Putting Wisdom to Work (Proverbs 16:1–22:16)

What if your interruptions are part of the plan? We open Proverbs and find a way to live that steadies the heart and sharpens the mind: commit your work to the Lord, walk humbly, and grow slow to anger. Along the way, we explore how true strength looks less like loud power and more like quiet self-control, and why the path of wisdom keeps your eyes on the ground in front of you rather than your chin in the air.

We also tackle the anxiety that swirls around politics and leadership. Proverbs 21 says God steers the hearts of rulers like water in his hand—an unsettling thought for the proud and a deep comfort for the weary. We talk about voting with conscience, praying for leaders, and refusing despair because history sits under God’s sovereignty. No office surprises him, and no headline cancels his promises.

On the ground, wisdom looks like diligent work and faithful parenting. From pushing a lawnmower or a pen to pushing through paperwork, we name the value of showing up and doing the next right thing. In the home, we face the hard truth that children carry folly that needs training and measured discipline, while remembering only God can awaken a spiritual heart. Parents guide and model; God gives new life. That balance releases false guilt and pride and keeps us steady over the long haul.

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Learn More: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/the-christians-compass

Chapters

• 0:00 Why Proverbs Touch Every Part Of Life
• 3:02 Commit Your Work And Trust Interruptions
• 4:02 Pride’s Fall And The Power Of Self‑Control
• 5:22 God Directs Rulers And History
• 7:12 Diligent Work And Everyday Faithfulness
• 9:02 Family Wisdom, Discipline, And Hope

