to say he perceives our hearts. He hears our attitudes. He listens to our daily meditations whatever
they may be.
The prophet Hanani told Asa
-
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen
those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chr.
16:9)
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
(Living Bible: Gentle words cause life and health; griping brings
discouragement.)
James says, “No man can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
The man who controls is tongue is the man who is himself under the control
of the Spirit of God.
Our words can sustain the weary and heal the broken or our words can crush
the person.
A person who has been deceived is left crushed. What they had hoped for is no longer a
reality.
“Deceitful” is the quality of the treacherous and implies that which is
twisted or false.
5 A fool spurns his father's discipline, but
whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
(Living Bible: Only a fool despises his father’s advice; a wise son
considers each suggestion.)
A child’s attitude toward parental teaching will determine their lifelong
attitude toward:
a) authority
b) instruction
6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the
wicked brings them trouble.
(Living Bible: There is treasure in being good, but trouble dogs the
wicked.)
The word “trouble” is used in situations where one man brings calamity on
many.
Achan in Joshua 7 and again in 1 Chronicles 2:7
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.
(Living Bible: Only the good can give good advice. Rebels can’t.)
Notice the correlation between lips and hearts.
What comes out of the lips comes from the heart.
Jesus explained this in Luke 6: 43-45.
In those verses he said,
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his
heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his
heart. For
out of the overflow of this heart his mouth speaks.”
8 The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases
him.
Verses 8 and 9 can go together to describe true righteousness.
Verse 8 refers to
Righteousness is not
found only in:
a) religious rituals
and works (verse 8)
b) lifestyles
and deeds (verse 9)
Righteousness before God is found in honest integrity:
a) prayer
(verse 8)
b) pursuit
of righteous lifestyle (verse 9)
Religious zeal is no substitute for religious integrity.
Amos 5:21-24, God says,
“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your
assemblies. Even though you bring me
burnt offerings and
grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellow ship
offerings, I will have no regard for them. .
Away
with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your
harps. But let justice roll on like river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
Micah 6:6-8,
“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted
God? Shall I come before him with burnt
offerings,
with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of
rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act
justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
9 The LORD detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue
righteousness.
(L.B. verses 9 and
10: The Lord despise the deeds of the wicked, but loves those who try to be
good.
If they stop trying, the Lord will punish them; if they rebel against that
punishment, they will die.)
This verse is the Gentile version of the proverb for the Jew in the
previous verse.
10 Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the
path; he who hates correction will die.
“Discipline” and “Correction” are good and necessary to maintain life and
to walk in God’s ways.
This verse captures the process.
1) The stern discipline
for leaving the path often hardens the heart and leads to the second level
2) The hardened heart then
is destroyed.
11 Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD—how much more the hearts
of men!
“lie open” are not in the Hebrew text. Neither is “are” in the King James.
Hebrew says, “Death and Destruction before the Lord”
“Death” is “Sheol” (“hades”
in Greek”)
“Destruction” is “Abaddon” and comes from the Hebrew word
“perish” and means “destruction”
This is a reference to the place of torment in Hades. Abaddon (the place
where men perish) in Sheol, the place of
the
dead.
12 A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.
The mocker is locked in his own little world with his doomed attitude and
viewpoint that prevent him from coming
in contact with the reality
where the wise live.
13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
The point is that the thoughts and attitudes control the face and the
spirit, not circumstances.
You can overcome the crushing blows of a circumstance from your heart, your
soul, your mind.
14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on
folly.
(L.B.: A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker feeds on trash.)
15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a
continual feast.
(L.B.: When a man is gloomy, everything seems to go wrong; when he is
cheerful, everything seems right!)
A man may be oppressed on the outside and let that oppression penetrate his soul.
All of his days are oppressed.
Another man may also be oppressed on the outside, but because of his
cheerful heart (his view
of
life, relationship with God, attitude, disposition) he is never oppressed in
his soul.
All the days of his life
are a continual feast.
You may be oppressed on the outside, but you can control your soul.
You are the king and your soul is your kingdom. Guard your kingdom. Guard your soul.
1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be
on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”
Philippians 4:7, “The peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
1
Timothy 6:20, “Timothy, guard what
has been entrusted to your care. Turn
away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have
professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.”
2 Timothy 1:14, “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the
help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
Luke 12:1, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Luke 12:15,
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with
turmoil.
Everything has its reasonable limits.
Everything has its price.
To have what you need and to have the fear of the Lord is better than:
a) great wealth and the
turmoil of not being able to handle it.
(People are talented and gifted for their
place in life and in the church. If you are not talented or gifted to manage
great wealth it will be a head ache.
Live within your ability and
spend within your means.
b) wealth at any level
without the fear of the Lord.
