TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - October 28, 2025 - Proverbs 15:16-20 - Better With Little: The Peace of a Righteous Life

Episode Date: October 28, 2025

Proverbs 15:16–20 unveils the architecture of peace within a godly home. It contrasts the quiet sufficiency of “a little with the fear of the Lord” against the turmoil of wealth without reverence. Love at a humble table outvalues abundance tainted by strife. Patience calms anger’s fire, diligence clears the thorns of sloth, and wisdom brings joy to a father while folly dishonors a mother. In this Morning Manna study, Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart explore how reverence, love, restraint, labor, and family honor together form the moral foundation of a contented and God-fearing life. Teachers: Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart You can partner with us by visiting FaithandValues.com, calling 1-800-576-2116, 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

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Morning, Matt, on this Tuesday. We're delighted to have you with us today to study the Word of God. We're in the 15th chapter of the book of Proverbs, and we're going to get right into this study. Let's pray and invite the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to give us understanding, to illuminate our hearts and minds, to understand the Word. almighty god our father in heaven thank you for this new day of life thank you for your divine favor and blessings upon us we invite the holy spirit to lead this morning manna bible study

and illuminate us with the light of your word in the name of jesus christ amen god work heart proverbs 15 verses 16 through 20 yes let's get right into it this morning I'm in chapter 15, and I encourage you to read along with me here. Proverbs 15, beginning at verse 16. Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled oxen hatred therewith. A wrathful man stireth up strife, but he that is slowed to anger appeaseth stripe. The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns,

but the way of the righteous is made plain. A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish man despiseth his mother. So it sounds like we have a variety of different things that we're talking about here, but really you get down to it. The singular characteristic here is righteous character, Rick. It is.

Verse 16, better, this is King James. Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. The Septuagint translation says, Better is a small portion with the fear of the Lord than great treasures without it. Yes. And the Aramaic Pashita,

better is a little with the worship of the Lord than great treasures with trouble. We'll begin with the first part of this verse. Better is little with the word with the fear of the Lord. This is talking about contentment that's joined with reverence for God.

And it's saying that contentment based on your relationship with your Creator, your Heavenly Father, outweighs worldly material riches that are joined with unrest,

dishease. The little The word little. Better is little. It doesn't refer to poverty. It just, it means modest provision, a simple life, minimalist. You have enough. It's not poverty.

It's not saying better is to be poverty stricken. It's just saying it's better to have little, to have modest provision. a simple life that's blessed by divine peace. Better is little with the fear of the Lord. Okay, so we know what the fear of the Lord is. So this represents an atmosphere in the home that's reverent, harmonious with the ways of the Lord. that the home is sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It says it means that the smallest meal that's sanctified by a holy reverence for God actually becomes a great feast of grace. So wealth is not measured by, by possession, but by peace. We've said this many times. The homes of many rich, wealthy, famous people, their homes are filled with anxiety, stress, division, all kinds of ungodly attitudes.

The atmosphere is not peaceful. So just because you drive by a giant mansion, don't assume that inside that mansion is peace. It could be the greatest strife that, you know, a person could experience in life, hidden by the facade of wealth. See, godliness gives joy even to the humblest lifestyle. And actually what we've learned throughout Proverbs is that the fear of the Lord guards our heart from greed and anxiety and envy. So the curse then, we talk about the curse, then great treasure and trouble therewith.

We wealth without the presence of God. God brings agitation, not assurance, not peace, not comfort, agitation. Many wealthy people are agitated. Yes. That's why they're going. They have no peace. Yeah, that's why they spend so much money on therapists and medicine to control their nerves. The absence of the fear of God will turn prosperity into a burden.

So what this verse is teaching us is that trouble follows treasure. Trouble follows treasure when the heart trusts the treasure instead of God. does not condemn having a treasure. Yes. It's a warning against your heart having affection for the treasure and not for God. Yes. Absolutely permitted, permissible, to have treasures. Nothing wrong with it at all.

Just don't set your affection on it. so many people who have great treasures also have great torment particularly over the way they got to treasure they may have justified it at the time that they were acquiring it but over time it's like layer upon layer layer of guilt is building up inside them I cheated this person I deceived that person I stole this over here.

And over years, they're weighed down with guilt. Matthew Henry said, A little blessed is better than much cursed. Yes. It is not the house full of treasure, but the heart full of fear and faith that makes happiness. Charles Bridges said, The treasure may fill the house, but the trouble fills the heart.

