Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:9

by David Chadwick

“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin’?”

Proverbs 20:9

A pure heart. Clean hands. A renewed and righteous spirit. These were the cries of King David’s heart in Psalm 51:10.

Solomon had a similar anguish in Proverbs 20:9 when he said, “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin’?” He knew the value and importance of holiness. But he also knew that apart from God’s grace we are inherently filthy.

Remember, this is written in the Old Testament. The Messiah had not yet arrived. Solomon and his people were living with an awareness of a holy God but great anticipation for salvation that had not yet come. So they had a deep awareness that the atonement for their sins could only come through the shedding of blood through animal sacrifice.

Solomon knew the answer to his own question. No one! No one can say, “I have made my heart pure. No one can say, “I am clean from sin.”

This proverb paves the way for a Gospel proclamation. This is the simple Gospel. Let’s remind ourselves of it today.

Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All means all! Or as the psalmist in Psalm 14:1 said, no one is righteous, not even one. The wages of sin is death. We cannot, by our human efforts, be forgiven. There is no way out apart from the free gift of salvation through Jesus (Romans 6:23). These are all clear statements in God’s Word.

Our hearts can only become pure, and we can only become clean through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus was beaten, bloodied, and tortured. He was persecuted and killed as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He took all of our unrighteousness upon himself. The One who was perfectly righteous in every possible way and knew no sin became sin so that in him we might become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).

THIS is the great exchange. Jesus took our sin. We receive his righteousness.

We are now forgiven and made pure and clean by the grace and mercy of Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What a deal! Who wouldn’t receive this? For this forgiveness is what gives us the entrance into heaven and a reason to live on this side of eternity.

But first we must realize that we are sinners, like Solomon, and need a Savior.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:8

by David Chadwick

“A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.”

Proverbs 20:8

Today’s proverb is all about the importance of strong, godly leadership. We are going to look at what Solomon had to say about his “throne of judgment.”

Proverbs 20:8 says, “A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.”

Let’s take a look at the definition of the word “winnow.” It means “to remove the unwanted parts of something or to narrow down a large list of options into a smaller, more desirable selection.”

Agriculturally speaking, “winnowing” is “the process of tossing harvested grain into the air so the wind can blow away the lightweight chaff, leaving only the heavy, valuable grain to fall to the floor.” What a powerful picture! Solomon is essentially saying that one of his major responsibilities is to remove evil so that those under his leadership can prosper.

This proverb teaches that one of the major purposes of someone in governmental leadership is to eliminate evil and to protect its citizens from any and all forces of darkness.

Now take a moment and look at the end of this verse. Solomon says that this king “winnows evil with his eyes!” Somehow a righteous king is able, with a mere gaze, to expose evil and throw it to the ground. A Godly king, filled with the Holy Spirit, can often discern evil by looking at a person or situation.

This is why we have a police force. To protect citizens from criminals. This is why we have a military force. To protect a nation from enemy invasions and forces. Much like kings, these are the ones who have been given authority to winnow evil from our midst.

Many have joked through the ages that the best and most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictator. I’d add a benevolent, Christian dictator. One who functions by God’s Word and makes immediate decisions for the good of the citizens and the nation.

A deeper dive on the importance of biblical leadership within government can be found in Romans 13, where Paul dives deeply into God’s original design for government. It is to serve its citizens and to protect its citizens–to winnow evil immediately whenever it’s seen.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 19:17

by David Chadwick

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”

Proverbs 19:17

Generosity is a mark of a follower of Christ. It shows a surrendered life and a yielded heart. A generous life is the fruit of someone who fully knows how much he or she has been given by Jesus and, in turn, greatly desires to give his or her life away.

Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord; and he will repay him for his deed.”

I love this proverb! God wants his people to be generous to the poor. To “lend” to them like a bank lends to us for different things that we either want or need. This is a profound truth.

Too often, we separate caring for the poor from the Gospel of Jesus. This separation is what has led to social justice movements where people care for the poor without preaching the Gospel. But according to God’s Word, these two demonstrations are inextricably connected. Effective ministries to the poor must be Gospel-centered and Christ-exalting.

Lending to the poor, which is lending to the Lord, brings about a repayment from the Lord. He always brings back a large return to whatever we give away. God is a God of abundance. He has more than enough to meet our every need. He can do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Too often, we put God in a box. Our finite minds try to compute his infinite existence, and, in turn, we can force our carnal, human minds into an understanding of the Lord that is incorrect. His ways and his thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Now, think again about the bank illustration. When the bank lends to us, it expects a return on investment. Interest rates allow the bank to get more and more money to be able to lend out more and more.

When you give and lend to the poor, you should expect God to return a blessing to you. Expect a return on your investment! It’s what today’s proverb says. God will repay you for your deed when you give to the poor!

And your lending will yield a return that is better than any bank in the world. God already owns everything. Everything is his! You're the steward. You manage his assets. And he loves it when his people are generous to the poor.