Let’s take our Bibles together and turn to the Book of Proverbs. Let’s continue in our series, “Fearing Deity & Defying Stupidity” in Proverbs 21. 

Several years ago I travelled to the West African Nation of Cameroon on a mission trip. And while I was there, I was given a book from a good Canadian friend. It’s a book about a Canadian missionary to the jungles of West Africa. And the name of the book is simply, Man No Be God. Supposedly that’s a well-known expression in several West African pidgin dialects. It’s a simple, brilliant, clear expression of a profound truth—“Man No Be God.” 

And if I were to summarized Proverbs 21 in four words, it would be this West African Expression: “Man No Be God.” Or I might summarize it with these four words, “Man desperately needs God.”

Now that emphasis is found at both the beginning and the end of this chapter. So look at verses 1–2 for instance. 

1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. 

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Now look at verse 30. Because we have similar statements.

30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. 

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. 

What we have in this chapter is what’s called, in literary circles, an inclusio. You have parallel ideas at the front and also the back of a piece of writing. It’s like an Oreo cookie. The beginning and the end, the two cookie portions of this proverb, speak of God’s supremacy over man. And everything in between, the white cream on the inside, is squished between these statements of God’s sovereignty and supremacy. Actually the structure of this passage is even more sophisticated than that. Because not only do you have an inclusio, you also have what’s called a chiasm.

 The top and bottom of the chapter correlate. So do the next portions (20:3–4, 27–29). And so do the next portions (20:5–8, 20–26). And then there’s a central portion (20:9–19). 

So instead of envisioning this as an Oreo, think of it like a sandwich. You’ve got two pieces of bread at the top and bottom. Then you got an inside layer of mayo and mustard. Then you got your lettuce and tomato. And in the very center is your meat… preferably turkey. 

That’s the structure of this passage. And I want to approach it that way. So in your notes you’ll see one point for verses 1–2 and verses 30–31. And the second point is verses 3–4 and verses 27–29, and so forth.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, go ahead and write this down as #1 in your notes. Let me give you a summary statement for verses 1–2 and 30–31. In these verses we have a stark contrast created between sovereign God and vulnerable man. 

1) Sovereign God vs. Vulnerable Man (21:1–2, 30–31) 

Solomon says in verse 1, 

1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. 

The king’s heart is like putty in God’s hands. And God providentially controls every military and political leader in our world. Think Pharaoh in the book of Exodus (4:23; 7:3; 14:4, et al.).

Now the king in the ancient world was the strongest and most revered human figure in a nation. The king was like a lion. You don’t want to awaken a sleeping lion. And the king had extensive monarchial powers. We’ve seen that on Wednesdays studying the book of Esther. 

And in the ancient world, and in Israel, no king had more power and prestige then the great King Solomon. Solomon was a fabulously wealthy and powerful king. And here’s Solomon, saying about kings, and saying ultimately about himself, “The king’s heart is like putty in the Lord’s hand.” That’s incredibly self-deprecating for Solomon. 

Why would Solomon say a thing like that? Here’s why—because it’s true. Not all kings acknowledge this. But it’s true. God is sovereign over the hearts of even the greatest human leaders in this world. 

And you can kind of take this as a how much more argument. If God is sovereignly controlling the kings of this world, how much more is he in control of the hoi polloi in our world? How much more is he guiding the hearts and guiding the ways of everyday joes like you and me?

And speaking of the hoi polloi, look at verse 2.  

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

“Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin” That’s what Daniel said to King Belshazzar (Dan 5). You have been weighed and found wanting. “Humans are not the final judges of the rightness of their own actions: God is. Humans do not define standards of virtue: God does.”

In the book of Proverbs, there are two ways presented in the text. There’s the way that seems right to a man (14:12). That never leads anywhere good. And then there is the way that the Lord leads. So we are called to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and he will make our paths straight (3:5–6).  

Now look down at the end of Proverbs 21 at verse 30. And we see similar ideas there.

30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. 

