10/20/2024
Turn with me to Proverbs 18:12-14. These are our verses to study and memorize this week.
Proverbs 18:12-14 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor. 13 He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him. 14 The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, But as for a broken spirit who can bear it?
Introduction
The end of Proverbs 17 highlighted the importance of self control in our words. Proverbs 18 then provides guidance on using our tongues. The first fourteen verses primarily focus on negative uses of the tongue. That is what we are finishing here. Then in Proverbs 18:15-21 the focus will move to positive uses of the tongue.
Most of these verses have emphasized underlying issues that give birth to wicked, destructive words. These are root issues that need to be dealt with or avoided so that our tongues do not produce evil from them. They are also issues to be aware of in other people that may be pushing them towards their sinful speech. In being aware of these issues we can then confront the true heart problem—whether in ourselves or others.
These three verses focus on three more ways wicked tongues are produced. The first and last focus on certain ways of thinking that greatly affect people’s words: prideful haughtiness, and a broken, hopeless heart. The second one focuses on hasty, thoughtless speech. All three bring great danger which can affect us and others. We have dealt with facets of all these issues before, so our emphasis will be on seeing them in context in relation to our words and thoughts. Let’s take a closer look now at these three dangerous causes of wicked words.
12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.
Pride goes before ruin, while humility goes before glory. This proverb emphasizes the foolishness of proud thoughts in contrast to the wisdom of humility.
Proverbs 15:25 taught us that “the Lord will tear down the house of the proud.” Proverbs 16:5 proclaimed that “everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” Using slightly different wording than the first part of our proverb Proverbs 16:18 declared the same concept that “pride goes before destruction.” Using the exact same language in Hebrew as the second part of our proverb, Proverbs 15:33 taught that “before honor comes humility.”
It was not enough to simply say it once. Pride continues to be highlighted for the danger that it is. It is being emphasized from all different angles. Last time, when we looked at pride and humility in Proverbs 16:18-19, we noted that there the specific emphasis was that pride is the foundation or root of sin which results in judgment. We also saw that it is better to be wise, upright, and humble—even if poor—than foolish, evil, and proud—even if riches come with it.
Our current proverb reiterates those same points with its many similarities to those verses. Its context, though, pushes the focus one step farther with its specific emphasis on the tongue and words. The haughty heart of man produces wicked, dangerous words in our thoughts and mouths which lead to destruction. Contrastingly, humility of heart produces righteous thoughts and words which produce honor.
The heart in Hebrew is the part of us that thinks, feels, and makes decisions. It is everything that comes together to motivate someone and produce their lives with their words and actions. So if our hearts are infused with either pride or humility it will greatly affect what comes out of our mouths.
If our hearts are filled with pride we will consider ourselves wiser than God and others. Or at least, that is how we will act. We will consider ourselves better than others. We will manipulate others and “shade” the truth to benefit ourselves. We will not be truly concerned about what is righteous and true. We will consider ourselves to be the standard of what is right and best. Because of that, we will use our words to get what we want and to do what we consider best.
In these ways pride is indeed the cause of much destructive speech. We must realize how this motivating attitude affects the speech of people and how it can affect us. If we elevate our perspective of ourselves to be the most important thing in our hearts and minds, then our words will follow that pathway. We will look down on others, and our speech will reflect that. We will look down on God, and our speech will reflect that. We will exalt ourselves, and our speech will reflect that. Words of flattery, words of manipulation, words of self-exaltation, words of deception, words of selfishness, and words of anger will grow more prominent the further our pride progresses. We will twist God’s Word and people’s words to make them fit what we want. Pride causes all kinds of dangerous words to spill forth out of our mouths.
On the other hand humility looks out for the needs of others. It views God’s Word as the final authority on everything, because it views God as the perfect, righteous, sovereign authority over everything. It views His way as always best and learns from it. It remains teachable. It is concerned about what is righteous and true, because deviating from that is exalting oneself over God. It is concerned about others, because it does not exalt itself over anyone else.
