Plotting evil or Promoting Peace
Prov. 12:11-20
Why are the Proverbs are so Important . God desires and commands us to live in wisdom—”Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” (Ephesians 5:15). And In Proverbs 23:23 we are told to “get wisdom,” and the Proverbs themselves are one of the best places to observe and learn about that wisdom. God gave us this book to teach us how conform our lives to God’s standards.
The Proverbs, like all Scripture, are from God. They show us something of the compassion of God-that he cares enough about us to live wisely and that He does not want us to live foolishly.
Throughout this book, God reveals general truths about how we are to conduct ourselves in areas of life like relationships, finances and work.. These truths are condensed into small units through figures of speech and brief comparisons,
.Proverbs performs all the functions of Scripture mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:16—”It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” In Proverbs, God teaches us principles that will bring us peace and contentment, chides us for the things we have done in sin, shows us how to correct our way of life, and trains us to live righteously.
This book was given also to strengthen our trust in God. “So that your trust may be in the Lord,” we read in Proverbs 22:19, “I am teaching you today—yes, you—so you will trust in the Lord.”
Solomon, the author of most of the Proverbs, comments on their purpose in the book’s first six verses, and in verse seven tells us the underlying foundation for wisdom: “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge.”
Such passages in Proverbs 8:12–14, and Proverbs 9:10 show how wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are bound together, and how all are based on the fear of God. The wisdom taught in Proverbs is godly wisdom, which has three basic characteristics (1) the fear of the Lord,(2) spirituality, and (3) skill.
Fearing the Lord means having a deep reverence and respect for God and his Word, a respect and reverence that result in obedience. Such an attitude is found in those who are humble—”With humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2)—and it cannot be found by a “mocker” or bought by a fool: “A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it” (Proverbs 14:6).
Godly wisdom is also spiritual. It enters into our hearts from God. The Holy Spirit who rested on Christ was “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2). Paul prayed over the Christians in Colossae (Colossians), that they would know God’s will, and it would “give you spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).
Wisdom is also skill—the ability to apply and use knowledge effectively. Wisdom is “working knowledge.” It is made evident by what it accomplishes, for Jesus said, “wisdom is shown to be right by its results” (Matthew 11:19), and “wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it” (Luke 7:35). Wisdom can waste away or spoil if it is not used. In Jeremiah 49:7, God questioned the people of Edom about the “decay” of wisdom there, and in Ezekiel 28:17 He spoke against the city of Tyre because she had “corrupted” her wisdom.
Are the proverbs found in the book of Proverbs promises ? Christians love to pick out those “promises” they find in scripture such as “I will never leave or forsake you,” or “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish,” or “In my Father’s house are many rooms … I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
We regard those promises to believers as completely trustworthy and guaranteed as long as the conditions are met — repenting of sins and following Jesus. The one guaranteeing those promises is God Himself so there are no exceptions — no failed promises because God never fails. We can trust his word.
The one problem regarding “promises” is when well-intentioned Christians mistake a Biblical principle for a Biblical promise. It seems to happen most often with the “wisdom literature” in the Bible, most often with the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs are unusual; there usually is no context to help ascertain the meaning of an individual verse — each verse is a separate thought. In other words a proverb is a very brief and particular expression of truth that teaches basic values — appropriate patterns of human behavior that help an individual mature into responsible adulthood. They often are practical observations about everyday attitudes and life in general. As such, it is often possible to find “exceptions” to particular proverbs. The mistake comes in when we regard them as 100% iron clad legal guarantees from God with no exceptions possible.
For example what about this Proverb: "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him"? Prov.16:7?
It's not a matter of Proverbs being "true" or "false," but a matter of understanding the nature of proverbs. Yes, they are principles for living, but they are not "100% guarantees" for everyone. What would you tell a faithful missionary who has many enemies at the areas where he ministers and who are not at peace with him - that his ways must not be pleasing the Lord?
Do you see how your idea breaks down at this point? Other Scriptures must clarify our understanding of Proverbs. In the case of this particular one, we read elsewhere that "all that live godly...shall suffer persecution" - 2 Tim.3:12 (and other Scriptures which shed light on this idea). In the case of Prov. 22:6, - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - we find many other Scriptures which qualify and clarify the general truth that children who are trained right will not depart from that training. We see that all humans are depraved, that they have a free will, that they have certain responsibilities before God, that children are responsible to obey their parents, that the Holy Spirit is really the one teaching saved children to follow Him, etc., etc.
