·
These
proverbs each give us encouragement to have a genuine faith (2 Tim. 1:5), free of hypocrisy. Consider.
·
16:1: A person makes plans in his heart
according to what he desires. But when
the heart speaks what is said is from the Lord.
What does this mean?
o For
one thing it tells us something about the Sovereign God, that He is the One who
is working things out for His glory. We
make our plans but God can and often does change our plans so when we put them
into effect the outcome is different than what we had intended it to be.
o But
it also says something about people. We
make plans to accomplish something that will be impressive in the eyes of those
around us. But God says that whatever
our plans are, ultimately our words will express what is really in our hearts
(Matt. 12:35-37).
·
16:2: A man seldom intends to walk in a way that
is evil; he always thinks he is right in his choices. But God looks deeper than words and actions;
He weighs the spirit of each man and each action.
o People
try to hide their true motives or disguise their actions; but to no avail. No matter how hard we try to hide them the
truth will eventually come out, even if it is after we die (1 Tim.
5:24-25).
o God
can see the deepest part of man. All things are naked and open to the eyes of
Him to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:13). This is powerful but notice God’s grace in
Hb. 4:12. His word can prepare us to
stand before Him, revealing to our deepest thoughts so we can seek God’s help
to be pure. He also has given us His
Holy Spirit who assures us of our relationship with Him (Rom. 8:16), praying for
us when we don’t know how to pray (Rom. 8:26), and reminding us of God’s
provision for our every need (1 Cor. 2:12).
·
16:3: This settles the issue of genuine
faith. Commit (lit. roll) your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established. It’s not that God will order His ways to fit
our thoughts; He will make our thoughts to fit His will.
o This
fits exactly with the New Testament teaching on prayer (1 John 4:14-15). We roll our ideas out before God. When God works the answer we will find ourselves
to be fully satisfied, even if the plans have changed or if the answer involves
a trial.
o And
of course this fits the very example of our Lord. He committed Himself to His Father, the faithful Creator (1 Pt. 4:19). When you hear Jesus’ words on the cross you
know this is what He is doing, from the plea “Father, forgive them” to His
final breath, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:34-46).
For genuine faith let us commit ourselves to
God. Let us yield our bodies to Christ
as living sacrifices. Let us trust in
the Lord with all our hearts.
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