Proverbs 26 “To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge” Part 4  

(Pro 26:13-16)

[Study Aired March 5, 2026]

Pro 26:13  The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
Pro 26:14  As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.
Pro 26:15  The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
Pro 26:16  The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

In this study of (Pro 26:13-16) we’ll review how Christ who is our wisdom (1Co 1:30) works within our hearts and minds (Jer 17:9) to lead us unto repentance (Rom 2:4) by the power of God’s holy spirit. God’s words which are spirit (Joh 6:63) become a lamp unto our path (Psa 119:105), that helps us discern His will that takes us out of a direction of spiritual slothfulness into a liberty in Christ, that produces a zealousness to do what is right in the temple of God that is being cleansed as we are “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (Rom 8:14-17, 2Co 7:9-11 ,  2Co 3:17-18).

2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Paul beseeches us (Rom 12:1-3) to present our lives a living sacrifice in order to overcome this slothful spirit, and John also explains the same message of not loving the world or being conformed to it so that we can discern the will of God (1Jn 2:15-17) which, when accomplished by God’s holy spirit within us (Zec 4:6, 2Co 3:17), will lead us into the glorious liberty of the children of God, even now (Joh 2:17, Rom 8:21, 1Jn 3:1).

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (Joh 17:3)

Joh 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. (1Co 3:16, Php 2:12-13)

Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

In order “to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge”(Joh 17:3), we must be granted to see all these negative traits found in these proverbs, within our own heavens first (Pro 16:4), and continue to overcome them by the goodness of God that is expressed in “the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering” (Rom 2:4) traits of our heavenly Father that are used to continue to receive his children in this age (Heb 12:6, Tit 2:12-13).

Pro 26:13  The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

This verse can be seen as referring to Christ who is the lion of the tribe of David who is the way, the narrow way in the streets, meaning in life, where God willing we are being consumed by His zealous spirit that is working within us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure (Rev 5:4-5, Mat 7:13-14, Php 2:12-13).

Adam and Eve hid themselves in the garden and did not want to be judged by Christ who is the lion in the streets (Gen 3:8). God’s elect are being dragged to the altar which is the cross, where we die daily (Joh 6:44, 1Co 15:31) for the purpose of being cleansed by that light that is Christ within us, our hope of glory who is able to cleanse the temple from all sin (1Jn 1:6-10, 1Jn 3:1-3).

1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:(Heb 10:25)
1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.(Col 1:27, Rom 8:9)

The lion in the street can also be taken as meaning Satan who is the god of this world going to and fro seeking who he may devour in the streets (Job 1:7, 1Pe 5:6-8).

Job 1:7  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

The solution to overcoming the second lion is found by drawing close to Christ who is greater than him who is in the world (Jas 4:7-10, Luk 18:1, 1Pe 5:6-7, Php 4:6-7, Luk 22:31-32, 1Jn 4:4).

Jas 4:9  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:(Luk 18:1, 1Jn 4:17) and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

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.

Pro 26:14  As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.

There is a negative and positive use of a door and a bed, and the negative door is the one that “the door turneth upon his hinges” like “the slothful upon his bed”.

Pro 26:14  Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges. (GNB)

Positively, the “bed” is undefiled in Christ because our labours in Him are holy and undefiled, and predestined from the foundation of the world (Heb 4:3, Eph 1:3-5, Heb 6:1).

Heb 4:3  For we which have believed [Joh 6:28-29] do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest [a predestined work] to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest [Php 2:12-13], 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.

[not acknowledging Christ doing the work within us is equated with slothful unbelief, and doing the work is equated with the faith of Christ “we which have believed [Joh 6:28-29] do enter into rest”].

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, [Luk 12:32, Luk 17:21]

Those works are being accomplished not by might or power but by God’s holy spirit, via the “door” (Php 2:12-13) who makes a way for us to bring forth much fruit through that door, that vine that Christ is to us.

If we contrast Jonah (Jon 1:4-6) with Christ (Mar 4:38-41) who are both asleep in ships in these stories it will help us understand how we are to enter into Christ’s rest through labouring in the word (Heb 3:18, Heb 4:11)

Jon 1:4  And the Lord sent out a great wind on to the sea and there was a violent storm in the sea, so that the ship seemed in danger of being broken.
Jon 1:5  Then the sailors were full of fear, every man crying to his god; and the goods in the ship were dropped out into the sea to make the weight less. But Jonah had gone down into the inmost part of the ship where he was stretched out in a deep sleep.

[We all start off as the foolish virgin as typified by Jonah in this story, and if we are God’s elect He deals with our spiritual inattentiveness, or slothfulness (Mat 25:5, Mat 26:40-41)]

Jon 1:6  And the ship’s captain came to him and said to him, What are you doing sleeping? Up! say a prayer to your God, if by chance God will give a thought to us, so that we may not come to destruction.

[trim your lamp by chance your God will give a thought to us]

Mar 4:37  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
Mar 4:38  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Mar 4:39  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

[Christ (Mat 25:4) our hope of glory within (Col 1:27), is in the hinder part of the ship G4403, the area where the stern is, which is critical for the navigation of the ship Psa 107:13, Psa 107:19, Php 2:12-13]

Mar 4:40  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

[Christ’s rhetorical question because no faith had yet been given]

Mar 4:41  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

[they were still focused on the outward miracle and not able to answer Christ as to why they have no faith. This all representing us before we were given the faith of Christ that makes it possible for us to enter into Christ’s rest]

Heb 3:18  And to whom did he make an oath that they might not come into his rest? was it not to those who went against his orders?
Heb 3:19  So we see that they were not able to go in because they had no belief. (1Jn 5:4)

Pro 26:15  The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

A strong illustration of (Pro 26:15) is found in the Parable of the Talents in (Mat 25:24-30). The servant who received one talent hid it in the ground, did nothing with it, and excused his inaction. This mirrors the proverb well: the sluggard hides his hand, and the servant hides his talent in the earth, earth, earth that we are (Jer 22:29). Both avoid exertion, and both suffer loss because of their unwillingness to act. It takes God’s process of judgements in our earth, earth, earth for us to become a special people who are zealous of good works (Tit 2:14).

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.

The servant was not asked to do something extreme—only to use what he had been given—yet even that felt like too much. His inactivity is a parable telling us what Christ told us, that we could of our own selves do nothing without him (Joh 5:30, Joh 15:5).

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Those works, are works which are being done in the earth where the talent was buried. This is the point of the proverb and that parable of Christ, that the world does not understand and neither do God’s elect until were given to see that it is only Christ who can do those works through us as we continue to abide in the vine (Joh 15:5).

If we don’t acknowledge that it is Christ, and that we don’t have free will, those works are yet talents in the earth, symbolized by the unaccepted wheat offering of Cain that was not upon a burnt offering as his brother Abel’s was (Gen 4:3-7).

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

A similar pattern appears in the account of the foolish virgins in (Mat 25:1-13). They brought lamps but failed to bring oil. They began the process but did not prepare fully. Like the sluggard who will not finish lifting food to his mouth, they started but did not follow through, and their lack of readiness cost them dearly and is an admonition that by God’s grace and the faith of Christ (Eph 2:8-9), God’s elect will take heed in this age and be made ready and scarcely be saved through a process of judgement (1Pe 4:17-18).

This again is another parable that admonishes God’s elect and reminds us that we are being received of God to burn this spirit of the sluggard out of us (Heb 12:6, Tit 2:11-12), so that ultimately we can glorify God with the predestined works that He has called the body of Christ unto.

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.

In our appointed time we are the first to say ‘haven’t I done many wonderful works, haven’t I trimmed my lamp’, etc. The truth is that once that man of perdition is destroyed from the temple of our hearts where we boast in our flesh,  then all such boasting is done away by the brightness of Christ’s coming into our heavens that tries our faith, so that it becomes precious in God’s sight (2Th 2:3-8,  Rom 3:27, 1Pe 1:7).

It is Christ’s tried faith that puts an end to that boastful spirit and then we begin to no longer hide our talent in the earth but rather lay up treasure in heaven through Christ (Mat 6:20). The only works that are accepted of God are those that are accompanied with a burnt offering that symbolizes our acknowledging that Christ is the one doing the work through us. The many who come up in the great white throne, lake of fire judgement, second resurrection, are the majority of humanity who did not have God’s spirit within them, and like the rich young ruler whom Christ loved (Mar 10:21), cannot follow Christ in this age, and will come up in the second resurrection claiming they have done many wonderful works, not knowing that those works were all hidden in the earth, like the talent that was buried in the earth (Mat 19:23, Mat 25:18).

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

Another vivid example is the neglected field described in (Pro 24:30-34). The field is overgrown with thorns, the wall broken down, and everything deteriorated through neglect. The owner likely once intended to tend it, but repeated small acts of avoidance that led to ruin. This captures the “it grieveth him” mindset—where even necessary effort feels burdensome. In each case, what was needed was not extraordinary strength, but simple, faithful action that was continually put off.

Once again the story was written for God’s elect today to remind us that if we are faithful in little we will be faithful in lots (Luk 16:10), and that faithfulness will stem from our being given to not neglect so great a salvation, as God drags us to Christ, who permits us to bring forth much fruit to His glory in whom we first trusted (Heb 6:3, Eph 1:12). In other words we bring nothing to the table, and despite ourselves what God has started in us He will finish through the author and finisher of our faith, not by our might, or power, but by God’s holy spirit (Zec 4:6).

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Pro 26:16  The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

It takes a miracle for us to finally confess that we ‘are the man’ (2Sa 12:7) and that all our wise indictments of others’ bad behaviour is pointless and hypocritical if we don’t see ourselves as the chief of sinners in need of going through much tribulation, all the seals, trumpets, and vials, in order to enter into His rest. We can’t naturally do this in our flesh which does not have the power or might to open those seals without Christ giving us the power to do so. A process of judgement is being granted to the body of Christ in this age that can only be accomplished through Christ (Rev 13:4, Rev 5:1-5, 1Pe 4:17-18).

2Sa 12:7  And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Rev 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Rev 5:3  And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:4  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.(Col 1:27)

The sluggard who is wise in his own conceits is each one of us, who can’t hear  “seven men that can render a reason” because of that conceit in our hearts that needs to be burnt out by the seals, the trumpets and the vials of God so that we can enter into the temple of God (Rev 15:8).

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.

The seven men represent the complete counsel of the church which the spiritual sluggard in me cannot receive until that spirit is burnt out of me through judgement. We are confident in our flesh that we can do what God asks of us, but in reality it is only Christ in us as, our hope of glory who can make a way where there seems to be none so that we can drink the cup that we are called unto (Mat 20:22-23).

Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked” – Part 1

(Pro 24:1-18)

[Study Aired January 8, 2026]

Why would we fret because of evil men, and why would we be envious of them? This entire chapter of Proverbs 24 gives us the answer to these questions, and will put us in remembrance of Christ who is building His temple, His body, the church (Psa 127:1), so that we can be strong against all the wiles of the devil (Eph 6:10-11) at the end of this age, our age, so that having done all we will be able to stand (Eph 6:12-19,  Mat 20:22-23, Mar 14:24-25).

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Eph 6:19  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. (Col 1:27, Luk 17:21)

Pro 24:1  Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
Pro 24:2  For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

What an apt description of humanity throughout history, right from the get-go. We have learned of war, “studieth destruction”, and have waxed worse and worse, the sins of the Amorites being fulfilled “in the fourth generation”, the fourth symbolizing the whole of humanity that will come to this understanding of the warring nature of the beast we are (Gen 15:16, Ecc 3:18).

Our lips talk of mischief and witness against us for years until the day of evil that God created is revealed and we come into judgement which has begun on the house of God (Pro 16:4, 1Pe 4:17).

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

We are told to not be envious against evil men, because before judgement comes upon us that is exactly what we do; we are envious of their supposed wealth and we want to surround ourselves around those who are doing well in the earth (Psa 73:1-3).

Psa 73:1  A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel (Gal 6:16), even to such as are of a clean heart (Joh 1:47).
Psa 73:2  But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
Psa 73:3  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

All of this changes when we begin to be shown the man of perdition within our own hearts (2Th 2:2-4), who is being destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming into our heavens that are being cleansed so that we no longer “study destruction”, or “speak with lips of mischief”, no longer savouring the things of this world (Psa 73:3-9), but are blessed to have minds that are set on the things that are above and not on the earth (Col 3:2, Eph 5:2).

2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.(Mat 24:26-27 the brightness is lightning that represents God’s judgements in our heavens)
2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Psa 73:3  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (the one who prospers in the earth is the man of perdition who must be destroyed)
Psa 73:4  For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
Psa 73:5  They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Psa 73:7  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
Psa 73:8  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
Psa 73:9  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling
savour.

Pro 24:3  Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
Pro 24:4  And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Remember those chambers of (Mat 24:26-27). There is a positive and negative ‘chamber’, and it is Christ who positively fills the chambers of our hearts and minds with all precious and pleasant riches, revealing exceeding great and precious promises (2Pe 1:4) which tell us that he who is our wisdom (1Co 1:30) is going to build the temple that we are, and by understanding establish it (Psa 127:1, Joh 2:19).

Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Pro 24:5  A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Pro 24:7  Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

We can’t open our mouths in the gate where we should be going to receive the counsel that we need (“the gate” is the place where the rulers of the city sit in judgment), but when the fit man Jesus Christ (Lev 16:21) lays hold of the scapegoat that we are, we take on a new strength, that being the life of Christ within us who is our sufficiency in this life (2Co 3:5): “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength”.

