9/15/2024
Turn with me to Proverbs 18:3-4. These are our verses to study and memorize this week.
Proverbs 18:3-4 When a wicked man comes, contempt also comes, And with dishonor comes scorn. 4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
Introduction
Having been reminded of the importance of self control in our words at the end of Proverbs 17, Proverbs 18 is now giving us guidance on using our tongues. The first 14 verses primarily focus on negative uses of the tongue, and then Proverbs 18:15-21 follows that up with positive uses.
In the first two verses of the chapter we saw how our powerful desires and prideful self-esteem can push our words into foolish, evil directions. Now we will see two more danger areas that cause the tongue to be used in bad ways. A wicked man, with his sin focused heart, ends up producing contemptuous, wicked words. Additionally, the hidden motives, built in biases, and deceptive nature of people make their words dangerous to trust.
Have you ever seen the contemptuous, despising, scornful words that wicked people have for those who are doing what is right? Have you ever felt looked down upon for not breaking the rules and for not being willing to go along with sinful behavior? In verse 3 we are going to see the connection between wickedness and contempt. We will also learn how to guard ourselves from letting haughtiness creep into our own words and attitudes.
Have you ever had to deal with people telling you things where discerning the truth just seemed almost impossible to figure out? Have you ever had someone tell you things and something just seemed off, but you could not put your finger on what it was? In verse 4 we are going to see the deceptive, confusing nature of people’s words, and what words truly are trustworthy.
Let’s take a look now at Proverbs 18:3-4 more closely to see what causes these dangerous uses of the tongue, and how to restrain ourselves from participating in these foolish ways of speaking.
3 When a wicked man comes, contempt also comes, And with dishonor comes scorn.
The wicked bring reproach and dishonor brings disgrace. This proverb highlights the foolishness of the wicked one’s scornful words and their consequences.
The way the first half of the proverb reads, contempt simultaneously arrives with the coming of the wicked person. With one comes the other. The reason for this is that being wicked requires there to be a contemptuous view of righteousness. By design choosing the wickedness of sin over the righteousness of God requires one to think better of oneself and worse of Him. By sinning we are saying that we know better than God. So there is automatically a looking down upon, a despising, a scorn, and a haughty, a better-than-you attitude that comes with wickedness. That translates into contemptuous thoughts and words against righteousness and those living by it.
Now, as we look at the second statement here that “with dishonor comes scorn” it becomes apparent that this proverb is not just about the wicked person expressing their contempt. This proverb also describes the scorn that they reap from others because of their wickedness.
Because the second half of the proverb focuses on scorn coming upon the dishonorable some people take the first half of the proverb as also referring to the wicked immediately receiving the contempt of others when they appear. From that perspective the whole verse would just be about the scorn that the wicked person receives. However, given that the whole context of this first half of Proverbs 18 is highlighting negative uses of the tongue it is much more likely that the giving of contempt by the wicked person is indeed in view in the first half of the proverb.
The second part of the proverb then should be seen as a result of the first part of the proverb. The wicked scorn others and yet are themselves worthy of contempt by their behavior. Their wickedness and disdain will fittingly enough earn them scorn and dishonor in the eyes of the righteous, and even more importantly in the eyes of God. Daniel 12:2 pictures that.
Daniel 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Wickedness reaps everlasting contempt. Everlasting contempt is another way of describing God’s eternal judgment of the wicked in the lake of fire. He banishes them from His presence as He despises and judges their sin. When we think of eternity in the lake of fire oftentimes we think of the physical torment that flames would cause. Yet another aspect of God’s judgment is seen in His eternal disapproval and contempt. In His judgment God eternally withholds His good and life-giving presence. He will not support them at all. Those who despise Him will not have His blessing and life-giving sustenance. They will receive the scorn of God that they deserve.
This judgment is what each and every one of us deserves because of the wickedness of our sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). But thanks be to God, in Jesus Christ there is a way of salvation, forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation. That is the good news of the gospel. If we turn from our prideful wickedness and trust His atoning work on the cross in our place we are reborn into His everlasting life. What amazing, undeserved love that is! May we not persist in our wickedness, but rather see its vileness. May we in humility turn to Jesus and daily walk with Him.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see many examples of this proverb. Cain was wicked. He killed and despised his righteous brother Abel. When God questioned Cain about Abel, Cain retorted with the scornful question, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) Cain had allowed wickedness to fester in his heart. He then ended up having contempt for God, and for God’s acceptance of his righteous brother’s sacrifice. In turn, he reaped God’s judgment for his wicked words and behaviors.