“But Pastor Tony, I’ve got an Ivy League education!” Well, congratulations. That availeth not against the Lord. For… let me say it again… “Man no be God.”

I heard a story once about George H.W. Bush. When he graduated from Yale, he went out to West Texas to make his fortune as an oil man. And when he got there, one of his foremen said, “Bush, what college did you go to?” Bush replied, “Yale University, sir.” And his foreman said, “Yale? Never heard of it.”

Literally what verse 30 says in Hebrew is something like this: “no wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel before the Lord.” It’s a terse, verbless statement. And the implications of this text are clear. Man is embarrassingly ignorant before the Lord. The Lord is infinitely wise, and man is infinitely limited. Man’s capacity for wisdom, understanding and counsel is nothing compared to the Lord’s. That’s why we need the Lord. 

And speaking of needing the Lord, look at verse 31.

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. 

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before, church? “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps 20:7).

By the way, when you hear chariot in the OT, think tank. Because chariots in the ancient world were crucial to victory. And when you amassed a bunch of chariots, they were like the B-29 bombers for the Americans at the end of WW2. They were unstoppable. 

And if you were the king of a great country in the Ancient Near East, why wouldn’t you trust in your horses and chariots? Pharaoh surely did when he was chasing the Israelites down in the wilderness. That is until the Lord wiped them all out in one fell swoop (see Exod 14:1–31). 

How is that possible? How can God do that? It’s possible because, 

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.  

By the way, there is a philosophical stream in our world called humanism. It began with Rene Descartes in the 1600s who said, “I think, therefore I am” (cogito, ergo sum). For the record, I’m not much impressed by humanism as a philosophy. I’m much more interested in theology. Because theology is derived from theos, meaning “God.” I care much more about theology than I do about humanism. And that’s because God is sovereign, and man is vulnerable. And “Man no be God.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, let’s bring this down a level to the realm of everyday life. Because next Solomon is going to differentiate between honest hearts and insincere sacrifices. 

2) Honest Hearts vs. Insincere Sacrifices (20:3–4, 27–29)

Solomon writes in verse 3, 

3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. 

One of the basic tenets of the OT is that God hates obligatory, perfunctory sacrifices offered by hypocritical, prideful, people. We see that in Isaiah. We see that in the Psalms. We see that in the words of Jesus. 

Now sacrifices are important. And there are elaborate descriptions of sacrifices in the OT. But those sacrifices are built on the basis of a love for God and a fear of God. To offer up sacrifices with a twisted heart full of sinfulness is infuriating to him. In fact it’s superstitious nonsense. And that’s often what the other religions of the world involve. Sin all you want and then offer up a sacrifice to the Lord to make him happy. 

And added to that is the issue of pride. Look of verse 4.

 4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin. 

For someone who fears God, the word of God is “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105). But for someone who doesn’t fear God, their “lamp” is haughty eyes and a proud heart. Sin leads and lights up their path. That path isn’t going anywhere good!

Skip down to verse 27.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent. 

28 A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure. 

29 A wicked man puts on a bold face, but the upright gives thought to his ways. 

The perfect example of offering insincere sacrifices in the OT is given to us in the book of 1 Samuel. Because it’s there that Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas, show us the meaning of prideful, hypocritical, abominable sacramentalism (1 Sam 2:12–4:22). Those two “priests” were daily offering sacrifices for the people. But they were also having sex with women at the tabernacle. They were eating portions of the sacrifice that they shouldn’t. They were profane, wicked, evil, prideful men. And their sacrifice was an abomination to the Lord… so much so, that the Lord wiped out the line of Eli. 

The great example of an honest heart in the OT is David. David was a man after God’s own heart. David was a man who, similar to Eli’s sons sinned sexually. He was far from perfect. But he loved the Lord. And he feared God. And he humbled himself before the Lord. And he gave thought to his ways in light of God’s laws and precepts. 

