Proverbs 12:27 (NKJV) 

²⁷ The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, But diligence is man’s precious possession. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed once again to be diligent not lazy.

A few weeks ago we considered Solomon’s adage, “The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor” (12:24). So important is diligence that Solomon reiterates it in our text today, “The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, But diligence is a man’s precious possession.” So let us expand what we learned last time about diligence.

Webster defines “diligent” as “steady in application to business; constant in effort or exertion to accomplish what is undertaken; assiduous; attentive; industrious; not idle or negligent…” The man of diligence is not afraid of hard work and exertion. He remembers that God created man to work. We were designed to fill the earth and subdue it and to exercise dominion over it (Gen 1:28). God did not put mankind in the garden so that he would sit back and eat grapes all week; God put mankind in the garden to work. Adam was to take the order of the garden and extend it to the rest of creation. And though the Fall introduced toil into the world, often causing our work to be frustrating or foiled, work itself remains good and noble and right, a holy calling. Consequently, the righteous man is diligent. Such diligence is his precious possession, more valuable than wealth itself because diligence is the pathway to wealth.

The lazy man, on the other hand, does not roast what he took in hunting. He fails to complete his tasks. Oh, he sets out industriously. He grabs his gun, heads out in the woods, and takes a deer. But having done all this work, having pushed himself this far, he gives up. He can’t bring himself to roast the deer for dinner. The result? He starves or steals from others.

Solomon’s words remind us that diligence is characterized by perseverance. We all grow tired in our work. We set out with great ambitions and desires and goals. We are going to change the world. But we didn’t think that changing the world entailed changing quite that many diapers or correcting quite that many papers or writing quite that many reports or stocking quite that many shelves or plumbing quite that many buildings or forgiving quite that many sins. You get the idea. We grow tired. The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. So we scrap our work and set out for something new – not because that new opportunity is truly better; rather because we are lazy and don’t want to finish the work that God has given us to do.

So what of you? Are you diligent or lazy? When you are given a task, do you complete it? Or do you regularly leave things half done? Do you start jobs and rarely finish them? Start reading your Bible but rarely follow through with your plan? Start cleaning your room but leave that mess in the closet? Start praying with your family but cease after a week? Start your homework but give excuses to your teacher for why it’s not finished? Are you diligent or are you lazy?

Reminded that we are called to be diligent men and women and children who are “steady in application to business, constant in effort or exertion,” let us acknowledge that we are often lazy, that we often leave jobs half done and make excuses for our laziness. And as we confess our sin to the Lord and seek His forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us kneel as we are able.

Proverbs 12:25 

²⁵Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to relieve others’ anxiety and depression through good words.

Anxiety is a common temptation for us as fallen creatures. Satan takes advantage of our finitude and our inability to control the circumstances of our lives to move us to anxiety. Webster defines anxiety as “concern or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness.” So we can be anxious about the weather, anxious about our appearance, anxious about our health, anxious about a strained relationship, anxious about some gossip that we have heard, anxious about the political situation, anxious about how we will provide for our family or solve a problem or complete all our assignments or shepherd our children. In short, we can become anxious about just about anything.

This anxiety in the heart, Proverbs tells us, causes depression. If we do not cut this anxiety out of our lives and entrust ourselves to the loving care of Almighty God who controls all the uncertainties of life and has promised to cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him, then it will cause our heart to be cast down and overwhelmed. 

In such times, when we are anxious and cast down, how helpful it is to hear a good word from another: “But a good word makes [the heart] glad.” God uses good words, true words, encouraging words, to break our anxieties and relieve our heaviness of heart. So Isaiah exhorts us:

³Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. ⁴Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” 

Isaiah urges us not to be distant from those who are anxious and fearful-hearted but to remind them of the truth: God is good and He promises to do good for all those who are in Christ Jesus. He will not abandon us to our fears. So do not grow weary, do not grow faint, God shall rescue you just at the breaking of the dawn.

So what of you? Is your heart full of anxiety today? Are you downcast and depressed? Then hear today a good word. God our Creator is the Lord of heaven and earth. He has so loved us that He sent His Son to bear our burdens that through faith in Him we might know that God loves us and is on our side. So our Lord Jesus reminds us:

²⁵“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Mt 6:25-26)

You are of much more value than the birds of the air. So do not be anxious. Your heavenly Father will care for you.

Reminded that we are often tempted to anxiety and depression and that we often neglect to speak good words to one another so as to relieve anxiety and instead feed others’ anxieties with negative and fearful words, let us confess our lack of faith to our Father in heaven. And as we confess, let us kneel as we are able.