If we are being led by the spirit of God (Rom 8:14-15) we will be seeking out wise counsel, and that is where we will find liberty, and safety (2Co 3:17).

That is the wisdom that is too high for our foolish flesh that cannot open our foolish mouth in the gate to speak nor to even seek out that wise counsel, which we must partake of in this life in order to overcome and endure to the end (Psa 73:22, Jer 5:4).

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Jer 5:4  Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

There are many verses with the word “counsel” in them, and those words are spirit and they are profitable (Joh 6:63).

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 19:20  Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Pro 19:21  There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Pro 20:18  Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Pro 21:30  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

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

Pro 27:9  Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.

Pro 24:8  He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
Pro 24:9  The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

These verses continue to demonstrate the fruits of one who does not understand nor receive counsel and is what produces thoughts of foolishness, which is sin. We end up being scorners who look down on the body of Christ, ‘going it alone’ and thinking that his relationship with Christ is solely between him and Christ, becoming an “abomination to men” because of this stubborn and self-righteous approach that Saul in us naturally takes, not seeking counsel, or obeying what God tells us to do (1Sa 15:22-23).

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity (Eze 33:13) and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Pro 24:10  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
Pro 24:11  If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
Pro 24:12  If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

God sees all of mankind’s strength as being small, “thy strength is small”, because we all initially trust in our own arm and not that of the Lord, until the trials start to come that humble our flesh (2Co 1:9). All men’s hearts will faint in the day of adversity, starting with the elect who, out of that adversity, will cry out unto God and will be heard (Act 9:4-5).

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Initially we can’t help others, because we are yet carnal babes in Christ, and so it is written “thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain” [not able to help those who are dying daily (1Co 15:31), being drawn to death, and ready to be slain].

Our works are being tried at this time, and at first we do say, “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not [pleading ignorance is no excuse in a court of law]; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”. However, if God is working with us in this age, we will come to know that we are His workmanship going unto perfection because of His mercy shown to his children in this age, “as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (1Co 3:9-15, Heb 6:1-6, Mal 4:2-3, Mal 3:16-18).

1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
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. [shall not he render to every man according to his works?]
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.

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.
Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Pro 24:13  My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
Pro 24:14  So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

The honey is likened unto God’s word that is sweet in the mouth and bitter in the belly, and if God will permit we will be granted the strength needed via the bread of life (Psa 104:15) to endure that bitterness that represents the seven last plagues that must be poured out upon us in order to go unto maturity in Christ (Rev 15:8).

Keeping the knowledge and wisdom of God, abiding in the truth, will set us free (Joh 8:32) and “there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off”(Pro 23:17-19).

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Pro 23:17  Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
Pro 23:18  For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Pro 23:19  Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

Pro 24:15  Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
Pro 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
Pro 24:17  Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Pro 24:18  Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

There are two main admonitions in these verses for us. One is speaking to our younger less mature stage in Christ when we blindly lay wait against our older more mature members in Christ, “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief”(Rom 14:1-4).

Rom 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

The second admonition is speaking of our not despising those who are less mature, but bearing their infirmity all our life as Christ has done with us, and is doing, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him”(Rom 15:1).

Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

Next week, Lord willing, we will pick up where we left off, (Pro 24:19-34), as we continue to see why we should not fret because of evil and lawless men, with a strong emphasis on this part of the proverb that says, “Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked”.

Do not be beset by the sin within you that is being destroyed by Christ (Heb 12:1-2), and do not be discouraged or dismayed at a world that is failing and promised to come to the brink of destruction, not just physically, which could happen at any given moment in this nuclear age, but especially spiritually, all for our sakes to remind us that God is judging the nations within us and giving us victory over them through that judgment (Mat 24:6-9).

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.

Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

The world has already been ‘spiritually cursed’ (Mal 3:9)and is reaching that zenith of sin by God’s counsel and design, called the sins of the Amorites that must be fulfilled initially in us, and then, Lord willing, as the elect we will go through a lifetime of much tribulation in order to overcome this world of sin within, and be made ready for our Lord’s return (Act 14:22) that will come at the appointed time.

Lord help us to remain faithful watchmen to the very end (Luk 21:36, Mat 24:13).

Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Gemstones: The Anointed Cherub in Eden: Understanding Ezekiel 28, Part 2

From Rebellion to Fulfillment: From External Covering to Internal Foundation

[Study Aired January 6, 2025]

The progression of precious stones in Scripture reveals a deliberate and purposeful movement in God’s design. What appears at first as ornamentation and external glory is shown, through judgment and refinement, to be preparatory rather than final. The numerical and structural patterns associated with these stones expose the limitation of the natural man and the necessity of transformation.

The breastplate of the high priest bore twelve stones set in gold—tribes carried externally before God through mediated righteousness. This arrangement, though ordered and divinely appointed, remained external. The people themselves were not transformed; they were represented. Scripture consistently testifies that such external glory cannot change the heart.

The description of the anointed cherub introduces a decisive shift. The twelve stones are reduced to nine, and gold is no longer merely a setting but stands alongside the stones themselves. This is not loss, but refinement. The reduction signals judgment, destruction and completion of the natural man under chastening. The gold is no longer framing what must be preserved; it is being tested with it.

This progression reveals that rebellion was not an accident of creation, nor was judgment an emergency response. God created humanity within a divine framework, knowing that the natural man—when adorned externally but unchanged inwardly—would exalt himself. This condition was permitted, even ordained, so that God’s purpose might be fulfilled through judgment rather than bypassed by external religion.

The final vision resolves what the earlier patterns only foreshadowed. In the New Jerusalem, twelve stones appear again—but now as foundations. They are no longer coverings, no longer carried, no longer mediated. They support the city itself. No gold is mentioned separately, because the God’s nature has been fully internalized. What was once external glory has become internal structure.

This movement—from external covering to internal foundation—reveals the entire redemptive arc. What was outward in the natural creation becomes inward in the spiritual. What once adorned is now what sustains. The stones that once symbolized Israel after the flesh become the foundations of the spiritual house of God.

Scripture affirms this transformation:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” (Ephesians 2:19–20)

The natural man was never meant to remain clothed only in outward beauty. Nakedness in Scripture signifies spiritual poverty and need—a condition exposed when humanity stands apart from God’s righteousness. The church of Laodicea exemplifies this state, rich outwardly yet naked inwardly, counseled to seek gold refined by fire and true covering from Christ.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 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” (Revelation 3:17-18).

The stones that once served as temporary covering—like fig leaves fashioned by Adam—could never address the inward condition. God Himself demonstrated this when He replaced those coverings, pointing forward to the true provision that requires death, judgment, and transformation.

That true covering is Christ.

Christ: The True Covering and the Living Foundation

Christ fulfills what the stones could only signify. He does not merely adorn; He transforms. He does not cover temporarily; He becomes righteousness itself.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

To put on Christ is not to wear an external garment, but to receive a new nature. What the high priest bore upon stones, Christ bears within Himself. He does not carry our names symbolically; He carries us in truth, making continual intercession.

Likewise, Christ is not merely part of the foundation—He is the foundation.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11)

Those who are in Him are no longer adorned stones, but living ones:

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)

The anointed cherub in Eden therefore represents humanity in the midst of God’s transformative work—created natural, adorned with glory, subjected to judgment, and refined through fire. What begins as external beauty must give way to internal substance. What begins as covering must become foundation. What begins in the first Adam must be fulfilled in the Last Adam.

This movement does not end in loss, but in consummation. It does not repair a failure, but completes God’s original intent—bringing forth a people no longer clothed in borrowed glory, but built upon Christ Himself, prepared as a bride made ready, and formed into a habitation of God in spirit and in truth.

The Bride Made Ready

The culmination of this pattern appears in the bride of Christ, who receives what the anointed cherub merely foreshadowed—not external decoration but internal transformation:

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Supper of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:7-8).

The bride’s adornment is fine linen representing actual righteousness. Yet the city she inhabits displays precious stones as foundations—what was external covering in the natural has become internal foundation in the spiritual.

The anointed cherub in Eden, covered with nine precious stones and gold, represents not a fall from perfection but humanity in the midst of God’s transformative work—the natural foundation being tested by fire, the divine element being refined through judgment, completeness of the flesh being achieved through God’s chastening grace, all designed to bring us from the external to the internal, from the natural to the spiritual, from covering stones to being living stones in Christ’s eternal temple.

The Workmanship Prepared: Tabrets and Pipes

Ezekiel’s description of the anointed cherub includes a detail that is often overlooked, yet rich in spiritual meaning:

“The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” (Ezekiel 28:13)

These instruments were not developed over time, nor acquired through experience. They were prepared—fashioned by God and placed within the creature at creation. This statement reveals that humanity was created with an inherent capacity for expression, rhythm, and worship. Yet capacity does not equal fulfillment. What was prepared in the natural still required transformation to function spiritually.

The Hebrew word translated tabrets refers to a hand drum or tambourine, commonly associated with celebration and praise. The word translated pipes conveys the idea of hollowed spaces or channels—places through which breath or sound passes. Together, they speak of form and function, structure and expression, vessel and breath. Humanity was created as an instrument, designed to respond to God.

Yet Scripture makes a critical distinction: possessing instruments of worship is not the same as worshiping in spirit and truth. Jesus declared plainly:

“God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

The natural man may possess talent, expression, and even religious activity, yet remain incapable of true worship apart from the work of God’s Spirit. This distinction explains why external forms of worship can coexist with inward rebellion.

Scripture provides a clear illustration through David and Saul. When Saul was troubled by an evil spirit, David’s playing brought temporary relief:

“And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played… so Saul was refreshed.” (1 Samuel 16:23)

Yet as Saul’s rebellion deepened, the same music no longer subdued the torment. Instead, it provoked violence:

“And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul… and David played… And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin.” (1 Samuel 19:9–10)

The instrument did not change; the heart did. The episode demonstrates that external ministry—no matter how skillful—cannot overcome a heart that resists God’s purpose. The natural capacity for worship cannot substitute for spiritual transformation.

This principle applies directly to the anointed cherub. The tabrets and pipes were present from creation, yet they existed in a natural state. Without refinement, what was meant for worship will be corrupted into self-expression, pride, or performance. This is why Scripture warns against honoring God with lips while the heart remains far from Him (Isaiah 29:13-14).

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”

True worship emerges only when the inward man is renewed. Paul describes this transformation:

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23)

Only then can the instruments prepared in us fulfill their purpose—not as expressions of self, but as vessels through which God is glorified.

The anointed cherub’s workmanship therefore testifies to design, not completion. Humanity was created with the ability to respond to God, yet dependent upon God to bring that response into alignment with truth. Worship, like righteousness, cannot be manufactured from the flesh. It must be formed through judgment, humility, and submission.

This prepares us for the next revelation in Ezekiel 28: the identity of the anointed cherub that covereth, and the proximity of humanity to God’s presence—set there by God Himself, yet unable to remain without transformation.

The Covering Cherub, Iniquity Revealed, and Fire from Within

Ezekiel continues the lamentation with language that reveals both divine appointment and inevitable judgment:

“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so.” (Ezekiel 28:14)

This statement establishes God’s sovereignty over the cherub’s position. Nothing described in this passage is accidental or unauthorized. The cherub’s role was assigned, his proximity to God’s presence granted, and his function defined by God Himself. The anointing was not self-assumed, nor was the covering role usurped—it was given.

The term cherub consistently appears in Scripture in connection with God’s presence and restraint. Cherubim were placed at Eden’s gate to guard the way to the tree of life. Cherubim overshadowed the mercy seat, covering the place where blood would be applied. In every instance, they mark the boundary between God’s holiness and man’s access. That humanity is described as the “covering cherub” reveals both privilege and limitation—closeness without completion, access without permanence.

The text continues:

“Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:14)

The holy mountain signifies proximity to divine authority, while the stones of fire signify God’s purifying presence. Humanity was created near God’s glory, yet not immune to it. The nearness exposed what was present within.

The crucial turning point follows:

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” (Ezekiel 28:15)

The perfection described here is completeness for purpose, not moral finality. The iniquity was found—revealed, brought to light. Scripture does not say it was introduced, injected, or caused by an external force. It emerged as the natural man functioned within divine proximity. This exposure was not failure; it was revelation.

The source of the iniquity is then named:

“By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence.” (Ezekiel 28:16)

The language of merchandise describes trafficking—exchange for gain. Spiritually, it reveals the tendency of the natural man to traffic in what God has given, using wisdom, beauty, and proximity to divine things for self-exaltation. This trafficking does not remain neutral; it produces violence—distortion, misuse, and corruption of what is holy.

The heart of the issue is identified plainly:

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” (Ezekiel 28:17)

What God gave as a gift became the basis for pride. Beauty became self-regard. Wisdom became self-rule. This is the essential nature of the carnal mind—to take what is given and claim it as its own.

Judgment follows, but its form is instructive:

“Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee; it shall devour thee.” (Ezekiel 28:18)

The fire does not descend from outside; it arises from within. This is the same fire that Scripture elsewhere identifies as the testing of works and the revealing of truth. Pride collapses under the weight of divine exposure. What cannot endure God’s presence is consumed by it.

This fire reduces the covering cherub to ashes—not annihilation, but humbling. Ashes speak of mortality and surrender. The purpose is not destruction of being, but destruction of pretense.

Scripture affirms this refining purpose:

“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.” (1 Corinthians 3:13)

Judgment exposes what is false so that what is true may remain. The cherub is removed from the mountain not because God abandons His purpose, but because that purpose requires transformation. What was external must give way to what is internal. What was near must become united.

