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Wednesday 10/01/25
Thru the Bible: Proverbs 15
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Spiritual Indigestion
Proverbs 15:1-33, (ESV)
“(1) A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (2) The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”
“(3) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
(4) A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
There is MUCH in these few verses!
I am amazed at just how immediately connected our mouths and facial expressions are to our souls. On one level it is a masterful feat of engineering. That 43 individual muscles could be fit into such a compact area and while they serve other functions, they are all utilized in the expression of emotions. They also work together in coordinated groups to achieve complex movements and expressions.
Interestingly enough, like fingerprints, not everyone has the same number of facial muscles. There are anatomical variations that exist so that while humans share a core set of basic muscles and expressions, some individuals may have more or fewer muscles, or muscles of different sizes. These lead to unique and individual variations in facial expressions. Not every smile is the same.
This is one of countless examples of how we know we have a Creator and how we know He is good. If survival was all that was in view, much of this would be superfluous.
But what kind of brilliance could have ever conceived of such an extraordinary idea as expressing the emotions, thoughts, dispositions and contemplations of the immortal, invisible soul through muscles on your face?
If you’ve ever watched a blind person, you see these are not learned expressions, but are baked into our design. Their faces show the same handiwork of God as ours.
One of the most delightful expressions of emotions comes through children and those with downs syndrome. They literally can light up a room with their smile and laughter. This is largely because their expressions come largely from an unfiltered soul and THAT is what makes it beautiful. I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks so either.
Externally, many with downs syndrome possess facial features which are not inherently attractive and yet, when they smile or laugh or even cry, it is contagious. The sincerity of what you see is deeply stirring and compelling – and these precious people are, in that moment, truly beautiful in a way most of us would love to aspire to.
What does that beauty come from – unashamed honesty!
Now that might seem a long haul from the intended meaning of these verses but I think it is in keeping with their core idea.
You see, like emotions, our words express our inner thoughts and even when we attempt to filter them, they will often betray nuances of what we truly, inwardly believe and feel.
Proverbial statements set before us something we often instinctively know, but rarely ponder. After all, pondering is what proverbs are for – not surface truths!
For example, if ‘a soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir it up’, the typical, superficial response of humans is to lie about our inward thoughts and feelings. That way we can avoid the unpleasantness of conflict, but we still don’t have to like them!
In these cases, we may want to really tie into someone, but don’t want to deal with the fallout if we did. So we lie!
How do we lie? By representing outwardly something which is not true inwardly.
Isn’t it interesting that just after the initial warning regarding what we say and how we say it is a verse reminding us that God is watching! Which verse is immediately followed by an insightful reason for possessing a kind mouth!
We put on a smile, we speak with soft and appealing words, but all of this is largely selfish in that we are doing so to avoid something we find unpleasant.
The deeper meaning of Solomon’s words are – change your heart!
- Be a person of compassion.
- Be a person who sees good or at least the potential for it in others.
- Be the person who sees the hard, aggressive monster in others as an adult who learned to protect their hearts due to some trauma years before, but do not assume the worst.
At very least, look at them with merciful pity – knowing that the person who is most miserable is themselves. You are to be salt and light – a repairer of healthy paths to walk in. How do you know whether or not you might, with a kind word, plant a seed that can eventually erode away at their defenses. They might eventually seek out and receive forgiveness and acceptance from their Creator and then, in due time offer the same to others. All because the seed you planted was good in reality rather than good in appearance only.
This is how Jesus taught the truths of the Old Testament and it is how I want you to ponder the Proverbs!
Don’t just do the external requirements of the Law, but we let the Law own your heart.
Then from that place of surrenderedness, we can live the truths of the Law from the heart. That way, we don’t have to put on a poorly practiced mask when dealing with others, but we can speak from the sincerity of our hearts. No lies, only truth in love! That is the meaning behind the words of Paul to the Colossians which we will likely see this Sunday, when he said,
“(8) But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” – Colossians 3:8-10
So with that in our minds let’s read our opening verses again…
“(1) A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (2) The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”
“(3) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
(4) A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
(5) A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
(6) In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.”
To understand this passage as only literal and natural places this passage out of time for the New Covenant believer. Natural wealth is no longer a promise for the righteous. The New Covenant being built upon better and spiritual promises rather than temporal blessings and material promises.
