# 21 2023 Dev. Prov.16:3 Love and Faithfulness! Read all of chapter sixteen first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s story! Do you believe that this is also our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16 is about the way God wants us to live, it is summed up in verse 6 “Love and Faithfulness.” In this chapter of couplets almost all lines complement each other, one line reinforcing the other, both negative and positive statements. Proverbs is about a way of being and a way of becoming, either good and better or bad and worse.
Vs.1-9 The Lord is in control of our lives. He gives “the proper answer… motives are weighed… will establish your plans… detests all the proud of heart.”
V.6 We are all sinners, we strive not to sin and we ask for forgiveness when we do sin. Can sins be undone? Yes and no! When we ask for forgiveness: they are removed “as far as east is from the west” Further, “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.” Thanks be to God!
“When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way…” They are blessed.“With righteousness… their steps are established…” God controls our lives when we trust Him.
Vs.10-15 Kings (leaders Rom 13) are ordained by God. “The lips of the king speak as an oracle, and his mouth does not betray justice.” That is true when a leader is upright and truthful. He demands, “honest scales (honest justice)…detest wrongdoing (is not corrupt)…takes pleasure in honest lips…is a messenger of death (is not lawless)… When the king’s (God’s) face brightens, it means life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.”
Vs.16-23 Wisdom, “How much better to get wisdom than gold… The highway of the upright avoids evil… Pride goes before destruction… better to be lowly in spirit… whoever gives heed to instruction prospers… the wise of heart are called discerning…prudence is a fountain of life… their lips promote instruction.”
Vs.24-30 A kind word: “Gracious words are a honeycomb… There is a way that appears to be right… The appetite of laborers works for them… A scoundrel plots evil… A perverse person stirs up conflict…A violent person entices their neighbor… Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity…” Our words and actions affect all those we come in contact with.
Vs.31-33 These three verses are a summary: Righteousness, patience, God in control: “ Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.” Amen and Amen!
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