The fear of the Lord makes poverty, contentment, and wealth humility. Alexander McLaren, the calm of a reverent heart is the best fortune. Reverence makes the least enough. Irreverence makes abundance vain. And Charles Spurgeon said, Little with the fear of the Lord is not little. It's God's plenty. Great treasure with trouble is the devil's feast ending in a famine.

Verse 17. Well, before we get to 17 here, Rick, this verse reminds me of one of the most prominent people in the 20th century, Howard Hughes. I don't know if you've ever read his biography or not. But he had a devout mother, devout grandmother. But most of his life, he ran away from faith. And, of course, his death was marked by just constant health problems, mainly brought on by living a pretty rough life. But he had everything.

He was the richest man of his day. He had his tremendous wealth. And yet he was restless. He was at not. at peace with his mind and with his heart and by the time he passed away he was so obsessive and compulsive in his you know habits and character who is bound living in a dark hotel room at the end of his life collecting specimens of of urine and feces that you know he just mind just went bad so wealth but wealth wasn't the cause of that it was his

uh relationship with god that caused that unease that instability his wealth could have been and there were times where his wealth was a tremendous blessing i mean we wouldn't have the modern aircraft industry if hadn't been for howard use he was an innovator and so many things and yet there was no peace in his heart doctor you remember the night that we sat inside his uh private airliner yes i do and so and it was it looked like He had had the airliner reconfigured, so it looked like a lobby, like a lounge. Yes. It looked like a lounge.

Yes. And he was a great man, but his greatness ended with his humanity. It is a tragic story, but when I look at this verse, that's the name I think of. and there'd be a thousand other names that go along with that but wealth is not the answer faith alone is the answer Howard Hughes had no happiness I think about

some of the entertainers who've passed away and how in years pass how tormented they were I I heard Andre Crouch tell the story. I wasn't there in the room. I heard it on TV.

Andre Crouch, who was a great gospel music writer. And he said that Michael Jackson would call him to come over to his house, to his mansion, and sing Christian hymns to him. you know why doc to calm his nerves it sounds like king saul in the bible yes yes you know he would have david come and and sing and play uh and of course david you know he wrote songs and so likely he was singing songs of worship and the bible says it calmed saul's heart but then it would also make him angry. Right. At one point

here's David playing a beautiful worship song for the king and the king picks up a spear to try to kill him. You know, Doc, Michael Jackson said to Andre Crouch, Jackson could sense and feel the Holy Spirit

come into the house when Andre Crouch would sing. And he knew it. He sensed it when the Holy Spirit appeared. And he would ask Andre Crouch, how did you do it? Can you teach me to do it? And Andre kept trying to tell him, it's not me. This is the Holy Spirit coming because we're worshipping God.

But to Michael Jackson, he thought it was a technique. It was something that Andre Crouch learned to do. Lord. That's sad, isn't it? So close and yet so far away. Yes, and then I remember reading in the Los Angeles Times a couple days after Michael Jackson's death. And it was a friend of Michael Jackson who said, you know, Michael used to tell me that he sold his soul to the devil. And this gentleman said, no, I don't, he didn't mean it, literally.

And I'm thinking when I read it, oh, yes, he did. Oh, yes, he did. he knew that he sold his soul to Satan to become famous that's why he would ask Andre Crouch to come and sing hymns to him to soothe his soul yet he was rich

he had anything he wanted fame money but he was tormentant verse 17 better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

The Pashita says better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fat at ox with hatred. And the Septuagin says better as a dinner of herbs with friendship and grace than a feast of calves with contention and hatred. Yeah. A modern day translation might be better as a salad with love than a prime rib with hate. There you go.

Because when it says Stalled ox, there's not talking about an ox well, I'm just not going anywhere. No, it's really talking about a fattened up ox. But the contrast here is that you know, life is better with love

than with hate. That's right. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is. Easy to understand the simplest meal becomes a banquet when shared with peace and affection. How many times have you had some friends drop in unexpectedly just as you're getting ready to eat?

You made yourself something very simple. You know, you didn't know they were coming and you made yourself just something, a very simple meal, a soup and a sandwich, and you're like, hey, If I knew you were coming, I would have made more. You want to just, we share the soup and these sandwiches, you know? And it's a delightful meal. Because you just, they're there to see you, not your sandwich. I'll keep that in mind next time.

