Ecclesiastes 7:1,2 "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart." He would be the kind of person for whom you might ask, “What do you give to someone who has everything?”  Yet, God caused Solomon to reflect upon his life and the vanity of having all things, while lacking the one thing needful. What is that one vital thing that truly matters? Better even than "precious ointment!" Where was the precious ointment found?  It was found in the kings’ palaces. It speaks of the incense and perfumes often burned in such places. Remember, they didn’t have air conditioning in those days. In the heat and humidity, homes could easily become musty. How precious, then, was an ointment that gave off a sweet savor—especially when this world offers little more than the stench of death. But what name is better than precious ointment?  It is the name of Christ. To bear His name, to be given that name, is greater than all that the world has to offer. Even our LORD Jesus, when the seventy disciples returned with joy, rejoiced that they had the power to heal and cast out devils. He redirected their focus. That power, though real, was temporary. Not all who were healed or delivered were the LORD’s. It was a manifestation of His messianic power. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”  (Luke 10:17–20). That was a house of feasting, a moment of joy and excitement. But the Lord gently turned their joy from temporal power to eternal grace. When He said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,”   He was declaring His eternal origin and authority. He was there when Satan was cast down, and now on earth, He had come to crush that old serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). This is the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9) —better than ointment, better than all that the world esteems: to be in Christ. By His power and authority, He has conquered .  He has overcome. And therefore, in Him, no enemy, no power, can touch us, but that which has already touched Him. In Psalm 119:71, we hear the voice of the Savior: “ It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” We rejoice not because we bear our condemnation for sin, but because He bore it. That is what brings true joy. What was the house of mourning to which our LORD went? The Scripture says He didn’t come to enjoy ease or festivity. Look at how He walked this earth. He was given the Spirit without measure (John 3:34) , and everything about His taking on flesh was for suffering and sorrow—that which was due to His people. He bore it Himself. His ultimate house of mourning was the cross. Yet He “set His face like a flint”   toward Jerusalem (Isaiah 50:7), and would not be deterred. Why? Because it would be in that house of mourning—His death—that God the Father would once for all justify the sinners He gave to Christ. The cross was His house of mourning where He came to lay down His life and save those the Father had given Him from before the foundation of the world. When He told His disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you," it was His death on the cross that was that place (John 14:3). Why then does the Lord afflict His children in this world?  It begins in the heart, where He shows us the sinfulness of sin. And then, through life’s trials, He continues to chasten: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth”  (Hebrews 12:6). You don’t want to be left to yourself, to a life of nothing but outward feasting and carnal ease. Thank God that, moment by moment, He brings His children again and again to the house of mourning, the foot of His cross. He afflicts, chastens, and corrects, lest they ever put confidence in the flesh. So much for the saying, “Believe in Jesus, and all will be well.”  To be drawn to Christ puts you at odds with the world. The world wants a popular Jesus—a Jesus of health, wealth, and prosperity. And many pulpits accommodate this false christ. They say, “Come to Jesus, and all your needs will be met." But that’s not what our Lord said. What did He say in John 16:33? “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” How do we have hope in this world? Because He has overcome. What does the house of mourning teach us?  That we are nothing. That, apart from the finished work of Jesus Christ, there is only condemnation. That’s why our Lord taught: “ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:3–4). We bring nothing. Better to be of that poor number Christ came to save. The Spirit of God teaches our hearts to mourn—not only for sin, but for having ever looked to ourselves for hope. How are we comforted?  By the grace of God, we know that Christ came into the world for such as we are. The house of mourning, where sinners of God's choosing dwell, and He has entered in to deliver them and bring them out into His banqueting House of Wine, the wine representing His shed blood unto death for His own (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Ecclesiastes 9:7 "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works." If this particular verse were to fall into the hands of most people today who are in the world and yet without Christ, they might think it’s a license to go out and live however they want—living for the flesh and themselves. However, every scripture is set in context, and any verse taken out of context is a pretext. This verse is not addressed to just anyone. Most people in the world already have their fill of eating bread and drinking wine. They serve their flesh far too much, and outside of Christ, their works are certainly not accepted. It cannot be said of them, “God now accepts thy works.” No, these words are addressed to the child of God in Christ. Now, who is a true child of God? He has been made so by God Himself—one whom God has chosen in His grace and mercy to save. The Lord Jesus Christ, when He came to earth, lived and died as their Substitute, in their place. They have been redeemed and justified by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only are they redeemed and justified, but they are also called to Christ, made alive by the Holy Spirit, and brought to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. As it is written: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (1 Peter 1:2). To be elected means that someone did the choosing. It’s not the sinner who chooses God; it’s God who has chosen those sinners He purposed to save in His eternal decree—elect before the foundation of the world, elect according to the foreknowledge of God. As Acts 13:48 states, " And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." In the Apostle Paul’s day, religion was already setting up standards that led people to believe that by abstaining from certain things—even things God had ordained for the good of His elect—they could make themselves closer to God, or have a greater spiritual experience or some sort of spiritual benefit by what they did or didn’t do. Colossians 2:21-23 says, "(Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men. Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh." It’s like some today encouraging fasting, or advocating a life in a monastery, or saying that it's more spiritual not to marry. All of these things are taught by religion, but here it says that God has given them to His people to enjoy (1 Timothy 4:1-5). There are two things in this text that the believer in Christ may do. i. First, to “go his way.” It says, “Go thy way,” which implies peace, forgiveness, and right standing. How can that be? How can God say to the sinner, "Go thy way"? ii. Second, it says, "Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works." To eat and drink, not just for refreshment, but for enjoyment—enjoying this life. Only the believer can truly enjoy this life because of what Christ has done for him. Not just out of necessity but out of pleasure. This does not mean gluttony or drunkenness, but it does mean taking what God has created and enjoying it with thanksgiving. It says, "thy bread and thy wine.” The Bread and the Wine of the redeemed child of God is the LORD Jesus Christ, of whom they partake joyfully and freely every day (John 6:55,56, Matthew 26:26). Now, on what basis can a sinner hope to hear these words of grace from the Lord? What is the basis on which I can hope to hear my LORD saying to me, "Go your way, for God now accepteth thy works"? The first reason is that the power of salvation, the authority of salvation, is in Christ’s hands. "As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him" (John 17:2). The second reason is that the LORD Jesus Christ, by His life and death, obtained perfect redemption for those sinners He came to save. Did He accomplish their redemption, or didn’t He? To hear preachers today, it sounds like He made a down payment, but now it’s up to the sinner to finish it. No! He accomplished redemption for His people, and therefore, He can rightly speak peace to them, having paid their complete sin debt. The Lord Jesus Christ paid it all for His people. "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20). The third reason is that, having accepted Christ’s work as the Substitute for His people, the Father now accepts the works of His people. Believers enjoy the fruit of Christ’s work in every aspect of their lives. They are not trying to appease God with their works, gifts, prayers, or personal devotion. No, if anyone is trying to do this, they’ll never make it because God is a holy God. He’s a just God. He cannot accept anything that is not 100% righteous, as righteous as He is. Every time someone does something, every time they give something, every time they open their mouth to address God, their very words are tainted by the sinful nature within them and, therefore, cannot please God. God can’t accept these things from their hands, but He can accept them from the Hand of Christ. He’s able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him through Christ (Hebrews 7:25) , and those who, by His Spirit, have been brought to Christ are in the LORD Jesus Christ, having their hope in Him alone.

Proverbs 3:1 "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:" These are the words of the Father to His Son, and this entire book is the record that God has given of His Son. What we read here is what God the Father required of His Son to satisfy His law and justice, in order to be just and to declare righteous those that the Father had given His Son from eternity. When we read these words, we are not reading a rulebook for self-improvement. We are beholding the LORD Jesus Christ , The Obedient Son. He is the One of Whom the Father says, “My Son.” He is the One Whose heart kept every commandment. In Him there was no forgetting, no failing, no transgression. Every jot and tittle of the law was fulfilled perfectly in Him. The law says, “Do and live.” We could not do; but Christ did. The Father’s demand was perfect obedience. The law requires that every commandment be kept from the heart. “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). None but Christ ever did that. He loved His Father with a perfect love, and He loved His neighbor as Himself (Matthew 22:39). " Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). " For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). Here is the marvel of the Gospel—what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us (Romans 8:3–4). The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in Christ, and by substitution is counted to us as "fulfilled in us". He obeyed where we disobeyed. He remembered where we forgot. He kept what we broke. He did not lean on His own understanding, but trusted perfectly in the Father. To understand perfect obedience, it's not in us! It's in that Righteousness that the LORD Jesus earned and established in His obedient life, and culminated in His death in fulfillment of the penalty for the disobedience of those sinners for whom He paid their sin debt. The law demanded holiness, righteousness, and truth. All of that is seen in the Person of the LORD Jesus. The law reveals God’s justice; the Gospel reveals His justice satisfied through the perfect obedience of the Son unto death. We all stand condemned under that law— “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). But when Christ Jesus stood in our place as elect sinners by the Father, He fulfilled the law’s demands, and bore its curse. Either Christ finished the work or He didn’t. Thanks be to God, He did finish it! On the cross, He cried, “It is finished.” In His life He fulfilled the law; in His death He satisfied the penalty that God's justice required. By His resurrection God the Father declared His people already righteous because of His death. " Now there is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). He alone is The Obedient Son, the Beloved in Whom the Father is well pleased. The command, “My son, forget not My law,” finds its complete obedience in Him. Every precept of Proverbs 3—trusting in the LORD with all the heart, acknowledging Him in all ways, fearing the LORD and departing from evil—was lived perfectly by Christ. He is the Wisdom of God. He is the One Who feared the LORD and turned away from evil. He is the One Who honored the LORD with all His substance. We do not come to this passage to learn how to make ourselves righteous. We come to see the righteousness of Another. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4). The believer’s Hope is not in his own obedience, but in the obedience of Christ. When the Father looks upon His people, He beholds them in His Son, clothed in that perfect righteousness which satisfies His law forever. So, as we read Proverbs 3, let our eyes by the Spirit be turned to Christ—to behold Him and Him alone. He is The Faithful Son, The Perfect Substitute, the One in Whom the Father delights. In Him the command is kept, the justice of God is satisfied, and Grace reigns through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our LORD (Romans 5:21).

Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people." When we speak of a righteous nation, we are not speaking of earthly kingdoms built on morals or outward order. No nation in this world has ever been made up of citizens who are perfectly righteous before God. Even Israel of old, though called holy, was only a shadow of something greater. The true nation that is exalted is a spiritual nation — a people chosen of God, redeemed by Christ, and born of His Spirit (1 Peter 2:9). Who are these righteous ones? They are not those who work out their own righteousness or rely on the law. They are those whom God the Father has declared righteous through the righteousness that His Son earned and established in His spotless, sinless life, and laid down that life as the spotless Lamb of God to redeem each one that the Father sent Him to save. Christ, Who knew no sin, was made sin for His people, that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross, He bore the guilt of those given to Him by the Father. He accomplished their redemption, satisfied Divine justice, and clothed them in His own perfect obedience (Romans 5:9-11). This is why righteousness truly exalts that spiritual nation for whom Christ died and God the Father justified. Not morality, not human effort, but the Righteousness of God worked out perfectly for each of the elect sinners for whom He died. In Him, the wrath of God has been turned away. In Him, the guilty are declared justified. In Him, the condemned are set free. And this righteous nation is not limited by borders or bloodlines. God promised Abraham a great nation, and that promise was fulfilled not in physical Israel, but in Christ and His seed (Galatians 3:16). Out of every tribe, tongue, and people, God calls a holy nation, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) . Christ is their King, and His honor is magnified by the multitude of His willing subjects who serve Him in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3) What marks the citizens of this kingdom? They honor their King with willing hearts. They have been given an understanding that is not natural, but the gift of Christ through His Spirit (1 John 5:20). Their hearts, once dead and deceitful, have been made sound by grace. They are merciful, for they know the mercy of God in Christ. They are delivered from the evil one, for at the cross the prince of this world was cast out, and Christ prayed that His redeemed are kept from the wicked one (John 17). They walk in wisdom, guided by His Spirit. And in death they have hope, for Christ in them is the Hope of glory. This is the glory of Christ’s people — not their works, not their efforts, but His righteousness. If we try to work out our own righteousness, it will end in failure and reproach. But in Christ, justification and sanctification are complete, and the believer stands perfect before God. "For by one offering, He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). And so the citizens of this holy nation serve their King faithfully, as wise servants under His favor. They serve not in fear, but in grace, knowing that His wrath is satisfied and His mercy is sure. What a blessed kingdom in which to dwell —to be born of the Spirit, to be joined to Christ, to have Him as Head and King. Here is the great call of the Gospel: Look to Christ. Trust Him alone. In Him is righteousness, in Him is Life, in Him is Peace. He is the exalted King, the sovereign Redeemer, and the Righteousness of His people.