Look, when Jesus calls you to himself, he doesn’t call you to bland, perfunctory, legalistic behavior modification. “I guess I’ve got to go to church. I’ve got to offer a sacrifice.” Forget that. I’d rather you not go to church, than go with that attitude. We are not saved by our works. We are certainly not sanctified by works. The Lord doesn’t just want your sacrifices. He wants your heart. He wants to capture you and save you and transform you from the inside out. 

And just so you know, that’s when life gets fun in Christ. That’s when life is lived meaningfully with joy and passion. I love Sunday. I love coming to church. I’ve told you before, that when I was a kid, I had a “drug problem.” My mom and dad drug me to church every Sunday. It was perfunctory for me. And that’s because my affections hadn’t matured yet for the Lord. 

But that’s not the case anymore. And that “drug problem” went away actually when I was a teenager and I began to sing these songs we sing at church with a full heart. And I began to dig into the Scriptures for myself. And I began to long for the gathering of the saints at church. 

And I don’t ever feel obligated to be here. It’s a joy to be here. I like being here. I like being gathered with the saints. “May God capture and shape and transform our hearts to honestly and sincerely worship him!” 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Write this down as #3. Here’s a third contrast. In these next two sections, Solomon establishes a contrast between thoughtful habits and thoughtless ways.

3) Thoughtful Habits vs. Thoughtless Ways (20:5–8, 20–26)

Solomon says in verse 5, 

5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 

6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. 

In other words, ill-gotten gain is ill-fated. Don’t be fooled into thinking that stolen bread is sweet. The Lord has a way of turning that into a mouth full of gravel. 

The word for “vapor” in verse 6 is the word הֶבֶל (hě·ḇěl). That’s the key word in the book of Ecclesiastes. It means “vanity” or “vapor.” Think, if you will, of the visible breath of someone on a cold day. That breath is seen for a moment, and then it vanishes. That’s הֶבֶל. 

And to what does Solomon compare הֶבֶל? He compares it to the getting of treasures by a lying tongue. That’s vaporous. It’s here today and gone tomorrow. And it’s a snare of death, because if you spend your whole life chasing fleeting pleasures and ill-gotten treasures, you’re going to die unsatisfied and remorseful. 

And your craving for ill-gotten gain might even cost you your life. Look at verse 7.

7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just.

Violence begets violence. And violent people will get their comeuppance. Jesus said it this way, “Those who live by the sword die by the sword” (Matt 26:52). 

Look at verse 8.

8 The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright. 

Now look down at verse 20. Let’s see the other side of this.

20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. 

There are thoughtful habits, and there are thoughtless ways. And mindless, unrestrained consumerism is criticized here. Good stewardship and saving are praised. 

Let me just say for the record, “It’s not wrong to have nice things. It’s not wrong to have expensive things. It’s wrong when things have you.” An unrighteous rich person will hoard treasure and not be generous. And an unrighteous poor person will consume things immediately. They devour things without enjoying them. They race through life and through resources without enjoyment. They swallow fine food whole without it even touching their tongue, like a pelican gulping down a fish. 

Look at verse 21.

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. 

The word “pursues” in verse 21 could be translated “chase.” I like that English word better because it sounds more desperate. Whoever chases righteousness and kindness will find life. So many people in our world chase cheap thrills. Don’t chase that. Chase righteousness instead. Chase kindness (חֶסֶד).

Look at verse 22.

22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. 

This verse is metaphorical. A wise man who fears God isn’t intimidated by powerful people. He isn’t daunted by those who garner big salaries and hail from a prestigious institution. A wise woman isn’t intimidated by those who embrace humanism. 

By the way, most of the philosophies of this world are quite honestly a house of cards. Most people build their lives on ridiculous slogans. Slogans like “Live your truth” and “You are enough” and “Be true to yourself” and “God just wants me to be happy.” These slogans might seem formidable, but they are rhetorical paper tigers. And a wise God-fearer knows how to debunk them.

The Apostle Paul said it this way, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:4–5).   

Look at verse 23.

23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. 

24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. 

