Apicontent

Doing wickedness is an abomination to kings, because a throne is established in righteousness. The delight of a king is righteous counsel, and he will love the one who speaks uprightly.
(Proverbs 16: 12–13)

Effective leaders have inner strengths of wisdom, understanding, and respect for others. Leadership ability does not depend upon external characteristics such as popularity, ambition, wealth, and good looks.

The most effective leaders are servants for the best leaders lack selfishness and arrogance. In fact, the best leader serves best. Effective leaders also delegate, giving important responsibilities to those they trust. The leader (president, premier, prime minister, king) delights in subordinates who are wise and those in government who speak the truth. Leadership, and government, itself, are exercised through trusted relationships, and leadership is made secure by justice.

The best leaders weather the tough times and effective leaders do not give up but are willing to work through the wrongs. There will be inevitable temporary setbacks but the best leaders persevere by keeping their eyes fixed on the goal.

Finally, it is important for governmental leaders to be men and women of integrity. As Lemuel is admonished in Proverbs 31, it is not for kings to spend their strength on women or to drink wine or beer to excess. Solomon maintains that a lack of integrity on the part of a leader can result in compromised functioning and oppression of those whom he serves.

What are the hallmarks of a great leader? Do you lead by serving? Do you have the “right stuff” to emerge from the background population to the pinnacle of leadership? Who among us will be listed in Time’s review of the twenty-first century? Who among us will be listed as a great leader on the Day of Judgment?

Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting. A woman who fears the Lord—she makes herself praiseworthy.
(Proverbs 31:30)

The condition of women is the criterion by which a society may be judged. To Solomon, the virtuous woman had value far beyond any measure of material wealth. The good woman is sensitive to and reflective of God and she is in all ways distinct from the good man with spiritual intuitions and eternal insights.

Missing in Solomon’s world is the modern concept of the “liberated woman”—an independent person involved in her own business or profession. Solomon depicts the good woman as being highly relational and most often united in marriage. She is a friend and confidante. She has her husband’s best interest at heart: “She will not hinder him but help him all her life.” (Proverbs 31:12) The good wife becomes a crown to her husband and his power and influence in his community or country is directly and indirectly related to her. The good woman is industrious, business-like, active, trustworthy, gracious, cheerful, generous, compassionate, honest, humble, and loving.

What is your definition of a “good woman”? What qualities in your mother/wife/sister will you admire in 30 years? How can you edify the women in your life? How can you better demonstrate your love to the good women in your life?

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
(Proverbs 11:3)

Differentially, Solomon shades and colors his nearly innumerable maxims on goodness. No matter which iteration, however, wrongdoing is always a mistake, a source of insecurity and weakness, ultimately producing destruction and death, whereas goodness or the good person is a perpetual blessing. The good man is rewarded with beautiful gifts and unexpected blessings.

God watches the affairs of men closely, rightly dividing good from bad, integrity from evil. There is a real sense, based on the rewards and punishments presented, that God keeps records. Even if that were not so, being an upright person is its own continual reward. Goodness results in ever-increasing success and intimacy with God but evil is, by definition, the law of diminishing returns and further separation from God. Further, the blessing of the good man is not limited to the good man himself; it falls to his children as well.

Being a good (upright or holy) person is not a legalistic lifestyle but is a condition of the heart; it is the natural expression of an intimate relationship with a loving God. Goodness, and God himself is ultimate goodness, is essential to a life of happiness, for there can be no peace of heart or mind without it.

Are you a good (godly) person? Are you presently moving from success to success or failure to failure? Do you believe your actions are being monitored and recorded? Do you believe in a “Day of Judgment” where good and bad will be weighed? What have you done with God? What have you done with the gifts and abilities God gave you to work with?

