TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - Nov 17, 2025 - Proverbs 16:16-20 - The Riches of Wisdom: Walking the Highway of the Upright

Episode Date: November 17, 2025

Proverbs 16:16–20 reveals heaven’s true economy: wisdom is better than gold, understanding richer than silver, and humility more valuable than any earthly gain. The upright walk an elevated highway—departing from evil, guarding their steps, and preserving their souls. Pride leads only to destruction, but the humble share fellowship with God and His people. Those who handle life’s matters with wisdom and place their trust in the Lord discover lasting good and true happiness. In today’s Morning Manna, Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart unpack this passage’s call to pursue wisdom, embrace humility, shun pride, and walk the safe and blessed path of the upright. Teachers: Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart You can partner with us by visiting FaithandValues.com, calling 1-888-519-4935, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961. MEGA FIRE reveals the ancient recurring cycles of war and economic collapse that have shaped history for 600 years. These patterns predict America is now entering its most dangerous period since World War II. Get your copy today! www.megafire.world Get high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves! www.AmericanReserves.com It’s the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today! www.Amazon.com/Final-Day Apple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books! www.books.apple.com/final-day Purchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today. www.Sacrificingliberty.com

Well, good morning, everybody. Welcome to Morning Manna on this Monday. And Doc and I were away on a business trip. We are now back. Thank you for your prayers. And we are going to resume our study in the book of Proverbs. We're in the 16th chapter. Today we're looking at verses 16 through 20. Proverbs 16 through 20. Let's pray. Almighty God, our Father in heaven, we give you glory and honor and praise and thanksgiving. Father, your sons and daughters are gathered here in this virtual class to be taught by your Holy Spirit from your precious Bible. So, Father, our hearts and minds are open, feed us, nourish us, strengthen us, for the glory of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. And we are glad to have you here with us today, no matter where you are in the world. We have folks checking in from Switzerland and France and Australia and the Philippines. And I'm going to do a very special shout out to Jane in Nairobi.

Nairobi today. So welcome Jane to the class. And so glad to have you here. We are in Proverbs chapter 16 today. And we're picking back up on verse 16. Read along with me. I'm reading from King James this morning. starting at verse 16, how much better is it to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver? The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He that keepeth his way, preserveth his soul. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before fall. Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud. Then verse 20.

he that handleth a matter wisely shall find good and whoso trusteth in the lord happy is he god bless the reading of his word today amen verse 16 king james version how much better is it to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver really appropriate timing for us to be studying this verse because precious metals particularly gold and silver the prices are skyrocketing we've never seen anything like it gold trading at over four thousand dollars an ounce silver silver has climbed over $50, experts that I trust are predicting that gold will go to $8,000 over the next several years. Other experts that I rely upon are saying that silver will go to $100,000 in the next six months.

a lot of money is going to be made a lot of money people are scrambling to get gold and silver i i watched a video last night and two men were talking about and these were very knowledgeable men in the precious metals market and they were discussing the critical shortage of silver and that the the public does yet does not yet know and understand that there is a a shortage of silver to cover contracts and I'm talking about hundreds of millions of ounces short but they don't have the silver they don't have the physical silver and yet we're studying the word of God and it says it's better to get wisdom than gold it's better to get understanding than silver doesn't mean that gold and silver or bad oh no not at all you want to get them that's fine but you you must desire and pursue and seek and acquire wisdom more than you would seek and desire and acquire gold and you must seek understanding and acquire understanding

more than you would acquire silver it's good to have gold it's good to have silver but it's better to have wisdom and it's better to have understanding how many people if you said today you have a choice you can have the stack of gold coins at four thousand dollars per coin or you can have wisdom how many people would choose wisdom rather than the gold doc i i don't like being cynical about it but i think very few people would choose wisdom right they would ask well what kind of wisdom well godly wisdom right heavenly wisdom divine wisdom see with wisdom you'll get a lot of gold it'll come to you you'll get it don't worry about that but most people would choose gold over wisdom most people would

choose silver over understanding why they place more value on it they don't see the value of wisdom and understanding right but king solomon the richest and the wisest man who ever lived richer than bill gates richer than warren buffett richer than jeff bezos richer than than Elon Musk, in today's economy, if he were here today, he'd be the richest man on earth. And yet he said, it's better to get wisdom than to have gold. It's better to get understanding than to have silver. Look, he had so much silver that he piled it up on the outskirts of the city. Yes.

