Bold as a Lion
Proverbs 26-28
December 7-9, 2024
Wisdom is found in the Proverbs, and it's such a very important book because we need more wisdom. We need more wisdom of life and the topics that he addresses have to do with every aspect of life. How he builds that wisdom is interesting. We're in that section where it seems like he changes the topics from one verse to the other. It's not necessarily connected but there is this theme-- these themes that are woven through the fabric. When you read from beginning to end, you see these great themes. I would love to see someone organize chapter by chapter all the different themes into a great book. It is so important to take hold of for like--
One of the themes that we want to look at today out of the Proverbs is the contrast between the sluggard and the diligent, and he means it in a spiritual sense. It has a great implication having to do with the manner of life, how you live, spiritual victory or defeat, spiritual strength or weakness, growing in wisdom and in stature or languishing in foolishness, which is how he describes it, and the sluggard and the fool compared together here. He shows us in that great theme the sluggard has no victory. The sluggard has no victory in life, but God wants you to have victory. It's why he writes the Proverbs. We need wisdom to be applied so that we can have that spiritual victory for our lives. Gaining wisdom, gaining understanding, growing in spiritual stature, in honor, and in life. The sluggard knows none of this. It's a spiritual point.
God wants you to know this that will come when you are diligent spiritually. He warns you therefore in advance of the dangers of the life of the sluggard, comparing the two, contrasting the two, using the analogy of life itself to make a spiritual point. For example, He says, "Now, the diligent, they will prepare the fields in the summer, they will diligently gather provision in the harvest, and they're going to enjoy the fruit of their labor." it's a spiritual analogy, a spiritual point, "But the soul of the sluggard craves." Yes, he longs but doesn't do anything, and therefore gains nothing. But the soul of the diligent is satisfied. The soul is filled. So filled is the soul of the diligent with that which is good that he can bless those around him out of the good treasure of his heart.
That's what he means, that we would see the contrast between the life of the one who is the sluggard not gaining that spiritual strength. He uses an analogy, for example, he mentions in Proverbs 24, again, it's woven through the Proverbs, he writes it interestingly, he says in Proverbs 24, "I passed by the field of a sluggard, I walked by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was overgrown with thistles. It's surface was covered with nettles and its stone walls were broken down. When I saw it, I reflected upon it. I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty comes like a robber." It's the spiritual analogy of the soul.
The diligent watches over his soul diligently and takes care that the thorns and the thistles of the world do not take hold of the heart. In the Scriptures, the stones, the briers, the thistles, they are a spiritual analogy of the world and the reach of the world. For example, it mentions in Hebrews 12, "Lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles." Uses that same idea, the thorns. We live in the northwest, and here we have these blackberry vines that can just reach-- they can reach for 20, 30 feet. They reach out and they form these mountains. Man, I'm sure you've seen these, mountains of briers. We got one right out here in the back. That is a mountain. It just grows and reaches and adds and thistles and thorns just grow, and more and more and more. They will get out of control.
It's a picture of the reach of the world's vines. If you don't become diligent, they will take over. Very almost impossible to get out. "Be diligent," he says, "Watch over your soul diligently." Proverbs 4:23, we read it. "Watch over your heart with all diligence." It's the same word there. With all diligence. Be careful. The condition of your soul matters for from your soul, from your heart, from it flow the springs of life. He speaks. Then, interestingly, he brings this point that the diligent who watches over his soul carefully will strengthen faith such that he has a bearing of courage. Strength of faith brings courage of life. Those who are diligent to seek the wisdom of God's heart have a strength of courage. He compares it to the sluggard who has no courage.
For example, in the chapters that we're going to be studying here today, the sluggard says, "There's a lion outside. I'm not going out there. I could be killed in the streets." He means by this that the sluggard has no courage. If there's a sluggard in the street, there's mortal danger walking in the street. Someone's going to have to do something. Someone's going to have to arise. There he gives us the lessons out of these chapters. All right. Let's read it. We're going to begin in chapter 26 verse 8. As we mentioned before at the Wednesday service, we'll go verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and cover the verses around this, but we want to look at these chapters today in these great themes.
Starting in verse 8, "Like one who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a fool." A fool and a sluggard are the same here. "Like a thorn which falls or driven into the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool." Verse 10 is interesting, kind of funny, "Like an archer who wounds everyone-" in other words, they're just carelessly-- arrows are flying here and there, people are getting hurt by these arrows, "-so is he who hires a fool or hires those who pass by. Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool that repeats his folly." He never learns. That's the point. He never grows. He never learns. "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There's more hope for a fool than him."