The covering cherub cannot remain as covering. The function must pass. The judgment makes way for something greater—access not guarded by cherubim, but opened through Christ.

This prepares for the final movement of the passage: not destruction without hope, but transformation unto glory; not exile without return, but judgment that yields new creation.

From the Anointed Cherub to Christ Formed Within — God’s Purpose Fulfilled

Ezekiel 28 does not end in ruin, but in revelation. What begins with beauty and wisdom exposed by pride concludes with judgment that serves God’s redemptive purpose. The lamentation over the anointed cherub is not the record of a failed creation, but the unveiling of a divine process—one that moves inexorably from the natural to the spiritual, from external glory to internal transformation.

Humanity was created near God’s presence, adorned with wisdom and beauty, yet subject to vanity by God’s own design. The iniquity that was found was not unforeseen, nor was the judgment that followed corrective improvisation. Scripture declares plainly that creation was subjected to corruption in hope—with the intent that deliverance would follow (Romans 8:20–21). The exposure of pride, the fire from within, and the reduction to ashes all serve this single end: the removal of what is false so that what is true may remain.

The anointed cherub must decrease. External covering must give way to internal substance. What was once guarded by cherubim is now accessed through Christ. The way barred at Eden is opened not by bypassing judgment, but by fulfilling it.

This fulfillment is found entirely in Christ, the Last Adam. Where the first man was earthy, Christ is heavenly. Where the first bore glory externally, Christ embodies it fully. Where the cherub covered, Christ indwells. The transformation Ezekiel 28 anticipates is realized not through restoration of the old, but through the creation of the new.

Scripture testifies:

“As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)

This is not metaphor alone—it is destiny. God’s purpose is not to preserve humanity in its first condition, but to conform it to the image of His Son. The fire that judges is the fire that refines. The death that humbles is the death that gives way to life.

What the anointed cherub foreshadowed, the bride of Christ embodies. She is no longer clothed in borrowed glory or adorned with temporary coverings. She is arrayed in righteousness formed within, prepared through judgment, and built upon an unshakable foundation. The stones that once served as covering now stand as structure. The gold once refined now endures.

This is the outcome God intended from the beginning—not repair of failure, but fulfillment of design. The natural man gives way to the spiritual. The first Adam yields to the Last. Pride is consumed, wisdom is purified, and what remains is a people fashioned not merely to stand before God, but to be His dwelling place.

Thus, Ezekiel 28 reveals more than judgment; it reveals hope. It shows us who we were, why we were created so, and what God is accomplishing through fire and grace. The anointed cherub is not the end of the story. Christ formed within is.

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)

Here the purpose is complete. God’s wisdom stands vindicated. Judgment has done its work. And what remains is not ashes—but glory.

From Rebellion to Fulfillment: From External Covering to Internal Foundation

The progression of precious stones in Scripture reveals a deliberate and purposeful movement in God’s design. What appears at first as ornamentation and external glory is shown, through judgment and refinement, to be preparatory rather than final. The numerical and structural patterns associated with these stones expose the limitation of the natural man and the necessity of transformation.

The breastplate of the high priest bore twelve stones set in gold—tribes carried externally before God through mediated righteousness. This arrangement, though ordered and divinely appointed, remained external. The people themselves were not transformed; they were represented. Scripture consistently testifies that such external glory cannot change the heart.

The description of the anointed cherub introduces a decisive shift. The twelve stones are reduced to nine, and gold is no longer merely a setting but stands alongside the stones themselves. This is not loss, but refinement. The reduction signals judgment, destruction and completion of the natural man under chastening. The gold is no longer framing what must be preserved; it is being tested with it.

This progression reveals that rebellion was not an accident of creation, nor was judgment an emergency response. God created humanity within a divine framework, knowing that the natural man—when adorned externally but unchanged inwardly—would exalt himself. This condition was permitted, even ordained, so that God’s purpose might be fulfilled through judgment rather than bypassed by external religion.

The final vision resolves what the earlier patterns only foreshadowed. In the New Jerusalem, twelve stones appear again—but now as foundations. They are no longer coverings, no longer carried, no longer mediated. They support the city itself. No gold is mentioned separately, because the God’s nature has been fully internalized. What was once external glory has become internal structure.

This movement—from external covering to internal foundation—reveals the entire redemptive arc. What was outward in the natural creation becomes inward in the spiritual. What once adorned is now what sustains. The stones that once symbolized Israel after the flesh become the foundations of the spiritual house of God.

Scripture affirms this transformation:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” (Ephesians 2:19–20)

The natural man was never meant to remain clothed only in outward beauty. Nakedness in Scripture signifies spiritual poverty and need—a condition exposed when humanity stands apart from God’s righteousness. The church of Laodicea exemplifies this state, rich outwardly yet naked inwardly, counseled to seek gold refined by fire and true covering from Christ.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 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” (Revelation 3:17-18).

The stones that once served as temporary covering—like fig leaves fashioned by Adam—could never address the inward condition. God Himself demonstrated this when He replaced those coverings, pointing forward to the true provision that requires death, judgment, and transformation.

That true covering is Christ.

Christ: The True Covering and the Living Foundation

Christ fulfills what the stones could only signify. He does not merely adorn; He transforms. He does not cover temporarily; He becomes righteousness itself.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

To put on Christ is not to wear an external garment, but to receive a new nature. What the high priest bore upon stones, Christ bears within Himself. He does not carry our names symbolically; He carries us in truth, making continual intercession.

Likewise, Christ is not merely part of the foundation—He is the foundation.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11)

Those who are in Him are no longer adorned stones, but living ones:

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)

The anointed cherub in Eden therefore represents humanity in the midst of God’s transformative work—created natural, adorned with glory, subjected to judgment, and refined through fire. What begins as external beauty must give way to internal substance. What begins as covering must become foundation. What begins in the first Adam must be fulfilled in the Last Adam.

This movement does not end in loss, but in consummation. It does not repair a failure, but completes God’s original intent—bringing forth a people no longer clothed in borrowed glory, but built upon Christ Himself, prepared as a bride made ready, and formed into a habitation of God in spirit and in truth.

The Bride Made Ready

The culmination of this pattern appears in the bride of Christ, who receives what the anointed cherub merely foreshadowed—not external decoration but internal transformation:

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Supper of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:7-8).

The bride’s adornment is fine linen representing actual righteousness. Yet the city she inhabits displays precious stones as foundations—what was external covering in the natural has become internal foundation in the spiritual.

The anointed cherub in Eden, covered with nine precious stones and gold, represents not a fall from perfection but humanity in the midst of God’s transformative work—the natural foundation being tested by fire, the divine element being refined through judgment, completeness of the flesh being achieved through God’s chastening grace, all designed to bring us from the external to the internal, from the natural to the spiritual, from covering stones to being living stones in Christ’s eternal temple.

The Workmanship Prepared: Tabrets and Pipes

Ezekiel’s description of the anointed cherub includes a detail that is often overlooked, yet rich in spiritual meaning:

“The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” (Ezekiel 28:13)

These instruments were not developed over time, nor acquired through experience. They were prepared—fashioned by God and placed within the creature at creation. This statement reveals that humanity was created with an inherent capacity for expression, rhythm, and worship. Yet capacity does not equal fulfillment. What was prepared in the natural still required transformation to function spiritually.

The Hebrew word translated tabrets refers to a hand drum or tambourine, commonly associated with celebration and praise. The word translated pipes conveys the idea of hollowed spaces or channels—places through which breath or sound passes. Together, they speak of form and function, structure and expression, vessel and breath. Humanity was created as an instrument, designed to respond to God.

Yet Scripture makes a critical distinction: possessing instruments of worship is not the same as worshiping in spirit and truth. Jesus declared plainly:

“God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

The natural man may possess talent, expression, and even religious activity, yet remain incapable of true worship apart from the work of God’s Spirit. This distinction explains why external forms of worship can coexist with inward rebellion.

Scripture provides a clear illustration through David and Saul. When Saul was troubled by an evil spirit, David’s playing brought temporary relief:

“And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played… so Saul was refreshed.” (1 Samuel 16:23)

Yet as Saul’s rebellion deepened, the same music no longer subdued the torment. Instead, it provoked violence:

“And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul… and David played… And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin.” (1 Samuel 19:9–10)

The instrument did not change; the heart did. The episode demonstrates that external ministry—no matter how skillful—cannot overcome a heart that resists God’s purpose. The natural capacity for worship cannot substitute for spiritual transformation.

This principle applies directly to the anointed cherub. The tabrets and pipes were present from creation, yet they existed in a natural state. Without refinement, what was meant for worship will be corrupted into self-expression, pride, or performance. This is why Scripture warns against honoring God with lips while the heart remains far from Him (Isaiah 29:13-14).

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”

True worship emerges only when the inward man is renewed. Paul describes this transformation:

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23)

Only then can the instruments prepared in us fulfill their purpose—not as expressions of self, but as vessels through which God is glorified.

The anointed cherub’s workmanship therefore testifies to design, not completion. Humanity was created with the ability to respond to God, yet dependent upon God to bring that response into alignment with truth. Worship, like righteousness, cannot be manufactured from the flesh. It must be formed through judgment, humility, and submission.

This prepares us for the next revelation in Ezekiel 28: the identity of the anointed cherub that covereth, and the proximity of humanity to God’s presence—set there by God Himself, yet unable to remain without transformation.

The Covering Cherub, Iniquity Revealed, and Fire from Within

Ezekiel continues the lamentation with language that reveals both divine appointment and inevitable judgment:

“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so.” (Ezekiel 28:14)

This statement establishes God’s sovereignty over the cherub’s position. Nothing described in this passage is accidental or unauthorized. The cherub’s role was assigned, his proximity to God’s presence granted, and his function defined by God Himself. The anointing was not self-assumed, nor was the covering role usurped—it was given.

The term cherub consistently appears in Scripture in connection with God’s presence and restraint. Cherubim were placed at Eden’s gate to guard the way to the tree of life. Cherubim overshadowed the mercy seat, covering the place where blood would be applied. In every instance, they mark the boundary between God’s holiness and man’s access. That humanity is described as the “covering cherub” reveals both privilege and limitation—closeness without completion, access without permanence.

The text continues:

“Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:14)

The holy mountain signifies proximity to divine authority, while the stones of fire signify God’s purifying presence. Humanity was created near God’s glory, yet not immune to it. The nearness exposed what was present within.

The crucial turning point follows:

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” (Ezekiel 28:15)

The perfection described here is completeness for purpose, not moral finality. The iniquity was found—revealed, brought to light. Scripture does not say it was introduced, injected, or caused by an external force. It emerged as the natural man functioned within divine proximity. This exposure was not failure; it was revelation.

The source of the iniquity is then named:

“By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence.” (Ezekiel 28:16)

The language of merchandise describes trafficking—exchange for gain. Spiritually, it reveals the tendency of the natural man to traffic in what God has given, using wisdom, beauty, and proximity to divine things for self-exaltation. This trafficking does not remain neutral; it produces violence—distortion, misuse, and corruption of what is holy.

The heart of the issue is identified plainly:

“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” (Ezekiel 28:17)

What God gave as gift became the basis for pride. Beauty became self-regard. Wisdom became self-rule. This is the essential nature of the carnal mind—to take what is given and claim it as its own.

Judgment follows, but its form is instructive:

“Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee; it shall devour thee.” (Ezekiel 28:18)

The fire does not descend from outside; it arises from within. This is the same fire that Scripture elsewhere identifies as the testing of works and the revealing of truth. Pride collapses under the weight of divine exposure. What cannot endure God’s presence is consumed by it.

This fire reduces the covering cherub to ashes—not annihilation, but humbling. Ashes speak of mortality and surrender. The purpose is not destruction of being, but destruction of pretense.

Scripture affirms this refining purpose:

“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.” (1 Corinthians 3:13)

Judgment exposes what is false so that what is true may remain. The cherub is removed from the mountain not because God abandons His purpose, but because that purpose requires transformation. What was external must give way to what is internal. What was near must become united.

The covering cherub cannot remain as covering. The function must pass. The judgment makes way for something greater—access not guarded by cherubim, but opened through Christ.

This prepares for the final movement of the passage: not destruction without hope, but transformation unto glory; not exile without return, but judgment that yields new creation.

From the Anointed Cherub to Christ Formed Within — God’s Purpose Fulfilled

Ezekiel 28 does not end in ruin, but in revelation. What begins with beauty and wisdom exposed by pride concludes with judgment that serves God’s redemptive purpose. The lamentation over the anointed cherub is not the record of a failed creation, but the unveiling of a divine process—one that moves inexorably from the natural to the spiritual, from external glory to internal transformation.

Humanity was created near God’s presence, adorned with wisdom and beauty, yet subject to vanity by God’s own design. The iniquity that was found was not unforeseen, nor was the judgment that followed corrective improvisation. Scripture declares plainly that creation was subjected to corruption in hope—with the intent that deliverance would follow (Romans 8:20–21). The exposure of pride, the fire from within, and the reduction to ashes all serve this single end: the removal of what is false so that what is true may remain.

The anointed cherub must decrease. External covering must give way to internal substance. What was once guarded by cherubim is now accessed through Christ. The way barred at Eden is opened not by bypassing judgment, but by fulfilling it.

This fulfillment is found entirely in Christ, the Last Adam. Where the first man was earthy, Christ is heavenly. Where the first bore glory externally, Christ embodies it fully. Where the cherub covered, Christ indwells. The transformation Ezekiel 28 anticipates is realized not through restoration of the old, but through the creation of the new.

