Proverbs 16:23-33

TEXT Proverbs 16:23-33

23.

The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth,

And addeth learning to his lips.

24.

Pleasant words are as a honeycomb,

Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

25.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,

But the end thereof are the ways of death.

26.

The appetite of the laboring man laboreth for him;

For his mouth urgeth him thereto.

27.

A worthless man deviseth mischief;

And in his lips there is as a scorching fire.

28.

A perverse man scattereth abroad strife;

And a whisperer separateth chief friends.

29.

A man of violence enticeth his neighbor,

And leadeth him in a way that is not good.

30.

He that shutteth his eyes, it is to devise perverse things:

He that compresseth his lips bringeth evil to pass.

31.

The hoary head is a crown of glory;

It shall be found in the way of righteousness.

32.

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;

And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.

33.

The lot is cast into the lap;

But the whole disposing thereof is of Jehovah.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 16:23-33

1.

How does the heart instruct the mouth (Proverbs 16:23)?

2.

What two qualities of honey are brought out in Proverbs 16:24?

3.

What earlier verse in Proverbs is exactly like Proverbs 16:25?

4.

How does one's appetite labor for him (Proverbs 16:26)?

5.

Show from Proverbs 16:27 that mischief is worthless.

6.

What kind of man is Proverbs 16:28'S perverse man?

7.

What might Proverbs 16:28'S enticements include?

8.

What is meant by shutting the eyes and compressing the lips in Proverbs 16:30?

9.

What is the hoary head of Proverbs 16:31?

10.

What virtue or virtues is Proverbs 16:32 extolling?

11.

What is meant by the lot being cast into the lap (Proverbs 16:33)?

PARAPHRASE OF 16:23-33

23.

From a wise mind comes careful and persuasive speech.

24.

Kind words are like honeyenjoyable and healthful.

25.

Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road he thinks is right, but it ends in death.

26.

Hunger is goodif it makes you work to satisfy it!

27.

Idle hands are the devil's workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.

28.

An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

29.

Wickedness loves companyand leads others into sin.

30.

The wicked man stares into space with pursed lips, deep in thought, planning his evil deeds.

31.

White hair is a crown of glory and is seen most among the godly.

32.

It is better to be slow-tempered than famous; it is better to have self-control than to control an army.

33.

We toss the coin, but it is the Lord who controls its decision.

COMMENTS ON 16:23-33

Proverbs 16:23. The wise person thinks before he speaks, instructing himself as to what to say, how to say it, when to say it, to whom to say it, and even whether to say it. It is this thinking that adds learning to his lips that he would not otherwise have. He studieth to answer (Proverbs 15:28) and is sometimes slow to speak (James 1:19). Speaking of the heart and the lips of the good man, Matthew 12:35 beautifully says, The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things.

Proverbs 16:24. Another proverb on speech. The ancients-' sweetening was from the honey. Pleasant words are pure words (Proverbs 15:26) and sweet words (this verse). Pleasant words come from a sweet soul and one who is blessed with a healthy outlook, and they bring sweetness to the soul of the hearer and health to him too. Nothing can destroy this sweetness of soul and the consequent health of the body more than angry, hateful, and untrue words.

Proverbs 16:25. This same statement is found in Proverbs 14:12. It is probably included twice in the book not by error but for emphasis. In life it is possible to think you are right when you are dead-wrong. Many errors occur this way both in religion and in the everyday things of life. This is why we should always be pleased to recheck our conclusions. Even before pulling onto a highway, take one more look after you are sure it is clearthere may be a car coming after all!

Proverbs 16:26. A laboring man has an appetite. He needs food for strength and for health. He goes on food just as an engine does on duel and a fire on wood. But when people don-'t work, their food goes to fat, which hinders health. We are told by health authorities to eat more for breakfast and less at night so that we burn up what we eat with work during the day rather than let it go to fat while we sleep at night.

Proverbs 16:27. Somebody is the originator or deviser (cause) of everything that comes to pass. Prompted and empowered by the devil, such a wicked deviser is here said to be worthless, and he is as worthless and as destructive with his lips as a fire can be to property (James 3:6). Both a fire and the lips have many useful purposes (fire: heat, cooking, industrial purposes, etc.; the lips: conversation, business, singing, preaching, prayer, etc.); but a person who turns these to wicked, mischievous ends is worthless both to God and society. We can get along without them, and God will separate them from himself and from the saved forever.

