Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 23 contains our first proverb for the day. Continue to study the book of the wisdom of God as communicated through his servant Solomon. Proverbs 18 verse 23 says, the poor uses entreaties, but the rich answereth roughly. This proverb concerns the great disparity between the rich and the poor, and how this affects them in their social, business, and legal interactions with others. There are 37 proverbs that address the facts of poverty, the plight of the poor, and the disparity between them and the rich. But also it talks repeatedly of the blessing of God on those who are merciful and just in their dealings with the poor. So this is an important theme of the book of Proverbs. It reminds me what Jesus said, the poor you will have with you always. So this is always a concern for the Christian. Whether we be of the class of the poor or we are called upon by God to be kind and minister to the poor. Now on this subject of the poor, there are actually six proverbs beginning with this verse through the next chapter in verse 22. We're gonna look at another one this morning in verse one. Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool. Verse 4, Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor. Verse 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. Verse 17, of the same chapter, he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again. And yet another one, verse 22, the desire of a man is his kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar. And I emphasize this because the book of Proverbs emphasizes this, and we need to hear carefully the words that are spoken here. Again, it ministers to those who are in poverty, it ministers comfort, understanding, wisdom, and grace, and it also gives instruction to those who are not in poverty, and it warns them against their treatment of the poor, and also looking down on the poor and exalting themselves because of their wealth. Now this proverb is in the form of antithetic parallelism. There is an antithesis here that is clearly seen in the conjunction but. The first speaks of the poor, the second line in antithesis speaks of the rich. In the first line we learn about the poor using entreaties, while the rich in the second line, the contrast is they answer roughly. So let's look at it. The poor uses entreaties. The word entreaty comes from a root that means to request a favor. It refers, therefore, to a cry for mercy. It is supplication. It is a humble request for kindness. And so the poor are in a position where they cannot demand anything And therefore, they are brought to the level of asking for help in the terms of a favor and mercy. Now, who are the poor? We've talked about them a good bit, but let's define it according to the word. They are those who are impoverished in the sense that they lack sufficient resources, material resources, for living. They are therefore needy in that regard, an ongoing need, not just an occasional one. But they're constantly in need of physical resources, food, clothing, shelter, and the like, and they are suffering from want. The poor or those also, we could look at it this way, are wholly or nearly destitute of the property and the resources necessary for living. This line is telling us how the poor, therefore, must entreat or ask others for help. Some are reduced to begging. They have to plead for mercy. They have to look to others for favors and the assistance they need. And so, in that lowly condition, they use entreaty. But what about the rich? The rich, we're told here, answer roughly. Now, this rough answer that's being spoken of concerning the rich refers either specifically how they often respond to the entreaties of the poor. So the poor come and they ask for help. And this is the true poor. We can sometimes be confused by that because of the complete turning on its head the questions and issues of poverty today in our country through the state's intervention and welfare society and all of these kind of things. But the poor here are truly the poor. They come humbly ask for help. But the rich often respond to their humble request with rough language. It could also be just more in the general sense of how they respond to anybody, rich or poor, who ask anything of them. that generally they answer people roughly. Now the word roughly means in a strong, harsh, or haughty manner. So this is the contrast between the humble request of the poor and the haughty answer of the rich. An illustration of this proverb is found in 1 Samuel 25. You can turn there if you'd like. 1 Samuel 25, and beginning at verse one. When you read the Proverbs, it's good to think about biblical accounts, historical examples where we see these Proverbs being illustrated, enacted, carried out. 1 Samuel 25. Okay, let me find it here. Verse 2, And there was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great, in other words, very rich. And he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Wealth was considered in that society and time, not by how many coins you had, but these type of manners like sheep and goats, very rich. Now the name of the man was Nabal and the name of his wife Abigail. She was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance, but the man was curlish and evil in his doings and he was of the house of Caleb. And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep and David sent out 10 young men. And David said unto the young men, go up to Carmel or get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name." David at this time was very poor. He was a fugitive from the persecutions of Saul, and they had to live from hand to mouth. And so here we're going to see David using entreaties. He says, get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. In other words, favorably greet him. Wish peace upon him. And David goes on to say, and