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“But godliness with contentment is great gain” Part 1

(Pro 17:1-7)

Pro 17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.
Pro 17:2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.
Pro 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
Pro 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Pro 17:5 Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
Pro 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Pro 17:7 Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. 

In this section of proverbs the focus will be on the subject of “godliness with contentment” and how that can be obtained by heeding the admonitions that God gives us in His word (Eph 5:14-16, Col 4:5).

Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

The verses that precede the phrase “but godliness with contentment is great gain” are these, (1Ti 6:1-5), and they help set the stage for the verses we will be looking at today to help us see what we can do through Christ to grow in a mind of thankfulness and gratitude, being content whether we have a little or a lot (Php 4:11-13).

1Ti 6:1  Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. [amongst the gentiles 1Pe 2:12]
1Ti 6:2  And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
1Ti 6:3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;(1Co 4:6)
1Ti 6:4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Pro 17:1  Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

This verse reminds us that it’s not what you have that matters (Luk 12:15), rather how you possess your souls, and that is a matter of being in a right relationship with our Father and the world around us (Deu 13:3, Mat 22:37-40, Mat 19:19).

Maybe a dry morsel doesn’t sound very appetizing to us, but when we parallel this proverb with these verses,  (Mar 7:25-29), it becomes clear that this “dry morsel” with the sound mind of Christ will bring quietness and peace to our souls.

Mar 7:25  For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
Mar 7:26  The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Mar 7:27  But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
Mar 7:28  And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. [“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith”]
Mar 7:29  And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

The house “full of sacrifices” represents the many sacrifices being accomplished in the court, which represents the churches of this world, but there is strife there because these sacrifices do not cleanse our conscience (Heb 9:9, Heb 9:14, Heb 10:22) which is only possible by the blood of Christ and the washing of the word (Heb 9:23, 1Sa 15:22). It takes but a little faith of Christ, “a dry morsel”, “faith as a grain of mustard seed”, to remove the mountains in our life (Mat 17:20), as opposed to those days when we were spiritually blind and ever searching and not able to come to the knowledge of the truth even when we were “full of sacrifices”.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. [“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith”] (Pro 15:16, Pro 16:8)

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices [“full of sacrifices”], as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Pro 17:2  A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

Christ is our wisdom (1Co 1:29-31) and the one who can give us the power to rule over “a son that causeth shame”. The “son that causeth shame” typifies the false doctrines of Babylon that by God’s grace we are rooting out of our heavens in the hope that we “shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren” as we “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:9-15).

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness [“rule over a son that causeth shame”] which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Pro 17:3  The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

The “fining pot^H4715” and “the furnace^H3564” are environments that are used to refine precious metals, and are analogous of our bodies, these “earthen vessels”  in “a crucible to remove the impurities and pour into a mold” (the definition of fining pot H4715), or a “smelting furnace” (the definition of furnace H3564), where the pearl of great price is formed within us (Mat 13:46, Col 1:27), our great treasure, Christ, who is hidden in these earthen vessels that we are (2Co 4:7-10).

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. [“but the LORD trieth the hearts”]
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Pro 17:4  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

The wickedness of man’s heart was on display when Christ was being falsely accused by the counsels of his day (Mat 26:59-61), and we are warned by our Lord that we will go through the same thing for standing on God’s word (Luk 12:11-12).

Mat 26:59  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
Mat 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
Mat 26:61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

Luk 12:11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
Luk 12:12  For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. [Joh 16:13]

Our goal then is to overcome the “wicked doer” within us and any “false lips”, and to not give ear to gossip or “a naughty tongue”. All these admonitions are expounded on, in these verses in the book of Titus (Tit 2:1-10).

Tit 2:1  But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
Tit 2:2  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
Tit 2:3  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Tit 2:4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Tit 2:5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Tit 2:6  Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
Tit 2:7  In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
Tit 2:8  Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Tit 2:9  Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
Tit 2:10  Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

How the conditions are going to be created in our hearts and minds to take on these Godly qualities spoken of in (Tit 2:1-10) is revealed in the very next verses we are so familiar with (Tit 2:11-13, Heb 12:6)

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [paideuō] 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 (We are being corrected so that we continue to look unto the author and finisher of our faith with hope in our hearts Heb 12:2, Col 1:27, Rom 12:1-2), and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [paideuō], and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Pro 17:5   Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

We all in our appointed time ‘mock the poor’, and in our ignorance we ‘reproach our Maker’ (Pro 14:31), who identifies with those who are “poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa 66:2).

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

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

It is Christ who was oppressed and mocked by His accusers for our sakes (2Co 4:15-16) so that we can  receive the comfort that our Father gave him (2Co 1:4, Heb 4:15-16) under those most humiliating circumstances (Mat 26:65-70,  Rom 8:28)

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes (Heb 4:15-16), that the abundant grace (Rom 5:10) might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Mat 26:65  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Mat 26:66  What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
Mat 26:67  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
Mat 26:68  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? (Rom 5:10)
Mat 26:69  Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
Mat 26:70  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [Christ’s experience of evil was for the sake of His own body (Rom 5:10), the church, who are now filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ, and able to be comforted by the author and finisher of our faith unto salvation (Col 1:24)]

It is Christ who we are all naturally against at first, and the spirit of God that is within him and his body (Act 26:14), until we become God’s witnesses of these things, of his power that makes us more than conquerors through Him (Luk 24:48, Rev 11:3). Prior to that we are naturally against Christ and his Christ, and glad at the calamity of Christ lying dead in the streets of Jerusalem (Act 4:26-27, Rev 11:9-10).

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; [“he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished”] because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Pro 17:6  Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

God’s word is unsearchable and the “old men” in this verse is the positive use of ‘old man’, meaning someone who is mature in the Lord and has many scriptures laid up in his or her heavens, which storing up is likened unto “children’s children” and is a crown of honour to the mature man that typifies the crown of glory that God will give to those who are in that blessed and holy first resurrection (1Pe 5:4). We glory in God in all things, and we will especially do so one day Lord willing, when see Him face to face (1Co 13:12) acknowledging all the works that He has accomplished through the weak of the world (Rev 4:10-11).

1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 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.

Pro 17:7  Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

This last verse we will look at is a reminder to try the spirits of all men, look at the fruit of their life, and if their actions don’t add up with their words then you know that this man’s religion is in vain (Jas 1:26-27).

Jas 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The other side of this coin is to pray that our conduct and our behaviour and our speech is seasoned with salt (Col 4:6), glorifying God so that our accusers cannot find fault in finding us as princes who lips that are lying (1Pe 2:12).

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt (Mar 9:49), that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

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.

When we live a Godly and contented life, God is being glorified as great gain, or treasure is laid up in heaven for us, which He has ordained to be there from the foundation of the world (Mat 25:34, Eph 1:4, Rev 17:8, Eph 2:8-10).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.