Proverbs 18:14-24
14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?
15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man's gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
18 Casting lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20 A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the LORD.
23 The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers roughly.
24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Here we have our responsibility in the light of God’s sovereignty. We are to realize that a broken man or woman has little comfort in sickness or adversity, which means the opposite is true that a strong and whole heart of confidence can endure much heartache and adversity. To get to this point we need to be searching God’s word for understanding through knowledge to gain a heart of wisdom which is skillful in application of God’s truths. Examples of reaching out to serve others include giving gifts and being truthful, for if we hide things another who knows us may just reveal the truth to our shame. If we “cast lots,” that is, trust God for decisions and outcomes in His sovereign work in us and others in all situations, then we are acknowledging His sovereignty and walking by faith which trusts the wisdom on one higher than us (Psalm 61:2). This reliance of trust in God’s work for the outcome which is according to His plan is essential to living in faith and eliminates disappointment when things don’t go according to our reasoning and plans. If we fight each other over our reasoning of world events or even smaller matters at hand without this perspective, we only offend each other and the contention can imprison us in the contention which can be avoided by trusting prayers of faith in God’s working. We find satisfaction in our speech seasoned with salt (Matthew 5:13, Colossians 4:6) which satisfies us with good things we say to others in light of God’s sovereign grace. Yes, our untamable tongues hold the power of giving life or death to others and ourselves (James 3:5-6, 8-9). May we strive to find good fruit through love in its its movements! Just as we find a good thing with a wife given by God (Genesis 2:22-23) and find grace in that gift by His design, just as the rich should consider the poor instead of talking badly of them in their situation, and just as we only have friends by being friendly ourselves, so must we also remember that there is a Friend who never leaves us, one who is closer than any brother as a type of Christ with us (John 15:14-15). By resting in the understanding of God’s working through seeking the answers in His word, we live in the sovereign rule of grace and peace with God (Romans 5:1) and our fellow man (1 Thessalonians 5:13). This is life lived with our responsibility within the light of God’s sovereignty.
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