You must silence your screaming heart. Crave wisdom, and admit it is not in you by nature. Acknowledge that only God truly has real wisdom. Prove all things by Scripture (I Thess 5:21; Acts 17:11). Use a multitude of wise counselors for practical decisions (Pr 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). Keep your heart diligently and strictly (Pr 4:23; Is 8:20).
Daily choices bring your heart into play. Fools listen to their hearts; wise men consult God’s word. Fools reject instruction and warnings from godly people, wise men love and seek them. Do not be content thinking you are right; make sure you are right by these two criteria.
Now coming to Proverbs 12: 11-20.
He that tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense. Proverbs 12:11
I find it interesting that one of the phrases that I hear often is, "Don't work too hard." The proverb today uses an agricultural setting to help us understand the value and the blessing of working hard. "He who tills his land will have plenty of bread." If a man works hard at plowing the ground and planting a crop - he will have plenty of grain to harvest and make into bread. God intended for us to work in life.
We need to remember that work is not a part of the curse. God had Adam till and work in the garden before the fall. What the fall did was that Adam would have to work harder. The ground, which formerly grew wonderfully without weeds, was now going to yield the crops we need by the sweat of our brow . It is going to require not just tilling and planting - but also weeding. This was an activity that was unnecessary prior to the fall. This being said, there is a promise here that if we work hard tilling and planting the land - we will have a harvest sufficient to provide plenty of bread for our family.
There is something that is good about work.
The second half of this proverb warns us that the one who pursues worthless things lacks sense. What this is warning against is the wandering mind, and the earthly lifestyle. This man is pursuing worthless things. Worthless is the word means something that is empty or vain. It indicates something that has nothing in it - it is utterly empty. The unwise man is pursuing emptiness. He is chasing after things that do not matter - and will not matter in eternity. This man, according to Solomon, lacks sense. He is as void in his thinking as he is in his pursuit of these empty pursuits. What he wants and chases after is not worth having. He will open what to him is his treasure chest one day and find that it is filled with things that are void of any value whatsoever. As Solomon says in Ecclesiastes - he has chased after the wind.
Here is where we need to consider Ecclesiastes to give us the proper perspective on things. Solomon was arguably one of the richest men to ever live on this planet. Yet at the end of his life, when he wrote Ecclesiastes, he said that all the riches and wealth was empty, meaningless - a chasing after the wind. He looked at all the money and things he had and came to the conclusion that they were all vain. He looked at all the women he had sexual relations with and concluded that his pursuit of pleasure was all vain. He looked at all the authority and position he had enjoyed - and came to the realization that it too was vain. It is not that these things were evil in and of themselves (unless Scripture forbade his actions). It was that when he pursued these things he was pursuing emptiness - trying to catch wind in his hands.
May God gives us wisdom to learn now that what matters is working hard for the things that matter. What will matter is how we have redeemed the time in providing for our families - loving our spouses and our children - and working in the eternal fields of God's kingdom. If we do, we will have plenty of bread - even the bread that lasts forever. If we do not, we will have the terrifying specter of learning that we have spent our lives chasing after wind.
What is the secret to success from this proverb? Get up early, go do a boring job, and do it well. Plowing your field will put you far ahead of men chasing dreams of easy riches and high-return investments. If you have a job, do it with your might, and let God take care of the rest (Pr 10:4; 12:24; 13:4; 22:29; 27:18; Eccl 9:10). If you listen to the discontentment and dreams of others, you are a fool on your way down. Their talk will lead you to poverty (Pr 13:11; 14:23).
There are no secrets to success. It is by hard work, self-denial, patience, time, and God’s blessing. There is no free lunch, or even a cheap lunch. Lunch is by getting wheat from the ground and meat from the herd. Avoid vain persons who are always looking and talking about “business opportunities” (Pr 9:6; 13:20). What is a vain person? Someone trying to tell you there is an easy way to make a living..
The Lord Jesus was offered an easy way by the devil and the Jews (Luke 4:5-7; John 6:15), but He remained totally committed to the hard work of the cross, for He saw the true riches that were set before Him for patiently enduring (Heb 12:2-4; Ps 16:8-11).
Itching ears today call for a shiny, new form of godliness called contemporary and casual worship (II Tim 3:5; 4:3-4), but continuing in the old paths of sound doctrine will fill your soul with the finest bread (II Tim 3:14-17; 4:1-2; Jude 1:3; Jer 6:16; 23:28-29).
