I invite you to turn your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 17, chapter 16. This morning I intend to complete study of this chapter and also bring to a conclusion this portion of my teaching on the book of Proverbs. We're going to be moving on to some other texts in the next few weeks and then to a book study eventually. But Proverbs chapter 16, Lord willing, we want to look at verses 31, 32, and 33. By the way, I was sort of amazed when I went back and looked at the schedule, and we started in this segment of Proverbs, this is my third segment of teaching it, back in November, so it's five months ago. There's five months in Proverbs. Ooh, I didn't know it was that long. But we're going to, consider here today. Also, I encourage you to continue in Proverbs. Hopefully, not only have we all learned some things from the particular Proverbs we've studied, but we've learned how to study the Book of Proverbs. I know my own grasp of Proverbs has increased tremendously just in looking and carefully considering in each Proverb how the lines are put in parallel. And you have that sheet, by the way, to keep with you to help reminding you of those parallels. Also, I hope we've demonstrated that there's two other things that are important in studying proverbs. A dictionary, looking up the words and defining what these words actually mean. Sometimes we can read a proverb and we sort of go, well, I wonder what that word really means there, but we never take the time to look it up. But word studies. And then thirdly, cross-references. If you have a cross-referenced Bible, they'll often give you a starting point right there, but a good concordance that can also assist that and look to other scriptures to help you interpret and to fill out the teaching of each proverb. So, commend the book of Proverbs to you in your regular study. It's also been pointed out by many, how many chapters are there in Proverbs? 31, how many days in the month? 31, sometimes 30. And so some people take it as their ongoing commitment to read a proverb a day. In other words, a chapter in Proverbs. Besides other scriptures they might be reading. To get the wisdom and understanding they need to face the challenges of life. So again, I commend the book of Proverbs to you. Lord willing, someday in the future we'll probably get back and do another couple chapters. But that's in the Lord's hands. But for now, we're gonna bring to conclusion our study of Proverbs, at least for a season, and doing so here on these three Proverbs. Three separate Proverbs today, in the sense that they're not united in a common theme, like we've seen a few times, at least in this chapter. 31, the hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. 32, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh the city. 33, the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Okay, first the proverb in verse 31. A hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. Now our lines here are put in that synthetic form where each line deals with the same thought. What's given in the first line is developed in some way in the second line. Now here the development appears to be that of the first line is true on the condition that the second line is true or fulfilled. So we see a conditional development here. where we have the statement, the hoary head is a crown of glory. Well, that statement is conditioned by the second line, if it be found in the way of righteousness. And of course, that second line is very important to develop the thought that is being put forward here by Solomon under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to teach us the wisdom of God, the wisdom of Christ. So as we look at it here, the hoary head is in the second line equaled by the word it, the pronoun standing for the hoary head. So the hoary head and it. The other parallel is the crown of glory, that it is a crown of glory, is developed by the idea of if it's found in the way of righteousness. Now the word hoary, hoary head, actually comes from one single Hebrew word that means essentially old age. Whereas the etymological dictionary of biblical Hebrew defines it, the word means having reached a venerable age. So it means old age. Old age is a crown of glory if it is found in the way of righteousness. Now this particular word is used 27 times in the Old Testament. Sometimes it's translated simply as old age, like being of great age. For example, in Genesis 15, 15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, thou shalt be buried in a good, here's our word, old age. So the word whorehead is here translated old age in that particular passage. It also can refer to elders of the people, elderly men who led the people. There's really only one book in the Old Testament where it is used in that way, but it's used one, two, three, four, five, six times in the book of Ezra in that sense. For example, Ezra 5.5 where it's translated elders. We have our word, the elderly, where we're talking about someone who's old. There it's talking about elders in the sense of those who were wise and given positions of leadership in the community. And the other way it is translated in the Old Testament, and this is the way it is most often translated, is that of gray hair or gray headed. There's numerous texts where this same word is translated that way, such as Genesis 42, 38, 44, 29. Deuteronomy 32, 25, and I could go on and on. So in Hebrew, old age and gray hair are designated by the very same word. They're interchangeable, in other words, in their language, depending on what you wanted to emphasize. simply the fact of old age or the ornament of gray hair that is the indication of old age. Now our English word here, hoary, is the old word. We don't use that today. It refers to that which is white or silver or gray, that idea. The Old Testament talks about the hoarfrost, the white frost that comes. Now, if we look at our verse here, truly the translation is right on target when it is, instead of just simply old age, hoary head. Because you'll notice it's connected to a crown. And what is a crown? Literally, a crown is something that encircles the head. And it came to develop to be this idea of a crown. And so, what is circling the head of the aged? is a glory to them. And what circles the head? The gray hair. And I'm saying other passages don't even have such a additional help as the crown translated gray hair, because either way it can be translated, depending on what you think the emphasis is. But here it's clearly the gray head, because that gray head, the gray hair is their crown It's what covers and encircles their head. And maybe the idea of encircling, especially for men, as our hair gets really thin on the top, sometimes it is sort of a circle with the top being a