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Proverbs 16:1

Preparations of the Heart

 

 

Introduction:

  1. Good men differ on the exact interpretation of this proverb, as is evidenced in the various translations and commentaries.
  2. Two possibilities:
    1. The preparations of the heart AND the answer of the tongue are from the Lord…
    2. The preparations of the heart is of man, and the answer of the tongue is of the Lord.

 

  1. Either way, the meaning is similar. The question is whether Solomon is saying that both are of the Lord or just one.
  2. Evidently the Hebrew leaves out the verb in this proverb, and it must be added by the translator  (is)
    1. The preparation of the heart --- in man.
    2. The answer of the tongue --- of God.
  3. Thus, the evidence seems to lean towards “b”.
    1. The preparations of the heart is of man, and the answer of the tongue is of the Lord.

 

 

The preparations of the heart in man

 

  1. Preparations Defined.
    1. Arrangement; plan; preparation  (Strongs)
    2. Plans, considerations, i.e., an orderly, purposed, arrangement of ideas with regard to future actions. (Dict. of Bib. Lang)
    3. It refers to the aspirations and considerations that come from the heart of man. (Zodhiates)
    4. Setting in order; often used in martial contexts of “drawing up in battle order.”  (Theol. Wordbook of the OT)
    5. The term is used only here in Prov. 16:1
    6. The root of the word appears as follows:

                                         i.    Ps. 23:5 – thou preparest a table before me…

                                        ii.    Gen.22:9 – Abraham laid the wood in order for the sacrifice…

                                      iii.    Judg. 20:22 – they put themselves in array for battle

 

  1. Of the heart.
    1. Solomon has in mind here preparations, plans, thoughts, and machinations of the heart…
    2. The particular KIND of plans Solomon had in mind must be determined by the context… and in this book that usually means the second half of the proverb.
    3. The proverb is dealing with the issue of the tongue… speech… communication…
    4. There is a DIRECT connection between the heart and the tongue.

                                         i.    Matt. 15:18 – evil in the heart will eventually come forth from the tongue.

                                        ii.    Matt.12:34-35 – good things OR evil things.

                                      iii.    Whatever a man treasures up in his heart will manifest itself outwardly… and probably through the tongue.

    1. Thus, the planning and inward thoughts seem to be related to a man’s speech.

                                         i.    Thinking through WHAT to say…

                                        ii.    Thinking through the best WORDING to use…

                                      iii.    Planning the best APPROACH in speaking to another person…

                                      iv.    Preparing for an ARGUMENT… putting all the effective, little daggers in a row…

                                       v.    Preparing to teach a SS class…

                                      vi.    Planning HOW to patch up a mess you made…

                                    vii.    Thinking through the TIMING of the planned speech

 

    1. Other than mere chit chat and gabbing, it is a good idea to THINK before we speak.

                                         i.    Cf. Prov. 15:28 – study to answer…

1.   The righteous man STUDIES to answer.

2.   Study Defined: Strongs: meditate, devise, muse, imagine  (used in Ps.1:1 – he meditates on the Word day and night)

3.   The righteous man in 15:28 is concerned about giving the RIGHT answer… which includes not only the right information, but the right spirit, attitude, delivery, setting, tone, and timing.

4.   That often requires time to THINK about HOW to answer… when, where, etc.

5.   That requires meditation in the heart… thinking it through… preparing words to say… 

6.   The preparation of the heart in 16:1 is similar to “studying to answer” in meaning.

7.   It is always a good idea to study to answer… to THINK before you speak.

                                        ii.    We do this all the time.   

1.   You have an interview for a new job… and you go over in your mind WHAT you might be asked and how you will answer…

2.   You have had an argument with your spouse, and know you want to make up… so you think through in your heart HOW to bring up the subject… what to say… what to avoid saying…

3.   You have a meeting with an unsaved friend and plan to give him the gospel… so you plan what verses to use… how to bring up the subject…

4.   You have to give a presentation of a product at work – you plan in your mind what to say…

5.   You are teaching a class at church and have to mull over in your heart how to illustrate the truth… how to word it for the level of your class…

6.   These are the preparations of the heart of which Solomon speaks.

 

    1. Thus, all the words that come out of our mouths originate in the heart.

                                         i.    For the important issues in life… they were most often mulled over in the heart first.

                                        ii.    In our hearts we prepare our speech… sometimes looking for just the right words… the right timing… the right setting… the right attitude…

 

  1. In man.
    1. IN MAN stands in contrast to FROM THE LORD in the second part of the proverb.
    2. The preparations of the heart are IN MAN.
    3. The answer of the tongue is FROM THE LORD.
    4. These are two different sources.
    5. Planning and preparing our speech is what WE do.

