Proverbs 15: 1-11

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
²The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,
But the mouth of fools spouts folly.
³The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
⁴A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
⁵A fool rejects his father's discipline,
But he who regards reproof is sensible.
⁶Great wealth is in the house of the righteous,
But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
But the hearts of fools are not so.
⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
But He loves one who pursues righteousness.
¹⁰Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die.
¹¹Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD,
How much more the hearts of men!

Today's Thought Question:

1. What proverb in today's passage spoke to you and why?

Verse 3: The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good. Why so interesting? Do you ever think about God having eyes? We know that we are made in His image, and it's always cool for me to see how we are like God.



But, God's eyes are, obviously, a bit more enhanced than mine (and no near-sightedness, either!). His eyes are in every place. EVERY place! They aren't just glancing. They are watching, which implies a level of interest, focus. What's also interesting to note is that God is not just watching the good; He is watching the evil as well.

Think it's important to point out that God cannot be intimately involved with evil, but that doesn't mean He doesn't see it.

I found some cross-references to help expand on what God is watching and watching for. In II Chronicles, we find the story of King Asa of Judah, who had been a follower of the Lord, until he made a mistake. The king's seer, Hanani, comes to him after Asa has made a decision to follow what he sees and not the word of God--and this after God has already shown Asa His favor in delivering the armies of various countries to him.

"Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.... For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

--II Chronicles 16:7 & 9

OOH!

And you think, why, WHY, would you go with what you see instead of going with the sure thing in God? But, don't we all sometimes get over-confident in our own ways? Don't we sometimes fear the build-up of the unknown? Don't we sometimes decide that maybe, just maybe, God isn't going to come through for us this time, out of our lack of faith?

This lack of faith or the decision to act foolishly results in consequences. Why? Because God wants to "strongly support those whose hearts are completely His."

"For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes."

--Jeremiah 16:17

God is talking in this chapter about His chosen people, Israel. God has always loved this people, but He has also seen an unbelievable amount of sin and unfaithfulness in this people--all of which shows the validity of this passage. His eyes see all.

"You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me." (Jeremiah 16: 12)

And what His eyes see goes directly to the heart.

"The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not so." (vs 7)

Photo: http://www.guildcraftinc.com/images/products/full/620-103%20Gods%20Eye.jpg

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Tomorrow's Scripture Focus and Thought Question:

Proverbs 15: 12-24

1. What proverb in today's passage spoke to you and why?
   

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Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation, specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB). I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (with notes from the King James Version).