Let’s take our Bibles together and turn to the Book of Proverbs. Last week, in Proverbs 26, the key word was “fool.” Everything in that chapter was connected to the fool and foolish behavior. There’s no key word like that repeated throughout chapter 27. But there is a central statement made in verse 11, that colors the rest of this passage. 

"11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me." 

For the first time in Collection V of Proverbs we have the father/son motif that has been prevalent throughout this book. And if Proverbs 26 was an elaborate, poetic cautionary tale about avoiding foolishness, Proverbs 27 is a call to wisdom, by a wise old dad saying, “Son, I love you. Here’s some advice on how to live life well.” Last week was “Stupid is as Stupid does.” This week is “Wisdom is as Wisdom does.”

Proverbs 27 gives young men wisdom for life. But don’t be misled into thinking that only young men can gain from this. We all can learn from this. 

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So let’s talk wisdom. I’ll give you five statements on wisdom today from Proverbs 27. Here’s the first. Let’s address first… 

1) The wisdom of not boasting (27:1–2)

Solomon says in verse 1, 

"1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."

Jesus said, “Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:34, NIV). James 4:13–16 says that boasting presumptuously about what we will do tomorrow is evil. And it’s arrogant. Instead we should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (Jas 4:15).

So don’t boast about tomorrow. And also don’t boast about yourself. Look at verse 2.

"2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. "

 There’s a famous German phrase that goes like this: Eigenlob stinkt, Freundes Lob hinkt, Fremdes Lob klingt. The translation is something like this: “Self-praise stinks, a friend’s praise is flawed, a stranger’s praise rings true.” So let another person praise you, namely a stranger.

The Hebrew word for boasting in both verse 1 and 2 is the famous הָלַל (hā·lǎl). It’s the word that “Hallelujah” is derived from. And I think that’s instructive. When we are boasting in the Lord, that’s good. When we are praising the Lord, that is wonderful. When we are boasting in ourselves or when we are boasting in what we are going to do the next day, that’s foolish. 

 When Alastair was about eight years old, he really wanted to play baseball. And so, I coached his baseball team in Illinois. And my coaching efforts for that team were … I don’t think I’m exaggerating … they were an unmitigated disaster. The only positive on our team was that Sanja was the “team mom” and she would bring snacks to the kids. They liked that. 

But our baseball team lost every game we played. We were 0–10. And we played this one team that was just slightly better than us. And after the game, we shook hands with the coaches and players. And this one kid, who was maybe nine years old, came up to me and said, “We destroyed you. Your team is terrible.” So I gave this kid a lecture about good sportsmanship, which he didn’t really listen to. And then I walked away before I said anything that I’d regret later. 

 Why is that so distasteful when children act like that? Why is that so immature when adults behave in a similar manner? Well the manifestation of pride in the human heart is both obnoxious and it’s ignorant. It’s obnoxious, because it belittles others around you. It’s ignorant, because you don’t know what tomorrow may bring. We are fragile creatures who are only one car wreck, stroke, or heart attack from cessation of breathing. So, don’t boast in yourself. 

“Can we boast, Pastor Tony? Can we boast about anything?” Why, yes you can! I’m glad you asked. It gives me a chance to quote one of my favorite Bible verses. Jeremiah 9:23–24, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

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Write this down as #2. There’s a wisdom in not boasting. There’s also…

2) The wisdom of not retaliating (27:3–4) 

Solomon says in verse 3, 

"3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both."

There’s our old friend, the fool. But the emphasis here with this passage is not “Don’t be a fool.” It’s “Don’t be triggered by a fool.” Yes, a fool will try to provoke you. Yes, a fool will try to draw you into an argument. But if you can avoid it, avoid it. 

“Answer not a fool according to his folly...” But don’t forget, Solomon also said in Proverbs 26:5 to “answer a fool according to his folly…”

Solomon says in verse 4, 

"4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?"

The word “jealousy” here is not the word used in the tenth commandment. That word is more closely associated with envy and covetousness. This word for “jealousy” is often used positively. It can, and often is, translated with the English word “zeal.” 

