9/10/2023
Turn with me to Proverbs 16:10-15. These are our verses to finish studying and memorizing this week.
Proverbs 16:10-15 A divine decision is in the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment. 11 A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern. 12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved. 14 The fury of a king is like messengers of death, But a wise man will appease it. 15 In the light of a king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.
Introduction
In the first nine verses of this chapter we saw God’s sovereign authority over everyone being emphasized. In the six verses that we are looking at now we have moved to seeing another level of authority that exists: the king’s authority. And yet, before people’s responsibility to their king or government is focused on, verses 10-12 greatly emphasize the responsibility of leaders to God’s authority. Their own authority comes from Him, but that authority also comes with full responsibility to God for how they use it. The Lord sees every injustice. Every act of wickedness is visible and is an abomination to Him. Because kings and governments exercise divinely delegated authority they have a supreme responsibility to make sure that their words and decrees are just and righteous. They have the responsibility to justly deal with wickedness and to not let it flourish in their lives or in their country. As we saw in the last couple lessons letting wickedness flourish leads to ruin and God’s judgment.
With that foundation of what government is supposed to be, and that reminder of their accountability to God, verses 13-15 now focus more on the responsibility of citizens.
With that background, let’s take a look more closely at those three verses.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved.
Righteous words are what God-fearing rulers really want. They highly appreciate truthfulness and honesty.
Because wickedness is an abomination, and because a nation is established on righteousness a wise leader will appreciate those who speak righteously. They will want righteous advisors who give godly counsel. They will delight in them. They will not simply want “yes” men who only tell them what they want to hear. They will want the truth—even when it is not easy to hear. They will want careful guidance on what is right and wrong for the complex issues that come up in leading a country. This is why Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom in guiding Israel (1 Kings 3). He realized his inadequacies and his need for help. All wise rulers realize this. So they really appreciate it when they come across people whose words are open, honest, trustworthy, and righteous.
Back in Proverbs 8:5-8 we saw where this righteous speech comes from.
Proverbs 8:5-8 “O naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom. 6 “Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things. 7 “For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.
The source of righteous words is God’s wisdom which He has declared to us in His Word. That is where we learn righteousness. That is where we learn to discern right from wrong. People who are going to wisdom for truth—and are thus gaining righteous words—will be treasured and appreciated by all true followers of God. As citizens, this is a major responsibility for us towards our government and leaders. We are to be truthful, whether that is in everyday life, in court, or as an advisor. Truthfulness goes a long way to establishing a nation. Everything goes better when interactions between people can be trusted.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an extensive example of this with Daniel. He was appreciated by successive kings in the Babylonian and then Medo-Persian empires for his faithful, true, righteous words. It started with Daniel committing to do what was right. He would not defile himself with the king’s unclean food. Naturally that commitment to righteousness also extended to his words and actions. So when the king interviewed Daniel and his friends after their training he was very pleased.
Daniel 1:18-20 Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. 20 As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.
They spoke the truth and went to God for wisdom. Because of that Daniel had the favor of King Nebuchadnezzar, King Belshazzar, and then King Darius. Daniel definitely did not always tell them what they wanted to hear, but they knew that he spoke the truth and they trusted him.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see it reaffirmed that this speaking what is right should characterize all of us as Christians. In Ephesians 4:7-13 Paul talks about how God has designed the leaders of the church to have spiritual gifts which build up the body and equip them for the work of the ministry. The result of that is then seen in the following verses:
Ephesians 4:14-15, 22-25 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
Through being taught God’s Word we go from being deceived to being ones who speak the truth in love. Paul adds to this in verses 22-25:
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.
God wants us all to know the wisdom of His Word and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds so that His righteousness is what comes out of our lips. There is to become a likeness to God in our thinking and behavior which leaves no room for falsehood but only holiness and truth. This should characterize all of our mouths. As it does we will become a delight to one another and to all that we speak to—at least for all those who appreciate truth, honesty, righteousness and holiness.
