Proverbs 21:17-31

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the LORD.

Proverbs 21:30

You can’t trick God. You can’t outthink God. You can’t outsmart God. You can’t outargue God. You can’t outwit God. You can’t outwait God. You can’t outrun God. You can’t outgun God. You can’t outdistance God. You can’t outmaneuver God. You can’t outlast God. You can’t overpower God. You can’t overwhelm God. You simply can’t beat God.

So stop trying.

Instead, join Him.

Proverbs 21:1-16

To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Proverbs 21:3

Do you ever think that you can bribe God with a little extra in the offering plate? Maybe you can bend the rules a bit over here, because you sacrifice so much over there, or because you do “religious” stuff? You probably don’t actually say anything like that out loud. You might not have even brought such a notion fully to the attention of your frontal lobe. But I bet the thought (in some form or another) has been there nonetheless.

Yesterday, I mentioned King Saul in the context of how David twice refused to lay a hand on him. Today we can remember Saul again, because Samuel used words very similar to this proverb when pronouncing God’s rejection of Saul as king. Samuel said, to obey is better than sacrifice. (See I Samuel 15 for the whole story.)

And that is not the only other place in Scripture where we find a similar sentiment. Consider Hosea:

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6

Micah expresses the same idea less succinctly:

“With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:6-8

Then Matthew has Jesus quoting Hosea twice more:

Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Matthew 9:13

And if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless.

Matthew 12:7

With so much repetition of this core principle, perhaps we should pay attention…

Proverbs 20:16-30

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Proverbs 20:22

This advice is echoed in Romans 12:19, which hearkens back to Deut. 32:35. It is something we all should think about — and heed! — as forbearance does not come naturally. When attacked in some way, our first impulse is to strike back. Sometimes we are a bit more prudent and step away in the moment — but only to plot revenge from a more advantageous position. Fear of further reprisal might keep us from dishing out that payback, but if we could get away with it, we would. Admit it. Without the Holy Spirit guiding us otherwise, that’s what we do.

But that is not the wise path. David’s dealings with King Saul give us a good illustration of the right path. Out of jealousy and paranoia, King Saul tried to kill David. David fled, but Saul hunted him down. On two separate occasions David had perfect opportunities to “return the favor” and kill Saul, but he refused to do so. (See I Samuel 24,26.) Although Samuel had previously anointed David as the future king, David did not force that outcome by his own hand. He waited for the Lord to bring him to the throne. And he waited for years, suffering abuse at Saul’s hand most of that time.

More significantly, we have the Lord’s own example:

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

I Peter 2:23

And we are called to do likewise:

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

I Peter 3:9

Wait for the LORD. Let Him work things out.

Proverbs 20:1-15

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?

Proverbs 20:9

No one.

There is absolutely no way we can make ourselves pure. There is no heroic feat great enough to outweigh our guilt, no sacrifice we can make to atone. There is no self-help program that will instill 7 habits of moral perfection. We are natural-born sinners, and we are powerless against it.

Yet being cleansed from sin is exactly what God offers us in Jesus.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I John 1:9

Proverbs 19:16-29

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21

Last week we mentioned in passing a few verses about planning. Today we get another one. Here we are reminded that we do quite a lot of planning. We all do, all the time, so much so that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without planning. We have short-range plans and long-range plans. We plan get-togethers and set goals. We plan menus and sporting events. We have business plans and battle plans. Rarely do we get out of bed without some plan for the day, even if it is just following some habitual daily routine.

But every plan is subject to interruption and unforeseen circumstances. As the military saying goes, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” Someone else’s plan collides with ours. Accidents happen. Illnesses happen. Weather happens. Some small cog in our grand plan breaks a tooth and the whole thing comes off the rails. The prudent anticipate such problems and create contingency plans, building in flexibility and alternatives, but even such contingency plans are subject to further contingencies.

