TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - October 29, 2025 - Proverbs 15:21-25 - The Upward Way: Wisdom That Builds, Pride That Falls

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

Proverbs 15:21–25 traces the moral ascent of the wise and the downfall of the proud. The fool takes pleasure in sin, but the man of understanding walks uprightly. Counsel secures plans, timely words bring joy, and the wise rise toward life while turning from death. Yet the Lord Himself destroys the house of the proud and establishes the border of the humble and defenseless. In this Morning Manna teaching, Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart explore how wisdom disciplines desire, guides decision, sanctifies speech, elevates the soul, and anchors the lowly under God’s protection. 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

Well, good morning, everybody. Welcome to Morning Manna. It's Wednesday. We are delighted to have you here in this midweek episode of Morning Manna, where people from all over the world, the saints of God, brothers and sisters in many countries come together in a real-time virtual Bible study class for one hour, five days a week to study the Word of God. We're working our way through the book of Proverbs. We're in the 15th chapter. Today, we're looking at verses 21 through 25. Let's pray, invite the Holy Spirit, and then Dr. Burkart will read the word, Father God. Father, we praise you. We glorify you. We exalt you. Father, feed your children. We're hungry. We desire your word. We want to feed on the bread of life, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

come Holy Spirit and fill our souls with goodness in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. And we're continuing our journey in Proverbs chapter 15 today and we're going to pick back up today on verse 21 but I want to send a greeting out to everyone all over the world. We do have students in places as far flung as Russia and Malaysia and Australia and Brazil and across all over the U.S. and Canada, and welcome to our morning manna Bible study. And we're privileged to have you here, and we're privileged to be reading the Word of God together. So let's pick back up. Proverbs chapter 15, verse 21. Read along with me, if you will. I'm reading from the King James this morning. Verse 21, folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom, but a man of understanding

walketh uprightly. Without counsel, purposes are disappointed. but in the multitude of counselors they are established. A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season how good it is. The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath. In verse 25, the Lord will destroy the house of the proud, but he will establish the border of the widow. Interesting passage that we have.

So our previous passage, we talked about the characteristics that made for a good character and a godly home. So I'd like to see where our journey takes us today, Rick. Okay, well, the word folly shows up in a lot of proverbs. Wisdom and folly. The two opposites. Foolishness and wisdom. So the King James says in verse 21, folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom

but a man of understanding walketh uprightly the subtoagent translation says folly delights those void of wisdom but a man of understanding goes right on his way folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom in this verse Solomon exposes this twisted pleasure of sin where foolishness

folly becomes the fool's entertainment and reward yes the very thing that's going to destroy his or her soul and it's interesting you use that word entertainment because it is it's something that delights them something that enraptures their attention constantly. Doc, we are in

an entertainment obsessed society. It hasn't always been this way. I remember as a young Christian and this would have happened somewhere, Doc, maybe around 1979.

I remember hearing a visiting preacher who was speaking in the church that I attended at that time where I was saved and he prophesied Doc. This was a prophecy that the greatest threat coming was entertainment.

So in the late 70s, entertainment was not the central. of people's lives right today people can't even think of a world without entertainment that's true i mean uh for those that still have cable you have hundreds of cable channels if you have uh even if you have an online service uh you've got hundreds of choices to distract you and to uh basically just to entertain you just to waste your time. That's right.

So in 1979, there was only one cable channel, HBO. The purpose of a cable network was only to deliver the signal of broadcast stations. Right. And then HBO, because CNN and ESPN, they started in 1980.

Right. And MTV was right behind. That's right. So pre-1980, there were no entertainment channels. Now people walk around all day long looking at their phone and they're just looking at video after video. They're just scrolling, video, video, video, just looking. They're being entertained.

