Proverbs 21:1-3 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will. I. THE DIVINE CONTROL OF HUMAN PURPOSES. (Ver. 1.) As the streams of water are led by canals and trenches through the land, that it may be refreshed and fructified, so are the thoughts and counsels of the ruler, if wise and true, a means of strength and blessing to the people. And all such wise counsels are of God. He forms and turns the purposes of the heart, as the potter with the clay. To Cyrus he says, "I have called thee by name, have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me" (Isaiah 45:4. See Dr. Bushnell's fine sermon on this text in 'The New Life'). II. ALL HUMAN ACTIONS ARE WEIGHED IN THE SCALES OF DIVINE JUDGMENT. (Ver. 2.) We can say little about motives; we may be blind to our own, but God is not. Hence the duty of pondering (notice the original meaning of the word) our own doings and plans, weighing them, that is, in the scales of a judgment enlightened by his holy Word. III. THE TRUE DIVINE SERVICE. (Ver. 3.) There is an outward and an inward side of the religious life. The outward, viz. ritual and moral conduct, is only of value as it is an expression of true desires in the heart. The inward worship of God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) must precede and accompany the outward worship, or the latter is nothing worth (Proverbs 15:8; Psalm 1.7, sqq.; 1 Samuel 15:22; Micah 6:6-8). - J. Parallel Verses KJV: The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.WEB: The king's heart is in Yahweh's hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires. |
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