Yeah, they came to see me, not to roast beef. And it means something to you. So it means dinner of herbs. It means a, literally it means a vegetarian meal. That's the literal translation, better a humble vegetarian meal than a big feast with meat. So the word better here is moral, moral. not material. It measures quality, not quantity.

Why is it? Love sanctifies even the humblest portion. And you can enjoy a meal with others if there's love there, even if it's a very humble meal. but then a stalled ox and hatred therewith doc what is a stalled ox is that an ox is that an ox that can't move it's not like your car it's not like your cars broke down

or something like that you called what it calls you called trip away no ox is called triple ox called triple ox No, in the Hebrew, the word is shoravus, Shoravuz, which means fattened up. And so it's not that the, you know, the ox has broke down or stuck in the mud or something like that, but that it's been fattened up.

Yeah. Prepared for a feast. Okay, so it's not, you know, it's a special ox. It's been prepared, you know, probably well cared for and everything, fattened up. Right. I remember my dad would, when he was going to butcher a cow, that steer would be brought in from the pasture and put in a stall and fed corn, fed the best that you could give it.

It wasn't allowed to be out roaming, eating grass, and running, which would tighten up the muscles. Right. No stress. no stress yeah and so that's what this is a stalled ox

has been fattened for a feast it's it's a symbol of prosperity indulgence right

and yet when it's partnered with hatred it's worthless and that hatred here domestic strife argument

bitterness says, hey, you'd be better off with a hot dog with friends who love you than to be eating a giant feast with somebody who's arguing with you, who fills the home up with anger and strife and division, who has no respect for you, who has contempt for you. You'd be better off to be alone with a couple friends eating hot dogs. So, luxury, doesn't matter how upscale the home is, it can't mask misery. Luxury cannot mask misery.

It can't hide discord. And what happens in those homes is the table becomes a battleground. instead of a blessing. Right. So, you know, wealth can fill a person's heart, excuse me, wealth can fill a person's house, but it cannot fill their heart. Amen.

And when love is absent, abundance breeds tension, and every word cuts deeper, every glance, every eye roll everything it just wounds the other people Charles Bridges says

better to feed on pulse with peace than beef with brawl love turns the poorest fair into a festival better to feed on pulse with peace than beef with brawl. I like that, Doc.

That's a good line. Adam Clark, where the fear of God dwells, a dinner of herbs becomes a banquet, but where he is absent, the richest table is barren. Amen. Another one by Adam Clark. The presence of love converts the cottage

into a palace. Hatred makes the palace a dungeon. Albert Barnes. The verse, contrast the world's estimate with gods. Luxury without love is misery. Poverty with

affection is happiness. Alexander McLaren, love makes life musical, hatred makes it discord. The poor supper with harmony is better than royal feastings with intimacy. Right. George

G. Campbell Morgan when love presides, when love presides, the table becomes an altar. When hate rules, the altar becomes a battlefield. Your favorite, William are not? Love is the best sauce for herbs.

Hatred is gall upon the richest roast. Wow. I like that. Verse 18. A wrathful man stirreth up strife. But he that is slow to anguish.

appeasest strife. The Septuagint translation says, A passionate man stirs up strife, but he that is slow to anger appeases even the rising of wrath. Let's begin with the first segment. A wrathful man stirrth up strife. It's speaking about

ungoverned anger. And ungoverned anger is contagious that's true it just stirs up conflict wherever it goes yes

you know today's political climate is a perfect example of that isn't it just hate you see it in the protests that are out there on social media social media man somebody says a hateful word

what's the rest of response. More hate. More hate. And pretty soon you're in a thermonuclear conversation and bitterness sets in. And doctor, there's just something about people who are rude and ignorant and mean and device. It provokes bad thoughts in good people. Because even good people who would not talk like that to others, You become outraged that they're that ignorant. Right. And you feel like you have to respond to that ignorance.

But guess what happens? You just end into it. I've got good news. I forgot to tell our class. You know the mean woman that rides to the elevator with me in the movies? Oh, yeah. You're going to love this, folks. She quit.

Yes. She quit her job. I was on the elevator. Tell how you found out, Rick. Well, I was on the elevator with another woman who works in that office across the hallway from my office. It's a law office. And she said to me, I didn't even know that she knew that this woman was mean to me. And I've talked to this other lady numerous times.

