Proverbs 14:23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.
25 A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.
26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Of course the text is talking about legitimate labour. Work is not a curse. Adam was given work to do before he sinned. Work became more tedious after he sinned. That is still true today. There are many who are looking for an easy way to make it through life. There is profit in honest labour.
Idle talk is a time waster. Those who choose to stand around and talk rather than work, will not profit from that. In today’s world, we have corrupt unions which allow people to waste time and still get paid. If you observe those people, they are not content with life. Union people are always looking for more. Contentment comes from godliness. The problem most people face is that they are ungodly. With ungodliness comes much discontentment.
In verse 24 we see that riches are more than just material gain. We see that inflation and interest rates, and foolish government decisions are bankrupting this country. The governments do not care. Politicians make their money until the entire economy crashes. They do not care about the number of people standing at food banks or on welfare. They lie and claim that they care, but the governments have created the problem. They want us to be like Russia. They want food lines where we are dependent on them for our daily bread. The Bible teaches that we should be dependent upon God for our daily bread. The government wants to be God. As we have mentioned before, our current governments are no different from the Babylonian government of Bible times, or that of the Egyptians of that time. The rulers assumed they were gods and they demanded the worship of their people.
Godly wisdom is something no government can tax. No one can take that away from you. They cannot devalue that either. The world does not appreciate godly wisdom, but those who have it will appreciate it.
By contrast, the foolishness of fools is folly. Those who have wisdom, will see that. The world cannot see it. They are proud of their foolishness. They think they have arrived and they think those who have godly wisdom are backwards.
In verse 25 we see that truth is important. The truth sets the captive free. The truth shows how to be forgiven and delivered from the bondage of sin. Those who walk in truth do not need to redefine sin. They desire to be free from sin and by God’s grace they can be free if they submit to His will.
The deceitful witness speaks lies. That would include the New Evangelical pastors. They speak lies. They, like the politicians, act as if they care, but they are using a corrupt source and a worldly imagination to develop their theology. Nothing good can come from that.
In verse 26 we are again reminded of the importance of the fear of the LORD. We can look at Peter and John and we see them standing before the counsel who were threatening them if they would speak in Jesus’ name. They refused to be silent because they knew the true Jesus was the only hope of man. They were confident in their faith and in their message. The counsel were afraid of the people and so they had to back off their threats.
Those who choose to follow men who walk in the fear of the LORD will find a place of refuge. It is good to be able to rest in the Lord. We need godly men to teach us the right way. We have the Word of God, but God has decreed that we need to be taught by His chosen men. There are many men who assume the role of pastor, but they were never chosen of God. Any man who chooses to use a perversion was not chosen of God. God is not the author of confusion.
It is important to know the truth and walk in the truth. No man is the originator of Truth. God is Truth and He gave us His Word. If a man is willing to submit to God’s Word, he will first of all be saved. Then he can be instructed in the Word of God by other faithful men. If he is called to become an evangelist, pastor or teacher, he will be trustworthy and a blessing to have around. It is important to know such a man and submit to learning from him as he follows the Lord. Of course, God has given us His Word. Anyone can pick up the pure Word of God and study It and consult It as he is taught by a godly man. Blind allegiance to any man is never wise. everything should be examined by the sure Word of God.
In verse 27 we are further told of the importance of the fear of the LORD. Life begins and is sustained by the fear of the LORD. A person will not get saved if he does not have the fear of the LORD. The fear of the LORD causes the lost person to stop and reconsider their walk of rebellion. The lost person who is finally awakened, will repent toward God and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. There is no salvation outside of turning to the true God.
There is so much false religion today. Those involved in it, refuse to see the lies they are accepting. The pride of man is a terrible thing. God warned of the pride of the devil. That is what caused his fall. He was not created as the devil, but pride caused him to wrongly assume he was better than he actually was. The devil cannot repent and be saved. His doom is sealed. However, man, who is born a lost sinner, can repent toward God and be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It will require humility to acknowledge the fact that you are wrong and that God is right and holy and just, etc. The fear of the LORD is essential to life. The person who is given life will depart from the snares of death. There are many snares the devil sets up. The saved person has the ability to see them and can know how to avoid them because he has life. Don’t be deceived into thinking that Christians can be bound in sin just like the lost. That false idea makes a mockery of God. That false idea is the opposite of the Truth.
Pastor Bartel