Proverbs 21:1-31

This Proverb begins and ends with the sovereignty of God and everything in between should flow from that reality.  God’s sovereignty is the over-arching truth that must dictate how we look at and live our lives.  Too often we live under the delusion that we are free to live our lives however we want without divine intervention.  The truth is that no matter how high we climb on the ladder of human authority, we are still under the control of God and are ultimately accountable to Him.  In light of that truth we ought to order our lives according to His will which has been revealed to us in His Word.  God’s sovereignty must have a profound impact on how we live our lives.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD: Sometimes we feel like our lives are spinning out of control.  The question we must answer is: who’s control?  Obviously, the answer to that question is: our control.  We get that feel of panic in the pit of our stomach when our circumstances flee from our ability to control.  No matter how we may feel we must recognize that we are never our of God’s control.  He is the sovereign of this universe and nothing ever escapes His control.  The most powerful king on the planet is like a hose in God’s hands that He points wherever he wants.  The other implication of God’s sovereignty is the fact that He is the Judge over all of the earth.  We are all responsible and will give an accounting to Him.  No matter how things look or feel to us; God’s judgment is the only one that really matters.  He is the ultimate authority and His judgment is final.  The fact that God controls our circumstances and judges our actions should have countless implications on each and every one of us.   


THE SINFULNESS OF MAN: Our reality is that our hearts are desperately wicked and our only hope of being free from God’s condemnation is through forgiveness in Christ.  However, even those who are saved from the condemnation of sin will still stand before God and give an account of their lives.  In light of this reality there are many truths that we should keep in mind as we prepare to stand before our eternal and righteous Judge.  He is far more pleased by our obedience than he is by our religious rituals.  So, what does obeying God look like?  When we obey God we will replace our pride with humility, our laziness with diligence, our dishonesty with integrity, our violence with gentleness and our guilt with purity.  Obedience will also impact the way we prioritize our relationships.  We will prefer solitude over a quarrelsome wife, avoid the wicked neighbor, learn from the plight of the scoffer and reject those who practice evil.  Obeying God means we will use our money with generosity, prudence and to promote justice.  The obedient man is wise and will be able to overcome even the strongest fortress of the wicked, he is able to control is tongue, his temper and his time.  Sinful men stand condemned before God no matter how many rituals they perform, He is the righteous Judge of all mankind.  

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