Here is verse 13. "The sluggard says, 'There's a lion in the road. There's a lion outside in the open square.' For as the door turns on its hinges so the sluggard turns on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and is wearied by bringing it to his mouth again. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can give a discreet answer." All right. We're going to look at more, of course, than this, but we start here. He gives us this great theme. He shows us the sluggard who has no courage, but then notice, if you would, in 28:1 where he says, "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." This is the great theme, making this great contrast. The righteous are as bold as a lion.
I. The Righteous are as Bold as a Lion
He's described the foolish ones first, those that are not diligent showing the result that would come in your life by not being diligent spiritually. He means to stir us up. Giving us this contrast between them to stir us up. "There's a lion in the street," the sluggard says, "I'm not going out there. I could get hurt. Lions are dangerous." It means that the sluggard has no courage. If there's a lion in the street-- this is not a lion in the open field. You can avoid that. If there's a lion in the street, it's in the city. People are in mortal danger. Someone's going to have to do something about this. Who's going to get up? Who's going to arise? Who's going to deal with this mortal danger? Not the sluggard, "I'm not going out there. I could get hurt."
Now, by the way, is it possible to kill a lion? Interestingly, when we were in Africa, we've been to Africa many times, I love to learn about the culture and some of the background, and learn some of the customs of some of the tribes. We were learning about the Maasai. They have this tradition that if a young man wants to get a woman, he's going to prove himself by killing a lion. I said, "Is this for real? Really?" "Oh yes. If a young man wants to get a woman, he's got to prove himself by killing a lion.
I said, "Well, what if a young man doesn't want to kill a lion?" "Well, then he can go into the city and get a woman, but if he wants a Maasai woman, he's got to kill a lion because the Maasai women are the best." Interestingly, they actually had to outlaw it because the lions were all being killed because the men had to get the woman. It's interesting because it is a spiritual analogy.
For example, in Hebrews 11, where there's this chapter on the hall of faith, great men and women who've done great deeds by their faith, just moving to Hebrews 11:32 and following where he gives this picture, "What more shall I say? Time will fail if I tell of Barak, or Samson, or Jephthah, David, and Samuel, and the prophets who by faith, they conquered kingdoms. They performed acts of righteousness. They obtained promises. They shut the mouths of lions. They quenched the power of fire. They escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Such are the righteous who are bold as a lion. They do something.
A. Good and godly men arise
In other words, good and godly men arise. The wicked flee even when no one is pursuing them. They know they've done wicked. They know they've done wrong, and so they're looking over their shoulder knowing they might get caught. Somebody might be looking. Somebody might be catching them. Not the righteous. The righteous are as bold as a lion. I love that verse because good and godly men arise.
You no doubt have heard the expression, "Evil prevails when good men do nothing." It's a challenge to get up. There's a lion in the street. Someone's going to have to get up. Someone's going to have to do something. There's mortal danger if there's a lion in the street. Evil prevails when good men do nothing. It's the same thing. The righteous are as bold as the lion. I tell you, we are living in times where there is a lot of evil in this world. There is so much evil in this world and evil will prevail if good men do nothing. It's a call. That's why the Scriptures give us such great verses.
It's a call. Rise up, oh man of God. Get up. Someone's going to have to deal with this lion in the street. See faith and courage, they walk hand in hand. When you look at the Scriptures, you see this theme. For example, you look at David's mighty men. These are the men that were now contents, indented ones that gathered with David. David transformed them into what famous they became, David's mighty men, and one of them was Benaiah. I love Benaiah. It says of him in 1 Chronicles 11:22, "Benaiah son of Jehoiada, son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty deed, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab, and he also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day." That's Benaiah.
Notice that it mentions that he was the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, his father, and a valiant father. It really speaks of the influence of a father. If you were raised with a dad who was a valiant godly man or something that arises in a son like, "That's my dad," there's something that arises. It's good. What an example for a young man, have a father who's bold and godly things like, "That's my dad." Then everybody had a good father.
If your father was not a valiant man of godly things, I have a good word for you, and that is that God is your father now and God will be a father like no earthly father could ever be. He'll never leave you. He'll never forsake you. He will walk with you through the journey of this life. He will pour his favor out upon you. His hand will be upon you, and He will be the strength of your life. If God is your father, you have every blessing of favor upon you. Amen. Let's give a little praise. Exactly right.
This is a word for so many who've carried a father wound, but it's also a good word for fathers to be that example. It says of him that Benaiah struck down an Egyptian later, a man of stature, five cubits tall. That'd be like seven feet or beyond. It says the Egyptian held a spear like a weaver's beam. You could barely hold that thing, but he struck him down with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand. Then it says of Benaiah, he went down and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. Now some commentators suggest that he chased the lion into the pit before he jumped into it. Most people would run if they saw a lion, but Benaiah jumped into the pit on a snowy day, thus he became a man of renown, a man of valor, famous.