She says, hey, Rick, you know, she didn't say my name. She didn't know my name. She goes, hey, I need to tell. you that your enemy quit working for us last Friday. I go, what is wrong with that woman? And she says, don't take it personal. She treats everybody like that. And she said, she used to come into office and just start badmouthing you. And I would say, that doesn't make sense because I've ridden in the elevator with him and he's a nice man and I know his wife I talk to her and she's a very nice woman but she said she she was nasty in their office and would start fights doc

and come over into the office and talk about you yes but she would start fights among her own fellow workers yes a wrathful person stirrists a wrathful woman stirroth up strife a wrathful woman stirroth up strife. She just would ignite it, wherever she went. So I said, where's she going? And the other lady said, she's moving to Georgia. And I said, well, the devil went down to Georgia too. Too.

So for Georgia, I hate to tell you, Georgia. The devil's back. I hope you don't meet her. Well, I hope she finds peace in her heart and her life. I do too. But you know what? The Lord moved her away. yeah he moved her away and got her out of my sight but she didn't bother me i just i bothered her

yeah my smile bothered her right because you were living out the second part of this verse he that is slow to anger quiet's contention so this this verse a wrathful man or woman stirrith of strife. This is talking one who is habitually angry, argumentative. Just that is their mind's default mode. Right. Those kind of people distort everything. Their perception is distorted. Right. They, they're offended by everything and everybody. They see insults where there is no insult. Right. They see injury where there's no injury.

They're just upset all the time. Right. And where you see that's lived out the most, Rick, is usually in the home. Yeah. Between a husband and rife. Yes. One or the other is whatever's happened. They've become a wrathful person.

And they will start up fights for the sake of having a fight. So that goes back. to the previous verse doc better as a salad with love better is a dinner of herbs where love is then a stalled ox and hatred where we're with all right better to eat a hot dog with with somebody who loves you than to be trying to digest a T-bone steak with some somebody who hates you. Because when you're in the presence of somebody who just doesn't like you, it's hard. You lose your appetite.

Right. I don't, I can't sit at a meal with there's somebody at the table who's angry. It, it destroys your appetite. Gives you indigestion. So, he that is slow to anger, appeaseous strife. Patience is heaven's fire extinguisher. Think about that.

Get that concept in your mind. Imagine envision a fire extinguisher that sprays patience. The patience puts out the fire. You know, I have to use mental pictures like that. So when someone starts, you know, lipping off, arguing, I just got to imagine something. Okay, fire stinger, patience, just spray it, spray them with patience. Slow to anger.

It means deliberate, restrained reaction, response. Bathed in love, slowed anger. You're speaking to yourself inside saying, don't let this person's anger make you angry. stay calm amen do whatever you have to do to stay calm

because they're trying to provoke you they want you to blow up and then they'll turn it around and say look at the fight you caused yes you did that to me oh yeah you did it I would be okay if it wasn't for you and that's what they tell everybody

it's you there right so going back to today's political climate rick isn't that the response people uh will say the reason i'm acting this way is because of who's sitting in the white house right now or who's controlling congress yes no no these are all internal issues they're they're not an external issue no you someone doesn't make you angry calm when you're not around an argumentative person right the the test is when you're in the presence of an argumentative person that's when you find out if you're calm can you can you stay calm I don't you know for me this year just

I've been feasting on Dr. Les Carter's videos. That man to me is, I think, Doc, really, when you open a dictionary and look up calm, there is Les Carter's picture. I don't know what that man has been through in his life. I guarantee you, he didn't get to that state of calmness without being tested. he's gone through a lot of provocations by people to to master that calmness in his life i call it calm confidence he's confident about who he is and he's calm and he doesn't let other people upset him because he knows what they're trying to do right so each of us we have to work at developing calmness, maintaining calmness when under pressure.

So the patient man or woman is the peacemaker. And their composure disarms aggressors. gentleness diffuses tension calm words lower the temperature in the room when there's a hot head at person trying to provoke a fight but who is this like who were we imitating

our Heavenly Father? He is slow to anger Psalm 103 Verse 8 God is slow to anger Therefore we have to be like him Aren't you glad he's slow to anger Would you want God to be hot-headed Would you want him to be short-tempered?

