IT’S THE HEART

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Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

The general theme I have been following for Sunday nights has been to study the personalities or character of the book of Proverbs.

I want to press that theme just a little bit. As I researched and prepared for this message, I noticed that the subject of the heart comes repeatedly to the surface in the 23rd chapter of Proverbs.

While not technically a personality, let me pretend it is, just for tonight.

Let’s begin with
I. SOME GROUNDWORK LAID
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

There are two things that are worth mentioning right off the start:
A. First, this passage is intricately woven into the text just previous and after it.
A lot of time we use this first phrase
As he thinketh in his heart so is he and teach that means I can “think and grow rich.”

Or, more practically
“If I think about happy things I will be a happy person.”

I do not want to discount that completely, but that is certainly not the primary lesson of the text.

The context has more to do with our association with someone from whom we desire to have a need met.

We need to understand his need before we can expect him to meet our need.

B. Second, the word heart is found twice in this verse.
It is fascinating to me that the Hebrew word is not the same for the two references.

Both of them have to do with pleasure. That’s why I imagine the translators used the word heart in both cases.
The first word is used just this once in the chapter
It literally means “breathing.”

Be implication is refers to the animal, the flesh, that part of us that connects to the world around us.

In this case it would mean raw animal pleasure.

All of us have those sorts of pleasures:
· The enjoyment of a sports game
· The taste of a well prepared meal
· Spinning cookies in a snow covered church parking lot
Those things bring us pleasure but it is a very shallow and transitory one. We enjoy it, but it serves no enduring purpose.

The second word is the one used throughout the rest of the chapter
It means “feelings.”

It is also translated
· Mind
· Emotions
· Intellect

The pleasures this term references might better be called, affections.

Maybe a way to illustrate the difference would be like this:
· I love hamburgers cooked on my BBQ vs
· I love Anita, Louise McKenzie

Both of them might be true, but they are in no way comparable.

With that as our foundation let’s see,
II. SOME WARNINGS MADE
Two of our remaining six verses warn us what not to give our hearts too:
A. To Envy Sinners
Proverbs 23:17 (KJV)
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

This is a common theme in the Bible and one that many if not most Christians wrestle with at one time or another in their life.

If I may put it in Biblical terms it would sound something like this,
· Why was the rich man rich and
· Lazarus begged for bread?

It is obvious that Lazarus was a godly person and the rich man wasn’t.

Why did God reward[1] the rich man and punish Lazarus?

David wrestled with it in his own days,
Psalms 73:2-16 (KJV)
But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

The answer, in the words of the Proverbs, is found in, Proverbs 23:18 (KJV)
For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Don’t envy the sinner today because the end of their story has not been written yet.

In the end, God will make things right.

And then, don’t give your heart,
B. To Seek Mixed Wine
Really the context begins in verse 20, but for sake of time let’s read,
Proverbs 23:29-33 (KJV)
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Alcohol is a pleasure of the flesh that destroys the heart of true affections.

These days I think we ought to add other forms of mind-altering drugs as well.

I am not sure I think we need to legislate or have laws forbidding the use of alcohols or even some substances like marijuana.

I do believe there ought to be laws regulating the safe manufacturing and sale of them – that makes sense to me.

Here is the thing
Just because you can legally do something does not mean it is good to do it.
· It is not good to smoke or chew tobacco
· It is not good to take drugs, many times not even when they have been prescribed and
· It is not good to consume alcohol

Not even little bits of it.
I have already used as an illustration a Pastor Perry Noble who started and led one of the largest modern churches in our country.
Noble would have been considered a leading preacher in the modern movement:
· A staunch Bible preacher
· A conservative theologically and yet
· A liberal socially
Noble’s church disdained the old Fundamentalist’s abstinence policies concerning alcohol.

Drinking wine and beer socially, even at church events, was acceptable in their eyes.

But Noble went too far.
The alcohol got hold of him. He began drinking in excess[2] and he was fired.[3]

Here is the thing about alcohol, any amount of it at any time; you never know when it will steal your heart.

So the Bible teaches us Proverbs 23:31
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

Don’t even entertain the notion of drinking the stuff!

And then there are,
III. SOME APPLICATIONS BADE
(The word “bade” means attempted. It is my attempt at making my outline creative.)

There are three verses grouped together in this heading.
Proverbs 23:12 (KJV)
Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

Proverbs 23:19 (KJV)
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

Proverbs 23:26 (KJV)
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Notice that all three verses have to do with
· Wisdom
· Instruction and
· Understanding

I want to take the three in reverse order and say to the young men:
A. Set your affections on your fathers and learn from them
Proverbs 23:26 (KJV)
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

B. Using your father’s example, guide your heart
Proverbs 23:19 (KJV)
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

Notice that you don’t let your heart be your guide, you guide your heart.

Don’t let your heart fall in love.
Choose what you heart will love.

C. Seek instruction and knowledge
Proverbs 23:12 (KJV)
Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

While you are guiding your heart to love the right things, guide it to love instruction and knowledge.

And finally there is
IV. SOME FRUIT PAID
Proverbs 23:15 (KJV)
My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

The word heart is found twice again in this verse, both of them speaking of our affections.

A. The heart of the son
If thine heart be wise

I think you can define that by the three applications above.

B. The heart of the father
My heart shall rejoice

I can’t help but wonder if our Heavenly Father isn’t speaking through this inspired father….

Do you want to please the heart of God?