little bit bare. But be that as it may, clearly referring to the gray head. Now what about this word glory? It says the Hori head is a crown of glory. Their head is encircled with glory by this hair that encircles their head, this gray head. The word glory comes from a root that means to distinguish or to stand out. Therefore, it has the idea that it's something that is a distinction, something that calls for honor, respect, and respect. And so the crown of glory refers to the the headdress as it were, on the head of the elderly that calls for honor and respect to be shown to the one who wears it. It gives them distinction and honor to have that. Now think of it this way, the crown on the head of a king indicates to us his office and position. And when we see it, which we really don't have kings today, but there are a few that still wear crowns, maybe the Queen of England or something, but you get my point here. When the crown is on the head of a king, it indicates the office and position of the man. And when we see it, we are reminded of our duty to show respect and honor to him because it shows his office and that he is a man of distinction that we ought to honor and respect. So here we see the crown of gray hair has been put on the head by God's providence of the elderly. It didn't have to go turn gray, but God chose to do it that way. So it would be a crown of distinction upon our head that others would be reminded to show respect. And so we all, when we see the gray headed, we are to be reminded. that in God's order, old age is to be given respect and honor. In fact, it's in the law of God. It's a commandment as well. In Leviticus 19.32, we are told this. And I believe this command in Leviticus 19.32 is the foundation of our proverb here. Proverbs and the law of God go hand in hand. And this certainly makes that clear here. Here's what it says in Leviticus 19.32, part of the moral law of God. It says, thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the old man and fear thy God. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19.32. Here we see the hoary head is equivalent to the face of the old man. And there to be shown honor, even demonstrative honor in what is spoken of here, rising up, is a sign of respect. When someone of honor and distinction enters your presence or in the room, God says to his people, you ought to, in some way, recognize that. Show distinction. to them. Honor their face. Honor their person. Demonstrably show that. And then it says, and fear thy God. They're coupled. Because God calls us to do that. And he signs the commandment, I am the Lord. I'm the one commanding this. So there we have it. Leviticus 19.32, Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the old man, and fear thou by God, I am the Lord. The hoary head is a crown of glory. It is to be shown honor is the idea. It's a crown that indicates this person is to be given honor and respect. There's a proverb later on in chapter 20 verse 29 that says this, The glory of young men is their strength. It sets them off as people of distinction. Wow, they're strong and active and so forth. And that's their glory. That's their distinction. They are strong. What's the distinction of the old man? Here's the whole proverb. The glory of young men is their strength and the beauty which again is parallel to glory. The beauty of old men is the gray head. Is the gray head. And that is, again, our word. There it's translated gray head. Here it's translated hoary head. It means essentially the same thing. But now we go to the second line. If it be found in the way of righteousness, Now, I must say, there's a difference of opinion on the connection between the first and second line. And if you'll note carefully, the if is in italics. In the King James, that means the translators added that word. It's not actually in the Hebrew, but they added it because they believe the sense of the passage requires it. But it's in italics to alert you and I as Bible readers that the original doesn't have it. And they're giving us an interpretive translation. That's one of the strengths of the King James Version, these italicized words. Translations today, even that claim to be literal, do not put in italicized words. And therefore, we do not know when the translators are adding words to give the sense that they believe the passage has. So that's, I think, one of the important strengths of the King James Version. is the use of these italics. But I said there's a difference of opinion on the connection between the first line and the second. Let me give you those two views. First of all, some see the connection in the second line as that of giving the reason for the first line, the reason for it. In other words, the gray head is a crown of glory because it is a reward of a righteous life. You understand what I'm saying there? In other words, gray head is a crown of glory because it is a reward. It's something that's found upon the head of those who've lived the righteous life. And this is based on the doctrine that we do find in Proverbs and other passages in the scripture that righteousness tends to prolong life while sin and evil shortens it. That's a general principle. And so if someone has lived a long life, that is shown by the crown of glory on their head. The second view is the one that is in our translation here, where the connection is that the second line is giving the condition under which we can say that a gray head is a crown of glory. And this is based on the doctrine, again found in Proverbs and many places in scripture, that sin brings shame upon the head while righteousness brings honor upon the head. Which is it? Well, as is often the case, an argument can be made for either because both are true. Both are true according to biblical doctrine. And I think that perhaps this is why the Hebrew does not use a construction that would clearly designate the one or the other. In other words, it literally says this. Take out the if. The hoary head is a crown of glory. It is found in the way of righteousness. or it be found in the way of righteousness. Now having said all that, nevertheless, I do think that in this context that the perspective and the translation of the King James translators is what is in view in this text myself. I believe they're correct on this. They're given the condition upon which a hoary head is a glorious crown. You see, it is not simply age that confers glory. All aged people should be shown a measure of respect, but not all people wear their age in a way that is worthy of being distinguished with glory. It is not simply old age that confers glory, but I think this proverb is teaching us That it is age that is based on a life that was well lived. A life well lived, full of wisdom and righteousness. And