Proverbs 13:7,8 "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke." There are many in the world today who think themselves rich. These are people that strive all their lifetime to attain a certain level of wealth and ease, just like that man in the parable in Luke 12:20 , that filled his barns and yet the LORD said unto him, " ...thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? " Here is an example of one who made himself rich yet had nothing. Riches are not the key to eternal life. We live in a nation where people consider riches to be a blessing of God: "How blessed we are," they say. You often see it on the front of a brand-new vehicle with a plate that reads, "Blessed!" That's what people consider to be a blessing, and yet they are lost, and left in that state, they will spend eternity separated from God. Those earthly riches will not help them in any way, Psalm 49:7 - " None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him." To make oneself poor is to be brought low by the Spirit of God, and that's what God's Spirit does for everyone that Christ has saved by His shed blood. He didn't come to save the righteous, but sinners. Consider how we have been made poor in Adam. We're born in this world desperate sinners with nothing to recommend ourselves to God, and yet it says here, "yet hath great riches." What could that be other than the riches of God in the LORD Jesus Christ, the riches of His grace, the riches of His mercy, the riches of that redemption that the LORD Jesus Christ worked out on behalf of sinners: justification, sanctification, glorification, eternal life (Ephesians 1:3-7). These are true riches that belong to those who have been made poor. Being poor in that sense is a blessing of God's grace. The word "ransom" is key, we find it in verse 8, " The ransom of a man's life are his riches." The word "ransom" means "a covering." It's the word from which we get the word "atonement," and it's also used of the ark that was pitched without and within with that pitch (Genesis 6:14-21). It's the word "kaphar" which means "to cover." So it's speaking here of the covering of a man's life are his riches. This verse is stating that one who has riches, those riches are his covering against any legal suit he has wherewith to answer every demand in every suit. A parallel truth is the fact that our LORD Jesus Christ was sued because of His riches. Because of Who He is and the infinite riches in answering to God's just demands. What happened? He was sued, and what happened to the poor, representing those that He came to save? It says, "the poor heareth not rebuke." That's an amazing reality when you consider how the LORD Jesus Christ stood in the place of wretched sinners such as we are, and bore that judgment. He bore what was due the sinner, but He bore it in His flesh by working out that perfect righteousness that was necessary to satisfy every demand of God's law and justice by laying down His life in death. He's the only One Who could have done that. So because of Him and the ransom in His blood shed unto death, for those that the Father gave Him to save. These are the poor who hear not rebuke for their sin because of Christ their Advocate. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). In 2 Corinthians 8:9 , it says, " For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." We can look at this from the standpoint of the Spirit of God making us poor, showing us our poverty as we are as sinners before God, and certainly that is true, and yet having in Christ great riches. Let's not forget the other aspect of this, whereby He Who was rich made Himself poor that we might enjoy the riches of God's grace in Him. You can't separate God's grace from His Son, whereby God purposed to save sinners from eternity. It was because the Son was there already as that Rich Man, as that One capable of coming, and paying the sin debt, and how great that debt is, so great none could ever answer to that debt were it not for that Rich Man, the LORD Jesus Christ, that His Father sent into this world to be that Ransom, to be that Substitute on behalf of His people. "that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor." Here is an anomaly: the rich poor man. Those who saw Christ in the flesh saw nothing but a common, ordinary man walking this earth. And yet the Glory that was in Christ was veiled to their eyes and it was only by the Spirit of God opening eyes, that any did perceive that this Poor Man is indeed the Rich Man, "for your sakes became poor." That's what John testified in John 1:18, " we beheld his glory." None saw a halo over Christ's head as He marched from place to place. That's why those mocked Him, who were left in spiritual blindness. The fact that He, being a Man, would make Himself equal with God, they would not hear of it, (John 5:18) . Yet, that's Who He was as He walked on this earth, emptied Himself of that glory that He had with the Father from all eternity and came and took on Him the form of a Servant, became a Man, and not only become a Man but became obedient unto death for poor sinners that He came to save (Philippians 2:8). That's the reason a body was prepared for Him (Hebrews 10:5-7), to lay down His life that He might redeem (ransom) those sinners that the Father gave Him to save (Mark 10:45). In the light of these words, we behold in the LORD Jesus the true Rich Man. He possessed from all eternity the unsearchable riches of divine Glory, yet laid them aside to take on Himself the form of a Servant, to be despised and rejected of men, and to lay down His life as a ransom for many. In His voluntary poverty, He bore the wrath and curse due to His elect, purchasing them with His blood, that they should be “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17) . Here is the mystery of grace: the infinitely wealthy Son impoverished Himself, not that the world might have a possibility of enrichment, but that His chosen people should be enriched beyond measure with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) . In Him, the poorest sinner, stripped of all righteousness of his own, is clothed in the garments of salvation and made the very “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18) . Such riches neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and no thief can approach (Matthew 6:20) ; for they are preserved in Him Who is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." This verse illustrates the natural corruption and depravity of man  apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. It highlights the persistent nature of sin in the unregenerate heart and underscores the need for the sovereign, effectual grace of God to bring about true and lasting salvation. In ancient Israelite culture, dogs were considered unclean animals , often used as metaphors for those outside the covenant (e.g., Gentiles  or the impure —cf. 1 Samuel 17:43 , Philippians 3:2 ). The image of a dog returning to its vomit was repulsive and vividly communicated the loathsome nature of sin and the folly of unbelief and false profession. The fool in Proverbs is not just intellectually deficient but morally and spiritually bankrupt , one who despises wisdom and instruction   (Proverbs 1:7) . Returning to folly, like a dog to vomit, shows the deep-seated nature of sin that cannot be cured by mere instruction or outward reform. Nothing less than the sovereign work of the LORD Jesus Christ in redeeming the sinner and the Spirit of Christ drawing them to Christ can accomplish the work of salvation of which God is the Author and Finisher (Hebrews 12:2). What then is the spiritual significance of a fool returning to his folly like a dog to his vomit? Who are those so described in this scripture? 