“Many a man claims to have unfailing love,
but a faithful man who can find?”

This particular proverb fell into another category. It asks a question that forces introspection from the reader. When we consider this proverb, we see from God’s perspective as He looks on the sons of men to see ‘if there are any who understand, any who seek God’. The answer, as in Psalm 14, is a mournful one: no one. I believe this proverb along with psalms like Psalm 14 help us to see the need for Jesus to come. For my family, I called it the ‘Longing’ proverb. This ‘longing’ for One to come and fulfill what we cannot, is echoed throughout the Old Testament.

For us, as we considered how Jesus fulfilled this proverb, we were encouraged to think on His unfailing love and on passages like 1 Corinthians 1:9 that spoke of how we are invited to share fellowship with Jesus.

Though the proverb is mournful because Jesus had not yet come, we are filled with joy because He has! He is Wisdom’s Fulfiller and is the fullness of God, Colossians 1:19.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:17-19

Who can find Him, this Man who is both Faithful and True? Only those who believe in Jesus and call on His name.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

It all started with watching kids shout about Karate during a training session. The sensei would give the kids empowering phrases to scream before he began the day’s lesson, and they would respond by shouting it back to him at the top of their lungs.

This gave me an idea for our Spiritfire times. I saw how much they enjoyed screaming about martial arts, though my kids didn’t really enjoy the actual lessons, so I wanted to give them something to yell at the beginning of our devo-times that actually gave them real power.

I had them back up as far as they could and then run to the middle of the room and jump up real high stomping their feet as they landed. After they did this, I had them shout: “I am a child of God! (They would make a fist and pound their chest) He loves me! (They’d point to heaven), so I love me! (They’d point to themselves)”

Our Spiritfire times have never been the same.

“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”

As soon as we opened the door on this one, we knew it was talking about another bad seed like 19:24, 28 and so many more. We were immediately given a window view into Folly’s house and we witnessed the lot of those who succumb to the drink. Abused wives, beaten kids, lost jobs, lost souls, our hearts were heavy as Betsy and I explained this Proverb to our kids.

Substance abuse has overtaken so many. The overdose of various drugs takes the lives of the users and destroys their families. “Led astray” is too gentle a way of putting it.

We couldn’t focus on the darkness for long and began looking for Jesus. Over the years I have had the honor of leading worship for different groups like Celebrate Recovery, drug rehabilitation centers, and prison ministries. In much the same way as this Proverb revealed the darkness, each opportunity to praise Jesus revealed His Light.

I learned people become dependent on whatever substance they are addicted to. What do they receive from such a reliance? Pain, misery, and darkness. I have heard everyone’s addicted to something. Changing one’s addiction from drugs to Jesus is like changing from darkness to Light. What do they receive from such a reliance?

You tell me.

I’ve heard stories of families restored, lives healed, and hope returned as the Holy Spirit moves. Turns out the Love of Jesus is a better brawler than beer, and His blood is better than wine.

“Stop listening to instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”

As we looked at this proverb to explore the wisdom it taught, we were surprised to see a mirror reflection of proverb 19:20. Much like the multiples of 9, you see the reflection as you pass from 45 to 54, the following numbers follow the pattern. And like that pattern, the two proverbs mirror each other in form and meaning. If you stop listening, not only will you not be “counted among the wise”, you will be counted among a different group, the fools. You will stray and be lost to the discernment from the advice you could have gained. This “Core” proverb revealed the price of disobedience by looking at the other side of the apple, the dark side of the moon.

We then looked again for how Jesus fulfilled this proverb. He is the Word, John 1, there is no greater knowledge than knowing Him. He is Way, John 14:6, and as we follow Him, we will not stray. And just as Jesus submitted to the Father and became the “source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him”, Hebrews 5:9, if He didn’t, then there would be no salvation and we would all be lost doomed to stray in the darkness for He is the Light of the world, John 8:12.

My kids met a man the other day who questioned them about Jesus. He asked, “Why don’t you believe in a god that has a cooler name?” As my kids see first hand how Jesus fulfilled all wisdom, was the new Adam that opened the way for us to be new creations and provided salvation for all who obey Him, they truly understood Acts 4:12. For when it comes to names:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

“Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother
is a child who brings shame and disgrace.”

