(Divided into two posts because it’s long.)
This chapter addresses divine sovereignty from the unique worldview of a mystical Hebrew mind, fully aware of the complexity of human nature.
1. The ordering of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. The intent here is to make you ponder the ambiguities of human awareness. We tend to believe that we can make various kinds of choices, but the heart does only what God designed it to do. The mind is somewhat untrustworthy. Thus, by the time your thoughts reach your lips, God can still intervene and you’ll end up saying something you didn’t intend. Whether or not your words reveal the truth of your heart is for the listener to decide.
2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits. You can rationalize almost any course of action, and most people tell themselves that their choices are the best for everyone. However, God sees things that we tend to hide from ourselves and His personal evaluation is what matters in the end.
3. Roll your works upon the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established. Green chose here a more literal rendering of the Hebrew concept often translated as “commit” with the image of rolling things up in a bundle for storage. If you maintain a conscious awareness that your Sovereign will call you to account for your actions, it helps to clarify the direction of your thinking. On the one hand, God is watching every moment; on the other hand, our human awareness of His wrath tends to be periodic.
4. The LORD has made all for His purpose; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. This continues the thought in the previous verse about periodic awareness. Just because someone else seems to get away with evil doesn’t mean God won’t call him to account sooner or later. Some of our human experience will remain inexplicable in this lifetime because of the limits of our awareness. In your mind, let human evil be God’s problem, and mind your own business. Give God credit for wisdom, insight and power beyond your own.
5. Everyone proud in heart is hateful to the LORD; though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. This is more along the same line of thought about the limits of human awareness. Human evil is bad enough, but sometimes it can feel as if our whole world has conspired against us. Give God time to work out His divine justice for His own glory while you pay attention to the domain He placed in your hands.
6. By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the LORD men turn away from evil. The word translated “purged” comes from the Hebrew concept of covered, as something that has been dealt with and is no longer an issue. It comes from the image of daubing pitch on a surface to stop leaking, halting any further trouble. Whatever the problem, now the healing and restoration can begin. In the typical Hebrew parallelism, reverence and respect for God’s reputation prevents all kinds of trouble.
7. When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. This assumes a covenant community where “enemies” are folks who make life difficult and you aren’t in a position to simply eliminate them. As before, just pay attention to your own duty toward God and let Him handle things, because walking in His character will fill your whole existence with His power.
8. Better is a little with righteousness than great gain without right. The apparent material substance of our human existence is deceptive. Drag your awareness up into your heart and see all things from a moral perspective of divine justice. You should expect to pay a material price for moral riches.
9. A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. This restates verse 1 above in different terms. You are fortunate, indeed, if you can subject your conscious awareness to what your heart can perceive in the moral sphere. The image of “plans” is weaving or plaiting loose ends into a unity of sorts, getting your disparate human elements together behind a single purpose in life. That’s as much as anyone can do, so let God take care of how it turns out.
10. A divine sentence is in the lips of the king; his mouth does not transgress in judgment. This is hardly calling for blind obedience to your superiors, a concept wholly foreign to the Hebrew culture. It continues under the assumptions previously stated, that you understand God will work in you and through you when you embrace His character. Thus, when you come before a king, God will use his mouth as an oracle (“divine sentence”) even without the king’s conscious awareness. The king’s intent may not matter if you pay attention to God first, because He won’t allow human fallibility to hide His justice.
11. A just weight and balance are the LORD’s; all the weights of the bag are His work. This continues the same thought as the previous verse. Trust God for the things you cannot control. Walk in personal holiness and know that God is at work in ways you may not see. In the final analysis, He will ensure the scales of justice balance out because His weights are the standard.
12. It is a hateful thing for kings to commit wickedness; for the throne is established by righteousness. God finds government misconduct disgusting, and won’t protect an evil government. This is the other edge of the same blade of truth in the previous verses. It’s not as if God demands blind support for bad government, but it is our duty to trust Him for things we cannot change.
13. Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks right. This hearkens back to the definition of royalty. A truly regal man will prefer servants who are morally upright. Even evil kings find such people useful, and God will use your presence on His staff as leverage to expose sin.
14. The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will quiet it. In general, it’s pointless to provoke rulers. This serves as a warning to smart-alecks who think they know everything and try to act like Truth Police. Righteousness is not found in objective facts, but in understanding that the primary mission of moral righteousness is social stability. Causing trouble can hurt innocent bystanders.
15. In the light of the king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain. This continues the previous verse. Not in the sense of playing yes-man, you should honestly seek the king’s welfare within the limits of your abilities. Chances are people are going to know if you genuinely care. In dealing with rulers, peace is good for everyone else, too.
16. How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver! This echoes verse 8 above. Wisdom and understanding are synonymous with moral insight, so let your heart lead with moral vision and don’t worry about how well it seems to pay in material terms.
