Proverbs 18:21-24 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 18:21-24, which read,

v.21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eats its fruit.

We can't get too far from Solomon giving us another proverb on the tongue.  Death and life give us the extremes again of what the tongue can do.  It can assist or it can destroy.  It can build up or it can tear down.  It can encourage or it can discourage.  It can promote or it can undercut.  There is power in the tongue that has the ability to swing from one side of the pendulum to the other.

It is interesting that those who love it could be for either use of the tongue.  You could love using it for destruction and strife or you could love using it for edification and unity.  You will also eat the fruit of which way you love it.  If you love it for bad then you are going to eat the fruit that comes with those actions.  If you love it for good then you are going to eat the fruit that comes with those actions.  So much the same and so much the different coming from that little muscle of your body.

v.22 - He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

The positive proverbs about the wife are in Proverbs 12:4, which reads, "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones." and then this one and then Proverbs 19:14, which reads, "House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."  These come before chapter 31 which devotes a major portion to the topic.  

He finds a wife.  He is looking for a wife who is surrendered to God.  He searches for the one who brings him favor before the Lord because she has the favor of the Lord.  We see again that the relationship between the man and the woman in a marital situation is created by God and He has not left that creation but to be in the midst of it.

v.23 - The poor man utters supplications, but the rich man answers roughly.

To be poor is to be in want and that person who is in the position of want utters or speak out verbally supplications which means to bow down low seeking grace and favor.  We contrast this with the rich man who is someone who has earthly wealth and it seems that they have it all but they answer or speak with force roughly which means verbally strong and fierce.  This looks like the picture Jesus painted for us of the tax collector and the Pharisee praying.  The tax collector is poor and knows who he is and who God is and therefore comes before Him with humility and being in want of Him.  The Pharisee is earthly and socially rich and promotes who he is in comparison to the tax collector.  He roughly puts the tax collector down.  Knowing Jesus' teaching on this we know that it is better to be poor than rich in this proverb.  We need to be poor in self and rich in God rather than poor in God and rich in self.

v.24 - A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

What kind of friends do you have?  The kind of friends that stick closer than a brother are rare but they need to be sought out as we also become that kind of friend.  Amassing friends for the sake of popularity will pull you in whatever way they are going.  They won't be there when you are going the opposite way of the flow.  They will abandon you or you will change your thought to go with them against what you believe is right.  Maybe you make the excuse or rational that you will participate just long enough to see them change and then all will be well but the reality is played out that ruin will come because they truly aren't friends.  

Maybe that is the point of this proverb.  We need to change our definition of what a friend is.  We throw that word around but do you make a distinction between those who know your name and say hi when they see you and those who would be by your bedside when dealing with cancer and would ask to carry your casket.  The word friend needs to have more weight put to it to use it when speaking of someone else.  What kind of friend are you to others?  What kind of friends do you have?  It is popular to have many friends in our culture by the counter on our FaceBook pages but the proverb says that they are nothing compared to having one friend who loves you like family.  Let us pray.

"Lord, we know that You are that friend.  You are that friend that speaks to us about our tongues.  You are that friend that instructs us on our earthly relationships.  You are that friend that we can know even though we are nothing and You are everything and You inform us in many ways when we have that turned around.  Lord, You are a friend who gave Your all so we could have a friendship with You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam