Sunday Virtual Worship Service 04/05/20 - Proverbs 11:16-23 - The beauty of grace; the strength of kindness.

Proverbs 11 Sermon C (16-23) – The beauty of grace. The strength of kindness. The woman of wisdom, the woman of folly in the beginning of the book and the woman of virtue at the end embody two paths, two choices of life. This womanly image is used here to again emphasize these divergent paths, divergent lives, divergent character of heart, and ultimately divergent eternal consequences and destinies … especially as regards one’s life in community – a life of giving or taking, outward-focus or inward-focus. And, it is ultimately God to whom these lives answer and who ensures the outcome. 16 A gracious woman gets honor,     and violent men get riches. Gracious woman, kindness and grace - Think of women such as Dorcas, ‘who was always doing good and helping the poor’, or the persuasively hospitable Lydia, or Phoebe, who Paul says had been ‘a great help to many people, including me’ (Acts 9:36; 16:15; Rom. 16:2). Comparison: Which is greater? A single woman with kindness and grace or a multitude of men with physical superiority and aggression? The contrast is highlighted by opposing gender and number (single woman, multiple men). The teaching here is subtle … they both get something, but which is the greater prize? Aggression may get you a temporary reward, but its end is despising from the community, lack of real friendship, and ultimately death. Kindness and grace leads to lasting reward – honor from the community, and ultimately life. The eternal consequences are not quite present in this verse, but are saved for the verses that follow which tie to this verse. These violent men hearken back to the gang from Proverbs 1:11ff, where we also see the consequence as a violent end. They set a snare for others which become snares for themselves. Riches are not a bad thing in the book of Proverbs. In fact, honor and riches are often linked together, as wealth often follows from honor. But, here we see an important aspect of the wise view of wealth – it depends on HOW wealth is obtained. If wealth is obtained at the expense of others (to their harm), it is viewed negatively. If wealth is obtained in correlation to the betterment/blessing of others (as in the woman who is kind and graceful and is honored by others), then it is viewed positively. Is wealth a blessing or a curse? The answer that lies in the answer to a more fundamental question: Did your wealth, does your wealth bless or curse others? We’re looking for symbiosis here, not parasitosis. How about your wealth? In view: The victory of grace over brute force. 17 A man who is kind benefits himself,     but a cruel man hurts himself. And, the tie-in occurs here with verse 16 … the gracious woman and the kind man are linked, as is the violent men and the cruel man. So, taken together: The gracious kind person is honored and the benefit they provide others is reflected back to them. The violent, cruel person or group may gain a short-term victory, but ultimately the pain that they sowed on others is reaped in a harvest of pain on themselves. The word for himself in 17a is the word normally used for soul and emphasizes the inner being, the Spiritual aspect of our existence – and this is what is in vew for the kind man rather than his own physical, temporal desires. The word for himself in 17b is more about the outer, physical self, the body, which is what the cruel man is focused on. Each reap a harvest fitting to their desires and deeds. In view: In the New Covenant, in Christ, the kindness and grace described here is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you, living in light of the Gospel – the kindness and grace of Christ toward you, lives in you, and springs forth from you. 18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,     but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. 19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,     but he who pursues evil will die. 18 and 19 are a chiastic pair (wicked/evil – outer, righteousness/righteousness – inner). 18: The wicked person seeks some reward for his evil actions – yet the wage he will earn is deceptive, it is not what it appears to be. The righteous person’s reward is not deceptive, it is true, what is promised and laid hold of by faith is exactly what will come to pass. 19: We see what was hidden in 18 … the promise and reward of righteousness is life … and this is life that supersedes death (the evil person dies, the righteous person lives, so death does not come to all in the most important sense – death does not mean the same thing for everyone – for the righteous, to die is gain). What appeared to be life, pleasure, ease, power, satisfaction, security, peace for the wicked was actually misery, weakness, enslavement, turmoil, and death. This is what it means to be led by the deceiver, to be deceived and deceiving. eg Pharaoh sought control, power, glory. God brought him down, showing Pharaoh that he did not have those things but rather they were God’s alone. Seeking his own kingdom, Pharaoh threw the Hebrew boy babies into the river (Exod. 1:20), but God drowned his entire army in the Red Sea (Exod. 14:28). I want to reflect on the metaphors here. The wicked earn and pursue – so, a job and a hunt – both of these infer a quick reward, trying to get the job done quickly to get paid, trying to catch the prey with speed. The righteous sows and endures/steadfast/faithful – these are ideas of long-term patience. Sowing and harvesting requires working and waiting – the complete opposite of instant gratification. Sowing involves scattering seeds, it invokes the idea of all kinds of good in all kinds of situations - not all seeds will produce but many will. It invokes the idea that we do not control the outcome but rather entrust the outcome to the mysterious, wondrous, powerful working of God to bring forth more than we put in. This is Jesus’ teaching – some reap 30, 50, or a hundred fold. This is true of wickedness and of righteousness. You get out more than you put in. Plant a seed, get a tree (innumerable apples). James teaches this: James 5:7–8 (ESV) 7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. There is no conflict between our good and the good of others: In fact, our good is found in their good, our blessing is completed in our blessing others. This is inherent in wisdom itself – the wise make wise. One more thing to take note of: There is syntax here to emphasize the surety/certainty of the truths taught in this chiasm. First, it says “sure/true reward”. In the fallen world, the harvest does not always pan out. But, in Heaven, it does – your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We’re speaking of Heavenly, ultimate reward here, ensured by God himself. And, in 19, the verse actually starts with an emphatic that is not replicated in the English of the ESV … it is something along the lines of INDEED or Most assuredly … think of Jesus beginning many of his teachings with “Verily, verily – truly, truly”. The ESV may tie it into their verb “will” live … it would be more akin to writing the will in bold, italics, underlined, all caps. 20 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,     but those of blameless ways are his delight. 