So a full, a folly, foolishness. becomes the fool's entertainment. Destitute of wisdom. Folly is joy to him who is destitute of wisdom. Destitute means to be bankrupt, to be poverty-stricken. So a fool is a person who is absolutely devoid of wisdom. poverty stricken when it comes to wisdom emptiness

moral emptiness a heart without guidance without reverence for God so lacking a moral compass lacking God's light the full mistakes darkness

for delight yes the full mistakes ruin for freedom. Most Americans today think that American freedom means the right to watch or do or say anything you want to do. They think that's freedom. Now, that's debauchery.

That's not freedom. That's debauchery. God gave us this nation. He gave us freedom so that we would be able to worship him without persecution. That's the reason America was given freedom, so that his people who fled Europe to get away from persecution could come to a land and worship him without persecution. persecution. Right. We have perverted freedom into meaning the right to watch pornography, the right to watch anything we want to do. Participate in anything. That's our right. That's our freedom. No, that's debauchery. But the fool thinks that what is going to bring ruin to

him or her is it's actually their freedom right it's they're not just ignorant but they have a perverted taste they it's a spiritual blindness that that finds joy in evil in disorder It comes from an absence of morality, an absence of moral truth, an absence of conscience. A joyful fool is more like a drunkard, loud, temporary, noisy, clumsy and they call it joy so at the bottom of this doc is sin is sin is not it's it's more than rebellion it is self-deception and that is the key pleasure divorced from purpose and they call it they call it freedom but the second part of this verse

21 is but a man of understanding walketh uprightly proverbs is telling us that true joy is not found in foolishness but in faithfulness walking uprightly in the fear of the Lord So a man or woman of understanding

orders his or her life according to God's divine wisdom He does not just wander through life by impulse He has a purpose The purpose is to fear and reverence and obey God walketh uprightly he walks straight I said many times

righteousness means to be in right standing with God so a wise person walketh uprightly they're in right standing with the Lord perverseness means to be bent and twisted away from truth So for the wise, Dr. the wise find their joy in pleasing God. That's what makes a saint joyful.

To know that they are in right standing with God, to know that there's nothing amiss, that God is pleased with them. and it brings joy to them. I want to look and see what the commentators said. They have some interesting comments on this one. Do you have one you want to go with? I like Matthew Henry.

I'll just start off with him. Fools find pleasure in sin because they have lost moral taste. I thought it was an interesting phrase. And wise men find pleasure in holiness. Whereas the wicked person or the fool derives his pleasure from sin and from the folly he encounters, the wise man derives his pleasure, his fulfillment, in the righteousness and the holiness of God. The quote I have from Matthew Henry, The fool takes pleasure in sin, not only commits it, but glories in it.

The wise man's pleasure is in walking with God. Charles Bridges, the fool dances on the brink of ruin and calls it joy. The wise man walks on solid ground and finds peace in his steps. Adam Clark, nothing is more dreadful than to take pleasure and folly. It is a sign the conscience is seared and the judgment blind. Albert Barnes, who always sees contrast, said the proverb contrasts to joys. The fools in his sin, the wise man in his righteousness. Alexander McLaren said, the fool's mirth is madness.

G. Campbell Morgan said, the man void of wisdom laughs at sin. The man of understanding walks reverently before God. And Charles Spurgeon said, Sin is sport to fools until the arrows fly. The wise man's pleasure is in purity, his laughter in obedience. All right. Verse 22, King James. Without counsel, purposes are disappointed.

But in the multitude of counselors, they are established. Almost the same with the Septuagint, those who have no guidance will fall like leaves but in a multitude of counselors there is safety. Yes.

Without counsel purposes are disappointed. This begins with a warning. A warning against isolation. Plans built by yourself. And the risk is that there's pride involved in your plans because you did not get counsel from others. You did not get advice from others. And so the danger is that when plans are made in an isolated environment, they are at risk of collapsing under their own weight. Without counsel, purposes are disappointed.

Purposes refers to deliberate designs, goals, projects, intentions that lack wise input. To act without advice, without counsel, is to trust one's own wisdom and understanding. Now, the key there is wise counsel, because there are people that have, get advice or get or have some friends that give them, you know,

information or suggestions and everything. But the idea here is to find wise counsel to speak into your life, to be very choosy. about who speaks into your life, not just anyone. And I think, you know, that's where a lot of, especially younger men fail. They have counselors, so does friends or maybe some advisors, but are they wise counsel? Are they wise friends? That will very much determine the outcome of the decisions that you make.

