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"He Gives Grace to the Humble tl

(Proverbs 3:34)

Introduction: As we look at this passage in the book of Proverbs this

morning, let us not forget the larger picture of why we are studying it.
Remember, Solomon wrote the book to be a book of instruction in godliness,
in wise behavior. At the beginning of the book, he wrote, "THE PROVERBS OF
SOLOMON THE SON OF DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL: TO KNOW WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION,
TO DISCERN THE SAYINGS OF' UNDERSTANDING, TO RECEIVE INSTRUCTION IN WISE
BEHAVIOR, RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE AND EQUITY; TO GIVE PRUDENCE TO THE NAIVE,
TO THE YOUTH KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRETION, A WISE MAN WILL HEAR AND INCREASE IN
LEARNING, AND A MAN OF UNDERSTANDING WILL ACQUIRE WISE COUNSEL, TO
UNDERSTAND A PROVERB AND A FIGURE, THE WORDS OF THE WISE AND THEIR RIDDLES"
(1:1-6). This book has something for everyone of us here. Whether yon are
young and have just begun to learn about what is pleasing to the Lord,
whether you are old and already know a great deal about dghteousness and
justice, or whether you are a parent seeking to raise your children in the
right ways of the Lord. Each of you needs this book. Each of you needs the
wisdom that i t brings. We might apply the same analogy that the Lord Jesus
Christ does at the end of His Sermon on the Mount, "THEREFORE, EVERYONE WHO
HEARS THESE WORDS OF MINE AND ACTS UPON THEM, MAY BE COMPARED TO A WISE MAN,
WHO BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON THE ROCK. AND THE RAIN DESCENDED, AND THE FLOODS
CAME, AND THE WINDS BLEW, AND BURST AGAINST THAT HOUSE, AND YET IT DID NOT
FALL, FOR IT HAD BEEN FOUNDED UPON THE ROCK. AND EVERYONE WHO HEARS THESE
WORDS OF MINE, AND DOES NOT ACT UPON THEM, WILL BE LIKE A FOOLISH MAN, WHO
BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON THE SAND. AND THE RAIN DESCENDED, AND THE FLOODS CAME,
AND THE WINDS BLEW, AND BURST AGAINST THAT HOUSE; AND IT FELL, AND GREAT WAS
ITS FALL'" (Matt. 7: 24-27). Every word of God is inspired and is to be
heeded by us. To do them is to gain a blessing. But to turn away from them
is to invite disaster upon your house.
In this section of Proverbs, Solomon is giving to us several contrasts
between the wicked and the righteous, something which he does throughout the
book. It is a very effective way of teaching godly principles. He says in
vv. 32-35, "THE CROOKED MAN IS AN ABOMINATION TO THE LORD; BUT HE IS
INTIMATE WITH THE UPRIGHT. THE CURSE OF' THE LORD IS ON THE HOUSE OF THE
WICKED, BUT HE BLESSES THE DWELLING OF THE RIGHTEOUS. THOUGH HE SCOFFS AT
THE SCOFFERS, YET HE GIVES GRACE TO THE AFFLICTED. THE WISE WILL INHERIT
HONOR, BUT FOOLS DISPLAY DISHONOR." The verse that we will want to focus on
this morning is verse 3L~, and what I want you to see is that,

The Lord will resist the proud hearted tv.ho do not submit to Ris
will, but He shows favor to those who are humble.
IWe will want to compare and contrast these two k:inds of individuals
spoken of this morning, and also the Lord's reactions to both of them.

I. First, Let Us Look at the Scoffer and See How the Lord Responds to Him.
A. The Scoffer Is a Very Proud Individual Who Looks Down His Nose At
Everyone alld Everythillg Rise.
1. We don't oftell use the word "scoffer" today, but some of its
synonyms, "scorner," "proud," and "mocker" are a little more
familiar.
2. Maybe when you think of someone scoffing you see a gruff looking
individual with a high and haughty look speaking very harshly to
another man, ridiculillg him for something. Maybe you have your
own example. Maybe at some POillt .in your life, you .have had
someone cruelly make fun of you.
 2