1. Those totally depraved and corrupted in their souls and flesh This verse is a stark reminder that, apart from the sovereign grace of God in Christ and His redeeming, justifying death on the cross, sinners will always return to sin. The heart, left to itself, is enslaved to corruption. Jeremiah 13:23 -Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." John 8:34 -"Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." Just as a dog is instinctively drawn to its filth, so is the natural man drawn to his sin. Grace must do what man cannot—save and keep the sinner from the way he would continue to go without the sovereign work of God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-10). 2. False Converts and Professing Fools Peter quotes this very proverb about false teachers and apostates: 2 Peter 2:20–22 "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ… the latter end is worse with them than the beginning… But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again..." Here, Peter speaks of those who had a form of the knowledge of the Truth but were never truly taught of the LORD Jesus by His Spirit. They cleaned up externally, perhaps even influenced outwardly by the preaching of the Gospel, but eventually reverted to their former ways. This is not the loss of salvation (which is impossible for the elect), but the revealing of the sin and unbelief of an unchanged heart. By contrast, the one who is born again (literally born from above, John 3:3,8 ) does not return to his old ways of sin and unbelief in the same enslaved manner as he once lived. Though the believer still has the flesh, he has been made a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." He is no longer under the condemnation of his former father, Adam, but now been put in Christ and under His Headship, whereby all things are new with regard to pardon from sin, justification before God, and sanctification full and complete already in Christ and His finished work. The Spirit of God has given such an one a new heart to serve Christ, and not the adamic flesh, and never to return to that former life of condemnation. Ezekiel 36:26–27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you... I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes..." It is the work of the triune God in choosing out those that should be saved, and the Son of God coming in the flesh to earn and establish that righteousness necessary for God to justify them, and in time the Spirit of God calling each one to Christ. Kept as little dogs eating crumbs of mercy from the Master's table, Matthew 15:27-29. No longer returning to vomit, but longing for that Righteousness of God, imputed in the LORD Jesus Christ. The fool returns to his folly because he has never known Christ, and therefore pursues his own way. Only Christ, the Power and Wisdom of God, has saved and keeps each of God's elected ones ( 1 Corinthians 1:24). The one made wise unto salvation by God in Christ hears His voice, follows Him, and does not return to the ways of death (John 10:28 ). Proverbs 26:11 is a vivid illustration of what man is without grace—a fool enslaved to sin, repeatedly returning to the corruption of a false way and dead works. But the grace of God in Christ not only warns us of this reality, it delivers the elect from it. By God's sovereign will, His people are redeemed, justified, called, and preserved, never to be lost, never to be like the dog returning to its vomit. Jude 24–25- " Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy..." This is the triumph of sovereign grace in Christ—not merely saving us from folly, but keeping us in Christ forever.

Proverbs 15:8,9 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: But the prayer of the upright is his delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: But He loveth him that followeth after righteousness." The LORD led Solomon to reflect on the condition of all men, and in this passage, he makes two distinct statements about what is an abomination to the LORD. He doesn’t begin where men typically begin, for men often regard their religion, duties, or religious activities as something good, but that is not necessarily the case. The very first thing he says in verse 8 is, " The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD." We have to understand what it is that God considers right and just and what is the object of His disdain, anger, His wrath, and His justice. An abomination is what God loathes or hates. When you consider the disobedience of Adam in the garden, it wasn't just that he disobeyed, but he chose another way to come to God. Ever since, all fallen creatures, which we all are in Adam our representative, will never worship God aright unless He, by His Grace, is pleased to teach us the Way of Righteousness. Stop and consider, anything that we offer up to the LORD is going to be out of a heart that is fallen and sinful, and in and of itself would be an abomination unto the LORD. Even as we gather to worship, ask the LORD's blessing, how is it that God can hear any of our prayers, because everything about our being and who we are in our nature is an abomination to the LORD. The second part of verse 8 says, "the prayer of the upright one is his delight." Don't think to yourself, "I'm upright, so I am His delight." No,! This is Solomon by the Spirit of God, considering who man is in his nature, himself include, and declaring Who was his Hope! His Hope is in that Upright One. Only One is upright, and that is the LORD Jesus Christ, Who alone is without sin, and perfect. When He came into this world, it was to identify with those sinners that God purposed to save from eternity, but it required of Him an intercession that was just and right. "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). There is only one prayer of a righteous Man that avails much—and that is