One will look in vain to find a New Testament / New Covenant patriarch who was wealthy, or who did not regularly experience need regarding basic needs.
However, this being true the greater teaching in these words is not regarding natural wealth but rather provision and contentment.
It is true that under the Old Covenant there were natural blessings for obeying the Law. God sometimes even blessed the righteous with great riches, as he did Abraham. But one truth we have witnessed before here in the Proverbs is that even if a righteous man has very little, it is better than the riches of many wicked; because they have what they have with a blessing, and they are content with it. They have abundance of peace and assurance of provision for tomorrow since they have God Himself as their provider.
Those in the world who are far from God, though they may have many riches have much trouble as well and fleeting satisfaction. Their hands can never lay hold on contentment. Their abundance does not cause inner peace. There is always the fear of losing what they have or losing the ability to maintain their current lifestyle. Besides this their wealth owns them not the other way about.
Thus the passage we read in Psalm 37:16,
“Better is a little that the righteous hath than the abundance of many wicked.”
Not to mention verses 16 & 17 in THIS chapter.
“(7) The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.
“(8) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to Him. (9) The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.”
You want to be one who is treasured by the Lord? Someone He considers with a smile and who delights His heart – verses 8-9 are for you!
Ask the Lord for a keen sense of awareness of the opportunities afforded to you to be a light bearer. You have knowledge of God – don’t shove it under a barrel, rather let it shine. God will train you in speech so that you can learn to speak truth with little offense. This is the type of prayer which is acceptable to Him and such desire for doing right, deeply pleases His heart!
“(10) There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.”
These two lines are in synonymous parallel. The “severe discipline” of the first line corresponds to “will die” of the second. The expression מוּסָר רָע (musar ra) “severe discipline” indicates a discipline that is catastrophic, even harmful to life. So the one who abandons “the way” also “refuses any correction” resulting in punishment which is severe.
Just to make this clear, to “abandon the way” means to leave the life of righteousness which is the repeated subject of the book of Proverbs.
Also, I thought it interesting that the words for the right path is “the Way”. You may recall this being the name by which the Gospel was first known until later in Antioch followers of Christ were called Christians.
“11) Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!”
Now these are two words we have not spent much time on in the past.
Many believe that the Jewish understanding of both Sheol and Abaddon developed over time as greater revelation was given by God and this is quite possible. However, the awareness of them both date back very far. As you know Job is the oldest book in the entire Bible and was written in a very, VERY old dialect of Hebrew. Since the written record of Job’s life and experiences had to be recorded AFTER they had transpired, make it all the more clear that when Job mentions both Sheol and Abaddon it was even further back in time than the book was written.
In fact, this verse in Solomon bears a striking similarity to Job 26:6 and is very likely where Solomon got it.
Job 26:5-6, “(5) The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. (6) Sheol (the underworld) is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.”
Like in all languages, words can and often do serve to represent more than one meaning. So it is with Sheol.
Most simply the word Sheol means the grave. However it also includes the realm of departed spirits and further still, a division within that accommodates the wicked in one location and the righteous in another. Most of these later distinctions show up in written form following the Babylonian exile between 516B.C. and the teachings of Christ on through to about 70AD.
We see the single most developed defining of Sheol in Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
The rich man lived and ate luxuriously while Lazarus lay at his gate, hungry and filled with sores. Both died and while Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, the rich man was taken to Sheol the realm of the wicked dead where he was tormented. Jesus described this place as a location in the earth (like two caverns) with a vast void between them so that no one could pass from one side to the other.
Since that time this underworld has been disrupted. We are told that when Jesus rose from the dead He led captivity captive, preached to the spirits in prison which is a poetic word describing the realm of the dead. While Peter does not explain his meaning, it seems to make the most sense that this was referring to Sheol where Jesus’ preaching would upon hearing it condemn the wicked and redeem the righteous. For Paul makes it clear that this place for departed saints is no longer in use, but that to be absent from the body is to the present with the Lord and Jesus is clearly represented in scripture to be in Heaven at the Father’s right hand.
More interestingly the word Abaddonmeans destruction. It is a feminine noun in Hebrew which also represents death. In Revelation 9:11 Abaddonis the proper name of the angel of the abyss. That is the place Romans 10:7 asks rhetorically, “Who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead.” It is also the place where the demons who were cast into the swine begged that Jesus not send them. These demons described it as a place of punishment. This is also the place spoken of in Revelation where certain beings would be unleashed upon the earth during the Great Tribulation. Suffice it to say, it is the realization of horror stories.
