WWUTT 1534 The Haughty Destroyed, The Humble Glorified (Proverbs 18:1-12)

We read over and over in the book of Proverbs that the proud man goes to destruction, but the one who humbles himself before God, we will be saved and receive

Christ's kingdom when we understand the text. This is

When We Understand the Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the Word. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we feature

New Testament Study, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and our Q &A on Friday.

Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. Well, being Thursday, we're continuing our

Old Testament study today, and we've been in the book of Proverbs up to chapter 18 now.

And this chapter has 24 verses in it, so how about we try to cover 12 Proverbs this week, and we'll do the next half next week.

This is Proverbs 18, verses 1 through 12 out of the Legacy Standard Bible.

He who separates himself seeks his own desire. He breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom.

A fool does not delight in discernment, but only in revealing his own heart. When a wicked man comes, despising also comes, and with disgrace comes reproach.

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook.

To show partiality to the wicked is not good, nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment.

A fool's lips come with strife, and his mouth calls for beatings.

A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.

He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys. The name of Yahweh is a strong tower.

The righteous runs into it and is set securely on high. A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall, in his own delusion.

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before glory.

Thus says the word of the Lord. We come back to verse 1. He who separates himself seeks his own desire.

And the word here for separates being the same as somebody who would be reclusive or withdrawn, an isolationist, so they've separated themselves from everyone else.

It goes on to say he breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom. Now that doesn't mean he breaks out in a fight.

It means he breaks out or separates himself from other people. So he's living by himself.

He doesn't have compassion or consideration for anyone else, only himself. And when he breaks away from other people and separates himself from everyone else, he does this in dispute against wisdom.

His fight and his quarrel is with wisdom, which would be to dwell with other people, to share what you have with others, and likewise receive what they have to share with you.

That's how a society is supposed to work. That's the way that God has created us to be. We're supposed to live in community.

For God is a community in and of himself. The Godhead is three persons,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And just as God is a community unto himself, as he's made us in his image, he's created us to be in community with each other.

He created the first man and woman, male and female, to be one flesh with each other.

And what did God say to this husband and wife? He said to be fruitful and multiply. That's how you begin a community.

And as children are born and they have children of their own, you have communities that are started, cities, states, countries, empires, so on and so forth.

This is the way God made us to be. And we are to work together and help one another.

But the person who separates himself from others has no compassion for anyone else. He thinks only of himself.

He does this against wisdom, not in wisdom. And so even as we see the days that we are in get difficult, these are not signs for us to separate from everybody else and go out and live on a compound on our own.

We need other people. We need to encourage one another. And especially, we need to take the gospel to the world.

That is something that Christ has commissioned us to do. In fact, at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, he says that you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

A light does not hide itself under a bushel. You don't take a light, hide it under a basket, but you put it on a stand and set it in the middle of the whole house, and it gives light to all.

And so we are to shine our lights before men so that they may see our good works and give glory to our

God and Father who is in heaven. We can only do that when we're living in the world in which we live.

We are in the world, but we are not of the world. So we need to take this light of the gospel to a lost and dying world full of darkness so that others may come to faith in Jesus Christ and live.

If we separate ourselves from the world, we are withholding from them the gospel that they need to hear.

And we do this against all sound wisdom. We don't separate ourselves in wisdom.

Proverbs 18, verse 2, A fool does not delight in discernment, but only in revealing his own heart.

To be a discerning person means also, at least in the context of this particular proverb, it means knowing when to speak and when to keep silent.

There's a discerning mind involved in that as well. Thanks to the Internet and discernment bloggers and things like that, we have this idea of discernment being warning everybody against false teachers.

And you have to speak up anytime and all the time, making sure everybody knows this person is false.

Or even if they start hinting toward false teaching, we need to call them out immediately. That's not discernment.

Sometimes there is, you must be quiet. You must shut your mouth. And it is discernment that gives wisdom to a person to know when to speak and when not to speak.

So the person who lacks discernment delights in revealing his own heart. And as we've seen this over and over again in Proverbs, how is a person's heart revealed?

When they open their mouth. Verse 3, When a wicked man comes, despising also comes.

And with disgrace comes reproach. So the wicked man despises anything good, especially wisdom.

And it goes on to say, And disgrace comes before reproach. Or I'm sorry. And with disgrace comes reproach.

In the English Standard Version, it actually switches the phrase around. So it says, With dishonor comes disgrace.

