Proverbs 28 verse 11 The rich man is wise in his own conceits, but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out. When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Happy is the man that feareth always, but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischief. Amen. Thus we read the word of God. And our theme is the fear of the Lord is always right. The fear of the Lord is always right. This book of Proverbs teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And what that fear means is found in the book of Proverbs, to a large extent exploring the effects of the fear of the Lord in difficult situations, in the face of ungodly men, in the face of temptation to impurity and so on. Therefore, the fear of the Lord is always right, and it is right in all kinds of men. The poor man and the mighty man are to fear the Lord. For we may never in any capacity at any time act independently of God without great sin. It is sinful for a mighty man, for those in authority, to act independently of God. And the book of Proverbs is all about the fear of the Lord. But this is not an exclusively Old Testament concept. The fear of the Lord is not something that we can forget about. It is found also in the New Testament because the fear in view is a particular kind of fear, a reverence, a loving reverence for God and therefore it is of perpetual obligation. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1, 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. So there we see that it is of the very height of rejoicing in redemption in Christ Jesus and the desire that arises from that of a holy life that we pass the time of our sojourning here in fear. So there is no incompatibility with this fear of God and with love to him and salvation by grace. It is the fear of the Lord that the believer has in his heart. he fears always. That is, he dreads sin and he lives before the face of God in loving devotion to the Lord. That is what the fear of the Lord is, but we'll come to that in a moment. First of all then, the fear of the Lord is better than riches. The fear of the Lord is better than riches. Verse 11, the rich man is wise in his own conceit, but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out." Now this proverb is not declaring what is true of every rich man and what is true of every poor man, but rather on the whole it is true that the rich man is wise in his own conceit, but the poor man that hath understanding searches him out. The temptation of the rich is to think that they have made themselves rich, that they are indeed a self-made man, that their prosperity is not of God but of themselves. Whereas we sang in Psalm 127, except the Lord build a house, they labour in vain that build it. Job 32 verse 9. The book of Job chapter 32 verse 9. We read there, Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgement. Just as men don't automatically get wise by being aged, with the passing of the years some get more foolish, so likewise great men are not always wise. A man can be great and powerful in this world and yet be a fool according to the biblical understanding of it. Paul warns the rich man against being high-minded. You remember that in 1 Timothy 6.17 how he says, charge them that be rich in this world's goods that they be not high-minded because there is a temptation to be just that. We were reading in Ezekiel 26 of the Prince of Tyre and of his confidence, his self-confidence, that he thought that because Tyre and the princess of Tyre had made so much money, was so rich, was so full of resources, that all was well. But God says, thy roads have rowed thee into great waters. So the rich can easily be proud. They think they are self-sufficient materially, that they are a self-made man materially, and it's a very short step to self-sufficiency spiritually and morally. They consider themselves in need of being told by no one and that they are entirely independent of the Word of Man and therefore also independent of the Word of God. And so, any unrenewed heart is full of pride. It's stuffed full of pride, that's natural to man. But it is easier to give effect to this pride when a man is rich. It is easier for him to delude himself that all his riches are his own doing and therefore he does not need God. but we are told the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out. The weakest believer who has come to know God through the Lord Jesus Christ relies on Christ Jesus and has no confidence in the flesh. He can see through this man despite all his outward display He can see through it. He can see what really makes a man tick and is utterly unimpressed. The rich man is wise in his own conceit or in his own eyes. The poor man who trusts in the Saviour sees this. He sees it as no other sees it because he has learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, that to depend upon Christ Jesus is the height of wisdom and that to do not is the height of falling. He's learned what real wisdom is and real foolishness. He knows the difference. And so he can look at the rich man who is wise in his own eyes and to expect everybody else to see this wisdom as well. And he's utterly unimpressed. You see, there are some things that can't be made up for. And a man who is born of the Spirit turns from his sin and depends upon Jesus Christ, whereas the man who is wise in his own eyes, yes he may have much of outward success, but he's on the broad road that leads to destruction. What is to be envied about him? And so the humblest, poorest believer looks at this man and he can see, he can see a man in bondage to sin, a man who loves darkness, a man who is not prepared for death despite perhaps considerable bravado and whose sophistication resulting from his riches cannot conceal his guilt and his bondage to sin. So the humblest believer, the lowliest believer is wiser than this man, wiser because God's testimonies are his meditation. We should not envy the wicked, not even the wealthy wicked. Not even the wicked who seem to have it all because they lack the one thing needful and that the humble, poor child of God has even a foretaste of life eternal with Christ. Secondly, the fear of the Lord in high place. The fear of the Lord in high place. When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory. But when the wicked rise, a