Series in Proverbs - A Disciplined LIfe

       

A Disciplined Life

Proverbs 10:13-22

Instruction, wisdom, understanding, spiritual wealth, and godly lips are the elements of a Godly disciplined life, and lacking understanding, a foolish tongue, poverty, rebelliousness and straying from the truth, destruction, and sorrow are the elements of an undisciplined one. Solomon contrasts these two elements as the heart and mind conditions of the godly wise and the foolish wise. So let’s read the first portion of the text.“Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding. Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the destruction of the poor is their poverty. The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin. He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.” 

In Solomon’s life of searching out all things, “And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.” and in his endeavors to understand, he encounters the contrasting lifestyles of those who follow the wisdom of God and those who are led astray by the wisdom of the world. This is the essence of these proverbs.

He finds understanding on the lips of the godly, and correction to the backs of those devoid of understanding. Their life is harsh treatment and destruction. For the wages of the foolish are poverty and wickedness, and the refusal of correction which leads them into the worst straits and destruction is their lot in life.

Where the counterpart, godly wisdom, opens its life to gaining understanding and the avoidance of punishment by diligence. The storing of knowledge and imparting of wise counsel mark the mind and lips of a life of spiritual wealth that will stand the test of time as a strong city. The labor of the wise lead to a contented life versus a foolish life that refuses correction and strays from the solid moorage of sound wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s wisdom, ways, and straight path.

Application: I think of God’s discipline on the lives of all those Israelites who were told of His will by the prophets because of their idolatry and total disregard for God. A good example is Jeremiah’s time, God told all the people of Israel that they were going to be captives in Babylon because of their harlotry and transgressions. God told all the people they would be disciplined. It was only the wise that surrendered in obedience to God’s will and they would be established and prosper in this land if they would obey the Word of God and trust in His ways by understanding and knowledge of the future. (Jer. 29:4-14) The others who rebelled, instead of following God’s admonition, they refused knowledge, wisdom, and obedience and God gave them over to the rod, a mind devoid of God’s understanding of their circumstances, and the destruction of their future. (Jer. 29:17-19) This promised prosperity through yielding to the Lord was God’s way and will for He instructed all who would turn and obey God’s Word. And the death by Plague, sword, or pestilence was the future for those who wouldn’t listen and obey.

I see the two sided coin of Wisdom/Folly being flipped here and letting their lot be decided by the acts of man’s will, whether obedience to wisdom and prosperity or disobedience and unwise words of deception, destruction and a life lead astray into folly. 

God has given us His Word full of His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that leads us to a wise life and ultimately eternal life. Just as Paul wrote to the Romans, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV) and James wrote to all who will read it and believe, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6 NIV)

And this is the unyielding mind and obstinate will of those who follow folly. They stumble in pain because of their actions and lack of knowledge and understanding of God and His wisdom. Their hearts and mouths lead them into destruction and poverty, wickedness and refusal to yield to correction and discipline by God. “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” (Proverbs 3:11-12 NIV)

God’s Word is given to all to equip them with understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NIV)

Next, Solomon has probably heard every reason and excuse contrived by mankind for the predicaments they have found themselves in, and he knows the malicious ways of the heart and perfidious lips through divine discernment. So let’s read the final portion of the text. “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom. The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”

  There were some whose hatred of Solomon before and during his reign came from his own family, his half brother, Adonjiah who wanted his throne. Then there were the aspiring political leaders like Jeroboam, (1 Kings 11:26) and rivaling kings like Rezon (1 Kings 11:23-25) who despised King Solomon, and then political leaders like Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14-22) who hated and caused adversity for Solomon during his reign. 

Then there were those in whom Solomon encountered within his kingdom who displayed hatred and lack of godly wisdom, lying, slander, and whose hearts were wicked. The intrigue of hatred was hidden by some till they could usurp those they detested as will be seen in many of the kingdoms of the world, let alone the ordinary peoples of the world.

Each of these people portrayed their lack of wisdom, and the fruit of wickedness of a sin-riddled life. Lying lips, hatred of godly wisdom, unrestrained lives, and foolish wisdom lead them to pursue evil and its all encompassing realm of death. But God blessed those who bridled the tongue, and they spoke only that which was beneficial and edifying to the building up of others as well as themselves.

Application: As we have surely experienced, hatred is sometimes concealed and slander that lashes out of our beings and soul is derived from a sinful life that will not yield to God or his wisdom. Those devoid of understanding and the knowledge of God yield to this veiled hatred as the means to settle an account, and hide in the shadows waiting to contrive the acts of hatred and violence. The calling card of the deprived of wisdom is slander and unrestrained lips that gush out anger, hatred and violence. 

And the value of godly wisdom is seen as of little worth and the pursuit of vengeance or violence is rationalized in the heart and mind of the ones who lack wisdom, for life itself of little value in their sight. They do not see the richness of knowing godly wisdom or its God. The path of the foolish is sorrow and pain, for them and for all in whom they encounter it ends in death and destruction. 

We sadly see this repeated often in our world, and as we come nearer to the end times spoken of through Scripture, it is a sign of the times in which we now live. (Gen. 6:11-12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5) But the Lord is still sovereign and waiting until all of the appointed times have been enacted. All who seek Him will be blessed and He will enrich them not only in this world with spiritual riches and also eternal riches in His terrestrial Kingdom of the Millennium reign as well as in the ethereal kingdom of the new heaven and the new earth, and there will be no sorrow, tears, or regrets there. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Matt. 19:29 NKJV)

In conclusion, God desires for us to live wise and godly lives that bear the elements of following His instruction, wisdom, understanding, leading and giving us spiritual wealth, and godly lips that demonstrate the elements of a Godly disciplined life.

As always, I want to conclude by presenting the gospel in the form of the basic principles of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ. For Jesus, God the Son, came into this world to save all who believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you; he is the light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and has given him all authority in heaven and on earth. He will answer you if you truly believe. If you haven't yet asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

First, A: Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a just God, and a change of heart takes place: we change our minds, and God changes our hearts and regenerates us inside and out. Romans 3:10: As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners, so we must be born spiritually to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.) Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death; in other words, our sin means we have been sentenced to death; we have the death penalty hanging over our heads; that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast. Secondly,

B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised him from the dead. This is trusting with all your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is righteous, and with the mouth confession is made and is saved. Third,

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every person who sees lThose who have lived since Adam will kneel andthey confessed with hismouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, Lord of lords, and King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God.” Don’t wait, do it now. Romans 10:13 - For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” “O God, I am a sinner. I repent of my sin. I want to turn away from it. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son; I believe that he died on the cross for my sins, that he was buried, and that you raised him from the dead. I have decided to put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting in his shed blood alone as sufficient to save my soul and take me to heaven. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen.”

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please visithttp://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In Your Service Mike Davis

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