here's a passage that might help us in coming to that conclusion. In Isaiah 65, 20, which is in a prophetic text and it's talking about some interesting things that we're not gonna get into, we just wanna list this one statement and look at this one statement. Isaiah 65, 20, it says, the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. A hundred years old, hoary head, crown of glory. No, they're accursed because they're sinners. They're living in sin. They're living in unrighteousness. They're living in wickedness. Certainly not a crown of glory to them in the Isaiah 65, 20. In fact, they're under a curse because they're living a life of sin. though they be a hundred years old. So I do think it is conditional, myself. And hopefully that'll come out a little bit more just as we explain the passage, though I might not emphasize any more arguments to support it, but I think you'll see what I mean. Now the verb here, to be found, means to discover something, or as it has, to find something out. It is a passive meaning that the way of righteousness is seen by others than the ones who wear the crown. In other words, others look at the life of this person who has a hoary head and they discover, they find out that that hoary head is more than just gray hair, it's a crown of glory to them because They have discovered that this person wears the crown of glory, the gray head, in a life of righteousness. They are living righteously. They live righteously and they are now living righteously. They're still in the way of righteousness, is the idea. And so the point of the proverb is that while a hoary head indicates old age, and that the aged are to be given due respect. What we're taught here is that the real glory of old age is not simply the color of your hair, but the kind of life that you have lived and are still living. And so in general, it's teaching us, and the Bible teaches us, to show respect to the elderly. But then it goes on, and I think this proverb is setting this forth, Not only do we give respect to the elderly, but we give real glory to the elderly who have walked in and are still walking in the way of righteousness. Or using Paul's statement in the book of 1 Timothy, they're worthy of double honor. Honor for the age. They've lived life, and they've been through a lot, and they've fought a lot of battles, and they need honor. They're in the way of righteousness. And so the battles they have fought have not just been the common struggles of life, but the battle for righteousness, and they've stood for it. And they're still standing for it. They're worthy of double honor. Psalm 92, 12 to 15, gives a picture of the hoary head being found in the way of righteousness. Describes what it means. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. That's the righteous person. But then he goes on to say this. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They're in the way of righteousness. They're still bringing forth fruit. flourishing like a palm tree through their life. They grew like a cedar in Lebanon. They were planted in the house of God. They're flourishing in the courts of God. But they're still doing it even though they're old and therefore they're still bearing fruit in old age. They're fat and flourishing, spiritually speaking. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. That's the person who's worthy of double honor. They have the crown of glory on their head because they're still bringing forth fruit for righteousness. On that Psalm 92 verse 14 statement about they shall bring forth fruit in old age, John Gill says this, being thus planted and watered, they shall not only bring forth fruits of righteousness, but shall continue and go on to do so. And even when they're grown old, Contrary to all other trees, which when old cease bearing fruit, but so do not the righteous. Grace is often in the greatest vigor when nature is decayed. Witness Abraham, Job, David, Zachariah, and Elizabeth, and good old Simeon, who went to the grave like shocks of corn, fully ripe. Now, back to our proverb here, here's what Matthew Henry says in explaining it. It ought to be the great care of old people to be found in the way of righteousness, the way of religion, and serious godliness. Both God and man will look for them in that way. It will be expected that those that are old should be good, that the multitude of their years should teach them the best wisdom, Let them therefore be found in that way. Death will come. The judge is coming. The Lord is at hand. That they may be found of him in peace. Let them be found in the way of righteousness. Found so doing. Let old people be old disciples. Let them persevere to the end in the way of righteousness. which they long since set out in, that they may be then found in it." That's his first point. There's no better way to prepare for death than to be in the way of righteousness leading up to it. His second application is this, if old people be found in the way of righteousness, their age will be their honor. Old age as such is honorable and commands respect. And then he quotes Leviticus 19.32, thou shalt rise up before the hoary head. But if it be found in the way of wickedness, the honor is forfeited. Its crown is profaned and laid in the dust. Isaiah 65.20. Old people, therefore, if they would preserve their honor, must still hold fast their integrity. And then their gray hairs are indeed a crown to them. They're worthy of double honor. Grace is the glory of old age." End quote. Pretty powerful. By the way, as I look around, I see a few hoary heads in here. A lot to speak to us here. One more John Gill on this. Again, great statements. He says, the hoary head is a crown of glory. That is gray hairs, white locks through age are very ornamental. They look very beautiful. Bespeak gravity, wisdom and prudence and command reverence and respect. if it be found in the way of righteousness. That is, if such who are old and stricken in years like Zacharias and Elizabeth, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless, when they are found in Christ having on his righteousness, And when they live soberly, righteously, and godly, when they walk in the ways of God and true religion, keep up family worship and private devotion, as well as constantly attend the ministry of the word and ordinances, then are they very venerable and respectable. Their old age is a good old age. In a short time, they will have the crown of glory. which fadeth not away. But otherwise, a sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. An old man in the open ways of sin and vice, laden with iniquities, is a very contemptible and shocking sight." End quote. An old man in the open ways of sin, he says, and vice, laden with iniquity, is a very contemptible and shocking sight. Isn't that true? See an old man, old woman, gray-haired, living in that kind of life. Not only do you feel this contempt and a shock almost in that. In the New Testament, aged men and women are called to the way of righteousness by the Apostle Paul, specifically in the book of Titus. And these would have been probably fairly recent converts. Maybe some of them had been converts for quite a while. But as Paul instructs Titus on how he is to administer and teach the various age groups, he says this in Titus 2. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, that the aged men be sober, grave, that's serious, temperate, sound in faith, in charity or love and in patience. That's a hoary head in the way of righteousness. It's defined for us here in the New Testament. An old man is sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity and patience. It's a summary of being found in the way of righteousness. What about the women, old women? That the aged women likewise that they be in behavior as becometh holiness. An aged woman, to be in the way of righteousness is to live in such a way that it becomes holiness. Not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands. The word of God, be not blasphemed. So that's an aged woman in the way of righteousness. Her lifestyle and her teaching to the younger women. In 1 Timothy 5, 9 through 10, I think Paul defines the way of righteousness for women and for which they will be honored by the church in their old age. The honor being the church taking care of them if they're widows indeed. What kind of life should they have lived and what should they be promoting and teaching in their old age? It says, let not a widow be taken into the number under three score years old, having been the wife of one man. It's a fateful wife. Well reported of for good works. If she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work, and that is she's to be taken under the role and the care of the church, to be honored for that kind of life. And as Gil mentioned in the quote I read from there, in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 6 through 8, Paul, who had a hoary head, He had a crown of glory on his head because it was found in the way of righteousness. But in his very last epistle to Timothy, he tells us what crown he's looking for in the future. He's going to exchange the crown of the hoary head, that glory, for this. For I am now ready to be offered. The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. You think Paul fulfilled Proverbs we're looking at? It was found in the way of righteousness. What did it mean? He fought the good fight to the end. In old age, he fought the good fight. He finished the course of his life, faithful to the end. He kept the faith, faithful to the end. And what does he then say? Henceforth, there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, not only to me, but unto all that love is appearing. Great proverb. As I said, I spent a little bit more time on it than maybe some because of all the hoary heads before me. May we all be encouraged by this. May this be a life, old age life proverb. Write it off, hang it up on your wall. Be like Paul. Finish your course. Keep the faith to the end. Verse 32, our next proverb. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh the city. Now, what kind of parallelism is this? Think about it. It's synonymous. Both lines are saying essentially the same thing. There's really not a development of the thought from one or the other. It's saying the same thing using slightly different words and getting the point across by saying it twice. He that is slow to anger is paralleled synonymously with he that rule with his spirit. By the way, they help us interpret. These synonymous lines help each line interpret each other. To be slow to anger is to rule your spirit. The other parallel is, after it says is better, but then we have the mighty is synonymous with he that takes a city. And so the mighty is further explained or more insight given into what that means by the parallel with he that takes a city. And he that takes a city is somebody who's mighty. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. The adjective slow here comes from a root that means to prolong, extend, or stretch out. Thus it means to be long, tarry, or delay our anger, to defer our anger. The adjective here, translated slow, is describing then the characteristic of being patient and long-suffering in the face of provocation, and so keep our anger in check. We defer it. We don't just, you know, boom, explode in passion and anger. He that is slow to anger. There is a place for righteous anger, but even righteous anger develops slowly. Righteous anger doesn't explode. We think about it. We weigh what has happened with the scriptures, and if it's an injustice, if it's a real evil, then godly anger has its place. But be slow to anger. We're so quick to make judgments and impassion, make a response. The word anger here, this is where the, how languages develop and how words come about. The original meaning of this word anger meant to emit breath through the nostrils. And so that idea of that physical face, that feature, the physiognomy that we talked about last week, you know, through the nose. When somebody gets angry, you can just see that. There's the face and there's this breathing, this quick emitting of breath. Maybe it's through the mouth, but usually through the mouth or nose or just the nose. And they said, boy, that's the word we're going to use for anger. And that's what it means, anger. Somebody's pretty stirred up. And this word that was only used in this figurative sense in the Old Testament. They know that this was the original meaning of the word by comparing it with other related Semitic languages of the time. But it means to be angry. Anger is an emotion. So we're talking about our feelings here of some sort, our emotions. It's a passion of the mind, not reasoning of the mind, but a passion of the mind. And this passion is roused by wrongs, by injuries, by injustices, real or imagined. We sometimes mistake something to be a wrong or an injury when it really wasn't, or wasn't intended that way. But anger doesn't make that distinction. That's why we need to be slow to anger, so we can analyze what happened. Was that really what that person said to me, an insult? Maybe it was, but I need to think about it. Or maybe they're really having a bad day. Something really, their wife is terribly sick or child's in the hospital and I need to give them a little bit of slack here. In other words, we think about it, we're slow to anger. We don't just, we engage the reason of the mind, the thinking of the heart before we express the passion. And so the phrase slow to anger is someone