They had big old mountains of silver. he didn't know what to do with it but he acquired wisdom and understanding so there's an exclamatory opening to this verse how much better it's not just how much better it's how much better it's how much better it's You see Solomon lifting his voice in his hands. How much better!

It speaks of the urgency, the intensity, the intensity. That wisdom's worth infinitely surpasses gold's shine. To get wisdom. that implies active pursuit yes to get something you have to pursue it pursuit is the proof of desire you only pursue those things that you desire so they're seeking receiving applying divine insight with diligence and humility gold represents the pinnacle of worldly wealth right yet wisdom outshines it in durability utility and eternal impact doc I read last night that Peter Schiff is

going to a debate I think who he's debating the great debate is going to be in Dubai in early December gold versus Bitcoin oh that should be an interesting oh I'd love to be there but what about a debate over gold versus wisdom i like peter peter's just smart man i like him known him for years and i'm not saying that he doesn't pursue wisdom i'm just saying let's have a debate about wisdom versus gold okay we're going to have a debate about gold versus bitcoin well what about gold versus wisdom

I'll debate in favor of wisdom See wisdom Guards the soul Wisdom guides our decisions Wisdom produces fruit that gold cannot buy Wisdom endures gold is spent but wisdom multiplies

so we're being the verse is challenging us to invest time and effort and prayer in pursuing and acquiring wisdom and understanding reflects God's economy. Yes. He values the heart's treasure over the hand's possession.

God does not frown on gold and silver. He made it. Right. In fact, he calls some gold good. That's right. It's the first thing he showed at him. See, you're going to need it because you've got a wife.

all right this is not gold or wisdom that's not the choice that you're being told to make well do i have gold or do i have wisdom no no that's not what that's you're missing it if that's how you see it and nor is it and nor is it uh minimizing gold and silver either because i've heard this verse taken and say well you see you see you You should shun these kind of things and you should just, you know, stick to wisdom. Well, there's truth in that, but not the whole truth. The whole truth is, both are good. Because when one's better.

When you become wise, you will acquire gold and silver. Yes. When you wise up, you'll get some gold and silver. Yes. this verse is telling you to pursue wisdom and understanding as the priority golden's silver are secondary so getting wisdom it's an active pursuit but it is a gift of grace yes we make the effort to pursue it but God's grace gives it to us yes it's not like a dog chasing his tail going around and around in circles no we pursue it but god's grace allows us to find it why because he desires us to have it Just remember this.

Gold may build palaces, but foolishness tears them down. So if you're only pursuing gold and not wisdom, you may build a palace. But in the end, your foolishness will destroy the palace you built. Wisdom has to be the gold. gold needs to be the byproduct it's not the other way around yes and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver so wisdom is So wisdom is more valuable than gold and understanding is more valuable than silver. You know, Doc, it's interesting that the Bible tells us what the two most important precious metals are.

Yes. I mean, there are a lot of precious metals. And people invest in a lot of them. But the Bible tells us the two most important precious metals are gold and silver. And all other precious metals are measured against golden silk. Yes. To get understanding. It means to grasp truth, to discern good from evil, to apply.

to apply knowledge wisely. Understanding is the practical application of wisdom. What good is wisdom if you don't know how to use it? So the first thing you acquire is wisdom. The second thing you acquire is understanding. Understanding is knowing what to do with the wisdom. you have a tool but you don't know how to use the tool you're it's dangerous right i mean you if you turn on a jackhammer and you don't know what to do with it

you're going to do some damage uh so wisdom wisdom is a primary thing and then understanding is secondary you need understanding to use the wisdom so rather to be chosen to get understanding is rather to be chosen again it frames the it frames understanding as a deliberate preferential selection yes silver is good understanding is better so silver and gold symbolize wealth and status understanding provides clarity of thinking and direction in life things that money cannot buy Understanding protects us from deception, from folly, from ruin. Understanding protects us from deceivers.