3. The Lord even us some pictures in nature .in the mocking

bjrd who continually harasses the predator who come close to her
nest, or in the laughing hyena which seems to mock its victims
or attackers.
4. Nobody Likes a scoffer. The Bible says that when a man is a
hfi.b.itual scoEfer, he is especially repulsive both to God and
man. _ .~
a. The ~k9~and the fool are one and the same person.
"FOOLS." Jike scoEfers, MOCK AT SIN" (Prnv. 14:9). They
make fun oE it, they take i t lightly. Knowing that ho.lilless
is beautjEuJ in the eyes of God, you can easily see why the
one {.;tho would take sin Lightly l"ou1d be a fool in His eyes.
He knows that i f you do not take sin seriousJy, i t will
surely destroy your soul. God does not take sin lightly,
and neither should we.
b. The reason that he takes sin lightly is that he is liEted up
with pride, the sarne s:in that proved to be the downEall Ear
the devil. Solomon says, "'PROUD,' 'HAUGHTY,' 'SCOFFER,'
ARE HIS NAMES, IntO ACTS WITH INSOLENT PRIDE" (21 :24).
(i) When the trans1ators4 the LXX translated the Hebrew
word for scofIer;lI.rhey used a word in the Greek which
means "proud," and its easy to see why.
(ii) Our passage this morning is the same one quoted by
James in James 4:6, and Peter in 1 Peter 5:5, where he
writes, "YOU YOUNGER MEN, LIKEWISE, BE SUBJECT TO YOUR
ELDERS; AND ALL OF YOU, CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH HUMILITY
TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, FOR GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD,
BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
(iii) Pride is a very dangerous s.in which can destroy any who
allow i t to remain unbroken .in their hearts.
(iv) And pride is all too common among men. The devil
certainly loves to leave his imprint an all oE his
children.

c. The one who is prideful believes himse1E to be above

correction. He is always r.ight and everyone else wrong.
And he doesn't take too kindly to your correction e.ither.
"HE WHO CORRECTS A SCOFFER GETS DISHONOR FOR HIMSELF, AND HE
WHO REPROVES A WICKED NAN GETS INSULTS FOR HIMSELF. DO NOT
REPROVE A SCOFFER, LEST HE HATE YOU, REPROVE A WISE MAN, AND
HE WILL LOVE YOU" (9:7-8). "A SCOFFER DOES NOT LOVE ONE WHO
REPROVES HIM, HE WILL NOT GO TO THE WISE" (15:12).
(1) Pride is such a strong and sinful pass.ion, that one who
is prideful can't stand to be corrected by another,
espec.ially by one who is perceived as inferior in his
own eyes.
(ii) Maybe you have exper.ienced what Solomon here writes,
you have tried to bring correction and instruction to
someone and have been attacked and ridiculed for your
trouble. Isn't this why Solomon wrote, "HE WHO
REPROVES A WICKED MAN GETS INSlTLTS FOR HIMSELF."
(iLi) After being scoyched by their tongue enough times, you
learn to do what he advises, "DO NOT REPROVE A SCOFFER,
LEST HE HATE YOll." Rather, you should seek to REPROVE
A WISE MAN," because "HE WILL LOVE YOll. H

d. Because of his prideful character, "THE SCOFFER IS AN

ABOMINATION TO MEN" (24:9).
 3

e. He is used by the psalmist .in Psalm 1 as an example of what

one who is seeking to please the Lord should avoid. "HOW
BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO DOES NOT WALK IN THE COUNSEL OF THE
WICKED, NOR STAND IN TilE PATH OF SINNERS, NOR SIT IN THE
SEAT OF SCOFFERS!" (Ps. 1: 1).
f. Solomon says that when be finally will not repent, the only
way to deal with him is remove 111m from your presence,
"DRIVE OUT THE SCOFFER, AND CONTENTION WILL GO OUT, EVEN
STRIFE AND DISHONOR WILL CEASE '1 (Prov. 22: 10).

B. To Serve as a Warning to Us, So That We Do Not Adopt the Scoffer's

Way of Life, Solomon Tells Us Here What God Wi] 1 Do to Them.
1. God1t;reatfl them the way that they treat others.
a. The Psalmist writes, "WITH THE KIND THOU DOST SHOW THYSELF
KIND; WITH THE BLAMELESS THOU DOST SHOW THYSELF BLAMELESS;
WITH THE PURE THOU DOST SHOW THYSELF PURE; AND WITH THE
CROOKED THOU DOST SHOW THYSELF ASTUTE [or TWISTFD]"
(18:25-26).
b. Solomon writes, "HE SCOFFS AT THE SCOFFERS." He laughs at
them. He mocks them, for they have mocked Him.

2. God knows that their day is coming. He has ordained it.

"JUDGMENTS ARE PREPARED FOR SCOJ.'FERS, AND BLOWS FOR THE BACKS OF
FOOLS" (J 9: 29).
3. And the prophet Isaiah writes, "FOR THE RUTHLESS WILL COME TO AN
END, AND THE SCORNER WILL BE FINISHED, INDEED ALL WHO ARE INTENT
ON DOING EVIL WILL BE CUT OFF" (Isa. 29:20).
~;. Many are the people today who fall into th.is category.