man is hidden. There are two scenarios here. The righteous man rejoicing and it probably refers to the righteous man being honoured. And the whole population benefits and there is great glory. Remember when Esther Esther chapter 8 and verse 9. Remember when Mordecai was honoured of the king. Esther chapter 8 and verse 9. Esther 8 and verse 9. Then were the King's scribes called at that time, the third month, that is the month Syriac. Verse 19, verse 19. Essay 8, verse 19. It's when Mordecai was led forth as the King's representative. We're told that the people rejoiced and that the population was glad. Verse 17. And in every province and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them all. And in the previous verse of verse 15, And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple, and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness and honour, joy and honour. So when the righteous rejoice, when they glory, when they are exalted, when they are honoured, the whole people rejoices because of the benefit of it. It says something about our own nation. that the exaltation of a righteous man does not cause rejoicing. So great is the darkness that has engulfed this nation that we do not rejoice at the promotion of wise men, but we rejoice at the promotion of ungodly fools. You remember that when Saul of Tarsus was converted, the churches had rest and were full of the joy of the Holy Ghost. But when the wicked are exalted, the godly are hidden. That's the idea. They hide themselves. Either they are ignored or they have to seek hiding. They have to get out of the way because their situation is that they are in danger because of the wicked. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 37. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy, they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. Sometimes it can come down to that, it can be as bad as that, that when the wicked are in high place, men and women of God who love the Lord are forced to hide themselves to be clear of the persecution. Psalm 12 verse 1, help Lord because the godly man ceases, the faithful do fail from among the children of men. So in a time when the wicked are exalted, the godly at least are obscured. And of course it is so in our own society. The more prominent the wicked are, and the more open and blatant the wicked are, The more the people of God are sidelined and marginalised, the more danger they are in. And yet we still, as a society, want this. We want ungodliness, open sin to be commemorated, to be rejoiced in. That's true in the church, true in the state, true in the entertainment world. And originality in sin is seen as great honesty. and we live in an ungodly nation and the people of God are pushed to the sidelines. So the godly, those who could do the country the most good are undervalued, derided and treated as worth nothing. That's what happens. Believers in this country, believers in our Lord Jesus, are the greatest asset this country has. And yet, they are regarded as the offscouring of all things. You see, the ungodly have a different way of reckoning. What we place value on, they don't. devotion to the Lord, the upholding of his honour, that is seen as a negative. The things that we place high value on, they place none or a negative value upon. And that is the age in which we live. We live in a time when the wicked rise and a man is hidden. Where those who love the Lord must be very careful not to compromise but not to be foolish either because there are many adversaries. Thirdly, the fear of the Lord is only produced by repentance. The fear of the Lord is only produced by repentance. Verse 13, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. You cannot fear the Lord unless you have been brought to repentance. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. The ungodly man cannot fear the The only fear he can have is that fear, that fear which has torment. 1 John 4 and verse 18. 1 John 4 and verse 18. 1 John 4 and verse 18. We read, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. That's talking about a different kind of fear. It's talking about a dread that you remember Adam and Eve in the garden said, we heard thy voice in the garden and we were afraid. It is simply the awareness of guilt. But that's not the fear of the Lord of which Proverbs speaks. It's a loving reverence for God. But notice a futile attempt. A futile attempt. Verse 12 of verse 13. He that covers his sins shall not prosper. It is possible to cover our sins before men. But we'll never cover them before God. God sees. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. So however much we hide our sins before men, God sees what we really are. What a foolish attempt, and yet men still do it. They imagine that they can sin and deceive God. Do you think that God is deceived just because men are deceived? You see, the delusion is not God's. It's you, yours. You'll never escape the eye of God. God can always see. Even your secret faults. That's why the psalmist says to God, cleanse thou me from secret faults. Because they're not secrets to God. Nothing is secret to him. All things are manifest in his sight. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12. For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Everything is open. But why should we try and hide? Not only is it futile, it raises a question. Why hide our sins? Do we not want to depart from them? Are they cherished sins that we don't want to let go of? Is that why we try to hide sins? Is it because you need to be born again? Is it because you need to learn that sin is hateful? And trusting the Lord and following Him and His righteousness is lovely. But there is mercy for those who confess their sins and forsake them. Mercy through Christ, the substitute of sinners, the one who bore the guilt of sin in the place of many. There is mercy. You see it says, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. To confess sin and forsake them is not a work that we can perform. But it is talking about repentance which faith in Christ must entail. because faith in Christ means depending upon Christ. It means no longer saying, I want to be independent of God. It's the very opposite of what sin is. Faith in Christ is the opposite of sin. Sin is the desire for independence of God. Faith