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Proverbs 21:20-21 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. 21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Your Life Is A Stewardship From God

Several years ago there was an advertisement that ran in the Atlanta Journal. The ad read:

“SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship. Ethnicity not important. I’m a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. When you get home from work, I’ll be at the front door wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 555-1212 and ask for Daisy.”

1500 men called the number, but didn’t find what they expected. The number was for the Atlanta Humane Society. Daisy was an 8 week old black Labrador Retriever.

The life we live, that we currently have, is a stewardship from God. God gifted us life at birth. “The LORD brings death and GIVES LIFE” (1 Samuel 2:6). “God is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25). What we have, what God has given us, is a stewardship. It does not belong to us. I often hear the phrase,

“My body, my choice”

That’s true. God gave you a body. But your soul belongs to God, whether you believe that or not. “Behold, every SOUL BELONGS TO ME – the soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Your body houses your soul. But if you sin, doing that which God has forbidden, you WILL damage the body. Imagine those 1500 men who were looking for a party girl. It’s humorous, but also sad and somewhat frightening. When you have sex with a party girl, you are having sex with every partner she has ever had. Bad behavior from the soul brings damage to the body.

Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

The WISE SOUL who cherishes and lives by the Word of God will find their present life to be a TREASURE TO BE DESIRED, whereas the foolish person who will not heed God will find their lives wasted. What of the young man who murdered Charlie Kirk? He started out a straight A student, college material. He apparently came from a fine home. Somewhere along the way he began to treasure the wrong things – rather than treasure God.

Our Lord Jesus warned us all:

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Those who treasure Heaven love others and love the God of Heaven. Those who treasure the earth will find in time that your good looks, fame, money, fast cars, celebrity, whatever is temporal, will eventually dry up and die. If your heart is focused on your beauty, there will come a day when beauty will be gone.

{there is} oil in the dwelling of the wise

In the ancient world, “OIL”or olive oil was considered a blessing from God. Kings and priests were anointed with OIL. The oil represented God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said:

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel

The Spirit of the Lord and the oil of anointing are directly linked. We see this also in:

Acts 10:38 … God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him

Jesus addressed those who looked like Christians and those who were actually born again Christians in His “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”:

Matthew 25:1-12 (ESV) Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten VIRGINS {professing devotion to the bridegroom} who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. {they got ready} 8 And the FOOLISH {the false Christian} said to the WISE {the genuine Christian}, ‘Give us some of your OIL {represents the Holy Spirit}, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the WISE answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.‘

Jesus knew who the WISE were, for they had OIL in their lamps. They loved the Word of God. They loved the Bridegroom. They were indwelt by the Spirit of God. The FOOLISH looked like believers, but did not love the Lord. They were not wise. They did not heed the Word of God, nor His Gospel. Those who are saved by Grace are born again, saved through the operation of God’s Holy Spirit. Those who are saved will show it by their outward lives.

You Must Live Your Faith Out Loud

Proverbs 21:21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

The righteousness that comes by the Law does not save a person. Man made religion will not save you. In order to be saved, we pursue righteousness AND mercy. We come to Christ by faith, believing in Him, receiving Him as Lord and Savior. God told Israel:

Isaiah 51:1-2 (KJV) Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah [that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

While we have life, we seek Christ our Savior. We live to please our Heavenly Father through His finished work. Our Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). When we seek God’s face through prayer and study of His Word, God will give us righteousness, lives that are pleasing to Him.

Proverbs 21:22 A WISE man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

We who belong to Jesus need not fear the enemy. The Scripture says “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). The enemy cannot long stand against the united people of God. We see this when King David led the Army of Israel against Jerusalem while it was inhabited by the Jebusites:

2 Samuel 5:6-9 (ESV) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”–thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

David did not have his men attack at the walls, which were well guarded and impregnable. Instead he had them attack at “THE WATER SHAFT”, the place where water flowed into the city to supply the residents. God gave David the wisdom to look for the weak spot, and to address the heathen at that point.

God’s People Need To Consider Before They Speak

Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth {šāmar} his mouth and his tongue keepeth {šāmar} his soul from troubles.