The LORD created me as the beginning of his works, before his deeds of long ago.
Then I was beside him as a master craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, rejoicing before him at all times, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and delighting in its people.
(Proverbs 8: 22, 30–31)

God is altogether other and He is infinitely beyond understanding. Solomon wants us to know God as creator, as father, as eternal, and as controller of this world. In Proverbs chapter 8, Solomon paints the picture of the complexity of the cosmos. The Spirit of Wisdom was there with God at the beginning, giving perfect form and order and mathematical precision to the universe.

Human beings are further evidence of God’s infinite creativity. Solomon’s father, David, wrote that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” (Psalm 139). God is the maker of our incomprehensibly complex brain, our eyes, our ears, our other senses, and our systems. God made us higher than the animals and He made each one of us highly unique from all others with distinctive gifts and abilities.

God is also the engineer of circumstance, very much in command of His universe and this world and He is always the defender of the poor, the weak, the needy, the widow, and the orphan. In His sensibilities, God is father-like and mother-like and His tender instruction and promises can always be counted on. Living in one accord with the Father’s instruction results in grace and honor. This living God, Solomon contends, deserves our humble respect and our highest honor. Solomon’s God reveals himself as the only God, the one true God. He reveals Himself as holy – the absolute standard for morality.

Who is God? Who is He really? Do you believe that God is who His Word says He is? Do you find yourself thinking about or doubting God when you are faced with a tough situation? Is it difficult for you to trust God as a living, loving Father with the circumstances and challenges of your life?

Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.
(Proverbs 4:23)

God, as a loving Father, expects his children to keep his instructions in their hearts. When the Bible talks about the heart, it refers to who we are as a person. It can be said that the heart is the nature of a person or one’s inner self. Thus, it affects everything one does, and it is God’s primary concern. The Lord does not judge the outward appearance,b but He weighs the motives, thoughts, and intentions of a person, that is, the person’s heart.

God hates a scheming, plotting, evil heart. The proud heart is self-sufficient and does not subject itself to God’s words; whereas, the humble heart is ready and willing to be instructed. A heart in tune with God’s desires is one of integrity.

Without Christ, our hearts are “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). But when Christ saves us, He gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

The above passage along with other verses in Proverbs indicates that we as Christians must guard our new hearts because the heart shapes life.

How do you protect your heart? Are you self-sufficient or open to others’ help and instruction? Are you known as a kind and loving person? Is your heart in tune with the ways of the world or God’s ways? What is the evidence that your heart has been redeemed and renewed by God?

Through loyal love and truth iniquity is appeased; through fearing the LORD one avoids evil.
(Proverbs 16:6)

The Proverbs make the moral leap from the prohibition of retaliation, i.e. not getting even to a spirit of love which actually turns the tables and repays good for evil. One who forgives in this fashion looks with assurance to the Lord for a reward.

This high ideal, the duty of forgiveness, is based on the need, which we have of God’s forgiveness. Solomon also speaks of atonement, i.e. pardon and acceptance by God. The person who attempts to hide his sins will not succeed but one who confesses and turns away from his wrongdoing will obtain mercy from God. The Lord God is a loving Father full of mercy, ever willing to forgive. First, however, there has to be confession and repentance—sorrow for wrong-being and wrong-doing. There is truly no way that man can “cover” his sins from God. Secondly, turning away from sins results in a lifestyle of mercy and truth. Selfishness and falseness can be forgiven and pardoned. By God, selfishness gives place to mercy and falsehood to truth.

Do you find it hard to let go of the past? Do you identify with the bumper sticker: “Don’t get mad, get even”? Do you find it easier to forgive an enemy than a friend? Is one of your important relationships paralyzed by a lack of forgiveness? Have you ever asked God for forgiveness? Do you consider God as a loving Father? Do you desire to see God someday or do you fear His judgment?