We read in another place that, "Therefore, David made him chief of his bodyguard." Absolutely right. When I talk about a resume, sometimes I like to imagine scenes unfolding, and I imagine the scene. There's this hiring manager and he's got to hire a chief of the bodyguard, and he's interviewing people. The first candidate comes in, and the interviewer says, "Now, what are your qualifications?" The first applicant says, "I studied security at the University of Jerusalem." "Interesting. Next." The next guy comes in. "I was the security officer at the Jerusalem Square Mall." "You were a mall cop? Next." In walks Benaiah. "My name is Benaiah, son of Kabzeel. I killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day." "Hire that man. That man's got a resume."
You see this arising, but would you notice this in Proverbs 27:17. He adds an interesting aspect to it. This is a very famous proverb. I'm sure you've heard it. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." He means by this, this is one of the ways that faith arises. Men strengthen men. We come alongside, and of course, women strengthen women. We come alongside the courage. We need to arise. That's why men's Bible studies, men's study groups are so important.
I have to tell you, I am so blessed about what I see in our men here in our church. There's a lot of churches where the women have great spiritual bearing. They oftentimes are the ones that are oftentimes spiritually in revival and you're trying to get the men to stir up, but I love what I see in this church. There's a lot of godly men who are all rising in strength and God is doing something amazing in our men. Amen? It's amazing. Let's give the Lord praise.
B. Iron sharpens iron
As iron sharpens iron, so as one man sharpens encouraging, "Stand up, come on, get up. These are evil times. There's a lion in the street. Someone's got to do something. These are evil times. Evil prevails when good men do nothing." Some misinterpret this. Some take iron sharpening, iron to mean that conflict and contention is what he means. "We need more conflict." That's not what it means. That is not what it means.
I was thinking of an illustration. Some time ago there was a fellow in our church who was going from one man's Bible study to another constantly challenging the leader and anyone who would dare to differ with him. Finally, of course, this came to my attention, so I sat down with him, and it was like, "What is this? You go from Bible study to Bible study. It's all about contention. What is this?" He said, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." "That's not what that verse means. It means that men should strengthen one another, standing side by side in faith."
"The way you use that verse, men have to draw their swords every time they see you coming. We don't want our men's Bible studies to be such that men have to constantly have their swords drawn. We want to come alongside one another." Iron sharpens iron, so one man strengthens another, sharpens another. "Come on, we got to get up. There's an urgency throughout the day. We got to get up. There's a lion in the street. There's a mortal danger. There's something going on here."
David is an example of iron sharpening iron, so one man sharpens another. I mentioned David's influence over these men. You want to talk about being bold as a lion? That's David. David was that and much more, and that boldness of faith and that heart after God turned ragtag men of malcontents into the famous Mighty Men of David.
The story unfolds. After David defeated the Philistine giant, David became famous in Israel. People loved David. King Saul attached him to his army, gave David command of a thousand. God was with him. He prospered wherever he went. When Saul saw that, he became threatened, angry, jealous. Whenever Saul would come into a town or a village riding on his horse, the women would come out and start singing their song.
Saul hated this song. "Oh, Saul has his thousands, but David has his ten thousands." Saul was like [grumbling] with David. Jealousy, fear because what had happened was the prophet Samuel had told Saul that Saul was rejected as king because Saul had been unfaithful, and that God would raise up a man after His own heart. When Saul saw David, he knew that was the man, and so he thought to resist the will of God, kick against the gods and pursued David. Jealousy, anger, rage.
David escaped each attempt on his life. Finally fled into the wilderness to the Cave of Adullam. There we read, it says, "Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, everyone who was discontented came to David there and became captain over them." Tells us 400 men joined with David. Later, 200 more joined David's ragtag group of malcontents. You see then the influence of David transforming them to a band of brothers, band of warriors.
Now, the story unfolds. Saul was told that David and the men were in the wilderness of En Gedi, so Saul took 3,000 special forces to pursue David and his men. At En Gedi, Saul entered a cave to relieve himself, and it just so happened to be the exact cave in which David and his men were hiding in the recess. By the way, if you ever come to Israel with us, we always go to En Gedi because when you go to En Gedi, this story particularly, it just comes alive to you. It's like you understand it.