The truth is not always what we want to hear in the moment, but it is always what we need for our lives to be established in righteousness. It is what we need in our personal lives, and it is what our nation needs to be able to have the favor and blessing of God. A wise king or leader will know this, appreciate it, and delight in it. A wise elder, pastor, father, mother, or child will know this, appreciate it, and delight in it. Do you delight in the wisdom of righteousness when it is spoken? Are your words speaking the wisdom of righteousness? Are you pursuing it from God’s Word?
Truth in Connection: There are millions of voices shouting for our attention in all areas of our lives. Do not get your advice for life from unbelieving friends, from Facebook, movies, TV shows, Instagram, Twitter (X), or the news. They are not righteous sources of truth. The more we spend time with them the more they will influence us. For our lives to be established on righteousness, and for our nation to be established on righteousness we must be intentional on what we allow influence us. If your closest friends are not believers, they will not lead you towards God’s purpose for your life. They will lead you away from it and towards whatever idols they have. Whatever has deceived them will be what they influence you towards. We need to delight in those who speak righteously and truthfully. We ought to love those who speak what is right.
We will want to surround ourselves with people who value God’s Word and are committed to having its truths guide every area of their lives. None of us know everything or have a complete handle on all of God’s wisdom. We all need a continued input of the truth to guide us.
God’s Word of course should be first and primary in our lives. So spend time in it. Read it. Memorize it. Journal it. Make time for it. Then read good books. Listen to faithful preachers like Steven Cole, S. Lewis Johnson, Bob Deffinbaugh, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Paul Washer, Vodie Baucham, John MacArthur, Ben Forbes,1 Sinclair Ferguson, Alistair Begg, etc. Make your close friends those who prioritize serving God more than anything else, who spend time in God’s Word, who strive to apply it to every area of their lives, and who point you towards and magnify Jesus. Those will be the ones whose friendship, advice, and wisdom will be worth having.
If you have not trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then the gospel is the first piece of righteousness and truth that you need to know. We need the truth of God’s Word to set us free from our slavery to the evil deception of sin. All of us are sinners who have defied God and rebelled against His standard of right and wrong. All of us deserve to be eternally separated from Him in the lake of fire. But the good news is that on the cross Jesus came to bear our sin upon Himself, to give us His righteousness, and to redeem us. We cannot earn it and do not deserve it. It is a free gift from God to be believed and received. Trust Him today. Then continue listening to God’s wisdom that He has given to us in His Word.
Our next two proverbs focus directly on one’s relationship to a king or leader. Verse 14 deals with his disfavor, and verse 15 with his favor.
14 The fury of a king is like messengers of death, But a wise man will appease it.
A king’s wrath is deadly. The wise will defuse it.
Because of “messengers” of death being plural some scholars see a cultural reference here to the Ugaritic mythology where the gods sent their messengers in pairs.2 But that emphasis would seem quite odd here in Proverbs where all of our references to God in the book and in the section right before this have been to the one true God. Who cares if the false god of death in a nearby country supposedly sent out two messengers on his errands? Why would Solomon refer to that here? That would seem to be a very out of place reference. It would seem much more likely that the multiple expressions of the king’s wrath and fury, whether that be his angry words, his angry expressions, or his angry commands are heralds warning of the dangers that are awaiting the one that caused them. In that context then, the wise person would be the one who worked hard to calm the king, explain things further, or otherwise defuse the situation.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see quite a number of examples of the unchecked anger of kings being deadly. In the book of Esther there is king Xerxes rage against Haman. It was not appeased by his actions and it led to his hanging on the very gallows he had himself built for Mordecai (Esther 7).
King Saul’s jealous fury against David led him to throw a spear at him on two occasions, and to then continually pursue killing him. Wisely David worked hard to try to appease that anger. He was temporarily successful a few times, but ultimately he had to flee the country to find safety. When Saul was not able to kill David, his anger was redirected towards the priests and the town of Nob. The priest’s explanation for why he had helped David did not fix things in Saul’s warped mind. So he had Doeg the Edomite slaughter all the priests and the whole town (1 Samuel 22:6-19).