No We really like it that he's slow to anger we like it that he's patient well he likes us to be like him so calm speech softens fury and a meek tone is stronger than a loud voice John Gill said The wrathful man stirs up strife as the wind the sea

But the patient by mildness And prudence steals the storm Charles Bridges Anger is the spark that kindles discord Patience is the water that quenches it the one is a servant of hell the other a child of heaven Adam Clark an angry man kindle strife and then wonders that it burns the wise man slow to wrath smothers the fire at its birth

Alexander McLaren the still soul is mightier than the stormy one to be slow to anger is divine For God himself is long-suffering. And that old Scotsman, William, or not, he said, the quick temper multiplies foes, the slow temper multiplies friends. The heat of passion is hell's furnace. Patience is heaven's climate.

Verse 19. the way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns but the way of the righteous is made plain I see what the Septuagin says the ways of slothful men are strewn with thorns but those of the diligent are made smooth so the way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns, the way of a lazy man, the sluggard, a sloth

is someone who refuses to work. Beyond refusing to work, refuses to be disciplined, refuses to be conscientious. refuses to be diligent. It's not somebody who just refuses to take the garbage out. Too lazy to get up, take out a bag of garbage. No, it's a person whose lifestyle is sluffful. They're unwilling to be disciplined.

They're unwilling to have discipline in their life. They're unwilling to be devoted to anything. It's a life of just ease, of just slopping your way through life. slothing your way slothing your way through life oh doc I see so many people living like that oh yes they just slothing their way

they have no plans no dreams they're not using their time for anything good they're not improving themselves no ambition just idle just slothing their way through life and then they'll say

well I can't make it because of this obstacle or that hurdle or this thing or that thing I've got this disadvantage or this handicap or whatever it might be there's always an excuse not to do something yes see that's their way the way of the slothful the way of the slothful

the way of the sloffoy is to make excuses yeah and where did that hedge of thorns come from first of all how do you even get into a hedge of thorns head first it doc it represents self-created trouble amen that's right you've gotten that mess of thorns on your own by your indolence. Oh, I can't say it. I just thought of something, but I can't say it. My great-uncle Henry Hall, I was Uncle Grover's brother, my grandmother's brother,

Uncle Henry. He had a saying, but I can't use it on a Bible study. But it was accurate, Doc. it was accurate, you know, you created that mess, all right? I can still see him saying it to somebody, you know, you made that mess. Then he'd tell them what to do, but that mess. You know, it was a colorful language, but it was extremely accurate, okay? The hedge of thorns represent.

self-created difficulty. It means that laziness, idleness, an undisciplined lifestyle, breeds problems that would have been prevented had you just been diligent. So laziness multiplies excuses and magnifies obstacles and magnifies obstacles. And slothful people make the smallest tasks seem impossible. That every step is painful. Yes. So the sluggard, the lazy person, they are entangled by their own procrastination.

and what should be straight and smooth becomes impossible to travel upon. Right. But the thorns, they created their own thorns. Right. So this picture of a hedge of thorns, you know, I've gotten into a thorn patch before, right? I mean, when you're out in the wood, sometimes you come across thorns, you don't see them. But the picture is of a hedge of thorns. And when I think of a hedge, I think of something that I've created, that I've managed.

You know, I've got hedges at my house that I trim up and I take care of and everything. But imagine a hedge of thorns. You've created that problem. Now, that's really good, Doc, because there's just thorns. Yeah, I mean, you'll encounter thorns in life. But you didn't landscape them and trim them to make a hedge. To make a hedge. That's good.

That explains the heads of thorns, that the lazy person actually worked at building a hedge of thorns. Yes. They worked at it. I mean, how many times you see people who think, you know, if you just worked an honest job, the way you slouch through life, you work something? you work so hard at being lazy if you just worked your life would be much better

one thing and I'm not saying this to be I'm not saying this cruelly towards uh towards beggars but when I see beggars

standing on the road or on the street eight hours a day begging I'm thinking you put in a day work. Yes. And all the way down the street or help when it signs. You could have went there

and worked. You stood on the street corner for eight hours begging. You got up and you found your corner and you did your thing for eight hours. Why didn't you just go to work?