II. Having Seen the Scoffer and the Lord Harsh Treatment of Him, Let Us
Look Secondly at the Afflicted and See the Lord's Gracious Treatment of
Him.
A. The Afflicted Person Is Just the Opposite of the Proud: He Is
Humble.
1. The word here is translated as afflicted or as humble. The
reason is that those who are afflicted are most usually those
who are humble. You may never have thought about why the Lord
brings affliction to the godly. It is to keep them humble.
2. The humble more often live in a state of suffering and
affliction rather than one of worldly happiness and prosperity.
a. This was true of Moses, who was called the most humble man
on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3), and the apostle Paul,
who said that he was "SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY AND
WITH TEARS AND WITH TRIALS WHICH CAME UPON ME THROUGH THE
PLOTS OF THE JEWS" (Acts 20:19).
b. It is far better to be hUlnbl~a:nd lffl.icted, than to be
prosperous and proud. It is after all the humble who
inherit a,e true riches, not those ~vho are haughty.
c. It is for this reason that the Lord says in the Sermon on
the Mount, "BLESSED ARE THE POOR I~PIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" (Matt. 5:3); lOr more specifically in
what might be considered Jesus' Sermon on the Plain,
"BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE POOR, POR YOURS IS THE: KINGDOM OF
J.l
GOD" (Luke 6: 20

3. But are affliction and suffering the only things tbat

characterize the humble'? Is there nothing more?
a. The psalmist writes that the humble rejoice wl1en God is
praised, "I WILL PRAISE THE NAME OF GOD WITH SONG, AND SHALL
 4

MAGNIFY HIM WITH THANKSGIVING. AND IT WILL PLEASE THE LORD

BETTER THAN AN OX OR A YOUNG BULL WITH HORNS AND HOOFS. THE
HUMBl.E HAVE SEEN IT AND ARE GLAD" (69:30-32).
b. The humb.le are those who obey H.is righteous ordinances. The
prophet Zephan.iah writes, "SEEK THE LORD, ALL YOU HUMBLE OF
THE EARTH WHO HAVE CARRIED OUT HIS ORDINANCES; SEEK
RIGHTEOUSNESS, SEEK HUMILITY. PERHAPS YOU WILL BE HIDDEN IN
THE DAY OF THE LORD'S ANGER" (2: 3 ) •
c. They are those [,;ho wait upon the Lord, as the psalmist
writes, "REST IN THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY [<'OR HIM; DO NOT
FRET BHCAUSE OF HIM WHO PROSPERS IN HIS WAY, BECAUSE OF THE
MAN WHO CARRIES OUT WICKED SCHEMES. CEASE FROM ANGER, AND
FORSAKE WRATH; DO NOT FRET, IT LEADS ONLY TO EVILDOING. FOR
EVILDOERS WILL BE CUT OFF, BUT THOSE WHO WAIT FOR THE LORD,
THEY WILL INHERIT THE LAND. YET A LITTLE WHILE AND THE
WICKED MAN WILL BE NO MORE; AND YOU WILL LOOK CAREFULLY FOR
HIS PLACE, AND HE WILL NOT BE THERE. BUT THE HUMBLE WILL
INHERIT THE LAND, AND WILL DELIGHT IN ABUNDANT PROSPERITY"
(Psalm 37:7-11),
d. And [:inally they are those who receive their moral gu.idance
from the Lord. "GOOD AND UPRIGHT IS THE LORD; THEREFORE HE
INSTRUCTS SINNERS IN THE WAY. HE LEADS THE HUMBLE IN
JUSTICE, AND HE TEACHES THE HUMBLE HIS WAY. (25:8-9).

B. Not Only Are the Humble Just the Opposite of the Proud, But the
Lord's Treatment of Them Is Just the Opposite as Well: "HE GIVES
GRACE TO THE AFFLICTED. "
]. The Bible throughout tells us that i t is the humble whom the
Lord blesses.
a. The Lord says that the humble are better than the proud,
"PRIDE GOES BEFORE DESTRUCTION, AND A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE
STUMBLING. IT IS BETTER TO BE OF A HUMBLE SPIRIT WITH THE
LOWLY, THAN TO DIVIDE THE SPOIL WITH THE PROUD" (Prov.
16: 18-19).
b. It is their voice which He promises to hear when they call
to Him, "0 LORD, THOU HAST HEARD THE DESIRE OF THE HUMBLE;
THOU WTLT STRENGTHEN THEIR HEART, THOU flILT INCLINE THINE
EAR" (Ps. 10 : 1 7) • "THOU DIDST CAUSE JUDGMENT TO BE HEARD
FROM HEAVEN; THE EARTH FEARED, AND WAS STILL, WHEN GOD AROSE
TO JUDGMENT, TO SAVE ALL THE HUMBLE OF THE EARTH" (76:8-9).
c. It is to sucb that the Lord sent His anointed Servant, the
Lord Jesus Christ, to preach the good news of salvation.
Isaiah wrote, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE
THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEftlS TO THE
AFFLICTED; HE HAS SENT ME TO BIND UP THE BROKENHEARTED, TO
PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES, AND FREEDOM TO THE
PRISONERS" (61: 1-2).
d. It is to these that the Lord shows His "grace", or H.is
unmerited favor.