I remember when I was a young man, when I first read the story, this thought came to me, "Wait a minute, David and his men are in the recess having a conversation and Saul can't hear it. How can that be?" but when you go there, it's like, "Oh, I get it now." There's this water that flows down the mountain forming these great crags in the mountain, and then these caves up on the cliffs, and so this water boiling and raging over the rocks creates this echoing of water through the cave. It's like, "Oh, I get it now." You go there and you see it and the Bible comes alive to you.
All right, the story unfolds. Saul goes into the very exact cave where David and his men are hiding in the recess, and Saul goes in to do his business. He takes his coat off and lays it down and goes into the corner. David's men are like, "David, this is a God thing. This is amazing. Here you have the opportunity to take revenge. He's been wrongly pursuing you. He's been with wicked intent trying to take your life. Get him. It's a God thing."
Now, you have to admit, it does look like a God thing. What's the possibility of that, that of all the caves, the one cave that he would go in to do his business without any guards is the very cave that David and his men were hiding in? A lot of people would say, "That's a God thing. What are the chances of that happening?" The men are like, "It's a God thing. David, do it. He deserves it. He's been wrongly trying to take your life. Take his. Do it."
This is where David's influence became famous. David says, "No." In fact, it says he rebuked his men. "No one will touch him. He is the Lord's anointed." This is key. The principle of faith directed his action. Faith determined what David would do. The reasoning of man is what the men had in their minds. "Do it. Take revenge." David understood. No, there's a higher principle at work. The principles of God will direct his action. "No. 600 to 1. No one will touch him."
He's influencing, he's transforming them. Iron is sharpening iron. Now, David did go over to his cloak and cut off a corner of the cloak and went back into hiding. Then when Saul got finished, he put on his coat, his cloak, and went out of the cave, went down into the valley. David then came out to the mouth of the cave. "My Lord, the king." Saul was like, "Is that you my son, David?"
1st Samuel 24:11. "See. See the edge of your robe in my hand? I could have killed you just now. Some said I should kill you, but my hand will not be against you. Though you'll lie and wait to take my life, my hand will not be against you. I won't do it. May the Lord judge between you and me, but I will not do it. My hand will never be against you. I will not touch the Lord's anointed. I will not do it. Though you pursue me, though you pursue me, though you pursue me, I will not do it. Know this, there is no wickedness in my heart."
When Saul heard this, it says he wept. "Is that your voice, my son David? You are more righteous than I. I have dealt wickedly with you and you have dealt kindly with me. Now I know you surely will be king of Israel." "No, I don't." Here's the thing. 3,000 men with Saul, 600 men with David all watching the scene unfold, all seeing the same, all understanding the great truth. This man is surely the king who will reign over Israel, for this is a man who is moved by his faith. There are higher principles at work.
II. Men of Faith are Men of Action
Iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another, and that faith determines the action. See, this is a theme. We see this. It's also in so many other places in the Bible that men of faith are men of action. You can say women of faith are women of action. Now, you bring into contrast, the sluggard takes no action. The sluggard does nothing. "There's a lion in the street. I'm not going out there. I could get hurt. Lions are dangerous."
No, a sluggard takes no action. He does not move. He does not remove even the thorns and thistles from his life. He does not watch over his own soul. He does not grow in wisdom. He does not grow in the things of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7, "The revering of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools, they despise wisdom and knowledge." They don't want that, and thus they never grow. They never change. They never transform. The one who is bold as a lion is moved by his faith.
A. Faith moves the man to action
See, faith moves the man to action. This is the key we see. Faith moves the man. Faith moves the woman to action. Now, there's an interesting-- another layer of depth he adds to it. Notice, for example, in Proverbs 28:5, look there, it's a very important verse. "Evil men do not understand justice." They don't understand it. "But those who seek the Lord understand all things." He means here that wisdom, wisdom from God, wisdom from God's heart gives a man an insight into the matters of life because they are spiritually appraised. This is what Paul wrote to the church of Corinth. The foolish man does not understand this because it is spiritually appraised.
When there's a depth of wisdom, there's a depth of understanding, and the man the woman is able to perceive and understand the matters of life, and understand the necessity of being diligent of the soul. That strength of faith brings strength of life. That faith moves the man. There's no such thing as living faith that produces nothing. Only dead faith produces nothing. There is no such thing as great men and women of faith who don't do something with their faith. In other words, faith is active, faith is alive. Faith moves people to move, to act, to do, to accomplish. Faith stirs, faith arises. There's a lion in the street, someone's going to have to get up. The diligent of soul says evil prevails when good men do nothing. The righteous are as bold as a lion.