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:16

As our wisdom journey continues through the Book of Proverbs, I hope you've gotten the impression by now that this divinely inspired collection of sayings touches just about every aspect of life, and that's because it does. Now, we don't have the time to stop at every proverb in this book on our wisdom journey, but over these next few chapters for today, what I want to do is point out some of the key topics that Solomon addresses. By the way, we've produced here at Wisdom a key themes chart through the book of Proverbs so that you can see these key themes. And at the end of today's program, we'll tell you how you can get a copy for yourself. Now, today we're in chapter 16. We're given one of those encouraging principles for today here in verse 3. Here's what Solomon writes Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. In other words, if you want your plans to head in the right direction, you need to commit them to the Lord and do that every day. In fact, the word commit literally means roll upon. So you are essentially rolling your plans upon the Lord. You're putting your to-do list in the Lord's hands. You're trusting him to direct you through this day. Now you might not get everything on your list done today. You might be interrupted. In fact, I'm sure you will be. But those interruptions are actually part of God's plan for you today. He's in charge of your calendar. You can trust him as the day unfolds and you continue rolling your plans upon him. Now here's a proverb that many people know. It's in verse 18. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Now the Hebrew word for haughty is interesting. It's related to a person's height. And we communicate that idea to this day by saying that a haughty person has his nose in the air, a person's looking down on everybody else. Now, if your nose is in the air, you're not going to pay attention to your path, and you're going to end up tripping and falling on your face. So that's the warning here. Solomon here often warns against becoming angry, angry quickly. And here again that theme appears in verse thirty two. Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. In God's eyes, patience or self control is really more honorable than physical strength. Ruling a city isn't nearly as important to God as ruling your spirit. Well Solomon adds here in chapter nineteen and verse eleven, this wonderful proverb Good sense makes one slow to anger. Well, as we say it today, the length of your fuse, how long it takes for you to get angry. Well, that's a good measure of the depth of your godly wisdom. How long is your fuse today? Well, now here in chapter 21, we're given a wonderful reminder, especially during the days of these days of political and social division. Solomon writes here in verse 1, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. In other words, kings might think they're ruling everyone, but God is actually ruling over the rulers. In fact, they get into office because God wanted them there. Even wicked leaders can be a part of God's orchestration of history. The Apostle Paul wrote that no governmental authorities exist except from God, and that those who exist have been instituted or literally placed into office by God. Romans chapter 13, verse 1. Now that ought to help you sleep at night. You can, and really you should, vote your conscience. You should pray for godly leaders. By the way, I love it when a believer is appointed by God to serve in some political or judicial office. But listen, even if your candidate loses, the one who steps into that office is there by God's plan or choice. Nobody gets into office, Paul writes, apart from God's appointment. Ultimately, every ruler, every leader, every nation is going to give an account to God. He's the king of kings. But I want you to note, as Solomon records here, that even the heart of a wicked king is in the hand of God, and God is moving him like he channels the currents of the rivers and oceans. It might look chaotic today, but as I like to say it, God is ultimately in control of the chaos. He moves even wicked rulers to accomplish his ultimate promises and purposes. Now with that, Solomon returns to a topic that shows up often in the book of Proverbs. It's the subject of working diligently. Chapter 20 here and verse 13 says, Love not sleep lest you come to poverty. Open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. I can remember as a boy of twelve or thirteen having to get up on a Saturday morning and go cut two or three lawns. I had a little lawn mowing business that earned me just enough money to help my missionary parents at the end of the summer purchase the clothing and the shoes that I needed for the coming school year. But let me tell you, getting out of bed on a Saturday morning to push a lawnmower in the hot sun was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. And the truth is it hadn't gotten any easier for me to do some chore that I'm supposed to do even to this day. Well, whatever you're supposed to do today, what is it, beloved? Maybe it's maybe it's pushing a pen in that writing project, or maybe pushing a load of laundry into the dryer or pushing through a stack of papers on your desk. Maybe it's pushing cows into their stall. Whatever it is, work at it. Work hard at it. Do your best. It pleases the Lord, who, by the way, assigned you to that labor. Well, it happens to be his godly wisdom at work through you. Now you'll notice in reading Proverbs that there are many verses related to family life, like marriage or parenting, discipline, and so on. In fact, Proverbs provides some of the most helpful instruction on the family that you'll find in all the Bible. If we turn back to chapter 19 and verse 13, we read, a foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. Well, the point here is rather obvious. Nobody wants a foolish son, no man wants a quarreling wife. It's natural to desire a wise family, a wise son, a good marriage. But that doesn't happen automatically. As it relates to your children, they're born sinners. You're never going to have to teach them how to lie, you're going to have to teach them how to tell the truth. You're never going to have to teach your children how to be selfish, you're going to have to teach them how to share. So it takes work at family living. Now, if I go over here to chapter 22, Solomon writes this here in verse 15. Folly or foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. That's some more insight on this subject. It's the condition of every child's heart. Foolishness. There is hope for parents, by the way, because the second uh part of this verse says the rod of discipline drives it far from him. Now let me add that the rod here doesn't justify brutality or cruelty. It refers actually to measured, consistent physical punishment as a part of reinforcing right and wrong. Now there's a proverb that's often misunderstood back here in verse six of this same chapter. Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it. Now remember, beloved, Proverbs present general principles, not guarantees. Godly training does not guarantee a godly child or life. In fact, the book of Proverbs makes it clear that godly instruction can be refused or ignored. And by the way, the Hebrew phrase here or word for a child, not heir, is the word. It's used in Proverbs for a young person who's actually reached the age of marriage. That gives a that gives a little different nuance to this, doesn't it? As a parent, you encourage your grown children to walk in wisdom the path you've pointed out to them as you've raised them up. And as a general rule, they're not going to forget it now that they're older. Just keep in mind, beloved, you can make your children civil. That is, you can make them behave in public. You can teach them how to use a knife and a fork and not their fingers. You can teach them how to show respect to authority and a million other things. You can make them civil, but you cannot make them spiritual. Only God's spirit can open their eyes to the truth of the gospel. You can point the way, but God has to open their heart, which is why today godly parents can have ungodly children just as ungodly parents can have godly children. And with this understanding, by the way, God alone deserves the credit when they turn out godly. Just make sure you're not taking the blame if their eyes remain closed to the wisdom of God. Well, with that, we're out of time for today. Until our next session, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.