The point, though grave, is poetic. If these terrible places, hidden as they are from human eyes are open and plain before God – how much more so the hearts of human beings? The inclination is clear – the Lord knows those who are His. Let these words serve as a shaking and sobering warning to turn to Him while you may.
“(12) A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.”
Due to the somber warning of the preceding verses I wonder if this verse should be read with them to convey a greater meaning.
“(13) A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
(14) The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.”
The understanding here can include those with discernment or who are perceptive which offers greater meaning to the way of the fool. These, lacking both perceptiveness and understanding, actually hunger for foolishness.
I thought this word “foolishness” could use a little clarification so I asked AI to illustrate the meaning of this Hebrew word. This was the result –
“The Hebrew word ’iwweleṯ (אִוֶּלֶת) iv-VEH-leth, refers to moral and spiritual “folly” or “foolishness,” as opposed to mere lack of mental capacity.
It describes a state of wrongheadedness that comes from rejecting divine wisdom and instruction, often leading to destructive consequences. The fool who is defined by this word acts against their own best interests by disregarding the moral and spiritual foundation of life.
In the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the Book of Proverbs, ’iwweleṯ (אִוֶּלֶת) iv-VEH-leth is contrasted with wisdom and the “fear of the Lord”.
This kind of foolishness is not a simple mistake but a willful, hardened resistance to God’s truth.”
So it would appear that the hunger fools are inclined towards is birthed from a willful resistance to God’s authority over them as part of His creation. Every act of defiant rejection of God and His ways are tasty morsels in their mouths which they crave and seek after.
It really is a heightened form of deranged thinking.
“(15) All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”
This only makes sense when all comparisons are made between the contrasting phrases. The afflicted here are not those who are outwardly afflicted due in no way to their own choices, but rather those who are inwardly afflicted. Afflicted being a word contrasted with a “cheerful heart”. As such these are those who wallow in self pity. It isn’t that life hasn’t presented both of these people with reasons for both sadness and joy, but rather what each has decided to make the focal point of their lives.
The glass half empty person will see all days as catastrophic. Whereas the one who is inclined towards optimism sees the glass half full and so never allows their heart to fall into despair.
The idea of “bad or evil” as opposed to “continual feast” are very graphic representations of abundance in either direction, with the cheerful heart being full of joy.
And speaking of a “glass half full” mentality, consider the next two verses which I referenced earlier in verses 1-6.
“(16) Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. (17) Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”
(18) A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
“(19) The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.”
This again has to do with one’s outlook on life and overall disposition. A sluggard is someone who avoids all that does not come without cost.
We learned about them in Proverbs 6:6-9 and identified some of their characteristics.
Now from all I was able to gather regarding the sluggard, they have some qualities nearly anyone can identify with in certain situations, which makes one wonder if they are the intended audience of these words.
These people –
- Don’t want to work
- They are lazy
- They are unmotivated – (though Proverbs 13:4 says such people have desires, they remain unrealized so he is evidently different from a person who is just indifferent).
- They sleep too much
- They make excuses for their laziness
- They often blame their lack of provision on others or unfair circumstances.
- They are wise in their own eyes
It is not a very attractive list, but I think that if we are honest, there are ways and arenas in all of our lives in which any one of these might crop up and apply to us in at least a limited fashion. Yet still, you would not fit the profile of someone who is biblically a sluggard.
These attributes are set forth as all encompassing in the lives of sluggards. They aren’t too lazy just to work – one Proverb says, it’s so bad that they will put their hand in a bowl of food and be too lazy to lift it back up to their mouths again to eat.
Now THAT is a lazy sluggard!
For more on the ‘Sluggard’ see The Proverbial sluggard… are you Lazy or Content?
This Proverb is saying that such a person’s way is actually painful to them. They can’t even FIND joy in the journey. Whereas the upright, which here also carries the meaning of agreeable and pleasing, is a level highway!
The rest of these proverbial statements are largely captured in those we have already read, so they require little commentary.
“(20) A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
(21) Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.
(22) Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.
(23) To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!
(24) The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
(25) The LORD tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
(26) The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but gracious words are pure.
(27) Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.
(28) The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
(29) The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
(30) The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.
(31) The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. (32) Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
(33) The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
Blessings!
Tri