And so a person who acts in a dishonorable way, they disgrace themselves. And others who may associate themselves with that person as well, do not keep company or do not be yoked with unbelievers, as Paul says in 2

Corinthians. We go on to verse 4. The words of a man's mouth are deep waters.

The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook. Now it appears here in the context of this psalm, when we read that the words of a man's mouth are deep waters, we're reading about a wise man because it says the fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook.

None of the Proverbs that we're reading here in this particular section are contrasts. So it's not saying the wise person does this, but the wicked person does this.

Everything contained in these Proverbs we've been reading here is a continuous thought. So going back to verse 1, he who separates himself seeks his own desire.

He breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom. Okay. There's a parallelism there. It's saying the same thing twice.

A fool does not delight in discernment, but only in revealing his own heart. That's still talking about the fool. There's no wisdom there.

When a wicked man comes, despising also comes and with disgrace comes reproach. All wickedness in that particular proverb.

So when we read here in verse 4, the words of a man's mouth are deep waters. We're talking about a wise man.

The fountain of wisdom is a flowing brook. Wisdom that comes from the heart of a wise man is deep.

In other words, it's or in a word, I should put it that way. It's unfathomable. You could continue to swim down and probe the depths of the richness of those words, and you would continue to learn great things from them.

So this is the heart of wisdom. And just think about what we have here in the book of Proverbs.

So far, we've been reading Solomon advising his son. And there are men who have contemplated these words for 3000 years since they were first written down.

And we still not come. We still do not come to the end of them. That is not to Solomon's credit, but to the

Lords who gave him this wisdom. And this is the word of God. We continue to read it and study it and never get to the end of it.

For God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways higher than our ways. As it says in Isaiah 55,

Romans 11, verse 34, who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid for from him and through him and to him are all things to him.

Be glory forever. Amen. We continue on here to verse five to show partiality to the wicked is not good, nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment to favor a wicked man.

And then to discriminate against a righteous person. May this never be. But we understand

James two, one, my brothers show no partiality as you hold the faith and our Lord Jesus Christ, the

Lord of glory. We do need to be discerning when it comes to knowing whose word to trust and who not to trust or who we should keep company with and who we should not keep company with, or who needs to be called out in their sin and whose behavior needs to be congratulated or modeled after that we may be examples to one another in this faith in which we walk.

Show no partiality to the wicked. Do not thrust aside the righteous in judgment. Verse six, a fool's lips come with strife and his mouth calls for beatings.

So the words of a fool will only bring anxiety. They do not help you.

They do not give you guidance or wisdom and how to live in this life. His mouth calls for beatings.

In other words, the things that he says he will stand in judgment for. Remember that Jesus said that we would give an account for every careless word that we have spoken.

If we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are forgiven our sins. Even the idle words that we have said, some things we may not be aware that we have said that have been wicked or not have been honoring to God.

May we have a mouth. Everything that we say gives honor unto the Lord. May he bless us with that.

But even those times that we've said false things, lying things, or we've said careless things,

God will forgive us for those things if we are in Christ Jesus. But those who do not have Christ, they will give an account for the words that they have said and worse than beatings is what they will receive.

They will have the judgment of God on their heads. Verse seven, a fool's mouth is his ruin and his lips are the snare of his soul.

Very similar to some other things we've been reading here in this section of Proverbs, his lips are a snare.

So when he gets trapped in his own ways and his own devices, he's brought this on himself because of the words that he has said.

Verse eight, the words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels and they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.

They go down into the core of the person. In other words, so we need to understand who a whisperer is in this context, the words of a whisperer.

Well, another translation says the words of a tail bearer are as wounds.

So we're talking about a person who does not speak honestly, or they may gossip and spread rumors and lies.

That's what a whisperer does. They're like dainty morsels. You like what it is that they have to say.

That's why you want to hear from the gossiper. Ooh, what's the juicy gossip that you have for us today?

What's the buzz? What's the scuttlebutt, right? So you listen to what it is they have to say.

You eat what, what you receive from them and it goes down into the innermost part of your soul.

That's important to keep in mind because you need to avoid such person. They will transform you into being like them.

They're dishonest. They spread lies and malicious gossip about somebody else. They are not to be trusted.

Will you receive that when you eat what they give you? You are what you eat.

Remember that proverb? Yeah, that applies here. Verse nine. He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys the person who is slack in his work.

Remember this command that the apostle Paul gave to the Thessalonians in second

Thessalonians chapter three. He said, if there is anyone among you who is not willing to work, let him not eat.

