Proverbs 29 - A Few More Thoughts

We're gonna jump right into Proverbs 29 for this morning, and just a few thoughts from this chapter.

When I look at the next two chapters, chapter 30 and chapter 31, both of them are very direct with some things that Solomon wanted to say. He had specific thoughts he's going for.

Of course, Proverbs 31, we would know as the chapter that talks about a diligent woman, and the many things that Solomon says about a woman that works hard, and the blessing that comes on her family and on her husband, even as a result of her work

ethic. And man, it's such an encouragement and a challenge to even me as a guy that I go, okay, man, if she's working this hard, I need to be working that hard.

And if it's a good thing for the Proverbs 31 woman to be doing these couple of things, then how much more would it also be good for me to be doing some of these things in my life?

Obviously, diligence isn't something that's just relegated to, oh, the men should be diligent or the women should be diligent. It's something that a hard work ethic is a great thing for all of us to do.

But chapter 29 is kind of one of these last chapters that kind of goes through and Solomon's like, okay, I need to talk a little bit about the fool. I need to talk about our words. I need to talk about justice.

I need to talk about our interactions with the king. I need to talk about discipline and correction with children. He goes through all of it in this chapter.

So we're not gonna hit every verse even though it's God's word. Literally every verse is a great thing and an important thing to be able to go through.

But today, together, we'll just go through some of these that as I was reading through this morning, I went, hmm, these would be some good things to take a look at together.

Verse number 29, or sorry, not verse number 29, chapter 29, verse number one is where we're gonna start off here. He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy.

This verse is talking about the fact that in life, we're going to have people give us reproof, and that's rebuke, that's a correction, that's something that they say, hey, there's this area of your life, or there's this action that you're involved in

and that you shouldn't be, and it's not a good thing to do. And verse one here talks about a person that is often reproved and he hardens his neck.

This is a phrase that you'll read several times throughout the Bible, and a person that hardens their neck, it's like, I'm not going to listen to you.

I'm trying to think of a particular circumstance in which you would see someone harden their neck, and really all I can think about at the moment is when a toddler gets mad at you because you've told them no and they'll stiffen their whole body and

they'll just get this angry look on their face. And man, we don't want to be that as adults. We don't want to be those that would buck up against other people, specifically that would be speaking into our life and go, I don't want to listen to you.

I'm perfect. You can't tell me what to do. That's not a good, that's not a Christian way to live, that's not a good way to live.

And so Solomon says here, hey, when we do that, there is destruction that comes in our life as a result of us being unwilling to heed correction that people give to us. Gonna jump, sorry, going to jump down now to verse number seven.

The righteous consider it the cause of the poor, but the wicked regardeth not to know it. A Christian will care about those that are in less fortunate circumstances than they are.

Whether that's monetarily of saying, okay, I'm going to donate to the Ronald McDonald House to help the poor, or whether it's something spiritually that we would say, hey, I'm going to give money to the church so that that way missionaries can go out

and tell people in Thailand or in any number of other countries about Jesus. Canada, I can think of, the Connors, we pray for often here, and they got to have their first in-person services in a very long time on Sunday.

And so that was a huge blessing. But we should be those as Christians that would care about those that are less fortunate than us. Sometimes monetarily that we would help the poor that would be poor monetarily.

Sometimes we'll take care of and look at the poverty of those that don't have Bibles, that don't have the Gospel, that don't have missionaries, that don't have churches in their place.

And obviously that's why we would send out missionaries across the globe.

That's why oftentimes people will fund Bibles to be translated into people's languages, because we know from Romans 10, how shall they believe on him in whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?

And we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, that whole chapter talking about the fact that, hey, we need to send people out to give people the Gospel. And man, giving is one way that we're able to do that.

Verse number eight says here, scornful men bring a city into a snare. The word snare here, the specific word that's used is also sometimes used of a flame or a fire. So it's almost like scornful men set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath.

And man, you can't hear this verse without immediately thinking of lot, and Sodom, and Gomorrah, where Abraham was praying on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, and on behalf of Lot, and asked God, you know, if there's 50 righteous people, will you spare

the city? And God said, yes. And Abraham kept praying and bringing the number down and down and down until he finally just said, hey, Lord, if there are 10 righteous people in the city, will you spare it? And God said, yes, I will.

And here you have a wise man, Abraham, that was trying to turn away God's wrath from the city. But it's a scornful man, men that scorn God's ways and God's laws. They bring a city into a snare.