21 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,     but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. 20-21: Ultimate grounding of morality is in God … ultimate judgement is His – He is the final court of appeal – we can see the outside, he can see the heart … ultimate consequence, justice, mercy are His. This is the certainty of the path you choose. Connected by parallel – Crooked heart – an evil person … abomination to the Lord – will not go unpunished. 20: Crooked heart, evil person – include the violent, cruel person, described as evil and pursuing evil in the preceding verses … here we see not only their actions, but the source of those actions – the crooked, perverse heart. Crooked implies deception, not straightforward – there is deception in His heart – he is the deceived deceiver, like the woman in Prov 7:27ff and 9:18. Prov 14:12 – there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. This also implies hypocrisy – crooked heart, the outside does not match the inside. Actions that appear righteous but are motivated by crooked intentions – Pharisees and religious leaders in Jesus’ day. In context, think in terms of community, not just individualism: the one of crooked heart is the one who serves self over-and-against God and others. The one of blameless ways is the one who serves God and others over-and-against self. Not only does the blameless person get God’s blessing, but the ultimate blessing is to be God’s delight – that God is delighted with this person – God rejoices over this person, He celebrates this person, sings over this person, enjoys this person, and reciprocates this to them – they rejoice and sing and enjoy Him. The most delightful, joyful being in the universe is God – the wellspring of all joy, the lovely source of true delight, from whom all blessings flow – every good and perfect gift coming from above, flowing down from the father of heavenly lights, in whom there is no shadow or turning due to change – his perfect, unchangeable, everlasting, commiserate JOY … this is what you are and what you are invited to join in. 21: Again, the emphasis on certainty: Hand-to-hand = this is an oath/covenant. The wicked will not go unpunished – no matter what it may seem like in this world, just wait, justice will prevail in the end. This is the good news of the return of Christ – He will bring righteousness and justice with him and there will be none who escape. In the eschaton, there will be justice. Psalm 73:16–17 16But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 21B: Not only will the righteous be delivered as has already been said – their offspring, their seed – especially refers to Spiritual offspring. Certainly this refers to the children of believers, the children of those who are in Christ, as other proverbs point to this emphasis as well. The thing is that God always makes covenants with families, not just with individuals – the seed, the offspring are always included in the promise. (Much more to be said on this.) But, here, this promise would appeal to the righteous person to whom it is being given because the righteous person is not just concerned with himself and his own fate but with the fate of others, especially of his family, his children. But, this proverb also points to a greater reality – the theme of the righteous Spiritual offspring of faith. Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness … and Paul emphasizes that the promise is to Abraham’s seed, not seeds, and so this promise refers to Christ – that all nations will be blessed in Him – and here we see the promise that the seed will be delivered (lit go free). Here we see both the justice and mercy of God wrapped up in one verse!!! We are united to Christ by faith are now counted as the Spiritual offspring of Abraham as well, and the brothers and sisters of Christ, fellow heirs with him, children of God in fact – who is the Righteous and Holy One of Israel, Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. He is our Heavenly father IF we trust in His Son and unite our souls to Him by faith!! John 1:12 – But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 1 John 2:28-3:3 - 28And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. In view: Jesus - ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’ (Matt. 3:17; 17:5) 22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout     is a beautiful woman without discretion. The metaphor involves the pig’s obnoxious habit of eating swill and rooting in dung and its insensibility in wasting and tarnishing the precious ornament. Beauty, like wealth, can be a God-given gift/blessing, but it depends on how it is obtained and used. Discretion: “Taste” – another God-given gift of discernment, the ability to distinguish between that which is good and bad, beneficial/detrimental. The one without this taste, this ability to discern good/bad is now like the pig who eats anything including disgusting spoiled garbage. The proverb instructs youth to give priority to inner grace, not outward beauty. Hos 2:13 13And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the Lord. So, taken as a unit with this as the bookend, the comparison is again the outward, temporal beauty of the woman who wastes her life with the inward, enduring beauty of the woman of grace/kindness. And, all of the inner pieces of this unit fill out the picture and meaning and application to all humanity in all places. 23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,     the expectation of the wicked in wrath. And, the final emphatic statement here just puts a ribbon on the message. For the righteous: their desire is good, it will result in good … and their desire will be fulfilled! As for the wicked: their expectation will be foiled and will ultimately end in wrath – the wrath of a holy and just God, a God of love who detests those who oppose love by their nature and their actions. END: Jesus, the righteous Savior and Lord, in accordance with His Father’s will, desired to save sinners, to take the wrath that they deserved. This desire ends only in good, so that we can say most assuredly: “All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and are those who are called, according to His purpose.” He is the pivot around which all wisdom turns. In Him we see the wisdom of God because He became that for us, so that in Him we are made wise unto salvation and wise unto grace and kindness and all of the fruit of His Spirit working in us to make us like Him, to make us His delight, so that ours is a relationship of JOY and love in God. Proverbs 11:16-23 16 A gracious woman gets honor,     and violent men get riches. 17 A man who is kind benefits himself,     but a cruel man hurts himself. 18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,     but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. 19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,     but he who pursues evil will die. 20 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,     but those of blameless ways are his delight. 21 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,     but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. 22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout     is a beautiful woman without discretion. 23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,     the expectation of the wicked in wrath.