That's second Thessalonians three, 10 for we hear that some among you walk in idleness.

Paul said, not busy at work, but busy bodies. So this goes with the previous proverb that we just read.

Now, such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

So once again, if they're not willing to work, they don't get to eat. Verse 13. I'm still in second

Thessalonians three verse 13. As for you brothers do not grow weary and doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person and have nothing to do with him that he may be ashamed.

Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. It is sin to refuse to work.

We must work for God told Adam in the garden of Eden to work the garden and to keep it.

And that was before sin even entered the picture. So we have been made for work and to do this unto the glory of God.

The one who does not work, who is slack in his work. He is brother to him who destroys and who is that who destroys.

It's Satan, right? As Jesus said in John 10 10, the thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy.

And the thief in the context there that Jesus talks about in John 10 10, that's a false teacher.

So a false teacher who spreads lies again, going back to that previous proverb there in verse eight, the person who spreads lies, he is like a thief who steals and kills and destroys.

So the person who is slack in his work is brother to that person. He is brother to him who destroys the one who spreads lies and destroys.

So we have coming back to Proverbs chapter 18. Again, we have in verse eight, the words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels.

They go down into the innermost parts of the stomach. You listen to his words and you become like him.

He's a destroyer with his words. Verse nine, he who is slack in his work, who doesn't work as God has told us to work.

He is brother to him who destroys. So what's going to happen to both of these persons? They go to their destruction.

Be like neither one speak truth and work diligently as unto the

Lord. Verse 10, the name of Yahweh is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and is set securely on high.

We read in Psalm 61, three, you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

We've read other passages that talk about God being our fortress and our shield. It's from those passages that Martin Luther wrote that great him a mighty fortress is our

God. That's Yahweh, the name of Yahweh, knowing his name, calling upon the name of the

Lord. He is a strong tower for us. The righteous who seek after God and his ways.

We run into that tower, into his fortress, and we are set securely on high for those places with high walls and high towers, usually built in high places.

We're set securely on high where the enemy cannot get to us. Now compare that verse, that proverb verse 10 with what we have here in verse 11, a rich man's wealth is his strong city and like a high wall in his own delusion.

So the rich man believes that his strong city is his wealth. He's watching those who take refuge in Yahweh.

And he thinks to himself, well, I have a strong fortress of my own. Look at this. And he puts trust in his own wealth, which of course will not last.

And it means nothing when he dies and goes and stands in judgment. It doesn't matter how much wealth he had.

So a rich man's wealth is his strong city and like a high wall in his own delusion, he sits in a delusion.

But when Yahweh, when Christ returns and does battle against this world and against its ways and against the lies and deceptions of Satan, what's going to happen to this world?

Well, as it says in second Thessalonians, God is going to vanquish Satan with the breath of his mouth.

Like Satan is no formidable foe against Christ. He's just going to destroy him with the breath of his mouth.

Satan will be done away with by the power of Christ. And so anyone who has put their trust in Mammon, in the ways of this world, in the wiles of Satan, he's going to be destroyed along with Satan.

He puts trust in those things, but it matters not. When Christ comes to judge the living and the dead,

Psalm 20, verse seven, some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust in the name of the

Lord, our God, believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will live. Verse 12, before destruction, the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before glory.

And we all need to humble ourselves before God. If you are full of yourself, if you are full of pride, you go to your own destruction.

We've been reading about that pride all the way through this section of Proverbs, but if we humble ourselves before God, we go to glory and we will live in his glory forever in his eternal kingdom, humble yourself before the

Lord. And at the proper time, he will exalt you. As it says in James and in Peter, we need to be as poor beggars before Christ.

For Jesus said in Matthew five, three, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And if we humble ourselves before Christ in this way, he gives us everything, making us fellow heirs of the kingdom of God.

Heavenly father, we thank you for all good things that are given to us in Christ Jesus.

And I pray that we would be filled with this Thanksgiving every day, giving honor and glory unto your name, that we may join you in your glorious kingdom forever.

Help us to be fully satisfied in all that we have received in Christ. Give us those things that we need like food and clothing.

For as we read in Matthew chapter six, if we ask God for these things, who knows that we need them, we will receive them.

We are taken care of by our loving father who is in heaven. May we live unto your name as living sacrifices this day.

It's in Jesus name. We pray. Amen. This has been, when we understand the text of pastor

Gabriel Hughes for all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books, and more visit our website at www .utt

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