Proverbs Chapter 16

PROVERBS CHAPTER 16

Man Proposes, God Disposes 16:1 The verse may mean that man may make his own plans, but God’s purpose will prevail despite them all. This may be teaching the same thing as 16:9, and especially 19:21. The verse isn’t teaching that we are robots, but rather, even when a person rebels against God (like Pharaoh), God can still use such rebellion to glorify Himself and further His purposes (Exodus 9:16; Leviticus 10:3).

The proverb may also refer to how God confounds the worldly wise.

Men arrogantly plan to argue against the truth, but their arguments in the end only tend to support the truth. For example the unbelieving argument which says that there is no absolute truth, has just stated one!

Weighed In The Balances 16:2 A man can easily fool himself, a person may think nothing is wrong with what he or she does. A heart infected by selfishness and pride can be very deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9; Revelation 3:17-18). “Even the most violent criminal rationalizes his sin to himself; somehow we all manage to talk ourselves into doing what we want to do. Verse 2 says it’s only when we measure our motives against a standard of righteousness (the Bible) that we begin to see the error of our ways…If we have pure motives then we will do what is right” (Alden p. 125).

The verse suggests that an objective standard of righteousness is so important, a standard by which we can examine ourselves (2 Timothy 3:16-17), because we can deceive ourselves so easily (16:25).

God’s Safe Hands 16:3 “Commit your works”-i.e. plans. Such will require prayer and humility. In addition, we always need to make sure that our plans are plans which God would approve (1 John 5:14). It is so easy to run ahead and just assume that what we want to do is what God wants us to do (James 4:13ff). “Our activities 1

and plans will be no less our own for being His: only less burdensome” (Kidner p.

118). The Hebrew word rendered “commit”, actually means to “roll”, i.e. roll over to the Lord or commit to him all your plans. See Psalm 37:5. “A number of Proverbs teach how the Lord frustrates the plans of the wicked; in contrast to that we see here how the Lord encourages the plans of the righteous” (Alden p.

126). The verse doesn’t guarantee success for all our plans (Paul had plans which never materialized, or not in the way that he had expected, i.e. his trip to Rome). The verse does remind us that we aren’t self-sufficient, and warns us against trying to live independently of God.

Some To Honor, Some To Dishonor 16:4 “The general meaning is that there are ultimately no loose ends in God’s world: everything will be put to some use and matched with its proper fate. It does not mean that God is the author of evil: James 1:13,17” (Kidner p. 118).

People aren’t created evil or wicked (1 Cor. 14:20), and neither are people predestined for destruction apart from their own choice (2 Peter 3:9). But, if one is going to choose wickedness, then the outcome is certain. The verse clearly teaches that God isn’t going to save the unrepentant individual (Romans 2:1-4).

If man will not glorify God with his life, then God will glorify himself by punishing the sinner. One way or another, your life will demonstrate that God is right.

God knew before He created man that many wouldn’t obey Him, and that it would cost the life of His son, but He created us anyway. “The point is that God ensures that everyone’s actions and their consequences correspond” (Gaebelein p. 1003).

An Attitude Which God Hates 16:5 “Everyone”-God is no respector of persons (Romans 2:11). “The proud (arrogant) man is placed in the very worst company in Proverbs, heading the ‘seven abominations’ in 6:17, and assured of judgment, in company with the adulterer (6:29), and perjurer (19:5)” (Kidner p. 118). “Assuredly”-you can be absolutely sure of this. God detests the person who tries to act as if He doesn’t exist or the person who claims that they don’t need Him. And yet, this is the type of person that our society tends to glorify. Obviously, arrogant people should never be our role models or role models for our children.

Genuine Religion

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16:6 This doesn’t deny the role played by grace, but the fruits of repentance must include mercy and truth. Since the fear of the Lord in the second part of the verse is the respect that an individual must have for God, it seems reasonable that the lovingkindness and truth mentioned in the verse must be manifested by an individual (must come from man) if forgiveness is to take place.

Man is on the path to forgiveness when he or she accepts the truth and starts to demonstrate truthfulness and mercy. Or, in other words, unless I am willing to forgive others, God won’t forgive me. The verse suggests that if we find ourselves dabbling in sin, we don’t really have a healthy respect for God. People who stand in awe of God, people who are impressed with God—avoid sin.

