Proverbs 21
McGeeCHAPTER 21This is one of the great chapters in the Book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 21:1
A man may be a pharaoh in Egypt, a king of Babylon, a caesar of Rome, an Alexander the Great, a Napoleon, a Joe Stalin, an Adolph Hitler, or any great ruler of the future. Regardless of how powerful a man may become politically, it can be stated as an axiom that no man can act in independence of God. Many of these rulers thought they could, and men today may still think they can. But the truth is that no man is free from God. No man can act independently. We have a Declaration of Independence in this country.
Right now it is being used to declare our independence from God. We believe in liberty; so we’ve declared we are free from God! However, we are not free from God. We cannot act independently. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,” and God is going to turn him just as He turns the course of a little babbling brook that runs down a mountainside. “As the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” No king nor ruler nor any individual can act independently of God. I wish we had more men in public office who express a dependence upon God and show it in their lives. I wish they would quit telling us that they have the solution for all the problems of the world. They haven’t. It is a misrepresentation for any man to say that. No man is independent of Almighty God, and we need to recognize our dependence upon Him. Oh, may this country be called back to a dependence upon God before it is too late. We need a new declaration, but this time it should be a declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The only way such a change can come about is by the people of this nation returning to the Word of God. That is why it is so important for us to proclaim God’s Word.
Proverbs 21:2
Here again is this matter of man’s self-righteousness. Man rationalizes, but God scrutinizes. God looks at the heart. We attempt to paint up the surface so that we have the outside looking nice. We boast, “I’m a member of a church. I teach a class and serve on a committee. I’m always busy working for the church.” That may all be true, but God “pondereth the hearts.” The prophet Jeremiah pointed out that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer_17:9). Have you gone to the Lord Jesus and spoken to Him about your desperate condition? He is the Great Physician, and He is the heart specialist. He gives you a new heart. He was the first One who went into this business of heart transplants. He will give you a heart that can be obedient to Him.
Proverbs 21:3
Here we have the tremendous truth stated for us again that there is no value in simply going through a religious ritual. Remember that the Old Testament sacrifices were given because they pointed to Jesus Christ. No one was more faithful about going through those rituals than the Pharisees, the religious rulers of Jesus’ day. But He denounced them in withering language. He blanched them. He scorched them. He told them they looked like beautiful monuments on the outside but inside were full of dead men’s bones. Why? Because sacrifices and offerings were not pleasing to the Lord when righteousness was lacking. He said He wanted mercy, not sacrifice. Religious ritual can suggest that you are trusting in Christ when the fact is that you are not trusting in Him. A true acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ will so transform a person that he will bring forth good works. I tell you, this gets down to the marrow and to the bone of our souls. God looks at the heart. I repeat the question I asked earlier in our study: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Proverbs 21:4
“An high look.” Maybe you walked into church on Sunday morning and saw Mrs. Jones or Mr. Smith, and you just turned your head so you wouldn’t have to speak to them. I was in a group recently where there was a man who had said some unlovely things about me. He acted as if he didn’t see me at allthe high look. Maybe nobody noticed the high look. Maybe the person who was given the high look was unaware of it, but God saw it. God calls it a sin. In His sight it is as much a sin as to go out and get drunk. One is just as bad as the other, although we don’t measure it that way. We think the one is terrible and the other doesn’t matter. “The plowing [or tillage] of the lawless is sin.” This is an interesting proverb. You might see a man out plowing his field and think, My, he is an industrious man. He certainly should be rewarded for being so industrious. God says that when an evil man with an evil heart is doing anythingeven plowingit will not be acceptable in His sight. That means a sinner cannot give anything to God. He cannot perform a good work.
Not only is the high look and a proud heart sinful, but what otherwise would be meritorious is sin in a man who is in rebellion against God. I do not think that God will bless a gift from an unsaved person. Years ago, a brewery in Dallas, Texas, gave gifts of $50,000 each to a Christian school, a denominational college, and a hospital. The school and the college returned the money. I think they did the right thing. God wouldn’t use money like that. Notice what Paul wrote to the nation of Israel: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom_10:1-3). When a person goes about to establish his own righteousness, God says it is sin. The righteousness of man is filthy rags in the sight of God.