the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. From all eternity, there was never a moment when Christ was not the delight of His Father. And those whom Christ was appointed to represent were, because of Him, also the Father’s delight. This is why the Father sent Him into the world: to fulfill and accomplish everything required by His law and justice, so that He might be just in justifying—that is, declaring righteous—those for whom Christ paid the debt. For emphasis, it is repeated, "The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD," Apart from the Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ, there is none righteous, no, not one, Romans 3:10-12. Everything about the sinner is an abomination unto the LORD. It's not that God looks down and sees some that He likes better than others, and declares them better than others. When it says, "The way of the wicked," that's everything about us, no matter how we may look on the outward. It is all an abomination unto the LORD. Then we read, "but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness." Isn't that what our LORD Jesus Christ taught on the mount when He said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after Righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6)? Who is this Righteousness? Proverbs 15:8 tells us that the prayer of the Upright is His Delight. There is only One in Whom God has His Delight and that's in His Son. He's the One Righteousness that God loves and by Whom He declares righteous those who are in Him. If we want to know if we're loved of God, it says, "He loveth Him that followeth after righteousness. First, God loves His Son, Who perfectly pursued and fulfilled His righteousness. It is singular here—Christ alone came, earned, and established the righteousness that God accepted. On that basis, He once and for all imputed that righteousness to those whom He elected before the foundation of the world. He is the Hope. Apart from Him—and apart from this Way of Righteousness, which is the Lord Jesus Christ—no sinner can be regarded by God as anything other than an abomination and a stench in His nostrils. People do not see themselves as they truly are before the holiness of God. They protest and ask, “What kind of God would send sinners to hell?” The answer is this: the Righteous God sends sinners to hell because He loves His justice and must deal with all sin accordingly. Unless His law and justice have been fully satisfied, there is no hope—even for those considered the best among men. In truth, there are no “best” sinners. " But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away," Isaiah 64:6. Solomon writes this with an awareness of the depravity of his own heart, acknowledging that had it not been for God's grace—had God not viewed him in that One Upright One, His Delight, the Lord Jesus Christ—he too would have been an abomination before the LORD. And so it is with us. Were it not for God’s electing, redeeming, and sovereign grace in Christ, we would be the same. "Upon a life I have not lived Upon a death I did not die Another's life, another's death I stake my whole eternity Not on the tears which I have shed Not on the sorrows I have known Another's tears, another's grief" Horatius Bonar

Proverbs 28:20 " A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent " This verse highlights a profound contrast between two types of people: the faithful and the greedy. The faithful person is described as one who lives with integrity, adhering to truth and righteousness. Such a person is promised abundant blessings, not necessarily in material wealth but in spiritual prosperity. In contrast, even those who are considered faithful by human standards often seek their glory and desire to enrich themselves, whether through wealth or popular standing, in deceptive ways that lead to their destruction and that of those who follow them. As Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim everyone his goodness, but a faithful man, who can find?” So, who, then, are the faithful according to the Word of God? The LORD Jesus Christ is the FAITHFUL ONE:  The description of a faithful man aptly reflects the LORD Jesus Christ, the Faithful One to His Father. Because of His faithfulness to the Father, in earning and establishing the Righteousness necessary for God to be Just and justify the elect sinners whom the Father gave His Son to save, Christ has received from the Father all that was promised to Him—the very souls of those He came to save (John 17). He abounds with blessings, and from Him, all blessings flow (Hebrews 2:17). His faithful obedience to God the Father accomplished righteousness and redemption. He now justly declares righteous and forgiven those whom He has saved. He not only abounds with blessings, but all spiritual blessings are given in Him, by Him, and through Him alone (Ephesians 1:3). Such blessings include electing grace, adoption as sons, acceptance before a Holy God, redemption, forgiveness, the riches of His grace, regeneration, wisdom, justification, sanctification, glorification, faith, joy, hope, and love—all granted because of the singular faithfulness of the LORD Jesus. The LORD Jesus came in faithfulness to His Father to earn and establish the righteousness necessary for God to justify, once and forever, those that the Father gave Him. All salvation is uniquely attributed to the faithfulness of the LORD Jesus alone. Believers are called the FAITHFUL,  that is, ‘full of faith’—God-given faith in Christ alone. It may also mean ‘full of truth,’ which refers to the revelation of Christ in the elect sinner by the Spirit of Christ, who is THE TRUTH (Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:2). As ‘faithful ones’ [‘full of faith ones’], believers continually endeavor, determine, and strive to live out their lives under the TRUTH as it is in Christ. The grace of God never leaves its recipients indifferent. As one writer put it, “The truth of grace is in him, and he knows and believes the grace of God in truth—unmixed and untainted with works.” He is God-taught and, therefore, embraces it, values it, and abides in it (John 6:45, John 8:31) . This is how the faithful are described in Scripture. Gospel ministers are called FAITHFUL   (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). They faithfully preach the pure Gospel as it is in Christ, not merely a system of doctrines. They are faithful to preach it, simply, and plainly—not with an eye to pleasing men, but to pleasing God. Furthermore, they do not exalt themselves, but exalt the Redeemer and Substitute. They seek the things of Christ and His glory, continuing to do so in the face of all opposition. O, that the LORD would raise up such faithful preachers in our day, to the honor and glory of THE FAITHFUL ONE, the LORD Jesus Christ Himself.

