Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
The preparations of the heart has to do with the arrangement of the heart. God made man. He made man without sin and He made man with great intelligence. Adam chose to throw that away and he became a fool.
If we want to be wise and speak words of wisdom, we need to know the Lord. He alone can make us wise. Jesus stated:
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Lost man does not want to admit to this fact. Too many people in Canada think our P.M. is a very smart man. They have accepted his lies that Mr. Trump is an unreasonable and untrustworthy man. Meanwhile, he has used his lies to convince too many people that joining the E.U. is a good move. Those who pay attention to world events, know that the Brass in the E.U. have been involved in trying to overthrow the Polish government right now. In the E.U. you either conform to the dictates of the selected leadership or you get overthrown.
Israel had the privilege of being developed by God. For a few years they did well because they accepted His leadership. When they became proud and self-sufficient, things began to fall apart. That is a picture of what happens to anyone who thinks they can build a successful life without knowing the true God. It just does not work.
Verse 2 reminds us that self-evaluation is not a good thing. Judas thought he was doing a good thing in selling Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. Then he discovered it was not a good thing, but it was too late. The LORD weighed his actions and because he had sold his soul to the devil, he was doomed. He committed suicide and found himself in hell.
We need to be sure our choices are wise according to God’s wisdom, not man’s.
In verse 3 we see further the importance of committing our works unto the LORD. The wise person checks with God to make sure that the plans he makes are pleasing to the LORD. When we choose His way, we can stand firm. We do not need to change our minds, or our course.
Abram did not know where God was taking him, but he learned that he could trust Him completely. He wavered for a time and lied about his wife. He learned that was not the way of success. He found out that God knew exactly what He was doing and His way led to Abraham and Sarah have a son named Isaac. God made a promise to Abraham and He kept it completely.
In verse 4 we are reminded that the LORD made everything for Himself.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God designed man and the world to bring glory to Him. There was no death until Adam sinned against the Lord.
God gave Adam and Eve two sons. Abel chose to believe in God and he glorified God. Cain chose to defy God and he is kept for the day of evil. Cain will prove God to be right. The problem is that Cain will not be a recipient of the blessings of God. His brother Abel, whom he hated, will be enjoying the new heavens and the new earth for all eternity. It is important to choose carefully in life. Don’t be deceived by that thing that just has the glitter to it. Make sure that glitter is the glitter of the deity of God, rather than the deceptive angel of light — Satan.
God has given man the ability to discern the difference. It is up to us to choose to submit to Him so that we can actually see the benefit of knowing Him and following Him.
Pastor Bartel