For example Phinehas was zealous for the Lord in Numbers 25:11 when he skewered two people, an Israelite man and a Midianite woman, who were fornicating in public. The Lord said that Phinehas was “jealous with my jealousy” (ESV) or “zealous with My zeal” (NKJV). 

Zeal is good, when it is used for good purposes. Zeal is good, when you are zealous for the Lord. But zeal that is cruel… zeal that is fueled by anger… zeal that is fueled by envy and spite for another person, that is sinful, wicked jealousy. And it’s more powerful than cruel wrath and overwhelming anger. 

Keep in mind that jealousy destroys the jealous person too. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but [‘jealousy’] makes the bones rot.”

I was praying this last week, in earnest… “Lord, help me to use my energy and passion for good and productive purposes.” Why was I praying that? Because retaliation is a misappropriation of finite, human resources. And there is wisdom in not retaliating.  

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Write this down as #3. These next few are more positive.

3) The wisdom of good friendships (27:5–10)

Solomon says in verse 5,  

"5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love."

An open rebuke, by the way, is not a good thing. You start with a private rebuke, not an open rebuke. You don’t jump on social media and excoriate someone publicly without talking to them first. Jesus said to go to your brother privately first (see Matt 18:15). So the idea of openly, publicly, rebuking someone is bad. 

But what’s worse than that? Hiding your love from someone is worse. Being emotionally and verbally aloof from someone you care about. That’s worse. That’s not a healthy thing for relationships. 

Look at verse 6.

"6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." 

Verse 6 qualifies what was said in verse 5. The cure for hidden love isn’t necessarily “profuse kisses.” If someone is a little to quick to give those out, you should be on your guard. There might be a drop of cyanide in the champagne glass they are handing you.

And also, what’s better than open rebuke? It’s faithful wounds. You don’t publicly excoriate your friends. You don’t gossip. You don’t slander them. You don’t publicize your grievances. You privately rebuke. And a real friend, a true friend, will receive that.  

Look at verse 7.

"7 One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet." 

This qualifies verses 5 and 6 even further. I don’t think Solomon is talking about our appetites here. He’s talking about the ability to receive love. He’s talking about the ability of a person to receive the wounds of a friend. If someone is hungry for that, they’ll receive it. If they are over-sated with either the kisses of the enemy or the good rebukes of a friend, don’t tip them over the edge. 

Let me paraphrase verse 7 in my own words: “Good friends know when and how to speak the right words at the right time.” We have a term for that in modern society. We call it “emotional intelligence.” 

Look at verse 8.

"8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home." 

In other words, there are dangers lurking out there for a person who is not tethered to his family and to a community. The wandering vagabond is not an emotionally healthy person. And the person who works and plays constantly away from home is constantly in danger. There’s an old adage that goes like this: “The protection of the horse is its stable.”

I think those of you who travel a lot for a living, need to take verse 8 seriously. There’s nothing sinful about travelling a lot for work. But you need to have some accountability built into your life. You need to be able to develop lasting friendships. 

If you are married with kids, how are you going to invest in your family, even if you are away from home several days a week? Be intentional. Be vigilant. And don’t stray from home if you don’t have to. Your home is your tether. Your church and the friendships you make here are your tether. Keeping you anchored. Keeping you grounded. Don’t cut that tether. 

You might say, “But Pastor Tony, haven’t you heard? A rolling stone gathers no moss.” Okay. But stones aren’t living things. You’re more like a plant than a stone. And plants need roots. They need to be grounded. 

Look at verse 9.    

"9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." 

The word that the ESV translates “perfume” in verse 9 is literally “smoke.” I think that’s a better translation here. Because the idea in my mind is meat being cooked on an open grill. That smell… that smoke… as you walk into your favorite BBQ place… makes the heart glad. And what does Solomon liken that savory smell to? The sweetness of a friend who gives good counsel. 

And speaking of friends, look at verse 10.

"10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,"

That’s kind of an odd statement. But just think it through. Your father’s friends might be a great asset to you. Because they’ve got a vested interest in you being successful. If they loved your father and stayed faithful to your father, chances are, they will love and stay faithful to you. Maybe they’ve even been praying for you since you were a little tyke. So don’t underestimate your dad’s connections. Those friends of his might be super helpful for you on a rainy day.  

10Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. 

What’s Solomon saying in verse 10? He’s telling us to cultivate deep, loyal, non-familial friendships. Why? Because you’re going to need them. 

Solomon says elsewhere, “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24). And keep in mind that Solomon had some bad experiences with his blood brothers. One of his brothers, Amnon, raped his sister Tamar (2 Sam 13:1–22). Then another one of his brothers, Absalom, killed Amnon (2 Sam 13:23–33). Later on, one of Solomon’s other brothers, Adonijah, tried to steal the kingship from Solomon (1 Kgs 1:1–10). So Solomon didn’t have the best experiences with brothers. 

But this is not a cynical proverb here. This is just practical. Brothers are a good thing. I have a brother who lives in the Fort Worth area. I love him. If I need something, I could call him. If he needed something from me, I’m here for him. But I’ve cultivated close-knit friendships here in San Antonio that are just as important at this stage of life… maybe even more important, because they are near not far away. 

And if an earthquake hits South Texas, or if houses in our community get flooded, or if there’s a tragedy in our community or in our church, I’m not going to Fort Worth. And I’m not going to Conroe where my sister lives. And I’m not even going to go to Austin where my parents live. I need close-knit, mutually reliant relationships here. And so do you. And there is wisdom in cultivating good, close-knit friendships. 

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Write this down as #4.

4) The wisdom of prudent action (27:11–22)

Solomon says in verse 11. Here’s what I called the theme verse for this chapter.

"11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me." 

And what follows this verse is a group of random proverbs that you could envision a father giving to his son as advice—“Do this, son. Don’t do this.”

So, starting in verse 12.

"12 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it." 

So here’s some prudent advice for a prudent young man. First of all, avoid danger. Don’t drive to fast and get a speeding ticket, or something worse. Don’t do dangerous things. Don’t hangout with dangerous people. The simple do that and suffer for it. 

Also verse 13 says, 

"13 Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress." 

We’ve talked already about not cosigning loans for people (see 6:1–5; 11:15; 20:16). The idea here additionally is don’t lend money to people indiscriminately. And if you do lend money, take something as collateral. The word for “adulteress” in verse 13, could also be translated “foreigner.” But that doesn’t really make it any better. 

The prospect of giving money to a stranger or of holding a pledge for a foreigner or an adulterous is absolutely ludicrous to me. The better course of action for all of us is to avoid lending money whenever possible. Avoid unwise financial entanglements altogether! We have banks that can lend money. Let them assess the risk and figure out collateral. 

Look at verse 14.

"14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing." 

In other words, Solomon tells his son to not be a loudmouth in the morning before people have their first cup of coffee. That’s my paraphrase of Solomon’s words here.

So, don’t sing loud songs in the morning to your siblings. Don’t greet your spouse in the morning with an angry demand. Don’t send text messages to people at 5am expecting a reply by 5:30. People need to ease into the day. People need a few moments to gather themselves after coming out of their sleep coma. 

I know some of you wake up bright and chipper and ready to roll in the morning. That is because you are nuts. I envy people like that. But I don’t really want to spend time with them early in the morning. 

For me, my mornings are really important to me. Because that’s my opportunity to spend time with God. That’s my opportunity to spend time with Sanja. We don’t have to talk. We can just drink coffee together and emerge from our sleep coma. 

And speaking of wives. Here’s some more advice from father to son. I get the sense from verses 15 and 16, that dad is giving his son a little advice about who and who not to marry. 

"15 A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike; 

16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one’s right hand." 

In other words, don’t marry a quarrelsome woman. Restraining her is like restraining the wind. There’s no such thing as taming a shrew. 

And by the way, let me just say, that marrying a quarrelsome man is no picnic either. Men who are abusive and domineering and obnoxious are just as much a menace to marriage as a quarrelsome wife. Even more so, actually! So if you want to get married so that you can quarrel and fight and win arguments with someone, then, just do us all a favor, and don’t get married.  

You might say, “That hurts, Pastor Tony. That hurts my feelings.” Yeah, well sometimes when iron sharpens iron, sparks fly. And…

"17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." 