2. Indeed, we would have to say that He had already shown tbem His
grace for they could not be truly humble without it. But to those
who are humble, He blesses them with an even greater grace.

III. The Lord Gave to Us These Proverbs of So.l01110n So That We Might Gain
Instruction in Righteousness.
A. And So I Would Ask You Now to Let the Scriptures Search Your Hearts
to See I [ You Are Sitting in the Seat of the Scoffer, or i f You Are
Occupying the Lowly Place of the Meek and Humble.
 5

J. ReaLize first that the.f'e are d_iffering degrees with which you or
I may struggle with any sin. It is not all or nothing.
a. Just because you may not have c01Il111.itted actua..1 murder does
not mean that you have not broken the 6th commandment by
hating your neighbor.
b. Just because you may not have committed actual aclu1 tery
with a man or woman other than your spouse, does not mean
that you are not gui1 iy of breaking the 7th c01Il111fmdment.
c. Sins may be greater or smaller, but they are still sins.

2. And so I waul d ask you who are here this morn.ing, do any of
these characterisUcs of the scoffer describe you in any degree?
a. Do YOll as the scoffer take sin .lightly? When someone YOll
know sins, do you excuse it and put it out of your mind? Do
you refuse to carry out your Lord's method of reconcil.iation
by confronting them with their sin? Do you easily excuse
sin in yourself? Isn't that mocking sin, at least in some
degree?
b. Are you a person who is characteri;;:ed by pride? Do you hate
to have others correct you when you sayar do something
wrong? Do you lash out at tbem or try to find fault with
them so that tbe.ir admonition is discredited in your eyes
and in the eyes of others?
c. Realizing that this is a book addressed to you children as
well, are any of these things true of you? Do you excu.se
any sinful behav.ior in yourself? Do you resist being
corrected by those whom the Lord has placed in authority
over you?
d. The Lord gives to all of us a stern admonition this morning.
Beware lest there be in you a heart which scorns anything of
the Lord's, lest He scorn you in the end and cast you into
perdi ti all.

3. You and I have no right to s.H in judgment on God's Word.

a. The proper response of the child of God is to humbly receive
what God says and to do it w.ith all of your heart.
b. To do anything else is to be a judge of God's Word, and not
a doer of it.
c. If you should find that you have the heart of a scoffer,
that you are sitting in the pla.ce o.f the proud, the purpose
of passages such as this are not to condemn you as an end in
itself, but: that you might seek after God.
d. Why does God give us His Word after all, except Wet we
might learn that we are sinners and seek after fAflf"that tore
might be saved?
e. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy men's lives, but:
to save them.
f. If the spirit of unbroken pride reigns in your life this
morning, seek after God that He might break it and set you
free by the grace of Christ. If you do not seek Him, you
shan surely perish. But: if you do seek Him with an your
heart, you w:i.1llmost probabJyjfind. -==
g. Don't rest until you have a firm and solid hope of your
salvation. And then seek the rest of your time on earth to
live a humb.Ie and submissive 1.ife to God.

B. On the Other Hand, Are You Occupying tl1e Lowly Place of tlle Humble?
1. Do you re]O:Lce when God .is glorif.ied and praised? Are you one
who is not afra.id to search out tl1e whole counsel of God and do
it to tl1e best of your abiLi ty? Do YOll wai t upon the Lord to
deliver you from all of your troubles and to give you gu.i.dance, .~. . tJ
and direction in aU of your life? ~cr"-·.e~\",,,·J::d.:;).IL ......&:(;>~ cr.. .
(.'OCV< • • UAJ'- ~'<­

2. It- this describes you, then God here is promis.ing -you a great .~ ­
blessing.
a. It indicates that God has given to you grace already, for

only tIle heart of the true Christian will delight in real

ImmDity.

b. It is to you that God has sent His Son to deliver you from

cdl m:isery and destruction forever.

c. i t is to you that God has determined to give the kingdom,

"BLESSED ARE THE HUMBLE, FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH"

(Ma t t. 5: 5 Y.

d. Jt. is to your prayers that He has bound Himself to listen.

e. .And it is for your good that He promises to work out all of

the afflictions which He brings into your lit-e to keep YOll

liumb.le and to work godliness in you.

f. Thank tIle Lord for His blessings .in your life, and strilre

~ilith all your m:ight to serve Him with even great humility,

and the Lord will bless you and allow you to have an even

[uller reward .in heaven. Amen,