Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Proverbs 19:20-23
Then the LORD said unto Moses,
“Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.”
And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him,
“I am the LORD: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage:’ I am the LORD.”
Exodus 6:1-8
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the LORD is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Psalm 92:12-15
Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Proverbs 19:1
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” Proverbs 19:9
“And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:42-43
Let us pray for strength, courage and faith to always be a true witness to those around us. That when we are around the unbelieving, we do not act as they act, do as they do for that is a false witness of what Jesus Christ has done for us; when they do not see the change He has made in us. Be a faithful witness.
May we always be faithful to the cross of Jesus Christ in our life and testimony. Testifying that Jesus Christ is the Judge of the living and the dead. In His is life, and life everlasting. In Him alone there is forgiveness and cleansing of all sin.
If you have not done so call on the only One who died for your sins. His name is Jesus the Christ. He did on the cross, was buried, and He bodily arose and came out alive.
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” Proverbs 19:5
“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” Mark 10:15
Our Father in heaven all glorious above. You have given us Your Son not just to be an example for leadership, holiness, righteousness and justice; but also and probably foremost to be our Redeemer the atonement for the sins of the world.
Lord, there are many false witnesses in government, in churches, and in homes who are always telling things on others that are not true, and Your word says that they shall not be unpunished. Liars will not escape Your wrath and judgment.
Open the eyes of leaders everywhere that they may realize that leadership is a place of humble service, serving You, and serving the people who put them in their respective places. May they see that they are not lords and masters, but servants to the people. May they also see that their places of service is not for their gaining of wealth and prosperity, but a place for giving; not the people’s money but their own.
Open their eyes, Lord, to realize that there is a greater kingdom; the kingdom of God; to which they must yield, and that the only way to be a part of His kingdom is to come to Him with the faith of a child, fully submitting to His Lordship, and living for Him.
Save, Lord, to the uttermost all those who are perishing. Amen.
“The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.” Proverbs 19:12
“Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” Proverbs 19:10-11 (KJB)
“He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” Proverbs 19:8-9 (KJB)
“Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.” Proverbs 19:6-7 (KJB)
“The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” Proverbs 19:3-5 (KJB)
“Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool; also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.” Proverbs 19:1-2 (KJB)
Integrity, Discretion and Fear – Proverbs 19:1-29
Verses 1 – 10 Integrity is defined in the Mirriam/Webster Dictionary as… “SOUNDNESS: adherence to a code of values: utter sincerity, honesty and candor: COMPLETENESS.”
This is once again a comparison between the poor man who has a completeness about him; being content with his life; family, friends, and God. The wealthy can far too often not be content with their wealth, wanting more, feeling they have a lack.
As we look at verses 2 – 10 we can see the comparison even further. Many who are wealthy depend on their wealth for friendships (vv. 4-6), getting good judgments from whomever it may count and luxury is not seemly for those who are without wisdom of God. The wealthy are far too often servants to their wealth.
Verses 11 – 22 Discretion is defined as… “The quality of being discreet: PRUDENCE: Individual choice or judgment: power of free decision or latitude of choice.” M/WD The one who is discreet or having discretion will not prolong anger at the “transgressions” of others. Discretion is having good sense.
“A person with good sense is level-headed and can defuse conflict (15:18).” Faithlife Study Bible Online. The person with good sense will not be out to upset the king (v. 12), cause his/her parents grief and/or shame(v. 13), and will seek to find the right person to start a home (vv. 13-14).
The person with good sense will be a hard worker, keep the commandments of the LORD, show kindness to the poor, and be honest in his dealings (vv. 15-22).
Verses 23 – 29 The fear of the LORD… We have dealt with this topic before (1:29; 2:5; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26, 27; 15:16, 33; 16:6) and it is mentioned more as we journey to the end of Proverbs in 23rd verse; in 22:4 and 23:17.
The fear of the LORD is not a dreadful thing. It is knowing that He is holding on to you; knowing He will not let go, even though we might. Even though we might let go, because He does not He will pursue us until we are back in right relationship with Him.
Anyone having the fear of the LORD will be a hard worker (v. 24), be growing in knowledge and wisdom (v. 25), honor their father and mother (v. 26), be a godly witness, and trusts good judgment(vv. 27-29).
Please Note: I just corrected a sentence I had made an error in. In the section for verses 10-22 it was written, “The one who is discreet or having discretion will prolong anger at the “transgressions” of others.” I did add the word “not” to read “…discretion will not prolong anger…”. (12/31/18)
The Fire and Hammer 