Compare with James 1:26-27.

If God Be For Us 16:7 “Consult God’s wishes, not man’s; He can handle the people you fear!”

(Kidner p. 119). “A life style pleasing to God disarms social hostility” (Gaebelein p. 1004). This doesn’t mean that the Christian won’t have any enemies (John 15:18). But godliness can disarm many potential enemies. Even worldly people often end up admiring (not necessarily liking) but respecting the faithful Christian. “when you please the Lord you also love your enemies. They in turn find it difficult to repay kindness with hostility” (Alden p. 126). Compare with Romans 12:17-21. The verse warns us not to compromise, nor buy into the devil’s lie that people will like us if we give up our principles.

Honesty At All Costs 16:8 Compare with 15:16. The end doesn’t justify the means. Righteous living, even if it results in “little”, is still far better than being dishonest and having much.

The verse infers that the faithful person might suffer because of his or her faithfulness. Material prosperity isn’t worth the sacrifice of our souls or the souls of our family members or brethren. Righteousness must come before physical necessities (Matthew 6:33), and Christians are commanded to work at jobs which are ethical and honest (Ephesians 4:28; Titus 3:8).

Not My Will, But Thine Be Done 16:9 The verse reminds us that we aren’t as independent and self-sufficient as people claim. God remains in control, even of history. There may be a huge difference between what man plans and what actually happens. For people with good hearts and a desire to serve God this verse offers wonderful

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encouragement. We are finite and limited, we don’t always know the best way to tackle a problem. God can providentially see to it that we succeed and that His purpose is furthered. The verse isn’t teaching that God overrules our freewill, but rather, that God can providentially lead us in a better direction that we had initially proposed.

Unto Whom Much Is Given 16:10 The proverb should remind every ruler that God definitely expects something of him. “The Old Testament lends no support to the idea that the king can do no wrong; rather, he is a man under authority: Deut. 17:18-20” (Kidner p.

119). Kings and rulers must speak righteously in their official capacities. God has both created civil government (Romans 13:1ff), and commanded that such governments rule justly (Proverbs 16:12). “His mouth should not err in judgment”-If he is seeking to follow what is right, then the king shouldn’t err when it comes to seeing that justice is done. “Devotion to justice and truth are preconditions for good government” (Garrett p. 156).

Point To Note: The verse is not teaching that when it comes to matters of judgment, that a person can’t sin. Making a matter of judgment or opinion into a matter of fellowship is a sin. We can have a wrong attitude towards our opinions and we can destroy the spiritual lives of others by being too opinionated (Romans 14).

In addition, even lawful thing, may not be a spiritual beneficial thing at the moment (1 Corinthians 6:12).

God And Business 16:11 Compare with 11:1. “All the weights of the bag are His concern”-God is concerned with very aspect of trade and business. Any unethical activity is His concern. People can easily deceive themselves that God isn’t concerned about “small” violations of the law, or a little lie here or there. God doesn’t accept the excuse that everyone is dishonest when it comes to business or that everyone cheats here or there. “Shrewd people kept light and heavy weights to make dishonest transactions---as a modern individual might keep two sets of books” (Gaebelein p. 1006). “Apparently the reasoning of men who use such weights says it is better to steal a fraction of a penny from two million people than to steal thousands of dollars from a few” (Alden p. 128). Righteous in business is just as important to God as obedience to any of His other laws (Leviticus 19:35ff).

Shopping and Salvation!

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The King’s Best Interest 16:12 Once again, the king isn’t above God’s law. In fact, he should know it better than anyone else, he is even more without excuse for spurning it. So much for the foolish idea that we are expecting too much from our leaders if we are expecting them to be moral. Morality will determine the stability of any administration. “a throne is established on righteousness”-and not cleverness, force, will-power or charisma.