Scripture testifies:

“As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)

This is not metaphor alone—it is destiny. God’s purpose is not to preserve humanity in its first condition, but to conform it to the image of His Son. The fire that judges is the fire that refines. The death that humbles is the death that gives way to life.

What the anointed cherub foreshadowed, the bride of Christ embodies. She is no longer clothed in borrowed glory or adorned with temporary coverings. She is arrayed in righteousness formed within, prepared through judgment, and built upon an unshakable foundation. The stones that once served as covering now stand as structure. The gold once refined now endures.

This is the outcome God intended from the beginning—not repair of failure, but fulfillment of design. The natural man gives way to the spiritual. The first Adam yields to the Last. Pride is consumed, wisdom is purified, and what remains is a people fashioned not merely to stand before God, but to be His dwelling place.

Thus, Ezekiel 28 reveals more than judgment; it reveals hope. It shows us who we were, why we were created so, and what God is accomplishing through fire and grace. The anointed cherub is not the end of the story. Christ formed within is.

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)

Here the purpose is complete. God’s wisdom stands vindicated. Judgment has done its work. And what remains is not ashes—but glory.

“Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things” Part 2

(Pro 23:17-35)

[Study Aired January 1, 2026]

The last verse of last week’s study with Proverbs 23 (Pro 23:16) is the title for this 2-part study, which reads, “Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things”. The preceding verses (Pro 23:1-15) explain the only way we can come to be a people who bring God’s reins to rejoice as a result of our speaking right things.

God’s deliverance from the drunken stupor that Babylon has the whole world under spoken of in (Rev 18:3) can only come about by drinking “the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” spoken of in (Rev 16:19). I was grateful to be reading these studies from Mike that helped me see the deeper meaning behind many of the verses in this 23rd chapter of proverbs.

The links are here:

https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/rev-181-4-babylon-the-great-is-fallen/

https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/rev-185-9-god-has-remembered-her-iniquities-part-1/

It is because of God’s deliverance, his mercy toward his children via His judgments [seals, trumpets, and vials], that these things can be so, and that mercy is expressed with those verses we looked at last week (especially Pro 23:13-16), reminding us that the sword shall not depart from the house (2Sa 12:10) of those who are being redeemed in this life (Psa 107:2, Isa 51:11).

This second part of Proverbs 23 has a very similar message and warning to not partake of the delicacies (Rev 18:3) or deceitful meat of Babylon (Pro 20:17). In the first study, the focus was more so on the food which represents the false doctrines of Babylon, and now in this section there is a warning about becoming drunken on the wine of Babylon. Whatever physical effects of gluttony, either food or drink, in both cases we are being warned to put a knife to our throat (Pro 23:2-3), meaning the word of God, and beseech God that we die to these lusts which separate us from the will of God being fulfilled in our lives (Gal 2:20, Tit 2:12-13).

Tit 2:12  TeachingG3811 (Heb 12:6) 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;(Mat 19:27-28)

Pro 23:17  Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
Pro 23:18  For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

This is our hope and prayer for each other that we have no envy of this dying world (Rom 13:11-14, Eph 5:29-30) and that we continually move forward as Christ did, moving with fear (Noah a type of Christ and His Christ Heb 11:7) and who was heard in that he feared God (Heb 5:7).

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Christ’s example and Christ in us is what motivates us and gives us the vision we need to believe that “surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off”. When our sights are set on the author and finisher of our faith, we will be given vision so that we do not perish and our “expectation” will remain bright, with our eyes set on the joy set before us (Heb 12:1-4, Rom 12:1, Pro 29:18, Act 7:56, Joh 17:3, Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17).

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 10:36, Luk 21:19, Mat 5:37)
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.
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Pro 23:19  Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
Pro 23:20  Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Pro 23:21  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

If God will grant us to be dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44), it will take us away from the spiritual “winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh”. If God is working with us in this age, He will bring us to see that we are ‘the man’ who initially is a spiritual “drunkard and the glutton” who has “come to poverty”, which is all symbolized with the prodigal son (Luk 15:13-16) whose spiritual condition is like that of a drunkard and glutton, spending all that he has on riotous living, but does comes to see that he has no righteousness of himself and defines himself for what we all truly are without Christ in our lives: “drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags” (Luk 15:17). Such a realization does not come without the plagues of God being poured out upon us, which is what the story of the prodigal son reminds us (Rev 15:8).

Luk 15:13  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country [Babylonian captivity], and there wasted his substance with riotous living. [“For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty”]
Luk 15:14  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. [Isa 3:1]
Luk 15:15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk 15:16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.[Isa 3:1]

Pro 23:22  Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise^H936 not thy mother when she is old^H2204.

The previous verses (Pro 23:19-21) spoke of what we become with the poverty that comes with not hearkening to our Father (“Hear thou, my son”), and this verse 22 speaks of the means we have been given to not stray from that righteous path (Psa 37:23-27).

Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Psa 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psa 37:26  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Psa 37:27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

God’s elect are begotten of our Father in heaven (Joh 3:3) and we are told to not despise our mother when she is old, “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old”, which is speaking of the one true church, that we have been grafted into, by the grace of God (Eph 2:8, Rom 11:17-20). Abraham’s wife Sarah, and Elisabeth, John the baptist’s mother, are a witness we have been given to understanding a little more fully what this verse is telling us (Gen 18:11-14, Luk 1:7-25).

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:[We are born again for this purpose of dying daily so we can see the kingdom of God within by God’s grace (Luk 17:10, Php 2:12-13)]

Gen 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Gen 18:12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Gen 18:14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Luk 1:5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luk 1:6  And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Luk 1:7  And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
…Luk 1:13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luk 1:14  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luk 1:15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
Luk 1:16  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
…Luk 1:24  And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
Luk 1:25  Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

despise H936 bûz booz  A primitive root; to disrespect: – contemn, despise, X utterly.

old H2204 zâqên  zaw-kane’  A primitive root; to be old: – aged man, be (wax) old (man).

Sarah and Elisabeth, as a type of the elect, are promised “a son”, and that God will “take away [our] reproach”. In other words, those who endure to the end to be in that blessed and holy first resurrection, will be the wife of Christ and mother of the nations (Gen 17:16, Rev 11:15). Our reproach in this age will be taken away (1Ti 4:10).

1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Pro 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

The investment, “buy the truth” is our whole life, as a living sacrifice in Christ (Rom 12:1, Col 1:27) that holds fast to the words of life, and “sells it not” for its immeasurable value (1Th 5:21, Pro 7:1-5).

1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Pro 7:1  My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Pro 7:2  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Pro 7:3  Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
Pro 7:4  Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
Pro 7:5  That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

Christ is our wisdom (1Co 1:30-31), and the one who instructs us and gives us understanding so that we can overcome and endure to the end, not leaning unto our own understanding (Pro 3:5-7).

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

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.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Pro 23:24  The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Pro 23:25  Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

Our Father in heaven “shall greatly rejoice” in the sons and daughters that he has begotten through Christ and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom of God in this age (Luk 12:32). Our “father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice” is also speaking of our mother Jerusalem above, the church of the living God, the mother of us all (Gal 4:26). We rejoice in knowing that we are called to bear each other’s burdens (Col 1:24) as disciples of Christ (Gal 6:2).

Pro 23:26  My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Pro 23:27  For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
Pro 23:28  She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
Pro 23:29  Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30  They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31  Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32  At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

The only way we can avoid all that is written here in (Pro 23:27-32) is to be blessed in this life to be dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44) and given a broken and contrite heart from God (Isa 66:2) that will be able to fulfill this command, “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways”. This is the narrow way God’s elect are called unto and able to obtain through Christ who is our hope of glory within (Col 1:27).

The serpent does initially bite us, and we are stung by the adder, but if we are His children we will overcome the wicked one (1Co 15:55-57, Rom 7:24-25, Num 21:8, Joh 3:14, 1Jn 2:13).

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law:
1Co 15:57  but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 7:24  Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

1Jn 2:13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

The chastening which every son must receive in this life if we are going to overcome (Php 1:29) is what makes it possible for us to cease from sinning (Heb 12:6, 1Pe 4:1-2), and in so doing we are no longer seduced by Babylon, the world, and all that is in it, typified by “a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit”. Sin and the lies of Babylon are at the door of our hearts that want to rule over us. Here again Babylon is likened unto a harlot, “She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men”(Mat 24:12).

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

The signs, or the corrupt fruit of the tree of one who is a servant to sin (Joh 8:34), or the lying doctrines of Babylon, is expressed in this manner, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?”. The wine of Babylon in other words, does not cheer the heart, but rather brings woe or distress, with the condemning myriad of lies that initially darken the sun in our heavens (Rev 9:2, Rev 9:12)

Rev 9:2  And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Rev 9:12  One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

It brings sorrow, contention [striving, controversy, debate] because of the lies that do not bring healing but leave us with gaping “wounds” and “redness of eyes” that have not been anointed with the true ointment of God’s words (Rev 3:18).

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.

God’s word on the other hand brings liberty and reveals that there is no condemnation in Christ, because it is the true bread and the true wine (Rom 8:1, Rom 8:33, Joh 6:55, Joh 6:32)

Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Joh 6:32  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

It is “They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine” who think by their labouring long at the wine, at the word of God that we initially can only wrap around the idols of our heart, that we will obtain the righteousness of Christ.

Mixed wine is wine that is watered down with no faith (Heb 4:2), and that’s what we do when we apply our carnal interpretation of what God’s word is saying by wrapping his word around the idol of our hearts (Eze 14:4, 2Pe 2:19). Unbeknownst to ourselves we are joined unto a harlot at that point (1Co 6:16), and in agreement with her false proclamations of liberty.

2Pe 2:19  promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.

1Co 6:15  Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
1Co 6:16  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

Pro 23:33  Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Our ability to discern matters correctly when we partake of too much wine or mixed wine, is being directly correlated with what will happen to us spiritually if our attention is drawn away from the body of Christ and onto one of the harlot churches of this deceived and spiritually drunk world, “Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things”. Christ therefore admonishes us in these verses (Mat 24:42-51):

Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Mat 24:44  Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mat 24:45  Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47  Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
Mat 24:48  But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth; (Heb 10:36, Luk 21:19)
Mat 24:49  and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; (Heb 12:15-16)
Mat 24:50  the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, [our expectation (Pro 23:17-18) should be to know that “he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Heb 10:37)]
Mat 24:51  and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

The likelihood of maturing in the Lord by going back into the world, or back into Babylon, which is what Demas, Crescens, Titus, Phygellus and Hermogenes did (2Ti 4:10, 2Ti 1:15) is impossible (Isa 3:1). All of these heretical actions of Demas, Crescens, Titus, Phygellus and Hermogenes reveal that they were not of us (1Jn 2:19, 2Pe 2:21, Heb 10:28-29), and they were sacrificed to admonish us to remain vigilant and sober against our adversary who we can overcome through the faith of Christ (1Pe 5:8-9, Luk 22:31-32).

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:(1Jn 5:4) and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. [Christ was telling Simon trials are coming that would have destroyed him spiritually, the main trial being his denial of Christ, but as God’s elect he would be preserved through that denial and on Pentecost receive the holy spirit, “when thou art converted”, that would then make it possible for him to “strengthen thy brethren”]

Pro 23:34  Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
Pro 23:35  They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

These verses show us the problem is a hardened heart that manifests because of the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13-14), which causes us to lie “down in the midst of the sea” or “upon the top of a mast”, the sea being the world we are to come out of, and the mast representing the puffed up and elevated carnal mind (that is still in the sea) that cannot inherit the kingdom of God. With such a perverse spirit within us, we can be judged all day, “They have stricken me”, and still not see that we are blind, and wretched and miserable and poor, “I was not sick” (Rev 3:18). We can be beaten with many stripes in this life and not grow spiritually from that experience, “they have beaten me, and I felt it not”, and then we awake in the second resurrection, “I will seek it yet again”, by telling the Lord ‘haven’t I done many wonderful works’, not knowing that I am yet deceived and being found with my own righteousnesses right in front of Christ (Mat 7:22, Php 3:9).

Heb 3:13  but exhort one another day by day, (Heb 10:25) so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin:
Heb 3:14  for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end: (Php 3:3)

Proverb 23 ends off with the sorry state we will find ourselves in if God does not convict us in this age to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts as He leads us unto repentance, via the chastening and scourging that must be fully accomplished in this age if we are to be received as sons of God (Tit 2:12-13, Rom 2:4, Heb 12:6).

All the verses we’ve looked at today are written to admonish us to be sober and diligent (1Co 10:11, 1Pe 5:6-8) with our life in Christ, and to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, as if it depended on us, knowing that it is Christ who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:12-13).

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

If that is in fact what God is doing in our lives, then we are very special to Him because of the life Christ in us (Mat 22:14, 1Pe 2:9, Luk 12:32, Rom 11:5, Mat 10:31, Psa 27:4), who is our hope of glory who makes it possible for us to be received in this age, and able to speak right things, therefore God “shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things”(Pro 23:16, Heb 6:9).

Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

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

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:

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

Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him [Elias]? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Mat 10:31  Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Psa 27:4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

AMEN!

The Spiritual Significance of Numbers – The Number One

 [Study Aired December 28, 2025]

With very little controversy, the number one in Hebrew and Greek is acknowledged as signifying unity. It also signifies preeminence in time, power and position. It does the same in many other languages. Its prime significance therefore is of God Himself who is the “one God the Father, of whom are all things.”

