Understanding our Walk and Heart

Proverbs 20:16-30

16 Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

18 Plans are established by counsel;
By wise counsel wage war.

19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.

20 Whoever curses his father or his mother,
His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

21 An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning
Will not be blessed at the end.

22 Do not say, "I will recompense evil";
Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD,
And dishonest scales are not good.

24 A man's steps are of the LORD;
How then can a man understand his own way?

25 It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,
And afterward to reconsider his vows.

26 A wise king sifts out the wicked,
And brings the threshing wheel over them.

27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,
Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

28 Mercy and truth preserve the king,
And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

29 The glory of young men is their strength,
And the splendor of old men is their gray head.

30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the inner depths of the heart.

Wisdom uses godly understanding with the knowledge of God and man to comprehend our live’s steps and our heart’s moving as His Spirit searches deep inside us and reveals what we see (1 Corinthians:10-11).  This wisdom helps others in difficult situations they get themselves into without accepting responsibility for another’s debts.  It also does not deceive others for ill-gotten gain with the understanding that such imagined booty will only become as rough and worthless as gravel when possessed.  Understanding our walk through life teaches wisdom to do what matters for eternity and not for a shortsighted moment.  With godly counsel and understanding in planning we can wisely fight that good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7-8).  But if we unwisely gossip about others, meddling in their affairs as busybodies or involving ourselves with others who do so, we are not understanding or wise.  Yes, the warnings include defaming our parents (at any age) or grasping greedily for an inheritance, these will end badly and take away our blessings.  Instead of getting revenge on evil, we wisely should have the understanding to wait on God’s vengeance (Romans 12:17-19, 1 Peter 3:9) because it does not belong to us as ones indebted to Him for the vengeance on our sin which we all deserve.  We are warned again against unfair and dishonest dealings with others, for how would we like it if God was dishonest with us?  Though we cannot understand all the details of where and how God leads us step by step through life, we can confidently trust Him because He has infinite knowledge of us all and has planned out our way for us already.  In light of these things we then consider well before making rash promises and allow the justice of God to work through both the justice and injustice of the leaders of the lands we live in to work out His plans for us all.  We walk by faith, knowing that He understands our heart and our actions of living.  God searches our hearts to test us and refine us as He removes the dross of sin and pride from us, and then shows us in the inner man that we might understand.  We are all kept and upheld by the mercy and truth of God in all things, just like kings; they rule over us, but we rule over our own desires with a view to our accountability to Him in light of that mercy and truth.  Our glory then is not our strength or reasoning, but our faithfulness as we grow older in the faith and we follow Him in our sanctification’s steps along the way.  His necessary discipline to keep us on this path sometimes hurts as a needed whipping, but afterwards yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11) inside the deepest part of the heart.  These are a necessary part of the understanding of our walk and heart before God in Christ.