Doc, don't we tend to when there's something we really want to do we really desire to do it we tend to not seek advice because we privately fear

those people would advise us not to do it right and we've already made up our mind we're going to do it I mean, it's not talking about something as bad or as evil. I'm talking about a project, something you want to do. But the plan that we make, we think, I've already got this figured out. If I go talk to 10 people about it, they're just going to get me confused.

And oftentimes we go galloping off on our own journey and the project fails. The plan falls through. because we weren't willing to have someone speak and say, have you really thought about this? Have you gone through it? But once again, I think it comes back to that trusted counsel. If we have someone that we trust, then we're not afraid of the negatives.

We're not afraid or the positives. Either way, I mean, it could cut both ways there. But it's got to be that trusted counsel. If it's just somebody, well, what do you think about this idea? Well, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. Now, a wise counsel will say, well, now, Doc, you know, that's a great idea, but have you considered this? They're going to, they're going to provide counsel,

but they're going to provide counsel in love. And wisdom. So, Doc, if when you close the door to advisors, you're closing the door on. the Holy Spirit using people to give you good advice right

look I think we've all been here at this point or we know somebody where we say I hear the Lord I don't have to have advisors they'll just talk me out of doing what God has told me to do

ever been there ever done that I've seen people like that. Yeah. Yeah. I hear from God. He spoke to me about it. If I submit this to other people, they've not sought the Lord like I have.

They're just going to put confusion in my plans. That's actually pride talking. Right. That's pride. The way I would look at it is if they're, you know, if they were opposed to the idea, then maybe the Lord's trying to say something to us. You know, maybe we're not considering everything about a particular decision or a particular situation. It doesn't mean that the Lord didn't speak to you.

It just means that we probably need to consider some things. Maybe the plan is well thought out yet. The plan is a good plan, but that there's things that need to be filled in. It works both ways. I mean, the Lord speaks, but he also speaks through others. And he also speaks through those who say, you know, maybe you should wait. Maybe now's not the time. And there have been times, of course, where I've jumped the gun on decisions,

and I've regretted it. And I still remember my father-in-law giving me advice. And he said, you probably need to wait on this one particular decision. and but no, I knew better. So sometimes the plan is right, but the timing is off. Right. So what happens? Without counsel, purposes are disappointed.

The phrase are disappointed means plans are frustrated. They're delayed. They could actually fail, be destroyed. And that is the harvest of having ambition that you don't restrain by receiving the advice of godly people. Right. And there's a perfect example in the Bible of this. In 1st King's chapter 12, you have King Rahobam. He was Solomon's son.

So he was the king right after Solomon. And the people were, you know how it is, people just don't like taxes. Well, because of all the expansion of Israel and the temple and everything, the people had been taxed. And they were looking for some relief from taxes. And so they requested the king, hey, can we lay off on all the taxes and everything? So he went to the elders who consulted his dad, Solomon. And they advise Rahoboam, you know what? It might be a good idea to back off on the taxes and be a little bit more lenient.

Don't be so harsh on the tax collection and everything. But Rahoboam instead listened to his friends, his younger friends. And they said, no, no, no, no. You've got something good going on here at Rahobam. you just, if they buck on the taxes, increase the taxes. And what ended up happening? There was a rebellion in the kingdom. Okay.

And it ended up in Israel breaking into, breaking up into Judah and to Israel. That's where you had the division of Israel, the Holy Land, was it right at the end of Rahobam's reign because he refused to listen to the wise counsel that advised his father. He decided to listen to counsel, but it wasn't wise counsel.

That's a good story. You know, America's in that position right now. The country's in danger of breaking up. France is in danger of breaking up. France is very unstable right now.

to this day, national leaders reject godly counsel. Right. And usually at the basis of it is bureaucracy and taxes, right? People are burdened, you know, like right now. You know, here in America, people sometimes are struggling to make a living wage, and we're talking about a middle class, and they're looking for relief. And so if, you know, at some point in the future, that pressure is going to be let out one way or another. That's right.

