Audio Download

“Earnestly Contend For The Faith Which Was Once Delivered Unto The Saints”

(Pro 27:3-8)

[Study Aired March 26, 2026]

Pro 27:3  A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
Pro 27:4  Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
Pro 27:5  Open rebuke is better than secret love.
Pro 27:6  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Pro 27:7  The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Pro 27:8  As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.

As we studied last week, boasting is excluded by the law of faith (Rom 3:27), and it is not the hearers of the law who are justified of God but the doers (Rom 2:13), and the doers are that little remnant who have God’s holy spirit within them (Rom 8:9) making it possible for us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is Christ who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:12-13). His good pleasure is to give us the kingdom which can only happen by our being given the power we need to lose our lives for this high calling in Christ, as we are dragged to Him (Joh 6:44) and given spiritual increase that only comes from God (Mat 25:4, 1Co 3:6), which will be needed to endure to the end (Mat 10:39, Rom 11:18-22, 1Co 3:6, Mat 24:13).

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake (Joh 6:68) shall find it. (Heb 10:38, Gal 2:12)

Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back^G5288, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back^G5289 unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Gal 2:12  For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew^G5288 and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

G5288 hupostellō hoop-os-tel’-lo
From G5259 and G4724; to withhold under (out of sight), that is, (reflexively) to cower or shrink, (figuratively) to conceal (reserve): – draw (keep) back, shun, withdraw.
Total KJV occurrences: 4

G5289 hupostolē hoop-os-tol-ay’
From G5288; shrinkage (timidity), that is, (by implication) apostasy: – draw back.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

With the verses will look at this week, (Pro 27:3-16), there are some very close connecting thoughts found in the book of James that should help further explain the meaning of these proverbs and why there will always be a need for us to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”.

Pro 27:3  A stone is heavy^H3514, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
Pro 27:4  Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

The main point to be taken from these proverbs is that physical burdens can be grievous, but foolish anger is far more dangerous because it controls the heart (those who come to say my lord delays his coming, end up being angry and beating the menservants, not possessing their souls patiently as we must Luk 12:45). These two proverbs, (Pro 14:29-30, Pro 16:32), are closely related to the ones we’re looking at.

H3514 kôbed From H3513; weight, multitude, vehemence: – grievousness, heavy, great number.

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 16:32  He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Here are a couple of examples in God’s word that demonstrate the destructive power of wrath and envy (Jas 4:4-5), which can only be overcome through Christ (Gen 4:1-8, 1Sa 18:1-26).

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Jas 4:5  Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?[We have to overcome that spirit of man within that naturally wants to fit in and be friends with this world (2Co 6:17)]

Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? (Eph 1:6) and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Gen 4:8  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.(Rev 20:8)

Cain who represents our old man did not have mastery over his anger, but it grew and led to murder. His anger was heavier than anything he could carry in other words, and is the point of this story, that without Christ through whom we are accepted we cannot overcome sin. It is only upon the burnt offering that represents Christ that we can be accepted of God (Eph 1:6). Cain was instructed, he knew to do well, but did not do well by not offering his offering upon a burnt offering as Abel did, who represents the elect. Not including the required burnt offering represents a self-righteous spirit that cannot yet acknowledge the continual need for Christ’s righteousness to be ruling and reigning in our hearts as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is Christ who is doing this work within us, “both to will and to do of his good pleasure”  (Php 2:12-13, Php 3:9).

These essential studies of “the law offerings” go into great detail regarding our acceptance of God through Jesus Christ.

iswasandwillbe.com/the-law-offerings introduction/

Pro 27:5  Open rebuke is better than secret love.
Pro 27:6  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Christ, exemplifies these proverbs perfectly. He often rebuked openly, out of love and a desire for repentance and growth. These things were written for our admonition upon whom the end of the ages are come (1Co 10:11, Heb 12:6).

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

In (Mat 23:27-28), Christ openly criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, saying they were like “whitewashed tombs” full of dead men’s bones. This rebuke was not secretive and demonstrated that “open rebuke is better than secret love.”

Likewise, Christ corrected His disciples when they misunderstood His teachings, as when Peter rebuked Jesus for speaking of His suffering, and Jesus responded openly, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mat 16:23). Here, the “faithful wounds” of correction were meant to protect and guide, contrasting sharply with deceitful praise that misleads.

The main point being that before the receiving of the holy spirit on Pentecost we cannot savour the things of God, and Peter as he often was, had preeminence in the negative sense, and so was corrected before the others. Peter typifies the church experiencing God’s judgement in this life first (1Pe 4:17).

Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Pro 27:7  The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

This proverb is an admonition against avarice and the need for the miracle from God to continue to have a hunger and thirst for His righteousness (Mat 5:6). It is Christ’s words that are likened unto honey (Pro 25:16, Psa 119:103) and if we have a true hunger and thirst for righteousness in this life, even the bitter things, the admonition, the correction, will be sweet unto us knowing that those bitter stripes in our belly will bring healing spiritually to us (Pro 20:30, Psa 19:12).

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger [“to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet”] and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Pro 25:16  Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

Psa 119:103  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Pro 20:30  The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

Psa 19:12  Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Pro 27:8  As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.

