He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Practical Life Principles: The Lord Is In
Control: Proverbs 21:1-3
1) The king's heart [is] in
the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers
of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
2) Every way of a man [is]
right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
3) To do justice and judgment [is]
more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
In
this chapter, Solomon reminds us of several practical life principles that we use
in our day to day walk with the Lord.
EXPOSITION:
1) The king's heart [is] in
the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers
of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Life
Principle 1: The Lord is in control of
those in authority.
1. Those who are in authority are controlled by
the very hand of Jehovah, much He is in control of the mighty rivers that flow
and rise according to His good pleasure.
2. The Lord is able to bend the authority’s
desires, motives and thoughts in any way He pleases.
Normally,
we think of inanimate nature under the Lord control, but we hestitate to think
that men are controlled as well. Here we
find that Solomon described the Lord’s control over nature as being very
similar to the type and degree of control He exercises over mankind as
well. In other words, the Lord sovereignly
reigns equally over all His creation.
“And at the end of the days
I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him
that liveth for ever, whose dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, and his
kingdom [is] from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: and he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34-35)
2) Every way of a man [is]
right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
Life
Principle 2: The Lord knows our heart and mind better than ourselves.
1. Every path that a man chooses to take, he, pridefully,
believes is the correct path.
2. However, the Lord not only analyzes our
actions but our heart as well.
When
we rely upon ourselves for leadership in decision making, we are relying upon a
fallen, sinful, imperfect being.
Therefore many times we can actually fool ourselves and make incorrect
life decisions. However, the Lord cannot
be fooled. He sees the true nature of
the actions and our heart (desires and thoughts) which reveals the motivations behind
that action.
“The heart [is] deceitful
above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the
heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and]
according to the fruit of his doings.”
(Jeremiah 17:9-10)
3) To do justice and judgment [is]
more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Life
Principle 3: The Lord is the final, ultimate Judge to which we must answer.
1.
To do moral acts of fairness and mercy is desired by Jehovah over the giving of
public offerings.
To
live in submission to the Lord’s desires, by treating others morally and fairly,
is chosen by God over the outward motions of worship when the heart is not in
submission to Him. In the end, He is the
One to whom we must answer and He is the One for whom we are to live.
“To what purpose [is] the
multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt
offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand,
to tread my courts? Bring no more vain
oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the
calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn
meeting. Your new moons and your
appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear
[them]. And when ye spread forth
your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I
will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before
mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek
judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:11-17)
SUMMARY:
One
of the great life principles by which we are to live is found in the knowledge
that the Lord is in absolute control of all things. This control is shown to man in many
different ways, three of which are: His control over the authorities of this
world; His knowledge of the thoughts and intents of the heart; His role as the final,
Ultimate Judge over all mankind.
May
we all keep these principles in mind, to help us select the path(s) we are to
take during our walk on this 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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