He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Pursuit Of The Wise: Absolute Peace Proverbs
14:10-14
10) The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not
intermeddle with his joy.
11) The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of
the upright shall flourish.
12) There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
[are] the ways of death.
13) Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth
[is] heaviness.
14) The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a
good man [shall be satisfied] from
himself.
EXPOSITION:
In
this text, we find that wise people will seek to absolute security that is only
found in our Lord and Savior.
10) The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not
intermeddle with his joy.
1. No man can recognize with certainty the
spiritual disposition of others. It is
only one’s own mind and set of desires for his life that one can recognize when
his life is unfulfilling and filled with dissatisfaction and emptiness.
2. Likewise, others cannot share in our
experiences and emotions. They can only
observe them from a distance.
This
principle applies to our peace with God.
Our spiritual condition is a personal issue between us and the
Lord. Our actual condition before God can only be
known by our own heart and the Spirit’s witness within us. Although our outward fruits that are borne
are an indication of our spiritual condition, no other person can know with
certainty our standing before the Lord.
“Oh that my grief were
throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! For now it would be heavier
than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. For the arrows of the
Almighty [are] within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors
of God do set themselves in array against me.”
(Job 6:2-4)
“Whom having not seen, ye
love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your
faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
11) The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of
the upright shall flourish.
1. Those who remain in their sinful condition
will be overtaken and brought to desolation.
2. In comparison, those who are aligned with God’s
desires, through repentance of sin and submission to His Lordship, will be
blessed in his life and peace knowing he is right with the Lord.
True
peace and security comes from a certainty of our right standing before the
Lord. This certainty comes into being
based upon the witness of our human spirit and the Holy Spirit that is within
us.
“Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man,
which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
12) There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
[are] the ways of death.
When
the human spirit is left without the Lord’s intervention, it can mislead us to follow
the well-trodden path of the world. In
our spirit it appears to be the path that leads to happiness and contentment
but, in actuality, it is the path that leads to continued spiritual death (separation
from the Lord due to our sin) and coming eternal death (permanent separation
from the Lord in the Lake of Fire due to our sin).
This
proverb helps us to understand our desperate need of the gracious intervention
of Christ to obtain peace with God. Through
the Holy Spirit’s workings, the Lord can open our spiritual eyes and show us
the true way that leads to salvation.
Without His intervention, we are like a blind man unable to find what he
so desperately needs.
“Enter ye in by the narrow
gate, because wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to
destruction, and many are they who enter through it. How narrow is the gate,
and restricted the way, that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
13) Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth
[is] heaviness.
1.
There are many lost men who outwardly appear happy and content, while being
empty and miserable within.
2. Without Christ, it makes no difference what hypocritical
joy we may display outwardly; within, we only find emptiness which will result
in a burdensome misery of our spirit.
The
lack of a personal relationship with Christ guarantees an emptiness and misery
of the inward man. Despite outward
displays of joy and happiness, the lost man only experiences a void and
unfulfilled longing within. This is why a
wise man will seek out a relationship with the only source of genuine fulfillment,
peace and joy …. The Lord Jesus Christ.
“Be ye sorrowful, and mourn, and weep. Let
your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into a downcast look.” (James 4:9)
14) The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a
good man [shall be satisfied] from
himself.
1. Those who mentally receive the Word of God in
their minds (without the Holy Spirit applying it to their hearts) when they
willfully choose to turn back to their own ways will receive their deserved punishment
for their wicked deeds.
Note: These men did not “lose their salvation” for
they never had it to begin with. They
simply mentally assented to the truth of God’s Word, and hypocritically
reformed their outward actions. However,
over time, because they were never experience a Godly change within turned back
to their old ways proving they were never saved to start with. A hypocritical “acceptance” of the truth of
God’s Word never releases a man from the judgment of God.
“For it had been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from
the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is]
turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in
the mire.”
(2 Peter 2:21-22)
Why does the dog return his vomit and the sow
return to the mire? Because they were
never changed within… they are still a dog and a sow.
“They went out from us, but they were not of
us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us:
but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of
us.” (1 John 2:19)
What
does it show us when a person willfully departs from the truth that he once claimed
to believe? It shows us that they were
never really a part of God’s kingdom, family and fellow servants of Christ.
2. A man who is genuinely saved and serving
Christ will find, satisfaction, peace and contentment as he lives life on
earth. In spite of hardships and trials
that he might face, he knows that his relationship with the Lord has secured
for him eternal peace, security and a life with meaning and purpose.
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:8)
SUMMARY:
In
this text we have seen some very important principles in a search for genuine
peace and security:
1. Our spiritual condition is an issue between
us and God alone. NO man can, with
certainty, see the spiritual
condition
of the heart
2. Without repentance of sin and submission to
His Lordship, we are destined for an empty life and separation
from
the Lord
3. To gain peace and security we are in desperate
need of the gracious intervention of Christ.
We cannot gain peace of our own effort or merit.
4. The lack of a personal relationship with
Christ guarantees an emptiness and misery of the inward man.
5.
Those who mentally receive the Word of
God in their minds (without the Holy Spirit applying it to their hearts) when
they willfully choose to turn back to their own ways will receive their
deserved punishment for their wicked deeds.
6. A man who is genuinely saved and serving
Christ will find genuine, lasting satisfaction, peace and contentment as he
lives life on earth.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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