We return to Proverbs for our pursuit of Wisdom for the New Year. In the words of Alistair Begg, “Wisdom is knowing how to live God’s way in God’s world.” We want to do more than resolve to do good, but to seek God’s will for our daily lives. This week we find the path of satisfaction by living God’s way.
When you walk God’s path you’ll be satisfied.
“From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence” (v. 2).
Good words are like good food. They are productive, creative, and nurturing. God created the world through His spoken words— “Let there be… and there was” (Gen. 1). God creates new life in us through Jesus, the Word who became flesh (John 1:14). Words have power. Those who speak true words become known as those who are trustworthy. Those who speak kind words inspire friendship. Those who speak words of blessing are themselves blessed. There is satisfaction in speaking and hearing good, encouraging, and loving words.
But it goes both ways. People who are treacherous are hungry for violence and are always unsatisfied. Violence doesn’t just refer to physical actions, but any kind of harm. Other verses in Proverbs refer to those who mislead people, withhold good from others, and slander others. Words are often used to hurt other people, perhaps out of anger, revenge, or envy.
When you walk God’s path you’ll be safe.
“Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (v. 3).
Words can be life-giving or life-destroying. If you have a gun in your house, hopefully you take every possible precaution to protect yourself and others from its misuse. We ought to guard our words just as carefully. When the Pharisees complained to Jesus about His disciples not washing their hands, His response was “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (Matt. 15:11).
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
James chapter 3 describes the tongue as the rudder of a ship, or a fire that can set a forest ablaze. To guard our mouths, we must be cautious about the words we use each day. “When words are many, transgression is not lacking” (Prov. 10:19). This doesn’t mean just biting our tongues, but stopping to consider and pray about what words we are inclined to use with and about others in person and on social media. Written words become a permanent record of our inconsideration and indiscretion, and reckless words can ruin friendships and reputations. We find safety in using good words with guarded mouths.
When you walk God’s path you’ll have all you need.
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied” (v. 4).
In life our words and our works often run a parallel course, because our character traits are intertwined. Those who are diligent with their words tend to be diligent in how they work. Those who are reckless with their words tend to be careless in their work. The sluggard is perpetually hungry and never satisfied, because he doesn’t want to put in the hard work needed to meet his needs. The lazier someone is, the more likely they are to complain. Those who are diligent workers have what they need—a fatness of soul—having all that their soul needs.
Jesus is the way.
When you walk God’s way, generally you will find that you are more satisfied, safer, and have all you need. When you walk the way of sin and folly, generally you will find perpetual dissatisfaction in this life.
The bad news is that we all struggle with sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. The good news is that there is forgiveness, freedom, and life in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He is the satisfying way. He came to rescue us from our foolish and sinful ways. We can be grateful for His life, death, and resurrection to save us, as well as for His perfect example for us. Jesus never made a foolish choice or spoke a foolish word. Everything He said and did was perfectly obedient to God’s will. He was gentle and loving, blessing and praying for even His enemies.
His way is the most satisfying way if we will just choose to follow it. Everything we truly need is available in and exemplified by Jesus. We all need to renew our dedication to walk this satisfying path by faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ, repenting from our sinful ways, and depending on the Holy Spirit in the daily decisions of our words and actions.
“Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice, and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days” (Deut. 30:19b-20a).