Well, the way of the righteous is made plain. you know doc i'll go back you know i think i'm a very generous you know that i'm a generous person and i'm i'm a soft touch all right i i'll give me your sob story i'll probably give to you i'll help you okay the first time the second time uh maybe i'm not sure on the third or fourth time We're used to the first or second time Yeah

So that's where I'm going with this At some point you start saying Wait a minute Your head's been in these thorns Multiple times How do you get in these thorns so often And I've had people They're growing them Rick

They're growing them Yes So I've had people from time to time and I like them but they're constantly in trouble and you start to realize it's trouble that they have made not that they're bad people but

there's some foolishness there in their life and they haven't yet seen that the way that they're living what they're doing is creating these troubles and at some point that's and I have to pull back and go, you know what, I can't help you anymore. Because you're going to be back six months later doing this again. But the way of the righteous is made plain.

Yes. That word plain there means to me made level, like a level road, like a smooth highway. So the way of the righteous is. is made level, smooth, a road built for the purpose of smooth traffic. Right. So what is telling us is that righteousness clears the obstacles of life. And those obstacles are cleared by divine faith. Yes. The Lord goes before us.

Yes. And makes your way smooth. Think about that. The Holy Spirit going before you, removing rocks and boulders. To make your way smooth. When you are pleasing him, when you are diligently seeking him, how many people in this morning manna class, as you've been in this class for a some time, how many of you can say, it just seems like slowly over, I don't know, the last six months or a year, you have fewer problems. The problems that you had just disappeared. They just dissolved. That's the favor of God. That's the favor of God, clearing your path in making your path smooth.

It's God himself who smooths the path of those who walk up rightly next to him. So unlike the sluggard who finds pain in every step, the righteous finds strength in every step. Yes. they get stronger I'm not telling you that the path of the righteous

is free of trials and tribulations and difficulties that's not true but it is free of confusion God will give you a clear mind when you're facing these things so slothfulness

breeds excuses, righteousness builds momentum. The righteous are just moving, and their movement actually creates momentum, which is energy to keep them moving. To the lazy, everything's hard. To the righteous, everything is guided, blessed, the favor of God. Charles Bridges said,

The slothful man's life is a tangle of his own sins. The righteous walking in God's way finds the road a high plain for obedience clears the conscience. Adam Clark, laziness makes every duty grievous.

Diligence makes... What's that? Isn't that the truth? It is. For the lazy, everything's hard. Everything is. They gripe and complain. And diligence makes every duty easy.

Clark said, the thorn hedge is in the mine, not the field. Amen. I agree. Albert Barnes. This verse contrasts the inward conditions of the soul. Idleness sees barriers. Righteousness sees guidance. Alexander McLaren.

exaggerate difficulties because they fear effort the upright moves steadily and obstacles melt before their faith and William are not the slothful weave their own snares and call them providence the righteous rise early and find the Lord before them mr. Arnaud also said God makes straight the paths of those who move of those who move Charles Spurgeon The road of the sluggard is overgrown with his own neglect The righteous man treads to kings highway

Clear bright and upward One more Verse 20 A wise son makeeth a glad father But a foolish man despiseth his mother Interesting verse Septuagin a wise A wise son gladdens his father, but a foolish man sneers at his mother.

Right. Let's begin with the first half. A wise son makes a glad father. So it's teaching us that wisdom brings joy not only to the Lord, but to the family that nurtured this life. And I think that's the key in this verse here, isn't it? Yeah. so who's the wise son so this implies wise son wise daughter it's okay it's a wise child an adult you know teenage young adult a wise son or daughter it's one who has

embraced moral spiritual instruction because you have to have a wise father and a wise mother to impart wisdom and have a wise son to have a wise son so the father's gladness is the father's harvest of years of faithful parenting yes I think I think that's the secret in this verse here it's it's not like you know a parent that just lets the child grow on his or her own with no instruction, which is how I was brought up, Doc.

I didn't get any instruction from my father or mother. I got it from my grandparents, but not my parents. Yeah. So the wise son or daughter honors his heritage and his, heavenly father by living uprightly right see this is assuming that the parents are wise yes so a wise son becomes the reward to the parents for their years of training up their child in the ways of the Lord but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

Yeah. Now, you really think about the second part of the verse. It takes a lot to hate your mama. All right. So, Doc, the first half, it's the wise son makes his father glad. Right. But in this second half, a foolish man is not makes his mother sad. It's despises his mother.

Yes. Think about how rare that is, though. Just go back through your mind and think of people. How many people actually despise their mother? And what sort of conditions have to be in place for someone to despise their mother? It's a rare thing, at least in my mind, in my experience. Well, Doc, I mean, it means that as the son grows into adulthood, his folly, his foolishness matures into contempt.