From people who enter our lives for the purpose of misleading us. choice is active we must prioritize pursue and prefer understanding in daily decisions yes your daily prayers should always include a request for wisdom and understanding for the day right but we do have a promise from his word that if we ask for wisdom we'll get it yeah isn't that great now i can't ask somebody for gold and they'll just give it to me but i can ask god for wisdom and he'll give it to me yes and then he'll show you how to get the gold that's right but he doesn't give you the wisdom if you don't ask for it you have to ask you

prioritize you pursue you request you seek wisdom and understanding on a daily basis make it a point in every prayer that you ask god for wisdom and understanding to get through the day not to figure out 10 years from now just you need wisdom and understanding for today and as you make wise choices your life in this direction year by year and the the problems that were in the quagmars that were bogged down in they the lord begins to lift us out of those things because he gives us wisdom and understanding to make new decisions decisions so understanding builds character silver buys comfort nothing wrong with comfort nothing wrong with using silver to buy comfort but silver doesn't

build character But wisdom and understanding will change you on the inside. Understanding's superiority is grounded in its fruit. The fruit that it brings to you is peace, righteousness, favor with God, favor with men and women. I think about Deuteronomy 30, verse 19, God says to choose life. Yes. The theme of a choice, one of two ways is throughout the Bible. Choose life.

Choose wisdom. Choose Christ. It's all through the Bible. Make the right choice. understanding will prevent regret we all have regrets in our lives what do we at the heart of it what do we regret we didn't use wisdom and understanding in a certain situation that's how we end up with regrets what else produces regrets I mean, when you say I regret that ever happened, I regret I made that decision.

What are you saying? Or I regret I didn't make a decision. That's often the case, isn't it? I did not use. I mean, while we're talking about precious metals and so, I mean, look at Bitcoin. You could have bought Bitcoin for less than a penny. what back around 2010 yeah the first thing a bitcoin bought was a pizza that's the first thing it actually bought was a pizza that was the first transaction one bitcoin one pizza now

one bitcoin one bitcoin as of today is worth $12,000. Right. So the guy that bought a pizza with his Bitcoin paid $112,000 for his pizza. But the topic of regret, I see, the information was out there years ago about cryptocurrency, but few people were paying attention to it. Yeah. You had some very young people who bought a lot of Bitcoin for a couple pennies each.

And today they're billionaires. They're what we call Bitcoin Wells. The rest of us, we heard about it, we read about it, but we didn't act on it. And now we regret it. But had we had wisdom and understanding, most likely the Lord would have inspired us to take action. So what is going on today in this world, this economy, this present time, that if you had wisdom and understanding, you would make a decision today, that 10 years from now you would say, I'll never read making that decision that was a fantastic decision see god can change your life for 10 years from now by you making a decision today based on wisdom and understanding

that's what this does for us Understanding guides our spending, our behavior, our choices, understanding is relational. It fosters wise counsel. It strengthens relationships. it it avoids a loss how many people have had precious metals disappear wealth disappear because of lack of wisdom and how they handled it wisdom and understanding will help you prevent loss and waste theft in your life rather to be chosen doc that implies a cost right we we sacrifice comfort we sacrifice convenience to choose understanding we live today in a comfort-driven convenience-driven

this is a world that's obsessed with convenience and comfort but wisdom and understanding will will tell us at times sacrifice comfort and convenience make this decision In the long run, you will be far better off. But it only comes through having understanding. I want to go down to commentators. Albert Barnes, wisdom is to be chosen rather than silver. Its value is spiritual and eternal. Charles Bridges, wisdom is better than gold.

Its gain is godliness, its fruit is peace. Alexander McLaren, the exclamation, how much better is the voice of experience and revelation combined? G. Campbell Morgan, wisdom is to be chosen above silver, God's insight over man's increase. Amen. Charles Spurgeon, get wisdom, though it costs all you have, better than gold, brighter than silver. All right, let's move to verse 17. My way of the upright is to depart from evil.

