- Proverbs 15:11-15
-
- Prov 15:11 (KJB)
- Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more
then the hearts of the children of men?
-
- Before - Before and opposite
-
- The Lord sees Hell and destruction because they are set both before Him
and in opposition to Him. Before Him means that He sees the horror of
eternal damnation and knows that He must send the unrighteous there to
vindicate His holiness and punish their rebellion. It is in opposition of
Him because He will save many from Hell and Hell is opposite the bliss of
Heaven because it is the abode of the wicked dead. Heaven will be completely
free of any vestige of sin and Hell is the place where it will all be
sequestered for eternity. If God sees the horrors of hell very plainly, then
how does one believe that God cannot see their hearts? Everything, like
hell, is open unto the eyes of the Lord and there is nothing which can be
hidden from Him. Hell has not even been ignited yet because the Great White
Throne Judgment has not taken place. So if God can see into the future, how
much more can He see the hearts of men in the present?
-
- Prov 15:12 (KJB)
- A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go
unto the wise.
-
- Scorner - To scoff or mocker
-
- If a scorner is being reproved or chastised by someone for an action or
for some words he has spoken, he will not love or even like the person who
is attempting to correct him. If he is being chastised in public, he will
feel embarrassed and will attempt to lash back. If he is being chastised in
private, he will harbor ill will toward the one who is bringing the rebuke.
His rejection of proper chastisement will reveal his unredeemed and wicked
heart. The mocker will not even so much as go to a wiser person to try and
ask for help to get his life in order. He sees himself as having all
knowledge and in need of nothing.
(Rev
3:17 KJV) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked: The church in Laodicea
had the same attitude. They thought they were in God’s favor because they
had much goods, yet they were far from Him in spirit. It is the same with
the scoffer, they think they have everything they need and are in good favor
with others because others may laugh at what is said and done. Since they
have an audience, they will not think they need help until a major tragedy
in their life causes them to think.
-
- Prov 15:13 (KJB)
- A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow
of the heart the spirit is broken.
-
- Merry - Joyful
- Countenance - The face
- Broken - Dejected or defeated spirit
-
- Here we have a heart which is made joyful. Joy is not happiness because
happiness can change to heaviness in a moment but joy is a fruit of the Holy
Spirit given to every believer. Joy is a source but happiness is a response
to something. A true believer will have the joy of their heart manifest upon
their face. True joy will affect the rest of the body for good. When joy
rules in a believer’s life, they will be able to deal with serious
situations very wisely. A heart which is in sorrow or pain will cause a
person’s spirit to be broken. We see this among unbelievers who always seem
to be complaining about everything. They are defeated in spirit because they
do not possess the regenerated spirit given to us by the Holy Spirit through
salvation. It is unfortunate that many Christians walk around with a face of
defeat simply because they do not know who they are in Christ. They allow
the situation to rule their life rather than allowing Christ to rule the
situation.
-
- Prov 15:14 (KJB)
- The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but
the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
-
- Understanding - Discernment
- Feedeth - To graze, pasture or tend
-
- Those who have understanding, which are the saved, will continually seek
knowledge because they know the more they learn and understand in the
Scriptures, the wiser they will become. The wise know the difference between
the words of God and the words and ways of the world. They will study to
keep themselves aloof from the ways of the world so they will not walk in
disobedience. However, the mouth of fools are always feeding on foolishness.
The word “feedeth” carries with it the meaning of “grazing or pasture.” I
live where there are many horse farms and the majority of the times when I
go past them, the horses are always grazing. Their heads are always looking
down at the grass. The fool is like that as they are always grazing on
foolishness. Their eyes are only focused on the foolishness which they
ingest as a horse ingests much grass. The fool is always looking around for
new fields of foolishness to graze in, thinking that the grass is greener on
the other side of the hill.
-
- Prov 15:15 (KJB)
- All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that
is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
-
- Afflicted - Denotes someone suffering from some kind of distress
- Evil - Bad
- Merry - Appropriate, pleasing, beneficial, or good
-
- When a person is afflicted, by whatever is present in their life, it may
seem that every day is bad or evil. The afflictions may be of some outward
circumstance which could be sickness or just being poor. It may be to the
point that a person sets their daily expectations so low that they are never
disappointed. It seems that no matter what these people do, their situations
never seem to change. Now on the other hand, a person who has a good or
saved heart may see things differently. They may be in no better physical or
material position than their unsaved neighbor but because they have Christ
living in side them, they see life from a different vantage point and
realize that Christ is in control of their life and because of the joy which
is in their heart, it is like they have a continual feast in which they are
not brought down to a depressed state. Their days may be just as bad as the
unsaved ones but they know who is in control of those days.
Back
-