Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 198 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [6:12]-19 Lessons for Daily Life #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 198 of our Trek, and for this week, we will stay at camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs Chapter 6. Yesterday we explored verses 6-11, and today we will explore verses 12-19. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was nice to be able to attend church services on Sunday with our local gathering of Christ followers. Since we were in Marietta the last several weeks, it had been about a month since we were in Charlotte on a Sunday. On Sunday evening, we went on our annual shopping date at Ollie’s Discount Store to pick up a few items for the grandkids. They have one evening a year prior to Christmas when all toys are 25% off and everything else is 15% off, so Paula and I have set this time aside for several years. Both of us are rather frugal by nature, so this is an enjoyable time together, especially knowing the prices are extra low.

We did get a call from our renovation contractor on Friday about the work they are doing in The Big House, and we were glad to hear that they are making good progress. With us being out of the house and the fact that we prepared the two front rooms, the foyer, and downstairs hallway, they were able to get most of the drywall on the ceilings, start patchwork on the cracks in the walls, and fix a pocket door that had a broken track. We are excited to return on Christmas Eve to see the progress.

Let’s get started for today as we remain at camp sitting around a nice warm fire. Visualize the smoke’s gentle wisps in the air and the flames that leap from the logs burning brightly. I find staring into a campfire almost mesmerizing. In the same way, if we are not careful of who we associate with, we can become mesmerized by their philosophies. Let’s look for this today as we dig for more nuggets of wisdom as we explore Proverbs Chapter [6:12]-19. This chapter in Proverbs is referred to as…

Lessons for Daily Life

Today I will read this segment, and then we will dive deeper into our exploration.

¹² What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
¹³ signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
¹⁴ Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
¹⁵ But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

Sometimes, an evil person is easy to identify, but other times, we must be careful. There are many that have perfected the practice of lying to the point it is even difficult for that person to realize it.  Jesus was very stern when he described such a person.  In John 8:44, Jesus was confronting the group of people that did not believe He was God’s son. Jesus said, “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The basic nature of evil people in Proverbs 6:12-15 says that they are liars.  They are dangerous to associate with because their evil plans are secret. His signals are small, but these signals might help us to identify him. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus  tells us to be careful when we are around them, so we do not become influenced by them. This is what Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

If we see a poisonous tree, its fruit is poisonous. If we see a good tree (for example, an apple tree), its fruit is good.

Consider the actions of the people in Proverbs 6:12-15. In verse 12, he speaks false words. Such behavior is not good. It warns us about their true character. In verse 14, they plan, or plot evil.  It does not just happen. It always begins in the mind, and is revealed in actions. This type of person’s behavior is evil. We should not trust them. We have to be careful that we do not become like these people.  God is just, and His justice cannot be mocked as is told to us in Galatians 6:7-8, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”

Let us continue to dig for the nuggets of wisdom found in verses 16-19.

¹⁶ There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸ a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

Verses 16-19 use a different style of poetry. The poet writes a list of things that God opposes.

This style is also in Proverbs 30 and in the Book of Amos. The numbers in these lists are not important. However, the subjects are important. Here the poet tells us that God hates these evil actions.

• Verse 17

“Haughty or proud eyes” – The poet is describing someone who is proud. He mentions“eyes” because we see other people with our eyes. How we think about others shows in our eyes. Proverbs 27:19 says, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” The evil person thinks that he is greater than other people. Perhaps he even thinks that he is greater than God. God opposes proud people. God wants us to be humble.  Once again we see this person is a liar, and when you have hatred in your heart for others, it is a short step to murder.

• Verse 18

Remember, in Scripture “mind” and “heart” mean the same. God knows our thoughts. He knows our secret plans.

• Verse 19

Once again this person is pointed out to be a liar – that is his very nature.  It is not wise to be a person who is constantly planting seeds of strife, especially within families. Contrast this verse with Psalm 133:1, “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”

“Brothers” does not only mean family members here. It can also mean neighbors and friends. It could even mean nations. Peace is good – it is God’s gift. Sometimes a war might be necessary if, for example, atrocities are being committed in the same way as with the Nazis during World War II. However, even in war, we must look after people and try to work for peace. We should always pray for peace.

Today as we remained in camp and dug up more wisdom nuggets, we learned to not be the type of person described here. Also, we need to not spend a lot of time with this type of person. As we consider these wisdom nuggets, associate with like-minded people that will encourage you and help you to grow. In the same way, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue to dig for those nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs Chapter [6:20]-29.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!