He that keepeth his way, preserves his soul. The highway. In ancient times, it was a raised, well-traveled, royal road. Right. You know, Doc, on my trip every day, i drive on the king's highway that's right what where does that come from that term the king's highway it was a road established by the king in this case king george i guess maybe prior to him when the colonies were first established and that highway ran up and down the entire eastern seaboard

yes so it's it's it's the it represents the best road the best highway in a country right why did why was it necessary to have a king's highway so the king could survey his kingdom and he didn't want to travel in potholes that's right it was the best road that that the country could build it's the king's highway and in jordan we traveled on the king's highway yes that's the highway king obdula built for his country it's the best the best highway in jordan and it's called the king's highway so the highway is this raised royal road and it symbolizes the upright man or woman's path

as visible, secure, God ordained. The highway of the upright, the situagint, the paths of the righteous, upright, Upright, the Hebrew word means straight, just, righteous. Those who are aligned with God's law and character. You are, if you're righteous, you are in right standing with God. If God is here, a righteous person is here. A perverse person is big.

bent away. Preverseness means to be bent, twisted, crooked. Upright means to be parallel with God. So the upright way is not hidden or obscure. It's a raised highway. It's open. It's open. it's public it's visible it means the way that you and i travel is visible to the world but the way of the upright contrast with the crooked paths of the wicked remember perverseness means to be bent to be crooked to be twisted so wisdom and understanding brings us into right standing with God we're in his perfect order okay we are we're flowing with him we want to be going in the same direction he's going and then his favor

just emanates from him it covers you because you're in right standing with him there's harmony there's peace there's no conflict so his his word we're told that his word is a lamp unto our feet his word lights our way in the Holy Spirit orders our steps guides our steps on this path remember this highway is elevate but the other road is low and muddy because it's it's going to travel through worldliness and sin so it may look adventurous it may look exciting to travel to travel somewhere else but there's nothing but thorns and briars along the way So you and I are challenged to walk this highway consistently to avoid Satan's detours.

Remember, we studied this a month or two ago in Proverbs. Satan is trying to get us off the path. Satan is always standing on the highway. on the highway with a sign this is detour we have to ignore him he's trying to get us to go off the highway right he's he's got signs this is free everything fun go this way pleasure this way relief from your troubles but they're detours

and they're one way they're dead in detours and when I say dead in I mean dead it leads to death if you find yourself on one of these detours turn around how do you turn around repentance what does repentance means i have gone a different direction that's what repentance means repentance doesn't mean i'm sorry it means i have turned around and have gone in a different direction right so when when you find yourself that you've been misled

you've been fooled you've been hoodwink by the devil you got off the straight path you just turn around as quickly as you can make a U-turn you can make a U-turn I sayton's cops are going to be yelling no U-turns allowed well you can you can make a U-turn make a U-turn and get back on God's path he's not going to give you a whipping he's going to give you a talking to he's going to show you how you got hoodwinked what was it where did you make what led you to put your blinker on and go right instead of straight he's going to talk to you about it why so you don't do it again he'll show you what's inside of you that led you to make that wrong choice but he's not going to whip you now there are people

that they'll get upset with god because he didn't whip you they don't want to be whipped but they don't want to be whipped yeah you notice that doc religious people oh yeah whip him God whip him beat his butt

oh but what about your sin oh no no mercy and kindness all right see God forgives people don't that's what it comes down to

God forgives and people don't It's just that simple. You've got to be prepared that people don't forgive. The only thing that matters is that God forgives. And if people don't forgive you, that's their problem. They need to be forgiven for their unforgiveness. actually committing us in so this path that we travel is communal meaning we travel

we encourage one another we correct each one another we strengthen one another we're not traveling alone we should be traveling as a as a family a family of god when we see a brother or sister being tempted to go off to the right or left that's when you take their shoulder and say come on back here stay on this road it's God's design it's the King's Highway he built the road and he calls the travelers and he ensures our safe arrival it's the King's Highway it's the King's Highway it's It's narrow. It's demanding, but it's the king's highway.

In essence, the highway is Christ. He is the way. Did he not describe himself as the way? is this verse the highway of the upright the way of the upright christ is the way is the way he told us i'm the path here to walk in walk inside me be in me walk in me walk in me i am the way now i'll get you home Each step that we take in the way is a step away from evil. Dr. You know, what were the Christians called in the early years in the first century or so?