The word for “scoffer” here is the Hebrew לֵץ. We’ve looked at this word several times in Proverbs. But what is interesting here is how “scoffer” is defined in verse 24. Solomon uses four different Hebrew words for “pride” to describe the scoffer (זֵד and יָהִיר and עֶבְרָה and זָדוֹן). So we might say it this way in English—a scoffer is a prideful, conceited, haughty, egomaniac. 

And the reason pride is so abominable to the Lord is because not only is it an affront to the God of the Universe… it’s also preposterously ludicrous. God is infinitely limitless, and we are infinitely limited. Let me say it this way: “Man no be God!” 

Here’s something else that is preposterously ludicrous—the sluggard. Look at verse 25. 

25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. 

26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back. 

Gives? Gives what? The righteous gives himself to labor. A sluggard gives himself to idleness. He craves and craves, but that doesn’t result in work to satisfy that craving. The righteous, on the other hand, craves too. We all got needs. 

I learned in my macroeconomics class years ago that man has an insatiable appetite for consumable goods. The righteous person craves just like the sluggard. But that craving leads to working. That craving leads to supply. And that supply allows him to even be generous with what he’s been given.

So, just to summarize. There are thoughtful habits and there are thoughtless ways. There is hard work, righteousness, and good stewardship on the God-fearing path. And then there’s the path of the fool. The לֵץ. The sluggard. The wicked person. The arrogant ignoramus. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, finally, we get to the meat of the sandwich. Now we get to the center of the chiasm. And that’s found in verses 9–19. And interestingly this section is framed by these two verses involving a quarrelsome wife. Write this down as #4. Here’s a final contrast in this passage.  

4) Peaceful Home vs. Perpetual Conflict (20:9–19) 

Solomon says in verse 9, 

9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. 

And then with very similar language he says in verse 19.

19 It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. 

Now some might bristle at this and ask, “What’s Solomon’s deal here with women? Is he a misogynist?” No, I don’t think so. If anything Solomon is a misanthrope not a misogynist. He’s just as hard on men as he is on women in this book. Let me say it this way, “Solomon is an equal opportunity offender.”

And what he presents here is a very real scenario for many men. Men with argumentative and contentious wives would rather live on the roof or in the desert than in the comfort of their homes. Hyperbole? Maybe? 

Some of the women in this room might say, “Yeah, it’s no picnic to live with a quarrelsome husband either.” And to that I say, “touché.” Neither of those scenarios is ideal. And none of us got married so that we could argue endlessly with our spouse. 

So what’s the remedy for this? Well, at the risk of being pedantic, let me say this. If you’re a wife then this is a call to not be quarrelsome with your husband. Learn to trust God. Learn to be at peace. And learn to bite your tongue. 

Kathleen Nielson gives the following instructions in her book Proverbs for You: “As a wife, I need to ask myself how all Proverbs’ instructions concerning pride, anger, harsh words, and strife apply to me in all contexts of my life—including specifically my behavior as a wife. Is there bubbling inside me some resentment toward my husband, that breaks out in quarrelsome words? Do I respect and listen well to my husband, or am I quick to challenge? What comes regularly out of my mouth: unhappiness about what I wish were different, or thankfulness for what is and constructive ideas for what might be? Am I honest with my husband? Do I turn his thoughts to the Lord? How could I better contribute to making our home a place of peace?”

If you are a husband, then you need to learn how to create a home of peace too. But your calling is even higher than that. You are called to love your wife as Christ does the church (Eph 5:22–33). You need to be like Christ. 

And to that, men, you might say, “Pastor Tony, I can’t be like Christ. Haven’t you heard? ‘Man no be God.’” Ah… Touché. You’re right. No, we can’t be Christ. Not perfectly. But we are called to struggle to approximate him for the duration of our marriages (i.e. until we are dead). So get after that, men.  

Notice in verse 10 how perpetual conflict leaks outside of the home too. 

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. 

In Hebrew, the words “evil” (רַע [rǎʿ]) and “neighbor” (רֵעַ [rēaʿ]) are very similar. So the wicked are so רַע, that they show no mercy to the רֵעַ. And that’s why in verse 11,

11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. 

