Proverbs 18

CHAPTER 18Our young man who has entered the school of wisdom is progressing. I hope the rest of us are coming along with him and are learning the spiritual truths that are in these proverbs.

Proverbs 18:1

Let me give a translation which I think will be helpful: “A man having separated himself for his own pleasure rageth against all sound wisdom.” The important thing here is the subject of separation, and this is the wrong kind of separation. The great division in the human family is between saved people and lost people. That is the division that God sees. He does not make divisions like we do into categories of black, white, yellow, or red. God is really “color-blind.” Now the Bible does teach a separation of the saved people from the lost people: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2Co_6:17). God makes it very clear that His people are to separate themselves from that which is unclean. He is referring particularly to the idolatry, the immorality, and the filthy conversation of the unsaved.

There should be a separation from that. By the way, this is real segregation: segregate yourself from the evil. That is important to do. There are many saved folk who emphasize separation. They form cliques and groups and practice the wrong kind of separation. They make up their own little commandments, which are not actually in the Bible.

They follow them and feel that they should separate themselves from other believers, and they feel that this makes them very special people in the sight of the Lord. They think they are superior. Generally they are not. They manifest many evidences of the flesh working in their lives. That is a wrong kind of separation. There is another group of strong separationists, and they are among the unsaved. We find that this is what is referred to in this proverb. This is the person who has separated himself for his own pleasure. He refuses to listen to anything that is wise. Jude speaks of them as being apostates and says this: “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jud_1:19). They withdraw themselves from any group or individual who might reprimand them and begin their own little group and become very obnoxious. Generally they are apostates: they separate themselves from the truth. They certainly cause a great deal of sorrow in this world.

Proverbs 18:2

A professor sent me a collection of modern proverbs. Some of them fit the proverbs we are studying from the Bible. This is one that possibly fits here: “If I stop to think before I speak, I won’t have to worry afterward about what I said before.” That certainly is true.

Proverbs 18:3

Another modern proverb is: “Some persons cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” I think that is a good one and would apply to the crowd mentioned in this verse. These are some people who also bring great sorrow into the world.

Proverbs 18:4

Every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus stood in the temple when the water was poured out at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles and said, “…If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly [inmost being] shall flow rivers of living water” (Joh_7:37-38). Then John interprets this for us. “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (Joh_7:39). The child of God should learn to speak in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is so important in presenting the Word of God and talking about the things of God.

Proverbs 18:5

Do not compromise with an evil person or a lawless person in order to overthrow a righteous person. This applies to individuals. I believe it also applies to nations. I wonder if perhaps our nation has been guilty of compromising with wicked nations. We have interfered in too many places, and we have gotten ourselves into serious difficulties. These proverbs are practical, and they can be geared right into life.

Proverbs 18:6

“The words of a talebearer” or the words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels that go down into the depth of the soul. We are back again to the subject of the fool. Remember that the Lord Jesus has told us that we are not to call anyone a fool (see Mat_5:22). However, God calls some people fools because He knows them. We find again that the fool is a source of trouble. He is the one who is always stirring up contention, issuing complaints, finding fault. We can give another fitting modern proverb: “Be considerate. Most people know how to express a complaint, but few utter a gracious compliment. The bee is seldom complimented for making honey; it is just criticized for stinging.” How true!

Proverbs 18:10

The name of Jehovah is also the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is called Jesus because He saves His people from their sins. And He is called Christ because He is the Anointed One. He is the Lord of our life and our salvation. The Lord is a strong tower. You can run into it and be completely safe. This is a verse that many have used in speaking to children, and I have used it myself and found it very effective. It speaks of security and reminds us that no one can pluck us out of His hands. What a beautiful picture this is!

Proverbs 18:11

There are basic differences between Israel and the church which we need to recognize. Material wealth was one of the promises of God to His people Israel, but He did not promise that to us. God promised them a full basket, and He made good His word. He also said He would take away their wealth as a judgment. The church is not a continuation of Israel even though that is sometimes preached today. The church is not the next grade above Judaism.

You can make a comparison, of course, and there are many likenesses. The contrasts, however, are greater. The church has not been promised material blessings. God has blessed us as believers “…with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph_1:3, italics mine). The child of God needs to be fortified. He needs to get into the strong tower.

