The Lord is sovereign; He has a purpose for everything He created. God detests arrogance—spiritual pride that causes a person to reject God—but is pleased when one turns away from evil. Godly wisdom is better than any material wealth (Proverbs 16:1–9). Solomon then offers several perspectives on kings and rulers.
Famously, "Pride comes before the fall": the proverbs make this point again, this time in its most well-known version. Again, it's better to be poor and not proud, than proud and not poor. If you speak pleasantly, people will be more persuaded—and persuasiveness is something the wise possess.
Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud. a. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly: Because pride is an abomination to God (Proverbs 16:5) and leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18), it isn't so bad to live among the lowly and to have a humble spirit.
Without any stated limits, wisdom and understanding are infinitely better than gold and silver. There is no comparison. Solomon emphatically told you a priority and rule for life – wisdom is far more important than money. Yet you are tempted every day to spend most or all of your energy and time in chasing money.
The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard Solomon as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period.
Understanding, the power of right thinking, is a wonderful thing, but only a few have it. Folly, which is ignorant stupidity, governs the thoughts and actions of most men. God inspired Solomon to write Proverbs for you to get understanding to have a great life.
Proverbs is largely concerned with the inevitability of God's justice and the importance of prudence and moderation. Solomon's proverbs maintain that wicked deeds will invariably lead to divine retribution and punishment during a person's earthly life.
1We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. 2People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives. 3Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. 4The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.
Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Another “better…than” wise saying in Proverbs. It's a message about who we should want to hang with — the “oppressed” or “the proud.”
“Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished” (Prov. 16:5; observe that it is not merely the arrogance itself that is an abomination to the Lord; the arrogant person also is).
The best chance for success comes when plans are aligned with truth. That means those who submit to God's will and seek Him are in a better position than those who ignore or reject Him.
Right actions alone, apart from appropriate thinking, has never cut it with God. But, when anyone is doing and thinking right, this verse indicates that God “makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” The LORD has the power and, based on my own choices, will supernaturally move in my life and relationships.
1 We may make our plans, but God has the last word. 2 You may think everything you do is right, but the Lord judges your motives. 3 Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out. 4 Everything the Lord has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked is destruction.
God's word says it is better to have a little money but be right with God than a lot of money gotten by unjust means. Time is short and our fortunes are uncertain, so we need to be diligent in what we do choose to do with our lives.
Proverbs 16:24 Prays for Righteous Interactions with Others
God help us, help us to build up others with our words today. God help us to be gracious with our words.
Proverbs 16:1 -- “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.” To make plans, God gave us eyes, ears, and minds, and He wants us to use them.
God has made everything for its purpose, even hurtful and unjust oppressors. Learn How to Impact the World at Geneva College. Does the prospect of impacting the world excite you?
God knows our inner thoughts and motives, even better than we do (Romans 8:26–27). Very few people act with the assumption that their choices are "evil." Some do exactly that—but most have ways of justifying their deeds.
The most frequently repeated and common theme taught in Proverbs is that the reader should seek and use God's wisdom every day and for every matter.
Proverbs 16:2-3 In-Context
2 All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. 3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. 4 The LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.
No matter how good and virtuous your heart and mind, they are revealed best by gracious and truthful speech. Kings were great and powerful in Solomon's time, but their approval and affection could be won with righteous words. Give God the glory for this wonderful proverb and its valuable lesson for godly speech.
Therefore, the chief aim of the book of Proverbs is to bring divine truth into proper focus, enabling us to look at life through God's eyes—from His eternal, all-knowing point of view—and then live accordingly. Proverbs teaches us how to gain wisdom from God's reproofs so that, in the power of the Spirit, we will obey.
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language.
Wisdom is the most important thing.
Overview of Proverbs 16:1-4
God's Plans and Our Lives. God takes our plans personally. He is involved in our lives. We need to trust Him rather than our plans. More than often, His plans are too intricate for us to understand.