thus shall you say, to him that lives in prosperity, peace be both to thee and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers, now thy shepherds, which were with us, we hurt them not, neither were they ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will show thee. Wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes." There he's asking for a favor, using an entreaty. For we come in a good day. Give, I pray thee. There's the supplication. whatsoever comes to thy hand. In other words, not a demand, but whatever your hand decides to give. Whatsoever comes to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son, David. There's humility. We're your servants. I'm your son. And when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and ceased. And Nabal answered. Now here we see the second part of the proverb. Nabal answered David's servants and said, who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There be many servants nowadays that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh, that I have killed for my shears, and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be? So David's young men turned their way, and went again. told him all these things. We won't explore the rest of the story, but by Abigail's wise actions, a disaster was averted. But you see how clearly this illustrates that proverb. And if you study it, you see how David used entreaties. He was a poor man, and his men were poor. They were fugitives. They were dependent on the help of others, and so the request is made. And look at Nabal's rough answer. Who is David? and so on. So this is a really good example of that proverb. So what is the point of the proverb? Well, first of all, the point of the proverb goes beyond the truth of its observation. And what is that? It's the observation of how the poor make entreaties and how the rich tend to answer requests for their assistance. That's a general observation. And all of us have probably experienced one way or another ourselves that general observation. But it goes beyond that and it does two other things. So the proverb, we have to think through proverbs and see how far it's extending in its instruction. I think, first of all, it expresses sympathy to the poor in their affliction. It recognizes their lowliest state and the need they have to use entreaties. But it goes beyond that in the second line and warns the rich of the evil of giving harsh replies to those who ask help of them. That's the first thing it does beyond the general observation. But secondly, this proverb reveals an advantage of poverty. What is the advantage of poverty? It cultivates humility and modest speech. Is humility a desirable characteristic? Is modest speech something we should seek? Well, there's actually an advantage in poverty in that this is the kind of person it tends to produce. Cultivates humility and modest speech. But it also reveals a great disadvantage of possessing wealth. What is the disadvantage? Wealth tends to cultivate pride. harsh speech. And as Proverbs puts forward, humility and modesty in speech is a virtue. It is wisdom. While pride and harsh words is foolish and wicked. Now the two things set forth here in that way are found in other Proverbs. Proverbs 13, 7. There is that maketh himself rich, yet has nothing There is that maketh himself poor, yet has great riches. And this is talking about character qualities. And so the man is rich, yet he has nothing. And this is part of the nothing he has. He has no humility, and he has no ability to be kind and modest in his speech. And that would apply across the boards. He may be rich, but when it comes to character and wisdom, he's bankrupt. But then there's the poor person, who has great riches and the riches of humility, the riches of modesty. Proverbs 22.2, the rich and poor meet together, the Lord is the maker of them all. We need to remember this. And in that verse, the poor are lifted up and the rich are put in their place. And it says in Proverbs 22, 16, he that oppresses the poor to increase his riches and he that gives to the rich shall surely come to want. 28, six, better is the poor that walks in his uprightness than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. The book of Proverbs emphasizes from beginning to end that the most important things in life are not wealth, not pleasure, not power. but knowledge, wisdom, humility, and the fear of the Lord. Franz Delitzsch comments on this proverb. The Oriental proverbial poetry furnishes many parallels to this. It delights in the description of the contrast between a suppliant poor man and the proud and avaricious rich man. The word roughly refers figuratively of an unbending, hard, haughty disposition, and thence of words of such a nature. The proverb expresses a fact of experience as a consolation to the poor to whom, if a rich man insults him, nothing unusual occurs, and as a warning to the rich that he may not permit himself to be divested of humanity by mammon, a hard wedge for a hard clod. But whoever, as the scripture saith, grindeth the poor by his hard, stubborn-hearted conduct, and grindeth his bashful face, challenges unmerciful judgment against himself. For the merciful, only they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5, 7. And Matthew Henry adds this. He says, note one, poverty though many inconveniences to the bodies attended, has often a good effect upon the spirit, for it makes men humble and submissive, and mortifies their pride. It teaches them to use entreaties. When necessity forces men to beg, it tells them they must not prescribe or demand, but take what is given them and be thankful. At the throne of God's grace, we are all poor. and must use entreaties, not answer, but makes application. We must sue as a pauper. And secondly, he says, we should note a prosperous condition, though it has many advantages, has often this mischievous thing attending it, that it makes men proud, haughty, and imperious. The rich answers the entreaties of the poor roughly, as Nabal answered David's messengers with railing. It is a very foolish humor of some rich men, especially those who have risen from little, that they think their riches will warrant them to give hard words. And even where they do not design any rough dealing, then it becomes them to answer roughly, whereas gentlemen ought to be gentle. And he gives the verse James 3, 17. I'd like to build on something that Henry reminds us of here, and it's spiritual application. We are all really like the poor man before God. This is why Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of God. And the word for poor used in the Matthew passage there refers to abject poverty. When we realize that we ourselves before God are very, very poor. Even if we have all the riches in the world, as we've learned, they can be taken away overnight. God is the rich one, all capitals. He owns everything. So even in material needs, we should realize that our riches are always uncertain, that Jesus says. They can be here today, gone tomorrow. Really, we don't own anything. God owns it all. We are poor men and women before him, and we need to come to him every day doing what? Asking for our daily bread. in treating God to provide for us, not trusting in our bank accounts or in all of the resources we have, our pantry, and it's full, but we need to look to God as beggars, but even more so in the spiritual realm. This is how we should pray. You know, it is a travesty when Christians make demands of God. We demand He do this for us. We demand that He give us this. Heal us this, we threaten him that if he won't do it, then we're not gonna follow him anymore and all of this kind of, that's pride, that's arrogance. But as the Holy Spirit teaches us of our spiritual poverty and our great dependence upon God, our absolute dependence upon God, this is how we will pray. And this is actually a good verse to guide us in our prayer life before our God. We use entreaties, we plead, we beg, we ask for his favor. And on the other side, thank God there's no antithesis when we pray that way. God never answers his children roughly. James talks about that. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth them not, that is, he doesn't rebuke them. What are you doing here again asking for that? God never answers us roughly. This is actually a great verse when it's applied spiritually to prayer. Now verse 24, the next proverb. This proverb is on the theme of friendship. A man that has friends must show himself friendly and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Now first thing I'd like you to know with me all the italics in the text. Remember the italics in the King James Version are words that were added by the translators to express what they believe is the sense or the meaning of the passage. If you take them out, it says this, a man friends or of friends must show himself friendly and there is a friend that is closer than a brother. I think what we have here is antithetic parallelism, even though the translators here put and, I believe it's but. I think we have a contrast here between a certain kind of friends in the first line and another kind of friend in the second line. And so a man that has friends is contrasted with, and there is a friend. One is plural, the other is singular. In the first line, where it says, must show himself friendly, is contrasted with sticking closer than a brother. Now, although in the first line, what we have in our passage here is certainly a worthy translation of the original, as I've already said, we should note that the Hebrew text consists literally of only three words. I think what it's saying here is this, a man of friends. A man of friends must show himself friendly. What do we mean by the phrase a man of friends, or as it's translated here with the italics, a man that has friends? The plural, here's how I'll explain this, the plural word friends indicates here, a companion, a neighbor, someone who's concerned about another person's well-being to some degree. It's a friend, but a neighbor, a companion. In fact, this word that's translated friend here is used 32 times in Proverbs, 19 times it's translated by the word neighbor, 19 times. then 13 times it's translated as friend. Well, why? Because context has to determine if it's used in the general sense of a neighbor or in the more specific sense of a friend. Proverbs 17, 17 says, a friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity. That's the word we have translated friend here. But look at 18, 17. He that is first in his own cause seems just, but then his neighbor comes and examines him. That's the word, same word translated friend in verse 17 and translated friend in verse 24. And it depends on the context, how you want to take that. So it's a very, it's a general term for a friend, a neighbor or a companion. Now this idea of showing oneself friendly, what that means is disputed. First of all, it's from a form that can be either intensive or reciprocal. Intensive is how the authorized version takes it. Must show himself friendly. The reciprocal idea would be something like this. A man of friends is a man that's a friend to those who reciprocate his friendly companionship. Those who are friendly to him in return or those who are friendly to him. Others think the word friendly here comes from a different root and there is reason to see that in the original. The other root, the one could be friend, neighbor, the other root refers to something that is evil. Wow, quite a difference, isn't it? What this would mean if it's of that second one is the man, something like this, a man who tries to be the friend to everybody will be ruined by that attempt. or a man with many friends who are simply