In all our planning we must recognize the truth of the second half of this proverb, that it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. And that requires humility. He is the one Who is sovereign over all. He is the One Who sees the end from the beginning. He is the One Who makes all things work together for good. (Rom. 8:28) He is the One Who will set all things right. So when things go “wrong”, thank God! (Eph. 5:20)

Easy? Not at all! We do not like it when our plans are disrupted. And we are often completely blind as to what the Lord’s good purposes might be. With hindsight we may eventually see some good result, but often we never do — not in this life, at least. The disruptions we face run the gamut, from traffic delays to traffic accidents, from sniffles to pandemics. Perhaps we brush off the more minor ones (or maybe we don’t!) and perhaps we wrestle with the bigger ones (or maybe we don’t!). In all cases we need to cultivate humility and gratitude toward the One Whose purpose will stand. But it isn’t easy!

Proverbs 19:1-15

When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the LORD.

Proverbs 19:3

Does that not describe the human race? Ever since Adam and Eve we’ve shirked responsibility and shifted blame: “The woman whom You gave me… The serpent deceived me…” (Gen. 3:12-13) Whenever we make a mistake, our first instinct seems to be to look for someone else to point the finger at. (By the way, you do not need to teach children to do this. It comes quite naturally!) And the bigger the mess, the bigger the target of the finger pointing — until we screw up so badly that the only target “big” enough is the LORD Himself.

That is where most get stuck, but, thankfully, the Lord is not content to leave the entire human race in this lunacy. He provides us a way to escape through confession (i.e., accepting responsibility), repentance, and faith in Jesus, who carried all the raging of our hearts to the Cross.

Proverbs 18:13-24

The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.

Proverbs 18:17

Remember that the next time you turn on the news and get only one side of the story. The initial story (especially from media that have a one-sided agenda and narrative to uphold) is rarely the whole story. Our judicial system employs cross-examination for this very reason, to get to a fuller understanding and an accurate presentation of the truth. Sometimes it turns out that the original accusation is on target. But sometimes it turns out otherwise, that the accused is not guilty after all. Does such cross-examination always produce justice? Sadly, no, but it certainly does a better job than just taking the first story at face value.

So, the next time you hear a reporter, commentator, or politician vilify someone on the basis of “clear” and “obvious” evidence, think twice and wait for due process. You may end up with a very different verdict when the whole truth is known.

Proverbs 18:1-12

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.

Proverbs 18:10-11

Two places of security. One is invisible, but outshines the sun. The other is in plain sight, but will fade away. One seems intangible, but is rock solid. The other can be easily touched, but will dissolve into nothing. One is eternal. The other is merely temporal. One is the ultimate Reality. The other is just imagination.

The rational choice of fortresses is quite clear — but it hinges entirely on faith. With faith, the rational choice is to run to the LORD. Without faith, the rational choice is to stick with the material world. So, which is real, and which is imaginary to you? Are you sure?

Proverbs 17:15-28

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

“Friend”. That is a word that gets used quite a lot in today’s world. We have even turned it from a noun into a verb, so we can readily “friend” someone on social media. And we can even more readily “unfriend” them — which should tell us something! So what is a “friend” really? And what is a “brother” really?

This proverb is more than just observational; it is definitional. That is, this proverb tells us what a true friend or brother is: one who loves at all times and who sticks by through adversity. Such friends (and brothers and sisters) are far more rare than the acquaintances or buddies that we usually mean when we toss the word “friend” around. What kinds of friends do you have? Perhaps more importantly, what kind of friend are you?

Regardless of those in your social circle, one thing is certain: there is One Who loves at all times and Who was indeed born for adversity, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:13 (NIV)

Proverbs 17:1-14

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the LORD tests hearts.

Proverbs 17:3

What does it mean for the LORD to test hearts? What does testing the heart look like? The first half of this proverb — the crucible and the furnace — suggests intense heat. Zechariah 13:9 and Malachi 3:3 similarly employ the refining of silver and gold to illustrate God’s activity. One thing is clear: testing is not passive observation; it is intensely active refining. And given that that is what God does, we should expect some heat. As Peter says:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

I Peter 4:12