in Christ is dependence upon God's way of salvation in Christ Jesus. And that's why repentance and faith always go together. Not because the doctrine of justification by faith isn't uniformly taught in scripture, but because real faith in Christ means turning away from the desire to be independent of God. Now then, why will you not lay hold of the promises? He that believeth on the Son everlasting life. You must apprehend the mercy of God in Christ to such as are penitent. You must lay hold of the truth that God is gracious and not only gracious but just to forgive the sins of those who come to him by Jesus Christ. What's so wonderful about your sins and so repugnant about Jesus Christ that you stand at a distance from Him and will not come to Him. Don't you realize how wicked you really are if you will not come to the Lord Jesus Christ? And that's all of us by nature. But do you really think you have a better deal wallowing in your sins than this here, He that confesses their sins and forsaketh them shall find mercy. Could there be anything better than the mercy of God in Christ Jesus? You must come to the Saviour. You must come and forsake your sins. Forsake your desire to be independent. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. You must give up any thought that you will go to heaven because you're a decent person. You must give up your false ideas of self-salvation or that by being decent and harmless to your neighbour that somehow this will make you right with God. You must give up these wrong ideas that the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thought. and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. But then, fourthly, the fear of the Lord and happiness. The fear of the Lord and happiness. Happy is the man that feareth all way, but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischief. The ungodly man meets mischief either during this life or certainly at the end of it. You remember Pharaoh seemed to have plenty of this world's goods yet he hardened his heart and fell into mischief. But God was glorified just the same. Romans 9 verse 17 Romans 9 verse 17 Even for the Scripture set unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. This God will be glorified either in your salvation by grace or in your damnation according to the perfect justice of God, but his name will be glorified. You will not rob God of His glory. He will be glorified in your salvation or your damnation, but He will be glorified. But some don't meet with this mischief until they leave this world. Job chapter 21. Job 21 and verse 7. Job 21 and verse 7. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power. Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, now there is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth and faileth not, their cow calveth and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Life couldn't be better than this. We don't need God. We don't need to pray. That's just for fools. We've got everything. We've got it all without God. Or so they think. But he that feareth always is described as happy. Some people live ungodly lives that are relatively trouble-free and long. They see their children and their children's children, and everything goes well for them. The ungodly call it a charmed life, but there is an end. It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment. And then who shall those things be? which a man has provided. But this text describes he that feareth always as happy. Do you view the Christian life as miserable? Is that your idea of the Christian life? That it is miserable? That it is wretched beyond words? The idea of spending more than an hour at church a week and spending your time, spending time and effort in seeking the honour of God, in abstaining from filthy lusts, in being different from the world is abomination to you. But that's because you need to be born again. You need to be renewed by the Spirit of God. You need your appetite, your likes, your desires to be changed by God. Then you will come to the Lord Jesus Christ. You will see in Him the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field. You will realize that that Christ whom you have heard of so many times is worth more than all the world. and all the pleasures of sin which you now treasure so much. To fear always is being born again of the Spirit and therefore manifesting repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ and desiring to serve Him not in order to be accepted with God but because we are accepted with God. And the Christian has always grounds for rejoicing and is a happy man. Rejoicing in Christ Jesus, that treasure which does not fade away. Yes, there are tribulations for the people of God, but what are these? compared with blessedness now and greater, fuller blessedness in the world to come. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 16. For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, Yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. For we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. The blessings of the Christian, not only are they beyond anything the world can give now, but they are eternal. Our union with Christ shall never end, and it endures to everlasting life in the world to come. This is worth all the hardships of this present life, because the end will come. But those who have an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled and faded not away, reserved in heaven for them, are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed. This is worth more than anything that the world can give. Fear not, little flock. It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. O gracious and eternal God, bless thy word to our hearts, enable us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, knowing that all the things we have need of shall be added unto us. Enable us to see in Christ the pearl of great price, that he is to them that believe he is precious, and enable us to esteem him so, and to despise the world with all its pleasures of sin, and to see, truly as we ought, that Christ is our all in all. So look upon us, O God, and bless thy word to our hearts, that we might all be found safely in Christ, and rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God, and all that we ask is for Christ's sake.