The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. Proverbs 12:12 NKJV
A net is something by which people catch their prey. Wicked people admire the way other evil people attain wealth and pleasure, and they determine to do the same thing. A root is something through which life comes. Righteous persons produce lasting fruit as a natural product of their high principles. A net may or may not catch prey. Even if it does, it must be used again. The net itself cannot produce. Its catch will soon be used up; it produces nothing lasting. But a root continues to produce satisfying fruit season after season. The net, in the context, represents wicked methods. It captures what belongs to another. By contrast, the root represents honorable and honest gain.
What are your desires toward others? How do you affect them? A wicked man wants to harm others for his own malicious ambition, and he envies those that are skilled in doing so. But a righteous man has an internal rule of love, which bears good fruit in the lives of others. As the wicked seek to destroy and kill, so the righteous seek to help and nurture.
All men are born wicked – filled with envy, malice, and hatred (Eph 2:1-3, Titus 3:3). But God has chosen His elect to salvation and given them a new heart that loves brother, neighbor, and enemy (Col 3:8-15; I Thess 4:9-10). When walking in the Spirit and fulfilling their purpose, they serve others with fervent love (Acts 20:35; Gal 5:22-26).
The openly wicked have not changed.
And neither have the religious wicked changed. They still compromise truth to catch and destroy men (Mat 23:15; Rom 16:17-18; II Cor 2:17; II Tim 2:15-18; 3:13)
But righteous men are very different. They bear fruit of peace and righteousness in the lives of others (Pr 10:21; 11:30; Jas 3:17-18).
Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble. Proverbs 12:13
Be careful what you say . . . you may being laying a trap for yourself with your words. That is the truth that today's proverb is trying to get us to understand. The Hebrew phrase used here paints an interesting picture for us. The original Hebrew reads, "In the transgression of the lips is an evil snare." What is even more fascinating about this phrase is that the snare is actually a baited trap. Of course we know that a trap is baited so that the animal that we desire to capture is lured to it. The animal is captured when it focuses on the bait rather than the surroundings of that bait. Some animals can even sense the danger of the trap, but ignore it because they become fascinated by the bait in it.
What captures this fool is the fact that he does not watch what he is saying. The transgression of his lips is his unwillingness to submit how he speaks of God and God's Law. The word here meant a rebellious act - meaning the rebellious speech of this man's mouth. His rebellion is against God and against God's warnings to be careful what he says. This man ignores God's cautions to those who say too much - and who see no need to put a guard over their mouths. The bait in their trap is actually their desire to have no one or no law govern what they can say. The undeniable truth of life is that we can say whatever we want, whenever we want, to whomever we want . . . once. The ability to repeat those words - or to be able to speak effectively again may be severely damaged by that absolute freedom to say what you want.
The wise man will escape from these afflictions because of the wisdom with which he chooses his words. He will know that there are times when he needs to speak - and other times when it would be wise for him to be quiet. Because he has chosen to surrender his right to say anything he wants to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - he is rescued from many situations where his freedom of speech would create great difficulty for him. Wisdom means knowing when to speak, how to speak, and often when to hold your peace.
A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man's hands will return to him. Proverbs 12:14
This proverb speaks of fruit: (a) of the lips and (b) of the hands. (speech and works—and their results).
How does a man have a "fruitful " life? This is an interesting question because first you would have to get a definition of what a "fruitful " life is - and then you might be able to answer this question. My own personal definition of a fruitful life is one that remains full after death when we stand before God.
God tells us how to have a "fruitful" life. It is by being a man who understands the power of words - and uses them to build up - to encourage - to bless - rather than to kill, steal, and destroy. This man uses his words to bless because we read here that he is satisfied with good "by the fruit of his words." Every word he speaks is like a good seed - one that God approves and desires for us to speak. People are blessed and built up. They are glad that they have been in his presence to hear these encouraging and wonderful words. That is why he is blessed by them - because rather than his words coming back to haunt him - they are coming back to bless and reward him. Please do not misunderstand, this is not a "yes" man who only says what others want to hear. He is a man who speaks the truth - even when the initial reaction is negative. But he is not wanting a reward of the instant reaction of his words - he is wanting the "fruit" of them. It takes a while for fruit to develop. Thus he lives for the long-term affects of his words.