They set it aflame. And man, just the visual difference that there is. Are we going to be those that would pray and intercede on behalf of others?

Or are we going to be those that aren't walking in God's ways? Verse number 10 is a great verse. It says here, the bloodthirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul.

So here you have a bloodthirsty man. Obviously, this would be someone that, maybe today you might say, this might be a person that's in a gang. This might be a person that is a robber.

This is a person that is just not a good person. It says, the bloodthirsty hate the upright. They don't like those that follow God's ways and God's laws.

They don't like that. But it says, the just seek his soul. That where a bloodthirsty man is focused on what other people are doing, here you have the just man that is seeking the well-being of his soul.

And man, we can be so focused sometimes on what everyone else is doing and not be looking after the state of our own soul. So what do we spend most of our time doing?

If we're just on social media all day every day, we can get really focused on what's wrong with everyone else.

But as we spend time in God's Word, as we spend time with our family, as we spend time, I can think even tonight, when we spend time with our church family, man, there's connection and there is well-being that we're seeking and that is a great thing

to do. Verse number 11 is a fantastic verse that my dad quoted all growing up. And it says, a fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. It's not a virtue to say, oh, I just speak my mind.

Oh, you know, if I think it, I say it. That's not a good testimony to have. Why?

Because a fool, a stupid person, utters everything that they think.

This is kind of, if you've worked with kids much, this is what kids will often do, that they would be the ones that if they think that a lady looks pregnant, they'll be like, hey, is she pregnant?

And, you know, ends up in all sorts of awkward situations for them. They'd be the ones that would be incredibly cruel to other children and malign them and say cruel things about them. It's not a great thing to do.

And so we shouldn't do that as adults, as Christians, as those that are supposed to be the followers of God, we should be the ones that would say, hey, you know, I'm going to be temperate. I'm going to have self-control in the words that I speak.

It says, a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. Sometimes the smartest thing we can do is not say anything. It's not necessarily always that we have to have all the right words, but knowing when to shut up.

And I think of the verse a couple chapters ago that said, even a fool, when he holdeth his piece, is counted wise. And it is very, very true. Well, I think we're going to end here on verse number 18 for today.

We'll talk about it for a little bit, and then we'll head out for this morning. But it says, where there is no vision, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

And if you've read much of the Old Testament, specifically the first couple books of what are termed the books of history, so Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, and 1st and 2nd Chronicles, you'll see this phrase mentioned a

couple of times, vision. Now, this isn't talking about vision and how we'd use it today in the sense of plans for the future. This isn't saying, hey, if you don't plan for the future, your people are going to perish.

It's gonna bring your nation to ruin if you don't have plans for the future. That's not what it's saying. What it's saying here is where there is no vision as it's used in 1st Samuel, when it says there was no open vision.

Every man did that, which is right in his own eyes. The vision it's talking about here is the revelation from God. It would be his word or his truth communicated by prophets and priests.

And so here Solomon's saying where there is no revelation from God, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. There is power in the word of God for our everyday life.

There's power for the word of God for a nation. It says where there is no vision, in the people perish. In communities, in nations, the word of God is powerful and important and necessary for our everyday life.

And I think here I mentioned it a little bit earlier with translation. I've got a friend of mine that was just on the, well, he was watching the podcast yesterday. He wasn't on it with us.

But my good friend Lloyd and Lloyd translates in the Far East and he translates the Bible. And man, that's such an important thing to be able to give people God's word. Why?

Why should we give people God's word? Why can't we just, you know, maybe tell them about Jesus and they'll believe? Because God's word is important.

It says the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart.

It says that the word of God will not return void. It says that the word of God is incorruptible seed, not like silver or gold. The word of God is vitally important.

And so, that's why we do the Strength of the Day Podcast. It's not just to have something to do during the day. It's because we genuinely believe here at LBC that the word of God is what changes lives.

And because it is a living book that has truth for our everyday life, we should have a great focus upon it. We should be in it every day and following and learning what God has for us. Well, I hope this morning would be an encouragement to you.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, just kind of some assorted thoughts from Solomon. And it is a great truth that as we follow God's word, we'll be happy.

And I have never known someone that has given their life to Christ that is in the word of God, that was miserable as a result of it.

Every time it always brings the joy of the Lord that comes through walking with God and knowing him in a real and personal way.

Hope to see you tonight and we'll be seeing for our small groups and it's gonna be a great evening and look forward to being with you all on Strength of the Day tomorrow.