companions out for a good time will use him for their own purposes. In other words, there are those who see friendships in terms of what they can get out of it. The view that the root comes from the friendship idea would be this, that a man is a friend to those who are friendly to him. So a man who has friends is the man who himself is friendly. There's a reciprocal relationship here. And so this is friendship that is based on a reciprocation of benefits. Now I'm undecided as to which of the two views is correct because both express real possibilities, don't they? Regardless, I think the point of the first line for us to grasp, even if we can't grasp the details here, is that this is expressing a particular level of friendship that is relatively low. Okay? Lots of friends. But it's friends who are friends because of the fact you're friendly to them. If you stop being friendly, it's over. They're friends because they see friendship with you as something they can get, something good they can get out of it, but when that benefit ceases, the friendship ceases. We know that kind of friendship. But the second line, the antithesis, is there's a different level of friendship. And there's this level of friendship where there's a friend, notice it's not plural, friends, but a friend that sticks closer than a brother. The world is filled with the first kind of friends, but there are very few in the second category. And this conjunction and could be translated just as well, but, and I think that's what it is. And so a man that has friends must show himself friendly, but there's another level of friendship. This is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. And it's far better friendship. The friendship of the previous line was a friendship based in numbers and benefits, lots of friends and mutual benefits. But this kind of friendship is limited in number and it's based on something beyond benefits, but true commitments and true brotherly love. This much deeper and better kind of friendship, we're told here in the proverb, even surpasses the natural bonds of brotherhood, of family. Furthermore, this word friend, it's translated friend here, and I think contextually that is a very good translation because of what this proverb's about, but it's not from the same root for the word friend in the first line that refers simply to a companion. The word friend in this line comes from a root that means to love. Love in the sense of being completely devoted to another. In this context, it means that there is a friend that is more than a congenial companion, but a friend who is committed to you through thick and thin and devoted to your well-being at all times, whatever circumstances. The phrase through thick and thin. is an idiom we use that means to support or to stay with someone in all circumstances, even if there are problems or difficulties. The friends of the first line often disappear at the first hint of a problem or a difficulty. But this friend is made for that kind of time. They rise to the surface in those kinds. Now, it says that this kind of friend sticks closer than a brother. The verb stick closer means to cleave to, adhere to, as if joined with glue, bonded, unbreakable. And so it indicates a human bond of those who are attached or devoted to each other. This verb translated sticketh clothe or here is the one used in Genesis 2 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife. They shall be one flesh. That is commitment. This is the friendship of that kind of level. And the words then a brother is comparative. A brother, which stands, I think, for any close family member, is attached to and committed to the other members of his family. But there are such friends, we're told here, that can have a bond with us that is even stronger than a natural bond. And many of us have experienced that in life. We have found more help, more love, more devotion, more faithfulness from non-family members than we had from family members. And that's what they're talking about here. Because our natural tendency is to think the closest support we're going to get in life is from fellow members of our family. But no, that's not necessarily true. In fact, there's a level of friendship that will go beyond that. And so the point of the proverb is to contrast occasional and relatively shallow friendships that are based on mutual likes and advantages. contrasted with a lasting and deep friendship that's based on a devotion to the welfare of one another, and a commitment to serve and to help as circumstances may require. The first is what we may call, in our saying, a fair weather friend. The weather gets dark and stormy, they're gone. A fair weather friend is a friend that cannot be relied on in times of difficulty and is only around when the sun is shining, when things are going well. The second friend is one through thick and thin, as I already mentioned that. This is a friend that will support and stay with someone in all circumstances, even if there are problems or difficulties. I looked up that idiom, that saying. And I always thought, I always got it backward. I thought the thick referred to the times of prosperity and the thin that were times of lack. But it's actually the opposite. It comes from a woodland analogy. You have two travelers. And when you're going through the thin, it's when the trees are wide apart, there's hardly any brush, no bushes, and it's an easy path. But the thick is when you get to the briars. When you get to the underbrush that are poking at you and tearing at your flesh and your clothes, and that's the time when the fair weather friend abandons you, when you get in the briars of life, when it's thick and pointed and painful. But the second friend of the second line we're talking about, when the briars, when you have to go through the briars, they'll be there with you, clipping them off and pulling them off you. They'll help you through it. Now this proverb, of course, does not deny the pleasantness of having lots of friends on the level of the first. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, that can be very healthy to have lots of friends. And it also does not, it's not against the character quality of friendliness in general. Cultivating a friendly spirit with those that you work with, your neighbors, your associates, the people you do business with, and so forth. But the proverb is emphasizing that there's another level of friendship that you need to pray for, that you need to seek, and the kind of friend you need to be to someone. You can't be this to everybody. That's why it goes from plural friends to a friend. Sometimes we only have one in this category. Sometimes there may be more than one, but it's not going to be many. two, three at the most. We need to seek those kind of friendships, ask God for them. It's wisdom, Proverbs is a book of wisdom, and to see friendship in these two categories and understand the dynamics of the first and of the second. So we could ask ourselves this question this morning, do I have any such friends? And we can also ask ourselves, am I such a friend to anyone? And so this is a rich proverb. It's an antithetical proverb. Delage comments, in contradiction contradistinction to friend in the first line, which is a general and according to the usage of language of familiar idea. The true friend is called in an antithetical parallel member, one who remains true in misfortune. To have such a one is better than to have many of the so-called friends. And as appears from the contrast to him, he was so fortunate as to have such a friend as there comes blessing and safety. And Henry writes, we may promise ourselves great comfort in a true friend. A brother indeed is born for adversity, as he said in Proverbs 17, 17. In our troubles we expect comfort and relief from our relations, but sometimes there is a friend that is nothing akin to us, the bonds of whose esteem and love prove stronger than those of nature, and when it comes to the trial will do more for us than a brother will. Christ is a friend to all believers that sticks closer than a brother. To him, therefore, let them show themselves friendly. That's from Matthew Henry. Now, by the way, you can be a friend on this level to a natural brother. Sometimes brothers or sisters are these kind of friends. In other words, even just goes beyond the commitments of the natural bond. It's also interesting to see that the same phrase sticketh closer is used of the marriage bond. And many have said that the best friend we should have in this kind of commitment should be our marriage partner. You could apply that to marriage. A lot of marriages, it's like the first line. Benefits I get from the marriage. Stop the benefits, cut out of the marriage. But there's a marriage partner that sticks closer than a brother. And it's interesting too, because marriage partners are not blood relations. They're from different families. And so their bond is not a blood, but of covenant, commitment, and love. But before we leave this proverb, let's think what Matthew Henry does for us here. He very wisely applies this proverb to Jesus Christ. You know, even the best friends, even the friend we have of the second line will not be perfect and they will fail us. But there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother in a perfect way, Jesus Christ. One of the things that was spoken against him by his enemies is said, look at him, he's the friend of sinners. Thank God for that statement in the Bible. He's the friend of sinners. That means he's the friends of those who seek him. Jesus Christ will stick closer to you than any brother, any, even the best and most devoted friend, he will stick closer than that. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you through thick and thin. He is not a fair weather friend. He comes into his own when you're in the storms. of life. So let us apply this proverb to our Lord Jesus Christ. We can also look at it in terms of the family of God. We may have friendship with people in the world, and that can be healthy, and that is that we're kind to them and friendly to them, but there is a friendship level that should be evident in the church, the brotherhood friendship. And then even within the body of Christ, we're gonna find a few who rise to this amazing level of being closer than a brother, amen. Let's go now to chapter 19 and verse 1. Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool. Here we have what we call comparative parallelism, where the upright poor man is compared to the perverse man. So it's not synonymous, synthetic, or antithetical. It's comparative. We're comparing two entities. The comparison is between the poor and the fool, the poor who walks in their integrity, and the fool who is perverse in his lips. The word better, as I said, introduces a comparison, but it's a comparison of value or worth. It indicates what is superior, preferable, more advantageous, or desirable. Now the poor man is usually held in low esteem. The poor is usually looked at as being an inferior person, and poverty being as the least desirable state. But this proverb teaches us an important truth about what is really valuable, and it's not wealth, but it's integrity. Better is the poor that walks in his integrity. And the Hebrew word integrity means upright and complete in one's moral qualities. which fits beautifully to our English word integrity. As Webster defines it as this, the entire unimpaired state of anything, particularly of the mind, moral soundness or purity, incorruptness, uprightness, honesty. Integrity, I'm still quoting from Webster, comprehends the whole moral character. And so when we talk about this poor man walking in his integrity, we're talking about a