Proverbs 15:32

The Bible says in Proverbs 15:32, “He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.” If you think about your mortality and the destiny of your soul, then you will get serious about that issue. Your soul is the real you. Your soul is what will live somewhere forever. If you refuse the instruction that God wants to give you, then you are condemning your soul to hell. That would qualify for despising your own soul. But if you listen to and receive reproof, you will gain understanding. We are all sinners and we all have faults, and that means we need improvement. Improvement starts when we recognize our faults. Forgiveness comes when we confess our sins.

The Bible says in Proverbs 15:33, “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.” God is the Judge of the whole earth. That means that He is your Judge too. He sees everything you do, hears everything you say, and knows everything you think. It would be wise to fear Him. And it would be wise to humble yourself, and turn to the Lord. That is what God wants. He wants you to turn to Jesus while there is time. God will honor you if you simply admit the truth about yourself. That is amazing grace.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:1, “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.” This is a verse about the omnipotence of God and how God is involved in everything that anyone does or says. Remember this truth whenever you are concerned about how someone may act or what someone may say who has the capacity to greatly affect you either negatively or positively. God is in control. He is using them to affect you in order to accomplish what God is trying to accomplish. Maybe God is giving you the privilege of suffering for His name’s sake. Maybe God is allowing the trial of your faith so that you will grow in your relationship with Christ. Another implication of Proverbs 16:1 is the fact that if you want your heart (your innermost being) to be what it should be, you will need divine intervention. That is the miracle of having the spiritual birth through faith in Christ.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:2, “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.” People tend to not see their own faults. That is why it takes the work of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin. That is what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do. Jesus said in John 16:8-11, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:[9] Of sin, because they believe not on me;[10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
[11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” God is Judge. It would be best to listen to the Holy Spirit now while you have a chance and learn that you are a sinner who needs forgiveness. If you do not, then something very unpleasant will happen to you when you stand before the Judge. You will not be allowed into the kingdom of God and of Christ.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” One of the goals of a Christian is to have a good thought-life. The New Testament tells Christians, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” It says in Romans, “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Your thoughts are a part of Jesus’ commandment to love God with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength. This verse says to get involved in serving the Lord, and the very good works that you are doing will help to “establish” your thoughts. That is because you will be thinking about what you are doing.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” This is a verse about the omnipotence of God. God is doing all things, allowing all things, and controlling all things. “God is working all in all.” That is one of the reasons that we have the promise in Romans 8:28, “For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the called according to His purpose.” God is so powerful that He even arranges the wicked things that wicked people do to be a part of God’s plan. Wicked men took Jesus and crucified Him, but that was God’s plan to purchase our salvation. One thing is for certain: every wicked person will glorify the name of Christ when they stand before God and a just punishment is handed to them as their deeds are revealed before the holy God and before all the believers who are there also and saying, “Glory to God in the highest.” The judgment is coming.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:5, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” Pride is a great sin. It is the sin that the devil committed when he fell from being an angel of light. The devil thought he was so beautiful and so smart and so powerful that he could oppose God. It is strange that a mortal man would think that they will be able to resist God and win. Pride does strange things to people. It is much better to be humble and to look up to God and say, “Be merciful to me, a sinner.”

When humans join together in opposition to God, they seem to be a formidable force, and yet they are not really because God exists, and God is all-powerful. The ungodly will be blown away like chaff in the wind. You and God are a majority no matter how many wicked people join against you.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:6, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” This is a great salvation verse. Mercy and truth come from the Lord. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” In order to know the truth, you must know Jesus. If you fall at the feet of Jesus and come to know Him, then you will experience His mercy. Mercy is when God does not give you the punishment that you deserve. We all need that. And we all need to have our iniquity purged. Of course, coming to know the Lord and coming to know His truth and His mercy requires the right attitude of repentance on our part. That is where the fear of the Lord and departing from evil comes in. If you fear that judgment that is coming, then repent, turn to Jesus, and get on the straight and narrow way.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:7, “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” It always pays to serve the Lord. There are many benefits to following Jesus. Remember Jesus will fight your battles for you. Even people who think they are your enemies, He will control for your benefit, and things will work out just fine. He is the Prince of Peace. He knows how to put peace in someone’s heart, and that includes your enemies too.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:8, “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.” Money is not everything. Money is not anything if you do not have goodness and righteousness along with it. What is more important than money? Almost everything that you can think of: Eternal life is more important than money. Love is more important than money. Forgiveness of sins is more important than money. Family is more important than money. Goodness is more important than money. Knowing Christ as Savior is more important than money. Having loyal friends is more important than money. Your soul is more important than money. Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world but lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” How much we are dependent upon God and what He allows or disallows. God worketh all in all. Nothing happens unless God makes it happen or allows it to happen. You can plan all you want, but your plans will be in vain if God closes the door. That is why we pray and ask for God’s will to be done: both to show that we are surrendered to God and His will, and to show that we know that we are totally dependent upon Him.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:10, “A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.” This verse is a demonstration of one of the ways that God accomplishes His will in all of our lives: through those who are in positions of power. God has created a hierarchy on the earth, and He wants us to know how to take our proper place in that hierarchy. Of course, Jesus is at the top. He is the King of kings. It says in Romans 13:1-2, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:11, “A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: all the weights of the bag are his work.” God wants people to be honest in all of their dealings. “Thou shalt not lie” refers to more than just our words. It refers to our business dealings also. If you cheat anyone, you are doing the devil’s work and making the world a much worse place to live in. Think how wonderful life would be in spite of other faults, if everyone always told the truth and was honest in all their dealings.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:12, “It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.” It is an abomination for anyone to commit wickedness, but the message here is that the more responsibility and influence that you have, the more your actions affect other people. People of any nation want their leaders to be decent people. Of course, this longing will not be satisfied until Jesus is King in Jerusalem. The more wicked that leaders are, the more likely that their rule will not end well. The wages of sin is death: as it says in Romans 6:23.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:13, “Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they loveth him that speaketh right.” The words that we say define us to people. If you are foolish, it will be manifest by the words that you use. If you are wise, that also will be manifest by the words that you speak. If you love God or not, and if you believe in Jesus or not will be manifest by your words. Our words affect other people in many ways: for good or for evil. We can help other people have faith, if we use the words of faith. That is true of everyone, and once again, the more power and influence that you have, the more important are your words because your words will affect many more people. Rulers must say the right words, or their troubles will be multiplied and their influence will be very negative. By the “right” words, we do not mean politically correct words, and we do not mean lying words that some politicians use to deceive people. We are talking about truthful words that deal with good and righteous deeds. That kind of leader will be loved by the people.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:14, “The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.” This is another statement about those who are in a position of leadership. Just looking at it from a human standpoint, the reality is obvious: those at the top have more power and therefore you had better be careful how you treat them. But you also have power. You have the power of your words, and your attitude, and your knowledge. If you do not understand the hierarchy under which you live, then you are in for a lot of trouble in life. But one of the benefits of knowing Christ as Savior is that Jesus gives wisdom, and He will give you some learning opportunities.

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