But there is more we learn here. This man also has the "deeds of his hands" return to him as well. These deeds are those that honor and glorify the Lord. They are deeds of kindness - and deeds which Jesus said would cause men to glorify God your Father when they experience them. Thus they are biblically blessed words - and biblically approved deeds. How do we live a life that speaks these kind of words and does these kind of deeds? It is a life that turns to the Word of God for direction and for counsel What does God call a good deed? Do that kind of deed. What does God say are good words to speak? Speak those kind of words. There really is no magic formula for a life that is blessed in the end. It is simply a life that turns to God's Word to define how life is lived - and how one's mouth is used.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that listens to counsel is wise. - Proverbs 12:15
In this verse, we can see that those who never accept others’ advice but place too much trust in themselves are arrogant and foolish. Those who listen to other opinions are people who have true wisdom. Such people are rational and not self-righteous, and easily accept the truth. They are pleasing to God.
Ever since the fall of man, it has been a tendency of men to think that they are right. It was one of the curses that came with the choice to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That choice involved believing the lie of the serpent who asked, “Did God say ?.” That question when owned by man placed a horrific malignancy of thought in his head. In the mind of man God had been the ultimate Sovereign over truth. Truth was indeed (as it still is today) what God has said. From that moment forward man chose to decide for himself what was right and wrong. God’s Word was either twisted to make man think God did not have man's interest best in mind - or it was denied altogether in favor of a new sovereign - man himself.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. That is how this proverb begins. It is the fool who lifts his own thinking and reasoning to be sovereign in his own life. Yet that is what was left after the fall. Man, in rebellion to God, would choose his own truth and seek to live by it. He would live by that truth until his moral choices came into conflict with it. Then man would decide upon a new truth - or at least one more in line with what he wanted to do. The degeneracy of man’s moral code was set in a downward path from that moment forward. If one questions this it should be noted that it took just 10 chapters for man to become so evil and for his imaginations to run riot with wickedness that God destroyed mankind and started over with Noah and his family. Too many fools considered their own way right in their own eyes and society itself was unraveled and destroyed. So goes the historical cycle when man decides he will be sovereign over his own life and his own moral choices.
A wise man is he who listens to counsel. No longer is man sovereign over his own truth. No longer does man think that what he sees and desires with his eyes is perfectly fine and morally good. Remember that the lust of the eyes is one of the threefold foundations of a worldly mindset. So a wise man does not consider himself his own moral arbiter. He considers that his viewpoint is flawed because he himself, being sinful, is flawed at his core. Because of this trusting himself as to the rightness of his own path at all times is utter foolishness. Therefore he turns to counsel to consider his own way. The Word of God in Psalm 1 says that the blessed man is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, but instead delights himself in the Law of the Lord and meditates on that Law day and night. It is easy for us to know the “chief counsel” of the wise man. That source of counsel is God Himself - and His revelation of Himself and His will in His Word. The “eyes” he relies upon are those Which see all things and the Mind which knows all things, and the Moral Compass which is always true and right. He seeks the wise and understanding counsel of the Lord. That is what turns a man from a fool into a wise man - he listens to the counsel of the Lord.
This kind of counsel wisdom, practically, is all over the book of Proverbs. Over and over and over again, we see encouragement, exhortation, to listen to counsel, to look for advice, to surround yourself with many godly counselors. Because, well, ultimately, we cannot trust ourselves. We can only trust in God and God uses others who are god centered to help us see things we can’t see. We need others and so we look to others - others who are wise, who have a God centered view of the world. Not that we can’t seek counsel or advice from those who are not followers of Jesus, or who may not have a God centered view of the world. But this counsel is worthless.
We all have blind spots. God uses others in our lives to help us see that which we cannot see on our own.
Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. Prov.12:`16
What are you angry about? Why are you upset? What is all that bad? Why are you so bent out of shape? The goodness of God endureth continually (Ps 52:1)! You have ten times as many things to be happy and thankful about than to be mad about!
A quick temper marks a fool, since prudent men avoid the shame of wrath by ruling their spirits. Be quick to hear, forgive, and serve; but be slow to speak and to wrath (Jas 1:19). It is infants and young, poorly-trained children that scream for little or no reason; do not prove yourself immature to others by not being able to control and govern your emotions.
Wrath is vehement or violent anger; intense exasperation or resentment; deep indignation. Wise men, obeying the Bible, rule their spirits to keep from such feelings toward others, unless the cause is virtuous and justifiable (Pr 14:17,29). “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Pr 16:32).
Anger and wrath are powerful passions, and they make men say and do things they would not otherwise do. Therefore, they must be ruled, and ruled tightly. Moses angrily smote the rock instead of speaking to it, and the Lord kept him from entering Canaan (Num 20:7-13). Anger moved Saul to try to kill his own faithful son Jonathan (I Sam 20:30-34).