poor man of excellent, excelling moral qualities in his life, throughout his life, in the sense of all parts of his conversation. He's upright, he's honest, he's faithful, he's true. The poor man who walks, and the idea of walks here refers to a ongoing quality of life, he walks in integrity, is a man that is better than the contrasted one in the next line. But by the way, notice this. It doesn't say better is the poor, period. It's not saying every poor man is in this superior quality that's being spoken of here. Better is the poor man or woman that walks in integrity. So that's the kind of poor we're talking about, a godly poor man or woman and one of integrity. They're better than, here's the comparison, he that's perverse with his lips and is a fool. And so that's the comparison. The man who is a fool and that folly is shown by the perversity of his lips. To be perverse is to distort and twist the truth or the right way. To be perverse in lips is to speak lies and to attack what is good and right. And so perverse lips reveal what? A perverse character, because out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speak. And so the contrast in our proverb is between integrity and perversity. And the phrase the fool indicates that the man who is perverse is a fool. It's foolish to be perverse. Ridiculous. Disgusting. Again, the text here itself does not actually contrast a poor man and a rich man, but a poor man with anybody, a fellow poor man or a rich man who is a fool and is perverse. So the point of the proverb is to teach that the true measure of a man, the true measure of a woman, is not wealth or material circumstances, but character. This is true riches. If we would only spend as much time on focusing on building our characters and our integrity as we do in our bank account, oh, how much better we would be. Since the measure of a person is not their wealth but their character, that being the case, we're told here that a poor man of sterling character is better than, is superior in standing to any perverse man, rich or poor. Integrity makes a poor man rich in the things that really count and really bring peace and contentment in this life and really please God. And so the proverb is a comfort to the righteous poor man. It reminds him of what true wealth consists, and that he's a possessor of something that is much more valuable than all the gold and integrity of the rich men around him. The proverb is a condemnation of a perverse person, particularly a perverse rich person, who has gained their wealth through lies, dishonesty, and greed. Proverbs 16.8, better is little with righteousness than great revenues without right. 28.6, better is the poor that walks in his uprightness than he that is perverse in his ways though he be rich. Notice that's almost exactly the same as this proverb except in that proverb the contrast is clearly between the poor and the rich. Matthew Henry states here, see number one, what will be the credit and comfort of a poor man? And make him more excellent than his neighbor, though his poverty may expose him to contempt and may dispirit him, let him be honest and walk in integrity. Let him keep a good conscience and make it appear that he does so. Let him always speak and act with sincerity when he is under the greatest temptations to dissemble and to break his word. And then let him value himself upon that. For all wise and good men will value him. He is better. has a better character, is in a better condition, is better beloved, and lives to a better purpose than many a one that looks great and makes a figure. And number two, Henry says, see here what will be the shame of a rich man, notwithstanding all his pomp, if he have a shallow head and an evil tongue. If he's perverse in his lips and is a fool, if he's a wicked man and gets what he has by fraud and oppression, he's a fool. an honest poor man is to be preferred far before him." End quote. Now that you know the perfect divine example of a poor man who walked in his integrity was who? Our Lord Jesus Christ. came from a poor family. Even in our Bible reading this morning, the offering of the pigeons and turtle dove was for the poor. The others had to offer more expensive animal sacrifices. So we know from the very beginning that Jesus was raised in a home that knew poverty. They were hardworking, they were honest. Their family, their parents, his parents were like this. They were chosen by God, not because of their wealth or social position, to raise the Redeemer, because of their integrity. And then Jesus Christ himself, the divine son of God, the God-man, said during his ministry, the foxes have holes, the birds of the airs have their nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. He gave it all up. When he told the rich man to give it all up and follow him, he wasn't asking him to do something he himself had not already done in relation to his father. Jesus Christ is the greatest man that ever lived. He exceeds all the emperors, all the rich men, all the mighty of the earth by a million fold, times a million. So let us, in our own poverty, And comparatively speaking, when we look at all the wealth and the riches in the upper class and the destruction of the middle class that's taking place in our country and the transfer of wealth by all kinds of unjust means and the wicked seem to get more wealthy every day, let us not despair. Let us focus on integrity. For we are far better than them if that is the case. They have perverse lips. They are fools. We have Christ. Now one more, and we conclude. 