So the second part of this verse says, but in the multitude of counselors, they are established. What's the they? The plans. In the multitude of counselors, the plans are established, the purposes. So wise counsel brings stability. It allows plants, plans to grow, to grow roots that are strengthened by many godly voices. Yes. Maltitude does not necessarily mean confusion because you've got a lot of voices, but confirmation.

Yes. Counseling safety. counsel tempers impulse counsel exposes your blind spots counsel refined your judgment so the best plans are prayed over

they're tested they are examined and they need to be examined by godly people whom you trust as advisors. The righteous seek counsel not because they want to be controlled, but because they want to be corrected.

They desire to continue to be successful. So the establishment of plans does not depend on the person's cleverness, but on that person's teachability. Charles Bridges said self-confidence is the ruin of the soul. The humble man seeks counsel and finds safety. The proud walks alone and falls. Adam Clark said

Every man needs the help of another Many eyes see more than one And humility in hearing brings wisdom in doing Alexander McLaren Plans without counsel are like houses Built without foundations The wise builder seeks stones from many quarries Oh, I like that

Yeah That was a good one did you catch what Charles Spurgeon had to say on this topic well tell me what he said he who will be his own counselor has a fool for an advisor I like that one the quote I have from Spurgeon is God never meant man to be self-sufficient the proud builder who consults none will soon have his tower in ruins Well, there's 23.

Here's what I've learned. Here's what I've learned that success user requires a team, but failure is solitary. Say that again. Success generally, usually requires a team, but failure is solitary. That's right. verse 23 a man hath joy by the answer of his mouth and a word spoken in due season

how good is it when I see this verse I think of Jackie Gleason how sweet it is how sweet it is septuagint translation a man rejoices in the utterance of his mouth and a Seasonable word is good.

I almost said reasonable. It's a seasonable word is good. Yes. The Aramaic Peshida, a man has joy by the reply of his mouth, and a word in its time, how good it is. Yeah.

In its time, in its season. See that coming up again and again. There's good word. but is it the right time? And you need wisdom to know the timing. Right. A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth. Speech guided by wisdom.

Bring satisfaction to both the speaker and the person who hears the speaker. A man has joy by the answer of his mouth. We've established this many times. Words have power. They have creative power. But words, when they're bathed in grace, grace-soaked words produce joy. Peace, harmony.

reconciliation the words have to be soaked in grace so scripture says the answer of his mouth that implies a thoughtful spirit-led response not just a reaction you should always respond

never react keep that in mind When something is happening that requires you to say something, respond, don't react. To react is to speak impulsively in response to something that somebody else has said or done. But to respond is to think it through and to silently pray. God, what do you desire me to say in this situation? You have react or respond. Fools react, wise people respond.

So a man has joy by the answer of his mouth. An inward happiness, a satisfaction of knowing that you spoke, words in love. You spoke truth in love. So really, Doc, why speech has its own reward? It

when your mouth is used correctly, it enriches your soul. Amen. There's a blessing for speaking the right way. Sanctify communication.

And a word spoken in due season, how good is it? Amen. What's due season? The proper moment. The right time when a word fits the need. To offer comfort when somebody is in sorrow. To offer correction when somebody is in error. to offer encouragement when somebody is afraid.

It's a word spoken in due season. It's like, hmm, how good it is. Oh, that's so good. How many times has it happened to you? That you're going through a situation. And then somebody says something to you. They have no idea what they just said the meaning it has to you.

And it just hits you like, not like a baseball bat. It hits you like the aroma from a bouquet of roses. Right. Oh, yeah. How sweet it is, yes. Oh, oh, smell that. Just take that in. Lilacs.

But how about those times where you're getting good words, but it's just not the right time? Right. And so they don't produce that joy and that peace. They can actually wound. It can wound. Oh, yeah, it was truthful. But it wasn't spoken in love.

