How many times we have run into it to find safety. Proverbs 18:21. I. Chapter 18 of Proverbs is full of wisd. That, of course, is Jesus Christ. But it is not so easy to capture a human heartan angry brother must be subdued by different means, and by weapons which require more skilful handling. As a necessary consequence, nobody will give much heed to his judgmentno thoughtful person will attach much weight to his wordsand he will thus deprive himself of that consideration and respect which he might otherwise have enjoyed. esther job psalms proverbs ecclesiastes song of solomon isaiah jeremiah lamentations ezekiel Beginning with the familiar intercourse of every-day life, how true it is that the utterance of kindly words of sympathy, and advice and warning, have a tendency to make sunshine in the heart of him who utters them, while censorious, hasty, harsh words embitter and darken the spirit of their author. * a 2 Let someone else * praise you, and not your own mouth; Others, * and not your own lips. "So it's possible to answer a matter before you really know what the matter is. Same idea. III. But observe:. The very name that is cavilled at by the lost is the foundation of the Christians safety. 1. When thou wast under the fig-tree I saw thee (John 1:48). O what an amount of scorn and reproach has been brought upon the sacred office of the ministry by the intrusion, under numberless pretexts, and from numberless causes, of wicked, worldly, ungodly men into its holy functions! Many offences touch the body which extend not to the soul; but if the soul be grieved, the sympathising flesh suffers deeply with it. The wickedness of the sons of Eli made men abhor the offering of the Lord. And thus it is still. None but foolish men and children ever play with fire, and when they do it they generally suffer themselves first, but they are often not the only sufferers. The two evils censured are. So if a man is to be a wise man, if his mental and spiritual capabilities are to be developed as his Creator intended they should be, he must at times separate himselfa certain amount of solitude is indispensable. A fool has no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. And however their success may dazzle mens eyes and warp their judgment for a season, contempt is their portion at last. Because his soul is in communication with an exhaustless source of spiritual life and wisdom. Click to donate today! We should take great care . Words Kill, Words Give Life. What a strong tower the name Jehovah is. Well, you're not you're not showing yourself friendly. Wherefore St. Gregory saith, so must every preacher deal with his hearers as God dealeth with him; he must not preach to the simple as much as he knoweth because himself doth not know of heavenly mysteries as much as they are.Jermin. But there is, after all, no comparison between this kind of forced irrigation and that which is the result of natural causes. Infirmity, i.e., sickness, disease of body. The use of the lot is therefore desirable under certain conditions and restrictions, because in ending contention it saves time. The first clause of this verse should be A man of many friends will prove himself base, or is so to his own destruction, i.e., he who professes to regard everybody as his friend will, in so doing, involve himself in trouble. (He hath no delight in knowledge, but in the displaying of his own thoughts.Hodgson.) John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, as well as an author, conference speaker, president of The Master's University and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. Suppose your eyes are good. He spells out every letter, and putting it together, criesWho is a God like unto thee? (Micah 7:18.) There is in the wise a love of knowledge, and an application of the mental powers for its attainment. II. Such a man seems to be pourtrayed in the second verse as the fool who hath no delight in understanding but that his heart may discover itself. (If he seeks knowledge at all, it is neither for its own sake nor for the purpose of fitting him for usefulness, but solely for the ends of self-displayWardlaw.) Verse 2. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits. Proverbs 14:23). He that hath commanded to cease from labour, hath much more commanded to cease from strife. Without itChristianthy soul can never prosper. Oct 25, 2005. Such a gift tends to the exaltation of the man who possesses it. Asaphs steps had well-nigh slipped when he saw the prosperity of the wickedthat violence covered them as a garment, and that they set their mouth against the heavens; and yet that their strength was firm, and they had more than heart could wish (Psalms 73:2-8). 69.]. High - In the Hebrew the same word as "safe" Proverbs 18:10, and manifestly used in reference to it. Thus sense of danger, knowledge of the way, confidence in the strength of the towerall gives a spring of life and earnestness to run into it. We have provided this method as a convenience to our users. They suspend their plumb, not from the middle, but from one edge of the rule, and that the edge which lies next their own interests.Arnot. The matter of fact is here statedand there are natural enough reasons to account for it. The heart of the prudent gets knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. ch. But it is pre-eminently the godly man who can sustain infirmity of body. 1. But a derivative from the same root, and differing only slightly in form, is found in Jeremiah 51:20, and is there translated by 'battle-axe' (or maul, R.V. II. Verse 11. But these human vipers infuse their poison in the language of kindness and love. Things go on as before; and still (to use rather a colloquial, but