Joseph’s brothers despised him because of his father’s favoritism and because of the self-exalting visions that he shared with them. In their wickedness they mocked him, assaulted him, and threw him into a pit. Then they sold him into slavery and pretended to their father that he had been killed by wild animals. The contemptuous anger, hatred, and evil in their hearts came out in their words and actions. Their behavior during that time has been a dishonor and shame to them throughout history.
At the time of the exodus, the Pharaoh of Egypt was wicked. He despised Moses and Aaron. They came to Pharaoh with God’s message to let His people go. In his wickedness he disdained them and God. He was evil to them and made the Israelites slavery even harder (Ex. 5). When the plagues came he lied to them to manipulate them into praying to God to stop them (Ex. 8:8, 15, 28, 32; 9:28, 34-35). He drove them out of his presence (Ex. 10:11). He threatened them (Ex. 10:28). The prideful wickedness of his heart led him to despise Moses and Israel and to abuse them with these words and actions. For all time his dishonorable behavior has reaped the scorn and shame that his actions deserve. Wickedness leads to a contemptuous heart and evil words. Then its dishonorable behavior leads to people becoming an object of scorn themselves. If we let wickedness into our hearts that is what it will do to us as well.
In the New Testament we see another vivid example of this in the parable that Jesus taught in Luke 18:9-14. It, however, presents the issue from a different angle.
Luke 18:9-14 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 1112 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Here the wicked one showing contempt is actually righteous outwardly. Inwardly, though, he is proud and self-righteous. He does not recognize his own sin and need for God’s redemption and daily help. His wickedness is hidden from others, but very much present. Because of that he scorns someone else who is actually repenting of his sin and turning to God from his own wickedness. In the end, we see that the self-righteous Pharisee is actually the dishonorable one. He is the one who earns God’s scorn and judgment.
Wickedness results in contempt against others and produces wicked words. Oftentimes that is from those who are directly and obviously wicked. Yet, even when it is an inner wicked pride or a secret hidden sin wickedness affects our attitudes, words, and behaviors.
In order to guard our tongues from being derailed into foolish and wicked words we must guard our hearts from wickedness. We must be aware of both obvious outwardly wicked actions as well as the more subtle dangers of pride and self-righteousness in our hearts.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we also see another aspect of this reality. Because the wicked have contempt for God often they also have contempt for His followers. In the Psalm 123:3-4 the Psalmist cries out to God for help because of this reality.
Psalm 123:3-4 Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us, For we are greatly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is greatly filled With the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud.
The righteous will themselves become the scapegoat for the contempt and anger of the wicked. In John 15:18-25 Jesus warned His disciples about this in His final instruction to them before His crucifixion.
John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’
Because the world despised and hated Jesus without cause we can expect them to despise and hate us too. It should not take us by surprise. It is the natural result of wickedness in their hearts. Thankfully, though, Jesus did not leave us as orphans to endure this on our own. He has given us His Holy Spirit to indwell us and comfort us. He Himself endured this persecution and hatred. So He knows precisely what we need in our time of suffering.
In addition to giving us His Holy Spirit and one another in the church, He has also given us a specific promise of blessing when we endure this kind of thing. We see that in Luke 6:22.
Luke 6:22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
Matthew 5:10-12 expands on that.
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
God has a special blessing and reward for those who are persecuted, hated, scorned, and insulted for righteousness sake. So do not be discouraged by it. Rejoice and be glad. God sees all. He will reward righteousness and His everlasting contempt will be upon those who spurn Him and will not repent.
Truth in Connection: As we connect this proverb to our lives we see that contempt for righteousness accompanies wickedness and is inseparable from it. It is part of the pride that exists within sin. This then is another cause for the wickedness in words that we see coming from foolish ways of living. The only cure for this is to have righteousness in our hearts. That is the only thing that will remove the pride that produces contemptuous, self-exalting, other-demeaning words that come out of our mouths. We must have the humility that comes with true righteousness for us to be able see ourselves and others accurately.
The problem is that we cannot do this on our own. Our human-made righteousness is as filthy rags as Isaiah 64:6 declares. We must humble ourselves before God and ask Him to cleanse us of our wickedness. He alone can do it. He alone lived perfectly and He alone paid the penalty for sin when He bore it on the cross. We must surrender to Him and trust Him to remove our sin and make us righteous.
Once we have been declared righteous by God’s court of justice by His salvation we still need His help moment by moment to live that way. Our redemption and sanctification may be positionally completed in Christ now, but practically we struggle with sin and will until He brings us to heaven and we receive our new resurrected bodies. In the meantime, we must set our minds on things above and go to Him moment by moment to not go back to our old wicked ways of thinking and living. When we fail we must repent, confess our sin, and let Him clean our feet, as Jesus told Peter in John 13:8-10 (and as 1 John 1:9 describes).