Not all anger is wrong, as Jesus only condemned anger “without a cause” (Matt 5:21-22). Here is the important lesson of the proverb. A prudent man will think first and avoid the shame of hasty anger causing him to act foolishly (Eccl 7:9). The purpose of Proverbs is to teach you wisdom for success in life – and you will never be successful, if you do not learn to control and rule your passions, especially wrath, anger, and envy (Pr 27:4).
The difference between men that control their emotions and those that do not is very great. Solomon honored that difference by exalting the self-controlled man as a mighty man of valor and military conqueror (Pr 16:32). He also warned that angry men were vulnerable to any adversity and would be easily destroyed in their endeavors (Pr 25:28).
Another lesson, though not taught here directly, is that a wise man avoids angry men, lest he get a snare to his soul (Pr 22:24-25). If you associate with those who do not rule their spirits and tempers, you will pick up their perverse habits (Pr 13:20; I Cor 15:33). If you once had self-control and composure, you will lose it, and you will begin to fail in life.
Reader, rule your spirit; do not let it rule you. “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Jas 1:20). It is impossible to be the child of God you should be, if you let anger burst from your heart and bring you to shame. There is no glory in anger and strife, regardless of how your flesh, the world, or Satan lies to you (Jas 3:14-16).
He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit. Proverbs 12:17
This proverb has a picture to paint for us about being a person who speaks truth and what is right, or a person who is deceitful and untrustworthy in what they say. The picture that is painted for us is framed by the Hebrew word used for "speaking" that is mentioned first in this verse. The word used here is the Hebrew word which means to breathe. It refers to how we breathe out. This is a word used in a poetic way in the Old Testament. In the Song of Solomon it speaks of the day breathing. This refers to how the shadows of morning flee at the appearance of the sun. Here in Proverbs 12:17 it refers to the way that we speak - but not just in a specific situation. It refers to our lifestyle - or - what kind of things come out of our mouths in every situation in life. Of course what we see in the rest of the proverb is that we either speak truth or deceit.
There are those who speak truth and what is right. "Truth" is the word which refers to something true and faithful. The primary meaning being communicated with this word is faithfulness. Through the rest of the Bible the word speaks of character - God's in Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 33:4, 100:5, and 119:90 - and that of people in 2 Chronicles 19:9, Proverbs 12:22, and 28:20. When someone is speaking truth - they are being faithful in what they say. The whole proverb says that they are speaking faithfully - and what they speak is finally defined as "what is right." What does all this mean in the end? The faithful man or woman declares what is right. The word for right is the word that speaks of righteousness - or right by God's standard. It is an ethical word that referred to God's justice and righteousness as represented by the Law of Moses - and by the reaffirmation of God's Word by the prophets.
Situational ethics unfortunately rules the day in our world. What is meant by situational ethics? - the position that moral decision making is dependent on a set of circumstances. it is based on the general Christian norm of brotherly love, which is expressed in different ways in different situations. Everything is negotiable. There is no absolute truth - except what you yourself are comfortable in holding - and even that only applies to yourself (except when you are uncomfortable with your own standards - and then you can change those too). What is left is a society founded upon shifting sands.
But as the people of God - the people saved by His grace - we should stand out like brightly painted, fully lit up sore thumbs. We should be like those who regardless of public opinion - hold faithfully to God's Word as absolutes and as our source of truth and what is right. We should not only believe this in our thinking - we also faithfully speak it out of our mouths. In the midst of a world where the winds of change and compromise drive the public conscience wherever they blow - we are a biblical breath of fresh air when we speak. To some we will be a breath of death - but to those who are being saved - it will be a breath of life to life.
There is a second kind of wind that blows from the words that people speak. It is the false witness who speaks deceit. The false witness is the one who speaks lies and vanity. The word is used of those who were false witnesses in a trial - who lied on the stand. It refers to a person who says vain things and lives their life in vain. There is little or no other purpose to their existance than to live for themselves and love themselves. Their deceit is an intentional misleading of others by either distorting or withholding the truth from them. Their deceit is evidenced by the fact that there is absolute truth - but they will not state it or hold unto to it. As offensive as some will take this - the false witness is the one who does not speak according to the ethical and moral standards held by God's Law and the entirety of Scripture. There is a right and wrong! God gives it to us by His divine authority - and has revealed it to us in the Scriptures. Not holding to this - or trying to twist it in any way - is being a false witness.
