Introduction - the structural relationship of verse 6 to the rest of the chiasm
Continuing in my series of meditations on godly planning from Proverbs 16, I am going to look at verse 6 today. I have pointed out in past meditations that both structurally and thematically, all of verses 1-9 constitute a tightly knit commentary on the kind of planning that is pleasing to God. They point out that these verses have a chiastic structure of ABCDEDCBA. And I haven't explained the structure in much detail before, so let me do so now. The two A's of the chiasm (in other words, the beginning and ending verses of the chiasm - verses 1 and 9) set the theme of the chiasm - godly planning. Then, the first set of B,C,D, and E show the problems we face when we plan without God's wisdom, power, and grace. They are a wake-up call to make our planning Christ-centered. So the first half of the chiasm is the negative analysis of bad planning and the second half of the chiasm (verses 6-9) shows the positive solutions that God gives to the first half. And the answer is that God corrects our poor planning by His grace and His power. OK. Enough on the structure.
Let me read verse 6. It says, "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil." This verse shows that we need to approach planning with God's grace - a grace that is holy and that makes us want to be holy and to be more and more conformed to His truth in the way that we plan. Let's break the verse down into its two clauses.
God's mercy and grace does not make Him ignore the truth of His Word or the reality of sin in our planning (v. 6a)
First, God says, "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity." The Hebrew word for "atonement" literally means "to cover over," and has reference to covering us from God's wrath, pardoning us, releasing from debt, and forgiving a sin. And anyone who has been diligent in following God's mandate for planning knows from experience that we daily need that atonement. We fail frequently. The first half of the chiasm has already shown us how easy it is to have sin in our planning. We regularly need His forgiveness. For example, we can disobey God's mandate to plan out our future goals (verse 1). Planning is not an option, and if you are not engaged in planning, you are in sin. God is a planner, and He expects us to plan in sync with Him. Second, we can have impure motives when we plan (verse 2). Likewise, we can forget to commit our planning to the Lord (verse 3). Likewise, we can fail to submit to God's sovereignty and we can fret and fume and be frustrated with His providential detours, waits, and stops to our plans (verse 4). Likewise, we can be pridefully independent in our planning (verse 5). But praise God! When we acknowledge our sins, God is always ready to forgive us of our sins. That's His mercy and atonement. And it is one of many reasons why we worship and praise God. We love the atonement pictured in the Lord's Table.
But lest we then become cavalier about our sin and think that we can sin with a free hand (knowing that God will forgive us), God adds that His mercy is not a mercy that ignores the truth of His law. Nor does God stop hating iniquity. So in my outline I have summarized the first clause this way: "God's mercy and grace does not make Him ignore the truth of His Word or the reality of sin in our planning." And if God does not ignore truth and sin, neither should we. We are weekly reminded of our need of God's grace in the Lord's Table.
So we should neither be discouraged over the presence of sin that the Holy Spirit exposes nor become cavalier or indifferent to our sin. If we have truly tasted of God's mercy and grace, we will learn to say with David, "Oh, how I love your law; it is my meditation all the day." And as you come to the Lord's Table, ask God to give you David's attitude toward sin and his love for the truth of God's law.
This makes us fear the Lord and depart from evil in our planning (v. 6b)
The second clause says, "And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil." Where the first clause gives us a remedy for past sin, the second clause show us the remedy for the future; a remedy that motivates us to avoid repeating the same sin. It is the fear of the Lord. And there are entire books that show Christians how to put on the fear of the Lord. John Bunyan wrote a book called A Treatise on the Fear of the Lord. Robert Morey wrote another wonderful book on the subject called Fearing God. I think we might even have a copy in the back. The fear of the Lord for a believer is not a terror of God that keeps us away from God, but an awe of God's holiness and power that makes us attracted to Him and makes us not want to cross Him.
Well, how important is that fear of God? Romans 3:18 says that where there is no reverential fear of God, there is no Christianity. Paul describes unbelievers in these words: "There is no fear of God before their eyes." That's why they can sin with impunity and without fear of the consequences of sin. It's a kind of blindness. Robert Morey (a Reformed Baptist) says, "When men no longer fear God, there is no restraint upon their lusts."1 And Morey's book shows how it can no longer be said of the church as a whole that it is filled with God-fearing people. Christians sin with a high hand and have (as Jude 4 words it) turned the grace of God into an excuse for lasciviousness. The church desperately needs to learn what it means to reverentially fear the Lord. If they did, then it would be reflective in the church, and in the family. When kids can defy their parents with little to no fear of repercussions, the parents are not imitating Gods' Fatherhood. A child can have a great relationship with his father, yet fear defying him because he knows that he will receive the swift and firm discipline that true love requires. And when Christians can engage in sin with no fear of repercussions from God and with little to no repentance, it is evident that Robert Morey's blast against the church is true. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Morey says,
Evangelicals used to be called “a God-fearing people” ...fornication, babies out of wedlock, adultery and divorce were rarely seen in our circles. Church discipline was swift and sinners were rebuked for their wickedness. We even had high standards for the ministry and when a pastor fell into adultery and divorce, he left the ministry in disgrace. Today, we tolerate pastors who have gone through the cycle of adultery and divorce two or three times. Even when one pastor was caught on video tape “entertaining” hookers at a cheap motel, he is not only still pastoring his church, but back on TV as if there was nothing wrong!2
How sad! But that does not need to be true of us if take this clause seriously: "by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil." And the word "LORD" is Yehowah, the covenant name; the name that speaks love. But if you truly understand how holy God is and how much He hates sin, it would evoke a reverential fear that would motivate you to hate sin and to turn from sin the moment the Holy Spirit reveals it to your heart.
And this certainly applies to our planning. Very few people nowadays take seriously making spiritually sound goals for every area of their lives. But if they had the fear of God, they would. I highly recommend Robert Morey's book, Fearing God.
And as we approach the Lord's Table, we can have confidence that when we mourn over our sins and beg God to make us holy, He loves to apply the atonement of Jesus to cover His anger. But don't approach the Lord's Table without fear. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 says that the communion that the Israelites ate in the wilderness is the same spiritual food and drink that we drink, but because they ate and drank it without the fear of the Lord, they experienced God's disciplines. I'll pick up in the middle of Paul's description of God's disciplines, but want you to realize that Paul says that the same things can happen to us when we approach God's grace cavalierly. It says,
1Cor. 10:8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1Cor. 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
As Paul continues his discussion of the Lord's Table in chapter 11, He says,
1Cor. 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
God loves you enough to discipline you when you are not repentant. That's the bottom line. Repentance brings restoration, but lack of care about your sins results in discipline. If you are sick or have received other disciplines from the Lord that He has not reversed, consider that it may be because you have not departed from sin that He has convicted you of. This is a table that brings comfort to the afflicted, but it also afflicts the comfortable. So I urge you to ask God to give you a holy hatred for your sin and a resolve to depart from iniquity. Let's pray.
Father, please forgive us for any times we have been cavalier about our sin. We want to put on a reverential fear of You. We want to live in a way that please you. Enable us to keep growing in holiness week by week. Expose anything in us that is displeasing to You, and help us to find joy in a restored relationship with You. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus, our Atonement, our Mercy, and our Savior. Amen.