Set our minds on Jesus, turn from temptation, and continually repent of any sin. As we do this, wickedness and its corrupting words will be kept out of our lives. By Jesus’ power we will be able to have compassion on others. We will be able to see ourselves and others accurately. We will be able to walk in righteousness. We will be able to turn from pride to humility. We will be able to endure persecution and share God’s redeeming work with fellow sinners who need His life-transforming work.
This is how we can get rid of the sarcastic, contemptuous, proud, self-exalting, other debasing kinds of thoughts and words that used to characterize our hearts and which we are tempted to return to. This is how we can be protected from this dangerous and foolish way of life. Is this how you are living, setting your mind on things above and daily repenting? Or does the content of your words reveal that you are holding onto wickedness in your heart? If we are struggling with our words it really indicates struggles within our heart. May we be vigilant to keep our hearts humble, repentant, and pure before God. Righteousness in our hearts will prevent contempt in our words.
Having seen that wickedness in our hearts produces contempt in our words our next proverb highlights another product that comes out of that wickedness.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
People’s words are bottomless pits while God’s wisdom is reliable to depend on throughout life. This proverb emphasizes the foolishness of depending on man’s multi-layered deceptive words.
In Scripture deep waters are dangerous. There are storms there. There are monstrous sea creatures there. It is the place of drowning and death. We can see this picture of deep waters being dangerous in Psalm 69.
Psalm 69:2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
Psalm 69:14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.
Jonah’s experience in the great deep reiterates this. God sent a storm against the boat he was in because of his disobedience. Then he was cast into the sea to dissipate God’s wrath. Yet, God rescued him from that deadly and hopeless situation by the great fish that He sent to swallow him. From the midst of the inside of the sea creature Jonah prayed. Notice how the deep is pictured there in Jonah 2:2-6.
Jonah 2:2-6 and he said, “I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. 3 “For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. 4 “So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
The deep is inherently connected with the ideas of death, danger, and hopelessness. So when we hear that “the words of a man’s mouth are deep waters” it is not a good thing. It is a murky, deadly, dangerous, unknown, and hopeless place. Because of wickedness within the hearts of people their words cannot be trusted. They are dangerous. They are deceptive. They are self-serving. They can hold all kinds of dangerous motives and realities behind them. 1
What may seem calm and safe can become a place with deadly and unexpected storms. What may seem peaceful could have a monstrous sea creature rise out of it. That is what the word’s of a man’s mouth are like. That is what the natural result of sinful people’s mouths is. Psalm 64:6 pictures this.
Psalm 64:6 They devise injustices, saying, “We are ready with a well-conceived plot”; For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.
What is apparent on the surface can conceal all kinds of wickedness. That wickedness can be very hard to see through to understand what is really going on. On the other hand, God’s fountain of wisdom is trustworthy. It is like a bubbling brook. The best source of water would be the bubbling brook. The fresh, flowing stream would not have stagnant pools in it which grew bacteria. The fresh flowing streams would be clear. It would not hold dangerous, hidden sea creatures. It would not be of unknown depths and be a danger for drowning. It would be fresh, clean water coming up from the ground. Or it would be the fresh flowing rainwater or snow melt that came down from the hills. This is what God’s wisdom is like. It is trustworthy, life-giving, and life-sustaining. There is nothing dangerous or wicked about it. God’s wisdom guides us in all truth. It gives the way of life that God designed us for in His creation of us.
The deceptiveness of man’s words is not what we should hold on to and pursue. The truthfulness of God’s words is what is trustworthy. Therefore, it is God’s words that we should receive. And, it is God’s words that should be coming out of our mouths to others. It is God’s righteousness, truth, mercy, justice, love, and purpose which we should be proclaiming.
These are the choices of words that we have before us—both in what we are going to trust and follow, as well as in what we are going to have come out of our mouths. This proverb warns us of the danger of man’s words by this descriptive picture that we are given. Then it points us to the blessing of the one true fountain of wisdom.
We need to understand that the word’s of men’s mouths are not trustworthy. Because of people’s sin nature they are going to be dangerous. We must not trust them. We must realize that there are many lurking dangers beneath the surface. They can have all kinds of unknown motives, desires, intents, and manipulations working beneath what they say and do. Do not trust people’s words without reservations. We must compare everything to the wisdom of God’s Word. That is the fountain of wisdom which will guide us into all truth, protect us from deceptions, expose wickedness, and reveal righteousness. Hold onto it unreservedly.