Proverbs 12:24 

²⁴The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to be diligent not lazy.

Webster defines “diligent” as “steady in application to business; constant in effort or exertion to accomplish what is undertaken; assiduous; attentive; industrious; not idle or negligent…” The man of diligence is not afraid of hard work and exertion. He remembers that God created man to work. We were designed to fill the earth and subdue it and to exercise dominion over it (Gen 1:28). God did not put mankind in the garden so that he would sit back and eat grapes all week; God put mankind in the garden to work. Adam was to take the order of the garden and extend it to the rest of creation. And though the Fall introduced toil into the world, often causing our work to be frustrating or foiled, work itself is good and noble and right, a holy calling. Consequently, the righteous man is diligent. And God’s promise to the diligent man is that “he will rule” – this often proves true in this life and shall certainly prove true in the next. For Christ has died and risen again and given us the hope of a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell; hence, “our labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58). 

The lazy man, on the other hand, will be put to forced labor. Unwilling to compel himself to work, he will be compelled to work by others. So who is the lazy man? Let us reverse engineer Webster’s definition of diligence. Lazy means “unsteady in application to business; inconstant in effort or exertion to accomplish what is undertaken; inattentive; idle or negligent…” The lazy man is full of excuses. Solomon writes, “The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway” (Pr 15:19). In other words, whereas the diligent man clears away excuses and accomplishes the task given to him, the lazy man is full of excuses. There is always a reason the work can’t get done, the project can’t get finished, the job can’t be accomplished.

So what of you? Are you diligent or lazy? When you are given a task, does your parent or your boss or your spouse have to remind you to complete it? Children – is your room a pig stie or do you pick it up? Do you do your homework willingly or do you need constant reminders? Are your chores routinely accomplished or just as routinely neglected? Young men – are you wasting an inordinate amount of time on video games or your phone or entertainment rather than gaining skills that you can use to rule a family? Adults – are you redeeming the time because the days are evil? Are you growing in faithfulness? Diligent in your vocation? Devoted to reading the Word of God and deepening your knowledge of God? Or is there always an excuse?

Reminded that we are to be diligent men and women and children who are attentive and industrious, let us acknowledge that we are often lazy, that we often make excuses when we should accept responsibility. And as we confess our sin to the Lord and seek His forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us kneel as we are able. 

Proverbs 12:23 

²³A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to be prudent not foolish.

Webster defines “prudent” as “cautious; circumspect; practically wise; careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures or actions; cautious not to act when the [outcome] is of doubtful utility, or probably impracticable.” The man of prudence thinks before he speaks or acts. Solomon tells us later that, “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit” (14:8). In other words, whereas the prudent man considers carefully what the consequences of his actions will be, the fool charges ahead and relies on deceitfulness to make his foolish decisions succeed. And even as the prudent man considers the consequences of his actions, so he weighs dangers appropriately, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself” (Pr 22:3a). Hence, Solomon tells us today that “a prudent man conceals knowledge.” He doesn’t reveal all that he knows. He chooses carefully to whom to entrust the knowledge that God has given him, knowing that knowledge is a precious treasure.

Whereas the prudent man doesn’t reveal all that he knows, the fool reveals all that he doesn’t know, “the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.”  The fool speaks glibly and frequently gets himself in trouble. Like Nabal, he curses a David and has to be rescued by the prudence of his wife. Like Esau, he sells his birthright for a pot of stew, believing he’ll be able to deceive his brother Jacob in the end. Like Ananias and Sapphira, he lies to the Holy Spirit and imagines that his lies will never be found out. But “the complacency of fools shall destroy them” (1:32) and “shame shall be the legacy of fools” (3:35). A “prating fool will fall” (10:10) and “die for lack of wisdom” (10:21). “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the fool’s back” (26:3).

So what of you? Are you a prudent man or are you a fool? Do you think before you act? Do you weigh your words before you speak? That gossip that you spoke to a friend. That insult that you offered your sibling. That curse that you flung at your boss. That slur that you uttered against your co-worker. Do you think before you speak? Indeed, do you weigh carefully if the knowledge you are thinking of sharing needs to be shared? That anxiety that you revealed to your wife, does she need to be burdened with it? That rumor that you heard about your friend, does he need to know it? A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.

Reminded that we are to be prudent men and women and children who are circumspect and practically wise, let us acknowledge that we are often foolish, that we often speak when we should be silent, act when we should wait, reveal when we should conceal. And as we confess our sin to the Lord and seek His forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us kneel as we are able.

