Proverbs 15

From: Messages of God's Love: 1932

Proverbs 15

How practical, how suited to everyday and to the particular circumstances which may engage us at any time, are the Proverbs!

Verses 1, 2, and 4 give the light of God’s Word on the use of the tongue, so often in trouble. (See also James 3:13-18¹³Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. ¹⁵This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ¹⁶For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. (James 3:13‑18)).

Verse 3 is one of a number of passages about the eyes of the Lord. They are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Sobering thought! No voice is heard, but the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, see everything. They looked upon the world of Noah’s time, before the flood (Genesis 6:8⁸But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:8)); they rested upon the land He had chosen for Israel’s possession (Deuteronomy 11:12¹²A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. (Deuteronomy 11:12)), and upon that nation early and late in its Old Testament history (Exodus 3:7, 9⁷And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; (Exodus 3:7)
⁹Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. (Exodus 3:9); Jeremiah 52:2²And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. (Jeremiah 52:2)); they searched the whole earth when Israel had been carried away to Assyria and Babylon (Zechariah 4:10¹⁰For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:10)), as not long before the captivity of the two tribes when their king Asa heard from the lips of Hanani the seer,

“The eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9⁹For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. (2 Chronicles 16:9). See also Job 34:21²¹For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. (Job 34:21); Psalm 34:15¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. (Psalm 34:15); 1 Peter 3:12¹²For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. (1 Peter 3:12)).

Verse 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is conscienceless, or in hypocrisy or deceit (See chapter 21:27, and Psalm 51:17¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51:17)). But the prayer of the upright is God's delight,—how cheering to the troubled saint! Happiness and wealth are not necessarily companions (verses 16-17), but godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)).

Verse 20: A godly son honors his parents, but the wicked, without natural affection often despise their mothers (2 Timothy 3:2, 3²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (2 Timothy 3:2‑3)).

Verse 11 is solemnizing, though the words are few. Eternity, the dead and the living, and God's all seeing eyes—and a day of final judgment is to come!

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