Indeed, if you call out for discernment—shout loudly for understanding—if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand how to fear the LORD, and you will discover knowledge about God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
(Proverbs 2: 3–6)

Insight means a perception of things unseen or apprehending the true nature of a thing. It may be a penetrating discernment or understanding of underlying truth. Insight is an appreciation of God’s ways and is a special subtype of wisdom. Insight is contact between God and the human spirit, which results in a direct revelation of that which God has purposed or hidden. The Word of God is the source of such understanding. Those people who treasure his word can enjoy the appropriate application of knowledge. Insight comes from allowing God to guide us into the deep things of the physical and spiritual realms.

Spiritual insight allows us to see clearly what God’s purpose is for us as well as the purpose for His world. Insight allows one to discover God’s desire for his or her life and then to obey that will.

Are you one who sees “beneath the surface”? How do you regard coincidence? Is there an underlying unifying theme to seemingly diverse events and circumstances?

The wicked will be captured by his own iniquities, and he will be held by the cords of his own sin. He will die because there was no discipline; because of the greatness of his folly he will reel.
(Proverbs 5:22–23)

Solomon states that we should not try to avoid responsibilities by saying that we were not aware of them. God knows all hearts and he knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your comings and your goings; he keeps records of all of your thoughts, words, and deeds. He keeps watch over your soul and he knows what you know and what you do not know. He knows the exact day, hour, minute, and second of your death and He will judge everyone according to what they have done and have not done with the opportunities in this brief life.

Death has the final word. No one gets out of this alive; no one escapes the ultimate death sentence. In the face of death, we are utterly helpless and no amount of success, fame, courage, or strength can overcome death. Only the Ancient of Days, the God of life and death, can shepherd us through death’s valley to life eternal. Life is uncertain, and then you die; however, Solomon’s God offers the hope of eternal comfort.

How often do you consider death? Do you live as the dying person that you are?   Is it true that one can only live a happy life if he/she is prepared to die? What will your legacy be? Who will speak at your funeral and what will be said? Do you believe that you will live forever, either with God or without Him? What will happen to you after your death?

Blessed is the one who has found wisdom, and the one who obtains understanding. For her benefit is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than gold. She is more precious than rubies, and none of the things you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are very pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. She is like a tree of life to those who grasp onto her, and everyone who takes hold of her will be blessed.
(Proverbs 3:13–18)

To know happiness and true wisdom is to walk in this world led by the inward light, the Lord of life. Life in the hands of infinite love and unafraid of death is certainly worth more than gold and precious stones. A man who is led to wisdom, trusting completely in God stands in harmony with His universe, enjoying health, prosperity, friends, and the smile of God and man. There is more: Solomon states that life is brief. Even the longest life is but a moment. Life is a blade of grass that is green for a season and soon withers and dies. He warns against people who spend their entire lives securing material things with little thought about things eternal.

Proverbs says that revering God and living in His ways makes life valuable. Living in light of God’s eternal plan for you gives purpose and makes life valuable. Life with purpose becomes a dance, a celebratory prologue to an eternal future spent with God and those who love Him and who have lived according to His desires.

What is the purpose of your life? What is the supreme good of your life? How are you pursuing life, liberty, and happiness? What would you do if you only had six months to live? What things in your life would you change if you could? What steps could you take today to find your purpose?

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up effective counsel for the upright, and is like a shield for those who live with integrity.
(Proverbs 2:6-7)

Synonyms for “integrity” in the Proverbs are “godliness” and “righteousness.” These terms have little meaning today but integrity still has the connotation of being what we say we are. Integrity is an adherence to moral and ethical principles. Integrity is soundness of morals. Integrity is “walking the walk”—a life-defining, long-term character trait. Integrity endears us to God. The opposite of integrity is life without God or godlessness.

Honesty and integrity go hand-in-hand. The person defined by integrity lives the same publicly as privately. Although not perfect, the person of integrity has no “dark side” and no “hidden agendas.” The life of integrity is simple, straightforward, and truthful. The upright life is life everlasting.

Are you the same person in public and in private? Are you considered a truthful, credible person? Do you know a person of integrity who would be willing to serve as a mentor to you?