People of the way. They weren't called Christian. I mean, yeah, the Christian was used, but the common phrase, was there are people of the way they talked about the way all the time and the way is christ every every preacher in the first several centuries had a sermon called two ways the way of righteousness the way of death there are no shortcuts Satan will promise you speed but he'll deliver but he'll deliver a wreck hey you can you can travel at any speed on Satan's road

and he's like yeah you're gonna wreck also just go ahead go as fast as you want drive as crazy as you want on my road because you're going to wreck you're going to wreck your life but on the king's highway there's there are rules there's order Satan doesn't like order

he likes disorder everything he's trying to do is to bring disorder in the people's lives look at the he that keepeth his way preserves his soul he that keepeth his way

shall preserve his soul keepeth his way means guarding watching stay on the road stay on the road keep your eyes ahead stay awake keep his way keep her way okay stay awake pay attention what do we have now in our modern cars they if if your dashboard detects it you're looking away it will tell you keep your eyes ahead yes uh on my car said yeah it might be time for a cup of coffee seriously it'll pop up on my dashboard is it time

for a coffee break yeah oh i didn't know that i never got that yeah and then you get the crash alerts get the the orange red symbol and the the uh the alert alarm it's flashing you know warning crash warning crash because it's detecting the cameras on the front of your car is detecting somebody in front of you has just stopped see we to be on the king's highway we are to stay awake we are to watch keep her eyes straight ahead active stewardship in the journey of life it preserves he that keeps his way shall preserve his soul preserve your soul from ruin from death from judgment The preservation is conditional. I agree, yes.

It means you have to stay on the path to stay alive. If you consistently stray, you will eventually perish. So you look at this, he that keepeth his way shall preserve his soul. The reverse is, he that does not keep his way, shall not preserve his soul. That's right. That's scary. That is sobering. That if you're careless about life,

your soul may not be preserved this keeping is a diligent eyes on the road heart on the goal hands on the wheel of obedience think of it as driving a car when you're driving a car When you're driving, you have to pay attention to what you're doing and where you're going and what's around you. God aids us, he helps us. His word directs. His word is the lamp, the light, the headlights. His spirit is there as a GPS. but you can ignore your GPS and your car yeah you can turn your headlights off and drive in the dark it's a choice it's a stupid choice but it is a choice and so if if god's word is the equivalent of the headlights on our car to not read and study and apply God's

word is the same as driving at night without your headlights to not listen to the holy spirit and make the adjustments in your life is the same as ignoring a gps unit in your car it's telling you make a turn if you ignore it you're going to be lost right and spiritually you don't want to be lost keeping the way protects us from deception false paths false roads promise much that our flesh desires

but it delivers destruction so we are we're challenged to persevere because drifting can lead to disaster if you're driving a highway is 70 miles an hour and you start to drift to the right eventually you're going to hit the shoulder of the road and then you're going to be into the grass and the trees drifting is dangerous so this to me doc is really giving me the the mental image that going through life is like driving you pay attention you drive sober not drinking drinking sin in life will get you a d ui in the kingdom of God.

Amen. Driving under the influence of sin, get your license taken away. So the upright keeper of his or her way is rewarded. Their souls are preserved. Now, in this life, in peace, and forever in glory. Matthew Henry said, the way of the upright is to depart from evil, and by keeping it, they preserved their soul from ruin. John Gill said, the highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He that keepeth his way, preserve this preserves his soul from sin and death however barns says highway of the

upright avoids evil guards his path he saves his soul it's very clear about this it's talking about you preserving your soul from destruction Doc, to me, it implies that although God does not desire it, he allows people to destroy their soul. I know. Wow. I'm only at 18 here. pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall verse 18 pride self exaltation elevating yourself above god and others and truth and everything else it's pride it's self exaltation go with before that's the sequence pride walks ahead pride

clears the path for destruction. Pride goes before. Pride goeth before destruction. Destruction is the end. Pride is the beginning. Yes. What is pride? Pride is setting yourself above God.

Putting yourself above him. And everybody else. Yeah. Destruction here means shattering, collapse, ruined, total and irreversible. Pride blinds people because they only see themselves and they don't see the cliff that's ahead. they are obsessed with themselves with their feelings their emotions their needs everything it's it's pride some people don't they don't recognize themselves that they have pride because they're thinking that a pride means a haughty person that's walking with his

or head her head up in the air their nose looking down at everybody you know all of you people are little peons me no sometimes pride means a person who is absolutely obsessed with his or her feelings and emotions and that there's nothing else that's important other than their feelings and their emotions that's pride it tells us that God opposes the proud. God's hand brings low what man's hand lives high. Oh, wow, that's good. Doc, there's a sequence, a path that's predictable.