In Daniel 2 we see King Nebuchadnezzar having a troubling dream that he wanted interpreted. He told his wise men to tell him both the dream and its meaning or else he would tear them limb from limb and make their houses a rubbish heap. When Daniel heard it he spoke “with discretion and discernment” to the king’s bodyguard and to the king to calm things down and give him time to seek the Lord for an answer. In this case it worked.
Apparently Nebuchadnezzar had a murderous anger issue, though. Because in Daniel 3 we read of him being very angry at Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah for not bowing down and worshipping his big golden image. In that case they did not try to appease his anger at all. Instead, they rather defiantly—and rightly—proclaimed their eternal allegiance to the one true God. They would not worship his idol. That of course just made Nebuchadnezzar even more angry. So he threw them in a fiery furnace which was made so hot that it killed the people who threw them in. In this case, God humbled the proud king by showing him that there is One we should all fear and obey more than earthly kings: God Himself, the king of kings. He miraculously protected the three men and preserved them unharmed.
Truth in Connection: In our country with its constitutional republic we thankfully do not have to worry about the dangerous caprice of a king quite like this. Nonetheless, the reality is that, despite our laws protecting us in many instances, getting on the wrong side of certain authorities can be very dangerous and even occasionally deadly. Those who have power and authority tend to find a way to use it to hurt those who anger them. Because of that many families, even in our country, have to have something they call “the talk” with their children as they get to a certain age. Their parents want to prepare them to know how to wisely speak and act in certain situations that could be dangerous.
In a perfect world simply living blamelessly would be a perfect remedy, but since we live in a sinful world that is often not enough. We cannot control whether earthly rulers and authorities are just and righteous. Likewise, we cannot always control where misunderstandings, misconceptions, religious persecution, or racial prejudice exist. What we can do is work to ensure that our actions are right, just, and peaceable. We can work to ensure that our words, responses, and actions defuse the anger and misunderstandings in situations as much as possible. That is the wisdom and advice of the second part of this proverb. Since they have such power and authority in their hands we should work to clarify misunderstandings, appease anger, defuse situation, and live as peaceably and righteously as possible.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this with the rest of Scripture we see that wisdom from God understands both the way things ought to be in God’s perfect design, as well as the way things have become because of sin. Then it pursues the righteous response and action. Since we are to live at peace with all men as much as depends upon us (Romans 12:18) we should work at not letting our first response and desire (which is often fleshly and sinful) become our actions and words. Instead we should be peacemakers who proclaim the truth and do what is truly best for others.
As we apply this to our lives, there is an even greater consideration that all of us should not ignore. If the wise take care in how they interact with earthly authorities who are angry, how much more ought we to consider our relationship with the supreme authority over all things—God—when He is angry with us? If we would take steps to make sure that the police, the courts, the FBI, the IRS, or other authorities do not have reason to pursue us, and if we would weigh very carefully everything that we did and said with them if they contacted us then should we not take a thousand times more seriously our sin and the way that we treat God? He is God. He has ultimate power and authority over everything and everyone.
Nothing can be hidden from Him. Every word, every thought, every action is seen and perfectly remembered. To make it even more serious, God has perfectly righteous reasons to be wrathful against us. We have all broken His law, defied His purposes in making us, and ruined His creation through our sin. We are born sinners and we have all committed sin. Whether in thought or action just about all of us have broken all of the ten commandments found in Exodus 20. Even our motives for doing many of the things that might be considered “good” are actually evil because of our pride and selfishness. The just penalty for our sin, as God declared from the beginning, is death. We deserve to be eternally separated from all of His holiness and life. We deserve his eternal judgment.
