Proverbial Wisdom: He Calls Me Friend!

 Read Proverbs 18

Verse 1: There is wisdom in separating from the evil patterns of the world so as not to make provision for the lusts of the flesh (Romans 13:14).  There is wisdom in pursuing truth and taking the narrow road even when the majority are taking the highway to hell (Matthew 7:13).  However, there is no wisdom in rejecting good counsel and the wise advice of others and going off and doing something against God’s will.  We are not called, nor created to go through life alone.  We were made to have constant fellowship.  First with God, then with each other.  Remember Ecclesiastes 4:12,  “12 And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”  When we isolate ourselves, we can be easily overtaken.  Think about the times when you are alone.  How do you feel?  It may feel nice at times, but extended periods of loneliness often cause us to be depressed.  Even God Himself stated in the beginning, “it is not good for man to be alone.”

 

 Verse 2:   Fools do not delight in understanding and being transformed according to the Bible.  They are interested only in what their own mind tells them even if it is contrary to God’s Word.  They follow the natural sinful bent of their fallen heart, and they boast in their own pseudo-wisdom.  Their opinions are unchangeable because of their stubbornness and callousness to the truth.  They are eager and ready to share their opinions with no regard for whether they are true or not.  The only care for a fool is if he looks wise in front of others, but it is more important to be wise in the eyes of God.  I would rather be wise than look wise.

 

 Verse 4, 6-8:  What we say is very important and very powerful.  James compares the tongue to a small spark that can start an entire forest on fire or to a small rudder that can steer an entire ship (James 3:4-6).  The tongue can do great damage and lead others astray, or it can help others navigate safely through life and into eternity in heaven.  Like water continuously and faithfully bubbling through a stream, there is always wisdom to be found from the Lord for those who are humble enough to seek it and receive it.  Remember as I have stated before, the old adage, “Sticks and Stones….” is a false adage.  Words do hurt and we should always keep that in mind.  Words do have power and to say so is contrary to God.  How is that?  Look how He created the very world.  He spoke it into existence.  How did John describe Jesus in the first chapter?  “In the beginning was the Word…”.   We must understand there is power in words.  It is foolish for us not to think otherwise.

 Verse 5:  Partiality in judgment is the sign of an unjust judge.  The God of the universe is completely impartial, and Christians should reflect His nature by not showing personal favoritism (James 2:1).  It is wrong to unjustly accuse anyone.

 

Verse 9:  Some people out of selfishness just enjoy wrecking things, while other people enjoy doing nothing and being lazy.  One breaks things, while the other does nothing while they rot and decay.  Neither are doing God’s work or laboring honestly, and both are dishonoring God by the course of their lives.  Proverbs says so much about laziness.  If you’ve been following along, you know this already.  What a testimony for today!  We should be diligent about what we do and work hard.

 

Verse 10-12:  The righteous puts his confidence in the Lord who is his strong tower.  He rests in God’s protection, while a self-confident man puts his confidence in his money.  He thinks it will keep him safe, and he is fully confident in his own ability to protect himself, in this life and in the next.  But his wealth is no protector, for it can be here one day and gone the next.  It is like a high wall only in his imagination.  Wealth offers no protection against the wrath of God, and on earth it is prone to being stolen and to rot and decay (Matthew 6:20).  But the proud keep boasting in their own strength, possessions, and accomplishments, and they will be brought low by their own eventual destruction.  Those who humble themselves now under God’s mighty hand, resting in Him for protection, wisdom, and strength, will be exalted at the proper time.   

Verse 13:  Cutting a person off when they are sharing something with us is rude, shameful, and lacking wisdom.  It communicates that we are not interested in what they have to say and that we don’t care.  It says that we like what we have to say more than we like being sure that we understand their needs and predicament.  It says that we are too ready to fix them by hammering them with Scripture before mourning with them and being compassionate.  It also speaks of an attitude that is not interested in learning and which thinks it knows it all already. 

 

Verse 17:  A person can seem innocent based upon telling very convincing stories and lies, but upon further examination and some tough questioning, the truth can come out.  We should always be like the Bereans where and test everything that is said to us.  We should test it to see if it is true.  That is not a break of trust, but is just wisdom.  Even Jesus supported His own words by frequently quoting the Scriptures which the people around Him knew.  If it was a different crowd, He used parables with characters they could easily relate to and see the truth in.  

 

Verse 19:  We need to be very careful with the relationships that God has given us in life.  We are stewards of these family bonds, friendships, and other connections.  We need to recognize that each life impacts the next, and we need to avoid sinning against our brother, our neighbor, and our fellow man.  When we do err, we need to go to the one we have sinned against and, in true repentance, seek their forgiveness by explaining how sorry we are and that we see that what we did was wrong.  We should do whatever we can to restore the relationship and fix what was lost.  By God’s grace, relationships can be restored, wounds can be healed, and contentions can be resolved.  God’s grace is needed because sometimes the invisible bars of rejection can be far stronger than the walls of a strong city.  Part of our call as a Christian is restoration and reconciliation.  Galatians 6 is a great chapter to read about this.

 Verse 21 :  A small rumor can divide a church, destroy a relationship, or set the world to war.  It can also bring the world to peace, restore a relationship, and unite the body of Christ.  The words we choose are powerful, and we are responsible for everything we say.  We will reap according to how we sow, so we need to make sure our speech sows seeds that point to eternal life and godliness. As stated in my previous notes of verse 4, we need to remember that our words are very powerful.

 

Verse 22:  A godly wife is a gift from God in this life (James 1:17), and no amount of money or influence can buy or merit such a gift.  It is the grace of God that provides a godly woman for a godly man.  The Bible does not tell people that they must get married, but those who do marry a godly spouse have done well.  This doesn’t mean that a single person cannot have the favor of God, but it means that marriage is something that pleases God and that He desires to bless.  He is pleased when marriage reveals His selfless love, and when children are raised up according to Biblical principles. Marriage is God’s creation.  That’s why we must protect its sanctity and holiness.  Marriage is not something made by man and is not just a legal tender.  God established marriage to be between one man and one woman as stated in Genesis 2 and later quoted by Jesus Himself.  There is no other option.  If we are a believer and a believer in God’s Word, we must understand this with all of our hearts.

 

 Verse 24:  That which is popular is not necessarily right, and those who do whatever they can to get people to like them will find that they have to compromise their heart and soul.  Wealth can buy a lot of friends (Proverbs 19:4), but they will be gone as soon as the money dries up.  A true friend is a valued relationship because it is not dependent on circumstances but upon real love, care, and concern.  A person is rich in terms of friends even to have one such friend who is trustworthy and loyal like a brother (Proverbs 17:17).  Remember, Jesus calls us friends!  He sticks closer than a brother!