Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.
14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.
15 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.
16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
God created man with the ability to communicate. God spoke the truth to Adam. Not long after he was created, Adam chose to speak lies to God. God did not create Adam to lie. He created him to glorify God.
Lying is a mark of the devil. It is the work of the flesh. All people since the fall of Adam have had a problem with lying.
God says righteous lips are the delight of kings. That is of course in the context of godly kings. King Nebuchadnezzar had many wicked counsellors. They tried to appease him. We read that he grew very tired of their lies and threatened to kill them all. It was refreshing to him to have some captives brought into his empire who loved to tell the truth.
Daniel was called upon to interpret a couple of dreams for the king. The king always got a straight answer from Daniel. They were not necessarily answers the king wanted to hear, but they were needful.
A king is greatly advantaged when he has wise counsellors. God gave several kings great advantage by having His wise men around them.
In verse 14 we read that the wrath of the king is not a good thing. We know that the baker met his death because the Pharaoh was angry with him. He could not do anything about that. We know as well that king Herod had John the Baptist put to death because he did not like what he said to him about adultery. He wanted to put him to death but feared the people. He wanted to keep them on his side. His adulteress wife was instrumental in pushing Herod to kill John.
Wise man like Joseph, or Daniel were able to pacify an angry king. God gave them that ability to do so. We do not have a king in Canada, and God is not telling us to find a way to compromise with our P.M. He is not a just man. There is little room for justice in this country. Of course God can always intervene in any person’s life. We are at a time where we are seeing God’s judgment in a greater way upon our leaders.
In verse 15 we see there is benefit to having a king think well of you. If our leaders would be interested in truth, there would be great opportunity to help them. Our P.M. is a globalist and he may not know it but he is a forerunner to the antichrist. He wants to pull our country into a great globalist alliance.
Having the favour of the king is like that needed rain. We know that Jesus will be that ultimate King Who will grant favours and will be a blessing to the world in the Millennium. He is a blessing to every born again Christian now.
In verse 16 we are reminded of the importance of godly wisdom. Most people are chasing after gold. The value of goods keeps changing. They are still recommending investments in gold. However, investing in gold will not save the soul.
God’s wisdom is of far greater value than the most precious gold or silver. Understanding the times is of great significance.
I Chronicles 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
There are so few people who understand the times today. Most people are deceived by the multitude of smooth talkers who are looking to make a quick buck off of gullible people. There are thousands of scam artists out there.
The upright person is travelling a different highway than the world is on. He is seeking to depart from evil. He is not looking for a way to indulge in evil. He wants to make a godly difference. He is like the apostle Paul who was willing to be imprisoned or beaten and even murdered for the cause of Christ.
The person who chooses the highway of the upright is one who keeps God’s way. He preserves his soul because he does not receive bad counsel. He is not swayed by opinions. He chooses wisely and honours the Lord.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is another opportunity to choose the highway of the upright. The upright are heading to a good church today. They want to be fed. They want God’s blessing and they know that blessing can only be found in God’s house on the Lord’s Day.
The world offers many diversions. We need to choose. The upright person does not need to spend much time choosing. He has his heart conditioned to do right. He has made a conscious choice to serve God. Thus he chooses that which will bless his soul and honour his heavenly Father.
Pastor Bartel