Audio Download

“A house divided against itself cannot stand” Part IV (Pro 14:27-35)

(Aired on June 19, 2025)

Pro 14:27  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Pro 14:28  In the multitude of people is the king’s honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
Pro 14:29  He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
Pro 14:30  A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
Pro 14:31  He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Pro 14:32  The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
Pro 14:33  Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.
Pro 14:34  Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Pro 14:35  The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.

Recap of first three parts:

God’s proverbs admonish us to keep His wisdom, which is needed in order to protect “the unity of the spirit”, or the “the unity of faith” (Eph 4:3, Eph 4:13), that enables us to keep growing together as a many membered body with the same mind of Christ, with the same spirit, working toward the same goal of being in that blessed and holy first resurrection.

Eph 4:3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

There is almost always a negative or dark side to most every proverb, being described to remind God’s elect that light comes out of darkness, and that we are the light of Christ, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid, a peculiar people who are zealous of good works (1Pe 2:9-10) because of the life of Christ within us, that is changing us as we go from glory to glory, the veil being ripped (Joh 8:12, Mat 5:14, Tit 2:14, 2Co 3:18, Mat 27:51). Christ is the one who we are looking to, in order to keep that unity as He leads us in the way of righteousness, which will see the house of God built up by His hands (Psa 127:1)

The outward kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ (Rev 11:15) is the great reset (Mat 13:12-13) that the world has been groaning to see fulfilled (Rom 8:22-23), and when God’s government is established on this earth, then those woes spoken of in (Rev 11:14) will start to be poured out on humanity as they have already been poured out and fulfilled in the life of God’s elect. This is when the world will begin to learn of God’s righteousness (Isa 26:9) which event is likened unto a great earthquake that is going to reshape all the earth as the waters did in the days of Noah’s flood (Rev 11:13-14). The woes that God’s people experience convert our souls whereas the woes that the world will experience during the thousand year reign of the saints is typical of a water baptism that must precede the lake of fire baptism which will come upon all the world in the second resurrection (Joh 3:5-6).

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

In last week’s study we looked at how we can protect that which God has given the elect to preserve in this life. The only way we can become a stronger undivided house is by keeping the commandments of God, doing what he tells us to do (Mat 7:22-27).

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (Rev 1:3)
Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (Mat 16:18).

This final section of chapter fourteen will focus on the sound heart that is needed to maintain the unity of the body of Christ (1Co 2:16, 2Ti 1:7-9). It is when we judge ourselves and drink waters from our own cistern (Pro 5:15), and learn from those who have the mind of Christ that we become a stronger and more united body of Christ that is no longer judged of any man but at the same time understands the continual need to be taught by a man of God who has the mind of Christ (1Co 2:15-16, 1Jn 2:27, Act 8:31).

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

1Jn 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Act 8:31  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

Pro 14:27  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

“The fear of the LORD”, from the “beginning” to the “conclusion” is where Life is, our “fountain of life”  (Pro 9:10, Ecc 12:13-14, 1Co 3:13-15). In other words, what that fear of God does is preserve our spiritual life in Christ (Rev 21:5-8).

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The fountain of life is Christ, he is the cistern that we, the church, is called to obtain living waters from (Luk 12:5, Luk 11:13, Joh 4:10-14)

Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: [physical carnal lineage being held onto [Jacob’s well] that does not know that before Abraham was I am]
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. [“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death”]

Pro 14:28  In the multitude of people is the king’s honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.

The king’s honour is found not just in any multitude, but in the multitude of counsellors who are men of God who fear Him and keep his commandments (Pro 15:22, Pro 20:15, Pro 24:6). It is with those who acknowledge that these things are the commandments of God (1Co 14:37-38) who will be given to see the body of Christ remain unified, honouring God and bringing honour to our king Jesus Christ (Pro 3:5-6 drink waters from your own cistern).

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths [toward the safety found in the body of Christ].

We understand that the church is never going to be a large group, the Lord tells us so (Mat 22:14). We are a little flock (Luk 12:32) who are grateful for whatever increase God himself gives (1Co 3:7), and although the fields are white and ready to harvest (Joh 4:35), and we do pray for labourers (Mat 9:37-38), the fact remains that the remnant of God will always be just that in this life, a small Gideon-like army that is bringing glory and honour unto our Father who is delivering us through Christ (Rom 8:37).

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Joh 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

He is preparing us as those labourers who will be used to bring in the latter harvest of the rest of humanity (Oba 1:21). Our attitude should always be that we desire that all men will be saved, which they will be, and that all men could prophesy and speak of things that we are blessed to read and hear today (Num 11:29, Mat 13:16-17), however, God gives the increase and has never intended that there be great faith on this earth when He returns.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Num 11:29  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

But, in the end, God will be all in all (1Co 15:28) and the destruction of the prince of this world will see full destruction (Eph 2:2, Joh 12:31), “but in the want[ceasing, end, finality] of people is the destruction of the prince”.