When we opened this treasure chest we were immediately confronted with a seed that would grow to become a poisonous vine whose fruit destroys families. Luke 15:11–32, is the fullest example and explanation of this Proverb. In those verses, Jesus told us of a son who did exactly what the proverb foretold. He took his inheritance and spent it on ‘wild living’ bringing shame and disgrace on his father who in turn took the opportunity to give his son something worth much more than a material inheritance. As has already been said, his material inheritance was spent on ‘wild living’, but this other kind of inheritance from his father was of a spiritual nature- love and forgiveness. It couldn’t be spent in such a way on such things.

We then began to see Jesus, the Son and “heir of all things” Hebrews 1:2, who took the riches of God and lavished them on us, Ephesians 1:7-10. This proverb, as fulfilled by Jesus, exposed the building blocks of the Kingdom of God. In so doing, Jesus didn’t bring shame and disgrace but was “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”, Hebrews 1:3.

Jesus fulfilled this proverb and his own parable not by ‘wild living’, but by wild loving.

“Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.”

During Spiritfire, our family devotion time with God, we have been creating names for the different proverbs to help us classify the type of wisdom within them. I know I’ve already shared some: “Coin” proverbs, “This and More” proverbs, “If-Then”, etc. Even though some proverbs defy it, we’ve found that by placing them in their correct classification it can help us to better learn from them. Proverbs 19:20, for my family, has been placed among the “Core” proverbs. These proverbs tap directly into the theme of wisdom and knowledge taught from chapter 1:1-7.

One of the rules I have given my kids when eating apples is, “You’re not finished with your apple till I can see the core.” This rule has needed refinement over the years due to the creative ways my kids will eat one spot to the core leaving the rest of the apple untouched, but they understood the point. The “Apple-core Rule” has become a template for the type of kids I want them to become. You will learn the accurate meaning/character of something/someone when you get to the core.

Proverbs 19:20, along with others like 19:11, reveal keys for attaining the vast treasures of the fear of the Lord. By listening to advice, we shortcut the pain of learning by experience alone. By accepting discipline and living in obedience to it, we learn discernment and humility as we often need to be taught the difference between right and wrong. The result of these dual crucibles is the whole point of why Proverbs was written: to be “counted among the wise”.

Hebrews 5:8-10 reveals how this proverb was fulfilled through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, achieving for Him perfection so that He became, “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him”. This “Core” proverb revealed the very heart of God.

“A person’s wisdom yields patience;
it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

It is astounding how on target Scripture is. With this one proverb, thousands of years old, it quickly ascertains the short sighted impetus of today. For my children, politics aside, we spoke of a garden. We discussed seed time and harvest. Wisdom is a seed that when planted firmly and deeply into the gardens of our hearts, souls, and minds, bears much fruit when given time. We saw “an offense” as a weed that, in a mysterious way in our mysterious gardens, can only be pulled by overlooking it.

“Glory” was the doorway we entered to see how Jesus fulfilled this proverb. Because of His sacrifice on the cross God overlooked sin, the greatest offense from the Garden till the End. The highest glory be unto Him, amen.

This proverb revealed the path God took for our salvation.

A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.

Proverbs 19:9

This was the proverb for our last Spirit Fire. After we discussed what it meant and compared it with 19:5, we came to the question that really opened the night up: How will this happen? We found that this was really about God’s justice and righteousness. He will do it. His justice demands it.

We took a step back and saw the seed of wisdom that the Proverb practically screamed: Don’t be a false witness!! Tell the truth! Which lead perfectly into my favorite question: Where is Jesus, how does He fulfill this proverb? He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! To see Him more fully, we looked at this proverb’s reflection. If perishing awaited a false witness, what awaits those who follow the True Witness: “They will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. It got fun as we realized how Jesus fulfilled it by flipping it. We take upon ourselves His righteousness. It enables us to pass through the punishment due us.

In the end we caught a glimpse of the fabric of this reality God’s righteousness demands and we saw how His love through His Son Jesus fulfilled it for our salvation. Amen Lord Jesus, amen.

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord.

Proverbs 19:3

This was the Proverb of our last Spirit Fire. The raging heart against God for the person’s own folly IS the folly that leads to ruin. Raging at the only One who can save us only serves to lock us in the dungeon and throw away the key. Repentance is the only path we can take that won’t lead to our destruction.

Repent, lay down your arms against the One who made you. Your anger can’t save you, only Jesus the Son of God can. All the rest is the path of the damned.