Proverbs 16:33

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.” This verse emphasizes the fact that God is in control of everyone’s life. Things come into your life and things happen to you over which you have no control. People come into your life, and you have no control. How do you think that you met your spouse just at the right time in your life: God. How did you get training for a means of income so you could support your family: God. Who opens the doors of opportunity and closes other doors: God. Who makes one thing a success and another thing a failure: God. Thankfully, those who believe in Jesus have many many promises that God will guide their lives. We know that everything is ultimately dependent upon God and we put our faith in Jesus.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:1, “Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.” This is a verse about the value of peace, especially peace in your own home. Faith in Christ results in peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace because He brings peace that no one else can bring: peace in the soul. When your heart is right with God, then you know what peace is all about. It says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” If you are a believer in Jesus, one more reasons to marry another believer is because that is the best chance you have of having true peace in your home. The world can be a crazy place. “There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked.” “They cry, peace, peace, when there is no peace.” But God can give you peace in your home.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:2, “A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.” One thing that should help children to be careful about their own behavior is the knowledge that what they do will reflect upon the family name. Do not take anything for granted. You can lose everything based upon your own bad actions, even your inheritance. After you have spent a lifetime taking care of your family and acquiring some material possessions along the way, when you leave this earth, you will want your material possessions to accomplish something for the Lord and to do good. Your possessions will do no good if you leave them to a fool who will waste them on riotous living. As you get older, you might want to start a ministry to help spread the gospel of Christ. Buy a piece of property with a church building on it and start your own church, avoiding the traditions of man and teaching only the Word of God as found in the New Testament.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:3, “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.” Once you become a believer in Jesus, God works in your heart and life in order to improve your life of faith that you are called to live. But the improvement will not be without pain. It is the “furnace” that leads to a purer gold. It says in First Peter 4:12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” The reason that God allows a fiery trial into your life is that He is giving you the opportunity to face that trial by trusting in Jesus. If you fail to trust in Him, then do what a Christian does with any failure: ask Jesus to forgive you, learn from your mistake, and be determined to do better next time. Do not worry, you will get other changes to trust in Him. This is how you grow in faith and this is the process by which you learn to live a life of faith.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:4, “A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips: and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.” Fake news is nothing new. These words were written 3,000 years ago, and we have the same spiritual reality that Solomon observed. Why are their people who believe the fake news? The reason that they believe lies is because of their own spiritual problems. If you are part of the darkness of this world, then you are easy prey to the lies and propaganda of the world.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:5, “Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.” Some day we will have a perfect world. But that will not happen until Jesus returns and sets up the Messianic kingdom. One of the reasons that Jesus helped people and did so many miracles in His first Coming was to show that He can change things. But until Jesus makes a permanent change, He wants us to do what we can to help make the world a better place. If you believe in Jesus, find out what He wants you to do with the gifts that He has given to you. Some believers have the gift of “helps.” They have the knowledge and ability to help others beyond the average person. God loves the poor and disadvantaged. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those who are poor in spirit are more likely to turn to Christ. Those who are poor are more likely to be poor of spirit also. Never rejoice when something bad happens to anyone, not even to your enemies. We want to see prosperity and health and happiness for everyone. And then we hope that everyone will give God the glory for the good things that He brings their way.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:6, “Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.” This is a verse about grandparents and parents. Children can cause great joy to both parents and grandparents. If you have children, they will be one of the sources of joy in your life. God loves children. Jesus said, “Permit the children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” God calls His believers children: the children of God. Jesus also said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” What is heaven like? Look at the world in which you live, and what do you see that symbolizes heaven? Here is one thing: children running, and laughing and playing without a care in the world to afflict them. That will be heaven. Every child who dies will go to heaven because they are not accountable for their deeds. The adults who go to heaven will be children once again: the children of God. And so heaven will be a place full of children: laughing, playing, happy children.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:7, “Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.” The words that you say are very important. If you want to be a good person, then you must have good speech. But the only way that you will be able to have good speech is to be a wise person. And the only way that you will be able to be a wise person with true wisdom is to learn from God. If you do not learn from the Lord Jesus, then you will certainly be a foolish person. Your speech will prove if you are foolish or wise. The speech of those who are in positions of power is also very important. One of the worse things that a leader can do is lie because lies will cause them to lose the confidence of the people. Yet, lying is one of the very things that many politicians are known for. They lie in order to get elected and that is the very reason that the people eventually want them replaced. There are many reasons that God said in the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not lie.” It is always best to listen to God’s Word.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:8, “A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.” This verse is about the positive nature of a gift. The right gift given in the right way can have a very good effect on someone. We all like to receive gifts. That is what Christmas is all about. God is the greatest giver of gifts. The Bible tells us: “Every good gift comes down from the Father above.” “Jesus ascended into heaven and gave gifts unto men.” And it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.” And there is the great salvation verse in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:9, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love: but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” There are many ways in which love is manifested: just look at the description of love in First Corinthians chapter 13. If you are showing love to someone, you will naturally overlook their faults and weaknesses, and instead view their strengths and successes. Everyone has their good points. Everyone was created in the image of God. If you want to be motivated by love, look for the good in people. You can see this principle play out in politics: in American politics you end up with two candidates. Both candidates have positives and negatives. After all, they are human beings. When a voter decides to support one candidate over the other, that voter will emphasize the positives of the candidate they like and ignore the negatives. That is the way love works. If you want your love to continue, you must look on the positives of your spouse. Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

The last part of Proverbs 19:9 says, “he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” This is associated with a lack of forgiveness for others. It refers to gossiping. Some things should not be said even though they are true. Would you want the worse things that you have ever done constantly repeated and spread abroad? A friendship bond can be very, very strong, but it can be broken. There are people who once were great friends, but no longer are friends. What happened? One of the things that can destroy friendship is gossip.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:10, “A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.” A lot of times people find Old Testament passages that talk about corporal punishment, and they say, “That is what we need today.” But this Old Testament verse dismisses corporal punishment as being ineffective, at least in the situation mentioned here. Notice first of all that it talks about one hundred stripes. That is a lot of stripes: that is a lot of hitting someone. One of the problems with corporal punishment is that if a small amount of punishment is not effective, the parent might resort to more and harsher punishments that can result in too much hitting and too much violence actually. The responsibility of a parent is to teach a child. You want the child to learn as they row so that when they are an adult they will be able to achieve their potential and become the best they can be as citizens, neighbors, and servants of Christ. The best way to have that teaching take place is to have the right kind of kid who wants to learn and is willing to listen. If you are blessed to have that, you will not need to use stripes. I recommend using other forms of teaching instead of corporal punishment.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:11, “An evil man seeketh only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.” Rebellion is a great sin because God has established the hierarchies in life, and God wants us to be respectful to every authority that He has placed in our lives. Of course, Jesus is at the top of the hierarchy, and we need to be submitted to His authority. You first become submitted to His authority when you become born again by bowing before Christ, praying to Him, and asking Him for forgiveness. It says to Christians in Romans 13:1, “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.” When God tells us how to do something, He tells us for our benefit. Those who rebel will suffer because of that rebellion, whether the rebellion be against God or against man. That is why we are warned about the rebellious person: “a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.” Do not be rebellious against Jesus. Bow before Him and call upon His name while you have time.

___________________________________________________