Let me say that again, “Sometimes when iron sharpens iron, sparks fly.” The image here, in verse 17, is the image of a smelted sword being sharpened on a piece of iron. When that sword is worked alongside a piece of iron, the sword becomes razor sharp and useful. That’s iron sharpening iron. Literally בַּרְזֶ֣ל בְּבַרְזֶ֣ל (barzel ba-barzel)… iron against iron! Even more literally, this reads “Iron against iron sharpens, and a man sharpens the face of his friend.”

Iron Men! That’d be a great name for a men’s ministry at church. Nobody wants a men’s ministry called “lavender luxuriates lavender.” If all you ever seek in your relationships is flattery and “tell me what I want to hear” and “pump up my self-esteem,” you will have weak, ineffectual relationships. And you will stagnate. 

If you want to grow… if you want to be a better man and a better woman of God… then get some people in your life who will sharpen you, not dull your edges. And go to a church where the preacher will challenge you and sharpen you. That’s prudent. 

Solomon says in verse 18,  

"18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored." 

The fig tree in ancient Israel was the ideal tree. It produced sweet fruit that was high in sugar content which could be dried and stored for later use. Also it grew well in arid climates. But the fig tree was also notorious for being a high-maintenance tree. You had to work hard at tending it if you wanted it to produce fruit. For that reason, it’s the perfect metaphor here. 

So here, the father is saying, “If you work hard, son, you will be satisfied.” So, if you are a farmer, tend to your crops. If you are a security guard, tend to your duties. If you are an artist, work hard at that craft. If you are a teacher, teach well. If you are a homeschooling homemaker, do that as unto the Lord. If you are a pastor, tend to your flock. 

Look at verse 19,

"19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man."

In other words, moderate your appetites. Don’t let them consume you. 

"21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." 

King Saul received praise and it went straight to his head and corrupted him. It revealed his absence of character. King David dealt with the same thing. He was praised too. But that brought out the best in him. He sought God in that. His heart for God became more pronounced as he aged and became famous.  

It’s easy for men to be humble when they are in humble circumstances. That’s just a reflex. But can a man be humble when he is praised? Can a woman be self-abnegating and God-glorifying when others praise her?

The best way to handle the praise of men in this world I learned from a children’s book I used to read to Alastair. It’s a book called Fool Moon Rising. Read it to your kids. 

Here’s what you can learn from the moon. When people praise you, you can say something like this, “I am a moon. I am just a little, dumb, dark rock circling in space. Every ounce of light that radiates from me is refracted from the Sun. The Sun is everything. I am nothing.” 

“God is everything. I am nothing. I simply refract his goodness.” That’s how you handle the praise of men. And the real marvel of it all is that he still loves me. Despite my nothingness without him, he still loves me.

Look at verse 22,

"22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him." 

A pestle is a kind of club that grinds grain. And you put the grain in a mortar, which is a bowl and you grind it with the pestle. You grind it until you can use the grain for bread or for other purposes. Now imagine throwing a fool into that mortar. You can’t grind the foolishness out of him. No matter how hard you try.

In the ancient farming world, the imperfections of the grain were removed at the threshing floor. What you would do is cut the wheat or barley. Then you would gather it into bundles and thresh it. You would beat it, and then you would throw it up in the air, so that the husk would disintegrate and blow away. This threshing process was used to isolate the grain itself. The grain is heavier than the chaff. And so, it would fall down in the threshing process and be gathered.

Our modern day combines do that all in one motion as they harvest and purify the grain. That’s why there’s that big trail of dust behind those combines. 

So once you got the grain in the mortar, its impurities are already removed. You can’t grind them out. You just got to live with what’s in the mortar. Same with a fool. You can’t grind out his foolishness.

In the NT world, we know that only God can change a heart. We can share Christ. We can tell people the gospel. And we should. In fact, we are called to do that. But you can’t grind a person into faith in Christ. You can’t manipulate them. You can’t intimidate them or threaten them into salvation. 

Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 4:2–4, “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 

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Finally, write this down as #5. 

5) The wisdom of stewardship (27:23–27)

Solomon says in verse 23,  

"23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 

24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?"

