(Proverbs) ch.15:5 - 16:4 — Zac Poonen

Proverbs 15:5–8: Correction, Wealth, and Goodness

15 this evening, Proverbs chapter 15. We stopped last week in verse 5. A fool rejects his father's discipline, but he who regards reproof is prudent or wise. We considered the Living Bible paraphrase of that which says that a wise son considers each suggestion.

Only a fool will despise his father's advice. We noticed right through the book of Proverbs the emphasis there is, right from the first chapter, on the submission of a son to a father. That's not only in the home, but also in the church.

If we recognize that someone has more wisdom than us, it's good to submit to the authority of such a person. Verse 6, much wealth is in the house of the righteous, but trouble is in the income of the wicked.

Now when it says there is much wealth in the house of the righteous, we can ask, how much is much? There was a very saintly man who said that all the wealth in the world is not enough to satisfy the greed of a greedy man.

So a greedy man, even when he has everything there is in the world, is still not satisfied. Then how does a righteous man have much wealth in his house? Because for the righteous man, much wealth means enough to meet all my earthly needs.

That's it. My God will supply all your needs, not all that you want, but all your needs. And when we have enough to meet all our earthly needs, then we can say there is much wealth there and it is earned righteously.

But in the income of the wicked, who earns it by cheating and stealing and borrowing and not returning and by all types of wrong methods, there is trouble along with that income. And when the trouble comes, it's no use the wicked person asking God to help him because he has to reap what he has sown.

So it's good to be satisfied with God providing our needs and to be thankful that whatever wealth we have is righteously earned and doesn't belong to anybody else. Verse 7, the Living Bible paraphrase here reads like this, only the good can give good advice and rebels can't do that.

We know that in Romans 15, 14 it says that, I know brethren that your heart is full of goodness and you're able to exhort and admonish one another. And that's what it says here too. We would all like to give good advice to others and that's a very good treasure to have, to be able to help other people spiritually.

But it has a requirement, and that basic requirement is that our hearts are rooted in goodness. So we see that a wise man is a man whom you cannot move out of goodness, no matter what you do or say. If we can be moved away from goodness towards other people, that proves we are not wise.

So basically wisdom consists of goodness. Only the good can give good advice and rebels, they can't do that. So we see that goodness precedes, comes before wisdom. Verse 8, in the Living Bible again, the Lord hates the gifts of the wicked, but delights in the prayers of his people.

Giving to God and the Principle of Separation

Now this is a principle that we need to understand very clearly and you'll understand the reason why we stand for certain things in the church. And that is that God cannot receive a gift from a person who has not first given him his life and his heart.

That means if a person is unconverted and he comes and gives gifts for God's work, if we know that the person is unconverted, we should not receive it. Because we stand there as representing God. And God doesn't receive gifts from those who are unconverted.

And his representatives should also not receive gifts from the unconverted. And that is why we see the folly of all these Christian magazines that are sent out to everybody saying, please send us your donations and gifts for this particular project we have.

And all types of people send in and they're not bothered who sends it in. They just receive it. They're very happy when they get some money and without bothering to find out if this person who is giving this money, someone who is entitled to give to God or not.

In the New Testament, we read in the third episode of John and verse 7. Third episode of John, verse 7, it says that among the early Christians and those who were full-time Christian workers in the first century, they went out for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ.

And see this, accepting nothing from the Gentiles, which is a word for unbelievers. They received nothing. That is a principle of the church. Accepting nothing from the Gentiles. We don't want anything from the unbelievers.

Because the unbelievers are not permitted to contribute for God's work. The unbelievers are not permitted to put money into the offering box for God's work. If they do it without our knowledge, we can't help it.

But we'd like to make that clear so that people realize that we don't want their money. God wants their heart. And he cannot take money from a person who has not first given him his heart and life. And so that was a principle the early apostles were very careful to follow, accepting nothing from the unbelievers.

And we must be very careful that we follow the same principle, accepting nothing from the unbelievers. The same principle applies to getting some heathen man to come and play a musical instrument or to sing a solo just because he's got a good voice.