James 2, here's another verse, verses 17-18, even so, faith if it has no works is dead. Someone might say, "Well, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without works, but I'll show you my faith by my works." Faith moves people to move. Evil prevails when good men do nothing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion because it's the faith that moves them. See, again, we use David as an illustration. When David was a teenager, this is what made David famous of course, his father sent him to check on his brothers. David was the youngest. His brothers were serving with the men of Israel, fighting the Philistines in the Valley of Elah.
When David arrives there on the scene, he heard the shouts of this Philistine giant taunting the rings of Israel, daring them to send out a man to fight. "Send out a champion if you have one. We'll fight man to man, hand to hand." David hears this taunt. It tells us that David became incensed. This is a key to the story. Cannot miss this part. David heard this taunt and something happens. David becomes incensed [grumbles]. What is this that made David incensed? It was his faith arising. David says, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should dare to taunt the armies of the living God?" See how he said it? We would say today, "Who does he think he is, this uncircumcised Philistine, this unholy Philistine that he should the armies of the living God?" See?
David's faith moved him to action. David was the one then who faced the Philistine. There are facing the giant, so David stand out and the giant sees David and looks at him with disdain. He mocks, "You send a boy?" and he scoffs. "You send a boy? Come here." He says, "Give me your boy. I'll take off your head and feed your body to the birds." That's the way they talk in war, apparently, but David responded with faith. "The battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. You come to me with a sword and a spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord God of Israel that everyone here would know." I can almost imagine him turning to the army behind him, "That everyone here would know that there is a God over Israel."
B. It’s the righteous who are bold
Faith arises. Faith stirs men to action. Evil prevails when good men do nothing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Would you notice that it's the righteous who are bold? Again, look at chapter 28:1. The wicked flee. Even when no one is pursuing the wicked flee, but the righteous, they are the ones who are bold as the lion. Now, who are the righteous? We've seen this before. Does it mean that they're perfect? No. Not one, but their hearts are right with God. They were born in the ugly nature of man just like everyone else, but something happened.
Something happens that changed the direction of their life. They have an encounter with God. They see what they did not see before. They hear what they did not hear before. They understand what they did not understand before. They open their heart to believe. They believe. They take hold of God's word. They believe that God is the source of life. The righteous ones are the ones who believe that God is with them, that God is the strength of their life. That strength of faith brings strength of life.
It's like what David wrote in Psalm 34. He mentions that the righteous will even be afflicted in this world. They will have troubles even. This is an important understanding because some believe that the righteous should never have troubles. David said, "Oh, no, no. We are living in a wicked, wicked world. We're living in a very evil world, and evil would prevail if good then did nothing." That's what he says. Notice his perspective. Psalm 34, "I will bless the Lord at all times." He's showing us the relationship that the righteous have with God. It's about the Lord. "I will bless the Lord at all times." He says, "His praise will continually be in my mouth."
He says, "The righteous cry and the Lord hears. I know it. I know my God. I know how he moves. The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers him out of all their troubles." "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." David, in that same chapter, is the one who wrote, "God is therefore my confidence since my youth." I love that right there. That's one of my favorite aspects of David's faith. "God is my confidence and He has been since my youth." I'll tell you what, you take hold of that truth in your life, it'll change your life. A young man who understands that when he's young, great things will come. A young woman who gets hold of that great truth, what God can do with a life like that. Amen.
David is the one who wrote in Psalm 27, "The Lord is my light and the Lord is my salvation. Whom should I fear? You tell me. The Lord is the defense of my life, whom should I dread? If an army camps against me, I will not fear. The war arise against me, in spite of this, I will be confident." Oh, there are many afflictions. The righteous endure many troubles, but he writes, "I will not be shaken. I will not be moved. I will not quit. I will stand on this rock and I will not be moved." We live in an evil world, and evil will prevail if good men do nothing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Arise, oh man of faith, oh woman of God, and let faith move you to what God has called you to do. Amen?
Father, we're so thankful, so, so thankful for your word. It reminds us again of the strength of faith that brings strength of life. Oh, we're living in an evil time, and that evil will prevail if good men do nothing but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Church, how many would say today, "I want that kind of faith. I want my faith to move me to do that which God has called me to do. I want faith like that."? Church, is that your heart, your prayer? If it is, would you just raise your hand as a way of saying, "That's my prayer. That's my heart. I want faith like that. I want faith that moves me. I want faith that arises such that the righteous are as bold as a lion. Do that in me, God." Just raise your hand as a way--
God, thank you for everyone who says, "Yes, do that, God, in me." Do that in us, Lord. Pour out your spirit of life we pray in Jesus' mighty name, and everyone say-- Can we give the Lord praising glory and honor.