Truth proves a man is righteous, and he helps matters of controversy for righteousness. Therefore, a man who speaks the truth is valuable for court and friendship. A witness that misrepresents the truth has a deceitful spirit, and he brings about controversies by confusing justice and righteousness (Pr 14:5,25; 19:28; 21:28). He is to be despised and avoided.
Truth and righteousness are inseparable. There can be no justice without truth, and there can be no truth without justice. Equitable relationships among men, whether private or public, require honesty and truth. If these are compromised, then righteousness is also compromised. If less than the truth is presented, then deceit has entered to that degree. From economic transactions to religious declarations, righteousness depends upon truth.
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 Do you want to wound or heal.
Have you ever had someone say something to you that was so cutting that it felt like a sword stabbing you in the heart? Unfortunately, those moments happen - and God warns us about them. This proverb reminds us that our words can cut deeply when we speak out of anger or resentment - and do so rashly without thinking about what we are about to say.
Solomon warns his son that there are those who will speak out of the wrong kind of passion. They speak in anger and rage. They speak rashly - and therefore do not consider what their words are about to do to the one who is hearing them. Just about everyone in our world has had one of those moments. We speak out of anger to a spouse and cut them deeply to the heart. We speak out of frustration to a child and crush their spirit. We speak out of resentment to a co-worker and damage our relationship with them. Whatever the situation, the key here is not to speak "rashly." This word means to speak thoughtlessly. The fact is that they just do not take the time to think about what they are saying - and to do so with a graciousness that considers the other person's feelings. Therefore their words are foolish and said flippantly. They usually do not know the damage they are causing till later - and sometimes they don't get it at all. We cannot get our words back once we speak them - therefore we should send out our words with some thought before speaking them. James warned in the New Testament that we should be "slow to speak." Following such wisdom will keep us from broken relationships and from having to apologize for saying something stupid.
There are also those whose tongue bring healing. One damages while the other heals. Their statements can comfort those who have been hurt. They can counsel people to do what is necessary to remedy bad choices, bringing spiritual healing to their lives. There is also another way they can speak - and that is with the Scriptures - which can heal a breach between men - but more importantly can heal the breach between man and God. Such words are spoken of elsewhere in Proverbs as apples of gold set in settings of silver - for they are words spoken in a right situation.
"Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him." Here we read how the tongue of the Wisest of all was used to bring healing - even though it cut as the words were heard. May we be those who speak the truth - who speak righteousness - who speak so as to bring healing to others.
The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Proverbs 12:19
Lying may work momentarily. But one lie requires more to cover it, and it forms a habit, and then you will be found out as a liar and fraud. But the man who always tells the truth will live securely and be prospered by God and men. Make total honesty your policy.
There are two examples here – lip and tongue. Both serve the same purpose. They are used to represent the speaking ability of a man and the words he utters. The lip of truth describes a man who always uses his lips to speak the truth. A lying tongue describes a man who often uses his tongue to form lies.
The devil is the father of lies; he told the first lie in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:4-5). Things have not changed since. His whole existence is based on a lie – rebellion against God. He is a deceiver, and so are all his false teachers. They transform themselves to appear as something very different than reality in order to deceive (II Cor 11:3-4,13-15).
The Gibeonites feared as Israel crossed the Jordan River and began annihilating the cities and nations of Canaan. They lied about their nearby location to save their lives, and they tasted relief and success for a moment, only to end up as perpetual slaves (Josh 9:3-27).
Was Gehazi’s moment worth it? He took two talents of silver and two sets of clothes from Naaman, who liberally gave them to him, but Elisha exposed his lies and left him and his family lepers for life (II Kgs 5:20-27). God will not be mocked. Hate lying!
Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. Prov.12:20
What a classic proverb! If you love unlocking dark sayings, here is your opportunity (Pr 1:6). The key to understanding the lesson is in the contrast between the two clauses. Those who imagine evil against oth-ers are liars and will be punished for it. Righteous men pursue peace with their words and advice, and God will bless them with happy lives.
While context is often of little value in Proverbs – many of the verses stand alone, there is some direction for this proverb. Solomon exalted truth and condemned lying in the context (Pr 12:17-19, 20, 21-22. Therefore, “deceit” in this proverb is not self-deception of those that imagine evil, but the deceit that evil men plan and use against others. Men with evil ambitions or envy against their neighbors will lie to take advantage of them.
