Series in Proverbs - “God’s Truthful Words”

       

“God’s Truthful Words”

Proverbs 12:17-28

I worked with a fellow teacher in high school who had to address lying in his classroom, because things would come up missing and no one would tell the truth but covered for the thief. He told the students that the only things worse than thieves were liars, and the only thing worse than thieves and liars were those who covered for him or her. I believe this truth, for it aligns with God’s wisdom and Word, as described by Solomon through the Holy Spirit.

Solomon had to determine the truth from the false in ruling the people of Israel, and this discernment came from the Lord Almighty through his Holy Spirit and the Holy Scripture. So let's read the first portion of these proverbs. “An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! No harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.”

Solomon and the elders would meet at the gates in the city to hear and judge the peoples. And the one thing that guided their judgments was truth. For the establishment of a truthful witness would be their integrity and honesty; and any lies would be exposed and judged expeditiously.

Solomon understood the heart and the words of the mouth that exposed the spirit of the person, for cutting words of sarcasm and derision would expose the lack of the reality of Godly wisdom in the heart and life of a person. But the judge who heard words of wisdom from a mouth, these words brought healing and the rectifying of wrongs through humility. It would expose the heart of God’s truth in the person.

Solomon knew that the Word of God would withstand the test of time and that it and only it could determine the truth from the false. It exposes the intent of a lying witness. For the revealing of the deceit would also lead to the divulging of the evil plans and the manifesting of the wicked plot egregiously planned or perpetrated.

Solomon knew that God detested the lying lips of any person and that it needed to be eradicated from the city.  “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Ex. 20:16 NIV) “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil. Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate…No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.” (Ps. 101:2b-8 NIV)

Solomon had grown up in a home that practiced Godly truth and the love of God’s law and precepts. For his dad wrote “My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.” (Ps. 101:6 NIV) David knew the joy of a heart after God and the peace that came from the Scripture and the truth in God’s wisdom and plans. For it was in this trust and faith that David knew God would protect him from harm and the wicked who were planning it, many times he asked God to reverse their evil plots back on their lives, and let them fall into their own traps.

Application - There are times in your life when you will need to discern the truth from the false. And as Jesus stated about the last days, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” (Matt. 24:12 NIV) and Paul wrote “while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13 NIV) Paul and Jesus both knew that deception was the devil’s bane, for he was the father of lies. “...not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ( John 8:44b NIV)

 In the aforementioned incident at the high school, the thief was caught and paid restitution for the incident. But it was in wisdom that the teacher was able to reach back into the child’s life and restore the trust needed in the classroom and the healing in both their lives.

 God’s Word is eternal and absolute, “For no word from God will ever fail.” Nor will it ever, for it will always achieve its purpose and His Word is truth. “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” “The Eternal’s law is perfect, turning lives around. His words are reliable and true, instilling wisdom to open minds.” (Isa.55:11 NIV; Ps.19:7 Voice) And it exposes the lies. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 NIV)

It is in the nature of an unregenerate man to succumb to deceit, for it is his default behavior. But when God, the Holy Spirit takes residence in the heart of a person, the person's nature is changed to the divine nature of a new creation. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT) And God fills their hearts and life with inexpressible joy and a peace that is beyond comprehension.

God has a plan for each person's life, and in that plan He promises that He will never leave them nor forsake them, He is with them in times of peril and trouble. In the world of street wisdom, the first line of defense is to lie, the second is to tell another lie to cover the first. But God takes no delight in lying, He detests it, but he does delight in those who tell the truth and live lives that honor Godly truth.

Last, Solomon again looks at the character of the person to determine the truth and honesty or deceit in their testimony. So let’s read the final portion of the text. “The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness. Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find. The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.” (NLT)

Again, it is the sin of pride and arrogance that puffs up the learned and the unlearned. Solomon was considered the wisest man on earth during his day, but in pride and arrogance he also succumbed to the fallen nature of the flesh. He stated over and over the wicked acts of the foolish and ignorant in the proverbs because he had seen their words revealed their folly and exposed their lack of knowledge as they broadcasted their cluelessness as they argued or proclaimed their case at the gates of the city before the judge or elders.

Solomon had to deal with the agrarian lifestyle in his adjudications. He admired those who were hard working for they made good leaders, their wisdom and skill sets were a sign of God’s providence in their lives. Whereas the lazy were always a blight on the community. They found their lives in bondage. They were weighted down with self-perceived excuses and reasons for their slothfulness, and their words were filled and mixed with anxiety and anger. 

Solomon understood the only manner of encouragement that the indolent understood was indulging their needs by others acquiescing to their plight, but God’s wisdom says to encourage them not abet their laziness. They need good and wise advice from trusted people, for they have probably had their fill from the vile and wicked which continually lead them astray into further poverty and bondage. Solomon may have seen the squalor of homes or communities where the garbage and trash overruns the home and lands of the slothful, even the most pitiful is the person who will not even prepare their food but attack it as a savaged animal. For it was still God’s law to prepare the meal with the dietary rules from God.

Last, Solomon desired diligence in his kingdom and it always led to a godly life, on the pathway God had laid out for all those who will enter into it.

Application - In many areas of academia, whether in secular or religious schools of education. The teaching of knowledge supersedes the gaining of wisdom. Paul made a statement about this to the Corinthians. For the leaders, philosophers, and people of the community put on airs of pride and arrogance as they sat in judgment on dietary rules and other religious issues. “…We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up...” (1 Cor. 8:1b) 

It hasn’t changed in 2000 years, we all need knowledge but not the prideful broadcasting of man -derived philosophy and the proclaiming of sophist foolishness taught as truth.

In truth, God desires for all of us to work hard with our hands as well as with our minds. It is through the experience of labor and education that great leaders have arisen and aroused the masses to success in life, and those who possess the wisdom of God make masterful leaders. But those who are consumed with the anxiety of this world let their worries possess their minds and lives, weighting them down. It is to the wise to encourage, build up and edify those with words of wisdom or knowledge provided by God’s Spirit. With the wisdom of God comes sound advice, whereas the words of the vile lead people astray from God into a deeper morass of darkness and futility; even to the point of complacency and apathy. But to those who arise to lead in diligence and savor the wisdom from God. It leads them to find the life of abundance that Jesus said he came to bring through a life surrender and submitted to God.  “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b NIV)

As Solomon closes this chapter of proverbs, he penned apt words of wisdom for everyone,  “The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.” (NLT) And let us conclude this lesson with the same desire, letting the way of God lead our lives, on the narrow path of God that leads to life and not to death.

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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