1Co 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and [besides the “one God, the Father” there is also] one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Paul’s doctrine, and the doctrine of Christ Himself, is that the “one God, the Father” is greater than the son:

Joh 14:28  Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father:  for my Father is greater than I.

Referring to this verse, I asked Google how Christ could be equal with His Father and yet say His Father is greater than He? This was the Babylonian answer Google gave me:

 “Jesus says, “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). The Lord also admits that he does not know the time or the hour, only the Father does (Matt 24:36). Christ elsewhere says that he came “not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). In the garden, Jesus prays “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

“These verses—and others like them—might jar us. After all, we believe in Christ’s divinity. But Jesus himself says he is less than the Father. How should we understand his words?

“Historically, some understood these verses to mean that the Father is naturally greater than the Son of God. In 357 a Council of pastors in Sirmium even concluded, “the Father is greater, and the Son subordinated to the Father together with all things which the Father has subordinated to Him.”

“Yet something feels off here. Jesus says the Father is greater than he is, true. Yet we worship Christ as God, and God cannot be less than or greater than God. What is going on here?

“The solution to this problem is found in the Bible itself. What Christians have learned and what the Bible teaches is that Christ is less than the Father in his humanity but equal to God in his divinity. Since Christ is divine and human, certain Bible verses highlight his divinity and others his humanity.” (End Quote)

“Christ is less than the Father in his humanity but equal to God in his divinity” is the doctrine of both Protestants and Catholics. Yet 1 Corinthians was written many years after Christ had resumed His divinity, and here we have Paul telling us the “one Lord Jesus Christ” is not the “one God of whom are all things.” Rather, Paul’s doctrine is the same as Christ’s doctrine… “My Father is greater than I [and] by Him (by Christ, through Christ) were all things made.”

Joh 1:3  All things were made by [G1223: dia, through] him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:3 here agrees with Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 8:6:

1Co 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by [G1223: ‘dia’, through] whom are all things, and we by [G1223, ‘dia’ through] him.

This doctrine teaches that “all things are of God… the Father”, [and] ‘all things are through (G1223: ‘dia’] Christ.

The Greek word translated as ‘of’ in 1Co 8:6 is ‘ek’ G1537. This is how Strong defines this Greek word ‘ek’:

G1537
ἐκ, ἐξ
ek    ex
ek, ex

A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds), from, out (of place, time or cause; literally or figuratively; direct or remote): – after, among, X are, at betwixt (-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for (-th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in, . . . ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto, X vehemently, with (-out). Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion.

Total KJV occurrences: 917

Paul consistently refers to God as “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”:

2Co 11:31  The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

This is all long after Christ has resumed His divinity. Paul never once refers to Christ as the God of the Father.

All of Paul’s epistles were written long after Christ had ascended to heaven and had resumed the divinity He had with the Father before He “emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant.”

Php 2:7  but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (ASV)

Yet Paul repeatedly refers to the Father as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rom 15:6  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Col 1:3  We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Peter also considered the Father to be the God of Christ long after Christ had resumed His divinity:

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Christ and His Father, who are of one mind, never once in all of scripture refer to Christ as the God of the Father.  Christ even refers to Himself as “the beginning of the Creation of God… the Father of whom are all things.”

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

This verse accords with this doctrine of Colossians 1 where we are told that the Father created Christ as “the firstborn of every creature” and then “by Him were all things created.”

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Christ is “the firstborn of every creature… the beginning of the creation of God… the image of the invisible God by whom all things were created.”

Of whom is Christ and of whom are all things? Who is the ultimate cause of “all things?”

Col 1:19  For it pleased the [one God the] Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

The word ‘of’ in 1 Corinthians 8:6 is not ‘dia’, which is defined as “by or through.” Rather, the word translated ‘of’ is the Greek word ‘ek’, which is defined as “A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds).” It is the “one God the Father, of whom are all things” and it is the “one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things.

Christ’s doctrine is that we are to be one with Him as He is one with His Father:

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Christ repeats this desire just a few verses later:

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

That is how “”The Lord our God is one Lord.” We are even told that the Godhead is understood “by the things that are made”, followed by the statement that “the head of Christ is God”:

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

1Co 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Again, this epistle was written years after Christ had resumed His divinity with His Head, His Father.

Yet we are told that Christ “made Himself equal with God”, and He “thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

How is it possible for Christ’s Father to be “greater than [Christ]” (Joh 14:28), to be “Christ’s God and Father” (2Co 11:31), and His head (1Co 11:3), and still be “equal with God” (Php 2:6)?

The answer to this apparent dilemma is found in the story of Joseph and his relationship to Pharaoh in the book of Genesis. This is how the Father is greater than Christ while Christ can also make Himself equal with God:

Gen 41:40  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
Gen 41:41  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:42  And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
Gen 41:43  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:44  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

“He made him ruler” means that Pharaoh made Joseph equal with Himself  over all the land of Egypt. “Only in the throne was Pharaoh greater than Joseph.” So it is with Christ and His Father. His Father has made Him equal to Himself and ruler over all this world. Only in the throne is the Father greater than Christ.

God the Father is one in every sense of the word. He is first before all things. There cannot be two firsts, and the Father is first in order:

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Psa 90:2  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Isa 44:6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Nothing is right which refuses to acknowledge that God is first and that He is the Creator of all things. All the studies and documentaries of men which begin with the lie of evolution without the hand of God are all wrong, and when your premise is wrong, your conclusion will also be a wrong conclusion.

The “one God, the Father” is first in wisdom, and His wisdom is wiser than men’s wisdom:

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

The nature of Christ’s wisdom, which is the wisdom of His Father is revealed in us through humility and His chastening grace, both of which are foolishness to the natural man:

1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
1Co 1:25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

There is no foolishness nor weakness in God, but what men consider to be His foolishness is wiser than men, and what men consider to be His weakness is stronger than men.

The Father is certainly first in power:

Isa 40:15  Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Isa 40:17  All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity

Christ is preeminent only “because it pleases the Father” for Him to be so:

Col 1:19  For it pleased the [one God the] Father that in him [in Christ] should all fulness dwell;

The ‘oneness’ of God is expressed through how Christ is at one with His Father in everything. Christ tells us that He could do nothing but what His Father wanted:

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Christ came and set us an example to follow in His steps:

Joh 13:15  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Christ’s mind was a perfect reflection of His Father’s mind, and that is what He wants us to be. More than anything Christ wants us to be of one mind with Himself and His Father. That was His parting prayer to His Father for us as we quoted earlier in discussing the difference between the words , ‘ek, of, and the word, ‘dia’, through. Christ’s parting prayer for us was that we would all be of one mind as He and His Father are of one mind:

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

This singleness of mind is emphasized by His disciples whose inspired writings make up the New Testament. This desire to be as much like Christ as possible is belittled by men as not being able to think for oneself. Those who do achieve this one mind of Christ are disparagingly labeled ‘a cult.’

Nevertheless, this is doctrine of Christ, and it is the doctrine of all who will follow Him:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that [1] ye all speak the same thing, and that [2] there be no divisions among you; but that [3] ye be perfectly joined together [4] in the same mind and [5] in the same judgment.

This unity, this oneness of mind, was so important that it is urged upon us time after time.

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Rom 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Rom 12:16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Php 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Php 4:2  I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

The apostle Peter was of the same mind as the apostle Paul on this point:

1Pe 3:8  Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

Having the ‘one mind’ of Christ necessitates that we have compassion, love, patience, and pity for each other.

In scripture those in Christ are referred to as both a family and a body:

Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.

We are a many-membered ‘family’, and we are a many-membered ‘body’, but we are in Christ “one body”, and we are one family. No family can remain a united family without honoring and obeying the father who is the head of the family. A family with two heads is not a properly functioning family. The neck cannot turn the head unless the head tells it to do so. Our bodies could not function if the various members were being directed by more than one head. The thousands of denominations of men will quote all these verses about being of the same mind and being of the same  judgment and being perfectly joined together in the same spirit. They will even agree that we are admonished to reject heresy and put heretics out of our fellowship, and yet they will not acknowledge that their conflicting doctrines are heresies being spread in the churches by heretics.

If you want to teach that “Jerusalem which now is” is not under bondage and is indeed the son of the freewoman, while I agree with the apostle Paul’s words of Galatian 4 that “Jerusalem which now is is in bondage” and is spiritually the son of the bondwoman, the ecumenical mind is unwilling to tolerate such direct contradictions of their false doctrine that physical Israel is still God’s chosen people.

Ecumenical churches will tolerate differences like worshiping Mary as the mother of God, considering the Pope’s proclamations as equal to scripture, infant baptisms etc., but they will not tolerate teaching that God is the head of Christ (1Co 11:3) , and modern Israel is the son of Hagar (Gal 4:24-25).

Neither will the ecumenical mind tolerate you or me believing that “there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things and besides this ‘one God, the Father’ there is also one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things.”

Mind you, some ecumenical ministers will even tell you that ‘Jerusalem which now is’ does not need to believe in Christ to be saved, yet if you or I refuse to agree with those ministers that ‘To us there is one God in three persons, or one God in two persons”, and if we want to agree with the apostle Paul that there is but “one God the Father, of whom are all things, then you and I are labeled a heretic who must be ostracized. That is exactly what is prophesied would happen to all who refused to compromise the inspired words of scripture:

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Fortunately for all of us the unity and cohesion of the family of God and the body of Christ does not depend upon any of us. All those who have Christ’s mind recognize His voice, and those who have His mind will flee from strangers who are bringing “another gospel”.

Joh 10:1  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Joh 10:2  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the number one signifies the Father and the unity that is in Him and His Son.

One signifies that which is all powerful, all knowing and is present everywhere at all times.

One signifies the Truth because there is but one Truth, and that One Truth is Christ:

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The number one signifies the one mind of the family of God and the body of Christ. These words were penned by the apostle Paul, but they were inspired by “the holy spirit of God” to let us know what we can do to please Him:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions [denominations of men] among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Our unity in the one Truth of one mind of Christ is what fulfills His joy.

]]> https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-kings-heart-is-in-the-hand-of-the-lord-as-the-rivers-of-water-he-turneth-it-whithersoever-he-will-part-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-kings-heart-is-in-the-hand-of-the-lord-as-the-rivers-of-water-he-turneth-it-whithersoever-he-will-part-3 Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:01:34 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=34640 Audio Download

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” Part 3

(Pro 21:11-15)

[Study Aired November 20, 2025]

Pro 21:11  When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.
Pro 21:12  The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.
Pro 21:13  Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
Pro 21:14  A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
Pro 21:15  It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

In this study we’ll learn once again how “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will”, and how blessed we are to be judged in this age as God’s goodness leads us unto repentance and brings us to clearly see that our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6), and that He alone can cleanse us from our Adamic reasonings that lead to death (Psa 51:7-12, Rom 2:4-7, Isa 66:2). It is Christ’s righteousness and God’s mercy and goodness that we are, Lord willing, laying hold of because our hearts are “in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water”.

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Psa 51:7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

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.

Pro 21:11  When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

When we discover that we are this scorner who needs to be punished, by God’s grace we will learn that the only thing that can change this wickedness within us is His judgement (Pro 16:4), which in turn will make the simple wise through the instruction and knowledge we receive via his chastening (Tit 2:11-12).

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

We don’t learn without going through painful experiences in this life, and we all naturally scorn judgement, and devour iniquity until we don’t (Pro 19:28-29).

Pro 19:28  An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.
Pro 19:29  Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

God knows exactly how to break our scornful spirits via judgement so that we cry out to him and receive the much needed forgiveness and mercy that are abundantly His to give (Isa 55:7).

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

The end result of receiving those stripes is wisdom and a healed heart and mind that will be made ready to walk with Christ in that blessed and holy first resurrection, with His mercy that will be extended to all men, mercy that we have intimately become aware of via our heavenly Father (Rom 5:10) in this age (Psa 119:97-104, Mal 2:5-7).

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Psa 119:97  MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Psa 119:98  Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
Psa 119:99  I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
Psa 119:100  I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
Psa 119:101  I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
Psa 119:102  I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
Psa 119:103  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psa 119:104  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Mal 2:5  My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
Mal 2:6  The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
Mal 2:7  For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Pro 21:12  The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.

If we haven’t examined ourselves and go about judging others we are likened unto the blind leading the blind (Luk 6:39-45). However, if God is working with us in this age we are going to apply this verse first and foremost to ourselves, “The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness”, and in doing so we will be able to mercifully help others in the body by delivering them from sin via the wisdom and mind of Christ that teaches us that we are the chief of sinners (2Ti 2:15, 1Ti 4:16, Jas 5:19-20, Rom 1:16).

Luk 6:39  And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? (Joh 9:41)
Luk 6:40  The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
Luk 6:41  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Luk 6:42  Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
Luk 6:43  For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44  For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Luk 6:45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1Ti 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Jas 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins (ultimately Lord willing the innumerable multitude Rev 7:9).

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Pro 21:13  Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

This proverb reminds us that we are to be pitiful (Jas 5:11-12, Mat 5:37, 1Pe 3:8) toward each other seeing we are all “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” from God’s perspective until were not (Rev 3:17). We have each been commissioned in this life to be in the process of overcoming that spiritual poverty (Rev 3:18-22), again by God’s grace that teaches us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust. If we don’t extend that same mercy and forgiveness to others, by not hearing the cry of the poor,(Mat 24:48-50) God will created circumstances in our life where we feel like He is not hearing us (Mat 6:15). This is a most grievous trial, and yet we know that God will not leave the elect with that feeling of being forsaken indefinitely. Christ identifies even with this feeling of abandonment (of the flesh), and knows how to restore us through God’s spirit (Psa 23:3, Mat 27:46).