19.2, also that the soul be without knowledge, it's not good. And he that haste with his feet sinneth. Now this could be synonymous parallelism. I lean to that, though it may be a synthetic where the one line's developing the next. But that's really not that necessary because synonymous and synthetic are both dealing with the same theme. Let's look at it. The soul without knowledge is in some way equivalent to someone who hastes with their feet. And the phrase is not good is equivalent in a synthetic or synonymous way to sinning or sineth in the second line. I like to do that in each proverb, to lay that out and I encourage you to do the same. Take a piece of paper and say, what are the elements of which line to the next? How do they parallel with one another? It says also, and this word also that appears in many proverbs really has the idea of intensity. It means surely, surely the soul, that the soul be without knowledge is not good. I mean, there's no debate on that fact. And again, if you, take away the italics, it would simply say this, a soul without knowledge is not good. Or a soul without knowledge, not good. The word soul here stands for the whole man. 70 souls went down into Egypt, we're told. He's the whole person. Soul and spirit and body. But there's a focus, though, when we talk about the soul, not just the fact that they're a person, but of the reason. that man possesses. The phrase without knowledge means in a particular situation in this proverb where a man has insufficient knowledge or understanding. It's not good for us to face the problems and decisions of life, to be in circumstances that call for careful consideration and a wealth of knowledge, to be in a situation that we don't have the knowledge we need. It's not good to be without knowledge. The reason of man, his thinking faculty, is based on knowledge. It doesn't take place in a vacuum. And when we look at this second line, he that haste with his feet, the word haste here has the idea of pushing hurriedly to a goal, or to put it in more colloquial terms, to plunge ahead. Just plunge into the thing hastily, be precipitous, or to act rashly. And so the parallelism that's being set up here is that of those who plunge ahead with their feet before first informing their minds. In other words, they don't think before they act. They're precipitous. And so they are parallel. The soul without knowledge, not a good situation. And the person in that situation who hastens with their feet is going to get themselves in big trouble. For the word here, sineth, literally means to miss the mark. And so the parallelism is this, to act hastily is to act before you have proper knowledge. The proverb is teaching that knowledge, thought, and reason must proceed wise action. So the point of the proverb is that knowledge is the foundation for action and therefore those who act without it are acting rashly and they will invariably fail to reach the desired outcome. It's saying do not move forward until you know what you're doing. Or how about this? Those who are rash are sure to crash. The Holy Spirit gave me that one. Those who are rash are sure to crash. Because that's what the idea of sinning here means. You fail to reach the mark. You wipe out. We have some English proverbs along this line. You know them. Haste makes waste. What is haste there? You haven't thought through the implications of your actions. You're acting precipitously, rashly. There's another proverb that says this, make haste slowly. I like that one. What? Make haste slowly. In other words, we're always in a hurry. That's our human nature. But be slow. In other words, slowly be in a hurry. And then we have the one look before you leap. Look what's on the other side before you jump into it. Have the knowledge of what's on the other side of what you're jumping into. The thoughts of the diligent or the knowledge and the reason of the diligent leads to plentiness, says in Proverbs 21 5. But every one that is hasty only to want. Matthew Henry comments this, two things here are declared to be of bad consequence. Number one, ignorance. That's bad. Particularly when you're making decisions and are ready to move with your feet. Don't move with your feet until your head is properly informed. So he says ignorance, that's the first thing that's bad. He says that the soul be without knowledge is not safe nor pleasant. What good can the soul do? Of what good is it for if it has no knowledge? And number two, he says, This is bad, is to be rash. He that hastens with his feet, that does things inconsiderately and with precipitation, and will not take time to ponder the path of his feet, sins. He cannot but often miss the mark to make many a false step, which those prevent that consider their ways." End of quote. Now this is an important proverb. How many mistakes, how many times have we done the foolish and we have regretted our actions, we've regretted our words because we didn't think about what we were doing before we acted. And we can't truly think about what we're doing without knowledge to inform that thinking. And the most important knowledge that we need is what? The knowledge of God's word. The knowledge of the book of Proverbs, for example, that we're studying here. We need to have this knowledge. And if we don't have it, it's not good. We're not in a very favorable or good position to be ignorant of the truths of God's word and the principles of justice and wisdom and righteousness. Get knowledge is one of the great messages of Proverbs. But there's also the practical knowledge. When God raised up the tabernacle, He had some men chosen who had the skill to do it. Before you plunge into a task, make sure you understand what is needed to complete the task, and whether or not you have the practical skills to do the task. Otherwise, you're going to miss the mark. You're not going to come out to where you want it. But there's another way to apply this, and this is in the area of Christian doctrine and practice. Do not make haste with your feet when it comes to the acceptance of doctrine or practical teaching in the Bible. I could even say this, don't make haste with your feet in regard to the