Pro 14:28  Rulers of powerful nations are held in honor; rulers of weak nations are nothing at all. (Contemporary English Version)
Pro 14:28  A large population is a king’s glory.
But a prince without followers is destroyed. (New Int’l Readers Version)
Pro 14:28  In the multitude of a people, is the majesty of the king, but, in the ceasing of population, is the ruin of the prince. (Rotherham Emphasized Bible)

Pro 14:29  He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Being slow to wrath is the fruit of a sound heart that by God’s grace and the faith of Christ we are learning to possess our souls patiently with (Luk 21:19). Clearly it is when we are hearing the word in a good and honest heart that we will bring forth much fruit, and we will gain “great understanding” (Luk 8:15)

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Conversely it is those who are “hasty of spirit [who will] exalteth folly”, and there is no greater folly than to doubt that our Lord is going to return one day (2Pe 3:3-4, Luk 12:45-46).

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Luk 12:45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; [the bad fruit of those who are hasty of spirit and exalteth folly]
Luk 12:46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Pro 14:30  A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

We are the flesh and bones of Christ (Eph 5:30) and our sound heart is a gift from God (1Co 2:16) that we never want to take for granted as we die daily and stir up God’s spirit within us (Heb 2:3) so that a spirit of envy (1Ti 6:3-4, Tit 3:3,  Jas 4:5-7) should never start to create rottenness in those bones of Christ, “envy the rottenness of the bones”. If we keep God’s commandments demonstrating love toward one another (1Jn 5:2) and esteem each other better, those bones will remain strong and healthy and stay intact and not be spiritually broken, as Christ’s physical bones remained, typifying the body of Christ’s spiritual bones (Psa 34:20).

Jas 4:5  Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
Jas 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. “A sound heart is the life of the flesh”

Psa 34:20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. (Eph 5:30)

Pro 14:31  He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

God has called us to have mercy on the poor of this world as we have opportunity, and on those who are spiritually poor as we all once were in Babylon with no stay of bread or water (Isa 3:1). Not casting our pearls before swine does not exclude us from doing good unto all men, good that is done especially unto the household of faith (Gal 6:10). It is how we love our neighbour as ourselves that prevents us from oppressing the poor, who, when we do oppress we are doing so unto the Lord, “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker”.

Conversely when we love our neighbour as ourselves we are honouring our Father in heaven with those actions, “but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor”(1Pe 2:12-15)

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1Pe 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

Pro 14:32  The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

We have hope in our dying daily process knowing that it is Christ who is working in us as our hope of glory (Col 1:27) who gives us the power to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is in fact Him who is doing that work within us (Php 2:12-13, Heb 5:7). It is that work of faith within the body of Christ that is driving away the wickedness within us (1Jn 4:4). It is that “death” of the saints that is most precious to our Father (Psa 116:15).

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh (1Jn 4:3), when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;(1Jn 4:17)

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Psa 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Pro 14:33  Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.

We must labour to enter into Christ who is our sabbath rest, and with that rest comes understanding and peace that passes all understanding (Heb 4:8-11). Each holy day was on a sabbath for that reason, to remind us that God’s plan can only be understood and move forward within us by having the life of Christ within us who is our wisdom that we rest in (Mat 12:6-8).

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest (Php 2:12-13), lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

God is in the process of burning out all the foolishness within the midst of Christ’s body by pouring out the seven last plagues of His wrath upon us, which is the only way our shame can be covered so that we are no longer fools who are made known by our corrupt actions, but sons of God who are standing in the temple of God by the grace and faith of Christ that is teaching us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust in this life. [“I will have mercy, and not sacrifice = God’s mercy that is expressed in His judgements” (Rev 15:8, Tit 2:12-14)].

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Pro 14:34  Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

God’s people are likened unto a nation whose righteousness is of God that exalts us (1Pe 2:9), and ‘whatever we sow we will reap’ (Gal 6:7-8) is a statement of Christ that reminds us that “sin is a reproach to any people” and God is not mocked.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8  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.

Pro 14:35  The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.

Again in this study we are looking at how God deals with any corruption in our heart, burning it up so that body of Christ remains unified (Eph 2:8). His favour is toward the elect who are considered ‘wise servants’ who are in the process of trimming our lamps, and understand that in order for those lamps to burn brightly in this life we must experience His wrath against our old man of sin, “him that causeth shame”, which shame will be evident until it is overcome through the trials and much tribulation that God mercifully brings upon us (Heb 12:6). This is the life-long process the body of Christ has been blessed to be called unto, which will result in a unified body that is being “throughly furnished unto all good works”  (Heb 12:6-7, 1Pe 4:12, Rev 3:18, 2Ti 3:17).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.