Jas 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Jas 5:12  But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

1Pe 3:8  Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

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. [Heb 12:6]

Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (“Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard”)

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?[1Jn 4:17]

Pro 21:14  A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

The gift we receive in secret is the life of Christ that is hidden from the world (Psa 27:5, Col 3:3). With God’s spirit within us we are able to pacify anger, and overcome strong wrath that cannot overtake the person who is “leaning on Jesus’ bosom” (Joh 13:23). John’s leaning on Christ bosom represents our setting our affections on things above, and not on things of the earth.

H5643  ‘Secret’  say’-ther, sith-raw’
Strong’s: From H5641; a cover (in a good or a bad, a literal or a figurative sense): – backbiting, covering, covert, X disguise [-th], hiding place, privily, protection, secret (-ly, place).
BDB: 1) covering, shelter, hiding place, secrecy (noun masculine)
1a) covering, cover
1b) hiding place, shelter, secret place
1c) secrecy
c1) secrecy (of tongue being slanderous)
2) shelter, protection (noun feminine)

Psa 27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secretH5643 of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Joh 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Pro 21:15  It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Every child who is judged of his parents, experiences this joy of being corrected, and the joy does not come upon us without first having to feel the grievousness that comes with correction (Heb 12:6-15). This is how God destroys the iniquity or self-righteousness in us, by bringing us to cease from being “workers of iniquity”.

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?
Heb 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Heb 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;  

I’ll end this study off reminding us of God’s great mercy that will endure forever as He takes us through those turbulent waters where His hand is guiding us just as carefully as when the waters are still and we are resting in Him (Psa 107:1-31)

Psa 107:1  O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Psa 107:3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Psa 107:4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa 107:5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Psa 107:10  Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
Psa 107:11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:14  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Psa 107:15  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:16  For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Psa 107:17  Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Psa 107:18  Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Psa 107:19  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

“The first man is of the earth, earthy:
the second man is the Lord from heaven” Part 1

(Pro 20:1-10)

[Study Aired October 2, 2025]

Pro 20:1  Wine makes men foolish, and strong drink makes men come to blows; and whoever comes into error through these is not wise.
Pro 20:2  The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself.
Pro 20:3  It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war.
Pro 20:4  The hater of work will not do his ploughing because of the winter; so at the time of grain-cutting he will be requesting food and will get nothing.
Pro 20:5  The purpose in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of good sense will get it out.
Pro 20:6  Most men make no secret of their kind acts: but where is a man of good faith to be seen?
Pro 20:7  An upright man goes on in his righteousness: happy are his children after him!
Pro 20:8  A king on the seat of judging puts to flight all evil with his eyes.
Pro 20:9  Who is able to say, I have made my heart clean, I am free from my sin?
Pro 20:10  Unequal weights and unequal measures, they are all disgusting to the Lord.

These first ten verses of Proverbs chapter twenty that we will look at today highlight the value of wisdom, integrity, hard work, honesty, and humility, while warning against deception, laziness, and injustice which victory over these powers and principalities is all being accomplished through the faith of Christ (Rom 4:2-6).

Rom 4:2  If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God.
Rom 4:3  The Scriptures say, “God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him.”
Rom 4:4  Money paid to workers isn’t a gift. It is something they earn by working.
Rom 4:5  But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. [Jas 2:18]
Rom 4:6  In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don’t do anything to deserve these blessings. David says, [CEV]

We know that our wisdom comes from Christ (1Co 1:30), as does our righteousness which will manifest in a spirit of integrity, producing a desire to labour in the word, as we present all things honestly before all men (Rom 12:17), with a humble and contrite spirit that is also a gift from God (Isa 66:2).

The natural lessons for our flesh are important [listed below] and always precede the deeper spiritual lesson (1Co 15:46) that each of these proverbs point to and instruct those who have God’s spirit abiding within them (Rom 8:9, Luk 8:10).

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Luk 8:10  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Natural concepts [generated by AI] that precede the spiritual (1Co 15:46)

Verse 1 – Alcohol can deceive and destroy; those who are misled by it lack wisdom.
Verse 2 – Angering a powerful ruler is dangerous; it puts one’s life at risk.
Verse 3 – Avoiding conflict shows honor; fools are always stirring up trouble.
Verse 4 – Laziness leads to poverty; the lazy miss opportunities and suffer the consequences.
Verse 5 – Wise people are able to uncover deep and thoughtful advice in others.
Verse 6 – Many boast about themselves, but truly faithful people are rare.
Verse 7 – Those who live with integrity bless their children after them.
Verse 8 – A just ruler quickly identifies and removes evil.
Verse 9 – No one can truthfully claim to be completely pure and sinless.
Verse 10 – Dishonest business practices are detestable to God.

And afterward that which is spiritual (1Co 15:46)

Pro 20:1 Wine is a mocker^H3887, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. (KJV)

Pro 20:1  Wine makes men foolish, and strong drink makes men come to blows; and whoever comes into error through these is not wise. (BBE)

The wine of Babylon is the cup that we all become intoxicated on at first (Rev 18:3), and the spiritual outcome of our drunkenness on false doctrines has us being described in this proverb as mockersH3887 who rage and are not wise, as we walk through this earth as negative ambassadors, and false teachers, blaspheming God’s name amongst the gentiles (Rom 2:24).

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Rom 2:24  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

H3887 mocker  lûts  loots
A primitive root; properly to make mouths at, that is, to scoff; hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to interpret, or (generally) intercede: – ambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn (-er, -ful), teacher.

Obviously we don’t (normally) see people in the churches coming to fisticuffs with one another, but what we do see is a divided body of Christ (1Co 3:4) which does great violence to the word of God, as we all do at first in our former conversation (Mat 11:12, Eph 2:1-5).

1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Mat 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;[Heb 12:6]).

The ‘whoever’ of “whoever comes into error through these is not wise” is all men because we all must go into Babylon to come out of her, and God’s elect are the first to experience coming out of spiritual captivity to be received of our Father via the chastening and scourging process we are called unto (2Co 6:17, Heb 12:6-7).

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

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?

Pro 20:2  The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. (KJV)

Pro 20:2  The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself. (BBE)

The ‘lion’, or ‘king’ spoken of in this verse is Christ, and His wrath against our old man of sin is as the “roaring of a lion” (Hos 11:10, Joe 3:16).

Hos 11:10  They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

Joe 3:16  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion (Oba 1:21, 1Jn 4:17 we are as Christ roaring like lions against the prey (Isa 58:1)), and utter his voice from Jerusalem (The church, the body of Christ); and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel (The Israel of God, His elect Gal 6:16).

Isa 58:1  Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, [“like the loud cry of a lion”] and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

We all start off making God angry and doing wrong against ourselves as we abide in the west (Hos 11:10) which symbolizes living by our carnal reasoning, until the man of perdition is destroyed by the brightness of Christ coming to us from the east (Psa 95:10, 2Th 2:8, Mat 24:27).

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: [40 years means tribulation is coming against our old man if we are God’s elect (1Co 10:11)]
Psa 95:11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. [our first man Adam, flesh and fleshly thinking is not going to inherit the kingdom of God]

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Pro 20:3  It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. (KJV)

Pro 20:3  It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war. (BBE)

We are all Peter at first not able to cease from strife as we meddle in others’ business, even Christ’s with an unsavory spirit of self-righteousness, telling even our Lord what He ought to do for us, and how he ought to conduct his affairs (Mat 16:22-24, Jas 4:2-3).

Mat 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
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. [the other Jesus is the one who is controlled by the traditions of men that worship him in vain not savouring the things that be of God, and want dominion over the laity as Peter did over Christ (Mar 7:7)]
Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [and not the traditions of men]

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. [Peter and all of us at first]

Thanks be to God, Christ died for the ungodly and in due time makes a way for us to overcome and turn the other cheek which we could not do at first (Rom 5:6, Rom 7:24-25). Peter did in time “cease from strife” which was his honour that was given to him, as it will be for all of us by the only one who can cause us to cease from sinning (Joh 8:36-37).

Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Pro 20:4  The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. (KJV)

Pro 20:4  The hater of work will not do his ploughing because of the winter; so at the time of grain-cutting he will be requesting food and will get nothing. (BBE)

The lesson for us in this proverb is to be about our Father’s business as Christ was (Luk 2:49, 1Jn 4:17), no matter what the season in our lives. Pray that your flight be not in the winter or on the sabbath when nothing is happening, pray that God will keep us all zealous and holding fast to our crowns until the return of our King (Mat 24:20-22, Rev 3:11).

Luk 2:49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened [God’s elect are the salt of the earth that God will use to save the earth physically, and then save the world spiritually].

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

These following verses remind us of the stability that can be ours if we continue to seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness (Mat 6:33), laying up treasure in heaven “against the time to come” (Tit 3:8,  Joh 6:27, 1Co 15:58, 1Ti 6:19, Psa 37:25, Psa 104:15, Luk 21:26-27).

Tit 3:8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Joh 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Pro 20:5  Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Pro 20:5  The purpose in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of good sense will get it out.

We draw the deep counsel out by being dragged to the One who gives us the strength to do so (Joh 6:44, Gen 29:10, Joh 4:10-11).

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Gen 29:10  And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob [symbolizing Christ] went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

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?

With His strength working within us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure (Php 2:12-13) we will not neglect so great a salvation and will be able to overcome, quenching all the fiery darts of the adversary with that water, and becoming more than conquerors through Christ (Rom 8:37). Great is that faithfulness which we can depend upon (Lam 3:23) to provide for our every spiritual need until the very last breath of our life (Heb 13:5, Php 1:6).

Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Pro 20:6  Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? (KJV)

Pro 20:6  Most men make no secret of their kind acts: but where is a man of good faith to be seen? (BBE)

These verses bring the question to mind, will there be any faith on earth when Christ returns? ‘Men proclaiming their own goodness’ is the same spirit found in this verse (Mat 7:22).

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [strong delusion, and no faith to be found]

As in the days of Noah, and Lot, there will be very few on the earth who will be of an understanding heart, as we read in the book of Malachi (Mal 3:16-18), “a faithful man who can find?”. Noah and Lot typify the few elect who will be alive and remain at that time with the mind of Christ (1Th 4:17).

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Pro 20:7  The just man walketh in his integrity^H8537: his children are blessed after him. (KJV)

Pro 20:7  An upright man goes on in his righteousness: happy are his children after him! (BBE)

Our children symbolize our doctrines and they will be blessed in the earth because the spiritual seed will go forth from the elect and will not return void (Isa 55:11). Those doctrine will bring great joy to all the earth in time “happy are his children after him!”

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

H8537 integrity  tô  tome
From H8552; completeness; figuratively prosperity; usually (morally) innocence: – full, integrity, perfect (-ion), simplicity, upright (-ly, -ness), at a venture. See H8550.

Pro 20:8  A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.(KJV)

Pro 20:8  A king on the seat of judging puts to flight all evil with his eyes. (BBE)

Inwardly when the eye is single, it represents having the mind of Christ whose judgment is in our lives, as he sits on the throne of our hearts and “scattereth away all evil with his eyes”(Rev 19:12).

Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Pro 20:9  Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? (KJV)

Pro 20:9  Who is able to say, I have made my heart clean, I am free from my sin? (BBE)

The first thing to consider is this verse (1Jn 1:8).

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

This verse reveals that we will never, in this physical flesh as the body of Christ, ever be able to say we have perfectly “made my heart clean”. We will sin less and less, Lord willing, and gain dominion over sin in this life (Rom 6:14) if this is written in our books to happen (Joh 3:30). This increasing comes from God as does the ability to decrease, both are predestined by Him. It all comes down to whether we will heed or not heed the admonitions of His word, keeping His works to the very end, which words and works are being accomplished by believing in God’s power, as we’re granted the faith of Christ to do so. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:1-2, 1Pe 5:7-8, 1Pe 1:7).

Pro 20:10  Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD. (KJV)

Pro 20:10  Unequal weights and unequal measures, they are all disgusting to the Lord. (BBE)

The statement ‘the punishment should fit the crime’ is a biblical principal, as well as ‘the reward should fit the sacrifice’ (Php 2:9, 2Ti 2:12-13). Peter asked Christ about how things were going to play out for himself and all the others who forsook all to follow him, and Peter was speaking for all of us who are losing our lives to gain them (Mat 10:39). Christ’s perfectly balanced answer to Peter was not what Babylon teaches (Mat 19:27-30). Babylon teaches eternal torment, an evil divers weight and measure that comes from the mind of Satan.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

“A false witness shall not be unpunished” Part 1

(Pro 19:1-10)

[Study Aired September 18, 2025]

Pro 19:1  Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Pro 19:2  Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
Pro 19:3  The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
Pro 19:4  Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
Pro 19:5  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
Pro 19:6  Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Pro 19:7  All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
Pro 19:8  He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
Pro 19:9  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
Pro 19:10  Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

The main focus of this study will be on how God plans to burn up the false witness within each of us so that through Christ we can become “witnesses of these things” (Luk 24:48, Act 5:32), ‘these things’ being the things that pertain to life (1Co 6:3, 2Pe 1:3)

Luk 24:48  And ye are witnesses of these things.

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Our first verses:

Pro 19:1  Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Pro 19:2  Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

These first two proverbs have to do with our walk. One talks about walking with integrity and the other about sinning as we walk with haste with our feet. Whatever integrity we have is of the Lord, and when we are of a poor and contrite spirit which is a gift from God (Isa 66:2), the good fruit brought forth will be the result of God’s chastening and scourging of that fool within us so that we are no longer speaking with the perverse tongue and are now quick to hear and slow to speak, not hasting with our feet (Tit 2:12-13, Heb 12:6, Jas 1:19).