who holds their anger in check and delays their response to an injury that they think they've received until they have time to consider more fully and more carefully what has actually happened or what that person intended. And the person who controls their passions and are slow to anger therefore escapes from irrational and irresponsible and foolish behavior. Now notice the word better than here. This indicates a comparison. We are called upon to make an estimate of the relative value, the relative strength or excellence of one thing with another. When we're making a comparison, and that's what better than means here, we're called upon to make an estimate of the relative value of one thing as compared to another. So what is the values that we're called upon, or the things we're called upon to put valuation on? Being slow to anger and being mighty. So what is mighty? It indicates someone of physical strength. That's what it means. Physical strength. They have strength that is so intense that they're able to overpower others. They can control people by reason of their physical strength. They're big and strong and muscular and so on. This word was used in the Old Testament of the victorious soldier or the hero. The hero, that word hero. We use it a lot today, but we often don't think about its roots. again, Webster's 1828, it says they have a dictionary with you when you study proverbs, particularly that dictionary. And I know a lot of people use computers, cell phones, not cell phones, smartphones, you can go and get the e-sword. You can download it to your phone, your computer, has tremendous Bible study tools, but one of the great things in the Esword is it has Webster's 1828 right there, and you can instantly look up these verses. I mean, look up these words as you study the verses. Anyway, 1828 says this, this is what a hero means. A man of distinguished valor, intrepid or enterprise in danger, a hero in arms, which by the way shows that no athlete is a hero. They're not heroes. There may be other things, might be, you know, their physical ability and their strength is quite, their glory, like the glory of young men and so forth. But a hero is someone who shows distinguished valor in an enterprise of danger. And there's no more danger except maybe spraining an ankle or breaking a leg that we have when we go out and do our activities. play a game of pick-up football or something like that. So I'm just trying to say, today our society, all these sports people are heroes. They're not heroes. They may be good people, they may have tremendous skills, but I'm saying the word hero doesn't apply. It particularly was used of someone who was in arms, in other words, in battle, with a real danger. You're about ready to be killed, or could be killed. Thus a man who can control his anger, we're told here, is better than, of a greater strength and virtue than a man who can control and defeat others in battle through his physical strength and courage. Physical strength and courage are good things. A hero in a just war is an honorable man. But here's the point. Being able to control your anger is to be better than that person. It's something more heroic, if you want to use that term. That's quite a powerful proverb when you look at it carefully. To be slow to anger, to be able to control your anger is better than to conquer others in battle and control others through your physical strength. Here's the synonymous to drive this point home. And let's say it in another way. He that rules his spirit than he that takes the city. He that rules his spirit is better than he that takes a city. The verb rule here means to have dominion over. It's rule by command. It's a strong term. And what the object of this rule is, is the person's own spirit. That is, it refers here to their seat of affections and emotions. So the person who can command their emotions, control their feelings, deal with their anger and command it to be, to stop, to move slowly, is of more value, of more excellence than someone who takes a city. To take a city here actually comes from a root that means, the word take means to rule as a king. Here it's looking as a king who goes out as a conqueror and conquers a city. takes the city. He conquers it, he possesses it, and either he destroys it, levels it, and moves on, or he takes over the reign of that city. So it's a conquering king. And so a man who had dominion over his feelings and over his emotions, so that he controls those emotions, so that they obey him, and he not them, is more glorious more worthy of honor, of greater worth and value than a conquering king who rules over a city. That's the biblical scale of values. We value, and we look at our histories, the great generals. And I'm not disparaging great generals who in the cause of right and justice and defending a freedom and a free people and those type of things. I'm not in any way disparaging that fact. I don't want to disparage. I'm going to lift it up because in lifting it up, it shows how much greater is the glory of being able not to conquer a city, but your lusts. but to conquer your desires, to conquer your anger, to conquer your fears, that's of greater value than those. The point of the proverb then is to teach that it is greater to have control of one's anger and rule over one's spirit than to be a mighty man who can control and defeat others, or to be a king who takes and reigns over a city. It takes greater strength, courage, and wisdom to rule your anger and your desires than it does to be a mighty warrior and conquering king. And by the way, Well, let me move on and quote this proverb here. Proverbs 25, 28. It looks at this proverb from the other perspective. In other words, someone who doesn't rule their spirit. Here's what it says. He that has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls. Here in our proverb, here we talked about this mighty man taking a city. Here's someone, it's the image here, the metaphor is the person who can't rule his spirit is like a city. The walls are broken down. In the ancient world, the primary defense was to be in a fortified city that had strong walls that could be defended and keep the enemy out. If you can't control your spirit, you are open to the attack and the conquering of everybody around you. You've just broken down all your defenses, all your walls, and you've invited your enemies to conquer you. If you can't control your spirit, just knock down all defense. A proverb has a lot to say about the importance of controlling one's anger. Proverbs 12, 16. 14, 17. And verse 29. 15, 18. 19, 11. And verse 19. 22, 8. And 22, 24. 27, 3. 