16:13 A godly and good ruler will value honesty and especially honesty from his assistants. “People who are honest and candid are valuable to governments” (Gaebelein p. 1006). “Mutual trust is the foundation of any successful regime; if a king can’t depend on the words of those closest to him all will soon be lost” (Alden p. 128). Every wise ruler knows that he must sort out the information he hears into true or false. Godly rulers love righteousness and not flattery. But if the king himself is dishonest, then what does that say about his advisors which he has handed picked? Or what does that say about those people who continue to support him?

Wisdom Appeases Wrath 16:14 “The wise person knows how to pacify the unexpected or irrational anger of leaders” (Gaebelein p. 1007). Compare with 15:1. Such verses remind the young court official that honesty must be always exercised when dealing with the king. There is also the need for reverential respect for monarchs, who can be arbitrary if not irrational. “Most of us possess power, as here, to bring misery or happiness to certain people, almost at will, and may play the appalling role of the petty tyrant” (Kidner p. 120).

16:15 Staying in favor with the king by being truthful and respectful is very important. God isn’t impressed by people who try to move up the ladder by being dishonest, deceitful or trying to flatter the boss. “His favor is so important to his subjects that it is compared to the promise of a ‘rain cloud in spring’. His favor means life to a dry and thirsty land” (Alden p. 128). The verse also should remind rulers that people respond far better to kindness and fairness than threats or cruel treatment.

Better Than Gold 16:16 See 8:10,11,19. People forget that wisdom is necessary to keep whatever material possessions one has gained, and to keep such possessions

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from destroying one’s perspective and relationships. Pity the person who gains instant wealth, but lacks wisdom!

Straight And Sure 16:17 The highway that the righteous man travels consists in shunning what is wrong. By keeping on this straight course one is guarding one’s whole being.

Integrity avoids evil, and the person who guards his way protects his life.

Avoiding and shunning evil, the deliberate choice to refuse evil is something that defines a person as “upright”. The upright person isn’t trying to get as close to sin as they can without sinning.

Pride Or Humility 16:18 “The special evil of pride is that it opposes the first principle of wisdom (the fear of the Lord) and the two great commandments” (Kidner p. 120). The apparent prosperity of the arrogant person is short-lived. Compare with 18:12 and 1 Cor. 10:12. The self-centered person might make it to the top, but only then to self-destruct. “Pride is so despicable that a person should avoid it even it if means being economically oppressed” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 941). A modern equivalent to verse 18 is the expression, “The bigger they are the harder they fall”.

16:19 “Proverbs here links pride to robbery. In doing so, it alludes either to the arrogant certainty of the criminal that he will not be caught or to the act of robbery itself as an expression of self-centeredness and indifference to the rights of others” (Garrett p. 157). “One should cultivate a humble spirit regardless of economic status; but one should never share the loot of those antagonistic to God” (Gaebelein pp. 1008-1009). But often people will say, “But look at all the perks that come when you push and shove”.

Truth And Trust 16:20 “He who gives attention to the word”-It appears to me that the Divine word is meant, for the next statement talks about trusting in the Lord. Don’t let anyone convince you that Bible study or carefully studying the text is unnecessary or legalistic (2 Timothy 2:15). Trusting God and paying careful attention to His word are the same thing, faith and an honest and conscientious handling of the biblical word cannot be divorced (Isaiah 66:2; Matthew 4:4). Being doctrinally sound and spiritually alive are not opposites.

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The Charm Of Wisdom 16:21 Wise speech by its very nature will be persuasive and winsome speech.

The wise man doesn’t need to be dishonest or clever in a worldly sense. “The words do not flatter or trick those who hear them; rather the motivation for using them is the noble one of making learning pleasant” (Alden p. 129). Sweet words are helpful, and make learning desirable. If we really care about the salvation and eternal destiny of the person to whom we are talking, then our speech will be persuasive (Acts 17:3; 2 Timothy 2:24).

You Must Live With Yourself 16:22 “to him who has it”-If one wants wisdom, one must be willing to pay the price. Wisdom isn’t something that can be merely borrowed for a day or week.

Wisdom is a fountain of life, it is refreshing, life-sustaining, and inexhaustible.