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.

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

We are called to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour (2Pe 3:18), and if we are blessed to do that in this age, to be given a hunger and thirst for His righteousness (Mat 5:6), then our conversation, our walk, or way of life will become less and less hasting to go in the way that seems right to us, that leads to leaning upon our own understanding, as opposed to the one who is blessed to learn to trust God with all their hearts (Pro 3:3-7, Psa 118:27) so that our paths can be directed by Him (Rom 8:14-16).

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:[God must accomplish this binding process as we are his workmanship to that end  Psa 118:27]
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
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.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [Children who now have a broken and contrite heart, that is bound to the altar of God, the cross, and not bound by self-righteous iniquity and pride]

The natural inclination in our flesh to do what we want to do, must be put to death daily (1Co 9:27) in order for our lives to trust in God whole heartedly. This can only be accomplished by being tried and tested through much tribulation (Act 14:22),  so the life of Christ can be ruling and reigning in everything we set out to accomplish in His service (2Co 1:9, Rom 8:28, Isa 62:2, Isa 66:2, Psa 34:18, Psa 51:17)

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: [which represents our hearts and minds that God can and will rule over in this age if He has determined to do this (Joh 4:23, Luk 17:10, Php 2:12-13)] where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?[Joh 2:19, Psa 127:1, Psa 94:17]
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.

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Pro 19:3  The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
Pro 19:4  Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

Psalm 37:1-8 is the antidote for not fretting against God, which is the natural spiritual by product of one who foolishly stops trusting in Him and puts their trust in man. When we stop trusting in God we go back into the world, into keeping the law (our own righteousness of Php 3:9), the way Titus and Crescens did (2Ti 4:10, Gal 3:1-4).

Psa 37:1  A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Psa 37:8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Gal 3:4  Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

We are easily beset by sin (Heb 12:1), and when that law of sin in our members manifests the things that we don’t want to do and can no longer do the things that we want to do, it takes a miracle as we cry out to God to separate us from our first man Adam, typified by “his neighbour”: “but the poor is separated from his neighbour”

The “poor” in this proverb represent the elect who are separated from our rich Babylonian past where “Wealth maketh many friends”, when we thought we were rich and increased and had need of nothing, like the rich young ruler who typifies our time of being self-righteous in the churches of Babylon. The natural state of this religious beast must be destroyed by the brightness of Christ coming into our heavens (2Th 2:5-8). The reality is that judgement is on the very few elect in this age (1Pe 4:17, Mat 22:14) who are being brought to see God’s mercy and how He is-was-and-will-be faithful to deliver us from our wretchedness (Rom 7:14-25).

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.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Pro 19:5  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
Pro 19:6  Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Pro 19:7  All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

On a basic level, these verses point to human nature’s tendency to ignore the poor, the ‘nobodies’ of the world, and woo the rich or those with influence etc. As the ERV puts it, “That poor person can beg them for help. But they will not go near him”.

On a higher spiritual level these verses are speaking about Babylon again, whose gifts to one another are predicated on the lie that they are one in the Lord (Rev 11:9-10) with an ecumenical spirit which is a “false witness”, and represents our time in the harlot churches of this world (Pro 29:3) that God says won’t go unpunished. Each man, in their appointed time, will give an accounting for every idle word that God has caused us to bring forth “and he that speaketh lies shall not escape” (Mat 12:36). The more united the churches of this world become, the more hated we, ‘the poor’  will be by the many who “will make attempts to get the approval of a ruler”  [Babylon and the kings of the earth of  Rev 18:3-5], “and every man is the special friend of him who has something to give”(BBE). (Luk 23:10-12, Rev 17:14, Rev 11:9-10). As “the poor” of this proverb with “the brethren [that] do hate him”, Babylon whom we come out of, our words are not heard if God is not dragging these our Babylonian brothers and sisters to Christ. “He is pursuing words–they are not!”(YLT) They cannot hear us. (Mat 10:22, Joh 8:43, 1Jn 4:6)

Luk 23:12  And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hearby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Pro 19:8  He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
Pro 19:8 The one who acquires good sense loves himself; one who safeguards understanding finds success. (NWT)

He that gets Christ, who is our wisdom (1Co 1:30), “loveth his own soul”. Christ our pearl of great price (Mat 13:45-46) is being nurtured in each other as a pearl that must increase as we decrease (Joh 3:30). Christ in us grows and matures through the irritations of this life that parallel with the grain of sand that gets into an oyster, who then covers that sand with nacre, over and over, the sand being symbolic of the much tribulation (Act 14:22) that is needed to see Christ the pearl of great price increase and be formed within each of us.

No man ever hated his own flesh, and we are the flesh and bones of Christ that we love (Eph 5:29-30). We safeguard the understanding that we have found by the grace and faith of Christ (Eph 2:8), and in doing this we find good, that good being a relationship with our Father in heaven who alone gives us the increase of His sons life within us, and through his goodness we “shall find good” that leads us unto repentance (Joh 14:21, Joh 14:6, 1Co 3:6, Rom 2:4) which leads to Life, true “success” (Mat 7:14).

Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.[Joh 15:15]

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Pro 19:9  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
Pro 19:10  Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

A false witness is someone who adds to, or takes away from God’s word which we have all done in our own appointed time, and now we see and believe the admonition that anyone who does that is going to perish, “he that speaketh lies shall perish”, meaning spiritually not go unto maturity and be in that blessed and holy first resurrection (Rev 22:19).

Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

We delight in God’s word and do not want to think above what is written (1Co 4:6), being ever vigilant to keep a sound pattern of words (2Ti 1:13) that glorify God and keep us united in faith (Php 2:2), with the same mind and the same spirit, which God’s word is (Joh 6:63).

Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

This spiritual “delight” that we have in God’s word “is not seemly for a fool” and the fool is the Nicolaitan spirit of a “servant” who wants to “rule over princes”, controlling the laity with false doctrines, great swelling of vanity (2Pe 2:18-22).

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.(1Jn 2:19, Heb 6:4-6)

1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
1Jn 2:20  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The gates of hell (Mat 16:18) that won’t prevail against the church are likened unto “the bars of a castle” spoken of in (Pro 18:19) that contain all the thousand thousand lies of Babylon (Rev 9:3, Rev 9:16) that make up this strong city of Babylon.

Pro 18:19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Twice in these proverbs we’ve covered today are we told that “A false witness shall not be unpunished”, along with the dire consequence for doing that which is to not escape, and to perish.

Thanks be to God we are in a process of being redeemed, and Christ alone is the faithful witness within us who is the author and finisher of this process that can only be accomplished with His faith (Rev 3:11, Rev 17:14, Rev 3:14, 1Jn 5:4).

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” Part 2

(Pro 18:8-16)

[Study Aired August 28, 2025]

Pro 18:8  The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Pro 18:9  He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Pro 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Pro 18:11  The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.
Pro 18:12  Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
Pro 18:13  He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Pro 18:14  The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
Pro 18:15  The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
Pro 18:16  A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

This section of Proverbs 18:8–16 contains a series of wise sayings that touch on themes of speech, work ethic, pride, humility, wisdom, and justice.

The overall theme of these verses emphasize the value of wise living—guarding one’s words, maintaining humility, seeking knowledge, being diligent, and relying on God rather than false securities like physical wealth. All of these qualities are a gift of God that we grow in through a lifetime of overcoming which will lead to greater joy and happiness, as we see the day approaching more and more clearly (Col 1:24 , Php 4:4 , Heb 10:25).

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Our first verse:

Pro 18:8  The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (KJV)
Pro 18:8  The words of a slanderer are greedily swallowed; yea, they go down into the innermost chambers of the belly (LITV)
Pro 18:8  the words of a tattler, are dainties, they, therefore go down into the chambers of the inner man. (Rotherham)
Pro 18:8  The words of a tale-bearer are as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down to the inner parts of the heart. (YLT)

The Bible warns often against talebearers—those who spread gossip, slander, or secrets that cause division and harm. Here are three verses in the old covenant that have to do with a talebearer.

1. Leviticus 19:16 (KJV): “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people.”

2. Proverbs 11:13: “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”

3. Proverbs 20:19: “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.”

Here are some examples of talebearers (or gossipers/slanderers) in the Bible that should help us round off our understanding of this word, and our first verse were looking at (Pro 18:8).

1.  Doeg the Edomite (1Sa 21:1-22)

Doeg saw David receive help from the priest Ahimelek and reported it to King Saul. His report, while factually accurate, was used maliciously. Saul then ordered the killing of Ahimelek and 85 priests.

Doeg spread damaging information with evil intent, leading to innocent deaths.

Again these examples were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the ages are come (1Co 10:11). God uses these extreme examples of old to motivate us to be diligently guarding our hearts against this evil spirit of gossip.

2.  The Spies Who Gave a Bad Report (Num 13:1-14)

Ten of the twelve spies sent to scout the Promised Land returned with a fearful and discouraging report, causing the Israelites to doubt God and rebel.

They spread exaggerated, fear-driven reports that undermined faith and unity, leading to national disaster.

This example in God’s word reveals that it is the ten that represents our flesh that must be mortified as we die daily so that the other two spies who represent the witness of Jesus Christ in our lives can go forth and conquer the land as we are promised we will (Rom 8:35-37).

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

3.  Absalom (David’s Son) (2 Samuel 15)

Absalom quietly spread dissatisfaction by telling people their concerns weren’t being heard and that he would treat them better if he were king.

He used manipulation and subtle criticism to undermine his father King David and steal loyalty, leading to civil war.

The lesson here with Absalom is that a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and there is no such a thing as a little bit of gossip being okay, or a little leaven. When the adversary attacks us, as he will, being the accuser of the brethren, we are to pray for one another, and those prayers will give us the ability to persevere and overcome evil with good, rather than being overcome by the evil that gossip is (Rom 12:21).

Rom 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

4.  The Enemies of Nehemiah (e.g., Sanballat and Tobiah) (Neh 6:5-9)

They spread false rumours that Nehemiah was rebelling against the king to make himself king in Judah.

They used lies and gossip to try to stop God’s work and discredit Nehemiah.

In this story we learn of the motives behind the devil who is intent on destroying the unity of the body of Christ and always has been (Mat 24:24). Satan is very subtle, more than any beast of the field [the world] (Gen 3:1) and his approach is going to be so, using a word of truth here, and then twisting God’s word to spread false rumours as the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). Thanks be to God we are not ignorant of his devices (2Co 2:10-11) and are covering each others sins with the blood of Christ, not letting the devil get any advantage over our body, the church (1Pe 4:8).

2Co 2:10  To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

1Pe 4:8  above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins:

5.  Jezebel and Her Hired Slanderers (1 Kings 21)

Jezebel arranged for false witnesses (essentially talebearers) to accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king, so she could steal his vineyard.

These witnesses lied publicly, resulting in Naboth’s unjust execution.

Jezebel’s lying and stealing of the vineyard of Naboth is typical of Babylon taking the words of God that come forth from the vine Jesus Christ and then misappropriate them and kill the innocent Christ, typified by Naboth (Mat 21:37-39).

Mat 21:37  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Mat 21:38  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
Mat 21:39  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

I spent a little more time with this important first verse of our study in hopes that we can see how the next few verses can be used to instruct us in ways to overcome the adversary and the divisive tool of gossip that he has utilized through the ages:

Pro 18:9  He also that is slack in his work is brother to him that is a destroyer.

This verse reminds me of Christ’s words in (Joh 10:10).

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

A thief steals because he doesn’t want to work, and when we are not diligent in our work, or working out our own salvation with fear and trembling it is going to cause us to reap the fruits of that slothfulness. God can burn that spirit out of us and if we are being received of him in this age through a chastening and scourging process of judgement we’ve been called unto, it will bring about a peculiar people who are zealous of good works (Tit 2:11-14).

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
Tit 2:12  instructing us [G3811 = Paideuo], to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world;
Tit 2:13  looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory 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 people for his own possession, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15  These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

An idle hand truly is the workshop of the devil, and Satan’s workmanship as we read is being accomplished through those idle hands and hearts that become instrumental in spreading gossip and causing division in the body of Christ. God will make the bride ready, and these sins are caused of Him and will be overcome through Christ within each joint that supplies in love.

Pro 18:10  The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; The righteous runneth into it, and is safe
Pro 18:11  The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And as a high wall in his own imagination.

Christ is our tower and refuge in this life, without him we have no chance of overcoming, that is why it is only the righteous who truly run into that tower that represents Christ who is our safe haven who gives us the power to overcome in this life as we’re dragged to him by our Father (Psa 107:30 , Joh 6:44).

Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The walls of New Jerusalem represent the bride of Christ the body of Christ where “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city”. It is with the mind of Christ that we can imagine what is impossible for the world to conceive and believe “And as a high wall in his own imagination”. Conversely, the world’s imagination is full of deceit and unbelief (Hab 1:5 , 2Th 2:11) that is increasing as we near the end of this age (2Pe 3:3-4 , 2Ti 3:1-5).

Hab 1:5  Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

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.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

In the negative, the rich man’s wealth is a metaphor that describes the pride of life within us, “and as a high wall in his own imagination” which is the way that seems right to our first man Adam and leads to death. By God’s grace and the faith of Christ (Eph 2:8) we can overcome that pride and bring every thought into captivity to Christ so that there is no chance of our being a talebearer in this life, as Christ increases and we decrease (Joh 3:30).