There are all types of music cassettes being produced now, particularly in South India, with all types of cinema stars and others singing and cinema musicians providing the music. Do you think God can accept that?

No. That's a gift of the wicked. It's an abomination to the Lord. Those cassettes are an abomination to the Lord. He can't accept that. Let's see that very clearly. He hates it, but he delights in the prayers of his people.

The prayer of the upright, it says in verse 8, is his delight. Not everybody's prayer. We know from James 5 .16 that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. A righteous man's prayer has power before God in the way in which some other believer who is not so righteous, his prayer does not have that same effectiveness.

Because it says the prayer of the upright is his delight. So not all believers' prayers are equal in God's eyes. Everybody can pray, but if a believer is more upright and more righteous, there is more effectiveness in that prayer.

That's the principle of scripture and we can't get around it. It's a fact. Verse 9, the way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. This is along with the same theme as verse 8, that the way a wicked person goes is an abomination to the Lord.

But he loves, God loves in a special way, those who pursue righteousness. Or as one translation has it, the one who is bent on honesty. Think of a believer who is bent on being absolutely honest. God loves him in a special way in which he does not love that other believer who is a bit of a crook and who's got schemes up his sleeve and clever plans in his mind to seek some gain for himself.

Yeah, he can sit there as a believer. God doesn't love him in the way. That teaches us that God does not love all people in the same way. God does not love even all believers equally. That is a fantastic deception to believe that.

Because not all believers are bent on honesty. Not all believers are pursuing after righteousness as it says here. Jesus said in John 14 and verse 21. He said, He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

And he who loves me in this way will be loved by my father and I will love him. So there we see that God specially loves those who keep the commandments of Jesus. And that is righteous of God if he loves some believers more than he loves others.

We have to face the fact that all of us believers sitting here, God does not love all of us equally. We might as well face up to that fact that all of us sitting here, God looks down upon us and he does not love all of us equally.

He loves some of us more than he loves the others. Not because he likes their face or any such partiality but because he sees in the hidden light what we cannot see. In the hidden light he sees some people who are bent on uprightness and who are pursuing after righteousness and he loves them more.

And you can't blame God for that. That is righteous. That's a law. So it's a fact that he loves some brothers more than he loves others and he loves some sisters more than he loves the others. It's a fact.

He is a loving father but he loves some more than the others because it says he loves him who pursues after righteousness. And therefore he does certain things for those whom he loves in a special way which some of the others may find that he doesn't do for them.

He did a lot of things for Jesus because Jesus loved the father supremely. But I can't assume that he will do everything that he did for Jesus for me if I am not walking in the same way. You see it's very easy for me to say what God did for Jesus he will do for me.

Yes potentially we can say he can do it for me but for him to do it for me I have to love the father in the same way that Jesus loved the father. Then he will certainly do it for me. All it means is there is no partiality.

What he did for Jesus he can do and will do for me if I fulfill the same conditions. And what he has done for another brother in the church he will do for you if you love God in the same way as that brother loved.

If you forsake everything in the way that that brother has forsaken everything God will love you in the same way and bless you in the same way. But not otherwise. He loves him who pursues after righteousness who is bent on honesty who is bent on cleansing out guile from his life.

Receiving Reproof and the Discipline of God

Verse 10 stern discipline is for him who forsakes the way. He who hates reproof will die. The word of God in the book of Proverbs speaks much about reproof and correction that if we hate correction and we get offended when somebody corrects us then it's like a patient whom the doctor examines and says well I can't give much hope that he will recover.

I think he'll die. That's what it says. He can't receive correction then there's not much hope for that person. No not much hope if he hates correction. It's not a question of getting offended you know I may receive it but I may not like it.

Hating. I may not say anything back when somebody corrects me but I may still hate it. Somebody corrects me and I keep quiet but I can still hate that correction. Then I come under the category of those who hate correction even though I kept quiet when somebody corrected me.

The question is not whether I kept quiet. No the question is do I love it as something which is keeping me on the way of life. If we judge ourselves we will not be judged and we read in 1 corinthians 11 31 and 32 that when God judges us he disciplines us so that we should not be judged with the world and so strong discipline stern discipline is for the one who goes out of that way if we are really one whom God delights in.