In these ways, humility will cause much good speech. Humility of mind will build others up with its speech rather than tear them down. It will exalt and praise God, rather than itself. It will encourage others without needing to flatter and manipulate. It will speak the truth and point people to God’s unerring wisdom. Because of all that, the humble person will be respected and honored by those who respect and honor the truth. Beyond that, as James 4:10 and 1 Peter 5:6 point out, God exalts the humble. His praise and His declaration “well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, Luke 19:17) is true and lasting honor.
True humility is living in light of an accurate recognition of the reality of God and ourselves. Living that way brings honor, because it is living as God designed us to live. It gives Him the glory, praise, and obedience that is rightfully His. That is an honorable life. It is the only honorable life that there truly is. Pride moves away from that and puts oneself at the center and priority of existence. By default it changes how we speak—away from rightly respecting and honoring God and other people to demeaning, deceiving, destroying, and otherwise using them to exalt ourselves. The final outcome of that defiance of God and His righteous purposes for our existence can only be our destruction and ruin.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this with Peter when he denied the Lord at His trial. Jesus had warned Peter that this was coming the night before it occurred. Yet in his pride he spoke against Jesus. He exalted his strength and wisdom over Jesus’ sovereignty and omniscience. He thought he knew better than Jesus. He said that he would die for Jesus’ sake instead of deserting Him (Mark 14:26-31, Luke 22:31-34, John 13:36-38). Yet, when the moment came and he was in danger of being found out at the trial, what did he do? Three times he denied Jesus. He denied knowing Him, much less of being a disciple. He even used oaths to verify his lies. (Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-18, 25-27) Peter’s pride came before his ruin. It produced his evil words to Jesus, and his evil words denying Jesus.
When we consider the humility that leads to honor Christ’s incarnation is the perfect example. As Philippians 2 tells us, He humbled Himself, adding on the frailty and reality of humanity to His deity. Then He perfectly served the Father and us by taking on our sin and judgment upon Himself on the cross. He completed the Father’s will without exalting Himself. He did what was best for us out of true love for us—not accounting His exaltation as something to grasp onto. Despite our unworthiness, He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He did not open His mouth in protest, but was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He willingly served us while we were yet His enemies. Then, He has awaited the Father’s perfect timing for His exaltation, which is coming. Every knee will bow to Him. Every mouth will confess that He is Lord.
Proverb in Comparison: This is the kind of humility that ought to characterize our lives and that we need to learn from. As we do it will affect the way we think, the way that we speak, and the way that we live. Charles Bridges, in his commentary on this proverb, highlights what this looks like in our lives as he compares it to the rest of Scripture.
The rule of entry into his school—the first step of admission to his kingdom is— “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.” (Matthew 11:29) Yet this humility is not in words, meltings, or tears. Its fruit is lowliness of mind, meekness of temper, thankfulness in receiving reproof, forgetfulness of injury, readiness to be lightly regarded. This is the humility “which the King delighteth to honor.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” (Matthew 5:3, Psalm 113:7-8) [Italics are original. Citations of the Scriptures quoted were originally in footnotes, from the KJV.]1
True humility is not in pretending to be humble with self-deprecating words. All too often those can simply be a manipulation. True humility is eventually seen in our words, but it is not a pretense. It is really seeking what is best for other people, not pretending to put ourselves last. If we seek praise by pretending to be humble we have really shown ourselves to be proud and self-seeking. It is the glory and praise of people that we want, not really their best interest or God’s glory.
Instead of all that, our focus should be, like Christ, on what the real needs of people are and seeking that out. It should be not considering ourselves better than others or too good to get down to serve and help them. It should be able to overlook injury to oneself. It should be an honestly teachable spirit. It should be a lack of concern about one’s exaltation and praise in light of striving for God’s exaltation and praise. It should be a focus on obeying Jesus and following Him. It is a new way of thinking focused on Christ.
Truth in Connection: As we apply this to our lives we can gauge where we are at by looking at our words and actions as well as our hearts desire. Are we living for what we want and what benefits us personally the most? Or are we living for what God says is right and best? Are we living for His plan for our lives, or “our” plan for our lives? Are we serving others, or are we primarily being served? A haughty spirit says “I deserve this,” “I want this” and fights to make it so. A haughty spirit is a selfish spirit. A humble spirit is a loving spirit that does what is righteous and good and what is best for others needs.