Proverbs 16:6,7 "By Mercy and Truth iniquity is purged: And by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. When a man's ways please the LORD, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." "By Mercy and Truth iniquity is purged" Iniquity purged is sin "expiated." This does not refer to sinners who may perform acts of mercy toward others in their time of need, nor to speaking the truth when giving advice or counsel. Men's acts of mercy—such as giving alms or showing mercy to the poor—cannot in any way diminish or put away one's sin. Likewise, speaking truth—such as keeping promises and doing justice between man and man—may draw respect from fellow creatures and accolades for being "good" persons, but cannot serve as payment or penance for sin. As the hymn writer penned the words: "Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone." Through His "Mercy," in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son to be the Propitiation for the sin of His elect (Galatians 4:4) —whom He chose for salvation before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-7) . The only One who could save His elect from their sin is Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 1:21, Mark 1:1). Sin required a sacrifice that could meet the demands of the penalty. Since the penalty was death, only the shedding of blood unto death could put away sin (Hebrews 9:22). Only the life of the Creator could be a sacrifice for sinners whom God the Father purposed to save (John 1:1-4, 14). The blood of Jesus Christ expiated the guilt—not just covering the sin, but completely putting it away and thereby redeeming the sinner from eternal death. Through His "Truth," God has fulfilled His promises concerning Christ. In particular, He has fulfilled the Promise of pardon through the sacrifice and satisfaction of the LORD Jesus, where mercy and truth have met together, or through the grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ (Psalm 85:10-11). Through His effectual sacrifice unto death, He has finished transgression, made an end of sin, and made reconciliation for iniquity (Daniel 9:24). Some see mercy and truth as opposites, but everywhere in Scripture we find that these are attributes of God that are eternally and inseparably united when it comes to the salvation of sinners. 1.) Iniquity can only be purged in God’s justice where both are satisfied.  Notice the inspired Word does not say ‘either by mercy OR truth,’ but ‘by mercy AND truth, iniquity is purged.’ Elsewhere, in Psalm 85:10, we read, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” God cannot and will not set aside one for the other to save the sinner. 2.) Mercy and truth do not leave their objects indifferent.  The Word declares, “…by the fear of the LORD, men DEPART from evil.” It is the revelation of mercy and truth in Christ, by the Spirit of God in the heart, that causes the sinner to fear the LORD and renounce every false way of approaching God. The Bible calls false worship evil, and those who promote it as workers of iniquity: "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:23). 3.) Mercy and truth accomplished in the death of the LORD Jesus cause a man’s ways to please the LORD.  Let no one mistake this text to say that by a man showing mercy and acting truthfully, his iniquity is purged. The original leaves no room for such an interpretation. It reads, "By mercy and truth HE shall purge iniquity." HE—God, by His mercy in sending His Son, the LORD Jesus, into the world—shall purge iniquity according to His Truth and Justice. So effectual would be the sacrifice of God’s Son that the end result would be peace, and ALL the ways of those sinners for whom He died would please the LORD. “He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7). All for whom Christ died were enemies, under condemnation and not justified until the LORD Jesus paid their horrible sin debt. "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). However, upon completion of His death, they were once for all reconciled unto Him and declared to be righteous (justified) before Him. As a sinner saved by grace, there is great comfort and consolation in knowing that the salvation of God is just and true and that God is just in showing mercy to sinners for whom Christ died. Because He died, the Father was satisfied, and “there is therefore now [since the cross] NO CONDEMNATION” (Romans 8:1). In Christ, then, mercy and truth are agreed together in an eternal bond that can never be broken!

Proverbs 11:1 "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: But a just weight is His delight." A false balance is one that tips the scale, usually making what is being weighed appear to be more than it is. It is a form of lying for personal gain. In our depravity we do this daily, both in worldly matters and in Spiritual ones. God's justice is always misrepresented by the false balance of our depravity. Wicked men always believe they are chosen and righteous in their flesh. It does not matter how they justify it—whether by 'good' deeds, keeping the law (as they perceive it), attending their places of worship, giving to charity, being born into a 'religious' family, making a profession of faith, or even, as some preach, being infused with righteousness by God. These are the works and lies used by fallen depraved sinners to attempt to 'tip' the scale of justice in their favor. Any false balance or weight is a sin to the LORD—an abomination. Paul tells us to lay aside the false notion that we carry ANY weight in righteousness, "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1). To think that we carry any measure of weight in opposition to God's Christ is an abomination, " Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights ” (Micah 6:10-11)? When you hear the word " delight, " what comes to mind? It brings to mind what the Father said of His Son while He was here on earth, " This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Where are we to find this Just Weight? We do not know until the Spirit teaches us that there is only one Just Weight and Balance, and that is the LORD Jesus Christ , "A Just Weight and Balance are the LORD's: all the Weights of the Bag are His work"  (Proverbs 16:11). Christ is the One Who fulfilled every law and demand of God’s justice —every jot and tittle—-not just in word and deed but in thought. When He had laid down His life as the Just Weight, the Perfect Lamb without spot or blemish, there was nothing but righteousness left to impute to the account of those for whom He paid the debt. That is why it was all settled at the cross.

Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." The Word tells us that God ordained some kings to be evil in His eyes, "For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father." (1 Kings 11:5-6) David used his power as king to abduct Bathsheba from her home, "David sent messengers, and took her..." (2 Samuel 11:4) Then he used his power as king to cover his crime by sending her husband, his soldier, to the front line of the war to be killed. But God turned David's heart to Him to confess his sin against God, that's repentance. Solomon, on the other hand, continued in his evil, "...he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart." (1 Kings 11:3) David's idol became the mother of Solomon, according to God's providence, to continue David's lineage for God's Son to be born on this earth, in flesh, to save His people by His death, as ordained from eternity. "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the LORD's sake...to the king, as supreme..." (1 Peter 2:13) The children of God will submit themselves to the LORD's will, not idolizing those He puts in power but recognizing them as mere men, appointed by the King of kings, not to prosper themselves but to do God's will, for God's Glory and for our Good (Christ), "And both of these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed." (Daniel 11:27)

Psalm 130:1-16 "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139 is often read as a deeply personal reflection, yet our first and chief concern must be how this Psalm testifies of the LORD Jesus Christ. As our LORD Himself taught, all Scripture speaks of Him. When we read David’s words here, we are brought by the Spirit to listen in on the communion between the Father and the Son. This Psalm unfolds before us as a portrait of the Father’s love for the Son, displayed in perfect knowledge, approval, presence, and purpose. The Psalm opens with the words, “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me” (v.1). This searching is no mere observation. It is an intimate, thorough knowing—one that speaks of love as much as knowledge. Applied to Christ, it shows us that the Son, Who came in the Flesh, lived every moment under the approving gaze of the Father. He was examined inwardly and outwardly and found without blemish. As the spotless Lamb, He had to be known in thought, word, and deed, and in all of this He delighted the Father (1 Peter 1:19-21). The Father’s knowledge of the Son did not begin in Bethlehem. “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:35). From eternity, the Son was with the Father, sharing that perfect fellowship of love. In His incarnation, this eternal relationship was not diminished but expressed in obedience. “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off” (v.2). Every step Christ took as the Mediator, every word He spoke and every thought of His heart was directed and approved by the Father. Nothing was left to chance. Salvation unfolded according to God's immutable Purpose, not human initiative. We are told, “Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways” (v. 3). The Father hedged in the Son’s path. Though surrounded by enemies and tempted in all points, Christ could not be taken before His appointed hour. The Father’s Hand was upon Him—guiding, protecting, approving. Even when that Hand would later fall upon Him in judgment, it was still the Hand of Love, laying the sin of His chosen people upon the willing Substitute (Isaiah 53:6-8) . “There is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether” (v. 4). In us, God finds nothing to love by nature. In His Son, the Father found nothing but delight. In thought, word, and work, Christ fulfilled all Righteousness. This is why His obedience could be counted for sinners. What we could never render, Christ rendered fully. Verse 5 tells us, “ Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.” The Father’s Hand rested on the Son in blessing and approval, even as it would later rest upon Him in judgment at the cross. The high priest’s hand laid upon the sacrificial lamb finds its fulfillment here. The LORD Jesus bore the sins of His people and the Father never turned His Face from Christ as the Sacrificial Lamb because He was carrying out His purpose in everlasting love for His elect (Psalm 22:24). Such knowledge, the Psalm says, “is too wonderful for me” (v. 6). This wonder belongs not only to David but to Christ Himself, Who as a Man lived in reverent submission to the Father. Hebrews tells us that “though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). This is the mystery of godliness: God manifest in the flesh, willingly humbling Himself to save sinners (1 Timothy 3:16). The Father’s Presence never left the Son—not in life, or death, or in the grave. “If I make my bed in hell [sheol] , behold, thou art there” (v.8). Even in the hour of darkness, the Father’s eye remained upon Him. The darkness did not overcome the Light, for the Father was satisfied in the work being accomplished. From conception onward, the Father’s purpose stood firm. “A body hast thou prepared me” (Hebrews 10:5). Christ was fearfully and wonderfully made, not in Adam’s likeness, but conceived by the Spirit, without sin (Luke 1:35). His earthly work of redemption began in the womb and continued perfectly and flawlessly to the cross, as evidenced by His resurrection and ascension into glory (Hebrews 1:1-3). This Psalm leads us to worship. If we have fellowship with the Father, it is only “with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Psalm 139 teaches us not first to look inward, but upward—to Christ, the beloved Son, in Whom the Father is well pleased, and through Whom sinners are brought into that same fellowship of Grace.