Exaltation, isolation, opposition, collapse. At the beginning is exaltation, at the end is collapse. Pride says I need no one. I am my own man. I am my own woman. Nobody tells me what to do. I'm a self-made person. They may give a shout out to God.

the man upstairs i'd recognize you know when you hear someone referred to god as the man upstairs or a higher power you know that they don't know him they're recognizing he exists but they don't know him would you call your earthly father the man upstairs would you call your earthly father the higher power it means you don't know him so pride is the highway to hell we've got two choices here two roads a highway to life a highway to hell I want to get, take a look at the commentators before I move on because I want to wrap this up before.

Matthew Henry said pride goeth before destruction those that are exalted in their own conceit shall be abased. forerunner of ruin. Alexander McLaren, Pride is the mother of ruin, haughtiness, the herald of the fall. G. Campbell Morgan said, Pride is God's unalterable decree against the self-exalted. William are not said, the haughty spirit

stumbles into the pit it dug verse 19 better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud yes

better it is there's your divine preference better humility is is God's chosen path it has an eternal reward humble spirit lowliness of mind submitting to God serving others a humble spirit a humble spirit does not is not the same as a person of low self-esteem right it's not in a doormat a humble spirit is not a person who doesn't think he or she is worth anything

that's not a humble spirit actually that's actually reverse pride no humble spirit is somebody who knows he or she is a child of god saved by grace therefore is humble to serve others humility is not weakness it's strength under control humility is the soil of all virtue it's where the divine virtues grow in our lives that soil must be humble God is always is working in us to remove pride so so that heavenly virtues will take root and grow in us humility and meekness kindness gentleness soft spoken speech what does it tell us what's the word tell us about Christ he made himself of no reputation he was the son of god he is the son of god and he made himself of no reputation he came to serve he showed us the way see he's back to this is the

way christ showed us the way to live if you desire to know the way to live in this life study Christ read the Gospels over and over and over and over to you can say it in your sleep because he is the way that's right is the way the truth in life he is the way he is the way I'm constantly evaluating my life like what am I doing what am I saying what am I thinking that's contrary to Christ. Letting the Holy Spirit sweep it away. Get it out of me.

Just get it out of me. I desire to walk in the way. Humility hides pride parades. Yes. Yes. Pride loves to be in the parade. Humility loves to be unseen.

But God sees both. Right. How do we learn humility? not easy failure setbacks correction God's crushing there was just a place you could go and pick up a supply of humility it just doesn't work that way we're not would our nature our fallen nature does not incline us to be humble in fact you don't get it you have to empty yourself to receive it yes and we don't

empty ourselves until god has crushed us then he said well everything in me's broken so might as well empty it it's just a bunch of debris now get rid of it it's just the way we are every one of us we go through the same processes and the sooner you get on his on his operating table and submit the faster you will get to where you would like to be in life then to divide the spoil with the proud then to divide the plunder of the proud to divide the plunder of the proud so divide the spoil we're talking this is a spoil here means the war booty the wealth that's gained through concord

oppression prideful ambition kings and presidents and prime ministers and conquer they they they boast hey we we went in that country and we whipped them and we took their resources hey we've seen it here in in recent times President Trump bragging hey we took serious oil and we're selling it right that's pride it's pride we took the spoil to divide to divide the spoil to divide the spoil with the proud that means a partnership you have to be in partnership to divide the But what we have to understand that pride's plunder is cursed. You don't want to be dividing the spoil with the proud.

It's blood money. It's soul-destroying money. Riches acquired through violence, whether it's physical or political violence. It's telling us that God blesses the humble. That's the message here. John Gale said, better to be of a humble spirit with the poor than divides, spoil with the prowess. Humility is true riches.

Albert Barnes, better lowliness with the meek than spoils divided with the proud. God is with the humble. Charles Bridges, humble spirit with the lowly is better than proud spoil. God's favor over man's fortune. Charles Spurgeon, I'd rather sit with the humble than stand with the proud. lowliness is exaltation we am are not peace over plunder and verse 20 he that handeth a matter wisely shall find good and whoso trusteth in the lord happy is he

hand hand with a matter wisely it means you act with insight discernment practical wisdom the matter all right it's it's any issue any situation family affairs relationships friendships business career church you handle a matter wisely sometimes we're we're thrust into situations that are not pretty messy ugly and it's it's easy And it's it's easy for our emotions to rise up and we react in a very ungodly way. That's not wisdom. Wisdom is prepared for those situations. Wisdom stands back and says, wait a minute.