We’ve seen a version of this verse already. And some things bear repeating in the book of Proverbs. The principle that needs repeating here is that scoffers are punished not for the benefit of the scoffers, but for the benefit of society at large. There is such a thing as punishment as deterrence. In the criminal justice world it’s called deterrence theory (or penology). 

Look at verse 12.

12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin. 

The ESV capitalizes “Righteous One,” because the editors of that translation saw this as an intrinsic reference to Yahweh. That may or may not be true. I’m more inclined to see this as a simple reference to righteous in this world. A righteous king is obligated to throw down the wicked. A righteous elder board is obligated to enact church discipline on the wicked. The righteous lawmaker is obligated to punish and to prosecute evildoers. The oft-repeated quote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing” is apropos here. 

Look at verse 13.

13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. 

This is what we might call negative quid pro quo or even poetic justice. 

14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe [averts] strong wrath. 

15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. 

Good men delight in righteous behavior. And evildoers are terrified by it. Unfortunately we live in a topsy-turvy world right now where evil people delight in evildoing. And good people are too terrified to do the right thing. The prophet Isaiah said, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil” (5:20).

Look at verse 16.

16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead. 

17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. 

Is it wrong to have stuff? No. It’s wrong for stuff to have you. And as Jesus said, “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). But that doesn’t mean that we should burn through the things that God gives us without stewarding it appropriately.

Look at verse 18.

18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the traitor for the upright. 

In other words, men celebrate when the wicked are removed. Men celebrate when a righteous man replaces a wicked person and when an upright person replaces a traitor. Think Mordechai replacing Haman in the book of Esther (see Esth 6–10). Think Daniel replacing the hapless advisers to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:1–49). Think Joash and Jehoiada and Jehosheba toppling the evil regime of Queen Athaliah (2 Kgs 11:1–12:3). 

Do men always celebrate when the righteous replace the wicked? No. Do men always long for the righteous to rule over the wicked? No. But someday they will. Someday all men will. Someday every knee will bow and celebrate the true King of Kings, King Jesus. Paul said it this way, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10–11).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, just by way of review, here are the contrasts in Proverbs 21. Let me direct your attention to those one final time. 

1) Sovereign God vs. Vulnerable Man (21:1–2, 30–31) 

2) Honest Hearts vs. Insincere Sacrifices (20:3–4, 27–29)

3) Thoughtful Habits vs. Thoughtless Ways (20:5–8, 20–26)

4) Peaceful Home vs. Perpetual Conflict (20:9–19) 

Think of this like a heavy weight boxing match. In this corner, you’ve got a Sovereign God. In the other corner, you’ve got Vulnerable Man. In this corner, you’ve got honest hearts, thoughtful habits, and a peaceful home that flow from the fear of the Lord. In the other corner, you’ve got insincere sacrifices, thoughtless ways, and perpetual conflict. Who wants to back that boxer? 

Let me close with this. Several years ago, there was a book that came out entitled Cat & Dog Theology. And it made quite a stir in some theological circles. It’s a silly little book. But it had one main point that was worthy of consideration. Here’s the author’s thesis.

The author asserts in that book that some humans have what he calls “Dog theology.” God gives to them everything, like a human does to a dog. And the dog loves its human. And the dog can’t wait for that human to get home. And the dog thinks in its little brain, “My human is my master. He must be God. He gives me everything.”

But then, says the author, there are other people in our world who have what he calls, “Cat Theology.” What does that mean? Well the cat is fed by its human. The cat is pampered by its human. The cat is cleaned up after by its human. The cat’s litter box is cleaned by its human. And so the cat thinks in its little brain, “My human gives me everything and takes care of me, I must be God.”

So, let me be clear. Think more like a dog and less like a cat. God is the giver of all good things. He loves us. He takes care of us. And he redeemed us by the blood of Christ. And “Man no be God.” Everything we have is a result of what God as given us and what God has done. Worship him. Love him. Trust him. Obey him.