SOUND DECISION-MAKING
Opening Prayer
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).
Read PROVERBS 16:1–33
To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.
2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.
3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
4 The Lord works out everything to its proper end—
even the wicked for a day of disaster.
5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.
7 When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
he causes their enemies to make peace with them.
8 Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice.
9 In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.
10 The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth does not betray justice.
11 Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of his making.
12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
for a throne is established through righteousness.
13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value the one who speaks what is right.
14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
but the wise will appease it.
15 When a king’s face brightens, it means life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!
17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their ways preserve their lives.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.
20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.
22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools.
23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction.
24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
25 There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.
26 The appetite of laborers works for them;
their hunger drives them on.
27 A scoundrel plots evil,
and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.
28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.
29 A violent person entices their neighbor
and leads them down a path that is not good.
30 Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.
32 Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
See verse 33. The lot in the lap is our input; the rest of the verse deals with God’s. Walking with God involves cooperation.
There is a recurring suggestion in these verses that, however things may appear, ultimate authority resides in God. He provides the right answer (1), weighs motives (2), works towards a purposed goal (4), determines direction (9,33), brings peace (7) and ensures integrity (11). The human spirit tends toward pride and independence—traits that not only oppose God but bring their own consequences (5,18; cf. Prov. 15:25). Verse 18 has become common currency in English parlance, although few who recognize its truth know its source.
If pride and a stubborn determination to organize our own lives in defiance of God, born out of the conviction that we know best, lead to judgment and disaster, then what is the answer? Verses 3, 20 and 33 point the way. We may find casting lots a strange way to plan, but in the Old Testament Urim and Thummim (Exod. 28:30; 1 Sam. 14:41) was a perfectly normal way of discerning God’s will—and this carried through into the early days of the church (Acts 1:26). Today, with a completed canon and the indwelling Holy Spirit, there are no doubt better ways; however, we need to beware lest, in theprocess of discussions that drive much of our decision making, we lose sight of the need to ensure that the decision comes from God.
Trust and submission are the antidotes to pride and independence. To be wise is to be prepared to receive instruction andbe open to God (20). The promise that God will establish our plans is not a blanket guarantee that anything we come up with will prosper. Rather, it is an indication that when we act in line with his direction, we can expect to see him work.
Apply
Preview the next few days. Commit any significant decisions, actions or meetings to God, asking for his direction.
Closing prayer
Lord, You have set a path for me to tread. Teach me not to stray from that path.
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