Month: October 2021

Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.

God promises that Christians will have a positive effect on other people around us in the world. Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Here the proverb says that our very presence and appearance brings joy to the souls of people, and our words and speech give health to the bodies of people. This is true and it happens even when we don’t see the effects. We must believe that our lives, our living on earth, our words and our very presence makes a difference.

The positive effect of our lives on those around us is not something we can make happen by effort. We cannot just decide we are going to start making others happy and healthy. We are not commanded to be salt and light; we are. How we live and what we say comes out of who we are. We are new persons with a new life inside, and it comes out in the eyes and the words. Our job is to focus in the Cross, listen to the Word, hear the Gospel, remember our Baptism, repent and believe daily. Then our eyes and mouth show it.

Unfortunately, of course, we are still sinners, living in sinful, selfish flesh. And this nature comes out of us at the same time. “Out of the heart proceeds” all kinds of sin and evil. So says Jesus. The eyes are filled with sadness and anger; the mouth gives a bad report with gossip and judgmental words. We still bring others down and negatively affect their health. That is why we repent daily and fill the heart with the gospel of Christ.

Then we live our lives, trusting the promise that Jesus comes out naturally. This happens when we focus on Jesus instead of on self. And we believe the promise that it works. The eye is the “lamp of the body” and brings joy. A good news report brings health. In the Bible “fatness of bones” is a good thing, signifying health. We have the privilege of making people feel better in body and soul.

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

There are many promises in Scripture that the Lord hears the prayer of the believer. We pray for two reasons: He commands it and He promises to hear it. God’s command and promise motivates us to pray. He enjoys our prayers, as we enjoy talking to Him and hearing from Him. This is natural for lovers in a loving relationship.

He is always near to us, always with us; His eye is always upon us and His ear is always attentive to us, longing to hear from us, anywhere, any time. But there is the usual contrast between the righteous and the wicked. These are Solomon’s words for believer and unbeliever. The Lord “is far from” the wicked (the unbeliever), but near to the righteous (the believer). Some people don’t want to hear this, that God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers, but the Bible seems clear on this question. But some ask, What about the so-called “sinner’s prayer?” Doesn’t God hear this converting prayer from an unbelieving heart? Yes, but when a person is ready to pray this prayer he has already been converted.

Regardless, the promise is certain: God hears the prayers of His believing and converted children. He may not respond in the way, time, and manner we want, but He hears! Not only does He hear and not only is He as near as your heart and lips, but is is also eagerly waiting to hear from you. So make Him happy. Pray. He is listening.

Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth; and a word spoken in due season, how good it is.

The conditional promise is: if you answer wisely with your mouth, then you will have joy. There are several promises in Proverbs related to the use of the mouth, tongue, and lips. The words you use and how and when you speak them bring good results when spoken wisely. Words have the power to bring you and others closer to life or to death, that is, you get more of God or more of sin. Here the promise is joy for the speaker, and that would also include others who hear you. And it is blessedly good when spoken at the right time.

Believing this promise of joy and good motivates us to think before opening the mouth in order to speak wise and loving words at the appropriate times. Obviously, cursing, swearing, lying, deceiving, yelling, gossiping words, and using harsh, mean, nasty, critical, and demeaning words are sinful and produce death. And usually, using sweet, kind, tender, loving, warm, encouraging, truthful, and uplifting words tend to produce life in the speaker and the hearer.

But a “word spoken in due season” means using the appropriate words and tones of voice at the right time. For instance, a kind, approving, tender, sympathetic tone is not appropriate when reprimanding a sin. And by the same token, a harsh disapproving, judgmental tone is not appropriate for the repentant sinner who is already genuinely sorry for his sinful behavior. The most fitting word of Law to the smug, or of Gospel to the penitent, is a word “in due season.” This is “how good.”

Words have power to bring joy or bitterness. Ask the Lord for wisdom to know how to answer with the appropriate word and tone. He promises joy and good.