                                         i.    And Solomon is not disparaging or disapproving of that…

                                        ii.    It is normal, natural and right.

                                      iii.    15:28 says that is that the righteous man does! He studies – he plans and prepares his answers.

                                      iv.    16:23 – states that WISE men do the same. Their heart TEACHES their mouth what to say.

                                       v.    Planning and preparing speech is always the right thing to do. It is a demonstration of wisdom.

 

 

And the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD

 

  1. Answer: answer, response – Strongs
  2. The answer of the tongue = that which comes out of our mouths.
    1. The answer here is the summary of plans and preparations of the heart.
    2. This answer of the tongue here is the RESULT of the meditation, the forethought, the planning and preparation that went on INSIDE before it comes outside.

 

  1. Is from the Lord.
    1. The main point here is that however well we plan our words, the final outcome is of the Lord.
    2. This is the same thought as is found in Prov. 16:9 --- there is a difference.

                                         i.    Solomon is speaking about planning our speech in vs.1

                                        ii.    In vs. 9 he is speaking about men planning their WAY… their steps… what they want to DO, not say.

                                      iii.    And in both cases, Solomon tells us that plan as we may, the Lord is LORD.

                                      iv.    He is sovereign over the final outcome of all of our plans.

                                       v.    We say, “Man proposes, the Lord disposes.”

 

    1. This is true with all of the things we plan or prepare to SAY too!

Ţ    God is sovereign over the DELIVERY of our speech.

Ţ    God is sovereign over the CONTENT of our speech.

Ţ    God is sovereign over the SUCCESS of our speech.

Ţ    God is sovereign over the USE of our speech.

 

  1. God is sovereign over the DELIVERY of our speech.
    1. I know this first hand as a pastor.

                                         i.    There have been times when I felt supremely prepared to teach or preach… and at delivery time I tripped over my tongue…

                                        ii.    There have been other times when I felt unprepared to speak, and it came out smoothly. 

    1. Perhaps you have experienced the same thing.

                                         i.    On one occasion, at a job interview you were prepared to the hilt, and then fumbled all over the simplest questions they asked!

                                        ii.    On another occasion, you suddenly had an opportunity to witness to an unsaved friend – and though you didn’t have time to THINK… God gave you the words and they just flowed off your tongue!

                                      iii.    When it comes to speech and communication – God is LORD over our tongues.

 

  1. God is sovereign over the CONTENT of our speech.
    1. Again, as a pastor I struggle with this every week.

                                         i.    I prepare lessons – plan ahead – have my outline all written out… building the argument from the text…

                                        ii.    But the time runs out and I had to leave sections out

                                      iii.    God knew all about that. Perhaps it wasn’t God’s time for that truth to be said…

                                      iv.    Perhaps I was off base in my conclusions and God graciously refused to let me have time to say it…

    1. The answer of the tongue is from the Lord in your life too.

                                         i.    Perhaps you have planned a long, elaborate response to a friend… and when the question is finally asked, the Lord makes it clear that you should bite your tongue…

    1. Regardless of our plans, God has the right to change them… especially with our speech. He is Lord of the tongue too.
    2. He has the right to cut our speech off short… He has the right and the ability to give us just the right words to say…
    3. Consider Baalam. He prepared in his heart to CURSE Israel… but God overruled and he ended up blessing them!

 

  1. God is sovereign over the SUCCESS of our speech.
    1. Perhaps you have planned to witness to a friend – and have spent all week working on just the right words to use in presenting the gospel.
    2. The success of your gospel presentation is to be attributed to a sovereign God, not your ability as a wordsmith!
    3. God can use the words of a man with a limited vocabulary, who stutters, and whose knees knock as he speaks.
    4. God may choose to cause the words of an eloquent speaker fall flat on the ears of the hearers.
    5. Both men may have spent much time in planning in their hearts as they prepared to speak… but the final outcome – the success of their speech is from the Lord.
    6. I have CRINGED at times when I hear what some teachers have said in church meetings… worried about the people who heard it… wishing I could erase it. But God is sovereign. No need to worry. He is Lord. He allowed it for a reason.
    7. This puts us in our place…
    8. It also removes excuses. Whether we stumble like Aaron or speak like Moses… ultimately, the effectiveness of speech is in the hands of God.

 

  1. The BOLDNESS to speak is of the Lord too.
    1. There have been folks who made the greatest plans to speak up… but when the time came, they cowered away.
    2. Others have made similar plans to speak up, and were given the boldness to speak forth!
    3. Eph. 6:19-20 – Paul prayed for utterance… and boldness to speak…