Dead Ends
Proverbs 16:25-30 gives the false, wrong way to do God’s will. Many people pick up these wrong ways; and even though they prepare and plan correctly, they end up putting in to practice this “way that seems right” but is not. Learn that these ways lead to “dead ends” and don’t start down them!
Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
This is the warning and what follows are the wrong ways. Find the right way, not just the way that seems right! Dead end roads may look pleasant, but they lead nowhere. Much time, money, energy, and grief are the results.
Warning Against Laboring for Self
Proverbs 16:26 “He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.”
While engaged in doing God’s will it is important to keep in mind that it is “God’s” will, not yours. You are not in it for the money or for what you crave!
With this in mind, it is important to know and practice hard work. The Bible admonition is given in several verses:
Lamentations 3:27 “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.”
II Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
I Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
It is important not to pull these verses out of context. In context they all give the reason for hard work. In Lamentations read the verses before verse 27. Do the same in II Thessalonians. In I Timothy the purpose of work is to provide for your family.
Don’t just labor to have something to eat. Of course, it is important to labor so that you have something to provide for your family. It is important to consider the admonition to work hard, but don’t use it as an excuse not to serve God. The purpose and result of labor is to eat right. The expression to learn is don’t live to eat, but eat to live. I would change it to bring it in line with this verse in Proverbs 16 to “Don’t work to eat, eat to work.”
The purpose of eating right is to have the strength, energy, and health to use to serve God. Enjoy your meals. Use mealtimes as times to talk and rest. There are many good references in the Bible to good things happening at meals. Jesus did a lot of teaching at mealtimes, see the last supper and his last meal on the shore of Galilee! It is a mistake to rush through meals. It is one of the worst mistakes I made in life. Eating in a hurry to finish something has caused me major health problems and I caution you to not just labor so that you can eat well. I wish I had all of the money I have spent on fast food! I would be a millionaire! Or more spiritually, I could have been a better blessing to others. In fact, that is the reason to work hard. It is so that you have to give to others. It is also the way to accomplish things. Don’t listen when people tell you not to work too hard! Work hard and rest hard. Balance is the key. Remember what you are doing is the most important thing that you can do: bring glory to God. So develop a good work ethic, but don’t do it to satisfy yourself.
Warning Against Digging Up Evil
Proverbs 16:27 “An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.”
This is the wrong way of time management and the fruit of it. Don’t spend your time digging up evil instead of spending your time planning on doing good things. You don’t need to dwell on the bad things. That is the problem with “news junkies”! Often all news contains bad things. When you are consumed with evil, you will think evil. One of the reasons people can’t solve problems is that they can’t think right because they have been consuming evil instead of good. The way to be balanced is to read the Bible and let it wash your thoughts and control what you think about. Notice the fruit of digging up evil is burning lips. There is something about gossip and bad news that must be “shared” with someone else. The correct way to do God’s will is to use balance. You will learn about evil, just by living in this world. Don’t concentrate on it or it will affect your heart which will affect your mouth. Which will have a great effect on your ministry! What good is it to point out the errors and mistakes if you don’t have the answers and the cures? Train your mind to find the solutions. Train your lips not to slander, gossip, gripe, complain or murmur. The wrong way of digging leads to the fruit of lies, excuses, arguments, strife, and failure in fulfilling the will of God! There is nothing wrong with digging, it is actually good, hard work. Dig for solutions, not for evil!
Warning Against Sowing Strife.
Proverbs 16:28 “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
This third warning against doing God’s will the wrong way concentrates on sowing strife. If you sow strife instead of sowing hard work and knowledge, you cause division instead of unity! Notice the old English word here: froward. There is an easy way to remember what froward means. It is the opposite of toward. Toward goes to God and froward goes from God. God wants you to sow righteousness so that you reap the right rewards.
Galatians 6:7-9 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
God calls it an abomination to sow the wrong thing:
Proverbs 6:16 “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:”
It starts out in Proverbs 6:16 and goes to 6:19. In it are listed 7 things that are an abomination. The seventh is sowing discord!
Proverbs 6:19 “A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Often friends become enemies by what someone has whispered to them! Be very careful in controlling your heart so that what comes out of your mouth doesn’t damage people. This is important for the preacher to understand. His preaching affects people. Please let God control your mouth so that your preaching doesn’t damage a good friendship!
Warning Against Enticing Neighbors
Proverbs 16:29 “A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.”
It is important to not learn this way of getting people to do things. Enticing them is not right. Giving them gifts to get them to do things leads to them getting the wrong idea about God and God’s ways. God doesn’t use enticement. He uses rewards. In this life it is the spiritual rewards that are valuable. Things like joy, answers to prayers, and satisfaction. Notice that this is the violent man’s way. He uses threats as an enticement. His way of getting action is out of fear. He says, “If you do this then this (something he wants done), then this bad thing won’t happen.” Or “If you don’t do this (something he wants done), I won’t do this to you”. If you threaten instead of leading correctly, bad behavior is the result. It is harder to retrain someone than it is to train them correctly the first time. Bad habits learned by bad leadership tend to stick to people and they end up with a bad career! The Christian as well as the maintenance Tech uses encouragement to motivate. The violent man uses enticements! When doing God’s will it is important to motivate people to do things because they want to please God. Don’t pick up the bad habit of motivating them to please you! What you will do is get them out of the will of God and they will end up a disaster!
Warning Against Shutting Eyes
Proverbs 16:30 “He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.”
Warning number 4 of the wrong or false way of doing things is presented here. This is still talking of the violent man’s way of accomplishing something. Notice that he is using his imagination. He shuts his eyes and thinks of a way on his own. All he does is use his mouth to persuade others to do it. Notice that it gets results, but they are evil results. If you use the plan of the violent man, you will come up with wicked (froward) plans and you will be able to talk people into them. It will ruin your life and career as well as messing up others and causing confusion, stress, and a mess. Please find God’s will for your life by learning about how He does things and then by leaning on Him for the results!
Proverbs 16:25-30 gives the false, wrong way to do God’s will. Many people pick up these wrong ways; and even though they prepare and plan correctly, they end up putting in to practice this “way that seems right” but is not. Learn that these ways lead to dead ends and don’t start down them!
By avoiding these wrong, false ways and seeking God’s ways, you will be on the way to knowing and preforming the will of God! Isn’t that what you want? Put this knowledge into practice and get busy!