God does not discipline those who are not his sons but those who are his sons he disciplines very strongly because he does not want them to miss the way so that they are not judged with the rest of the world.

Verse 11 shiol that is hell and abaddon that is destruction lie open before the lord that means even hell and the bottomless pit and all that is before the lord he sees it just like open we can't see it it's all we don't even know where it is but before God it is all open.

Then he says if that is open before God how much more the hearts of men think of that. We say well there's not some there's not a very great truth in that. That's something I know that God knows everything in our hearts.

Well I've come to see this that if I really believe this if I really believe this then I will have a hidden life of purity. That is the test of whether I believe it or not that my heart is completely stripped open before God all the time morning noon and night.

The motives and the ambitions and the desires and the motive with which I say something to someone and the motive with which I write something to someone and the motive with which I do certain actions and everything is just open before the lord.

Whatever I may say to a brother God sees the attitude and motive underneath it's stripped open before God. And he sees everything he sees. The motive with which I visit people and the motive with which I invite people to my home.

He sees every single thing. And if I really really really believe it it will make a fantastic difference to my hidden life. And I am sure that that verse even though people say they know it the vast majority of believers don't believe it at all.

They don't believe the hearts are open before the lord. He sees every single thing. There's not a single thing hidden in any corner which is not hidden. We can conceal it from every single brother and sister in the church even from our own wife or husband for 50 years.

But God doesn't is not deceived even for a second he sees through the whole thing. If I can live in the realization of that yeah then what a fantastic uh desire there will be in me for purity in the hidden life.

Verse 12. A scoffer back to the subject of correction does not love one who reproves him the living bible. A mocker stays away from wise men because he hates to be scolded. I prefer the you use of the word rebuke.

Scolding has got a bad connotation and James 1 says that God never scolds. There's a difference between scolding and rebuking even to our children. And we can understand this. There's a difference between scolding a child and rebuking a child.

God rebukes but he doesn't scold. And so it's rebuking is a better word here. A mocker that means one who's not really interested in wisdom stays away from wise men because he hates to be rebuked. And that's one reason some people get offended and leave the church because they do not like to be rebuked in even in the meeting leave alone personally I mean it required tremendous grace to receive a correction personally.

But there are people who can't even take it in a meeting a correction a word of correction and they get upset with it and disturbed with it. And and then they stay steer clear of wise people and mingle around with fools who will just flatter them and say nice things to them because they don't like to be rebuked and therefore they miss the way of wisdom.

And that's it's interesting that the book of proverbs has got such a tremendous emphasis on this matter of receiving correction. That's good for us to bear in mind. Verse 13. Just let me say this that if the wise of you if you consider any person is wiser than you and if you find in some situation that he does rebuke you my advice to you would be humble yourself and accept it.

Either that or you have to profess that I don't believe that person's wiser than me. Then of course we don't have to receive correction from someone who may be carnal himself. Of course if you think that someone is carnal and there's no need to receive correction from such a person because he may not know the right way.

But if you reckon that someone is wiser and spiritual then the wisest thing to do is to accept correction. Verse 13 it says here a joyful heart makes a cheerful face. But when the heart is sad the spirit is broken.

Joy, Humor, and the Formation of the Heart

There's a lot of connection between the heart and the face. And we know that that when you you can see the feelings in the heart by the expression on a person's face. I mean that's been true right from the days of Cain when God asked Cain why is your face fallen.

Something's wrong in your life. And it's always true that when there's discouragement and depression and the face is fallen something is wrong somewhere because the joyful heart one that has found its joy not in money not in honor not in earthly pleasure but one that has found its joy in the Lord and therefore an unchanging joy rejoice in the Lord.

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face doesn't mean he'll always be laughing but there will be a gladness in his face. He won't have a he won't be in a bad mood. But when the heart is sad oh the spirit is broken.

Discouragement breaks the spirit in a wrong way in a bad way so that we cannot be effective for the Lord. So this is something that we can think about. I believe if you could even think of it in terms of the gift of humor see this is something which we need to understand because the Bible does speak about foolish jesting as something to be avoided.

