Proverbs 14:1-13

Well, good morning, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together. We get into God's Word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. Well, I'm so glad to have you here this morning.
We're at Proverbs chapter 13 verses 1, sorry, Proverbs chapter 14 verses 1 through 13. Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your word. We pray now that as we read it, you might bless us. We pray that you would be our teacher. We pray that we would hear from you and sit at your feet. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, here we go.
Proverbs chapter 14, verses 1 through 13. The wise woman builds up her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands. do things around our home and in our family. We can also be self-destructive in the ways that we speak, in our attitudes. And so we need to be busy about building up rather than tearing down.
There's this great show on Netflix called Dino Trucks, and I love watching it. I used to love watching it with the kids. We haven't watched it in a long time now. But one of the things about, pardon me, one of the things about And that show is the good guys are always building stuff up and destructs the bad guys, always trying to tear things down. So often we'll tell our kids, are we people who build things up or tear things down? God's people are those who are building up, taking dominion and building up. All right, let's keep going.
Verse two, he who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him. If we fear the Lord, we walk uprightly. But, conversely to that, if we despise the Lord, we'll walk in a perverse way. So, fear the Lord and walk in righteousness.
Verse 3, In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride. But the lips of the wise will preserve them. There is a rod waiting for the prideful. This happens all the time in workplaces where there's a prideful person and they'll boast about themselves and build themselves up, but eventually the shoe drops, they wanna blame everyone else, and there's a rod waiting for them. But the lips of the wise will preserve them. when we have God's word in our mouth because it's deep in our hearts, then his word preserves us.
Verse four, where no oxen are, the trough is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of an ox. I was reading a book recently, I think it was just yesterday or the day before, and they used a proverb about a cat who can't catch mice with mittens on its paws.
I think of how many grandparents will tell their children, enjoy your kids while they're young. Because someday you're going to have a clean house, but you're not going to have your kids around. You're going to miss your kids. You never see a mechanic with a good pedicure or with a good manicure, right? No. If you want to work hard, you're going to have dirty hands, but there's increase in working hard.
Verse five, a faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness utter lies, but a faithful witness does not lie. This is the point of the ninth commandment, right? We shall not bear false testimony. We speak truth no matter the cost, and it always brings life. It always brings blessing. Even though that truth and that life and that blessing might not be readily apparent to us, it's true. Always speak the truth.
Verse six, a scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. A scoffer tries to get knowledge and they can't. Why? Because when knowledge is right in front of them, never mind, I don't want it, but knowledge is easy for him who understands.
If we listen to Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, or earlier, sorry, not in Ecclesiastes, earlier here in the book of Proverbs, Get wisdom. Go get knowledge. Even though it might cost you everything you have, go get it. And it's amazing, the more you learn, the more it comes to you. Verse 7. Go from the presence of a foolish man when you do not perceive in him lips of knowledge. If you realize that you're in the presence of a fool, get out of there. Don't spend time there.
Wisdom follows those who are surrounded by wisdom, but folly follows those who are surrounded by fools. Verse 8, the wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit. We're going to know people. We're going to know people by their actions, right?
The fool acts and talks like a fool, and they deceive themselves by their folly. Verse 9, fool mocks at sin, fools mocks at sin, but among the upright there is favor. Right, a fool looks at sin and doesn't see sin as sinful. A fool takes sin and doesn't see the sinfulness of sin. It is important that we realize that sin is sin. It is destruction. It is ruin. It ruins things. It destroys things. It's poisonous. It kills us. But the fool says, eh, whatever. Take sin with a laissez-faire attitude. Don't be that fool. Take sin seriously. See the sinfulness of sin.
Verse 10, the heart knows its own bitterness and a stranger does not share its joy. There's a reality to a heavy heart. There's a reality to our emotions that other people don't understand. For sometimes we don't even understand our own emotions, and the best people can do is somewhat empathize with us. Now Jesus Christ empathizes with us in every way, but we don't know all the joys and sorrows going on. I don't know what it is in your life. Maybe some of you are struggling with grief or anxiety or depression or overwhelm or despair. Or maybe you're at the heights of joy, and I can somewhat understand that, but I can only be a part of it. I can never fully experience it.
Verse 11, the house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There comes a time when everything is going to be made right, where the wicked will be overthrown. Their tents are going to be torn down, but Jesus has gone to be with his Father, and in his house there are many mansions, and he's gone to prepare a place for us.
Verse 12, there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death. This is exactly what Adam thought. He thought he would go his own way, he would do his own thing, he would be like God, he'd be wise, he'd know what to do and how to do it, and he went his own way instead of the Lord's way, and that way led to death. The way of sin always leads to despair, hurt, and death. But when we follow his way, it leads to life. Verse 13. Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirr may be grief.
People are pretty good at making it seem like they're okay. People are pretty good at making it seem like everything is fine. even when they might be rejoicing. Maybe some of you are like that. Maybe I know what it's like to go to that type of church where everything seems like it's just so great, but your heart is just downcast. And so you kind of put on a facade, right? You put on a face that like, oh yeah, everything is fine, but even joy is sorrowful to you. It becomes burdensome to you. There's a reality to that. Be mindful of that with people at church.
This is one of the reasons why I love going to the type of church we do, where we sing the Psalms, because there's such a range and mix of emotions. It's not all happy and joy, joy, joy. No, it is that, because the joy of the Lord is our strength. But we went through the book of Job a few months ago, and we worked through the Psalms together just these last couple months, and it's not all happy.
And God made us with that full planoply of emotions. so be mindful of that with others around you. Let's go ahead and pray. Father we thank you so much for this day we thank you that you have given us this range of emotions we thank you lord that you have given us a path to walk and that father you never leave us nor forsake us but your holy spirit is always with your children father watch over us and care for us this day in jesus's name amen well may the lord bless you today may you walk with joy and peace and i'll see you tomorrow bye