Pride makes our words and actions wicked. It pushes us to rebel against God and ruins our relationships with people. Ultimately it leads to our destruction. Humility recognizes our own sin. It goes to God for forgiveness and salvation. Then it recognizes that His way of life is perfectly good and righteous in everything. So it follows Jesus. It seeks to learn from Him. Are you daily learning from Him in humility? Or are you running from Him in pride?
If you have not trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then humble yourself before Him. Acknowledge your sin and rebellion. Trust Him to be your Lord and Savior. Surrender your whole life to Him.
For those who have trusted, we need to continually humble ourselves before Him. We need to live in light of an accurate recognition of the reality of God and ourselves. God’s Word gives that to us. Let’s immerse ourselves in it. Let’s love one another in true humility by serving one another. That will bring God the praise and glory He deserves. In God’s amazing mercy, it will even bring us honor in due time.
Our next proverb shows one of the ways that pride in our hearts can manifest in our words.
13 He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.
Replying to a matter before knowing what is really going on is absurd and disgraceful. This proverb emphasizes the foolishness of rash, thoughtless replies.
When we think we know better than others or have an exalted view of ourselves we will be tempted to answer off the top of our minds before fully knowing what is going on. Proverbs 15:28 pictured this kind of situation.
Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
The humble wisely realize that their first responses may be quite wrong. The initial emotion of the situation might cloud the response. Or the lack of knowing all the details on both sides of the issue could render it flawed. Because of all that, they take time to find out the details, move past emotional or one sided responses, and carefully think through the situation before they respond. The proud are much less likely to do this. Their confidence is in themselves and what they already know. Or they have a predetermined bias that allows them to decide without fully knowing.
This proverb highlights why it is important to be quick to hear and slow to speak as James 1:19 commands. If we are not, we will likely make rash judgments and answer before we know all of the facts. Then our judgments are liable to be wrong. When the rest of the details come to light we will be ashamed. We will wish we had but held our tongues and checked into the situation a bit more.
The most dangerous place that this probably occurs is in a court setting where a verdict is given without the full details of the situation being carefully examined. Sometimes we hear of the aftermath of this when many years later someone is finally able to prove their innocence and exonerated after a long time in prison. What a shame and disgrace that justice would be perverted and someone’s life ruined because the full case was not carefully heard!
Yet, the reality is that this kind of thing probably occurs far more often than we realize in our own lives. How many times have we rushed to a conclusion and given a snap decision at work that affects other people, but was actually uninformed about all the details? How many times have we interrupted other people mid-sentence and pronounced our opinion assuming that we already know the whole situation? How many times have our spouses come to us with a problem and we just wanted the issue taken care of so we rattle off a response or what they should do without letting them really even finish?
How many times have we tried to navigate through the complicated problems between children or grandchildren and tried to cut to the chase only to realize later that we made our decision without really knowing what fully happened? How many times have we given advice to friends without doing the work to really understand the different angles of the circumstances before jumping in with our two cents?
While it may not be nearly as destructive in our lives as a court case that condemned an innocent person or let a guilty person go free, it is still something that can produce dangerous, foolish, hurtful outcomes. When the rest of the story comes to light, it can also be quite embarrassing. Whether at work, with our spouses, with our children or grandchildren, at church, or in our friendships we can all let our pride and self-focus push us to answer without doing due diligence to find out what is truly going on. We can let our emotions control our responses rather than listening and learning first. When we do this it will lead to dangerous, foolish, hurtful words coming out of our mouths.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this proverb with Potiphar throwing Joseph into jail after he refused the advances of Potiphar’s wife. We do not know exactly how much research into the situation Potiphar did, or if he may have condemned Joseph in order to publicly save face with his wife’s indiscretions, but the reality is that he condemned an innocent, godly man to years in jail on insufficient evidence!
