Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 3:21-24, God's Wisdom Calms Fear

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:12

David Chadwick "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both." Proverbs 20:12 We will wrap up this week with Proverbs 20:12, which says, "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both." Let's unpack this truth together. Creation proves the existence of God. When you look at creation's design, there is no other option than to believe there must be a Creator. How can something come from nothing unless there is a Creator? How can order come from disorder unless there is a Creator? My dad used to say that to believe that this world was created without a Creator and through a big bang is like saying that an explosion in a printing press could create an unabridged dictionary. Isaiah 40:28 says, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable." The Lord God is the Creator of EVERYTHING. He made it all. Our ears, eyes, nose, and everything else. And before sin entered in, God looked at everything he had made and called it "very good" (Genesis 1:31). More specifically, though, I think this proverb wants us to take it a step deeper. It's not just the ear; it's the hearing ear. Examine the intricacies of the ear. How we hear sound waves. How they go into our brain and are processed into thoughts and then into actions. All of this just happened? No! The ability to hear points even deeper to a perfect God who created the human ear. And it's not just an eye; it's a seeing eye! Look at the human eye. How we see. Light refractions that enter our retinas at immeasurable speeds to give us vision. And all this just happened? No! Many have come to faith by examining the intricacy of creation within the human body. To say this all just happened, without a designer, is incredulous. There is a God. He is real. He created everything. Both the hearing ear and the seeing eye scream aloud, "There is a God who made you!" And this God loves you very, very much!

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:11

by David Chadwick "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright." Proverbs 20:11 All throughout Scripture, the importance of children and childlikeness is addressed. Psalm 127:3 says that children are a heritage from the Lord. In Luke 18:16-17, Jesus says to let the little children come to him and to not hinder them. He says that if we do not receive the kingdom of God like a child, we will not enter it. In Proverbs 20:11, God's Word says that "even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright." In other words, there are certain principles in God's economy that even a child can and should understand, one of which is how to have good conduct and act rightly. Jesus does tell us not to judge and disparage people in Matthew 7:1. It is sinful to think of people with disdain and to immediately write them off and send them to hell in our minds. Rather, we are called to love people. Yes, even our enemies. And to bless those who curse us. Yet, at the same time, we are called to rightly inspect and discern the fruit of people. To call things right versus wrong. To examine what they do in order to determine who they really are. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus specifically addressed why this practice is so important when it comes to false teachers. He said that some false prophets "come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." But this practice is not just to be used with false teachers; it's for all people. This is something parents should do as they observe potential peer influences on their kids. And they should teach their children to discern as well. It's something we should do as we choose our friends and close relationships. Our employees. A potential spouse. We all must become master observers of people's actions and conduct and rightly discern if it's pure and upright. Wisdom is known by its acts. By its behavior. By what it does. Both among children and adults. Look at what people do along with what they say. Actions always prove beliefs.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:10

by David Chadwick "Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination of the Lord." Proverbs 20:10 We continue our study through some of our favorite proverbs. I believe that practical wisdom is grossly underrated and undervalued. My hope is that the time we are spending in this book gives you tools for the everyday moments that we encounter. Don't underestimate the importance of stewarding our time in this book, as lengthy as it may seem. The book of Proverbs offers so much practical wisdom for areas like parenting, marriage, relationships, employment, and, as you saw yesterday and will see again today, government. Proverbs 20:10 says, "Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination of the Lord." Here is another purpose of government: specifically to ensure that equal justice happens before the law. In order for justice to take place, weights and measures must be equal and fair for all. This verse condemns dishonesty and rebukes double standards of any kind. It confirms the fact that justice should be blind and impartial. Through the ages, people have made unequal weights and measures to make more money, for personal gain, and to advance their selfish agendas. So often, the rich and powerful ones, with evil in their hearts, are the ones overseeing these weights and measures. Therefore, injustice occurs, and the rich become richer while the poor become poorer. According to today's verse, this type of inequality is an abomination of the Lord. Do you know what the word "abomination" means? It is something that is "intensely detested and loathed." Dear friends, this should break our hearts. If something is detested by the Lord, we should hate it too. Here is the bottom line: God hates the mistreatment of his children. He knows that no society can exist, much less prosper, unless there is justice running through its laws. Jesus loves justice. We, as his people, should as well. And we should desire having a government that loves justice too. Psalm 11:7 says, "For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face." When it comes to unequal weights and unequal measures, this should be our prayer. "Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice" (Psalm 7:6).