What do we do with this situation? How do we handle it so that God gets the glory so that there's no collateral damage? Wisdom is not just passive knowledge. It's an active application knowing what to do, how to do the right thing in the way at the right time. See, just think of all the situations in your life, in your marriage and your family and your finances and relationships with friends and neighbors, how we mess up in those situations because we did not react, excuse me, we did not respond. I don't want to say react. we see we we react with our emotions we should respond with wisdom right the situations appear they rise up they explode in our face and we react instead of responding the wise man and woman steps back seeks the lord quietly father this is a very dangerous very

very difficult very ugly situation how do I handle it what what do I say what is your what is your recommendation okay that only comes with wisdom this skill is learned through study through experience through prayer through counsel from godly people but it smooths out life's troubles and it prevents like I said collateral damage other people being hurt you you bring wisdom to the situation shall find good or prosperity shall find good things what the satuagin says shall find that's a certain discovery shall find it's certain the blessing is not earned but it is given to you excuse me through wisdom right you shall find God himself will see to it that you shall find yes but it requires you

making the first step and walking on that highway it's not it's not accidental you don't accidentally find righteousness and holiness and wisdom it's not accidental it requires an action on your part a response to god's drawing to you these are he's issued the invitation will you accept it is promise doc his promises you shall find yes he sees to it that you find he rewards your pursuit of wisdom and understanding by saying i promise you you shall find You shall find favor, success, peace, provision. Everything you're seeking, you shall find it. But we don't find it on our own merits.

We find it by his grace. Our part is to pursue and seek. His part is to give. You know, I don't want to use Easter eggs as an example. I'm trying to think of something. All right, parents hiding gifts for their children. And then they do it in a way to make sure the child finds it. That's what this means.

Son, daughter, I have presence for you. you I desire you to seek it and find it okay dad and we go out there as children looking for it but dad or mom puts the presence in such obvious positions that you can't miss it why because the parent desires the child to find it that's the grace but if you if the child doesn't make the effort then the child is not going to find a gift right so we have our part is to seek god's part is to is to give and this is this promise he says you shall find you shall find good things now the fool finds the opposite

visit. The fools find trouble. They're seeking the opposite. They're not seeking wisdom, but they get rewarded also with trouble. And whosoever trusteth in the Lord happy is he. The Septuagin says, and whosoever trusteth in the Lord is blessed. Blessed. Blessed. means happy trust in the lord confident reliance leaning fully resting securely in god you're trusting you're leaning on him there's no doubt no worry no apprehension you you feel safe and secure with your father happy you're blessed you're joyful it's it's a deep satisfaction of your soul beyond understanding you're happy so we're being taught that trust in the lord is the root of wisdom the fear of god the trust of the lord the trust in the lord the fear of god

and that this happiness is internal that you can have peace and storms you can have joy in trials you can have hope and darkness because you learn to trust in lord you're not afraid of the dark anymore sometimes he leads us through darkness to test our trust sometimes we can't see him in the darkness but we have to trust he's there how do we do that we feel his presence it's his presence and we learn to trust that's what he's doing with us all the time building our our trust in him knowing his presence uh doc anything else you want to add we're over our time limit here today all not we've covered this topic pretty well today so we will continue in chapter 16 tomorrow

and pick that back up on verse 21 and we'll be back here again of course live at 8 a.m. eastern time here on the east coast of the united states and no matter where you are in the world hope that you can join with us live as well and even if you can't join with us live you can also catch always catch the repeats on faith and values.com and on various social media platforms where we are publishing the morning manna video podcast every single day so share this with a friend share this with people that you think could be blessed by this daily teaching in the Word of God. We'd love to have you be kind of our reps out there, if you will, and share this information with others. Any thoughts as we close today, Rick? No.

It's going to be back, by the way. Just know if the Lord loves you more than you can comprehend. And he has good things, good things planned for you. And he just, he desires us to be the right path amen praise god all right well until our next edition of morning man tomorrow morning god bless you we love you keep living for jesus amen all right god bless