It wasn't spoken in love at the right time. The real purpose in it is the speaker wants to get his or her dagger into you. They may not. Or to win their point. They want to win their point. They want to win their point. Yeah, I know this is going to hurt you. I know this is going to offend you, but I'm going to say it anyhow.

It's the truth. You know it's the truth. And I'm only helping you. They justify by, you know, it's the truth. Yes, but the way you speak the truth can hurt, wound somebody, or can heal them. Right. Speak the truth in love at the right time, in the due season. when the word fits

then it's a sweet aroma and talk two of the flower fragrances I just oh what three okay

lilacs honeysuckle and orange blossoms oh orange blossoms they're great Oh, folks, those of you who aren't in Florida, oh. When the orange blossoms are in the air, when the groves of orange trees are blossoming, oh my, you think you went to heaven. It's just an aroma that's hard to describe how sweet it is.

Yeah. My wife, Mia, has about two dozen rose bushes and plants around our house, front yard, backyard. And it's just such a way, and they're always blooming. I don't know how we grow roses here in Florida, but we do. And different collars and everything, but to just walk up to it and just, you don't have to breathe in deep, just because the rose is just, it's like the smell chases you down. Yes. So a word spoken in due season, spoken in love at the right time, is like that aroma of beautiful flowers.

How sweet it is. It's medicine for the soul. It can save somebody, heal somebody, it can strengthen them, encourage them. So timing is an act, it's an art, it's an art of love. to know, to discern when another person's heart is ready to receive what truth must say to him or her. There are times when you know what that person needs to hear, and yet the Holy Spirit will say not yet. They're not ready for it. Or you're not ready to speak it in love.

So how good it is. It just means that there's divine approval. It's pleasant and holy. Well, look at the commentators, Adam Clark said there is a moral beauty in seasonable. speech, it is not only truth but truth well-timed that does the work of grace. Alexander McLaren, the wise know when silence is golden and when a word is a jewel. A fitting word is a seed of joy sown in time's fertile soil. G. Campbell Morgan, God's words are always in season. The nearer we walk with him, the more timely

our speech becomes. William or not, words fitly spoken are rare gems shaped by wisdom, polished by love, set in the moment that makes them shine. Charles Spurgeon said, say the right word at the right time

and angels themselves could not speak better. A good word is God's silver, a timely one, his goal. That's interesting, Doc. Spurgeon makes a differentiation between a good word and a timely word. One's silver, one's gold. Both are good, but one's better. Yeah, he went on to say, season speech is the golden apple in a silver setting.

A golden apple in a silver setting. I like that picture. Spurgeon could create word pictures. Verse 24, The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath. The Septuagint translation says, the ways of life are above for the wise

that he may depart from hell beneath. The way of life is above to the wise. so we know the way of life this is the pathway through life everybody has a way but they're not all to life some people have a way to death others have a way of life

the way of life is a moral pathway a pilgrimage that is eventually ends with eternal residence with God that's the end of the road

it's the end of the road it's a horizontal not vertical it is rising above sin rising above ignorance rising above worldiness

the the above signifies both direction and destination. We're in a heavenward pursuit. We're traveling with the eventual destination being eternity. Now, The way of life is narrow. It's steep.

I mean, it has some, it has some restrictions to it. It's a narrow pathway. You're always climbing upward. Doc, you're never going downward on the way of life to heaven. So would you say that holiness has altitude, but sin has gravity. Yeah.

The way of life is climbing. Yeah. The way of life we're always climbing, climbing higher and higher and higher. And what does this say here? The way of life, the ways of life are above for the wise, but he that may depart from hell beneath.

The pashita, the path of life is above for the wise, that he may turn away from sho beneath. So we are constantly gaining altitude. We're going home. We're on a upward trajectory headed towards eternal life with our father. It's a pathway above, above the world, above temptation, above all of the pleasures of life. It's above. Why? That we may depart from hell beneath.