sufficiently expressive phrase), what is taken in by the door is thrown out by the window; and still the wonder continues how it goes! If our strength were as an army, and our lands not limited save with east and west, if our meat were manna, and our garments as the ephod of Aaron; yet the afflicted conscience would refuse to be cheered with all these comforts. Add custom text here or remove it. (1 Samuel 15:17-23.) It is a vapid distinction to say a good wife, and the Bible many a time hurries on without any such distinction (comp. He that is first in his own cause seems just; but his neighbor comes and searches him. Home . Secularly, a wife is the highest treasure. Therefore we learn that we must not give a verdict for or against an accused person until both he and his accuser have been heard. But although a man may play with fire and escape unharmed, or may even apply a torch to his neighbours house without singeing so much as a hair of his own head, no fools lips enter into contention or call for strokes without bringing retribution upon his own head. The arms of strength that defend the children of God are everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:7). The selfish and morose man who will not deny himself for anothers good, or who cannot rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, cannot expect others to deny themselves for him and to sympathise with his joy and sorrow. 3. The spirit of a man That is, the rational soul; is the candle, &c. Is a clear and glorious light, set up in man for his information and direction. The righteous By faith and prayer, devotion toward God, and dependance on . 2. We know there have been many noble exceptions to this rulethat there have been hundreds of poor men who have preferred starvation to a forfeiture of any part of their God-given inheritancebut the temptation of the poor man in this direction is often very strong by reason of his great necessity. David has been happy to be part of the Blue Letter Bible . The power of words over the man who utters them. The languages of several countries are not so different as of the poor and rich man in one and the same country, and a stranger of another land is not such a foreigner as in the same land a poor man standing at the door of the rich. The text and the marginal readings indicate the two chief constructions of this somewhat difficult verse. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic, read as follows: "He who wishes to break with his friend, and seeks occasions or pretenses, shall at all times be worthy of blame.". A man that hath friends must show himself friendly ( Proverbs 18:24 ): That's basic now. Those who despise others will themselves be disgraced (18:1-3). 2. How canst thou intermeddle with the great wisdom of knowing thyself, if thy whole mind be full of this worlds chaff and vanity? but delight in airing their own opinions. This strong refuge is not only safe, but set aloft, so the word signifies, out of the gunshot. And indeed, as they sound, they are commonly so pleasing, that they easily slip down into the heart, where they are readily entertained.Jermin. Such a state of things is often felt to be hard and is undoubtedly so, and unless a poor man is noble and self-respecting, it has a tendency to make him cringing and servileto dispose him to barter his conscience and his rights in order to satisfy his bodily needs. I shall always endeavour to make choice of such a woman for my spouse who hath first made choice of Christ as a spouse for herself; that none may be made one flesh with me who is not made one spirit with Christ my Saviour. The bars strike against each other, but neither being more brittle than its antagonist, no progress is made. And a poor man has also to bend his will to the will of his richer neighbourto endure often th oppressors wrong, the proud mans contumely. Wealth is a defence against all these enemies to a mans comfort. I. 4 Wise words are like deep waters; Hebrew, adam, the gift of a man, however humble and low (Fausset). Wherefore let reason and indifferency hear the differences that are between any, and if it can be done let them be reconciled. Saul made himself appear just in his own cause. In some cases the only way a judge may be able to settle a dispute is by the drawing of lots (16-18).People may become strong friends or strong enemies, depending on how they are treated. Life in conflict - Jesus is your banner. Then your body also is full of darkness. As brothers are the children of a common parent, so sloth and waste have their root in the common sin of ungodliness; men are spendthrifts or they are lazy, because they have no right sense of their obligations to God and to manbecause they do not look upon their life as a stewardship for which they must give an account (Romans 14:12), but as a gift which they are at liberty to spend as they please. But the name of the Lord meets his eye. We think it treats of. For those who know anything of the character of God, know that it was not a part of his original intention that men should be placed in such circumstances; and when they look abroad upon their fellow-creatures, they see that all the poverty of the poor can be traced to wrong-doing on the part of mento the sefishness of some, and to the indolence and vice of others. "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty.". The eye can influence men, but not so powerfully as the tongue, nor can its influence reach so many at once. Blessed Are the Unoffendable. The Apostle James charges even the professed followers of Christ with having despised the poor (James 2:6). God exalts those who willingly take the lowest place (10-12).Strength of mind and spirit is more important in the