The same could be said for Job’s three friends who decided that he must have been guilty of something wicked simply because of what had happened to him. They did not take the time to truly figure out if he had done something or what he had actually done. They started out well in quietly grieving with him for seven days before speaking, but apparently that was not enough time for them to figure out what had truly occurred and how to rightly proceed. In the end, their rash words without knowledge were a folly and shame to them. For all time their foolishness has been seen for what it really was: jumping to unfounded conclusions. (Job 42:7-9)
Job was also guilty of a little bit of this himself. He did not know what was going on behind the scenes with what God was allowing and doing. So he ended up making some statements with his friends that were not right either. When God confronted him he too had to shamefully repent in dust and ashes (Job 40:1-5, 42:1-6).
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture, John 7:24 succinctly commands us on how we should assess situations and give our answers.
John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
We are not to be shooting from the hip in our condemnations, making rash judgments, or giving thoughtless replies. We need to remember that appearances can be deceiving. We need to value people and situations highly enough to find out the truth and deal rightly if we are going to be making pronouncements about them. We need to make sure that our judgments are righteous, and not based on external appearances or personal biases. Our actions and words are to be based on the truth.
Truth in Connection: As we connect this proverb to our lives it will be important to deal with the pride in our hearts and commit to truly loving and serving others. If our focus is too much on ourselves then this will not happen. We need to value our children, our spouses, our co-workers, our friends, acquaintances and other people highly enough that we do not hastily handle matters that come up, that we do not wrongly interrupt, and that we do take the time to listen to them. We need to understand matters before we respond to them. To do this we will need to cultivate humility and listening.
As we do this, we also need to realize that we cannot solve or figure out every issue. But that’s okay. Sometimes we need to humbly acknowledge that we simply do not have enough information or understanding of a matter to make a pronounced judgment. There are times we may need to settle the problem rather than the argument.
Ultimately, we ought to look to Jesus as our example and source of strength to guard and guide our tongues in this area. In Isaiah 11:1-5 we have a very helpful description of Him and how He will one day judge the world with perfect equity.
Isaiah 11:1-5 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.
As we deal with issues, we too should judge without partiality. We too should judge in righteousness. We too should judge by reality, not appearances. We too should depend on the Holy Spirit of God for wisdom and understanding. That will mean having our hearts and minds transformed and guided by the truth of God’s Word. That will mean not allowing ourselves to be conformed to this world’s sinful way of thinking. This will mean daily having humility govern our hearts and not pride.
If you have not trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then there is no way that you will be able to do any of this rightly. Pride against God will still have control over your heart and mind. That will affect your thinking and words. Humble yourself before God and trust Him as your Lord and Savior. Surrender your thinking and everything else to Him.
Then, in humility as God’s children, we are to continue on day by day learning from Jesus and allowing Him to transform our mouths and answers into what they ought to be. We will need to keep turning from our pride and self-centeredness as it tries to creep back in. We will need to put on the full armor of God and protect ourselves from our old fleshly tendencies. We will need to walk by the Spirit allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. Let’s commit to allowing God to transform our hearts and minds in this area so that we are quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Let’s value one another as we ought so that we take the time to listen and learn before we reply and make decisions.
Our final proverb returns to another major way of thinking that can greatly affect our words.
14 The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, But as for a broken spirit who can bear it?
Hope enables one to persevere through trials, but hopelessness is overwhelming. This proverb emphasizes the all pervading danger of having a broken spirit.
In a number of previous proverbs we have considered this topic of the depressed, broken spirit. In Proverbs 15:13 we saw that:
Proverbs 15:13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
When the mind, emotions, and thoughts of a person overwhelm them it can break their spirit. They can give up when they are crushed by the inner pain and turmoil that afflicts them. Proverbs 15:15 added this:
Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
The person with a broken spirit sees everything through that dejected, depressed perspective. But those with the wisdom of true joy can have a feast even in a desert. Proverbs 17:22 emphasized that a broken spirit can even end up negatively affecting one’s physical health, while joy can bring healing.
Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 15:4 also highlighted that wise words bring healing, while evil words can cause a broken spirit.
Proverbs 15:4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:30 reiterated the positive side of things and noted how hope and good news improve health.
Proverbs 15:30 Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news puts fat on the bones.