It says show. Hell, place of the dead. The realm of dead, of death. It's beyond a physical grave. It's a place of the dead. So this proverb's got two directions. Upward toward God, downward towards corruption. The wise of sin by faith, the fools to sin by folly.

Think of two escalators. One's going up, one's going down. That's the best analogy I can think of. Which one are you riding? Both people got on the escalators. Both people chose the direction they wanted to go. You going up or are you going down? You going to the top floor?

You're going to the basement. with this, if you can get that analogy, that picture of two escalators, then you understand this scripture. The ways of the wise are above, that he may depart from hell beneath. You want to be on the escalator that's going up. The fools are on the escalator going down. The wise ascend upward by faith, the fools descend downward by folly. Amen. That's really easy. Now you get, I say, I got to make sure I'm on the right escalator.

So, departing from hell is not, it's more than just avoiding judgment. but it is deliverance from the path that leads to it make sure you're on the right escalator in life amen

but know this that downward escalator it begins in small compromises right see you could be on an escalator that it's just gently declining you're really not even aware it's declining it's so gentle

that's called compromise right I would say that keeping your thoughts on heaven is a good way to avoid hell to depart from hell beneath means to forsake sin slope yes holiness is a climb foolishness is a slide it's easier to slide than to climb I mean, sliding is easy. Climbing is requires exertion.

This path of life is the way of Christ. He descended to lift us up. He us send it to prepare our dwelling above. So every upward step is a victory over sin's gravity. Sin has a gravitational pool. It's easy to submit to gravity. Charles Bridges said the world drags downward, grace draws upward.

The wise live above the clouds in the sunshine of God's favor. Adam Clark said the wise man's soul is ever ascending as flames rises, as a flame rises from the hearth. The fool sinks lower by the weight of sin. the Christian's life is a climb, not a drift. The way of life lies upward because the heart's home is above. G. Campbell Morgan, wisdom always lives, folly always drags down. The choice between them is the choice between heaven and hell.

William are not. Holiness is assent. Every step heavenward is a step away from perdition. And Charles Spurgeon, grace makes the Pilgrim's Path an upward way, the wise climb to eternal life while the fool slides downward to death. But, Doc, when you're on a slide, you're laughing. Yeah. Wee.

Yeah, you get your hands up in here. This is so cool. I'm having so much fun. I'm sliding. Yeah, I remember my father-in-law one time he was quoting, you know, son, I was sinking deep in sin. He said, I was sinking deep in sin. Wee.

But isn't that the attitude? People, they're on the downward slide and they're just, they're enjoying the slide, but they don't realize that at the end of the slide is judgment in hell. But, talk to the ones who are sliding down and they're laughing, and got their arms up in the air and look how much fun we're having. They don't realize

that at the bottom of the slide is death. But as they're going down, they're looking over to the people going up and they're like, look at those guys. They're huffing and puffing. They're exerting themselves. They're walking and climbing

and come on over here. Slide with us. Yes. They don't want to slide alone. Come slide with me. Come slide with me. Isn't that what people are saying to us every day? Come slide with me.

And it's tempting. You look at it and they're laughing. They're having a great time. They're sliding their way to hell. They don't understand that it's. It's not a swimming pool that they splash into, but they splash into flames. Our last verse, 25. The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, but he will establish the border of the widow.

All the translations say the same thing. the Lord will destroy the house of the proud proud of the proud of the proud the house of the proud represents not just an attitude but a habitation an entire life built on self exaltation pride the house, the life, the legacy of the proud. The house represents the person's estate, their net worth, their achievements, their legacy, everything, all of it built as a monument to themselves. But divine judgment strikes, it is God. himself who destroys the legacy of the proud.

Right. And isn't it interesting that God reverses the world's balance of power? So, you know, the wealthy, the arrogant, wealthy, the arrogant rich, they take pride in what they possess and what they own. And yet God flips this script around and defends the helpless, the widow. Yeah. And expands her border. Expans. There we go again.

We're expanding the border. Stretching the tent. Moving the pegs. The word destroy here means complete removal. To be rooted out. To be overthrown. To be uprooted. Removed.