God is the ultimate king of kings. There is none greater. If we would really take this proverb to heart, then we ought to appease His anger and try to avert this coming death! The problem is that there is actually no way that we can appease or defuse His anger. No matter what we do or say we cannot undo what we have done. On our own it is completely hopeless. There is no way to escape Him and His righteous judgment. But thanks be to God, He Himself has made a way of salvation and reconciliation. We do not deserve it. But the second person of the trinity, the Son of God, took on flesh. He added humanity to His deity. He came to earth to live a perfect, sinless life and bear the punishment of death that we deserve through His death on the cross. He came to pay for sin in full, exchange His righteous for our sinfulness, conquer sin and death, rise from the dead, and save all those who trust in Him as Lord and Savior. All who are wise will accept this free gift of God humbly, gratefully, and wholeheartedly. They will cast themselves in faith on the mercy of God which He has shown in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Himself became the propitiation for our sin. He became the satisfaction of God’s wrath against us. He became the just appeasing of God’s demand for complete justice on our behalf. He did what we could not do. After all that it would be the height of pride and folly to spit in God’s face and reject it. It is not enough to simply acknowledge it as true, though. We must place our faith, our hope, our trust, our very life in the hands of Jesus alone. We must stop trusting in our way and trust in God’s way. Have you personally turned from your sin, which is causing God’s wrath, and trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Many people will appease an earthly authority to escape their dangerous wrath, but yet they will completely ignore the even greater reality facing them with God. Don’t be one of them!
If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are rescued from the eternal wrath of God. Yet, that does not mean He has saved us for us to go back to the sin which He hates. No! He saves us and makes us a new creation in Jesus when He gives us His righteousness. Until He comes back to get us or we physically die and go to be with Him we are still in these sinful bodies which have temptations and struggles with sin. Yet, God gives us a new heart, with new desires, and His Holy Spirit to live within us to help us in becoming holy and to serve Him. So continue to trust Him and His provisions for your new life.
When we do sin as Christians it grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:29-31). As Hebrews 12 tells us, God disciplines all of His true children to train them in righteousness. If we will not listen, 1 Corinthians 11 even warns us that sometimes He takes the life of His children and brings them home to stop their sin. God will not tolerate sin becoming our way of life. We must take sin seriously and remember God’s hatred of it. The righteous anger of the King of Kings is not something to trifle with.
Our next verse focuses on the more positive side of one’s relationship to a leader.
15 In the light of a king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.
The king’s appreciation brings great reward. His favor brings everything needed for a bountiful life.
When this proverb was written kings often had the immediate power of life and death. We have looked at the negative side of that, and now we get to see the positive. Having the king’s favor and help was life-changing. There was no greater power and authority.
So if something could be done, he would be the one who could do it. Just like a spring rain in Israel would ensure that the crops you had just planted would grow and you would have food for the coming year, so too having the king’s help meant everything would be taken care of. Having him fully supporting you meant you were safe. You were provided for. Whatever you needed would be had.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we seen an example of this when King Xerxes was pleased with Queen Esther. He extended his royal scepter and offered her up to half the kingdom when she came before the royal court to make a request of him (Esther 5:2-3). That enabled her to have a banquet and to present to him the full reality of the perilous situation affecting the Jewish people. When she had the king’s favor a plan was able to be executed which provided for their protection and their rescue from Haman’s plotting. King Xerxes favor was indeed like the spring rain which guaranteed their future.
In Genesis 40 the cupbearer and baker of pharaoh also provide illustrations of both of these proverbs together. These two men had both offended the king and were cast into the same jail where Joseph was imprisoned. They then each had dreams, and Joseph correctly interpreted them. The baker would end up hanged after three days, but the cupbearer would be restored to his position in three days . He would have the pharaoh’s favor again. The king’s anger was indeed deadly, as we saw in the last proverb, but on the other side, his favor brought great blessing and reward.
Truth in Connection: As we apply this proverb to our own lives we should remember that kings, rulers, judges, and governments have an authority and power which can be to our great good. Having their favor can really help ensure that our future is secure and that our plans will be able to come to pass. Most of us do not have an opportunity to get into the inner circle of the president, governor, or other such powerful leader. But if you ever do, do not count it lightly. Do not ever abuse it or misuse it, but if there is a need, an opportunity to accomplish good, or a way aid a righteous cause it can be a huge blessing.