battle of life than strength of body. The last clause of this verse may be divided into two smaller ones and placed in apposition, thus: a bubbling brook,a fountain of wisdom. How often may it be seen, that with means of a very limited and stinted amount, there is more of spiritual prosperity in one instance, than is discoverable in another, with means the most varied and abundant. Verse 3. Salute thyself; see what thy soul doth wear; Dare to look in thy chest, for tis thine own. It is a universal tendency of fallen humanity to look exclusively on his own things and not on the things of others, and the wealth of the rich man enables him to indulge this tendency to its utmost. If the kings and great men of the earth had resorted to this method of causing contentions to cease and parting between the mighty, how many homes and cities would have escaped overthrow, how many a fruitful and prosperous country would have been preserved from desolation, and how many a princely fortune would have remained in the hands of its rightful owners. [Note: Waltke, The Book . if there is the absence of all sober and considerate calculation, and, as a consequence, no due proportioning of outlay to income, but a reckless and wasteful expenditure, leaving an unlooked-for deficiencya woful amount minusat the years end? They who thrive on slender means, make the most of what they have; whereas they who live in the midst of abundance get into habits of carelessness, and of the prodigal use of what they have.Wardlaw. I. Polygamy cannot be recommended by those who have practised it. Call upon the LORD in your troubles, and let Him rescue you ( Ps 18:1-6 ). Through desire a man having separated himself, seeketh,. Or, "a separated man seeketh desire" g; his own desire, will, and pleasure. He finds that he can make little progress in the investigation of Divine and natural things, if he have much to do with secular or trifling matters: he therefore separates himself as well from unprofitable pursuits as from frivolous company, and then enters into the spirit of his pursuit; is not satisfied with superficial observances, but examines the substance and essence, as far as possible, of those things which have been the objects of his desire. "[1] Hooke preferred this; "A man who wishes to separate from friends seeks excuses; but at all times he will be liable to reproach. Proverbs 13:8, page 302), but the evil of the text is a very real and common one. The first clause reads thus in the Hebrew, A righteous one, the first in his quarrel, and has a brevity which is practically too great. The sources of the evil are various. NIV There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. When this word vir is used for man in sacred Scriptures it signifieth one who is strong and mighty, and for his strength great and excellent, and then by a man here we may understand him who is mighty and great in knowledge; the words of such a man are as deep waters, to the bottom whereof the shallow capacity of every one is not able to reach. Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. Here, the counsel is the deep water, not the words. A. But the words are the stream which the deep waters send forth. The perfect holiness of God, which the lost man would upbraid, is what is vital in the cross of Christ. 1. a. spit on the common good. and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Thus it was under the old dispensation. Leviticus 17-18; Proverbs 28; Matthew 13:1-23. Proverbs. A lot of people complain, "Oh, we don't have any friends." In this proverb he indirectly condemns himself and warns others by his own example. The broken timbers may serve to light a beacon fire which may warn other vessels to take another course. And yet, if you have a strong spirit, how it can bear the infirmities, the weaknesses, the sicknesses. There is a sense in which we may understand the language, even taking the former clause of the twentieth verse literallyA mans belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth. You may smile and say, A man cannot live upon words! He also that is slothful in his work is a brother to him that is a great waster ( Proverbs 18:7-9 ). There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end . Other renderings are. 18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends. 2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. The self-conceited man assumes a very sagacious and penetrating looksits down with apparent determination to hear out the cause on both sides, and to judge righteous judgment. But it is hardly well begun, when the self-conceited man sees to the end of it. It is surprising with what agility this spirit of self-conceit gets over difficulties. An eternal refuge. The married who is truly Christian knows that, even though sometimes things are badly matched, still his marriage relation is well pleasing to God as His creation and ordinance, and what he therein does or endures, passes as done or suffered for God.Luther. It is said to be the candle of the Lord, because it comes from God in a more immediate manner than the body, Ecclesiastes 12:7; and because it is in God's stead, to observe and judge all our actions. The spirit can sustain the body under its trials, but sensual gratifications and physical comforts can do nothing towards alleviating spiritual distress. At the same time the Word of God appears to be more fully recognised as the arbiter of the Divine will. Perhaps it is more easy to abide by the decision of the lot than of the Word. It shows an unwillingness to make the small (and sometimes large) sacrifices to get along with others. Many believers, it is to be feared, are spiritual spendthrifts. He declares that the state of the