He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Anatomy Of The Wise: The Heart (Part 2):
Proverbs 15:13-17
13) A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the
heart the spirit is broken.
14) The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the
mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
15) All the days of the afflicted [are]
evil: but he that is of a merry heart [hath]
a continual feast.
16) Better [is] little with
the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
17) Better [is] a dinner of
herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
EXPOSITION:
In
the text for this morning, we find the second of three parts of this study on the
“heart”. Remember the heart is picturing
the desires, love and sacrifices that are clearly displayed by those who
possess Godly wisdom. (Solomon began
this study in vs 9-12 and will complete this study on a wise man’s heart in
verses 27-30.)
13) A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the
heart the spirit is broken.
1. When the desires of our heart are satisfied, its
satisfaction and happiness will be revealed by our outward appearance.
2. When the desires of our heart remain
unfulfilled, its grief will destroy our determination, hope and enjoyment of
life.
Our
outward appearance will be affected by our inward satisfaction and
contentment. When we are contented
within we are joyful and hopeful in this life.
However, if we are consistently discontented our life will lose its
happiness and satisfaction.
14) The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the
mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
1. Those who possess spiritual understanding
will have desires that seek the knowledge of God.
2. Those who are lacking wisdom will continue to
hunger and partake of foolishness.
Those
who possess an understanding of the true nature of this temporal life and
eternity that is to come they will seek out that which is of true importance…. the
knowledge and wisdom of God.
15) All the days of the afflicted [are]
evil: but he that is of a merry heart [hath]
a continual feast.
1. Those who are pained with discontentment will
find that life is a heavy burden that afflicts them.
2. Those who have desires that are fulfilled
will enjoy life recognizing the great blessings and supplies given to them from
the Lord.
One
great cause of consistent discouragement is failure to recognize and count our
blessings and be content in the situation we are in.
16) Better [is] little with
the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
1. It is more beneficial for us to possess a fear
of the Lord than for us to obtain great riches.
To possess the fear of the Lord is to be blessed of God. Some of the blessings necessary for us to
properly fear God include:
a.
saving faith in Christ
b.
a knowledge of God’s Word
c.
an understanding of His authority over us
d.
an understanding of His awesome being etc etc
All
of the above (a-d) is the result of God’s enabling. As fallen mankind we can do NONE of the above
without His direct intervention in our lives.
How can we not be content when we come to see all that He has done for
us which is displayed in our fear of Him?
2. Along with the great riches will come great
temptations and other obstacles of our service to Christ. Riches, in and of themselves are certainly
not sinful, but they are a great responsibility that in many ways are a
difficult burden to bear.
One
of the keys to living a contented life is to possess an understanding of the
value of spiritual blessings of God as opposed to the riches of this world.
17) Better [is] a dinner of
herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
1. Love, another grace of God, is of far greater
value to us than fleshly satisfaction.
In this proverb, we are told that a dinner of herbs (a typical meal of
the poor) when combined with love, is of far greater value than a stalled ox (awaiting
slaughter and consumption) and hatred.
2. We are to value the grace of love that God
gives to us. Our love for God and His
love for us, our love for our family/acquaintances and their love for us, all
of which make life enjoyable and gives us confidence of our salvation. How can we be discouraged when we can see the
Lord’s gracing our lives and we have assurance of our eternal salvation?
Once
again we can see that one of the “culprits” in our suffering discouragement and
depression is not recognizing the grace of love that is given to us and those
around us.
SUMMARY:
Some
common causes of discouragement are:
1.
Unfulfilled desires – vs 13
2.
Devaluing spiritual blessings – vs 14
3.
Not recognizing spiritual blessings – vs 15 … (the fear of God – vs 16) (love –
vs 17)
May
we all ask the Lord for grace to see His daily blessings and properly value
them. As a result we will find
encouragement, appreciation and strength motivating us to serve Him in greater
ways.
Note:
let me make one additional note concerning depression. I am not saying that in EVERY case discouragement
and depression is caused by a lack of recognition of God’s blessings. There can be other causes as well including
physical issues, a devastating physical loss and repressed anger…. But the
Bible is plain that one common cause of discouragement and depression is a lack
of appreciation and recognition of the gracious hand of God in our lives.
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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