Pro 18:12  Before destruction the heart of man is haughty; And before honor goeth humility.

All that is in the heart of man becomes very manifest when God wants it to be so, and before destruction God always lets the sins of the Amorites come to their fulness in each of our lives, making manifest what needs to be burnt out of us (Gen 15:16).

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

This tells us that our humbling trials and sins in this life are of God, and what is required before honour is humility which these sins being worked in our lives will cause.  The talebearer in me is haughty and proud and exalted, and must be destroyed through the humbling circumstances God causes in our lives so that in due time we can be exalted under His mighty hand that humbles us (1Pe 5:1-10).

1Pe 5:1  The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
1Pe 5:2  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
1Pe 5:3  Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
1Pe 5:5  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Pro 18:13  He that giveth answer before he heareth, It is folly and shame unto him.

Here is another way that we bring shame unto ourselves, that by God’s grace can also be burnt out of us. We all naturally lean unto our own understanding (Pro 3:5-8), until God starts to receive us as sons (Heb 12:6 , 2Co 1:9). That receiving is a lifelong process that is needed to get us to stop trusting in our flesh and only in the living God who knows our frame and how to make us a people who are quick to hear and slow to speak (Jas 1:19). Christ is the one who gives us the ability to tame the tongue and bring every thought into subjection unto him (2Co 10:5).

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

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Pro 18:14  The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a broken spirit who can bear?

It sounds like God is out of the picture in this first part of the proverb when it says “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity”, but that is just not the case if we consider the sum of his word on the matter. God gave us the spirits that we have and He is the one who knows what we can endure in these marred clay vessels, so yes we sustain our own infirmities, but it is God who has created us to do so, not independent of his will (Eph 1:11). A broken spirit is also something that God can bring about in our lives so that we cry out to the only one who can restore us in this life (Psa 51:1-3 , Gal 6:1 , 1Jn 2:1).

Christ was sorrowful near unto death, and yet God held him up, and Christ made clear that all of his life was in his Father’s hand as we are now in His hands (Joh 5:30 , Joh 15:5 , Joh 18:9 , Joh 10:28-29).

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Joh 5:31  If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. [Luk 24:48 , 1Jn 4:17 , Col 1:27]

Joh 18:9  That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

The broken spirit is harder to bear than even great physical trials (Pro 18:14), and some of the hardest trials Christ had to endure were centered around not having the comfort of either his disciples who would forsake him (Mar 14:50) (negative), and then His Father who forsook him (Mat 27:46) (positive), his Adamic flesh, for a moment for our sakes (2Co 4:15).

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Pro 18:15  The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

God’s people are blessed to have a hunger and thirst for His righteousness in this life (Mat 5:6), and as our hearts are changed by going from glory to glory, the prudent spirit God gives us will want to get knowledge, and the ear of the wise will want to seek knowledge (Heb 11:6).

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.[“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”(Mat 5:6)]
Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Pro 18:16  A man’s gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.[KJV]
Pro 18:16 A man’s gift widens the way for him, And guides him before the great.” [CLV]
Pro 18:16  A gift will get you in to see anyone. [CEV]

God has given us his holy spirit, and that gift is the one that is needed in order to obtain salvation in this life (Eph 2:8).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

The physical gifts that mankind have may open many physical doors for them, but the gift of the holy spirit opens the most important and greatest door one could ever go through, bringing us to our Creator, who we see in each other through Christ the door day by day (Joh 10:9 , 1Jn 4:17 ,  Joh 14:9).

Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” Part 1

(Pro 18:1-7)

[Study Aired August 28, 2025]

Pro 18:1  He who keeps himself separate for his private purpose goes against all good sense.
Pro 18:2 A foolish man has no pleasure in good sense, but only to let what is in his heart come to light.
Pro 18:3 When the evil-doer comes, a low opinion comes with him, and with the loss of honour comes shame.
Pro 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters: the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream.
Pro 18:5 To have respect for the person of the evil-doer is not good, or to give a wrong decision against the upright.
Pro 18:6 A foolish man’s lips are a cause of fighting, and his mouth makes him open to blows.
Pro 18:7 The mouth of a foolish man is his destruction, and his lips are a net for his soul.

This chapter of proverbs has a strong emphasis on how death and life are in the power of the tongue (Pro 18:21), and what joy there can be when we are blessed to partake of the tree of life (Pro 3:18, Rev 2:7), laying hold on her as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, seeing His life increase within us as we’re given a mind of power, love and soundness, that puts to death our old man who is dying daily (2Ti 1:7, 1Co 2:16, 1Co 15:31).

Pro 3:18  She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Christ’s life within us is what gives us victory over the most unruly member of our body, the tongue, the rutter of our spiritual ship that is a small part of the ship, but when our thoughts our brought into subjection to our Lord, then the whole ship can go in the path God has set before us (Jas 3:4) via the Way, the Life and the Truth, our Hope of Glory within who gives us the power to have minds of peace that are stayed on Him (Jas 3:8, Isa 26:3). As we learn to conduct ourselves together in “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”, we are in fact helping each other bring our thoughts into subjection so that we speak only those things that are edifying to the body of Christ (1Ti 3:15, Eph 4:29).

Jas 3:4  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor [Christ Php 2:12-13] listeth.

Happy is the man that finds wisdom [Christ (Joh 6:44)] and gets understanding (Pro 3:13), and what must happen to make that more than just an ‘anon with joy’ reality (Mat 13:20) in the lives of God’s children is answered in the preceding verse (Pro 3:12). In other words, it is not enough to just find wisdom, but if we are blessed to continue in the truth and have that wisdom tried through much tribulation (Joh 8:32-33), then as we near the end of our spiritual sojourn we will be able to say with Paul, I “now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24).

That same sentiment is expressed by the parable that states ‘a red sky at night is a sailors delight’, because that sailor has gone through the storms of life [symbolized by the one Day of the Lord], and has witnessed God’s faithfulness and can now say that even these trials in the latter part of their life is something they can delight in, knowing the Lord is faithful and that nothing can separate us from his love toward us that will culminate with the beautiful sunrise of the morning that represents the first resurrection. The ‘hypocrites’ could not discern the meaning of the parable, and were as we all did at one time, only looking for the outward physical signs as proof that we we’re blessed of God, not seeing the need to be tried in the fire of His word, the red sky in the evening (Mat 16:2, 2Ti 4:8).

Pro 3:12  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth;(Heb 12:6) even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Pro 3:13  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

Mat 16:2  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

It’s the son who is being received, who is being corrected, chastened and scourged in this life, and it is our own iniquities that chasten us as we self-righteously partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not yet having had our senses exercised through fiery trials so that we can discern good and evil (Heb 5:14), and benefit from that strong meat that takes time to be able to digest. Thankfully in due time, Christ who is the tree of life, died for the ungodly (Rom 5:6) and by God’s goodness we were led unto repentance so that we can partake of His life that gives us the strength and victory over sin, now with the ability to discern good and evil as a result of having our senses exercised through much tribulation (Gen 2:9, Rev 22:14, Act 14:22).

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

It takes the humbling experiences that God’s people go through in this life in order to become a people who are abased and made ready to rule the kingdoms of this world (Mat 18:3), having been given victory over the sinful kingdoms of this world within us first, so we can rule the kingdoms of this world outwardly one day (1Pe 5:6, Rev 11:15).

Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

God has to give us the power to lay hold upon her [Wisdom] (Joh 6:44), and with eyes that are now open and ears unstopped we can be quickened by His words of eternal life (Joh 6:63) that, if we are blessed to continue in, will lead to our salvation in this age (Joh 8:31-32).

our first verses:

Pro 18:1  Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
Pro 18:2  A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

Christ’s spirit in the body of Christ gives us the power to ‘intermeddle’ with Christ our husband who has all wisdom (Jas 1:5). God is the one dragging us to His son and Christ is the one working within us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure (Php 2:12-13). So the “desire of a man” which brings us to separate ourselves from Babylon is all of God and is the miracle of our calling that has been hidden from the masses (Rom 8:14-16, Joh 6:44, Mat 22:14).

So we ask of God for wisdom, but Christ is the mediator for us who drives the beasts out of our temple, the foolish part of us that has no delight in understanding His wisdom, and mind. The proverb says, “that his [the fool’s] heart may discover itself” and is the way that seems right to a man but leads to death and no spiritual growth and connecting to the body of Christ, our body, that is made up of many joints that supply in love (Rom 8:17, Eph 4:16, Rom 12:4-5).

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, (Php 1:29, 1Co 10:16) that we may be also glorified together.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Pro 18:3  When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt [disrespect], and with ignominy [dishonour] reproach [disgrace].

It’s when God shows us who we are by the brightness of Christ’s coming into our heavens that “the wicked cometh” (2Th 2:8, Pro 16:4), and that wickedness within us is accompanied with contempt [disrespect], ignominy [dishonour], and reproach [disgrace] expressed through lying lips within us that are there ‘for but a moment’ (Pro 12:19, Jas 4:14) and will be silenced by God’s chastening grace that teaches us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts (Tit 2:11-12) (Psa 31:17-18).

Psa 31:17  Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
Psa 31:18  Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously [with contempt [disrespect], ignominy [dishonour], and reproach [disgrace] ] against the righteous.

These verses below show us that God uses evil for good, and that Satan, the evil smith is the one that God uses to blow on the coals within us, to create the conditions for the fiery trials that we are not to think as something strange that is happening to us in this age as God’s elect. God also uses the seraphims [God’s messengers] to use the effect of those coals of God’s word to minister unto the body of Christ (1Pe 4:12, Job 2:4-6).

Job 2:4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, [Satan is God’s hand Psa 17:13, Isa 10:5] and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

Isa 44:12  The smith [Satan] with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. [At this time Satan is not benefiting from these coals, but is being used of God to try, test, tempt, and accuse God’s people]

Isa 44:19  And none considereth in his heart (Pro 14:12), neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire (1Pe 4:12); yea, also I have baked bread [God’s word being refined within us] upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

Isa 44:19  And no one takes note, no one has enough knowledge or wisdom to say, I have put part of it in the fire, and made bread on it; I have had a meal of the flesh cooked with it: and am I now to make the rest of it into a false god? am I to go down on my face before a bit of wood? [BBE]

[Is God going to put us through all the trials of this life and take us so far and then just let us slip back into making an idol of our flesh. The answer is given in (Isa 44:21 “thou shalt not be forgotten of me”). This question of God reminds us that this residue, or remnant [the elect] that he is trying in the fire will not be forgotten, we are His blessed and holy workmanship, that are overcoming the giants in this life little and by little to the glory of God. We do fall back and lose our first love, and make an idol of the beast whose deadly wound is healed (Rev 13:12), but then as God’s people He destroys that idol, that “bit of wood” that is left so we can inherit eternal life (Num 14:9)]

Isa 44:20  He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? [we ask who can make war with the beast, and we carry that lie until we don’t by God’s grace and the faith of Christ (Rev 13:4)]
Isa 44:21  Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.

Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. [Fervent love covers a multitude of sins 1Pe 4:8]

[The elect take the word of God, which is likened unto a live coal that represents the trial of our faith as a means to help us grow and comfort others with the comfort that God comforts us with (2Co 1:4). We bear the trials together [the cross], the coal that is hot and handled with tongs, which tongs also represents the word of God, telling us we learn to handle our trials with the word of God, as we continue in the truth and find safety within a multitude of counsellors. The coal is taken off the altar, where the elect are bound (Psa 118:27) [the many joints that supply]

Pro 18:4  The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

The living waters that flow from the body of Christ spoken of in (Joh 7:38) can be likened unto “the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook” as a result of the faith of Christ that has been given to us.

The words of a man’s life are likened unto “deep waters” that come from a well, but it is not just any well or any water that we must be drawn to (Joh 6:44) in order to have living waters flow forth from us as “a flowing brook” (Joh 4:13-15, 1Co 2:11-16).

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
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.
Joh 4:15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Pro 18:5  It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
Pro 18:6  A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
Pro 18:7  A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

“Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity” of (Pro 17:26) is a very parallel proverb to (Pro 18:5) which says it’s “not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment”. It is by the grace of God that we are able to keep a bridle on our lips and mouth and heart, and not ‘speak as a fool’, which can and does get us into a lot of trouble, especially if we are being judged in this age.

Pro 18:6  The lips of a fool enter into an argument and his mouth invites a beating. (TLV)
Pro 18:6  The lips of a fool enter into strife, and his mouth invites a flogging. (NET)
Pro 18:6  When some fool starts an argument, he is asking for a beating. (GNB)
Pro 18:6  Foolish talk will get you into a lot of trouble. (CEV)

We need those coal spoken of earlier on our lips in order to cease from sinning, as God alone can put an end to ‘the lips that enter into contention’, or ‘a foolish mouth that is our destruction’, or ‘lips that are a snare to our soul’. Iniquity will be cut off, thanks be to God (Psa 94:23).

Psa 94:23  And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

God knows our frame (Psa 51:2-5), and has made a way for us to be more than conquerors through Christ (Tit 2:13-15) who can give us the power to be more than conquerors of these weak conditions that are found in all flesh (Rom 8:37,  Php 4:13).

Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

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.
Tit 2:15  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

As we go through the rest of this chapter we will look more closely at why “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” is a truth that incentivizes us to keep fighting a good fight of faith, knowing that we are committing our lives as unto a faithful Creator who loves us and has the greatest of plans for each of us (2Ti 4:6-8, 1Pe 4:17-19).

2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.