Read Proverbs 16
16 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.
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.
5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.
7 When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
he causes their enemies to make peace with them.
8 Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice.
9 In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.
10 The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth does not betray justice.
11 Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of his making.
12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
for a throne is established through righteousness.
13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value the one who speaks what is right.
14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
but the wise will appease it.
15 When a king’s face brightens, it means life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!
17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their ways preserve their lives.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.
20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.
22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools.
23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction.
24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
25 There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.
26 The appetite of laborers works for them;
their hunger drives them on.
27 A scoundrel plots evil,
and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.
28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.
29 A violent person entices their neighbor
and leads them down a path that is not good.
30 Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.
32 Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
Go Deeper
Who runs your world? Is it your parents, spouse, teachers, coaches, boss, friends, activities, or even your cell phone? Who is really in charge of you–your time, your mind, your heart? Proverbs 16 demands an answer to this question. The answer might change your life forever.
In verses 1-9, Solomon contrasts God’s thoughts and ways with those of man. Verses 3 and 9 encourage us to give our thoughts, plans, and work to the Lord: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established…The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” The promise is clear in these verses. We will have the support and counsel of Almighty God as we surrender our works and ways to Him. What a perfect foundation to live on, rather than one of our own strength. Each and every small act of obedience along the way is us exercising and living by faith.
Verses 10-15 echo Christ’s teaching in Luke 12:48: “Great gifts, great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities.” These verses stress the importance of leading with wisdom, justice, integrity, and righteousness. To be a truly effective leader, we must commit to wise and righteous living. We must ask for help from God in all this. Conversely, if we are being led, we must pray for those leading us. In reality, we are all both leading and following in some capacity. In either case, wisdom and integrity matter a lot to God.
Verses 16-24 explains beautifully that Godly wisdom developed in spiritual disciplines prepares our lives for His blessing. Throughout these verses, we recognize the many benefits of wisdom, such as discernment, prosperity, humility, and avoiding evil. There is nothing but good in this list. Seeking His wisdom results in deeper trust in God, His ways, and His promises. How much better our world would be if all of us searched wholeheartedly for God’s wisdom!
In contrast, verses 25-30 show how twisted hearts and motives lead to evil, destruction, strife, perversion, slander, violence, and ultimately, death. We must all heed this warning and follow the path away from choices that could dramatically harm our lives.
Finally, verses 31-33 are a beautiful summary of the results of a life of righteousness and self-control. Let’s encourage each other in the spiritual pursuit of God and His wisdom. It is a disciplined search that takes time, but it will bring strength, discernment, and peace that will positively affect our lives and those around us, now and forever.
Questions
- Define the word motive.
- What is the promise in verse 3? How does that affect our motives and God’s view of those motives?
- Who or what do you want to “run your life”? Pick one or two attributes of wisdom that you desire from this Proverb and ask God to impress them into your heart.
Watch This
Check out this brief video featuring Dr. Tim Keller from The Bible App’s Verse of the Day series on Proverbs 16:9.
3 responses to “Proverbs 16”
God governs every molecule of this world. Yes, he gave us freedom of choice. All things are being weaved according to His purpose. Putting our thoughts into prayers and allowing God to be a part of the decisions we make is wisdom. Following through with right answers is understanding. We are to speak but weigh our words with His Word and from a spirit of prayer. We are to have a humble spirit that is willing to learn. Being careful what you say because the words that fall our of our mouth can be helpful or harmful. Life is in the tongue. We have to be careful what and how we speak. Words are imprinted in our hearts and minds.
God thank You for today, these minutes of this day. Help me to listen and obey You. Help me to guard my tongue. God thank You for helping me to share the gospel to those around me. Thank You for me being Your hands and feet to actively show people who You are by my choices. Thank You for loving me with Your Hesed love and continuing to show me how to love others well today in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!
So many gems of wisdom are contained in this chapter of Proverbs. Today I’m challenged by v3,
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.”
Instead of trying to figure it all out, I’ll choose to lay my plans out before him in surrender to the One who knows all things and never fails. I will trust his love and faithfulness.
Yes, lots of great wisdom to be found in Proverbs 16!
One that I’ve committed to memory over the years is:
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!
I have needed to remind myself of this wisdom countless times!