Most of us could use more wisdom in our life. God placed in His Word, the Bible, a book of wise and godly sayings that if we heed and follow will help keep our life on a good and wise course. Many of these were compiled by King Solomon. Let’s open the 25th chapter of the Book of Proverbs, and look at several verses, seeing what we can learn today.
In verse 2, we read that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter. Throughout the Bible we see that God often reveals things to His children, often through the prophets, and then through His Son, Jesus Christ. God reveals Himself through His Word, through nature, and through circumstances. But sometimes He chooses to conceal Himself, too. God did not reveal everything to His prophet Elisha when the Shunamite woman’s son had died (II Kings 4:27). Moses knew that God sometimes keeps things hidden (Deuteronomy 29:29), as did the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 45:15). There are times God intentionally hides His face from us. He does this so we will learn to trust Him and to live by faith, instead of relying so often on our feelings.
We have a warning against pride in verses 6-7. Jesus echoed these words when He ate at the house of a Pharisee, and saw how people tried to get the best seats at the table (Luke 14:7-11). We should not think so highly of ourselves all the time, trumpeting our accomplishments. Self-seeking and pride will only bring one down. Don’t seek honor for ourselves. Instead, quietly and faithfully accomplish the work that God gave us to do. We should be more concerned with what God can accomplish in us, through us, and even despite us. God promises to exalt the humble, but bring down the prideful (I Peter 5:5-6).
In verses 8 - 10 we read that the man with a contentious spirit is quick to go to court. King Solomon tells us that instead, he would be better off to talk his problems over with the other person. Otherwise by being quick to file a lawsuit, he exposes himself to public shame in court when everything comes to light.
Next in this chapter we read that “a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (vs. 11). Fitly spoken words are right words, precise words needed for the occasion. They are not words spoken that stab us or crush us. Rather, they are words that uplift us, fill us with hope and courage, and that make us feel loved. There are words that can purify our thoughts, and bring us into God’s presence, and then words that tempt us into sin. Fitly spoken words are the former, not the latter. The right words will enter into our hearts and help us to bear fruit for God.
Have you ever made the mistake of putting your faith and trust in someone, only to have them let you down? They proved very faithless, and probably never even cared about your need to begin with. Solomon tells us here in verse 19 that faith is only as good as its object, and an unfaithful man is useless. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus we will never be let down.
Generally it is uplifting to hear good, cheerful words from others, or to listen to a cheerful song. However, there are some times when our hearts are just too heavy, and those words or songs are not really welcome. Solomon compares it to pouring vinegar on baking soda. Maybe you did science experiments as a child, making a home-made volcano by adding those two ingredients. If you did, you know what happens then! Solomon’s word of wisdom here is to be sensitive to others with untimely cheerfulness.
As the chapter closes, we have one more important word of wisdom in verse 28. When we don’t bother with self-control, we leave ourselves wide open to our enemies, especially spiritual enemies, just as a city without a good strong wall was in times past. Don’t let the walls of our character start to crack and the bricks to start to fall. If we don’t keep a careful check of our temper and our character, before we know it, our life starts to crumble and fall apart. With God’s help, we need to keep our spirit and character under His rule. The best way to do that is to study and keep His Word in our heart, and a daily chapter from the Book of Proverbs is a good practice to follow.
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