Yes. And there's rebellion against the mother's love and counsel. Right. So to despise means more than neglect. It means to dishonor. To treat lightly or. cruelly, what should be revered, the mother of family. I mean, I know a lot of sons to have issues with their fathers

and yet still have a loyalty and love for their mother. Right. I mean, but to despise your mother, to me that means there are some bad choices made along the way, mainly in raising that son. Doc, the mother represents tenderness Right Nurturing, patience, instruction So to me

A man who despises his mother Is a person who rejects mercy Gentleness Kindness Yeah Unless the mother was was teaching that son that those very things

you know maybe they grew up in an environment where the mother was abusive but let's just say that this son whether he's a wise son or the foolish son in some degree they're a product of the environment

they grew up in doesn't give them excuse but they are a product of who raised them like you said you were raised by your grandparents I likewise myself as well, mainly. It was because of them, you know, I have any inclination toward the Lord and faith and ministry

because of the gentleness and kindness I saw in my grandmother. My mother passed away when I was very young. And so that was the only example I had. I certainly didn't have that example from my father. Right. I told you, I was a feral cat. But even a feral cat can purr. Yeah.

And I would just hang around my grandmother's porch and hope she'd feed me. And she did. There's a lot in this verse here, a lot. What's the contrast between son and man? One, there's a son. The next is a man. The son. It refers to the son making the father glad.

But it's the man that, despite. his mother. Right. To me, the difference between the son and man is the difference in relationship. One is we recognize a son and a father, whereas the second part, it's a man, as if that sonship is lost in there. That's a good part. Good, good, yes.

A son. He's no longer a child. He's a man, but he's not a son either. A son would not despise his or her parent. That's right. A son, wait a man A son would not despise his mother or father is how I want to say that

There's also the connotation here that foolishness ages but never matures There's a rested development Well that'll give you something to think about

Wow You got a 50-year-old child he may look like a man but there's a rested development he never never matured into a man just his body

well let's check the commentators to see what they said Alexander McLaren the glad father's joy and the sorrowing mother's pain are symbols of God's own emotions toward obedient and rebellious children. Charles Spurgeon,

The gladness of a godly father is a crown. The tears of a broken-hearted mother are a judgment. Wisdom brings joy, folly brings wounds. All right, Doc, that's it for today. The only thing I would add on that last verse is that moms, dads, grandpas that are watching today, you do have an influence on your children and your grandchildren. And I would just encourage you to live godly, speak words of wisdom into your children and into your grandchildren. You are shaping them.

Don't, as Rick said, don't let them become feral when it comes to doctrine. or theology, teach them the things of God. Don't be afraid. It will pay back later on. It really will. I thank God. I thank God. He gave me a godly grandmother.

I didn't have that influence anywhere else in my life, nowhere else in my life. But a godly grandmother praying for me. And she, listen, Rick, my grandmother didn't understand scripture for anything. But she read her Bible. and she would read it out loud, and I don't know, maybe something happened. Maybe a word got into me somewhere along the way.

I just thank God she was there, and she was reading it. And she was making an effort. That's right. That's what the Lord saw. She was making an effort. And I would hear her praying. She would pray for all her kids by name and all her grandkids by name. And we had a bunch.

And so sometimes with prayers lasted a while. while. But when your name came up, she prayed for you. And, you know, so you do have an influence. There's a lot in this verse here. There's a parental and grandparental responsibility to our families. But there's also a responsibility on our part as children and grandchildren to acknowledge that heritage. Don't despise it and receive it as from the Lord. And so, you know, it's, it's, We are a product of our environment to a degree, but ultimately it's our choice. God provided us as a heavenly father to replace any father we might have lost. And the Bible says he'll protect us under his feathers and his wings like a mother hen.

He'll be a mother to us if we need it. I mean, whatever we need, he's there for us. So there's no excuse, but understand that there are people that deal with these issues because of how they were raised. And so it doesn't give an excuse, but it does give an opportunity to minister. Doc, one of the reasons I tell stories about my grandparents is I'm hoping that those people who are grandparents in this class

will be encouraged to know that you're praying, even though you may not even live long enough to see the results. Amen. Your grandchild or children that you're praying for right now, you may not live long enough to actually see the spiritual fruit, but you'll someday, even after you're gone, and you've been buried and your soul has been taken into the presence of the Lord, your grandchildren are going to give thanks that you prayed for them.

