16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
3 Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
7 When a man's ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness
than great revenues with injustice.
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
10 An oracle is on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11 A just balance and scales are the Lord's;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for the throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
and a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of a king's face there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word [1] will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death. [2]
26 A worker's appetite works for him;
his mouth urges him on.
27 A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech [3] is like a scorching fire.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
29 A man of violence entices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans [4] dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
3 Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
7 When a man's ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness
than great revenues with injustice.
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
10 An oracle is on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11 A just balance and scales are the Lord's;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for the throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
and a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of a king's face there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word [1] will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death. [2]
26 A worker's appetite works for him;
his mouth urges him on.
27 A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech [3] is like a scorching fire.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
29 A man of violence entices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans [4] dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
4 comments:
v9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
We can plan all that we want but we have to realize that the final outcome is always dictated by the Sovereign Lord.
He is the one who decree.. He spoke and the world came into being (Genesis 1), not us.
Hence, does it not making good sense (v22a) that prior to making any plan or decision, we should go to Him and seek his will over the matters that concern us?
What's more, He has given us also a very precious guide:
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
Whoever has the Holy Spirit has all the guidance he/she needed!
So be guided, seek not our own way as our way may seems right to us but it is the way to death (v25)
So be guided, make the right plan and commit our work to the Lord. He will surely established our steps (v3)
It will surely be established
because it is His plan, not ours.
It will surely be established because His favor is upon us (v7)
It will surely be established because He bless those who trusts in Him and acknowledge Him(v20, Psalm 3:6)
It will surely be established because He has never failed to achieve His purpose(v4)
Mighty is our Lord..ruler of everything!
vs.7 When a man's way please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be peace with him.
this is an interesting statement. ihave more questions then answer. does this means that we will not have enemies when our walk is pleasing to God? or does it means that those who have enemies, his walk is not pleasing to God?
at the end, we are all called to walk pleasing to God is all our ways.
v7.
or does it means that those who have enemies, his walk is not pleasing to God?
no lah. even Jesus had enemies wad.
does this means that we will not have enemies when our walk is pleasing to God?
to take the Bible literally, i'd say yes. but what are the things we do that please the Lord? what does it mean to love God?
we are still skimming the surface here with a very broad and vague idea, which Christians tend to do, me notwithstanding. but what are the specific actions or thoughts in our lives that would please/displease the Lord?
and sadly, even *knowing* those may not translate into action (speaking from experience).. do you not agree?
oh, how desperately we need Him!
v7 When a man's way please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be peace with him.
This is my take:
Firstly, the Lord protects His beloved from real harm. This means that the enemies will not be able to hurt us in any ways that are not approved by the Lord.
Amazingly,sometimes this is achieved by turning some of our enemies to friends or at least their hostility toward us are taken away. The Lord claims that this is His doing.
..he make even his enemies to be peace with him v7b
Have you ever met an angry guy who makes enemies everywhere he goes? Do you think his behavior glorifies God or pleases the Lord? Surely not.
Well, how about he repented and the Holy Spirit helps him to overcome this weakness. He begins to control his anger and cease to speak carelessly. The fruit of the spirit begins to be manifested. He is therefore behaving in a way that pleases God now. Don't you think the number of his enemies will drop?
a soft answer turneth away wrath.. (Proverb 15:1a).
..the lips of the wise will preserve them. (Proverb 14:3b)
preserve them from what?
May I suggest that one possible preservation is keeping them from enemy.. by making some of the enemies to be peace with him.
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