There are dirty jokes and jokes which are cracked at the expense of others which is which are unchristian. But there is also a humor which is christian which is a gift of God. Humor is not something that Satan invented it's something that God gave to man but just like all his other gifts it has been abused.

So that humor is mostly now dirty jokes and jokes cracked at the expense of others. But there is a clean humor which is a very good thing for us to have. It's a sort of thing which is very often the mark of a good relationship between people.

I personally felt that you know that a husband and wife have a good relationship with each other when they can joke with one another not necessarily when they can pray with one another. Sometimes the husband and wife can pray with one another and still not have a good relationship but if they can have good humor with one another.

And you know there's something clear and you know that even in personal relationships it's humor that is very often the test of a relationship seriousness and indicates there's something wrong. A joyful heart makes a cheerful face.

And I believe humor I just mentioned that in passing is something which we need to have when kept clean not at the expense of others and never dirty. Verse 14 the living bible it reads like this. A wise man is hungry for truth while the mocker feeds on trash.

Trash means garbage. Trash means rubbish. For example these useless novels. There are a lot of novels that are available these days which come under that category of trash. And that's one mark of a fool that he spends his time reading all these useless novels.

And any person who is seriously interested in being wise would never waste his time reading all these useless novels that are being written these days it's all right for children it's a small children.

But once you've grown out of the stage of being children we're not to spend our time with all that a wise man is hungry for truth while the marker feeds on trash particularly the types of books that are written these days.

Verse 15. Again from the living bible when a man is gloomy everything seems to go wrong. It's back to what we said earlier when he's cheerful everything seems right. You see for a miserable man every day is unhappy.

Something or the other is wrong every day because his basic attitude is a miserable attitude. And there are some people who are generally miserable most of the time for no reason or the other. And they haven't understood the secret of rejoicing in the lord of believing with all their heart the truth of romans 8 28 that god makes all things work together for good to those who love him to those who are the called according to his purpose.

So there is no need ever for a true child of god to be gloomy and sad. It's because of his wrong attitude to life that he finds everything seems to go wrong. But when he's cheerful because he's found his joy in the lord and he believes that everything that happens to him is working for good then everything turns out right.

Honesty, Love, and Peace in the Home

Verse 16. Better is a little with the fear of the lord than great treasure and turmoil with it. That means if as a result of being honest you become poor it's better to be poor than to have that little extra money which you got by dishonesty and all the turmoil the turmoil in your conscience the turmoil outside that can come into your life and into your home.

Better is a little honestly earned in a god-fearing way with the fear of the lord rather than great treasure much more than we need which we try to accumulate by cheating and doing all types of things.

No there's turmoil with that and any sensible person will know this is the right way to go. It's interesting. This is another subject which comes again and again in the book of proverbs that it's better to be honest and poor than to be dishonest and rich.

Verse 17. Better is a dish of it says vegetables. But in the margin it says something worse than that herbs. You know what herbs are. It's the stuff which ayurvedic medicines are made of. It's not very tasty stuff.

Better is a dish of herbs where love is. You see vegetables can be made so nice that they can even taste better than some non-vegetarian dishes. But herbs think of that. Better is a dish of herbs where love is than roasted beef and hatred with it a fattened ox.

Here's this non-vegetarian husband getting after his wife for fattened ox all the time. And he's quite happy to stir up problems in the house so long as he gets his beef and doesn't matter if the love disappears from the home that's not important to him.

He's an idiot. No better have a dish of herbs and have love than all this non-vegetarian fancy meals and all the unrest. I'm not saying that if you have non-vegetarian you have to have unrest. But what i'm saying is what the word of god is saying is that love is more important than the type of food that your wife can cook or that you get in a home.

Speaking about a home you see a home and the home there's something cooked and maybe it's not up to the mark. Never mind if you love one another even if it's just herbs on the table. Praise the lord we love one another and we're going to enjoy this.

Well that's all. My wife knows only how to cook herbs. Fine. That's okay. We'll enjoy it and love one another. That's what the word of god says than getting this fattened ox and creating all the unrest in the house.