Proverbs 12:17–22 

¹⁷He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit. ¹⁸There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health. ¹⁹The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment. ²⁰Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. ²¹No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, But the wicked shall be filled with evil. ²²Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we return to Proverbs 12 and are instructed to speak truth with our lips.

Our paragraph begins and ends with the reminder to speak truth, not lies. Solomon begins, “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit” (17). When called upon to bear witness, we are to speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” He then concludes, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (22). Our Lord despises those who speak lies; however, He delights in those who speak truth, who describe accurately the nature of the world, the substance of a conversation, or the actions of a neighbor. The Lord loves the man or woman who cultivates a listening ear and an observant eye so that he can be a faithful witness.

The verses that lie between these opening summaries further explain why the Lord hates a lying tongue. Lies, we learn, are an instrument of war – they are like the piercings of a sword (18a) – while the truth is an instrument of peace – it promotes health (18b), counsels peace (20), and brings joy (20). Solomon’s words remind us of Jesus’ teaching that the devil “is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44) whereas Jesus, the Son of God our Savior, is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). Hence, the one who perpetuates lies follows the devil in his rebellion against God and becomes more and more filled with evil (21). But, because God is Lord of all and not the devil; and because the devil will be destroyed along with all his children, the lying tongue is but for a moment (19). Lies do not succeed in the end. Though they may prevail for a time, God will make everything plain.

So what of you? Do you deal truthfully, speak truthfully, counsel truthfully? Children, do you hate lies? When your parents ask you what happened, do you speak the truth? When you do your homework, do you do it honestly and shun cheating? Do you abhor deceitfulness? Adults, when the truth is unpopular, do you say it anyway? Lovingly, graciously – of course. But is your first loyalty to God and the truth? When the truth will hurt, exposing another’s sin or hypocrisy or selfishness, do you speak it anyway? Lovingly, graciously – of course. But is your first loyalty to God and the truth? When the truth will cost you, when you’ve made a promise, given your word, and things have gotten hard, do you practice the truth anyway? Or do you make excuses, look for escape clauses, and avoid fulfilling your word?

Reminded that our Lord loves truthful lips and abhors the deceitful tongue, let us confess that we often fall prey to the devil and deceive others with our lips; that we twist the truth to favor ourselves or our team; that we cover the truth to avoid accountability; that we lie to get what we want. And as we confess our sin to the Lord and seek His forgiveness through Jesus Christ, let us kneel as we are able.

Proverbs 8:30–32 (NKJV)

30 Then I [Wisdom] was beside [the Creator] as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men. 32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.”

As we anticipate the arrival of Christmas, I doubt that I have to remind you that children love these times of festivity. While we adults often grow tired, kids never tire; they long for the celebration. “When are we going to get the tree? When are we going to put up the lights? When are we going to open stockings and presents? When is everyone coming over?”

We see in our text from Proverbs today that the delight and energy and joy of children reveals God’s own delight in all His work. Wisdom was daily God’s delight and rejoiced in His presence, rejoicing in God’s creative genius, and delighting in the sons of men. So who is the blessed one? What does Wisdom speak to you children? “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.” The blessed one is the one who keeps and observes the way of wisdom – and the chief of wisdom’s ways is to delight in God and to rejoice in His works. The blessed man or woman or child is he who looks upon the world with wide-eyed wonder at God’s creativity and genius and generosity; who marvels at the intricacy of the human cell; who laughs at the gangliness of a giraffe; who delights in the companionship of a friend. The cursed man is the one who has grown too dull to perceive the wonder of the world and those who dwell therein.

Just a few weeks ago Pastor Chase quoted G.K. Chesterton who explains all this in his inimitable way in his book Orthodoxy. He writes:

Now, to put the matter in a popular phrase, it might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to a lifelessness, but to a rush of life. The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

So what of you? Have you sinned and grown old? Have you ceased to look in wide-eyed wonder at the world? You teens, have you become too insecure, too self-important, or too distant to rejoice with joy? You young adults, have you become too self-absorbed or too ambitious to slow down and enjoy family and friends? You adults, have you become too tired or too lazy to celebrate with joy? Or perhaps too greedy to enjoy the simple delights of friendship? Or too distracted.

Reminded that we often sin in various ways and that our sin causes us to “grow old”, that we become bored and complacent with God our Creator and Redeemer and with the world in which He has placed us, that we complain and mutter rather than overflow with thanksgiving, let us kneel as we are able and confess our sin to the Lord. 

Proverbs 12:16 

¹⁶A fool’s wrath is known at once, But a prudent man covers shame. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to shun outbursts of anger and to cover shame.