We must continually meditate on the good news of God’s Word to continue to be refreshed in our spirits
Our current proverb reiterates a number of these points. Hope can allow us to endure great suffering whereas hopelessness by itself is too much to bear. In the context of the dangers of other people’s words this gives us a key to enduring through the challenges we may face when people wound us or seek to destroy us with evil words. Having a spirit made whole and refreshed by God, as He designed for it to be, enables perseverance.
On the other hand, if our spirits are broken by some of these dangerous words that we have been looking at—whether internally from our own minds, or externally from the attacks of others—it will prove to be an insurmountable obstacle if we give in to it. To make it worse, while we remain in that broken place, it will end up causing our own lives to end up producing more of these dangerous, evil words. Hopelessness and negativity will be what we meditate on and what will come out of our mouths. Lies and deceptions will come from our own minds to ourselves, and then out of us to others. We will tear people down. We will undermine our own faith and hope, as well as that of others. We will not be able to bear our broken spirit. Nor will others be able to fully bear it for us.
This is a very dangerous place to be personally, and it can be very dangerous for those who are being attacked by those who are in this kind of mindset. Their selfish vitriol can be very destructive. But thanks be to God, there is hope. This verse also reminds us of that. When one’s spirit is whole the sickness and troubles that one goes through are bearable. It may not be pleasant. It may not be easy. But it is something that can be persevered through. A productive life can still be lived. God’s purpose for us can still be accomplished day by day. We can still obey Him and live faithfully. It might not be what we imagined life would look like, but there is victory in Jesus Christ.
The answer is found in having a spirit that is not broken. In this sinful world a broken spirit is all too common. In some ways this is the opposite spirit and issue to the proud one that we looked at in Proverbs 18:12. The haughty spirit leads to destruction by its self-reliance. What it needs is a humble repentance before God by trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Instead of that it tries to exalt itself to the position of Lord and leader and make a way on its own. But as we saw, that will ultimately fail.
Here, however, the issue is not so much a self-reliance that exalts itself over God. Rather, it is a brokenness that puts itself beyond God’s help. It also is proud in its denial of God’s ability to help, and in the unwillingness to surrender to Him and trust Him to help each step of the way through their infirmities. Sometimes this could look like a refusal to see God’s love as present and real for them in their situation. Other times this could be seeing themselves as too bad for help or simply being beyond any real solution. Somehow they are the exception to God’s sovereign power to save and help.
Regardless of exactly how it plays out in our thoughts and experience it can be just as dangerous as the proud self-reliance and self-exaltation. It too leads to destruction in its lack of dependence on God as the source of life. Without God’s life rejuvenating and refreshing our spirit we will not be able to endure the brokenness that sin causes to our bodies and minds.
The only true answer that there is to this is found in Jesus Christ. Yes, there may be needed medical help for some of our maladies which can assist us, but ultimately that cannot also fix the spiritual problems which are broken within us as well. Only Jesus can do that. Only Jesus can truly help us persevere righteously through whatever trials we must go through in this broken world. Only Jesus can give us eternal hope and rejuvenate our spirits day by day as we learn to depend on Him, learn to find joy in Him, and learn to still give Him thanksgiving like Psalm 9:1-2 talk about.
When this is not done, the words that result from this kind of perspective on life are some of the most dangerous there are. They are dangerous to the one thinking them, and they can be very dangerous to those around them with the manipulative, selfish, sinful words that come out of them.
Scriptural Example: When we look to scripture for an example of this the prophet Jeremiah stands out. His life from the outset was one of human hopelessness. At the beginning of his long ministry God told Jeremiah that He was sending him to Judah and that the whole land with its kings, rulers, and priests would all fight against him. The one consolation which was given to him there in Jeremiah 1:17-20 was that they would not overcome him because God would be with him to deliver him.
To make matters even worse, in Jeremiah 16 he was commanded not to marry, have children, comfort mourners, or go to feasts. God was going to judge Judah’s families, and had no comfort for mourners. Nor was there any true cause for celebration because of God’s judgment was coming upon the people. Because of all that Jeremiah’s life was to reflect these things. He was to have no parties, no comfort, no wife, and no family. Essentially he had nothing to be humanly encouraged by! He did not have the internet and cat videos. He did not have TV series’ to binge on. He did not have YouTube to distract him. He did not have messages from other preachers to listen to or watch. What did he have?