Proverbs 16:28. Here is the person of Proverbs 16:27 in action. He is perverse because he is perverting his time and powers to destructive from constructive possibilities. He is creating and scattering strife abroad, which is contrary to the will and desire of God (Proverbs 6:14; Proverbs 15:18; Proverbs 26:21; Proverbs 29:22). One of his chief ways of proceeding is to work secretly (whisperer). This way he can work quietly, be less detected, and appears to be confiding information to those whom he is approaching. And, oh, the power for evil that this approach has: it separates chief friends. Quite an accomplishment, wouldn-'t you say! Proverbs 17:9 says that he that harpeth on a matter can also separate chief friends.

Proverbs 16:29. Another proverb on misusing one's power for the harm of others. This time he is inviting his neighbor to join him (enticeth him, as if it is a good thing to do). If he joins him, he is being led into a way that is not good; actually he is misled. It was this very thing that Proverbs 1:10 was warning against (If sinners entice thee, consent thou not). Notice the violence that was planned (Proverbs 1:11-14); it was a program of gain by wrong means. We are told in Proverbs 1:15: Walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path.

Proverbs 16:30. As you behold one sitting with closed eyes and closed mouth, he does not look like the factory of evil that he is. While he looks like he is resting and taking it easy, he is actually devising perverse things and working to bring evil to pass,

Proverbs 16:31. The hoary head refers to the white hair of old age. It is said here to be a crown of glory (compare Proverbs 20:29). White hair, then, is not something to be ashamed of, for it should be a mark of distinction (Leviticus 19:32). The latter statement of our verse bears out the fact that many are more righteous in old age than in younger years (especially if they have been given religious training in childhood). Some who are wild and utterly neglectful of God settle down to the serious side of life later. A Gallup Poll found that the largest group of Bible-readers were 55 years old and older.

Proverbs 16:32. A person who is slow to anger is a person of good judgment, one who exhausts his ability to overlook and explain the possible why's and wherefore's of another's displeasing action who finally faces the downright evil that the other person has done. This virtue is praised (Proverbs 19:11) and commanded (James 1:19), and one is disqualified from being an elder in the church without it (Titus 1:7). Such rules his own spirit; and some who can take cities (conquerors) and do all kinds of physical feats of power (like Samson) cannot rule themselves successfully. Clarke: It is much easier to subdue the enemy without than the one within...Alexander, who conquered the world, was a slave to intemperate anger, and in a fit of it slew Clytus, the best and most intimate of all his friends.

Proverbs 16:33. Pulpit Commentary: It is not quite clear what articles the Jews used in their deviations by lot. Probably they employed stones, differing in shape or color or having some distinguishing mark...The Jew...did not feel justified in resorting to this practice on every trivial occasion...The lot was employed religiously in cases where other means of decision were not suitable. The soldiers who crucified Jesus cast lots to determine who got what piece of His clothing (Mark 15:24; John 19:23-24). The apostles used it in determining who would succeed Judas (Acts 1:26). No more often than we read of this in the Bible (though handy it would have been to use often), we conclude that it was not commonplace even then. This was evidently something that God arranged for His Old Testament people that we do not read about in the New Testament. If we lack wisdom, we are not taught to draw straws or use some other method of casting lots but to pray and trust that God's leadership will be had (James 1:5).

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 16:23-33

1.

What all does a wise person consider before he speaks (Proverbs 16:23)?

2.

What are two blessings of pleasant words (Proverbs 16:24)?

3.

Why should we recheck our conclusions (Proverbs 16:25)?

4.

Comment on the laboring man and his appetite (Proverbs 16:26).

5.

What does Proverbs 16:27 call a deviser of mischief?

6.

Why does a whisperer often succeed with his whispering (Proverbs 16:28)?

7.

How does Proverbs 16:29 tie up with Proverbs 1:10-15?

8.

How does the man of Proverbs 16:30 fool people?

9.

At what stage of life do people read the Bible the most (Proverbs 16:31)?

10.

What did Alexander the Great once do in a fit of rage (Proverbs 16:32)?

11.

What did you learn about lot-using from the comments on Proverbs 16:33?