gospel. In fact, the parable of the sower talks about somebody like that. The sower went out, sowed the word, and they received it immediately with joy. Oh, this is the greatest thing I've ever heard. I want to become a Christian. They went forward, signed their card, raised their hand, and maybe even were baptized. But then, what does Jesus say? But then persecution arose. Then trouble arose, and they quickly fell away. Quick gospel decisions usually lead to quick apostasy from that decision. If you have heard the gospel, and if you're presenting the gospel, press upon people not to be precipitous or hasty when they hear this good message. Jesus said, you must count the cost. To become a Christian means there's a cost that goes with it. There's a dying to self. There's a living unto God. There is the hatred of the world. There is the opposition of the devil. There is the rebellion of your own flesh. And so we should not press on people gospel decisions and evangelists who sit there and press and press and press and tell tear-jerking story and have 20 verses of Just As I Am to try to bring people out do a disservice to the gospel and to the people they're speaking with. Do not hasten somebody into the kingdom. God will bring them in in his own way in his own time, but this is the principle. They must have knowledge of what the gospel is. They must understand sin. They must understand repentance. They must understand the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. They must understand discipleship. They must understand lordship. They must have knowledge before they can truly make a gospel decision that saves the soul. This is also in Christian doctrine. Now there's a sense of when we are first saved, we're going to naturally hold to the doctrines we're taught by those who first disciple us. And thank God that in all true Christian churches, that initial discipling across the board is one, and the fundamentals of the faith. But there are also then as we grow, there is meat aspects of doctrine that Christians differ on. The point here is don't hastily make your decision on those kind of questions. Search the scriptures daily to see what is true. Fill your mind with knowledge before you reject something that perhaps you didn't believe or practice before. Because if your soul doesn't have the knowledge of the Bible, your decision's not going to be good. The same with practical living. We live in a culture that has conditioned us and the church has been culturalized. And often it's teaching and practices are very encultured. And we just accept them and hastily go forward because that's what everybody's doing. But we should not hastily make commitments about how we will dress, how we will live, how we will spend our money, what entertainment we will give to, what kind of books we will read. We must have knowledge first. I think you get the point of the application. This proverb is also a stern warning to all who would publicly teach or preach the Word of God. You cannot do so without knowledge. Those who would hastily, with their feet, go into a teaching position, be it in a small group Bible study or a church in a Sunday school or those men who would go into the pulpit. It's not good to be without knowledge. And preachers who have the idea that I'm just going to pray this week and I'll walk into the pulpit and God will give me what I need to say have violated this proverb. You need to know what the text says as the best of your abilities can yield. I've been asked by certain ones in the past how much time I put in my sermon preparation or what I recommend. And I have come as a general response is minimum 20 hours. Minimum for any sermon, often will be more than that. and that you cannot fulfill the ministry of the word without the knowledge of what the text speaks. I went on and on for hours on verse 24, what it meant because of the trouble with understanding a man that has friends must show himself friendly in the various views. I could have just taken it as it appears. but my conscience wouldn't let me. I have to, to the best of my ability, understand what it says before I dare try to teach others. And so this is very important. We must fill our souls with the knowledge of God's word. If we don't, it is not good. And if we don't do that, we will haste with our feet and it'll lead us into sin. May God be praised for his truth. Amen. Lord willing, we'll pick up with verse 3 and go on next week. Father in heaven, thank you for the wisdom of thy word. Today we have seen how the poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly. May we apply that in our own circumstances and particularly in our prayer lives. We've also seen that there's two kinds of friends and two levels of friendship. There's a very general level, the surface level of reciprocal friendship, and it's not bad, but it doesn't stand in the day of adversity. What we need, Lord, and what we need to be, Lord, are friends that stick closer than a brother. I pray you will give each one here today that kind of friend. And I pray, Lord, you will help each one of us to be that kind of friend. We've learned today that the true worth of a man or woman is not their material resources, but far superior to any rich man or powerful man or woman. Who is a fool is the poor person who walks in integrity. This is what we must seek, oh God, integrity, integrity, and integrity. And furthermore, we've just learned that when our souls, our minds, our reason are not fed with knowledge, it's not a good situation. Yet so many Christians live in ignorance, and that leads them to act hastily and their feet sin. So help us, Lord, to apply that both in our daily decisions and practical affairs of life, but also to our spiritual lives. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ, who epitomizes all of the truths herein. In his name we pray, amen.