29, 22. There's 10 verses right there in addition to this one that teach essentially the same thing. We've got to control our anger. We've got to have control over our spirit. Well, we're not mighty men or women. In Ecclesiastes, also written by Solomon, he says, be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry. See, that's the opposite. Be slow to anger. That's the way we should be. Here, it's put in the other way. Don't be hasty in your spirit to be angry. For anger rests in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7.9. Two comments here from our commentators. Peter Muffet says this, here's how he explains it. He that is patient or not easily provoked to anger is said to be slow to wrath. Such a one is better than the mighty man. He is more excellent than he that is strong of body, for he can bear reproaches. which are more intolerable burdens than any that are won to be laid upon the backs of the strongest. And again, he hath strength of mind, whereas the strong man hath only strength of body. Generally, he is said to rule his mind that subdueth not only wrath, but all other violent affections. Such a one is better than he that winneth a city, For he overcometh those things which are more invincible than towns or castles, even sins, lusts, principalities, and spiritual wickedness." End quote. Then John Gill. On the phrase, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he says this, than a mighty warrior or conqueror. As Alexander, let me pause, Alexander the Great, as Alexander who conquered his enemies and even all the world and yet in his wrath slew his best friends. A man that is slow to anger is esteemed by the Lord, respected by men and is happy in himself and is preferable to the strongest man that is not master of himself and of his passions. And he that rules is the spirit, and he that taketh the city. Gil says, one that has the command of his temper, that can govern himself, not suffer his passions to exceed due bounds, is superior in strength to him that can storm a castle or take a fortified city. It is easier to do the one than the other. Courage of mind joined with wisdom, assisted by a proper number of persons may do the one, but it requires the grace of God and the assistance of his spirit thoroughly to do the other. Cicero says in all ages, quote, fewer men are found who conquer their own lusts than they that overcome the armies of enemies, end quote. In the New Testament, we have James, So I was pointing out to you, it's often called the New Testament Book of Proverbs. Let every man be, what? Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. That's it, slow to wrath. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. By the way, who fulfilled this proverb perfectly? Perfectly, Jesus Christ. Study him in the Gospels. Did he ever lose the rule over his spirit? Ever. Under the most horrendous provocations, real injustices. Look at him before Pilate. Here we see Jesus. He was slow to anger. That's why he's better than the mighty. He ruled his spirit and that's why he's so far greater than all the great conquerors of history. Jesus the Christ. One more, and we're done. Proverbs 16.33. The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Here we have, and we're back to the antithesis parallelism, where one line is set as the opposite of the other in antithetical relationship, and that is often Shown to us and helpful as a key conjunction is the word but. It will help you identify those. The lot is cast into the lap, but. The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. This is a fitting proverb, by the way, to close this chapter. This chapter is emphasized in a number of Proverbs, the sovereign control of God over all things. Remember that? Let's go back to verse one. The preparation of the heart in man, or is in man, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. That God is sovereign over the answers of the tongue. Though we may think about it and prepare and what we're gonna say, But God is in that whole process. Even clearer in verse four and then verse nine. But for the Lord hath made all things for himself, even the wicked for the day of evil. In verse nine, a man's heart devises his way, but the Lord directeth his step. Man proposes, as it says here, God disposes. That's the English proverb based on scriptural teaching. That's what we're learning here, the sovereignty of God over all events. He is in control of everything. And this proverb shows us how that control is even directing the outcome of the casting of lots. The Hebrew word for lot means a small stone. I mean, that's giving our English idea here. The stone is cast into the lab. What stone? The stone that was used or stones that were used to determine a question. In other words, the stones were in some way marked. And those marked stones would be taken and however many were needed, would be mixed up and then cast out, and according to how they were cast out, or the one that was cast out, or the one that was, came up as the one that would distinguish from the others and give the answer. So the lot, that's our English word, the lot, because that's what it's talking about here. to cast meant to throw. And so we're talking about determining some things, one's portions, one's share, one's task, et cetera, by throwing stones or some other marked object. It would apply equally to drawing of straws, flipping a coin, using art terminology and the way things are done. But in some way, a test was set up to distinguish or give an answer or to set forth a portion by this unique method. Here's what Webster says, 1828. The lot is that by which the fate or portion of one is determined. That by which an event is committed to chance. That is, to the determination of providence as to cast lots or to draw lots. And guess what Webster's 828 does next? It quotes Proverbs 1633. Look that up in your new Webster's World Dictionary and see if they quote Proverbs 1633. The phrase into the lap simply talks about the receptacle or where it was thrown. The lot was cast upon what, into what receptacle? Maybe it was into someone's lap, onto the floor, into a container, whatever. And so the lot here is deciding a question. But in the use of the lot, the decision of the question is done in such a way that man cannot determine the outcome or influence the outcome ahead of time. It's putting the matter into the realm of chance. Now chance is not a bad word. Chance is a very important word. It's part of our experience. Let me explain myself. The word chance is an event that happens or falls out or takes place without being contrived, intended, expected, or foreseen. That's man's experience. Things happen to us. Things take place that we did not contrive or plan for. We did not intend or we did not expect or foresee. That's all the chance means. And that happens from the human limited perspective. But there's no chance in God, in his will. But a