Posted by Jeff Short on July 6, 2017 · Leave a Comment
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
– Proverbs 15:15
The word for
afflicted means depressed, as in mind or circumstances. The word for
evil means bad or painful. The parallelism makes plain the state of the afflicted comes from the state of the heart (Proverbs 15:13; 17:22). The word for
merry means good and agreeable. This is reinforced by
continual feast, which points to sustained pleasure and delight. The hint here is that even our experiences are affected by our state of mind and outlook (Proverbs 16:22). We might say to the miserable, everything is miserable, and to the happy, everything is happy.
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Posted by Jeff Short on July 5, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
– Proverbs 15:14
The word for
seeketh means to search out and indicates a deliberate search. The word for
knowledge means cunning, perception, and discernment. Proverbs presents wisdom as accessible to all (Proverbs 8:1-11; 9:1-6), but acquired only by those who seek for it (Proverbs 2:1-6). One of the marks of wisdom is to continue to seek for wisdom (Proverbs 1:5; 9:9). The contrast speaks of feeding on
foolishness rather than seeking wisdom. The word for
feedeth means to pasture, or graze. The word for
fools is the most common word in Proverbs for fools. The word means stupid and obstinate. The usage in Proverbs shows the word describes one who chooses the way of folly and not one who is mentally impaired. The fool gobbles up foolishness and spews it out freely (Proverbs 15:2). The fool has no heart or patience for acquiring wisdom (Proverbs 17:6, 24). He prefers his easy foolishness so much he returns to it like a dog to its own vomit (Proverbs 26:11).
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Posted by Jeff Short on July 4, 2017 · Leave a Comment
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
– Proverbs 15:13
The word for
heart is often used in Proverbs and refers primarily to the mind, but the word does mean more generally the inner being of man, involving mind, emotions, will, etc. For
cheerful countenance we might say a happy face. The phrase means the inner thoughts and attitudes of a man affects his state of happiness (Proverbs 15:15; 18:14). The word for
sorrow in the contrasting phrase means pain or injury. Just as
cheerful can point to healthy,
sorrow can point to wounded. The thoughts of pain, or dwelling on injury, could also point to harboring bitterness. The effect is to crush the spirit (Proverbs 12:25; 17:22).
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Posted by Jeff Short on July 3, 2017 · Leave a Comment
A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.
– Proverbs 15:12
The
scorner is at the hard end of folly. His obstinacy keeps him from wisdom (Proverbs 14:6). He hates reproof, and therefore will not go to or with the
wise (Proverbs 9:7-8; 13:1). He refuses two primary means of receiving wisdom—reproof (Proverbs 3:11-12) and having wise companions (Proverbs 2:20; 13:20).
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Posted by Jeff Short on July 2, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?
– Proverbs 15:11
The word for hell is
sheol and means the unseen place of the dead. It is like the Greek
hades. The word for destruction is
abaddon and means a place of destruction. It emphasizes the state of suffering or punishment more than the location. It is also a name given to Satan as the king of the bottomless pit, or the
abyssos (Revelation 9:10). The first phrase refers to the underworld, a place unseen to men, but not to God (Psalm 139:8). The point is that such a place we have so little conception of is entirely open before God. It follows then that human flesh is no covering to hide the hearts of men from God (Hebrews 4:12-13). The force of the proverb is to teach wisdom and the fear of the Lord.
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Posted by Jeff Short on July 1, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
– Proverbs 15:10
This proverb does not make a contrast, but shows a progression from bad to worse. Forsaking
the way amounts to leaving the path of wisdom and walking in the way evil (Proverbs 2:12-15). He does not like correction but trusts to his own understanding (Proverbs 12:15; 15:5). He progresses to hatred of
reproof. This marks a fool as a scorner, or scoffer. This is the hardened end of folly. He hates reproof (Proverbs 9:7-8; 13:1), and inherits the “judgments … prepared for scorners” (Proverbs 19:29; 3:34). Such scorners love and inherit death (Proverbs 8:36; 5:23; 11:7).
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Posted by Jeff Short on June 30, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
– Proverbs 15:9
This proverb parallels the previous one. The former addressed religious acts and this one the life, or the
way. The
wicked do not pursue
righteousness as the upright do. The way of the wicked is characterized as darkness, proud, and perverting the way of wisdom (Proverbs 4:19; 21:4, 8). Their way is an
abomination to God. The word for
followeth after means to run after, or pursue. God loves those who pursue
righteousness in life and not merely pious rituals (Proverbs 21:21).
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Posted by Jeff Short on June 29, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
– Proverbs 15:8
This proverb deals with worship and our approach to God. It is consistent with the rest of Scripture in that worship is a matter of spirit and not outward form (1 Samuel 15:22). The word for
sacrifice refers to the slaughter of an animal, and contextually to the purpose of offering to the Lord. It is a ritual act. Even if the outward act is performed impeccably, the wicked condition of the offerer’s heart makes it an abomination to God (Isaiah 1:10-15). The wicked despise God’s word and want to perform a ritual for acceptance, but God hates and rejects it (Proverbs 21:27; 28:9; Luke 6:46). The contrast is the
delight, pleasure or acceptance, of the
prayer of the upright (Proverbs 15:29; 1 Chronicles 29:17).
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Posted by Jeff Short on June 28, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
– Proverbs 15:7
The contrast between
lips and
heart causes difficulty among commentators. The
heart is put for the mind and
lips obviously refer to speech. There is a similar contrast in Proverbs 10:20. The
wise will spread
knowledge with their
lips because they have wisdom (Proverbs 14:18). The
heart, or mind, of the
foolish is not filled with wisdom, so they obviously cannot speak or spread wisdom (Proverbs 10:21). Fools pursue folly and take delight in it (Proverbs 15:21). He takes in folly like a panting dog licking up water and dirt (Proverbs 15:14). He in turn pours out folly because that is what he has (Proverbs 13:16; 15:2).
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Proverbs 15:15
Posted by Jeff Short on July 6, 2017 · Leave a Comment
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
The word for afflicted means depressed, as in mind or circumstances. The word for evil means bad or painful. The parallelism makes plain the state of the afflicted comes from the state of the heart (Proverbs 15:13; 17:22). The word for merry means good and agreeable. This is reinforced by continual feast, which points to sustained pleasure and delight. The hint here is that even our experiences are affected by our state of mind and outlook (Proverbs 16:22). We might say to the miserable, everything is miserable, and to the happy, everything is happy.– Proverbs 15:15
Listen to the Proverbs sermon series
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