17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf
with hatred.
The comparison is vegetables with meat and love with hate.
If you had to be short on one or the other it is better to be short on meat
and feasting than to be short on love and relationships.
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a
patient man calms a quarrel.
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the
upright is a highway.
“Thorns” is actually “thorn hedge”
The sluggard is contrasted with the upright because a sluggard is lazy and
so deceitful.
20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a
foolish man despises his mother.
“foolish man” is “a fool of a man”
21 Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding
keeps a straight course.
(L.B.: If a man enjoys folly, something is wrong! The sensible stay on the
pathways of right.)
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
This verse is not referring to making all decisions by
a committee.
This verse is teaching us to have a willingness to
hear and heed advice.
23 A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is
a timely word!
(L.B.: Everyone enjoys giving good advice, and how wonderful it is to be
able to say the right thing at the right time!)
Ancient Egyptian writings contain the parable:
“Do not say something
when it is not the time for it.”
Remember God’s eternal wisdom is crying out in the streets to all men, at
all times, in all nations.
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down
to the grave.
(L.B.: The road of the godly leads upward, leaving hell behind.)
The adverbs “upward” and “down” are not referring to eternal life or
eternal destinies.
“Upward” and “down” are referring to the quality of life.
25 The LORD tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's
boundaries intact.
26 The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are
pleasing to him.
(NAS: Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord, But
pleasant words are pure.)
This verse should be translated:
“The thoughts of the
wicked are an abomination to Yahweh, but kind words are clean.”
“Abomination” (NIV “detests”) and “clean” (NIV “pleasing”) are terms from the
Levitical law referring to sacrifices and other
activities or objects in the temple (or,
tabernacle)
You can see the interpretation by the NIV authors and thus their
translation.
Notice the correct Hebrew translation addresses “thoughts” in the first
half of the verse but “words” in the second half.
It is impossible to have
“clean” word without first having a “clean” thought. The wicked person’s apparently “clean” words
are judged even when they were still
thoughts.
Our thoughts and words are either an acceptable sacrifice before God, or else they are
an abomination and detested by God as a blasphemous sacrilege.
27 A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but
he who hates bribes will live.
Bribes and greed go together.
To get what he wants the greedy man will use bribes to manipulate
people.
Bribes and greed of a man cause him death and trouble to him and his
family.
28 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the
wicked gushes evil.
(L.B.: A good man thinks before he speaks; the evil man pours out his evil
words without a thought.)
The righteous are wise and consider what they say before they speak. These words are honest and beneficial.
The wicked fool does not think, but rashly speaks pouring out unrighteous
words of destruction.
29 The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the
righteous.
30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and
good news gives health to the bones.
(L.B.: Pleasant sights and good reports give happiness and health.)
“Cheerful look” is literally “light of the eyes” refers both to the speaker
and the hearer.
31 He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.
(L.B. verses 31 & 32: If you
profit from constructive criticism you will be elected to the wise men’s hall
of fame. But to reject criticism is to
harm yourself and your own best interests.)
Literally, “an ear that hears a reproof of life.”
If a parent/teacher/wise man has a child’s/student’s/simpleton’s ear they
have their heart. There is hope.
A listening ear is the doorway into the abode of the wise. It is the most important step into fellowship
with wisdom.
32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction
gains understanding.
This intensifies the motivation to listen to a “life-giving rebuke.”
33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and
humility comes before honor.
(L.B.:
Humility and reverence for the Lord will make you both wise and honored.)
How can we describe true righteousness?
a) Fear of the Lord
b) Humility
Righteousness is more about motives than the actual deeds.
Chapter 16: 1-5 continues this thought.
“Teaches a man wisdom” is literally, “discipline
of wisdom” and means “leads to wisdom.”
To fulfill verses 31 and 32 you must first fear the Lord or else
instruction, rebuke and discipline
make
no sense to you.
Humility before the Lord is the correct place to begin learning.
The Hebrew word for “humble” is a religious term for the quality of
renouncing one’s own personal sufficiency for life and committing oneself to
the Lord.
“Humble” is from a root word that meant “to be bowed down,” “to be
oppressed.”
The idea in the word is that when “the oppression” and “the bowing down” is
over, the man
is
humble (broken, crushed) before the Lord and ready to receive his instruction and
so become the wise man.
This humility always comes before the ultimate honor.
The sequence of events for a man would be this:
1) Pride in his natural
state
2) Oppressed inside and
without in a variety of ways
3) Humbled before God;
broken and no longer self sufficient
4) Wisdom is revealed to
the humble man and he thinks in line with God and not against
5) Honor is given to this
man
If you grant yourself no glory then God can teach you and you will be
crowned with glory.