He needs to be in this strong city and have the high wall around him. What is it? Well, it is a knowledge of the Word of God. We need to recognize that we are living in very difficult times and we are being tested. Oh, how important is a knowledge of the Word of God! My friend, don’t try to substitute these little courses that teach you how to witness and how to get along with your wife.

They may have a certain value, but they are only surface stuff. There is no substitute for digging into the Word of God. My friend, learn to read the Word of God. If you don’t understand it, read it again. If you don’t understand it the second time, go over it once more. Then if you don’t understand it the third time through, something is wrong, and you need to go to the Lord and tell Him you’re not getting it.

Ask Him to help you. The Spirit of God is our teacher. I know I am telling you this accurately because He hasn’t yet let me down in this matter of understanding His Word.

Proverbs 18:13

How often people try to pass judgment on someone else when they don’t really know the person or the problem or the situation under which that person lives. How important it is to have all the facts before we express an opinion!

Proverbs 18:14

You can break your leg and recover from that; but, if your spirit is broken, you are completely broken. Only God can encourage you at a time like that. Remember at the time of Nehemiah’s governorship over the people of Israel, and even after they had rebuilt the walls, they still had not heard the Word of God. When the Word of God was read to them, they saw how far they were from God and they began to weep. Nehemiah told them not to weep because it was a time of rejoicing. He said, “…the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh_8:10).

How important is it for us to know that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Sitting in the pastor’s study of a church in Salem, Oregon, I noticed this little motto (it’s a contemporary proverb) on the wall: “Joy is the flag that is flown in the heart when the Master is in residence.” I like that. When the Lord Jesus Christ becomes first choice in your life, when He has top priority, then you will not have that broken spirit that we hear so much about today. Give God the first choice. Give of your time, your effort, your thoughts, your companionship, and your money, and see what happens. Have you tried that?

Proverbs 18:16

I hope you will nail this one down. Some critics have compared this verse with Pro_25:14 and have pointed it out as an apparent contradiction in the Bible; however, when we get to that chapter, we will find out that it is a contrast and not a contradiction at all. This verse speaks of gifts, and as I have mentioned before, I believe every believer in Christ has a gift. Gifts of the Spirit is a message we have in print that develops this subject.

Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue"think of that! Your tongue can be used to give out the gospel, and this will give life. It can also be used to say things that would drive people away from God, which makes it an instrument of death. The little tongue is the most potent weapon in this world. The Bible has much to say about the tongue, and we find a lot about it in the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 18:22

I have actually laughed at the thought that these two verses are side by side in the Word of God. The Spirit of God put them together. The tongue is used when the fellow proposes to the girl. He asks her to marry him, and that is the proper way for it to be done; and death and life are in the power of the tongue. You may wish you had bitten off your tongue before you asked the fatal question. It’s like the story of the old bachelor who had never met a woman whom he wanted to marry because he thought they all talked too much.

He found what we used to call an old maid, one who seemed very quiet. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. The minute she accepted the proposal, she started talking. She talked about where they would go and how they would fix their house and on and on. Suddenly after an hour or so she realized that she was doing all the talking and that he was quiet. “Why don’t you say something?” she asked. He answered, “I’ve said too much already!” “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” I want to say that I have always thanked the Lord for my wife. It is wonderful to have a good wifeand to have someone who is able to put up with me!

Proverbs 18:24

If you want to have friends, then show yourself friendly. By the way, are you a friend to your friends? “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Do you know who He is? He is closer to you than a brother can be. Jesus is the One, and He says, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (Joh_15:14). When I hear folk singing “Jesus is a Friend of Mine,” I want to go up to them and ask, “Are you obeying His commands?” Jesus says, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” If you are not obeying Him, I take it that you’re not one of His friends. Jesus is a friend who will stick closer than a brother. He is our Savior. He loved us enough to die for us. He is the one who says, “…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world …” (Mat_28:20) and “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb_13:5). Also He has given us this promise: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Joh_14:3). There isn’t anything you can do to improve such an arrangement. We have a wonderful Friend who sticks closer than any brother.