That's what destroy means. So the proud build high, but the Lord strikes higher still. Yes. The Lord resist the proud because the proud resists him. Amen. Why does God resist the proud? Because the proud resist him. Absolutely.

so what is pride pride is is spiritual usurpation it is it is a man or woman taking god's throne within his own being sitting on his own throne okay so The Lord removes the structure and the foundation. He doesn't even allow that person's foundation to survive. But he will establish the border of the widow. The border refers to the ancient practice of boundary stones that marked properties. You know, it's interesting that the scripture, in the scripture, that God puts, it's a high value on boundaries.

I mean, he radically condemns anyone that moves a boundary stone. I mean, he comes down hard on people. You wouldn't think that would be that big a deal, but God honors borders. He honors boundaries because it's a reflection of his nature. So, Doc, that's going to prompt me to say something about narcissists. Narcissus are people that do not respect your boundaries. Yes.

What's a narcissist do? They're moving your boundary stones. They're crossing your boundary lines. And they're daring you to do something about it. But as you said, God respects boundaries. And in particular, he will personally get involved when somebody crosses the boundary of a widow. He becomes the widow's guardian.

He defends the poor, he defends the widows, and he defends the orphans. Why? Because they're vulnerable. And they can be hurt. They can be overtaken by bullies. So widows, when they are godly, godly widows are under divine protection. Yes. Godly widows and innocent orphans. Yes.

So look at the conscience. contrast, the proud, they're many, they're powerful, the widow is alone and powerless. And yet she stands because God upholds her. I know we have widows in this class. You need to understand that God is your defender. Yes. He is your defender. He will personally get involved in your life.

when someone is attempting to mislead you, hurt you, cheat you, cheat you, you, God will get involved. It's just to establish. Establish means to make something firm, immovable, enduring. Isn't it interesting that the widow's border is more secure than the proud person's fortress? Because God's defending it. Okay. There's another principle in God's economy.

He tears down self-reliance and he strengthens dependence. on him. Yes. God is pleased by our dependence on him. Charles Bridges said the proud erect their palaces upon sand. The widow builds upon

the rock of ages. The almighty is her defense. Albert Barnes said, Proverbs shows God's moral government. Arrogance is unstable. Humility is invincible. William are not justice that overthrows the oppressor is the same hand that studies the oppressed. Charles Spurgeon, the Lord himself is the widow's landmark.

Pride builds for time. Humility builds for eternity. interesting concept doc yes pride builds for a long time humility says if we can now do that we're going to go for eternity

time when time ends eternity kicks in the wise build for eternity well doc that's all I have today on these verses. Do you have anything else you want to add?

Well, I've got a new commentator that I've been adding to the mix as I prepare for lessons. And brother, S.M. Lockridge, he's the one that does the reading, That's My King. And a black preacher from a long time back, and he's got a book of comments on the scripture. You're talking about Shadrach, Nishat, Lohar. in a bed and a go and so he had a interesting take on hit this verse he says the Lord will

bulldoze the palace of the proud but he'll put a fence around a widow's potato patch I thought that was a nice turn of phrase there so Brother Lockridge and so probably be hearing a little bit more from him so but yeah this is a great

passage here and really gets right down to you know where joy comes from and the importance of counsel watching our words the things that we say that our speech and not just our speech but timely speech you know do our words and actions are they pointed heavenward or are they being pulled down by sins of gravity and then this last verse we're talking about divine justice god will topple the things we build ourselves, but he'll defend the inheritance of the helpless. Yes.

There are five things I'll say in summary about these verses. Number one, folly builds without foundation. Number two, wisdom builds with counsel. Number three, righteous speech fortifies the structure. And number four, the upward path sustains it. And number five, humility ensures its permanence. Amen. That's the message in these five verses in the book of Proverbs, chapter 15.

All right, Doc. That's it for me today. We'll be back here tomorrow. Yes, on the Thursday edition of Morning Manette, God bless you. We love you, and we'll see you then.