There are many positive and negative examples that can accompany this proverb, and all things work together for the good for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). All the promises in Christ are ‘yes’, and so when we look at what I call the negative examples, we should keep in mind that they are only negative for our flesh, but are working out a greater purpose for those who are being redeemed of the Lord in this age (Psa 107:2, 2Co 1:20).

Positive examples of leaving one’s place

Proverbs 27:8 warns that “as a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place”, highlighting the instability and vulnerability of those who leave their proper place or calling (Heb 10:25). Yet the Bible also shows positive examples of leaving one’s place when it is done in faith (Rom 14:23).

Ruth, for instance, left her homeland of Moab and chose to go with Naomi to Bethlehem (Rth 1:22). Though she physically wandered from her familiar home, her movement was intentional, guided by loyalty and faith in God. Ruth typifies the church who are led of the spirit of God through this life (Rom 8:14-16).

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Similarly, Lot, who had settled near Sodom, faced imminent danger when the city was condemned. When God commanded him to flee, his departure from Sodom preserved his life, demonstrating that leaving one’s place under God’s direction is a source of safety and protection rather than instability and death, even despite our resistance to obey.

Lot typifies the elect who by God’s grace and the faith of Christ will be dragged out of situations where God does not want us. He preserves the elect and delivers us from ourselves, all typified by the angels that came and took Lot out of the cities that would ultimately be destroyed by God. Those cities and nations represent our sins and the pulls of sin in this life that by little and by little we will overcome (Exo 23:30, Deu 7:22), and the messengers or the angels that we are to each other play a critical role in that deliverance (Gen 19:1-30, Pro 11:14, Pro 15:22, Pro 24:6, Luk 17:27-30, Luk 18:5-8).

Gen 19:1  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war:(Gen 19:1) and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Heb 11:7, Pro 22:3, Pro 27:12)
Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. (1Pe 4:17-18)
Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Luk 18:5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luk 18:6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? (We are to be that importunate widow for each other, learning of the forbearance and longsuffering of God (Rom 2:4))
Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Abraham provides another example: he left Ur of the Chaldees in response to God’s call, wandering into the unknown, yet faithfully following God’s guidance. His journey led to the establishment of God’s covenant, blessing and inheritance.

This again typifies for God’s elect how the faith of Christ works in our lives today, and the need to possess our souls patiently after we have done the will of God (Heb 10:35-39). That faith-filled life of the elect will lead to an inheritance of being saviours of the world (Oba 1:21), which was typified by Abraham expressed in these promises to him in (Gen 22:17-18, Heb 11:8-10, Rev 14:4, Luk 14:26-28).

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Gen 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; (Mat 16:18)
Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.(Rom 8:14-16) These were redeemed from among men, (Psa 107:2) being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Heb 11:9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.(Eph 2:10, Psa 127:1)

Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower,(Heb 11:10) sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

Joseph, though forcibly removed from his home and sold into Egypt, remained faithful, and his displacement became the instrument through which God would save the nations from physical famine. God’s elect like Joseph are displaced and go where the Lord leads us as we are dragged to Him, so that we can be made ready and provide the spiritual food that Babylon does not possess (Isa 3:1, Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17, Oba 1:21).

Negative examples of leaving one’s place

The proverb “As a bird that leaves its nest, so is a man who leaves his home” is clearly shown many times in the Old Testament. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve left the place God had appointed them in the Garden of Eden by disobeying His command, becoming vulnerable and exposed, much like a bird away from its nest. Similarly, the nation of Israel in the wilderness wandered physically and spiritually when they distrusted God, abandoning the “place” of faith and dependence He had given them,(1Co 10:11) which brought trials and judgment (Psa 107:4-7).

On an individual level, King Saul strayed from his God-given role by disobeying God’s commands, resulting in the loss of God’s favor and ultimately the kingdom (1Sa 13:13-14, 1Sa 15:22-23). Likewise, the unfaithful leaders of Israel, including prophets and priests who neglected their responsibilities, abandoned their appointed “places” of care for the people, leaving them exposed and vulnerable, as described in (Jer 23:1-2) and Ezekiel 34. In each case, the Old Covenant illustrates that straying from one’s proper place leads to disorder, weakness, and judgment, just as a bird is endangered when it leaves its nest. One last example that comes to mind is (Jud 1:3-8).

Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jud 1:5  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
Jud 1:6  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jud 1:7  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Jud 1:8  Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

In reflecting on (Pro 27:3-8) and the related scriptures, we see a clear call to faithfulness, discernment, and obedience. The weight of wrath and envy reminds us of the dangers of an uncontrolled heart, while faithful rebuke and correction exemplify the love and guidance God provides through Christ (Heb 12:6). True spiritual nourishment comes not from comfort alone, but from a hunger for righteousness, allowing even bitter lessons to bring growth and healing.

Finally, whether in stability or in displacement, our place is found in God’s purpose—wandering without Him leads to vulnerability, yet walking in faith, as Abraham, Ruth, and Joseph demonstrate, leads to blessing and fulfillment. Therefore, we are exhorted to earnestly contend for the faith delivered to the saints, trusting in God’s wisdom, mercy, and sustaining power to guide us, correct us, and strengthen us in every circumstance (Heb 10:36, Luk 21:19-22).

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luk 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains;(Psa 121:1, Heb 12:1-2) and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.