Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise--apply your mind to my knowledge-- Sermons
I. THEY YIELD DIVINE PLEASURE (Ver. 18.) And all the pleasure of the world is not to be weighed against it. Let those who have "tasted of the good Word of God" bear their witness. The human soul is made for truth, and delights in it. There is pleasure in grasping a mathematical demonstration or a scientific law; and the successful inquirer may shout his "Eureka!" with joy over every fresh discovery. But above all, "how charming is Divine philosophy!" - that which traces the clear path of virtue, warns against vice, shows the eternal reward of the former and the doom of the latter, Received with the appetite of faith, Divine truth is food most sweet. II. THEY LEAD US ON TO CONFIDENCE IN GOD. (Ver. 19.) And this is our true foundation. He is Jehovah, the Eternal One. He is the Constant One. His Name is the expression of mercy, of truth, and of justice. To love and to trust him is to be in living intercourse with all that is true and beautiful and good. III. THEY ARE RICH IN MANIFOLD INSTRUCTION. (Ver. 20.) They are "princely words," i.e. of the highest and noblest dignity. Prone to sink into the commonplace, the mean, the impure, they lift us to high views of our calling, our duty, and oar destiny. IV. THEY PRODUCE, JUSTICE OF THOUGHT AND SOUNDNESS OF SPEECH. (Ver. 21.) Thought and speech together form the garment of the soul. It is only the living sap of God's truth within us which can impart greenness and beauty, blossom and fruit, to the life. As water rises to the level from which it descended, so does all truth received into the soul go back in some form to the imparter, in thanks and in blessing. - J.
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise. I. The experimental knowledge of them is a TRANSCENDENT BLESSING. They are "excellent things" in themselves — things that reveal a spiritual universe, a glorious Redeemer, and an ever-blessed God. But the verses teach that a knowledge of them is a transcendent blessing. They teach —1. That such a knowledge affords pleasure. It is a "pleasant thing." What said Paul? "I count all things but loss for the excellency," etc. 2. That such a knowledge enriches speech. "They shall withal be fitted in thy lips." 3. That such a knowledge inspires trust in God. "That thy trust may be in the Lord." 4. That such a knowledge establishes the faith of the soul. A man to whom these spiritual verities are an experience is not like a feather tossed by every wind of doctrine, but like a tree, so rooted and grounded in faith as to stand firm amidst the fiercest hurricanes that blow. Such a man's faith stands not in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. 5. That such a knowledge qualifies for usefulness. "That thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee." II. The experimental knowledge of them is ATTAINABLE. The method for attainment involves four things. 1. Communication. These spiritual verities come to the soul in the "words of the wise." "Have not," says the writer of these verses, "I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge?" Men do not reach this knowledge as they reach a knowledge of scientific truth — by their own researches and reasonings. It is brought to them in a communication — a communication from holy men who "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2. Attention. "Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise." 3. Application: "Apply thine heart unto my knowledge." 4. Retention. "It is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee." (D. Thomas, D.D.) People SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Apply, Attention, Bent, Bow, Ear, Hearing, Heart, Incline, Listen, Mind, Sayings, Teach, Teaching, Turn, WiseOutline 1. A good name is more desirable than great wealthDictionary of Bible Themes Proverbs 22:17 8351 teachableness Library The Rich and the PoorChapel Royal, Whitehall, 1871. Proverbs xxii. 2. "The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all." I have been asked to preach here this afternoon on behalf of the Parochial Mission Women's Fund. I may best describe the object for which I plead, as an attempt to civilise and Christianise the women of the lower classes in the poorer districts of London and other great towns, by means of women of their own class--women, who have gone through the same struggles as they have, … Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons One Lion Two Lions no Lion at All The Formation of Habits. The Christian Business World Philip and the Emperor He Accuses Abaelard for Preferring his Own Opinions and Even Fancies to the Unanimous Consent of the Fathers, Especially Where He Declares that Christ did Not The Baptismal Covenant Can be Kept Unbroken. Aim and Responsibility of Parents. "But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. " We Shall not be Curious in the Ranking of the Duties in which Christian Love... Proverbs Links Proverbs 22:17 NIVProverbs 22:17 NLT Proverbs 22:17 ESV Proverbs 22:17 NASB Proverbs 22:17 KJV Proverbs 22:17 Bible Apps Proverbs 22:17 Parallel Proverbs 22:17 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 22:17 Chinese Bible Proverbs 22:17 French Bible Proverbs 22:17 German Bible Proverbs 22:17 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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