Unless people are drinking from and sharing God’s wisdom then there are going to be hidden reefs in their words. The people whose words to trust are those whose words and lives are in line with God’s Words. Everything else must be held loosely and carefully. To be able to do this we must know God’s wisdom so well and continually be drinking from it so that everything else can be seen in light of it. People’s words can be very deceptive and dangerous.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this proverb with the prophet who confronted Jeroboam in 1 Kings 13. Jeroboam had set up golden calves and instituted a false worship of God to prevent the northern tribes of Israel from going back to Judah to worship. God sent a prophet from Judah to Bethel to confront Jeroboam about this. Alongside his main prophecy God also told the prophet to not eat any bread or water from that place, and to go home a different way. Because of that command the prophet did not stay and eat with Jeroboam when he asked him to. That was good.
However, an old prophet caught up to him on his return journey and lied to him about receiving another word from the Lord that he was to go home with him and eat with him. He gave in and ate with him. When he left a lion came and killed him for his disobedience. People’s words are not trustworthy. There can be many deceptions and dangers in them. God’s Word is completely trustworthy. God will not contradict Himself. He will not tell you in His Word that immorality is wrong and then because of the strength of your desires give His blessing to your rationalizations or anyone else’s on why pornography or this specific immoral relationship is okay. God does not work that way. The deceptive hearts of people do. Do not trust the wavering desires of your heart. Do not trust the justifications and excuses of other people. If God’s Word says something is wrong, then it is wrong. Trust God’s Word.
We see another example of this with Jesus Himself during His ministry in John 2:23-25.
John 2:23-25 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
Many people evidently believed in Jesus and followed Him because of His miraculous signs which He did. But He knew what was in their hearts. He did not place His confidence in their faith. He knew that for many it was not based on who He was, but only in what He had done for them physically. A selfish trust in Jesus to get out of Him what can be gotten—without truly following Him as Lord and Savior—will not produce a trustworthy and true disciple. Jesus knew that these same crowds which followed Him then would also one day cry out for His crucifixion. Therefore He did not look to them for validation of His ministry. He entrusted Himself to the Father and allowed the Father to be the validation of His ministry.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see a helpful guide rail in 1 Corinthians 13. It will keep us from going too far in not trusting people. It will help prevent us from allowing ourselves to become jaded, calloused, bitter, and mistrustful to a wrong extent. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” This is right after saying that love “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” in 1 Corinthians 13:6.
Love is not naïve, but it also does not let that understanding of reality keep it from loving and doing what is best for other people. It does not trust in and rely on people in a way that only God should be trusted in and relied on. Nonetheless, it does keep giving, serving, helping, and caring—like Jesus did. It knows the power of God’s transforming work of salvation and keeps proclaiming God’s redemption. Thus it, like Jesus, is willing to sacrifice and serve because it trusts God and His plan.
Truth in Connection: As we connect this to our lives, we see that love assumes and works toward the best, and wisdom knows the reality of the rest. We ought to have compassion and give help, while also knowing the wickedness of human hearts and the depths of depravity. We point people to Jesus and His wisdom. He can and does transform people. Yet, we know that without Him self-interest is going to be the controlling focus of all people—including ourselves.
We must fight it within our hearts and work to make sure that our desires and motivations line up with the fountain of wisdom that God alone gives. To do that we must continually be drinking from God’s fountain of wisdom found in His Word. We must not be drinking from the tainted well of man’s so-called wisdom. If we follow the world’s way of doing things then our self-interest will always be floating beneath the surface sabotaging our words and actions. We must not let that happen.
Conclusion
Do you blindly trust the words of certain people? What source are you going to for wisdom and guidance? Are you drinking from the deep, dangerous, deceptive waters of politicians, media, the internet, TV, movies, or unbelieving friends? Is that where your source of wisdom is? Is that what you believe and trust? If so, then realize the warning of this proverb. It will only lead you in dangerous, deadly directions.
Trust Jesus, our creator, as your Lord and Savior. He is the only one who can save you from your sin. He is the only one who can transform you, redeem you, and give you eternal life. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and He rose again from the dead to bring us life and overcome our sin and death. Trust Him, not your own wisdom, or the so-called wisdom of others. Then continue to drink from his everlasting fountain of wisdom. In Him we have the truth and the truth will set us free.
Wisdom as our source of input will protect us from the muddy and dangerous waters of man’s words. It will allow us to keep loving and serving others while discerning the right and best way to do it. May God’s wisdom be the fountain we drink from each and every day. May God’s wisdom be what we trust, hold onto, and share.
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.
© 2024, 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) · 