All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 2 Timothy 3:16 says. God the Holy Spirit is the Author of each of the 783,000 words of the Bible. But while God is the Author and subject of the entire Bible, some parts of this Book speak about Him more than others. Proverbs 15 is an example of a section of Scripture where the LORD, Jehovah God, is mentioned prominently by name. Chapter 15, together with chapter 16, speak of the word, “LORD,” more than any other two chapters throughout the book of Proverbs: nine times in Proverbs 15, and 10 times in Proverbs 16. Clearly, Solomon wants us to focus on the LORD. For this reason, we can entitle Proverbs 15 “Wisdom’s LORD.”
The theme of the previous chapter, Proverbs 14, is the benefits of fearing of the Lord. As we transition to Proverbs 15, Solomon wants us not only to fear Him but also to focus on Him. We should be able to answer the question from Proverbs 15, “What does the LORD do?” Let’s see some examples.
First, the LORD sees. Verse 3 says that “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” When people do good, they want eyes on them; they want public recognition of their actions. And the LORD sees when we do good. However, the LORD also sees when we do evil. No action is hidden from Him, even those done in secret. The LORD sees.
Second, the LORD loves. Notice the “delight” of the LORD in verse 8. Elsewhere in Proverbs, for example in 12:22, Solomon has explained that the LORD delights in honesty. Here, though, we see that the LORD also delights in and loves “the prayer of the upright.” He loves to hear the prayers of those that are robed in Christ’s righteousness. The LORD not only hears and delights in our prayers because we are justified, but He also takes pleasure in our steps of sanctification. “The LORD loveth him that followeth after righteousness.” The LORD loves it when we make righteous choices!
Third, notice the contrasting idea in verses 8-9. Since the LORD loves, He also hates. Verse 8 says that “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,” and then verse 9 describes how “the way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD.” An “abomination” is something detestable or abhorrent. Just as much as God loves righteousness, He is disgusted and angered by the sin of the wicked.
Modern people often stumble at the LORD’s hatred. They think that since He is love, He cannot hate. The Bible, though, is plain across Scripture: the LORD hates the way and the sacrifice of the wicked. In fact, you can read a list of things that He hates in Proverbs 6. The people and behaviors on that list are an abomination to Him. Obviously, then, those are things we should certainly avoid.
Fourth, the LORD knows. I take this idea from verse 11 and verse 26. In verse 11, the LORD knows the human heart, and in verse 26 the LORD knows wicked thoughts. We only have access to what other people are willing to reveal about themselves. God, though, can look past our pretentious exterior and examine the motives of our heart and the thoughts of our heat. What an incredible and comprehensive knowledge! Solomon reminds the reader that the LORD knows.
Fifth, verse 29 reminds us that the LORD hears. In the second point I mentioned that the LORD loves the prayers of the upright (v. 8), but verse 29 makes it clear that the Lord is always hearing “the prayer of the righteous.” Even if you don’t sense His presence, be assured that, because you’re robed in the righteousness of Christ and your sins have been forgiven, the LORD is hearing your prayers.
To conclude, let’s return to one of those nine instances the LORD is mentioned in Proverbs 15. Verse 16 says, “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” A person avoids a lot of trouble if he fears the LORD. We also learn that having the fear of the LORD, though possessing only a few resources, is better than to be empty of the fear of the LORD while having great treasures on this earth. We believers must get to the point where we stop pursuing treasures on this earth and we start pursuing righteousness and walking in the fear of the LORD. Why? Because the LORD sees, loves, hates, knows, and hears. These are some of the many attributes of Wisdom’s LORD.
The above article was written by James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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