Well, he was beaten and put in stocks as a public disgrace by Pashhur, a chief priest (Jeremiah 20:1-3). He was thrown in a pit to die (Jeremiah 38:6-10). He had his written prophecies burned up by king Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36). Finally, after witnessing the fiery destruction of the temple and Jerusalem he was kidnapped and forced to go into exile into Egypt with the rest of the people who were directly disobeying God’s prophecies through him (Jeremiah 42-43). Those were his circumstances. And they were extremely discouraging. Read Jeremiah 20 when you get a chance and you will see some of his hopelessness. But what was the one, sufficient thing which ended up enabling him to persevere through all that and endure? God promised to be with him and deliver him. God did not tell him how He would do it, and indeed, none of us would like to go through what he experienced. Yet, in our weakness God’s grace is sufficient—as we daily trust Him and depend on Him.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see that Jesus Himself experienced the intense struggle that can come with this kind of thing in the garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:38 Jesus said that His soul was deeply grieved, to the point of death. And if we think about it, we can get a glimpse of why. Bearing the judgment for all of our sins from the wrath of God upon Himself was the most hopeless, crushing experience that could exist. That is what He bore for you and me. He went through that for us. He understands soul-piercing grief and sorrows. And what did He do to be able to do it with joy as Hebrews 12:2 tells us? Was it medicine? Narcotics? Sleep? Family? Friends? The pursuit of physical pleasure, or things? No. He prayed to the Father. He trusted and obeyed. He followed the will of the Father to accomplish what was needed and best regardless of how hard it was. The only way that one could do all that with joy would be to consider the good end outcome of it all.
Truth in Connection: As we connect this to our lives, we really only have two options. We can either selfishly limp along with a broken spirit allowing our words to be used in an evil manner in our hearts and against others, or we can look to Jesus as Hebrews 12 tells us to do. Unless He is our source of refreshment we will not be able to have joy through our trials. Unless we look to Jesus we will not be able to have faith, like that cloud of witnesses which we are told about in Hebrews 11. Like Abraham in Hebrews 11:8-10, we are to persevere beyond our present realities and look for the eternal city which has eternal foundations, whose builder and maker is God. As we look to God we can trust Him that He is working out good through our trials—as we walk in obedience with Him and continue to serve Him and others. If we humble ourselves daily and do this, then not even our suffering will be able to destroy our words and make them a dangerous, evil weapon which destroys us and others. Instead, our words will build others up even in the midst of our trials. Which words will you choose?
Will you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior and then daily continue to trust Him? Will you be refreshed and strengthened in Him to endure the humanly unendurable—like Jesus did on the cross, like Jeremiah did in his suffering, like Paul did with his thorn in the flesh and his many beatings and sufferings, like Noah did in his long years of hard work and scorn, like Moses did in choosing to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoying the pleasure of sin for a season because he had his eyes on God’s eternal reward? Will you look to Jesus?
Do not believe the lies that a broken spirit will try to whisper to you to as it works to push you further into hopelessness. Your circumstances are no doubt bad enough, don’t make them worse. Go to Jesus. Find refreshment in Him. Cast your cares on Him continually. He cares for you. Do not let yourself become a tool of Satan and spew lies to yourself and hurt others with the words that result from his lies.
If you find yourself around such people, the only true remedy is to point them to Jesus. But be exceedingly careful of them when they attack you with their words. They are dangerous. Do not let them influence you with their lies and evil. Call out their behavior for what it is. Get help if needed. There is hope in Jesus Christ for them and you. Suffering and depression are nothing new. Neither is the evil that it can produce in people’s words—like Job’s wife who called on him to curse God and die. He called her what she was in his rebuke: a foolish woman. Instead of doing that and turning against God we need to trust Him, as Job indicated. We may not understand it all, we may not like it at all, but we can still serve God and allow Him to produce good through our experiences. Will you turn to Jesus?
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.
Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
1 Samuel 30:6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
Job 1:21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job 2:9-10 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
© 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
1 Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the book of Proverbs, 246.
English (US) · 