Proverbs 14:19-35

Proverbs 14:19-35

The life we live is our resume. If someone were to claim to be a good money manager, how could you tell? "Are they wealthy?" is the best answer to the question. How can you tell if someone is a fool? The resume of life tells the story. That is the point of verse 24.

How is it that those who are suffering for Christ have such strength and resolve? Verse 25 tells us that their confidence is in the Lord, and in Him they have a place of refuge. If we lack stability, if we are falling apart, we ought to consider where we have placed our confidence.

Where do we live mentally and emotionally? Verse 30 is a real challenge. The health of the body is the cure that comes from the emotionally sound inner person. We use the word ‘stress’ to describe so much of our lives, and at the same time we are physically ill. How much of our physical ruin is the result of what the King James Version calls “envy,” the NASB calls “passion,” and the Hebrew calls “qinah” (pronounced kee naw)? It means color produced in the face. It can mean ‘anger,’ ‘zeal,’ ‘jealousy,’ or ‘passion.’ We were not made to run on high emotions all the time, and sooner or later our bodies will pay the price.

What causes this constant anxiety with which we live? Verse 26 is descriptive of the person who is not as susceptible to anxiety. Verse 32 gives us a picture of the fragilities and resilience of two groups of people. First we see the evil person is thrust down or driven away by their evil. The word ‘banished’ is a good way to think of this concept. The word carries the implications of ‘chasing off with violence’ and the way smoke is driven by the wind. The evil person's schemes fail, and they are totally undone by that single and momentary failure. In contrast, the righteous facing the greatest challenge possible, their own death, find a refuge. Face any setback without our God, and we will experience stress and banishment and hardship. But face them in faith, and even the most difficult moment, death, we can face in peace.

“Lord, help me find my confidence in You, not in myself nor circumstances. AMEN.” 

Proverbs 14:1-18

Proverbs 14:1-18

With each of the individual proverbs, we get the feeling that there is a history, and the proverb serves as sort of the expected moral of the story. I recall a young lady from early in my ministry. She was married to a really great guy: a smart, talented, devoted husband and engineer. They had two wonderful kids, a lovely home, and a bright future. She was raised in a godly home and was a fabulous vocalist. She was, however, attracted to the “bad boy” image and the wild party life. She abandoned her home, husband, and family to become the ‘old lady’ of a biker type. She ended up living with an abusive motorcycle gang member in a run-down trailer in a dumpy trailer park. The moral of the story is in verse 1.

What was broken inside of her that she would do such a thing? We can never know. But tragically, she didn't know either. If she had discerned her wounds, perhaps by godly counseling and inner healing, what was on the inside could have been healed and saved many people a great deal of hurt. There are some people who understand themselves, especially their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. That self-knowledge is not academic information; it is what makes them wise. But the girl was the worst kind of fool; in her deceit, she deceived herself. The moral of the story is in verse 8.

Her sudden irrational behavior caught everyone by surprise. Those who knew her best—husband, mom, and dad—were completely caught off guard. She played the role of devoted wife and mom until the moment she ran away. The picture I have of her is still of a prim, proper, and modestly dressed young mom holding an adorable baby girl whose hair bow is bigger than her face. The perfect picture of a happy, holy wife and mom. But she had the inner hurt and pain. She thought she could find what she was looking for riding on the back of a bike, dressed like a slut, with a mean man. Why? No one could know her secret heart. The moral of the story is in verses 10 and 13.

“Lord, help me see the condition of my heart and have the wisdom to live holy. AMEN.”