chance happening is something that we didn't expect. It's something we could not contrive or intend. And so in the casting of lots, you can't contrive it. You flip a coin. You cannot contrive that. There's no human can contrive that. If it's a legitimate coin that doesn't have two tails or two heads, you just can't do it. Somebody here, tell me how you can contrive that. There is no way. And in all legitimate, honest use of lots, it's outside of the human sphere to determine the outcome. Therefore, the lot is very important in certain circumstances to deal with controversy or strife. Here's what Proverbs says about it, 1818. The lot causes contentions to cease, and it parteth between the mighty. The mightier loggerheads were to kill each other. You cast a lot and they go away peaceful. It ends the contention. That's the purpose of the lot, I think. The lot was used by Israel at God's command to divide the inheritance of the promised land. It was commanded to Moses and then to Joshua who carried it out. Now you can think about it if Joshua and his advisors decided who got what land in Palestine. Contention, contention, contention. I wanted that land. That's a better land than I have. But God dealt with all those possibilities by dividing the land by chance in this sense, the casting of a lot, the drawing of straws or however they did it. And it was divided up and there was no contention. That's its purpose. And that's how it's used in the Old Testament. Okay, there's our lot. But here's what this proverb's teaching. The whole disposing of the lot is not according to chance. The reality is God determines whether it's heads or tails. Not chance. Though man cannot contrive it, God makes it heads if he wants it heads, makes it tails if he wants it tails. If the coin is flipped to make a decision in this lot-like sense. The word here, disposing, means to decide. And it's the word that's used of a judge or a ruler who decides a case. Here's the case. We're going to divide the land of Canaan up according to the tribe. How are we going to do that? God determines it himself by the use of a lot, and therefore allies contention among men and allows people to submit to providence. The use of the lot in a Christian worldview is to submit to providence. Because God determined the lot. Notice the word whole that's also before there. That's emphatic. Absolutely, the outcome of the lot is totally and completely determined by the Lord. For there's no chance with God. And so, here's what I'm trying to say. From one perspective, the lot is the result of chance. That's the human perspective. In other words, we can't control it. It's just what happened. But from another perspective, the lot is the result of providence. Again, I'm going to quote Webster, like I did a moment ago. He says, that by which fate or portion of one is determined. That by which an event is committed to chance, that is, what do we mean by committed to chance? In a Christian worldview, it's committed to the determination of providence. And therefore we submit to it. In a broader sense, to man's eye, so much of life in history is determined by chance. So much of it. Think about it. The unforeseen, the unexpected, the unplanned for events of our life that have so determined it. And wow, that was a chance meeting. That was a chance happening. And in a sense, if we simply mean unforeseen, unplanned, that's a fine word. But what this is teaching us is that from another perspective, The perspective of God's sovereignty and his providence that puts his will into being, all things are determined by his will and purpose, even to the point of the lot, which seems to be something that's undetermined. Chance? No. God's in control. And so the point of the Proverbs is to teach that all events and the results of those events are determined by Yahweh, the Lord. Even an event like casting the lot is governed not by chance, but by God himself. This proverb joins with 16.1 and 16.9, the proverbs of those verses, to teach that all the affairs, aspects, and accomplishments in a person's life are in the end to be accorded to the divine will. Joseph Menscher writes this, the lot is properly a casual event, purposely applied to the determination of something doubtful. Among the Hebrews, important matters were frequently determined by lot. Officers were chosen, work determined, dwellings fixed, discoveries made, and contentions terminated. And he gives some verses. aphorism, or proverb, teaches that the decision of the lot is like everything else under the control of Jehovah, although to human view the result may appear altogether casual or fortuitous." End quote. And good old John Gill again. The lot is cast into the lap. which used to be done in choosing officers, civil or ecclesiastical, in dividing inheritances and determining doubtful cases, and making up differences, and putting to the end of strife and contentions, which otherwise could not be done. And this ought not to be used in trivial cases, or to gratify curiosity, or for the sake of gain, or rashly and superstitiously. but seriously and religiously, with prayer and in faith, and with a view to divine direction and submission to it. For a lot has the nature of an oath, as an appeal to the omnipresent and omnipotent being. But the whole disposing thereof is the Lord, that is, the judgment of it. The judgment that is to be made by it concerning persons or things is being so directed and ordered by him as to fall upon the person it should, or to make known the thing in doubt and debate according to his will, in which all parties concerned should acquiesce. This is to be ascribed not to blind chance or fortune. to the influence of the stars, or to any invisible created being, angel or devil, but to the Lord only. There was no such thing as chance or events by chance. Those events which seem most fortuitous or contingent are all disposed, ordered, and governed by the sovereign will of God." Now the law is used two times in the New Testament. Only two. And the one in Luke 1.9 is a report of it having been used. And it was the basis upon which Zacharias happened to be in the temple offering the incense the day the angel appeared to him and said he was gonna have a son, John the Baptist. He was there by lot. There were so many priests in that day that how did they choose which priests would serve? They cast the lot. And that would end contentions. Why is Zacharias in there now? It was my turn. No, the lot determined it. The other time in Jews, when was the other time? Acts 1 with Matthias. When they had to choose an apostle to take the place of Judas and the lot was cast. It is referred to one other time in the New Testament, but that was looking back to the dividing of the promised land. Paul spoke of it in his sermon