Proverbs 16
McGeeCHAPTER 16This is a very rich and important sectionshort sentences drawn from long experience, tested in the crucible of time and of suffering. They are made rich and real to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The proverbs are for all time, although they were written specifically to the young man who was an Israelite under the Mosaic Law. However, they widen out and speak to all of our hearts in a very definite way: to rich and poor, male and female, black and white. This is a book that can reach down and touch us all.
Proverbs 16:1
Dr. H. A. Ironside translates this: “The purposes of the heart are of man: but from Jehovah is the answer of the tongue.” Our human proverb that would go along with this is, “Man proposes, but God disposes.” As the Word of God says, “…it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer_10:23). You may plan, and I may plan or arrange things, but when the time comes to speak or act, God is the One who is going to have the last word. We may make a great boast, but only God can give the final answer.
Proverbs 16:2
“All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes.” We have seen this before in Pro_14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” If you have ever dealt with lost people and have spoken to them about their salvation, or if you have been a preacher or a teacher, you know the answer that you get most of the time: “I don’t need to be saved. I’m all right. What is wrong with me? I’m willing to stand before God. I’m an honest man.” It is that sort of thing on and on. A man is clean in his own eyes. I have had that thrown back at me even as a challenge. There are even a great many Christians who think that their walk is perfect before God. The whole issue is wrapped up in this one verse of Scripture: “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_1:7). We need to hold up the mirror of the Word of God to our lives, and it will reveal that things are not quite right, that we don’t measure up to God’s standard. You may measure up to the standard of the chamber of commerce, and it may make you Man of the Year; your club may reward you and give you a plaque; your church may pat you on the back; and your neighbors may say that you are a great guy. But, my friend, when you see yourself in the light of the Word of God, then you see that you have a need and that there are spots on your life. You will see that you have come short of the glory of God.
Your way may be clean in your own eyes, but it is not clean in God’s eyes. “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1Jn_1:6). Now John is speaking to Christians. There are a great many folk sitting in a church pew as comfortable as you please. In fact, they tend to point their finger at other folk and say, “They’re not so good, but I am. I’m really all right.” I think some of the saints today have, in effect, asked God to move over. They want to sit next to Him and look down to judge their fellow Christians. The way of a man may seem clean in his own eyes, but Jehovah weighs the spirit. God searches you. Have you ever seen a pair of scales that can weigh spirits? Well, I’ll tell you onethe Word of God. It is a mirror. It is a set of scales to measure you, and it says that you come short, that you don’t measure up. Some folk have misunderstood what I said in our study of the Epistle to the Galatians. They write to me and say, “You said that the Mosaic Law is no good today, that the Law is inoperative.” I didn’t say that. What I said was that the Law cannot save you. The Law is good; Paul said it’s good. It is a mirror. It reveals to you that you have come short of the glory of God.
My friend, if you look at the Law of God and still say that you are measuring up to it, then you haven’t really seen the Law yet. You don’t really know what the Law is saying. The Law demands perfection, and you and I cannot produce it. Therefore we need a Savior. That is what the Law will do: it is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. It will take you by the hand and bring you to the Cross and say, “Little fellow, what you need is a Savior.” The Law is good, but it will not save you.
If the ways of a man are clean in his own eyeseven with the Word of God before himmay I say, there is none blind like those who will not see. Jehovah weighs the spirits.
Proverbs 16:3
The word commit is literally “roll.” You just roll your affairs over upon the Lord, and He will take charge. That’s actually the way I got saved. When I was a lad, I ran away to Detroit, got into sin, came home, and was troubled by my conscience. Then a preacher told me that God wasn’t angry at methat Jesus bore my sins and that being justified by faith I could have peace with God. At that time I just rolled my sins onto Christ. There are times, even to this day, when I can’t sleep at night, that I like to just roll over in bed and say, “Lord Jesus, I am resting in You.” Roll over. Rest in Him. Commit thy works unto Jehovah. Are you worried about tomorrow, next week, next year, or the unforeseeable future? How is it all going to work out? Why don’t you just turn it over to Him? Roll it over onto Him. What a picture this is!
