16:1 The intentions of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord.
Man makes his own plans using his own free will, but God guides the words which comes out of their mouths. In other words, God’s sovereignty overrides man’s free will.
16:2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives.
Man is totally depraved and evil, which causes him to think that his motives and actions are righteous. However, God knows the heart of man. It is desperately wicked. God is omniscient, so only He can judge the heart. The heart is the intellect, or the thought life of men. The amount and quality of bible doctrine intake controls the thought life of man.
16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
Those who possess strong Bible doctrine will commit their plans to the Lord. If their plans match with God’s will, then they will be established.
16:4 The Lord works everything for its own ends— even the wicked for the day of disaster.
God is sovereign over all things, even the destruction of the wicked. The dice of God are loaded. He wrote the book on human history before the foundations of the world were even created. This is not double predestination. God did not predestinate anyone to go to the Lake of Fire forever. He gave every person a choice to choose Him or reject Him. Since man is totally depraved and evil, then he will never choose God. If God left everyone alone to make his own choice, then everyone would choose the Lake of Fire. Therefore, God has to choose some for salvation. These are the elect. He leaves the rest of humanity to make their own choice.
Liberals do not like to hear that God is in control of all things, but this is God’s universe. Liberals are arrogant when they claim that their way is better than God’s way. If liberals cannot create a universe out of nothing, if they cannot atone for all of the sins of mankind, and if they cannot imprison Satan and his demons for eternity, then they need to humble themselves and learn the mind of God through the Scriptures.
16:5 The Lord abhors every arrogant person; rest assured that they will not go unpunished.
God hates arrogant people. Arrogant people are those who do not know Bible doctrine, yet they elevate their own human opinion above the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. They suppress the knowledge of God, because they fear eternal punishment. Solomon, the wisest human in history, confirmed that these liberals will be punished.
16:6 Through loyal love and truth iniquity is appeased; through fearing the Lord one avoids evil.
God possesses a loyal love (or a divine love) for His children. Because of this loyal love, God appeases man’s sin by the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once a man believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, then he begins to study Bible doctrine via the Holy Spirit through a gifted pastor teacher. This study of Bible doctrine helps the believer to avoid sin.
16:7 When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he even reconciles his enemies to himself.
When a person studies and applies Bible doctrine at the deepest level, then he pleases Jehovah. Jehovah in return gives that person peace from his enemies. Jehovah placed a hedge around Job which even Satan could not penetrate. Satan wanted to destroy Job and send him to the grave, but God would not allow Satan to take Job’s life. God only allowed Satan to attack Job to a certain limit, but no further. God allowed the attack so that Job and all of creation could understand the mind of Christ. The believer needs to understand that he is immortal until God brings him home. The believer will not be attacked by Satan, unless God allows it for His own divine purpose. Therefore, the believer needs to study and apply Bible doctrine at the deepest level and pray that God will protect him. If a man is attacked by Satan, then this is a good thing. This attack means that the believer was a threat to the satanic kingdom which caused Satan’s to attack. Therefore, the study and application of Bible doctrine will produce more satanic attacks on the individual. Each attack will be controlled and monitored by God.
16:8 Better to have a little with righteousness than to have abundant income without justice.
It is better to have a little Bible doctrine than it is to have wealth which was earned dishonestly.
16:9 A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.
Man uses his free will to plan his course of action, but God’s sovereignty is always in control of the outcome.
16:10 The divine verdict is in the words of the king, his pronouncements must not act treacherously against justice.
The kings of Israel who were anointed by God’s true prophets were divine spokesmen for God. Their laws were to be followed by the people. Kings were not to make any laws that acted treacherously against justice. If they did so, then God would judge them. This was the check-and-balance system of the Mosaic Law. Many times, God used His prophets to announce divine judgments upon kings. For example, King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and ordered the murder of Uriah. Nathan the prophet announced to David that he would lose his son. David actually lost four sons, as it seems that he was repaid four-fold for his sin.
It is important to note that this divine check-and-balance system is still in effect today. All through history, many evil political leaders have used their own personal laws to exploit their own people. Many of these political leaders were removed from office by either scandal, disgrace, or assassination. Political leaders who elevate their own human opinions above the Word of God will be judged in eternity.
16:11 Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are his handiwork.
The kings of Israel established the weights and measures, but the Lord was behind these standards. Therefore, they were to be honored. If the kings created unfair standards of weights and measures, then these kings would be divinely judged by God. Serving as a political leader is not as easy as people may think, because God holds political leaders to a higher standard. God is the one who will judge them when they break his divine standards.
16:12 Doing wickedness is an abomination to kings, because a throne is established in righteousness.
A godly king hates unrighteousness. The throne of the king is established and maintained by the righteous laws of the king. A corrupt nation will not exist very long. As soon as Israel filled their cup of iniquity, then God allowed the Assyrian and Babylon armies to devour and scatter Israel.
16:13 The delight of kings is righteous counsel, and they love the one who speaks uprightly.
Godly kings know and apply Bible doctrine. They love righteous counsel. They love honesty in their kingdom. They rule to protect their people and to allow the gospel to spread. When a government begins to censor the gospel in public schools, civil government, and private life, then God will begin to remove that government.
16:14 A king’s wrath is like a messenger of death, but a wise person appeases it.
If someone angers a king, then he may face execution. The person with strong Bible doctrine knows that he is protected by God. He knows what words to use to appease an angry king.
16:15 In the light of the king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds of the spring rain.
Just as the spring rain brings life and abundance to a farmer’s crops, so does an honest man with strong Bible doctrine bring life to the face of a godly king. It is important that political leaders surround themselves with men who know, understand, and apply Bible doctrine.
16:16 How much better it is to acquire wisdom than gold; to acquire understanding is more desirable than silver.
It is better for a man to master Bible doctrine than it is to acquire gold and silver. Those who honor the satanic world system teach and apply the opposite.
16:17 The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; the one who guards his way safeguards his life.
Those with strong Bible doctrine will turn away from evil. Strong Bible doctrine leads to obedience, which keeps men away from the sin unto death. There are some sins that a believer can commit which will cause God to bring him home.
16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
A person who lacks Bible doctrine will become prideful and elevate his human opinion above the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. This pride will lead to his own self-deception and then into destruction. He will develop a haughty spirit, thinking that he is smarter than God. God must cause him to fall, so that he can become humble enough to possibly accept divine instruction.
16:19 It is better to be lowly in spirit with the afflicted than to share the spoils with the proud.
It is better to be humbled by Bible doctrine than to share wealth with those who elevate their human opinions above the Bible. Hollywood is paying their employees millions of dollar in order to seduce their audiences into the philosophies of the satanic world system.
16:20 The one who deals wisely in a matter will find success, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
A person who studies and applies Bible doctrine will find success in this life. The satanic world system defines success as wealth, power, and fame. The Bible defines success as executing God’s will. Wealth, power, and fame will not bring happiness to man. People will grow bored with life. The only happy people in the world are those who master and apply Bible doctrine. They suffer more, but suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ makes one happy. This divine principal is a paradox that the satanic world cannot understand.
16:21 The one who is wise in heart is called discerning, and kind speech increases persuasiveness.
A person with strong Bible doctrine is discerning, meaning that he understands the divine viewpoint of the issue at hand. He will be able to counsel the situation with kind words from biblical principles.
16:22 Insight is like a life-giving fountain to the one who possesses it, but folly leads to the discipline of fools.
Those who master Bible doctrine possess insight into divine viewpoint. Divine viewpoint is a life-giving fountain which refreshes the soul.
Those who do not possess strong Bible doctrine will make foolish human-viewpoint decisions. They will become so biblically ignorant, that they will teach that nothing exploded into everything and that lifeless dirt became alive. Something from nothing is the best that a totally depraved human being can do. Every man will suppress the truth about creation, unless God opens his eyes. Only those saved by God’s kindness (grace) can grasp the truths of the Bible.
16:23 A wise person’s heart makes his speech wise and it adds persuasiveness to his words.
A wise person is one who has mastered Bible doctrine. He understands divine viewpoint, so he is able to choose his words carefully and give wise counsel.
16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
A person with strong Bible doctrine is able to teach others pleasant words which are sweet to the soul.
16:25 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death.
Those who do not possess strong Bible doctrine will fall into the deceptions of the satanic world system. They may become atheists, agnostics, evolutionists, feminists, homosexuals, lesbians, transgendresm or liberals. Many of them will join cults and isms which teach that Jesus is less than God and salvation can be attained by doing good works. This lack of Bible doctrine will cause liberals to think that their way is the right way. These types of deceptions all lead to eternal death.
16:26 A laborer’s appetite works on his behalf, for his hunger urges him to work.
Sometimes a lazy person will work in order to avoid hunger. If there was not hunger, then most people would never work. They would just sit around and plan more evil deeds.
16:27 A wicked scoundrel digs up evil, and his slander is like a scorching fire.
The Hebrew word for “wicked scoundrel” is אִ֣ישׁ בְּ֭לִיַּעַל (ish belial), meaning “a man of Belial.” Belial was one of the names of Satan personified. Anyone who is not a child of God is a child of the devil. Children of the devil love evil and hate good. They slander others with their tongue like a scorching fire.
16:28 A perverse person spreads dissension, and a gossip separates the closest friends.
A perverse person is one who does not know and apply Bible doctrine. He spreads dissension - especially inside of churches. His gossip causes others to distrust their friends. Satan uses gossip to cause dissension among believers. Carnal Christians who are not grounded in Bible doctrine often fall for this deception as well.
16:29 A violent person entices his neighbor, and leads him down a path that is terrible.
A person who does not know and apply Bible doctrine could not only become a violent person, but could entice others down a path of sin, to engage in their sin, which would ultimately lead to their own destruction.
16:30 The one who winks his eyes devises perverse things, and one who compresses his lips brings about evil.
When a person does evil in front of others, then he winks his eyes as a signal that he is being deceptive. He is asking the innocent bystanders to keep this evil act as a secret among themselves. He usually does this in a playful way and with a smile, but his true motive is deception. Those who keep silent on these issues are just as guilty of the crime as the winker who executed it.
16:31 Gray hair is like a crown of glory; it is attained in the path of righteousness.
Young men take glory in their strength, but older men should take glory in their wisdom. However, the wisdom is not good, unless Bible doctrine is mastered. Many elders think that they are wise, because they have been around longer than others. They may be wise in the ways of the satanic world system, but not in Bible doctrine. Beware of an elder who has not mastered Bible doctrine. They are masters at evil and masters of disguising evil.
16:32 Better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior, and one who controls his temper is better than one who captures a city.
It is better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior. A mighty warrior who is quick to anger will die more quickly on the battle field.
16:33 The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord.
Every time man throws the dice of life, the Lord has already determined the outcome. This means that there is no such thing as chance or random variation. God is sovereign over all of creation. He is the one who is controlling the events of history.