in Antioch and Pisidia in Acts 13, 19. It's the only time in the New Testament. Now let me make something very clear here. We not be misled by the lot. We are not to determine the will of God for our lives or for our church by the flip of a coin. by the casting of a lot. Lord, should I ask her to marry me or not? No, that's not how you go about deciding who you ask to marry you. That's not how we make decisions. The book of Proverbs is loaded with principles and one of the big principles is counsel. Who needs counsel if you have a lot? Because the lot's not to be used to determine God's will for our lives, or for our families, or for our churches. That is not the purpose of the lot. By the way, I'm not saying that it never can be used in a personal life, or family, or church. I'm just saying that's not what the lot is designed for. We are to discern the will of God by study of the scriptures, by prayer, and by counsel, not drawing lots, flipping coins. When does a lot get used then? The lot is useful according to Proverbs 18, 18 in a setting of two or more persons where there's contention or possible or probable contention. You can't work it out. You've studied the scriptures, you've prayed, and you can't come to a decision. Contention is rising. The lot may be a good answer to that because as Christians use it, like Gil said, you're committing it to providence. and you're going to submit to the providence, because you believe Proverbs 16.33. But here's another thing I want to add. But even in those kind of settings, the possible outcomes have to be determined ahead of time, right? Before you can cast lots for this outcome or that. Every outcome must be biblical and scriptural. In other words, Do I steal heads? Do I not steal tails? Impossible. In other words, you can't use the lot to discern between right and wrong. The lot can only be used to determine between two good choices. Look with me to the Acts passage, and I think this really clinches it. And this is where this takes away the danger of the lot, because in the sense of people using it wrongly when you realize it has to be used to determine only good outcomes but you don't know which one it should be. There's two goods. There's two wise ways. But how do we determine? Now look at this Acts passage. Talks about the fall of Judas. Verse 21, Wherefore, of these men which have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John unto the same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of the resurrection. And they appointed to Joseph called Barsabbas, which was surnamed Justice, and Matthias. Notice there were standards of the choice. They all had to be men who met certain standards. There couldn't be someone who never was a witness of the resurrection. They just wouldn't qualify. So they all had to be witness of the resurrection. They all had to look at that. They had to have accompanied Christ during his earthly ministry to some extent. They had been with the group. They had been with Jesus. And so both of these men were worthy men. But there could only be 12. So is it Barabbas, not Barabbas? Bar Sabbaths or is it Matthias? The lot solved the question. There could be no contention. Bar Sabbaths could not complain. And either could Matthias complain, say, I didn't want all this responsibility. Doesn't matter, Matthias. God chose you by the lot. So see, no contention. But you see, there were only godly options available. It's like today, some churches, they choose their leaders by the lot. But you know what? Those men that are on to be chosen by lot are already approved men that the congregation all see as qualified for the office. But they only need one more elder or one more deacon. So they would choose that way. And so if you ever use the lot, it can't be to decide whether you do right or wrong. It can only be to decide whether you do this right or this right. But again, I'm not recommending the lot in individual decision, but usually when there's contention or the possibility of contention. Does that make sense? It's really, to me, as I thought about this and thought about the case of Matthias, but let me give the other case in the New Testament. Zacharias. It wasn't that a non-Leviter priest could get into the casting of the lot to see if they could offer infants. Only qualified priests were options when the lot was thrown. So they were choosing between two goods. not between good or bad, wise or foolish. So this is where the lot can be used. It can be used, Gil said about not using in trivial matters, but I'm not, I think he meant, I'm not even sure what he meant, but we use the lot with our children sometimes. There was a bad, there was different jobs to be done. And the kids are gonna get contentious. You know, I don't wanna do it, why does I have to do that? You know, Ben has to do this, but I gotta do this. Well, we drew lots, and there was no contention. The kids just understood that this was how it fell out. I don't remember preaching servants on Providence when we did that, but still, it did settle contention. And so it can be useful in parenting in those group situations. So having said all that, I'm just trying to balance how we use the law. But the main point of this proverb is God's sovereignty. He controls everything, even the flip of the coin, even the casting of the lots. It's exactly what He wants is what comes out of it. That is the Lord, and that is His way. Let's pray. Father, thank you today for the study of Proverbs, not only this morning, but for the last five months that we have been in this book. Lord, so much wisdom, and as it's held up to us, first of all, we realize there's only one who's ever attained all this wisdom, and that is Christ. He is our example. He lived the book of Proverbs. Even as we saw today, his complete rule over his own spirit and a man who was slow to anger. But Lord, what I'm saying is we need so much help from you to walk in this wisdom. We're so frail. We're so weak. We're so foolish by nature. Fill us with the spirit. Give us the strength. to do these things. Give us the strength and the wisdom to be those who can control our spirits and be slow to anger. Help us, if we are with a hoary head, that it would be a crown of glory to us. You'd enable us to keep firm in the way of righteousness to the end. And to learn from this practical yet very doctrinal teaching of the third proverb of your sovereignty, illustrated and taught through the use of a lot, or the idea of the lot. And may we take comfort in that. Our lives aren't governed by chance. Yes, there's unpredictable, unintended, unforeseen events. In that sense, we face it all the time. But we realize behind what, to us, was a chance event, was a divine appointment and divine providence at work. In Jesus' name, amen.