“Understanding is like an inexhaustible fountain or cistern; there is no end to what a wise man can learn” (Alden p. 129). The wise man is also constantly blessing others. The person who loves the truth has continual access to a source of nourishment and refreshment that circumstances can’t touch (Philippians 4:10-13). “But the discipline of fools is folly”-“Over and over again the foolish person is corrected by his own folly. He is going to ‘show them’ only to be shown up” (Hunt p. 207).

The Charm Of Wisdom II 16:23 Compare with 16:21. A persuasive speaker is one who ponders what he or she will say. This verse should be a rebuke to those who put very little planning into their sermons. Wise men make sure that they will say wise things.

And the truth can’t help but be persuasive (Romans 1:16).

Sweetening Is Not Superfluous 16:24 To say nice things, to offer encouraging words is very important. Words that flow from a kind heart may bring great benefit to a person in mind and body.

“Kind words are like honey, they flavor life with goodness and health” (Alden p.

130). The verse also infers that to a person in the right frame of mind, the truth can be extremely pleasant. We must resist the cynical temptation which says that what the bible offers is nothing more than hollow platitudes, and that the encouragement offered by Scripture cannot produce true spiritual healing, or that man has something much more beneficial to say to the discouraged than what God has to say. Compare with Psalm 19:10.

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The Deceptive Road 16:25 Compare with 14:12. “A casual view of Scripture might suggest such repetitions are accidents; the results of scribes who simply forgot what they had included and copied over again. Another view of Scripture might suggest such verses are so worthwhile that they were repeated to ensure their truths were not overlooked” (Alden p. 130). The importance of this verse is seen when we realize that the vast majority of people are doing exactly what the verse says not to do. How many people in practice are saying that their feelings are a more accurate guide than the Bible? “I knows that the Bible says….but…”

Incentive To Hard Work 16:26 Like the popular expression, “They will work when they get hungry enough”. Compare with 2 Thess. 3:10-12. The verse also seems to suggest that if a person wants something bad enough, they will work for it.

Trouble-Makers 16:27 “worthless”-we can make ourselves worthless to God. “digs up evil”-Digs for scandal and gossip. Literally, “digs for calamity”, which suggests the effort he puts forth to dig a pit to trap others. For words that “are as a scorching fire”, see James 3:5-6.

16:28 Because of his slander and gossip, he causes close friends to doubt and distrust each other.

16:29 Such a person will also corrupt their neighbors (Romans 1:32). “entices”evil is also out trying to convert people. Sin is typically never content to sin all by itself. The sinner will typically try to get others to join them.

16:30 “By winking and pursing his lips an evil person signals to others nonverbal clues (facial gestures) to communicate his intentions” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 941). The verse reveals the “wealth of meaning, and of mischief, that can be disseminated without a word spoken” (Kidner p. 122). And God doesn’t accept the excuse which is so often offered, “But I didn’t say anything”.

The Beauty Of Age

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16:31 “Young men glory (take pride) in their strength (20:29), but old men may take pride in their gray hair, which is like a distinguished crown” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 943). Gray hair therefore is not something of which we should be ashamed (Lev. 19:32). And neither does it mean that one has lost touch with reality or what the world is like today. The idea that the aged know more that the young has really suffered serious erosion in our society.

Technology aside, the aged still know a lot more than the young, and with God there is to be no generation gap.

Self Control 16:32 Having patience and a controlled temper is honored above being a soldier. Conquering oneself is a greater achievement than any achievement on the field of battle. But how often has our society glorified the person who has achieved things in public, while their personal life is a mess? This statement really rebukes the worldly attitude that in order to be successful in life one must be arrogant. Or, that, we simply must concede that all achievers are going to be people whose private lives are a mess. “It is an indictment to all who conquer others while failing to conquer themselves” (Alden p. 131). The verse gives God’s perspective concerning who is the true hero, and it is very revealing concerning what an inaccurate view of historical figures most people have or have been taught.

God And Not Chance 16:33 This verse isn’t teaching God’s control of all random occurrences, but about His settling of matters properly referred to Him. The passage concerns the practice of seeking divine leading through casting lots. See Josh. 7:16-20; 1 Samuel 14:41-43; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:23-26. Seeing that Christians have been given all truth (John 16:33), and are commanded to pray for wisdom (James 1:5), it would seem that such a practice is no longer to have a role among God’s people.

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