Proverbs: The Wisdom of Christ Tucker Presbyterian Church

10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
13:10 By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.
15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
17:14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
17:19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
18:6 A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
18:18 The lot puts an end to quarrels and decides between powerful contenders.
21:14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.
25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
25:23 The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
26:20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
26:21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
29:22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.
14:17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
14:29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
16:32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
22:24-25 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.
18:19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
19:13 A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
20:3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
21:9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
21:19 It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
22:10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease.
25:24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
26:17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
27:15 A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
27:16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one's right hand.

This morning, we’ll be considering the Proverbs theme of justice and injustice. Please take out your Proverbs insert. By the way, I think we’ll be wrapping up Proverbs by the end of June. We have a few themes left and a couple of concluding chapters.
Our verses today are organized into three groupings. Determining Justice, Defending Justice, and Denying Justice. In other words, what is justice and injustice? And how do we uphold justice and avoid injustice?
Reading of selected Proverbs
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Determining Justice
11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.
16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
16:11 A just balance and scales are the LORD's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
17:23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.
18:17 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
20:10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
20:14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts.
20:23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good.
21:15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
22:8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.
28:5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.
28:21 To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

Defending Justice
16:10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment.
16:12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
16:14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.
16:15 In the light of a king's face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
20:8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.
20:26 A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.
24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
25:1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
25:3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;
25:5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
28:2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.
29:4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
29:12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.

Denying Justice
13:23 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.
14:31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
18:5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.
22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
22:22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
22:23 for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.
22:28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.
23:10 Do not move an ancient landmark or ent

Determining Justice
11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.
16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
16:11 A just balance and scales are the LORD's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
17:23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.
18:17 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
20:10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
20:14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts.
20:23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good.
21:15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
22:8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.
28:5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.
28:21 To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
 
Defending Justice
16:10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment.
16:12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
16:14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.
16:15 In the light of a king's face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
20:8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.
20:26 A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.
24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
25:1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
25:3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;
25:5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
28:2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.
29:4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
29:12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.
 
Denying Justice
13:23 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.
14:31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
18:5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.
22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
22:22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
22:23 for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.
22:28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.
23:10 Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless,
23:11 for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.
28:3 A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.
28:15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
29:13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
29:14 If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.
31:8 Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.
31:9 O

Please take out the Proverbs insert in your bulletin.
You can see on the front page that we are in the last third of our study. I did want to note two things.
1. First, we skipped over the one titled Financial Wisdom, Giving, and Wealth. A couple of you have asked about that. Tim Townsend will be preaching on that one later next month and it has just been a matter of timing. Stay tuned.
2. Second, our theme today is on words. There are a many many proverbs that relate to our words. We’ve already covered some of them like honesty and deceit. Several of the other themes include proverbs about our words as they relate to the specific theme. The proverbs today are more foundational to our speech. Open up the insert and look at Proverbs 18:21. It’s there on the right-hand side. It begins, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” That pretty much captures our focus this morning.
Let’s now consider these specific Proverbs.
Reading of selected proverbs:
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10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
10:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
10:32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.
11:9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
13:2 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
13:3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
15:4 A gentle[z] tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
15:23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!
16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.
16:21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
16:23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
18:4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
18:8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
20:19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.[i]
21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
26:2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.
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Prayer
Last summer, while visiting Washington DC, we stopped by the National Archives. There we saw the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They are all housed in a huge rotunda. The original documents are displayed in special cases around the room. And it’s very dimly lit to preserve the fading script… but even that adds to the gravity of the revered texts. They indeed are national treasures.
But besides that, do you know what they are?
Words. Mere words.
Yet, these words created a nation.
It’s tempting to think that the most powerful tools on the plant are weapons

10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
10:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
10:32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.
11:9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
13:2 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
13:3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
15:4 A gentle[z] tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
15:23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!
16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.
16:21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
16:23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
18:4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
18:8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
20:19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.[i]
21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
26:2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.

We’re resuming our Proverbs study this morning.
This is our 26th sermon in the book of Proverbs. We’ve learned a lot of things about wisdom and foolishness and righteousness and wickedness.
Before we begin, I wanted to take a few minutes and summarize our Proverbs series to date. It will be helpful for our study today.
1.   First, while Proverbs does give us day to day wisdom for life’s decisions, it goes way beyond that. Proverbs teaches us how to understand life and death and good and evil and the world and God. In fact, the foundation to making day to day life decisions is understanding God, his world, and his word. Let me put it this way: Proverbs reveals a worldview for living.
2.   Second, we learned that wisdom is a lifetime pursuit. It is a path. The path of wisdom calls us to pursue God’s wisdom and his righteousness. And when we do, we will grow in discernment of what is good and right and true.
3.   Third, Proverbs reveals that there is not just one path. There are two divergent paths of life. The first path, as I mentioned, is the path of wisdom and righteousness. The second path is the path of foolishness and wickedness. Our thematic sermons starting in chapter 10 have been expanding our understanding of each path. Remember, foolishness and wickedness relate, but they are different. Foolishness is actively or passively ignoring God’s commands and his law. Wickedness and evil are hostile to them and often to the detriment of others. So, two paths. And we are called to walk the path of wisdom and righteousness.
4.   Fourth, and this is very important. The path of wisdom begins with fearing the Lord. That is where Proverbs began – fear the Lord. And we’ve seen that phrase over and over. In fact, listen for it in our verses today. Fearing the Lord means recognizing who he is as the sovereign, holy, and just God; it means trusting in him, honoring him, and reverently worshiping him. And we fear the Lord through faith in Christ. The promises of God which are fulfilled in Christ are all throughout the Proverbs. We’ve seen that in each chapter and each theme. He is wisdom personified. Jesus models perfect righteousness. He leads us down the path of righteousness. Jesus is the one who at the end of our life on earth, will preserve us for eternity… as Proverbs promises. The fear of the Lord, which comes through Christ, is the first step on the path of wisdom. But it’s the first of many steps on the path.
5.   Fifth, and last - you can fear the Lord, yet stumble down the path of wisdom. You can get stuck in a rut; you can be on the path of wisdom but do foolish things. And that will lead to struggles and difficulty in life. In other words, believing in Christ does not mean you coast to the end. No, God calls us in Proverbs to continue pursuing what is good and true and right. Remember, Solomon is writing primarily to his sons. Besides teaching them about God and wisdom generally, Solomon want’s his sons to prosper in the wisdom and righteousness of God. He wants them to make wise decisions in life, and Solomon warns them about foolish and wicked decisions.
Let me recap: (1) Proverbs gives us God’s worldview for living. (2) It teaches us that that the path of wisdom is a lifetime pursuit. (3) we’ve learned about the divergent path of foolishness and wickedness. (4) We’re given the starting place, which is to fear the Lord, and (5) We’re exhorted to persevere on the path of wisdom and righteousness and warned about the consequences of not following it. That last point, #5, is where our verses today fit within Proverbs as a whole - warnings about wickedness and exhortations about righteousness.
I know that was a very long preamble, but I wanted to make sure that we understand these verses in the context of Proverbs.
Please take out the Proverbs insert in your bulletin and turn to the inside.
As I read, listen for those encouragements about pursuing righteousness and th