Hopefully all of you have been making good progress on the goals that you have set for 2025. For my next set of communion messages I thought I would give nine messages on Proverbs 16:1-9 - which is a chiastic arrangement of proverbs that help us to properly plan for the future. These proverbs caution us in how we make our plans and how we implement those plans. They are fairly simple proverbs, and yet because of opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil, we often find it difficult to make good plans and to succeed in our plans. So as we come to the communion table we can be reminded that we need Christ for our plans to succeed in this sin-cursed world. That's the goal for this mini-series of communion messages.

The first proverb says, "The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." Since these nine verses are formed as a chiasm, this is parallel to and filled out by verse 9, which says, "A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Both proverbs deal with the need to submit our plans to the Lord if those plans are to succeed, but I will be tackling them separately since each proverb fills out further details related to our planning.

The contrast is using synthetic parallelism, not antithetic parallelism

And since most of you don't read Hebrew, I want to begin by pointing out what kind of parallelism is being shown in each of these proverbs. They alternate between two kinds of parallelism. And the Hebrew word for "but" is usually translated as "and" or "both." In any case, everyone recognizes that verse 1 uses the Hebrew concept of synthetic parallelism, not the antithetic parallelism that we find in some of the other proverbs in this section.

So what is Synthetic Parallelism? It is a kind of parallelism where the second half of the proverb adds to and completes the thought in the first half. Antithetic parallelism does the opposite. It uses contrasts to help interpret each side.

Now, if this was antithetic parallelism, it would be saying that we alone are in charge of our inward plans (a scary thought), but God alone is in charge of what comes out of our mouths and we don't have to take the blame for what comes out of our mouths (another scary thought). That is definitely not what this proverb is teaching or it would limit God's sovereignty and would blame God for our mistakes. Instead, man has a part to play in both halves of the parallel. Man after all does use his tongue; he does speak; he does answer. Likewise, the LORD (who is mentioned in the second half of the proverb) does have a part to play in both parts. We need God to help our inner thoughts to prosper, and we need God to help the outward expression of our plans to be prosper. Man must be involved in both parts, but it is critical that we submit both our thoughts and our words to the Lord. So the key to understanding this proverb is to realize that it is using synthetic parallelism. And you can still see that it is synthetic parallelism if you translate the Hebrew word vav as a "but" rather than the normal translation of "and," provided that it is the kind of "but" that says that this can't be all that there is to the preparations of the heart. We also need the Lord to be involved in both parts. And understanding those two kinds of parallelism is critical to understand the book as a whole.

Man's responsibility

So what is man's responsibility? First, he needs to carefully think through his plans before he commits himself with his tongue to those plans. The Hebrew word for "preparations" is defined by the dictionary as careful thinking, reflection, or planning. We shouldn't just spend two minutes to come up with plans for the week or for the next year. Before we commit to doing anything in the future we need to carefully process, think through the ramifications of what we are doing, think about potential obstacles to our plans, and what the solutions to those obstacles there might be, and then make inward preparations for the future.

But since synthetic parallelism requires that man be in both halves and God be in both halves, we need to also have an answer of the tongue. It obviously needs to be an answer that comes from the Lord, but we do need to use our tongue. After all, the tongue reveals what is in the heart, right? So the answer of the tongue deals with committing ourselves to our plans. Others need to know that we have made these plans. That way we are more accountable to live them out.

So we have a responsibility day by day to plan and to then commit to those plans. These nine verses will show that there are any number of sinful things inside of us and external to us that can ruin our plans, and we need to anticipate those, make plans to get around those obstacles, and do our best by God's grace to achieve those plans. God is a planner who always implements His plans and He expects us (men and women who are made in His image) to plan and to try to implement our plans. Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." In other words, hasty plans are not usually good. Proverbs 15:22 says, "Without counsel, plans go awry." If we just do what comes naturally without planning, it won't go well.

God's grace in our plans

But the second half of this synthetic parallelism reminds us that our commitments or answers of the tongue must come from the Lord. We have a responsibility to plan and to commit to those plans, but we also have a responsibility to make sure that what we are planning has been laid before the Lord, is approved by the Lord, is enabled by the Lord, and is prospered by the Lord. The chiastic parallel in verse 9 fills this out a bit by saying, "A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." 1 Chronicles 28:11 shows that Solomon made detailed plans for building the temple, but his plans all came from the Holy Spirit. It's both/and. Obviously he had inspired plans - something we can't have, but the principle is the same. God must be at the center of our planning and of the commitments we make to those plans.

So as you can see, the message of verse 1 is such a simple message. But we need God's grace to live it out on a week by week basis. And that's why we come to the Lord's Table - we need His grace. And as you come, I would encourage you to do two things: 1) First, tell the Lord that you are quite willing for Him to blue-pencil in any adjustments He wants to make to the plans that you have already made. Submit your plans to Him. 2) Second, ask Him to prosper your plans by His grace. This meal is His promise that He loves to prosper the plans of the righteous. When our plans have been saturated in prayer and are dependent upon Him, we can have the same testimony that Paul had in Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Come to the table with that confidence. Let's pray.

Father, we glory in the fact that Your Providence is not haphazard. You are a planner, and your predestination commits Yourself to those plans. And we want to be more and more like You. We do not want to be irresponsible in our planning. And so we ask this morning that you would give us guidance as we make plans and as we adjust our plans, and that You would give us grace to follow through on our commitments. We recognize the resistance that the world, the flesh, and the devil's kingdom constantly bring to our planning, and yet we glory in your promise in 2 Corinthians 10 that "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." Take our plans captive and make them prosper by Your almighty grace. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.