For most of us, there is a much more concrete way that this proverb is already being applied or could be applied as we look for a career. A number of you have reaped or are actually reaping the blessing of the reality of this proverb right now. Throughout history, some of the best taken care of citizens have been those who have worked for their governments. Those who have government pensions, health care, and pay checks can attest to some of the perks that you have. The GI bill or other educational benefits have benefitted a number of you. That of course has often come with great sacrifices on your part as well, and is not always perfectly administered. Nonetheless, having the favor of our national, state, or local government for your service is a real benefit.
Interestingly, this proverb here does not give a command that we should seek their favor. It simply notes the benefit that comes with it. The reality is that the favor of some kings, rulers, or governments is not worth having (like we saw with Nebuchadnezzar and his golden image). If they are pursuing wickedness then having their favor will most likely end up including us in their sin. On the other hand, the favor and blessing of some kings, rulers, and governments is very much worth having and could do us great good. Whether or not we should seek their favor will depend on whether we can do it righteously or not. Having the king’s favor is not worth having if it results in gaining the anger of the King of Kings.
In the end, having the King of King’s favor is worth far more than anything else. It will have eternal benefits and blessings which will make the ability of any earthly king or government look like a worthless grain of sand. God’s authority and power have no end or external limit.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see that having God’s favor and protection is incomparably priceless. Consider these 6 priceless blessings:
Romans 8:28 tells us that God is working all things for our good for those who love Him.
Hebrews 13:8 and Matthew 28:20 emphasize that God is always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
1 Peter 5:7 reveals that God privileges us (and calls us) to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us.
Similarly Philippians 4:5-7 reminds us that God has made a way for us to always rejoice in Him, to always give Him thanks, and to tell Him all our needs by prayer. He has also ensured that as we use this privilege His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:6 shows us that we do not have to fear what people can do to us because the Lord is our helper.
John 14:4 encourages us of God’s long term blessing in that He is preparing an eternal home for us and will come back to bring us to be with Him.
God’s favor on us is the protection and blessing that will enable us to persevere through any difficulty. It is the sure promise that our future is completely taken care of. No matter how bad things might look or be at a moment in time He has given us the life-bringing “cloud with the spring rain.” Through His Spirit and by the truth of His Word we have God’s rivers of living water inside of us to quench every thirst and meet every need. Everything will ultimately be okay. He gives us what we truly need and what is truly best for us—definitely not always what we want, since our desires can be sinful, selfish, and misguided by our deceitful hearts. Yet in Christ we are now God’s children. We have His caring concern watching out for everything. Nothing can occur that will not be for our good—even when we cannot see how.
We need to let these amazing truths overwhelm every little molehill that is facing us looking like an insurmountable mountain. Let the reality of the truth sink in that if we have trusted in Jesus as our Lord and Savior then the King of Kings—God Almighty—has adopted us as His very own children. His love for us is beyond the comprehension of our finite minds. Learn as much of this love as you can through the truth of God’s Word. Let it rule your life. Consider Paul’s exaltation of the love of God and its power for our lives in his prayer for the Ephesians.
Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:5 Paul says it more succinctly this way:
2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
When we are walking in fellowship with God with no unconfessed sin we have the favor of the eternal, almighty, just, holy, loving King of Kings. That is unparalleled riches at our fingertips. May we not despise it. May we not ignore it. May the joy, peace, confidence, and strength of these truths overflow from our lives regardless of our temporary circumstances. May we be faithful to the purposes God has called us to for our lives.
If you are here, and you do not know this love of God, if you are still bogged down in your sin and its consequences, then what you need is to trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. We cannot remove our sins or the punishment that they deserve on our own. We cannot reconcile ourselves to God. We have to admit our sin and our need for God’s one and only way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Turn from your pride, from your sin. Trust Him to free you, save you, and remake you.
Conclusion
If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.
© 2023, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
English (US) · 