Proverbs 18:1-7

Olivia with us this morning. Let's go ahead and make sure everybody's online over here. Okay, it looks like we're actually going to get to go live today. Wonderful. Well, we're at Proverbs chapter 18 and the first seven verses. So Proverbs 18, the first seven verses. Why don't we have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get to God's word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. What a blessing it is to sit at your feet, to be your people. Lord, we pray that you would watch over us and care for us. In Jesus's name, amen. I just realized there's a really loud air conditioner right here. Give me one second, I'm gonna turn that off. That will help you guys. Okay. As that dies down, it'll get better for you. Well, Proverbs chapter 18, verses one through seven.
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire. He rages against all wise judgment. What do you think that one's getting at, love? A person who refuses to be in the fellowship of believers is, like, that's just him being selfish and he doesn't want to He would rather be away because he doesn't want to grow. So he doesn't want the wise judgment and the growth.
I hadn't thought about putting that in the context of the congregation. I just thought about the person who thinks they're self-sufficient. Oh, I know how to handle these things, but Olivia's right, no matter what, in the multitude of counselors, there's a lot of wisdom. And especially sitting under the preaching of the word and being exhorted by one another and admonished, yeah, absolutely. Verse two, you wanna read that?
A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart. What do you got for that? like he doesn't care what other people think, like understanding other people, he just wants to get out what he wants to say. Yeah, yeah, or somebody who maybe you might think I'm this person sometimes, the person who just wants to spout off his own ideas rather than thinking and absorbing. The fool is a person here who doesn't want to learn, doesn't want to apply themselves to God's Word, doesn't want to hear what other people say. Instead, just wants to say whatever comes to his heart. Does much good ever come when I just say whatever's on my heart? Not typically, it's pretty selfish because my own heart is worried about myself.
All right, let's do verse three. When the wicked comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes reproach. I have here written in the margin, Sin has three traveling companions, contempt, reproach, and dishonor. So three traveling companions, contempt, reproach, and dishonor. That's what sin brings with it. People will be contempted of you, they won't like you, they'll reproach you, and you'll be dishonored. So the wicked comes and those things come also.
What about verse four, you wanna read that? The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, the wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook. All right, what do you got for that? Maybe what a man speaks shows what's in his heart. Because it's like the deep water's coming out. I hadn't thought about that before, yeah. Yeah, and what do you hope is going to come out of your heart, out of your mouth? Good things, like wisdom and let the wisdom be flowing out. Yeah.
Yeah, my mind is on this proverb taken, this Proverbs 18.4, but in John Chapter 4, when Jesus says to the woman at the well, come and I'll give you living water. And she's, where do I get this living water? And he's like, you don't see what's going on here? And so, I think we fill up that well with wisdom by going to Christ, by fearing the Lord.
Verse five, it is not good to show partiality to the wicked or to overthrow the righteous in judgment. What do you think that's talking about? Being like an unjust judge? Yeah, that is exactly right. Does anybody like an unjust judge? No, I think this is actually one of those proverbs. It just applies. But we've seen this. You remember what was going on in the family with the niece who was, parents were drug abusers and stuff like that out towards Pittsburgh.
And the judge was doing everything possible to, he just continually kept trying to prefer the parents who outright said they wanted nothing to do with this child, and yet he was preferring them over the family that was wanting to adopt her. And this was a wicked judge. The parents were horrible parents, wicked parents, they weren't reforming, they didn't care about their child, and yet he was preferring them to this family who but it's wanting to show mercy, wanting to love this child. So it's not good to show partiality to the wicked or overthrow the righteous in judgment. What about verse six?
You want to read that? A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows. What do you think that's getting at? um a fool likes to be argumentative yeah yeah right uh the proverbs elsewhere tell us that uh stop the quarrel before it breaks out but a fool loves to start fights loves to get into arguments and just talking last night with uh the one guy at dinner who was saying he loves to debate But both he and I were saying, there's a certain amount of wisdom in realizing, especially debating online, there's no point. That's what a fool does. What comes from that? A fool's mouth is destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. What does a fool do with his mouth?
You mean verse eight? Verse seven, yeah. It hurts his own soul. Yeah. I'll ask you a vulnerable question here, Olivia. Have I hurt you when I speak whatever's in my heart? Sure, but that's talking about yourself, not somebody. A fool's mouth is his destruction, his lips are a snare to his soul. His soul. That's fine. Not another person's. That's fine.
Have I hurt you with the words from my mouth? Yeah. So, I can hurt myself Because you're my family, I can hurt you with the things I say. Hurt my closest friends. Yeah, but I think you can hurt yourself, too. Yeah, spin that out. What does that look like?
Well, I guess if you're... converted fool, and you have the Holy Spirit in you, then your conscience hurts you. Okay, okay. Yeah, I'm not sure this is talking about wounding your conscience, but yeah. But no matter what the point is, I think what it's saying for soul, it's your nefesh, it's your life, it's hurting yourself. And so I think it's kind of like the boomerang. Foolish things go out, they hurt other people, and it comes back and hits you as well.
But, well, let's go ahead and pray. All right, let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. What a blessing it is to sit at your feet. Lord, we pray that we would be slow to speak, that we would not prefer the wicked. We thank you for who you are and for all you've done. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, may you trust in the King who never perverts justice, who loves the poor, and who always speaks wisdom. Have a great day. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye.