The context of our passage speaks of judgment against Jerusalem and Judah. In this judgment the Lord vowed to remove much of the strength of the land. He promised to remove the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, the honourable man and the counseller. The removal of these people would certainly weaken any city, town, or nation. Yet, it is in the midst of this list that the Lord included the prudent. Apparently, the prudent are the strength of any people just as much as their great warriors and judges. When all things are considered, this makes perfect sense. Those who are prudent make decisions that stabilize any people and provide future stability as well.
We previously alluded to the very real probability of conflicting authorities. What happens when the government tells men that they cannot obey the words of God? What should a lady do when her husband tells her to do something clearly contrary to the scriptures? What should employees do when asked by their employer to disobey a clear command found in the word of God? What should a church do when the preacher departs from the truths of the Bible? These are tough questions, but the Lord did not leave us without answers and guidance. When authorities conflict, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Man’s responsibility in obedience is first and foremost to God. Men should obey those who have been given authority by God so long as those men do not lead contrary to God's precepts.
Living the Christian life is not limited in time or place. In fact, the workplace serves as one of the most important places for a Christian to exemplify a testimony for the Lord Jesus. Yet, Christians can fail miserably by being lazy workers or disobedient to employers. According to scripture, servants are to obey their masters (Titus 2:9) from the heart (Colossians 3:22) with fear and trembling (Ephesians 6:5-6). Not only are Christians responsible to obey godly bosses, but the Bible commands the same respect to be given to those who are froward (1 Peter 2:18). Believers ought to behave beyond the norm in their service in the workplace. The Bible affirms this truth by saying that servants should “please” their masters well in all things (Titus 2:9). Many lost people have been led to Christ by Christians who live godly and display an impeccable testimony at work.
Simply for being a man of integrity, Job suffered greatly. No matter what obstacles Job was forced to overcome, he would not relinquish his integrity. In the midst of Satan’s attacks, the Lord commended Job for his integrity when He said that Job “holdeth fast his integrity” (Job 2:3). When Job’s wife verbally joined in the attacks, she pressured him to relinquish his integrity. Job wisely responded to her by saying, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.” Job was not willing to relinquish his integrity. There are things men consider important in life, but few realize the paramount importance of maintaining one’s integrity. The Bible repeatedly stresses the importance of integrity: “Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool” (Proverbs 19:1). This passage illustrates that the most important things in life cannot be purchased with money, nor can they be lost due to the absence of wealth.
As this study has shown, integrity is a matter of the heart, yet it also affects every other aspect of a man’s life. Though men sometimes try to separate an individual’s walk from his true heart’s condition, the Bible reveals the futility of such. Testifying to this truth, the Bible speaks of walking in integrity (Psalm 26:1, 11; Proverbs 19:1; Proverbs 20:7). The Bible says that “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:16, 20) and this principle applies to one’s integrity too. Our passage from Proverbs reveals that as the “just” man walks in his integrity, his children are likewise blessed because of his walk. The secrets of a person’s heart are often unveiled in his walk. Furthermore, a man who walks in his integrity does not fear the judgment of God (Psalm 26:1). Men need integrity of heart, but that integrity must manifest itself in their daily walk.
Today's passage provides a list of things that God expressly hates. That list includes those who murder the innocent when it refers to “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17). It also mentions those whose hearts devise “wicked imaginations” (Proverbs 6:18). In the midst of this list, the Lord twice references lying as it refers to “a lying tongue” (Proverbs 6:17) and “a false witness that speaketh lies” (Proverbs 6:19). This should really concern those prone to lying with seeming impunity. God hates lying so much that He is going to judge those who do it. The scripture says, “he that speaketh lies shall not escape” (Proverbs 19:5), but will "perish”(Proverbs 19:9). In fact, liars are listed among the wicked groups that will “have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).
God created the animals and points to them as examples for men to humbly consider. By considering these lessons, Christians can grow in their service as well as their knowledge of God’s expectations. Bible students can discover several references to animals and the specific lessons taught by them. Our passage is one such example. Proverbs admonishes the sluggard (a lazy person) to go to the ant and consider her ways (Proverbs 6:6). The ant needs no supervision, for she knows what to do and does it without instruction, supervision, or a king (Proverbs 6:7). The ant works with the future in sight so not to be lacking in times of need (Proverbs 6:8). All of this is accomplished by the ant in spite of a pure physical handicap—“the ants are a people not strong” (Proverbs 30:25).
Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do and yields great benefits. For instance, consider what the Bible has to say about diligence. God’s word promises that diligence brings an increase of substance (Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 21:5) and promotion (Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 22:29). In other words, as the saying goes, hard work pays off. It is not difficult to prove that these benefits manifest themselves in the lives of God’s people who are diligent. Joseph and Daniel are two great examples of those who were diligent and their diligence brought them obvious promotion. Abraham and Job are great examples of diligent men who experienced a great increase of substance. A word of caution might be appropriate here. Men are not to be diligent merely for the sake of reaping its inherent benefits, but should be diligent for the sake of the One who called them to be diligent.
The Lord desired a special relationship with the nation of Israel choosing to bless them both spiritually and physically above all other nations. One such blessing involved bringing them safely into the land of Canaan. However, many of these blessings were dependent upon Israel maintaining the right type of relationship with the Lord. He, therefore, issued several commandments for the Israelites to carefully keep (i.e., Deuteronomy chapter 11). The Lord desired for Israel to “hearken diligently” (Deuteronomy 11:13) and “diligently keep” (Deuteronomy 11:22) these commandments. He wanted His people to carefully listen when He spoke, giving God their full attention (listening to every word). He also wanted them to attentively obey what they heard. He always desired for His people to listen to and obey Him. God speaks today through the Bible. He still wants men to diligently hear and obey.
