Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 16:33

by David Chadwick

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:33

God is in control of everything. Absolutely everything. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is outside of his control. Every single part of creation bows to his authority.

Proverbs says that even the drawing of straws is under the sovereign hand of God.

Biblically, the number 12 holds tremendous significance. It means spiritual perfection. In the Old Testament, there were 12 tribes. Then in the New Testament, Jesus had 12 disciples, or apostles.

In light of that, let me share a New Testament story with you where we see this proverb come to life. When Judas hung himself, the apostles began to look for his replacement. They decided they needed a 12th to be complete. As they waited for Pentecost, they thought this might be a reason for God’s delay. So the disciples drew straws. And Matthias was selected to replace Judas.

The drawing of straws may seem like a strange way to decide the 12th apostle, but God oversaw it. His sovereign hand guided and directed this process exactly as he saw fit. Whether it’s a political election, a historical event, a moment of victory, or a time of loss, we must always step back and remember with full confidence that God is in control. He is sovereign in both the practical and the spiritual.

God oversees all of creation, but for those of us who are called by him to serve him, he is not just overseeing our lives; he is working everything together for our good and for his glory (Romans 8:28). We can and should wholeheartedly trust him with every detail of our lives, every decision we may make, and every twist and turn along the way.

We may not draw straws anymore, but we are always making decisions about our lives and our futures. Through prayer, through wise counsel from others, through the Word of God, and through the power of his Holy Spirit, we must trust that he is guiding us and overseeing everything for our good and his glory.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 16:28, The Dangers of Gossip

by Marilynn Chadwick

“A devious person spreads quarrels. A gossip separates the closest of friends.”

Proverbs 16:28 GW

The Bible mentions the sin of gossip nearly a dozen times. Over half those instances occur in the book of Proverbs.

Previously, I shared how one of my wise young friends is intentional to speak well of her husband when talking to others. “I try to compliment my husband in front of others when he is present, but also when he is absent. In situations where it is tempting to criticize publicly, I try to say nothing and follow up on the conversation when we are at home in private. Then, I choose my words wisely—and above all, prayerfully.”

The Bible cautions us about the seriousness of harming someone’s reputation, warning us to “slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone” (Titus 3:2 NIV). The word translated “slander” is the Greek term blasphemeo. It comes from two words—blapto, which means “to injure,” and pheme, or “speech.” It can be translated as “to hurt another’s reputation through slur or insult.”

The Anglicized version, “blasphemy,” is often used to describe the offense of speaking abusively against God. But it also addresses speaking against others. “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mark 7:21-22).

Let’s look at three more examples of Proverbs wisdom regarding gossip:

• “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much” (Proverbs 20:19)

• “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down” (Proverbs 26:20).

• “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts” (Proverbs 26:22).

In the New Testament, Paul warns the church at Corinth: “I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish...that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (2 Corinthians 12:20).

It’s sobering to see gossip and slander right up there with what we might consider “more serious” offenses. That should make us think twice when we are tempted to speak ill of another person—especially a fellow believer.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 15:18, This Hinders Prayer

by Marilynn Chadwick

“A hot-tempered person stirs up strife, but one who is slow to anger calms a quarrel.”

Proverbs 15:18 TLV

Faith in Jesus is serious business. But God’s Word also calls us to a type of “faith” in each other as members of the body of Christ. Scripture warns us that to “break faith” with one another can greatly impede our prayers.

Ancient Israel had broken faith with each other and then cried out to God, wondering why he was displeased with them. The prophet Malachi accuses them of covering God’s altar with “tears, with weeping and with sighing, because he no longer looks at the offering or receives your gift with favor” (Malachi 2:13 CJB). “Don’t we all have the same father?” he continues. “Didn’t one God create us all? Then why do we break faith with each other, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?” (Malachi 2:10).

Next, Malachi addresses their marriages: “The Lord is witness between you and the wife of your youth that you have broken faith with her, though she is your companion, your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:13, 14 CJB). Breaking faith is serious business in God’s eyes. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel...” (Malachi 2:16 NIV 1984).

Peter seizes upon this connection between marital harmony and answered prayer, exhorting believing husbands and wives to treat each other in a godly way as “heirs together of the gracious gift of life” (1 Peter 3:7 NIV). “Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7). Enkopt, translated “hinder,” comes from the idea of cutting or striking. It conveys a strong interruption or stoppage. Marital strife can literally derail answered prayer.

Malachi gives us a practical prescription to protect both our marriages and our relationships with fellow believers: “So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15b NIV 1984).

And again, regarding fellow believers, he says, “So guard yourself and do not break faith” (v. 16b). The word translated “guard” means “to keep, preserve, protect; to keep watch.” Let’s be mindful and prayerful, therefore, to guard against strife in our marriages, our families, and our church family. I wonder if we’d keep a closer watch on ourselves if we truly believed that strife hinders prayer.