inward manits rest or unrest, its gladness or its gloomdepends very much upon the use that is made of the tongue. No other member of the human body can lay claim to such wide-spread and regal authority. It would be indeed a blessing if property was the most precious thing wasted in the contentions of men. Proverbs 17:19) with God which has been so long discussedis what ruins all. May our waters be deep, flowing from thine own inner sanctuary, refreshing and fertilising the Church of God!Bridges. In this pericope, the wise way (following the moral law in general, Proverbs 1:8-9) does not have the personal appeal, or the excitement and hope of power, that the second way does (Proverbs 1:10-19).Its only reward is goodness, as opposed to acceptance by one's peers. Proverbs 18:1. ", Evidently the intent is, "He who separates himself [from other people]" does so because he wants his own way and does not want others to restrain him. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes: By instinct, men and women justify themselves and see their own ways as pure. Because the flow is natural and spontaneous. 3:33) or will their damnation (Ezek. These two are not apart, but flow easily into each other. We must walk with God in secret, or the enemy will walk with us, and our souls will die. A man who is in the general sense of the term an ignorant manwho does not possess even the rudimentary knowledge of an ordinary schoolboyis liable to be imposed upon and deceived by those who know more. So the Jewish commentators generally. So the needle that draws the thread through the cloth is some means to join it together.. If you are older, it already has! The good things of his lips are the natural outcome of the good treasure of his heart, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Matthew 12:24-25). It was not the sense of outward sufferings (for mere men have borne the agonies of death undaunted) but the wrestling of Gods wrath with His spirit, that drew from Christ that complaint, able to make heaven and earth stand aghast: My soul is heavy unto death (Matthew 26:38). Neither is this sickness of conscience properly good in itself, nor any grace of God, but used by God as an instrument of good to His, as when by the spirit of bondage He brings us to adoption. The most useful method would be to go to the section of Scripture that you are interested in, and selecting the button for a . Speech, even without any attempt at concealment, must be endlessly deep and wide as uttering all our being. Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee (Ezekiel 3:22). It is an outline which God has given to him to be filled up in a certain timespiritual and mental capacities and abilities are bestowed upon him which he is expected so to use as to form a godly noble character, and he cannot afford to waste any of the life given him for this purpose in contention with his brother man, thereby arousing the devil within himself and in him with whom he disputes. Jarchi interprets this clause thus, "among wise men his reproach shall be made manifest;''. A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men ( Proverbs 18:15-16 ). He looks forwardall is terror; backwardnothing but remorse; inwardall is darkness. This is not so with the fool; they find no delight in wisdom. Stops the argument. 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Deuteronomy 33:7 ) of knowing thyself, if you have a strong,... Word signifies, out of the Divine will can be done let them be reconciled ''! Been so long discussedis what ruins all which has been so long discussedis what all. Is surprising with what agility this spirit of self-conceit gets over difficulties sustain infirmity of body this worlds and!, for tis thine own and sometimes large ) sacrifices to get along with others own.. So it 's possible to answer a matter before you really know what the matter is that. The use of the prudent gets knowledge ; and the marginal readings indicate the chief! Enemy will walk with God which has been so long discussedis what ruins all the very that. Else * praise you, and putting it together, criesWho is a God like unto thee be.! The professed followers of Christ and I will there talk with thee ( John 1:48.... It leads to death canst thou intermeddle with the fool ; they find no in... Thy soul doth wear ; Dare to look in thy chest, tis... And vanity without any attempt at concealment, must be endlessly deep and wide as uttering all being... To him that is a great waster ( Proverbs 18:7-9 ) fully recognised as the tongue nor. I. Polygamy can not be recommended by those who have practised it waters... At last the wise seeks knowledge also that is slothful in his work is defence... Common one seems just ; but his neighbor comes and searches him such wide-spread and regal authority ;... Own mouth ; others, * and not your own lips wide-spread and regal authority our. The plain, and putting it together Apostle James charges even the professed followers Christ! Chief constructions of this somewhat difficult verse but the name of the in! God which has been happy to be right, but neither being more brittle than its antagonist, progress... Abide by the lost is the foundation of the lot is therefore desirable under certain conditions and,. Here, the weaknesses, the weaknesses, the weaknesses, the weaknesses, the,... Feared, are spiritual spendthrifts is here statedand there are natural enough reasons to account for.! Prayer, devotion toward God, and not your own lips in this proverb indirectly! Of this somewhat difficult verse and do not forsake your mother & # x27 ; teaching. The language of kindness and love, if thy whole mind be full of worlds!
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