Many pastors over the years have used verse 23 as an injunction to shepherd their churches well. And that might be a secondary implication of this verse. But this verse isn’t really about pastors and shepherds. It’s not about kings and their subjects either. This passage is about wealth. It’s about how we steward it. It’s about how we maintain it. It’s about how we don’t rely on it ultimately because it’s fleeting. 

In the ancient world, everyone participated in agriculture. And your flocks were your currency. Your herds were your 401K. Your animals were your assets to bargain and trade with. So because of that, Solomon says, “Give attention to your herds! Take care of them. Because riches don’t last forever.” 

In our world, we might say something like this—Balance your checkbook. Steward your money wisely. Take care of your assets. If you own a house, don’t let it go into disrepair. If you have a job, work hard at it so that you can keep it and even get promoted at work. 

Why? Why is it important to steward your resources, even though you know that they don’t last forever? Well, because… let’s go back to the ancient agricultural imagery.  

"25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered," 

In other words, when winter comes…

"26 the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field." 

In other words, you’ve got assets you can use to barter with…

"27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,"

By the way, “goats’ milk” was the crème de la crème of the ancient Israelites. It was more desirable and easier to digest than cows’ milk. The Talmud reads as follows: “The goat is for milking, the sheep for shearing, the hen for laying eggs and the ox for plowing.”

So, if you take care of your assets…

"27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls."

If you take care of your assets, your assets will take care of you. If you steward what God gives you, then you won’t starve or be left naked. You and your household will survive and thrive. 

In America, we have to teach our children to do more than just work hard. Yes, they need to work hard. But we’ve got lots of people in America who make plenty of money to survive, but they go into debt or they get insolvent, because they don’t steward what they’ve been given. And then when economic turmoil hits or inflation or setbacks or a season of unemployment, they can’t weather the storm, because they haven’t stewarded their resources. 

Yes, work hard. We’ve always had a strong work ethic in America. That’s because the Protestant work ethic was an essential part of our nation’s founding. But beyond working hard, we also need to steward our resources well. 

And one of the most important resources that you have is time. Nobody has an infinite amount of money. And nobody has an infinite amount of time on this earth. Your clock is ticking from the time that you are born. Stewardship of financial resources is important. But so is stewardship of time. 

Which relationships do you want to invest in? How much time should you invest with your family? Your kids? Your church? At the office? How much time should you invest serving the Lord? How much money should you invest in the Lord’s work? I’m not going to answer those questions for you. Just keep in mind that good stewardship is not just something that is assessed on this side of eternity. Good stewardship of time and resources factors in eternity as well.

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And just to tease that out a little more, let me close by addressing the question that Solomon asks in verse 24. Everyone look at 27:24 with me. Let’s answer this question. 

"24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?"

Now this is a rhetorical technique that is as old as time. It’s a rhetorical question. And the obvious answer from Solomon’s vantage point is “No! A crown does not endure to all generations!” Even high quality metal objects like crowns fade and corrode and wear out. 

But let’s think NT for a moment. Let’s think from an eternal perspective. Are there crowns that last forever? Does the Bible ever encourage us to pursue eternal riches? 

I think I’ve said this before, but it’s probably time to say it again. There are no U-hauls attached to hearses at funerals. Nobody gets buried with all their stuff. Even the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs who got buried in their pyramids with all their stuff… you know what happened to them? Their pyramids got raided and their stuff got stolen. And some of their stuff too got taken and put in museums for other people to see. Sorry, King Tutankhamen, it’s true! Your stuff is in the local museum where tourists walk around and gawk at it all day long! 

So back to the question from verse 24. “Does a crown endure to all generations?” The answer is no. But the answer, from our vantage point, is also yes. 1 Peter 5:4 talks about elders who serve well who will receive an unfading crown of glory. Jesus talks about treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy (Matt 6:19–21). Paul talks about eternal treasures and the things that last forever versus the things that burn up here on this side of eternity. 

So yes, take care of your stuff. Be a good steward of your resources, your time, your money, your energy. But while doing that, don’t lose sight of those things that last forever. Don’t fail to invest in eternity. That’s wise! Because “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:18).