Proverbs 21:5
God can use riches that are accumulated in an honest way. There is no sin in being rich. The important thing is how the money was accumulated. If the getting of riches is by lying and robbery, God will see to it that the riches will not be enjoyed. Do you get the impression that there are certain rich men today who are not really having a good time? Their riches are not what they really need. The story is told of an Arab who was lost out in the desert. He was about to die of thirst and starvation. The poor fellow saw a package that had dropped off a caravan. He thought it might contain food or a can of beverage. He hungrily tore open the package and eagerly looked to see what it contained. He dropped it in great disappointment, and said, “It’s only pearls!” Of course they were worth a fortune, but that was not his need. My friend, God says that you can get rich, but it won’t do you a bit of good unless you make money in the right way and use it for His glory.
Proverbs 21:8
Let me give you another translation: “The way of a guilty man is very crooked: but as for the pure, his work is right.” Your life will demonstrate what kind of a person you really are. If you are right with God, that will be revealed in your life.
Proverbs 21:9
This is the man who did not know what true happiness was until he got marriedand then it was too late! Down in Nashville the retired pastor of a church and I would repeatedly go down to the jail to get out a man who was a member of the church. He would be arrested over and over again for drunkenness. One time the retired preacher said something to me that I shall never forget: “If I were married to the woman that he is married to, I would drink also.” Of course it is just as bad for a woman to be married to the wrong husband. My wife and I mentioned just the other night that we felt very sorry for a certain woman because she is married to a man like that. We have examples of this in the Scriptures. Job didn’t do so well with a wife. David was married to a daughter of Saul. I don’t think there was any fellowship or any real love in that marriage. She ridiculed David when he so joyously brought the ark to Jerusalem. She told him he made a fool of himself, dancing before the ark. She called his behavior disgraceful. Believe me, if you show some enthusiasm for God, there will be a great many people who will be embarrassed. It is tragic if it is your mate who is embarrassed.
Proverbs 21:11
We need to note these things so that we learn lessons from the experience of others around us.
Proverbs 21:13
This is what God has said. Either it is true or it is not true. I believe it is true, and I think we can find illustrations of this in public life in our day.
Proverbs 21:14
Remember that when Jacob was returning home after his years in Haran, he knew he had to face Esau for the first time after he had tricked him out of his birthright and his blessing. So he sent gifts ahead in order to pacify Esau. He didn’t need to do that, because God had already taken care of Esau’s attitude. But men have found that a gift in secret will pacify anger. We can easily fall into this type of thinking: “I am going to be generous because then I’ll be rewarded.” Or, “I am going to forgive someone because if I do that, it will make me feel better.” Jane Mershon wrote a little rhyme which illustrates this type of thinking: If I forgive an injury, Because resenting would poison me, I may feel noble; I may feel splendid, But it isn’t exactly what Christ intended. No, it isn’t what Christ intended. We are to forgive because God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us. That is the reason we are to be kind and tenderhearted and forgiving. Our motive for forgiving is not to make us feel better.
Proverbs 21:15
It is my understanding that God is saying here that you cannot rehabilitate criminals. They need to be regenerated. These fellows need the Word of God. We need to go into crime-ridden areas and preach the Word of God. We are going about things from the wrong direction according to God.
Proverbs 21:17
In our contemporary society the entertainer has been glorified, and as a result the great moral principles of life have been turned upside down. At one time, even in the court of a king, a jester, an entertainer, was called a fool. I don’t think that has been changed in God’s sight. However, by our popular standards, the entertainers are the sacred cows. We hear them on talk shows glorifying themselves and each other. God still says, “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” I can think of several entertainers who have committed suicide.
One man made this statement, “I am bored with life.” Another said, “Life is not worth living.” A comedian was dying, and his friends gathered around waiting for him to say something funny. He looked at them in stark fear and dread and said, “This is not funny.” We have things turned upside down. Television is like the wilderness of Moab. There is really nothing to see. It becomes very boring.
Proverbs 21:18
Justice demands the punishment of the guilty in order that the guiltless may be delivered; but, by the grace of God, Jesus Christ, the Righteous, became a ransom for the wicked. He is the “upright,” and you and I are the “transgressors.”
Proverbs 21:22
He is saying that wisdom is superior to brute force. A man may be able to build a seemingly impregnable fortress, but there will come along a man who is smart enough to figure out how to invade it. The ancient city of Babylon is a classic example. Belshazzar sat inside the walls of Babylon thinking he was perfectly safe. In fact, there was an inner wall around his palace. He was certain the walls of Babylon could never be penetrated, and, of course, guards were stationed all along the walls.
