Proverbs 14:1-5
 
Prov 14:1 (KJB)
Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
 
Buildeth - Establish or construct
Plucketh it down - Tear it down
 
Here in contrast to the foolish woman we saw in previous chapters, a wise woman builds her house through the wisdom God has given her. She takes care of her family and she raises the children wisely. She watches over them to make sure they do not get into trouble. She counsels them to grow them in wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. On the other hand, the foolish woman does not take care of the house but looks only on the things of her own. She does not discipline the children nor does she counsel them wisely and normally children of this type of home will see a life of trouble ahead of them, simply because they have been trained to be in trouble. There is a spiritual lesson here also. The woman in Scripture normally represents the church. (Rev 21:9 KJV) And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. The Christian who is walking in the way of the Lord will lead other people to Him plus they will have the ability to counsel and nurture them in the way of righteousness. On the other hand, the foolish woman, the unsaved, will not be able to counsel anyone in the way of the Lord especially since they do not know the way. Those in false churches who think they are Christians fall way short of the truth and will be unable to counsel anyone with the Scriptures but they will counsel them only according to church dogma, which is normally in opposition to the true Gospel.
 
Prov 14:2 (KJB)
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
 
Perverse - Deviate or depart
 
The reason that the saved person fears the Lord is because his eyes are wide open to the truths in Scripture and takes them by faith. He knows that a Judgment day is coming and the day of the Lord is terrible. He knows that God is a holy God and will not tolerate sin. Those who know the Scriptures will have a picture of what is to come and how God judges those who walk in opposition to Him, even before Judgment Day. Those who deviate or depart from the truth are the unsaved and they have a hatred for God and will not walk in His ways. Probably the most tragic tenet of unbelief is the enmity which is between God and the person. Since they are spiritually dead, they do not realize they are one heartbeat away from the full wrath of God.
 
Prov 14:3 (KJB)
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
 
The foolish have a rod of pride in their mouth. That rod may also be understood as a small branch. It is representative of a tree which is small but continues to grow. As the person becomes more proud, the rod of pride continues to grow in their mouth. It represents the unsaved heart within them. The foolish are always boasting and normally their boasting is just empty words covered with pride which sometimes can get them into real trouble. The lips of the wise bring forth wise words and it too represents what is in their heart. They will speak with wisdom and their words will preserve them, that is, they will speak truth without great words of pride and this will prevent them from getting into trouble. Since their words are coming from a saved heart, they will show that transformation has taken place and will be readied for Heaven.
 
Prov 14:4 (KJB)
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
 
If there are no oxen, then there will be no wheat to thresh which means there will be no food. The absence of oxen may also mean that the person who owns this farm has not invested in any oxen to help on the farm. They are very strong animals and can do a number of tasks around the farm. If there are no oxen, the farm and the farmer will never increase their goods. However, on the other hand if a person invests in oxen for farm work, their strength will add to the increase of the goods produced by the farm. There is also a spiritual message here. The oxen can represent the true believer and if there are none getting out into the world to evangelize, the crib will be clean, that is, there will be no souls coming into the kingdom. However, on the other hand, when the oxen, the true believers, are working in the kingdom, they will see a great increase in the number of souls coming into the kingdom plus they will disciple and counsel the new Christians.
 
Prov 14:5 (KJB)
A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.
 
Here is a proverb dealing with the character of a person. A person who is of a faithful or trustworthy character will always be a witness who speaks the truth. Normally, their lifestyle shows that they are not just words but faithful in substance. One who is a false witness will utter lies without hesitation. That person’s character must also be looked at as to how they live. If they have a dishonest reputation, then their testimony will represent their life. There is also a spiritual application to this verse. A person who is a true believer, will bring the whole counsel of God and will not hold back on any part of the Gospel. The false witness will tailor their message to allure the one who is listening, to appeal to their vanity and will not care for their eternal soul. We see this today as so many TV preachers and cults trim the true message of the Gospel to appeal to a person’s vanity and pride. In other words, to keep them comfortable while they are on their way to hell.

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