At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:
Therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

Proverbs 17:4

Arguments and quarrels have an internal logic of their own. Whatever the point of the person who started the affair, the affair itself has its own ideas. And those ideas are usually much grander than the modest ambitions of the instigator.

Chesterton says somewhere that one ought not to be allowed to take down a fence unless they can explain the reason why the fence was put up in the first place. In a similar spirit we can say that no one should be allowed to set any explosive devices on a dam unless they are able to tell us exactly how much water is stored behind the dam.

This proverb teaches us that the consequences of a dispute will often go far, far beyond what any of the initial disputants intended. Consequently, the advice given to someone who is prepared to “contend” is that he “leave off.” What you think you are doing is not necessarily what you are doing.

This same point is made with a different metaphor in the book of James. How great a forest fire can start from a little spark (Jas. 3:5). Conflagrations can start with a small word. Or, following the logic of this proverb, with a word that the one speaking it thought was a small word.

Before you blow up the dam, think about more than your plan to free the salmon. Think about all the people who live downstream. Think about all the consequences you did not think about. And this is the difficulty, right? We find it very hard to think about the things we didn’t think about.

And this is why the Word of God is given to us. This proverb is there to tell us that you ought to stop and think even if you have no presenting issue in your consciousness. When you are crossing the street, you should look both ways.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;
But he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Proverbs 17:9

One time, in the course of a church controversy, I was accused of “covering something up.” But as we have learned in other contexts, you cannot determine virtue or vice by looking at the verb only. What is being covered up? Why is it being covered up? Is the murderer trying cover up the telltale indicators of his crime (Prov. 28:13)? Or is it love, trying, yet again, to cover a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8; cf. Prov. 10:12)? In that particular church controversy, I remember saying to someone that I was a pastor, and that I cover up sins for a living.

But it should go without saying that some things that are covered up need to be brought out into the open. “Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:3). The devil picks this up by the wrong end, which is how he became the accuser of all the brethren (Rev. 12:10), accusing them day and night. This censorious spirit may operate in the name of “transparency” or “accountability,” but what it is really after is the opportunity to point a finger and demand an answer now. The reason sinners like to do this is because, outside of Christ, the best defense is a good offense.

So in this proverb, the one who covers a transgression is the one who is seeking the path of love. This is how Joseph responded when he found out that Mary was pregnant. He knew that he was not the father, and so it followed that Mary had been unfaithful. “And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Matt. 1:19, ESV).

But in the world of hectoring accusers, the thing that made Matthew say that Joseph was a just man is the very same thing that makes accusers say that he was manifestly unjust. Was he not being indulgent? Was he not covering up? They would have told someone about it. They would have repeated the matter. And the proverb tells us that they are the kind of people who wreck friendships.

This proverb is part of wisdom literature, which is why it takes wisdom to be able to distinguish a righteous and an unrighteous revealing, a righteous and unrighteous “covering.” Every wise parent knows this. There are times when you would discipline your children for “tattling,” and other times you would discipline them for not saying something. For example, if your three-year-old is on the roof of the garage, you really want the older kids to say something.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

A man’s heart deviseth his way:B
ut the Lord directeth his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

This verse shows us that the doctrine of God’s absolute sovereignty is not a doctrine that is the private reserve of esoteric theologians. No, the sovereignty of God is an immensely practical and enormously comforting doctrine. It is something that every saint should know and understand, and learn to rely on in all our daily pursuits.

We make our little plans and out into the day we go. There is nothing wrong with this; it is what we are supposed to do. The book of Proverbs is filled with all sorts of exhortations that would encourage the sons of men to get off the dime, and to go do something. We are told to work in the field, to avoid the painted ladies, to lay up an inheritance, to give to the poor, and a host of other things. But when we devise the way to go do any of these things, we must always remember that this is not the end of the story—it is only our part, which is a very small part. God is the one who directs the steps.

He does this whether the decisions of our heart are wise or foolish, righteous or sinful, thoughtful or thoughtless, asleep or awake. We make our free decisions, and God uses our free decisions to accomplish His divine purposes.

We are aware of this when it comes to momentous things, like the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 4:27-28). But we need to remember why Jesus taught us that a cat can’t catch a sparrow apart from the will of the Father. We need to remember why He said the hairs of our head are all numbered. The reason is so that we might not fear (Matt. 10:31).

Because we make decisions, and because we are mortal, we need to trust the only one who can keep us. Whenever you change lanes on the freeway, the lives of your children in the back seat are in the balance, not to mention the lives of your hundreds of thousands of descendants. Better get it right.

A better way would be to trust the Lord. He is the only one who can direct our steps.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer:
But the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

Proverbs 15:28

As happens a lot in Proverbs, the contrast between righteousness and wickedness is sharp. In this contrast, we have the obvious one between the righteous and the wicked. But it goes a step beyond this—the contrast is between the heart of the righteous and the mouth of the wicked.

A problem or question has apparently been posed, and the heart of the righteous thinks about how to answer. Righteousness does not blurt. The word for “studieth” can mean growl or mutter, or meditate, or imagine. One gets the picture of a wise man working through a difficult problem, talking to himself as he goes. His heart is hot, a wisdom forge, and he doesn’t bring out his words until they are ready.

But the mouth of the wicked is filled up and ready to go now. The mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. If you want an answer now, he has an answer for you now. The quality is crappy, but delivery is prompt.

With the righteous, there is a solid consistency that runs from the heart through the mouth, and then to the outside world. With the wicked, the answer is in his mouth already, and may bear no relationship to what he really believes or, for that matter, any relationship to how things are out in the world.

The righteous is slower to speak, but what he says comes from the heart, and what he says has been “growled over.” He shares this with you, not because it was his turn to talk, but rather because he believes that he has a word for you in season.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished:
But he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

Proverbs 13:11

It is folly to give way to daydreams that provide a pathway to riches and wealth. Some daydreams are indulged on the couch, staring off into the middle distance, while other daydreams are actually pursued in real time. There are some daydreamers who pursue unicorns and rainbows, and who are very diligent in talking to potential investors about rainbows and unicorns. 

When wealth is obtained in this way (and it is not always obtained in the first place), it is wealth that diminishes. Wealth gotten by vanity does not have staying power. This appears to be referring to schemes that can show gains short term. In a Ponzi scheme, where you use the investments of later investors as a way of paying of earlier investors, you create the illusion of mojo, because the earlier investors talk about what a shrewd move it was to sign onto this project early. But the whole operation is staggering along on rickety stilts. It is going to come crashing down.

The contrast is being made to the one who acquires wealth bit by bit, steadily over time. Gathering by labor is the way to increase.

One of the key elements in daydream wealth is that the pitch appeals to rapidity. Get rich quick now is the appeal. Those who follow the biblical pattern of acquiring wealth rarely make the kind of pitch that assumes “you can have it now.”

Suppose you say a Facebook ad that invited you to download a free booklet that said that it was going to teach you HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS IN REAL ESTATE!! This interested you, and so you downloaded the booklet and read it. The advice consisted of elements like the following: 1. Get a realty license. 2. Obtain a position at a realtors’ office, or establish one of your own. 3. Work diligently and hard for the next thirty years. 4. Do quality work, and never stop learning how to improve. 5. Make sure to tithe what you make. 6. Be generous and open-handed with your wealth. 7. After you have made your millions, share this booklet with others. 

Pass it on.

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