PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes” (Proverbs 19:10).

Delights are more than just happiness; real delight is true joy as in the next two verses. It is much deeper than simple gladness.

“I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts” (Ecclesiastes 2:8).

“How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” (Song of Solomon 7:6).

It is extreme joy: “His delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:1). It is joy in good things, and right things, and that kind of happiness is not interesting for a fool. He’s looking for happenings, what’s going on. Their kind of happiness depends on happenstance. If everything happens to turn to their favor, they are happy. Joy, on the other hand, does not depend on happenstance, but rather the settled peace that God is in control of everything—good or bad—and it will all work together for the good to those that love the Lord: “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Psalms 32:11).

A fool is not the kind that finds gladness in the Lord, he is glad in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

“. . . much less for a servant to have rule over princes,” that is, it isn’t “seemly” for a servant to rule over a prince. God doesn’t believe in equal rights. God stands for the fact that some people ought to rule over other people, and not servants over princes: “And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren” (Genesis 9:25).

“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” (I Corinthians 11:3). It is not right, or seemly, that the children ought to rule over the parents—yet that is the way it is in many homes. Nor is it seemly that the woman should rule over the man: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear” (I Peter 3:1-2).

And men need to be in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ: “That the head of every man is Christ.”

Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let's read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let's keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.

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“It is joy in good things, and right things, and that kind of happiness is not interesting for a fool. He’s looking for happenings, what’s going on. Their kind of happiness depends on happenstance. If everything happens to turn to their favor, they are happy. Joy, on the other hand, does not depend on happenstance, but rather the settled peace that God is in control of everything—good or bad—and it will all work together for the good to those that love the Lord”
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The idol of self so popular today. We are a nation of fools. God help us!

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