Proverbs 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

God promises a better life, no matter how poor you may be, if you believe the Lord. Fear of God is the same as trust in Him. Fear of the Lord with very little in earthly goods is far better than having a great wealth of earthly goods and no faith or knowledge of God. Faith in Jesus is eternal wealth that lasts forever, spiritual riches that cannot be lost, the presence of God in life, and a glorious heaven both now and forever. This is better.

Life without God, without the fear and faith in the Lord, is only trouble, and any great treasure we may have only brings more trouble with it. Trouble is common to all people, believers and unbelievers alike, but for believers there is also God, the life of God, all His glorious riches, His love, His peace, and His joy. All this wealth does not come from the world, and the world can’t take it away. And the world, with its riches and pleasures, can’t give it.

We need this promise, for in the world we mourn for and are saddened by what we don’t have, and we are tempted to envy and resent those who have the treasure of this world’s goods. We need to believe God, for then we will see it the other way around around: the unbeliever would mourn for the spiritual life he doesn’t have, and he would envy the spiritual riches of believers (those who fear God).

The God-fearer can pray, “Thy kingdom come to us,” and know that God gives all His spiritual and heavenly riches in glory to us. And life is better!

Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

A “merry heart” makes a lot of difference; it has great effects; it is the if condition of several promises. If you have a merry heart, then you will have a continual feast. The cause of the feast is a glad or cheerful heart. The one whose heart is right with God will enjoy the blessings of life to the full. A merry heart is one in which God’s life dwells by faith in Jesus. In the heart of a believer the Holy Spirit in continually growing love, peace and joy. A “feast” is a symbol of a good time and a joyous celebration, and this promise is “continual.” With God, there is always a party going on inside. The only problem with feasts and parties is that they end; but this promised feast of eternal life never ends, ever.

The key is to have a merry heart. It comes from God, but it is resisted by our own human flesh. “The gift of God is eternal life through Christ our Lord.” “The fruit of the spirit is…joy.” We can’t make the heart merry, at least not continually. The devil, the world, and the flesh falsely promise momentary thrills, but they soon pass and the “crash” happens. Only Jesus gives abiding joy, and the world can’t take it away. The inner feast is continual. And it is renewed every day and every week. We may pray daily; “restore unto me the joy of salvation.”

As long as we live in the world we will be afflicted, and if we didn’t have the Lord present to turn to, those afflictions can become evil. There will always be the temptation to be disappointed with God, and even to turn against Him in doubt, anger, and despair, and depression. But the Lord is there with His promise. Therefore we pray and believe, “Deliver us from evil.” “Rejoice in the Lord.”

Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

This is a truism that we all know, but it is hard to remember how to apply this truth in real life. What’s on the inside comes out through the eyes and facial expressions, even though we may try to be actors and paste on a smiley face. Outward attempts to make a joyful face and a happy smile do not work. It’s not genuine,

It must work the other way around, that is, work on the heart, and the internal spirit will affect the face and produce a cheerful countenance. That’s the promise: a happy inside makes a cheerful outside. How does one work on the heart? You don’t; you can’t. God does. The Holy Spirit brings to faith through the gospel, and then He sanctifies the believer by changing the heart and making it merry. Then the joyful heart makes a happy face. All genuine work on the person begins with the heart, which positively affects the behavior and appearance of the body.

The sorrowful soul cannot just “cheer up.” The spirit is broken by sorrow, usually caused by sin. Into that breach Sin and Satan enter and bring the soul down. The forgiveness of sins and the life enter by faith in the Gospel; the Spirit fixes the brokenness and sorrow and makes the heart merry. The renewed inner man makes the makes outward man smile and rejoice.

Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

This word is not a direct promise, but a promise is embedded in this truth: God promises to be delighted in the prayers of His children. This a wonderful promise for us to believe and think about. The Lord delights in His true believers all the time, and He is especially joyful when we talk to Him. Think about it: as His children we have the ability to bring joy to the Lord and make His heart glad.