We must speak. We must tell others about Jesus. There has always been a cancel culture that wants to rob us of our free speech. When Peter and the Apostles were told the shut up and not speak of Jesus, their reply was “We MUST OBEY GOD rather than HUMAN AUTHORITY” (Acts 5:29). We must tell others. We must stand up for the truth. But we need to consider how we speak.

Word Study: The word “KEEPETH” is the Hebrew šāmar, which means “to post a guard on, to put a hedge around, to keep out trouble”. This is not the first time we’ve seen this concept in Proverbs. We previously read:

Proverbs 13:3 Whoever guards {šāmar} his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 17:27-28 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

The Prophets were careful to use the phrase, “Thus saith the Lord”, allowing God to speak through them. When we are speaking God’s Word we should be bold and direct. But we need to be careful about our own opinions,be careful about harshness or unkindness, remembering always to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We should not shy away from speaking the truth, but always let it be of love and for the glory of God. I have heard this acronym used for speaking. Before you speak, THINK:

T – is it TRUE, or what I think (John 17:17)?
H – will it HELP or build up (Ephesians 4:29)?
I – is it INSPIRED of God (2 Timothy 3:16)?
N – is it NEEDED at this time (Ecclesiastes 3:7)?
K – are you being KIND (Ephesians 4:32)?

God should drive our tongues, not our flesh. As I heard someone say,

It’s not about BEING right. It’s about DOING right.

Proverbs 21:24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

The wicked will often SHOUT A LIE rather than speak the truth. The “SCORNER” is the person who think themselves better than others. They do not follow the way of truth, but “DEAL IN PROUD WRATH”. They are like Pharaoh was, who asked (Exodus 5:2) “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?”. They are smug and filled with ego, considering themselves “gods”. Asaph describes these people as:

Psalm 73:9 (ESV) They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

Genesis chapter 11 tells us of a people who rejected the command of God to “multiply and fill the earth”. As these were descendants of believing Noah, they rejected the God of Noah and decided to “build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4, NKJV). Some commentaries suggest that these descendants of Noah thought that they could build a tower so high that it would be above the judgment of God. They ignored that God told Noah that He would never again flood the earth by water. They wanted to “make a name for ourselves”, to be more known than God Himself.

This mindset is in our world today. God made us male and female, but there are those who believe that they can recreate themselves in their own image. They cannot. What God has made cannot be unmade.

It is like the person who, believing he can re-imagine the laws of physics, walks off the roof of a ten story building. “What’s wrong with that?”, the confused would ask. To violate the Law of God because you think you are a god only leads to self harm and death.

Illustrate: I was watching a video the other day where a policeman stopped a speeding vehicle. When he asked the driver for his license, the man handed him a cat collar with a tag on it. The man said, “I identify as a cat”. The policeman wisely said, “Well, I’m not going to argue with you. We have a couple of options here. If you’re a cat, I’m going to call animal control, and have your car towed. The state of Texas doesn’t allow cats to drive cars. When animal control takes you to the pound, you will get all your shots – including rabies – whether you like it or not. You’ll have to stay in the pound until someone comes to get you, and pays the 75.00$ animal control fee. I’m also going to request a medical team to come out and take custody of your passenger. He thinks you’re a cat, so I’ll let the psychiatrist sort this out. OR you can quit playing, and let me see your license and registration. Your move!”

You cannot be what you are not. God has given you the life you have. Look to Him, and find the best life!

Proverbs 21:25-26 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor. 26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Word Study: The SLOTHFUL person will eventually find death, for they will not take care of themselves. I often wonder about these protesters who – in the middle of the day – scream and holler and hold signs up. Don’t they have a job? No. They “coveteth greedily all the day long”, desiring this and desiring that, but are never satisfied. The “RIGHTEOUS” or saved person is different. That person gives freely.

A Recipient of Grace Is Always Gracious

The Apostle wrote of the one who is saved:

Ephesians 4:28 (ESV) Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

It is a key component of Christianity that we be generous to those in need. Our Lord Jesus said:

Luke 6:30-36 (ESV) Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

Proverbs 21:29-30 A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, He {God} directeth his way. 30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. 31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

Those who belong to the Lord are guided by the Lord. The Holy Spirit leads us. The Word of God directs us. The enemy has vast resources, but our resources are greater still. Trust in Him. Seek His face. Hide in His Word. Your life is a gift, a stewardship from God. Let God guide you in living the best life you can live. Amen.