Proverbs 16:4
My friend, here is some strong medicine. This proverb is a pill that will send you on a trip, I mean a real mind-blowing trip. Jehovah hath made all things for Himself. Have you ever wondered why the ocean is salty, or why it has a tide? You may answer that it is according to certain laws of nature. But who made the laws? Why is the ocean salty? Because God wanted it that way! The Lord Jesus is the Creator, and He wanted it that way. Someone may say it is because there is salt in the land that has been filtered out by the water in the ocean. By the way, who put the salt in the land to begin with? I don’t care what you do with evolution or how far back you try to carry it, eventually you come to the place where somebody had to make something to get the whole thing started. You know who started it? God did. And not only that, He made all these things for Himself. What is the chief end of man? I learned that in the catechism a long time ago, and the answer is good. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. I don’t care who you are or where you are, God created you for His glory. Somebody says, “What about the drunkard in the street? What about that crooked man? That lost manwhat about him? You mean he’s for the glory of God?” My friend, this is a strong pillare you ready to swallow it? All of that is for the glory of God. “Oh,” you may say, “I don’t like that.” I don’t remember that God ever asked anyone whether or not he liked it. He has never asked me that. Very frankly, there are certain things that I don’t understand, and I think I could make some very fine suggestions to the Lord. But the Lord says, “Vernon McGee, I didn’t make this universe for you. This universe exists for Me, and you exist for Me; and you are going to be for My glory whether you are good or bad, saved or lost.” God is accomplishing His purpose today. Don’t you think it is about time you got in step with God? He is the One running the thing. So many people want to make sure that they are going with the crowd, going with the thing that is popular, going with the thing that will work out. Friend, I don’t know how things are going to work out in this world, but I do know this: Ultimately it’s all going to be for the glory of God. “Even the lawless for the day of evil.” God is going to make the wrath of man to praise Him (Psa_76:10). How is He going to do that? I don’t know. Let’s waitHe will show us someday. Are you willing to trust Him and commit your way to Him and get in step with Him? The very wonderful thing is that God is moving this universe according to His plan and purpose. The Greeks had a proverb: “The dice of the gods are loaded.” That is exactly what God is saying in this proverb. Whether you like it or don’t like it, God is saying to you, “Don’t gamble with Me. Don’t act as if I don’t exist. You can play house as if I don’t exist, as if this is your universe and you are going to work it out your way. But I want you to know that if you start gambling with Me, you will lose. You see, this is My universe, and I make the dice to come up My way, not your way. My dice are loadedI already know how they are coming up, and you don’t.” The thing for us to do is to get in step with God. A man, the Scriptures say, is a fool to live without God. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God …” (Psa_14:1). “…he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb_11:6). This is a pill, is it not? And it is one that is hard for men to swallow.
Proverbs 16:7
I have wrestled with this proverb a great deal, and I have searched what other men have had to say on this. Do you mean to tell me that if your ways please Jehovah, you will not have an enemy? Well, if that were true, then God wouldn’t have an enemy, and He does have an enemy. My interpretation is that if your ways please Jehovah, then your enemy may hate you; and, by the way, he will hate you. But the interesting thing is that, when the chips are down, these folk will admit that God is using you. That’s the important thing. One of the nicest things that has been said about me in Southern California was said by a man who very frankly says he hates me. He said, “I hate him, but he teaches the Word of God.” I say, “Thank you, Mr. Enemy, you are carrying out this proverb. You have to make that kind of acknowledgment if you’re honest.” I love this proverb, by the way.
Proverbs 16:11
This is a word for the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker.
Proverbs 16:18
I have that underlined in my Bible.
Proverbs 16:19
Here again is a thrust made against that which God hatespride. Pride is number one on God’s “hate parade” (Pro_6:16-19). This is the thing that brought down the archangel whom we know as Satan today. He was Luciferson of the morningprobably the highest creature God created until sin was found in him. What was that sin? It was pride: he attempted to lift himself above God, because he was such a great creature whom God had created and given the power of free choice. Free choice is a very dangerous weapon which God has put in the hands of some of His creatures. Now some creatures follow an instinct. For example, the ducks leave Canada in the wintertime and fly down to South America. In the summer they fly back up to Canada. Back and forth they go. They are moved by instinct, but man has a free will. Man can stay in Canada in the wintertime (I don’t know why he would), and he can go south in the summertime. But where there is free choice, there is also the possibility of pride and rebellion against God. There are so many in Scripture who illustrate this matter of pride. This is the thing that was the undoing of that man Haman in the Book of Esther. And Absalomimagine him rebelling against his father, David! Goliath, the giant, boasted in his pride. And Ahab was filled with pride.
Proverbs 16:24
“Pleasant words.” We all like to hear something good, don’t we? We read the newspaper and always get the bad news. It’s too bad more people don’t read the Bible. It is filled with good news. That is what the gospel isgood news. Also, we should learn to say it with pleasant words nowinstead of trying to say it with flowers when it is too late.
Proverbs 16:25
You will recognize that we had this proverb before (Pro_14:12). Then why is it repeated? It is because the Lord doesn’t want us to miss this one. Repetition reveals its importance.
Proverbs 16:27
We probably all know someone who fits this proverb. I had a friend who professed to be a Christian, but almost every time I would see him he would start in, “Dr. McGee, have you heard …?” Then he would go on with the latest and the juiciest gossip that was going around. Was he a godly man? I don’t know. I cannot sit in judgment on him. We need to guard our own tongue and lips so that we do not do the same.
Proverbs 16:28
We said before that some people will believe anything if it is whispered to them. There are those people who go around and whisper thingsseparating friends.
Proverbs 16:31
This is a good motto for the senior citizen.
Proverbs 16:33
I have this verse written over the Book of Esther. In his pride Haman cast lots to determine the day of destruction of the Jewish people. But God intervened and delivered His people; and the Jewish Feast of Purim (meaning “lots”) is a celebration of that providential day. Let me say again that “the dice of the gods are loaded.” Don’t gamble with God. Don’t take a chance with Him. Remember that it is God’s universe, and it is all for His glory. It’s for His purpose. Do you want to cooperate? Do you want to get in step with God or continue in rebellion? It is not your will, but God’s will that shall prevail. Oh, that you and I would get in step with Him and be at peace with Him, being justified by faith!