Our Father delights in His Son: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Our Father delights in us, who identify with Christ by faith. Our Father delights in His loving relationship with His children. My Father delights in me. Our Father is filled with joy when we just talk to Him, even if it is just to make a mundane or worldly request. It thrills the heart of God just to hear us pray.

On the negative side, the sacrifice (worship and prayer) of the wicked (the unbeliever) is an abomination to the Lord. The difference is one of faith in Christ or not. Abomination and delight is not differentiated by sincerity or insincerity, nor even on a little faith or a lot of faith, and certainly not by good deeds, but it is solely based in faith or unbelief in Christ. “Without faith it impossible to please God.” With faith God is well pleased, and He delights in you.

Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

This promise is not worded like a promise, but it has the same effect as all the conditional promises regarding the tongue. If you speak wholesome words in wholesome way, then you will cause life to flourish in both the speaker and the hearer. As usual, our words and how we speak them will tend either toward life or toward death. That sounds serious, and it is. We will give account for every idle word, and the effects of our tongues is a life or death matter. It may not feel to us like it matters that much what we say or how we say it, but since God says the tongue has great power in its effects then it does.

This promise and its negative warning is an incentive and an encouragement for us to watch what we say and how we say it. Remember that the Lord has given us the promise and the power to enhance life and its joy in ourselves and others. The tongue has the power to make people feel better.

In place of a “wholesome” tongue other translations use “gentle” or “healing” tongue. Gentle words spoken in a healing or soothing way are a tree of life. Just like the Tree of Life such words have an eternal effect in forever reward and blessing.

Conversely, a perverse tongue brings in death. It causes “a breach in the spirit,” allowing Satan and Evil to enter the soul and gain a foothold. But regular repentance and forgiveness through the gospel closes up the breach and gives life. “Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which gives a blessing.” There is a promise attached.

Proverbs 15:15 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

It is possible to take this proverb as a conditional promise, although it is not originally meant as a promise. The promise would be like this: if you answer softly during contentious dispute, then the Lord will tone down the anger of the other person. Maybe it goes without saying that gentleness can defuse a volatile situation, but if we take it as promise from God, then we are more likely to attempt “softness” in response. It is not so easy to act and speak contrary to the emotions of the moment, even when it seems reasonable and feels justifiable.

Therefore, we need to trust God’s promise that, in spite of the anger we are feeling, a kinder, gentler, softer response will actually work better. Faith in God’s Word will work things out better than acting on anger. Anger escalates. Anger leads to sins in words and deeds. With the Spirit’s help, we can overcome the anger by believing God and acting on the wisdom of a “soft answer.”

Consider this: the Cross of Christ may be the softest answer ever given. It turns away God’s anger upon our sin, and it completely disarms the devil’s anger against us. We glory in the soft answer of the cross. It has great power toward us.

Proverbs 13:14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Life and Death is again contrasted in black and white terms as a result of living and believing the Law and Wisdom of God. The “law of the wise” is the Torah of Moses, and by extension, the whole Bible. A concise summary of this Law is given us in the Ten Commandments. “Keep these, and you will live.”

The “Fountain of Youth” has been dreamt about and searched for for centuries, while the Fountain of Life has always been near at hand, right in front of us, and even in us all along. “Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.” Faith in Jesus is the law of the wise; believing Him is the Fountain of Life.

There is a fountain filled with blood. It cleanses from all sin; it gives eternal life to all who bathe in it. This gospel is the law of the wise. There is such a huge difference between believers and unbelievers, also called the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish, the hearers of the Word and the ignorers of the Word. It is the difference between a full, rich, satisfying, enjoyable, abundant, and eternal life and a poor, miserable, empty, painful, and eternal death. Everything we think, say, or do tends toward either life or death. Believe the revealed Word of God to know the difference. Escape the snares of death.