July 2, 2009
Central Truth
God knows our hearts, and He loves us so much that He warns us of the pitfalls of life and reminds us of the great blessings we have through Him.
The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold,
likewise the Lord tests hearts.
(Proverbs 17:3)
1
Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting
1
17:1
Hebrew sacrifices
with strife.
2
A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the LORD tests hearts.
4
An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5
Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;
he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
7
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince.
8
A bribe is like a magic
2
17:8
Or precious
stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9
Whoever covers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
10
A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11
An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12
Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs
rather than a fool in his folly.
13
If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will not depart from his house.
14
The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
15
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
16
Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
17
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18
One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19
Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
20
A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21
He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
22
A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23
The wicked accepts a bribe in secret
3
17:23
Hebrew a bribe from the bosom
to pervert the ways of justice.
24
The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25
A foolish son is a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.
26
To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Matthew Henry says this about Proverbs 17:3: "God tries the heart by affliction. He thus has often shown the sin remaining in the heart of the believer."
We believers aren't perfect; therefore, God provides a guide on some mistakes to avoid in our lives. People are funny in that we often make the same mistakes over and over. Watermark's pastor Todd Wagner used the analogy last year about his children scaring him by hiding behind a door and jumping out screaming, and then laughing at dear old dad. Eventually, we figure out that there is a person hiding behind the door, and we anticipate the scare. But we often let the same sin in our lives jump out and grab us over and over. Actually, we knowingly run to it even though we know it will bring pain into our lives and the lives of others.
God simply wants our hearts. He wants us to pursue Him in all things.
Think about Job for a moment. God allowed Satan to put Job through hell on earth, but Job loved God (and God most definitely loved Job) through it all. And God rewarded him for his faithfulness. That doesn't lessen the impact of the pain Job suffered, but he persevered through the pain because it brought glory to God. This reminds me of Romans 5: 1-5 in which we learn that suffering produces endurance; and endurance, character; and character, hope.
God tempers our hearts through good and bad, but He does it because He loves us. Similarly, we, as parents, discipline a child in love, which is not fun at all. We do it because we love our children and don't want them to make mistakes that will bring pain into their lives. We also reward our children for making good choices, just like God rewards us.
This chapter in Proverbs has so many other good lessons—forgiveness, honesty, choosing godly friends, dealing with confrontation, patience, a bridled tongue, not wasting time on the foolish, and many others.
God loves you and cares for you deeply!
1. Do you live your life by the simple lessons outlined in Proverbs 17?
2. How often do you find yourself making the same mistakes? What are you doing to take ground against sin in your life?
3. How do you respond when God tempers your heart? Do you bow up or accept His discipline so that you can bring more glory to Him?