Proverbs 16:7
Peace with Our Enemies
• This is one of those proverbs that needs to be understood as a proverb! What Solomon says here is not true in every case.
• There are many exceptions to this rule… especially when it comes to persecution.
• But in general, Solomon’s words present a truth worth learning.
1. This proverb speaks of one particular benefit of walking with the Lord: it enables us to experience peace with our enemies.
a. By walking in such a way as to please the Lord IMPLIES that the person is walking in OBEDIENCE to God’s Word and IMPLEMENTING the principles of God’s Word to his daily life.
b. When a believer’s heart is right with God, and his behavior is in tune with God’s Word, that has a tremendous impact on outward circumstances… especially his relationship to men.
c. In fact it is hard NOT to get along with someone who is filled with the Spirit—whose life is characterized by love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, etc.
2. In a roundabout way, Solomon is teaching in this passage that much of the turmoil we have to endure in life is self-inflicted!
a. When our ways are NOT pleasing to the Lord, it is likely that we will make enemies.
b. When we are NOT filled with the Spirit… but are controlled by the flesh, we are much more likely to become embroiled in a conflict.
c. Examples of that which does NOT please the Lord:
• Lying…
→ A false witness that speaketh lies—one of the seven deadly sins.
→ Prov. 26:28 – it causes both parties to hate one another.
→ Ps. 40:4 – people lose all respect for a liar.
→ Ps. 101:7 – godly people reject the fellowship of unrepentant liars.
→ We lose friends and turn them into enemies when we lie.
• Stealing… who likes the one caught stealing from them?
• Adultery… Prov. 6:30-35 – this sin creates enemies for life!
• Gossip… Prov. 17:9 – separates chief friends.
• When our ways are not pleasing to God because of our sin, our ways are not usually pleasing to men either!
• Those whose ways do not please the Lord often CREATE enemies.
d. When our ways do NOT please the Lord, we INVITE trouble and hostility, and CREATE enemies.
3. Ways that are pleasing to the Lord.
a. Col. 1:10 – a worthy walk…
b. Col. 3:20 – children obeying their parents…
• Disobedient children grow up to be disobedient adults… rebels… and create all kinds of trouble for themselves.
c. Ps. 69:30-31 – a life of praise and thanksgiving
• The opposite: a life of bitterness and discontent results in strife… contention… making enemies.
d. Phil. 4:18 – giving is well pleasing to the Lord.
• Instead of stealing, which creates enemies, give! That creates friends.
e. Prov.11:1 – honesty—
• God is delighted in an honest businessman. So are his customers.
• The dishonest businessman makes enemies.
1. MANY things are true of the man whose ways please the Lord. This is just one of many benefits: PEACE!
a. He has peace with God because he does that which pleases the Lord.
b. He has peace with men… because NORMALLY that kind of a lifestyle is pleasing to men too.
2. Those whose ways are pleasing to God often discover that those ways also bring us into favor with men.
a. Luke 2:52 – this was true early in the life of Christ.
b. Prov. 3:3-4 – by showing mercy and being truthful… normally enables us to find favor in the sight of God and men.
c. Romans 14:16-18 – the one who cares about his testimony (vs.16) usually finds favor with God and men.
d. Matt. 5:44 – when we obey the command of Jesus to love one’s enemies, we please the Lord… and it goes a long way to making peace with our enemies too.
e. The best way to be reconciled with our enemies is to be first to be in a right relationship to God and obedient to His Word and ways.
f. Of course, there are lots of exceptions to this rule, but it is generally the case.
1. Rom. 12:18 – Some people are hard to get along with.
a. They might be overly picky… overly sensitive, self centered, irritable, etc.
b. The command is to put EFFORT into trying!
c. As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men… This is an ALL OUT effort to make or keep peace.
d. Normally that kind of effort results in peace.
e. God often blesses the efforts of those who OBEY GOD… those who put in the effort to try to live peaceably.
2. Even if the enemies still hate you, they may find no fault and thus no cause for war or hostility.
a. Titus 2:7-8; Phil. 2:14-15 – Don’t give the enemy any ROOM to find fault… by living a life that is pleasing to God!
b. Dan. 6:3-5 – his enemies could find no fault in him—no excuse for hostility.
c. I Pet. 3:13 – who is he that will harm you if you are followers of that which is good? They may still hate you, but God will protect you! Who are they to stand up against God?
d. Rom. 8:31 – If God be FOR us, who can be against us?
e. God is a shield and a buckler to those whose ways please Him. He protects them… He guards them against evil.
3. We would do well to realize that even our enemies are in the hands of the Lord…
a. God raises up friends in a time of need; and He is able to turn enemies into friends.
b. The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Prov. 21:1)
c. Whether our enemy is the king or anyone else… God is sovereign, omniscient, and omnipotent.
d. God can change their minds…
e. God can reverse circumstances…
f. He can cause enemies to exert their energies elsewhere…
g. He can force them into submission…
h. He can cause them to run away with their tails between their legs.
i. He can slay them if He so chooses…
j. God is plenty ABLE to handle all of our enemies…
k. Even the Goliaths we face which cause us to tremble, are nothing to the Lord.
l. And God delights in giving peace to those whose ways please Him.
4. God is able to change the hearts of men at will.
a. Jer. 15:11 – God caused the enemies of Jeremiah to entreat him (plead with him; come to him for help)… rather than come after him to destroy him.
b. Acts 9:1, 2, 20 – God turned Saul, the enemy of the church into Paul, the friend of the church!
c. Gen. 33:4 – God changed the heart of Esau towards Jacob.
5. Some have questioned whether the “HE” in vs. 7 is the Lord or the man whose ways please the Lord.
a. There is an element of truth in both interpretations… but obviously, Solomon had only one in mind.
b. The Jewish Rabbis believed the “he” referred to the man whose ways please the Lord.
• When his ways please the Lord, (he—the man) makes his enemies to be at peace with him through his actions.
• That is a legitimate view… for the pronoun is a bit ambiguous… and this view makes perfect sense.
• It IS certainly true that our lifestyle AFFECTS our relationship with other people.
c. It is also possible to interpret the pronoun “He” to refer to God… and the two views are not far apart.
• When our ways please God… those same ways ARE usually pleasing to men too.
• And when we walk with God, He (GOD) blesses our efforts.
• He protects us, He is sovereign over circumstances, He delights in taking care of His children who walk with Him.
• Ultimately the blessed results are to be traced back to God.
d. The blessed results of peace with enemies can be traced in the immediate to OUR efforts and ways… but ultimately, it is to be traced back to God. To God be the glory.
6. Walking in such a way so as to please God is preventative medicine; it keeps others from becoming hostile toward us.
a. Ways that please the Lord not only can change an enemy into a friend… or at least remove the hostility and bring peace.
b. But ways that please the Lord can also enable us to PREVENT enemies from being created!
c. IF we START doing the things that please the Lord, we can avoid CREATING enemies.
d. Instead of lying, telling the truth!
e. Instead of gossip, edifying the brethren!
f. Instead of stealing, giving!
g. Normally that kind of behavior is pleasing to both God AND man.
h. That kind of behavior often turns enemies into friends… or it will prevent enemies from ever being made!