Pray anyway. Yes. praise God it was my grandparents praying for me that got me through my troubled years that's what i i desire you to know you as a grandmother grandfather you can pray your grandchildren into the kingdom even if you don't see it in your lifetime you can leave this world knowing god will honor your prayers doc i i want to summarize verses 16 through 20. So there's a portrait here, okay.

The true wealth, the richest of the righteous heart versus the moral poverty of the ungodly spirit. So on one side you have the godly, the wise. The other side, you have the ungodly, the foolish. Let's do the contrast. Albert Barnes would like this. He always did contrast. Yeah.

The godly, the wise, they live in contentment with little. The ungodly, the foolish, lives in turmoil despite abundance. Right. And just consumption. The godly and the wise feast in love and harmony. The ungodly, the foolish, feast amid hatred and strife. Yes. The godly and the wise practice patience.

They diffuse conflict. The ungodly, the foolish, burn in wrath, and they stir up division. Right. The godly and the wise walk diligently in righteousness. The ungodly, the foolish, stumbles lazily in self-made, thorns and lastly the godly the wise honors their father

and their mother and the ungodly the foolish despises love and despises nurturing and authority yes value from a mother yes and all the all five of these verses

can be put in practice in your home today these are all principles for a godly household all five of these verses yeah i mean you can take these five verses if if every home just lived these five verses rick just these five everything else all the 31,132 other verses out there but only these five what a difference it would make in christian homes alone so these are very powerful verses here today it's It's a great lesson. Amen.

Praise God. All right. All right. All right. All right. We appreciate you tuning in today, and we encourage you to join us again here tomorrow on Morning Manna for the Wednesday edition. God bless you. Hey, Rick gave a message last week that we are right now really needing you to show your love for this ministry by your financial support.

And I want to encourage you to do that. and to continue to show your faithfulness and support. God is always our source, but he uses people to provide that source. And I encourage you that if he's been speaking to you, be obedient to him, follow through on any commitment that you've made to the Lord, any pledge that you've made to the Lord, or any prompting of the Holy Spirit that he's speaking to you right now in order to help us continue to be able to present these daily Bible studies to you.

Rick, any last words before we sign off for today? Yeah. Sometimes people will say, well, why does your ministry have financial need? You want to know the answer? Because you have financial needs. Right. Wait, wait, wait a minute, shake your head.

The Lord orchestrates a financial need in a ministry so that it's the answer to prayer for Christians? Yes. Yes, absolutely. Yes. You're crying out, you're crying out to God for finances. And so God says, I'm going to create a need in a ministry or a church. And that's your opportunity to get your prayer answered.

And get your need meant. get your need met, okay? That's why. You may not like that principle, but it's a principle that works. And you're not going to change it. Just because you don't like it, he's not going to change it.

That's what I've learned in life, Doc. Just because I don't like his ways, he doesn't change his ways. And I've told the Lord at times in a kind, respectful way. Lord, I don't particularly like the way you do some things, but it's the way you do it

and I will accept it and I will I will acknowledge it okay and it always works it always works because his ways works so you may not like this way because some people might bristle what do you mean he's not going to answer my prayer

he's not going to meet my needs until I send something to yeah that's the way it works yeah that's the way it works so the sooner you release your faith and send the gift, the sooner the gift is released from heaven and sent to you. You want to delay, then don't do anything for a long time.

Right. Release your faith. Send the gift. We need financial support right now. We are in a very tight time. And yet the Lord is doing great things for us. He's opening doors. He's remodeling us.

He's doing all kinds of things, but it is stretching my faith. And my faith is being stretched, Doc. And we have to do the same thing. Yes. We do the same thing. We're giving ministry and we're giving people. Yes. And it's against my nature to be a giving person.

That's the problem. I have a tendency to hold back. But the Lord, he said, if you want a blessing, you've got to let go of what's in your hand. And privately, I, I, I, I have been blessing people, individually, out of my own funds. I've been blessing people in recent weeks. Yeah, me too. I've just been very, very generous.

Yeah. Okay. Because I have a need. I have a need that only God can fill. And I know that he's not going to respond without faith and generosity. Praise God, yes. So please go to faith and values, click donate. You can still use true news, the funds,

all go to the same account and give the best gift that you can give. We really need it. Thank you so much. We'll see you tomorrow. God bless you. We'll see you on the Wednesday edition of Morning Manor.