◄ Proverbs 16 Devotional Commentary ►
Proverbs 16:1
God is sovereign over all the earth and His supreme plans and purposes will prevail. However from the beginning of creation, man was given a free-will, and we read in this verse that, "the plans of the heart belong to man."
The responsibility to make good choices or even bad decisions, is given into the heart of man, but this does not suggest that God has somehow lost His authority in our lives, for the verse read more...
Proverbs 16:1
God is Sovereign and because we are made in His image, we have been given a free will - our sovereign will - and it is exhibited in the choices we make, the options we choose, and the preferences we select. However, we are fallen beings and the thoughts of our mind and the meditations of our hearts should be filtered through the Holy Spirit and submitted to His gracious leading so that the words that we speak are words as from the Lord, full of grace and seasoned read more...
Proverbs 16:3
The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God, but the wisdom of God is life and health to those that obey Him. If only we could take this simple instruction to heart and carry it out to completion, we would be walking in the way of the Lord and living in spirit and truth.
Every believer is called upon to commit his works and activities unto the Lord, but all too often we discover ourselves trying to carry out the works that He read more...
Proverbs 16:9
There are many lessons that God's people have to learn and often it takes a lifetime to pass the different tests the Lord sets for each one of us. The book of Proverbs is filled with examples of both godly living, (behaviour we should seek to emulate), and unwise actions, (things we should eschew and avoid.)
There are many biblical principles to follow in this book of instructions, and many wise practices to read more...
Proverbs 16:18
Like much of the book of Proverbs, chapter 16 has many self-contained verses guiding us to the way of righteousness which pleases the Lord, but warns against the evils of wickedness which cause Him much displeasure. Giving delight to the Lord, holding fast to the truth, and shunning evil ways, is a theme that threads it way throughout this chapter.
Similarly, the blessings and benefits of godly wisdom and the destructive danger of read more...
Proverbs 16:28
There is much in Scripture that promotes a righteous lifestyle; gracious speech, healing words, and a listening ear. Believers are called to develop godly attitudes and acknowledge the Lord in all their ways. We are to ask God for an understanding heart, to practice morality, produce spiritual fruit in His sufficient strength, and trust in the Lord with all our heart. Those who follow this advice and walk in spirit and truth, honour the Lord and grow in grace.
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Proverbs 16:31
In Proverbs 20, we read that the glory of young men is their strength, while the honour of old men is their grey hair. This is reinforced in Proverbs 16, where we read that an old man's grey hair and other symbols of his advancing age should not to be pitied or considered as detrimental, but rather should be praised and seen as a badge of honour.
When a man has trusted God with all his heart during his lifetime and acknowledged the Lord in all his ways, read more...