Yeah praise the lord. It's far better to have fellowship with your wife than to convert her into a good cook. That's basically what it means. Fellowship. Much more important. Never mind if she can't cook so well.

Verse 18. Let me read this to you in the good news bible hot tempers cause arguments. But patience brings peace. Hot tempers. All arguments are caused by somebody who's got a hot temper. And the only way to bring peace is through patience.

And the only people who can bring peace are the people who have acquired patience in their life. Patience. One of the most important things that we are to acquire if we are to be men of peace we pray lord make us men and women of peace.

Well it says patience brings peace. Then god has to teach me patience in the difficult situations of life. That's how i get patience. Tribulation works. Patience it says in romans 5 verse 19. The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns.

But the path of the upright is a highway. Yeah that's uh pretty clear. That laziness it says here is like thorns. The laziness of a man puts thorns along his pathway and he can't walk because his laziness is like thorns.

And notice here in verse 19 that the opposite of the lazy man is not a hard-working man. But it says the path of the upright. In other words if you're lazy you need to see in many passages in the scriptures you see a contrast like this.

And you see here the contrast is that the opposite of a lazy man is an upright man. And that means if i'm upright i can't be lazy. If i'm lazy i'm not upright. Verse 20. A wise son makes a father glad.

But a foolish man despises his mother. That's another subject on which the book of proverbs has a tremendous amount to say. And that is despising of parents. Particularly when we are able to stand on our own feet and the parents have become old.

That is the time when uh young people can begin to despise their parents. And a person who despises his parents either because the parents are not cultured. You know think of an old mother who has been brought up in a village and now he's living.

She's living with you say and she doesn't know how to behave in a cultured way with your friend and you despise her. That shows that you are a fool. Or you can despise parents because they're not educated.

Or you can despise parents because they are not so spiritual and wholehearted as you are. And various reasons for which we can despise parents. It can be for physical reasons. It can be for intellectual reasons cultural reasons spiritual reasons.

But anyone who despises his mother that proves whatever wisdom he may talk about he is a big fool. He has no wisdom at all. A person who speaks rudely to his father or mother has no wisdom whatsoever.

A wise son makes a father glad. Even if he has to disagree he will do it graciously and gently. No he may have to disagree sometimes with parents that may be there but with graciousness and gentleness.

Never in a harsh hard way. Verse 21. Folly is joy to him who lacks sense. But a man of understanding walks straight. That's clear man of wisdom he goes in a straight path like it says in isaiah 30. Verse 21.

You will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way when you miss the path and turn to the right or to the left. When you miss the track you know you're thinking of a particular course of action and you think you'll go this way because you sense you can get a little advantage there.

And you feel as something in your conscience in your spirit saying no not that way. And that's the voice of the holy spirit saying don't go that way. Go the straight way. And the man of wisdom will listen to that voice and walk straight.

The man who ignores that voice because he sees if i go this way i'll get a little gain for myself. He's really a fool. I was reading the other day in a magazine of a preacher was who said that he was speaking in a meeting as a young man and he had on a watch which is a very fancy type of watch for those days for the simple people who are sitting there and that watch had been given him as a gift by his father and the people were all the time looking at his watch.

And he felt a witness in his spirit saying take that off. And he thought can't i wear what my dad's given me. Yeah. If it's a hindrance to other people take it off small thing like that. And he said there the spirit of god began to teach him to be sensitive to small things that may stumble others and therefore god could lead him on and bless him later in life.

So that's it. A man of understanding he hears that voice saying no don't do that or do this. And he walked straight. Verse 22. Without consultation plans are frustrated. But with many counselors they succeed.

And that's another thing which we have read number of times in proverbs. Be humble enough to receive advice from others. Don't think that we are so clever and spiritual that we can just go ahead. Without consultation our plans can be frustrated.

It's good to consult others who are wiser so that they can give us wisdom. Verse 23. A living bible reads like this. Everyone enjoys giving advice. Well that part is true. We all like to be those who give advice to people.

You know when you and you find that particularly when somebody comes to you and says brother i'd like to ask your advice on something. And uh we feel a little nice. You know that. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah.