Life is often hard. We live amongst sinful, selfish, silly people and we ourselves are often sinful, selfish, and silly. Hence, we often rub one another the wrong way; we say things that we shouldn’t say and do things that we shouldn’t do. People are often inconsiderate. Children are often disobedient. Fellow Christians are sometimes uncaring. Unbelievers are sometimes cruel. Others do things that are shameful or that embarrass us. So how do you respond?

On the one hand is the fool: A fool’s wrath is known at once. He responds to such things with wrath. He lacks self-control and is characterized by, in the Apostle Paul’s words, “outbursts of wrath” (Gal 5:20) – visible and vocal expressions of anger, indignation, and frustration. So your toddler throws a fit in the store and you explode at them, making a scene in the cereal aisle. Your child embarrasses you at church and you scold them through clenched teeth. Your wife doesn’t have dinner ready when you get home, and you yell at her in front of the kids. Your friend says something insensitive, and you immediately get mad and tell your other friends all about it. The fool lacks self-control over his emotions; he believes he has a right to just express them and let the chips fall where they may. But, make no mistake, he is a fool.

On the other hand is the prudent man: But a prudent man covers shame. He responds to embarrassing or frustrating things with self-control thinking others more important than himself. So if your toddler throws a fit in the store, you don’t imitate him but you correct him patiently and leave the cart full of groceries in the aisle if necessary to go to the car or even to go home and discipline him. If your child embarrasses you, you receive the embarrassment and govern your emotions and determine if your child’s action is just childishness or if it is disobedience – if it is childishness then you instruct privately covering their shame; if disobedience then you take them somewhere and discipline them privately to lessen their shame. If your spouse disappoints you, you don’t yell at them in front of your children but speak to them discretely to cover their shame. If your friend says something insensitive, then you restrain your hurt and determine if this is a matter that love should cover or if it is one you need to address with them directly. A prudent man possesses self-control and carefully weighs the things that have occurred rather than responding hastily.

So what of you? Are you a fool or are you a prudent man? Are you routinely characterized by outbursts of wrath? Or do you exercise self-control and do all in your power to cover the shame of others? “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Pr 16:32). 

Reminded of our calling to be men and women of self-control who do not let our emotions rule our lives and destroy our relationships, let us confess that we are often foolish, that we often lack self-control and increase shame rather than covering it. And as we confess our sin to the Lord, let us kneel as we are able. 

Proverbs 12:15 

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to be humble men and women who heed counsel.

The Proverb begins with a warning, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…” A fool commits himself to a plan of action and concludes it is the best course simply because he has chosen it. He closes himself off from competing counsel. So this is the man who sets himself to marry a woman, or a woman who sets herself to marry a man, that their friends warn them not to marry. It is the young man who seeks, like Rehoboam, the counsel of those who will tell him what he wants to hear rather than what he needs to hear. It is the husband who seeks out his buddies when he is contemplating a new purchase rather than discussing it with his wife. It is the wife who tells her husband her woes not so that he can give her counsel and correct her perception of the situation but so that she can nurse her resentment or bitterness or hurt. The fool is proud, believing that his or her own assessment of the situation is adequate and that he doesn’t need to hear contrary counsel. It is not a sign of foolishness to need counsel; it is a sign of foolishness to need it and not seek it; or to seek it and not heed it. Don’t be a fool.

Instead be a wise man. And what is the character of a wise man? “But he who heeds counsel is wise.” Notice that it is not the man who merely seeks out counsel but the man who heeds such counsel who is wise. Now this, of course, assumes that the counsel received is good. The wise man knows his own frailty, he knows his need for the advice, encouragement, and support of godly friends, so he seeks out their counsel when in difficulty and he implements it in his life. So if you are considering vocational options, whether and whom to date or marry, how to process a severe loss, how to shepherd your children faithfully, how to work through a relationship tangle, etc. seek out godly counsel. This is why God has given us one another, to be counselors in perplexity. Did not our Lord Jesus Himself open His heart to his friends and ask them to pray for Him in His times of need? So if He did, then how much more ought we?

So what of you? Do you count it a sign of weakness when you have to seek out godly counsel? Or do you recognize it as a gift from God that He has put godly counselors in your life whom you can seek? Do you regularly seek out wise counsel when making important decisions or do you think that you can go it alone? Are you proud and unwilling to appear weak in the eyes of others by seeking counsel? Or are you humble and willing to acknowledge your need for help? And then, having sought help, do you listen carefully to the counsel and give heed to it? “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.”

So reminded of our calling to be humble and to seek and to heed wise counsel, let us confess that we are often proud and stubborn and willfully pursue a course of action without seeking godly counsel. And as you are able, let us kneel as we confess our sin to the Lord