But the general in the camp of the enemy used his wisdom and figured a way to get into Babylon. A branch of the Euphrates River went through the city, more or less like a canal. He diverted the water back into the mainstream of the river, then he was able to march his army on the riverbed under the wall where the river had flowed. The Medo-Persian army spread into the city, and the city was taken before the Babylonians knew what was happening. Napoleon made the statement that God is always on the side of the bigger battalions. He was wrong. He should have won at Waterloo. He was a very brilliant general, but he was not quite smart enough. He had the ability to move artillery speedily, but he got bogged down in the mud. It was old General Mud that really stopped Napoleon as he went toward Warsaw. The cavalry stumbled over the artillery that was stuck in the mud. This proverb is saying that men may depend upon riches or upon brute force, but neither will be a good enough protection.
Proverbs 21:23
Again he mentions using the tongue aright. He has already said that if you want friends, you must show yourself friendly. So of course you are to do some talking, but you are to watch what you say. We do need friends, and the Book of Proverbs has a great deal to say about friends and enemies. Emerson put it like this: He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, And he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere. How true!
Proverbs 21:24
Have you noticed that there are two subjects which seem to appear over and over again? One is the use and abuse of the tongue. The other is pride. The uncontrolled tongue, the lying tongue, the gossiping tongue, and the proud lookGod says He hates them all.
Proverbs 21:25
“Slothful” is the lazy man. There is quite a bit said about him.
Proverbs 21:26
The lazy man spends his time in covetousness, and he tries to use devious devices to get money without working. There are a lot of folk who are doing that. By contrast, the righteous man is not thinking so much of getting as of giving, and God will bless him. That is the thought here.
Proverbs 21:27
The “wicked” man is the lawless man. A lawless man is one who has not bowed himself to God and come God’s way. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man” (Pro_16:25)that is the lawless way. He goes his way and ignores God’s way. In fact, he repudiates God. This doesn’t mean such a man may not be religious. He may join the church, attend regularly, sing the hymns, and put on quite a front. He may even give, but he does it with a low motive. “The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination.”
Proverbs 21:28
There were false witnesses in the trial of the Lord Jesus. Wouldn’t you hate to have been one of those false witnesses? We read in Matthew’s record, “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; but found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days” (Mat_26:59-61). The other false witnesses bore testimony, but it wasn’t pertinent at all. These last two really lied.
Jesus’ response is given in the next chapter: “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.” In other words, “You are right.” “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly” (see Mat_27:11-14). John’s record tells us that Pilate took the Lord Jesus inside the hall of judgment and privately asked for His cooperation so he could let Him off. But he was too much of a politician to release Jesus against the wishes of the Jews.
Finally, he gave in to the pressure of the mob, but all the while he knew that the witnesses against Jesus were false. This is the trial that stands on the pages of history as being the most ignominious of all. Wouldn’t you hate to have been one of those false witnesses? “A false witness shall perish.”
Proverbs 21:30
This is a remarkable verse of Scripture. It is so remarkable that I want to put beside it a New Testament verse that may have escaped your attention: “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth” (2Co_13:8). Because I attended a liberal college and a liberal seminary, I used to become very alarmed by the inroads liberal theology was making. When I began my ministry, I thought it was my duty to sort of ring the fire bell every Sunday morning to defend the Word of God. Then this verse came to my attention. “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.” I began to realize that God is able to defend Himself, and He is able to defend His Word. “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” Since I wanted to do something, I was to do it positivelyaccentuate the positive and leave the negative alone. I didn’t need to defend the Bible; all He asked me to do was to proclaim it. I had a letter from a man which I filed in the round file, known as the wastebasket. I didn’t even read the whole letter, because he was trying to show me that the Bible is not the Word of God and used an asinine argument. I just thought, Ho-hum, let’s go on to something else because this man has a hangup of some sin in his life. I have learned that if a man will turn to Christ, if he wants to get rid of his sin, if he does really desire to have a Savior, it will be amazing how the problems about the Bible that disturb him will be smoothed out.
Proverbs 21:31
David learned this. He wrote, “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (Psa_27:3). Asa had also learned this truth. “And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee” (2Ch_14:11). How wonderful it is to trust God. That does not mean that we are not to be prepared. Jesus said that a strong man armed keeps his palace, and his goods are in peace. “But safety is of Jehovah.” Keep your powder dry, but be sure your faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ and that you are resting in Him.