I'm glad this brother's come to me for advice now. So i'm really somebody. You see i'm not that nobody that people think i am. Everybody enjoys giving advice. But how wonderful it is to be able to say the right thing at the right time.

That's another thing altogether to say the right thing at the right time that is the mark of maturity and wisdom. You see there's not only the matter of saying the right thing there is also the right time.

Sometimes it may be necessary to speak to a brother about something. Wisdom is to know the right time to say that thing to that brother. To say the right thing at the right time that's a wonderful thing a timely word.

And that requires a great sensitivity to the holy spirit. The holy spirit says no and you hold back. You want to write something to someone. The spirit says no and you tear it up. You don't want to write that anymore.

You wrote it but you're not going to send it because you don't sense that it's the right time. It is the right thing. But it's not the right time we really need to seek god like it says about jesus in isaiah 50 verse 4 that his ears were open from morning to here what the father had to say and so that he had a word in season for the weary person every day jesus was ready because he was in touch with the father.

A word in season a right word at the right time for somebody who happened to come across his way. See brothers and sisters we can sometimes think that the only ministry in the church is standing up here in the platform and speaking.

That's not true. In any case we have only about three meetings a week. So the maximum number of times you can stand up here in a week is three times. But if we are in the habit of listening to what the father has to say we can have a right word seven times a week every day to someone whom the lord brings across our path.

And that is really the greatest ministry to be able to hear and to be a blessing to those who come across our path. Even if we never have the gift to stand up here and preach they don't have a lust to stand up here and preach.

But let's have a great longing to have this ability to hear and to be able to have a word in season for the weary one who comes across our path each day that is a far more important thing. Verse 24. Pleasant words.

Sorry. The path of life leads upward for the wise that he may keep away from hell below. That means there are two ways one going up and one going down. And we know that god created adam from the dust of the ground.

And the dust belonging to the ground pulls us downward. And there are so many things in this dust which is attracted to the dust of the earth for example gold that's also one type of dust and the dust of which our body is made is attracted to gold dust and attracted to other creatures of dust.

And our attractions are earthly because we are creatures of dust. But then god also put inside adam a spirit which is attracted the other way. And now we find in ourselves this pull. One pull that way and one pull this way.

And in the situations of daily life we find this pull upward and the pull downward. And there we decide every day in our soul. Our soul we can say stands in between the body and the spirit deciding which way shall i respond.

Shall i respond only to the earthly things or shall i respond to that upward pull. The path of life leads upward for the wise that is to respond to the pull of the spirit. Madam guillen once said that the life of god which he puts into our spirit has got such a fantastic power you know like a rocket.

She didn't use that word rocket but he's got such a fantastic power to shoot upwards to god. He has put that life in us. And if our life is not shooting upwards to god it's because we are allowing all types of weights to prevent it.

So it's not so much that we have to try and do something to shoot upwards to god. But it's just a question of throwing out these weights. And the life which god has put in will automatically shoot upwards towards god.

That is the secret. It's because of weights that the progress is so slow with some believers. Not a question of telling him brother be more zealous. No it's a question of throwing out some of the weights.

Pride, God's Care, and Our Words

Otherwise even if he's more zealous it'll still be slow because there are ways way of life is upward for the wise that he may keep away from hell. Below verse 25 the lord will tear down the house of the proud.

The other day we were considering in a meeting that god is not our adversary as we read in isaiah 63 verse 10 the margin he was not an adversary to them. But here it tells us that he is an adversary to some people and that is to the proud.

You see a person who is proud and haughty and thinks too much of himself. We have to say that god is your enemy brother. I'm sorry to say that but god is your enemy. If you're proud of anything because god will tear down the house of the proud imagine it doesn't just say he will ignore it and leave them to themselves that would be bad enough.

No he tears down their house. In other words satan is against that man and god is also against that man. Poor man not only satan's against him but god's against him too. He'll tear down the house of the proud but he will establish the boundary of the widow.

Bible speaks much about god's care for the widows and the orphans and the strangers because they are the helpless people in society. And if those helpless people in society can trust in the living god he will establish them.