Proverbs 16
The first verse is better translated “The purposes of the heart are of man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” We may link this with verse 9: “A man’s heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps,” and verse 33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof (or whole decision) is of the Lord.”
Nothing happens without God; some where in the course of things, however self-willed, or heedless of consequences we may be, He will enter the believer’s path,—and the unbeliever’s too, for He is sovereign.
In the day that Adam and Eve sinned, God announced His purpose to overcome the power of Satan, and in faith our first parents heard and believed it.
Abraham following his natural sight, went down into Egypt, forsaking the path of faith, but God so ordered his circumstances that he returned, chastened and blessed.
Jacob brought upon himself much sorrow by his selfish and deceitful course, but God brought him, through letting him suffer for his wrong doing, into the unclouded enjoyment of His favor.
Pharaoh, without the fear of God, became the willing tool of Satan in fighting against the Omnipotent One, and by and by God entered and hardened his heart. His forbearance had reached its full limit.
The Scriptures give many more examples of God’s entering into a man’s life and ordering his circumstances, if we have but eyes to see it, examples abound all around us today.
Has God His right place in your plans and purposes, and mine? Do we habitually. so to speak, invite Him to guide us with His counsel; or are we careless of Him and of what concerns Him, and so He must interfere, perhaps through painful experiences for us, to bless us at the last ? (Study verses 2 to 9 in this connection).
Verse 4, it will be noted, should be read with verses 5 and 6: God is not the source of evil (See Romans 1:18 to 2:11).
The king (verse 10 and following) is God’s representative in the government of the world, looked upon as acting in God’s fear. Solomon was, in the earlier part of his reign, a ruler according to God’s design, as was David his father. The later kings of Israel and of Judah, with few exceptions, departed far from God, and in the books of Kings and Chronicles they, rather than their subjects, are held responsible and judged for it. (See for example 1 Kings 14:7-14; 2 Chronicles 33:2-9).
Verse 20 in the revised version is an excellent motto for the believer’s home:
“He that giveth heed to the Word shall find good; and whoso confideth in Jehovah, happy is he.” Space will not permit commenting on more of the proverbs in this chapter which are full of wisdom for our earthly path.
Messages of God’s Love 7/10/1932