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:9

by David Chadwick "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin'?" Proverbs 20:9 A pure heart. Clean hands. A renewed and righteous spirit. These were the cries of King David's heart in Psalm 51:10. Solomon had a similar anguish in Proverbs 20:9 when he said, "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin'?" He knew the value and importance of holiness. But he also knew that apart from God's grace we are inherently filthy. Remember, this is written in the Old Testament. The Messiah had not yet arrived. Solomon and his people were living with an awareness of a holy God but great anticipation for salvation that had not yet come. So they had a deep awareness that the atonement for their sins could only come through the shedding of blood through animal sacrifice. Solomon knew the answer to his own question. No one! No one can say, "I have made my heart pure. No one can say, "I am clean from sin." This proverb paves the way for a Gospel proclamation. This is the simple Gospel. Let's remind ourselves of it today. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All means all! Or as the psalmist in Psalm 14:1 said, no one is righteous, not even one. The wages of sin is death. We cannot, by our human efforts, be forgiven. There is no way out apart from the free gift of salvation through Jesus (Romans 6:23). These are all clear statements in God's Word. Our hearts can only become pure, and we can only become clean through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus was beaten, bloodied, and tortured. He was persecuted and killed as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He took all of our unrighteousness upon himself. The One who was perfectly righteous in every possible way and knew no sin became sin so that in him we might become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). THIS is the great exchange. Jesus took our sin. We receive his righteousness. We are now forgiven and made pure and clean by the grace and mercy of Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). What a deal! Who wouldn't receive this? For this forgiveness is what gives us the entrance into heaven and a reason to live on this side of eternity. But first we must realize that we are sinners, like Solomon, and need a Savior.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:8

by David Chadwick "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes." Proverbs 20:8 Today's proverb is all about the importance of strong, godly leadership. We are going to look at what Solomon had to say about his "throne of judgment." Proverbs 20:8 says, "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes." Let's take a look at the definition of the word "winnow." It means "to remove the unwanted parts of something or to narrow down a large list of options into a smaller, more desirable selection." Agriculturally speaking, "winnowing" is "the process of tossing harvested grain into the air so the wind can blow away the lightweight chaff, leaving only the heavy, valuable grain to fall to the floor." What a powerful picture! Solomon is essentially saying that one of his major responsibilities is to remove evil so that those under his leadership can prosper. This proverb teaches that one of the major purposes of someone in governmental leadership is to eliminate evil and to protect its citizens from any and all forces of darkness. Now take a moment and look at the end of this verse. Solomon says that this king "winnows evil with his eyes!" Somehow a righteous king is able, with a mere gaze, to expose evil and throw it to the ground. A Godly king, filled with the Holy Spirit, can often discern evil by looking at a person or situation. This is why we have a police force. To protect citizens from criminals. This is why we have a military force. To protect a nation from enemy invasions and forces. Much like kings, these are the ones who have been given authority to winnow evil from our midst. Many have joked through the ages that the best and most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictator. I'd add a benevolent, Christian dictator. One who functions by God's Word and makes immediate decisions for the good of the citizens and the nation. A deeper dive on the importance of biblical leadership within government can be found in Romans 13, where Paul dives deeply into God's original design for government. It is to serve its citizens and to protect its citizens–to winnow evil immediately whenever it's seen.