“A house divided against itself cannot stand” Part I (Pro 14:1-10)
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“A house divided against itself cannot stand” Part I (Pro 14:1-10)
(Aired on May 29, 2025)
Pro 14:2 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
Pro 14:2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
Pro 14:3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
Pro 14:4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
Pro 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.
Pro 14:6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
Pro 14:7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
Pro 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
Pro 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.
Pro 14:10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
God’s proverbs admonish us to keep His wisdom, which is needed in order to protect “the unity of the spirit”, or the “the unity of faith” (Eph 4:3, Eph 4:13), that enables us to keep growing together as a many membered body with the same mind of Christ, with the same spirit, working toward the same goal of being in that blessed and holy first resurrection.
There is almost always a negative or dark side to most every proverb, being described to remind God’s elect that light comes out of darkness, and that we are the light of Christ, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid, a peculiar people who are zealous of good works because of the life of Christ within us (Joh 8:12, Mat 5:14, Tit 2:14, 1Pe 2:9). Christ is the one who we are looking to, in order to keep that unity as He leads us in the way of righteousness that will see the house of God built up by His hands (Psa 127:1)
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Psa 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Pro 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
The wise woman is the wife of Christ and one of the best overviews of how she “buildeth her house” is found in (Pro 31:1-31). Her price in God’s eyes, because of the virtue of Christ working within her, is “far above rubies” (Pro 31:10, 2Co 4:7-10, Mat 13:45-46).
Pro 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2Co 3:5, Psa 127:1).
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus (Gal 2:20), that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (Gal 2:20).
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Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price (Col 1:27, Luk 17:21), went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
When we were in Babylon we were unknowingly (Luk 8:15-18, Mat 25:29, Luk 19:26) tearing down our relationship with Christ by being united in lies that had us conforming with the world, “but the foolish [woman-church] plucketh it down with her hands” (Mar 7:7), rather than being transformed by God’s spirit within us (Rom 12:2).
Luk 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him (Isa 3:1).
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (Luk 22:32), that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God [the will of God that brings us unto perfection on the third day (Luk 13:32)].
Pro 14:2 He that walketh in his uprightnessH3476 feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
The word uprightnessH3476 means “straightness, evenness” which made me think of John the baptist who said this, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Mat 3:3). John, like Abraham, is a type of the elect who knows that judgement must come upon all flesh, which produces the fear of the LORD that brings us to say, “what will you have me do” (Act 9:6, Luk 18:41). If a person does not fear God their ways are going to be perverse, revealing an unjudged heart that naturally despises the Lord. Worldly repentance will not bring forth the fruit that is meet unto repentance, but a tree Christ tells, us is known by its fruits (Mat 3:7-8, Joh 15:16).
Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
H3476 yôsher
BDB Definition:
1) straightness, uprightness
1a) straightness, evenness (moral implications)
1b) rightness, uprightness
1c) what is right, what is due
Part of Speech: noun masculine
Pro 14:3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
These following verses, (Mat 9:17, Luk 5:38), speak to the preserving process that God has called the elect unto, and it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and specifically the pride of life, which is likened unto a rod, that must be destroyed within us by Christ who is our wisdom who can preserve us through judgement (while we have the hope of glory within us (Col 1:27) we can be chastened and scourged of the Lord with a rod in order to be received in this life of our Father (Pro 19:18)).
Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
Luk 5:38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
Pro 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope (Col 1:27, 1Pe 4:17), and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Rightly dividing the word of God (wine) which judges us is critical to being able to be preserved spiritually, and knowing these two verses, (1Pe 1:12, 1Co 10:11) explains the right perspective we are to have regarding the old wine that can preserve us and make us wise unto salvation (2Ti 3:15).
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end (Rom 8:24) for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Christ is the vine, and the Father in heaven is the one who preserves the saints through Christ (1Th 5:23, Jud 1:1) who is able to make new wine come out of any age as God’s elect are introduced to the spiritual meaning behind the letter of the old wine that kills, and the new wine that also kills, if it remains hidden from the world as a parable (Mat 13:11-13).
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [through his word, the wine that sanctifies us Joh 17:17].
Jud 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath [Luk 8:18, Mat 25:9, Luk 19:26, Rom 12:2].
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
It is only because of Christ opening our eyes and ears that the new covenant wine can preserve us as well as the old covenant wine. All of these concepts of being preserved through judgement which happen through God’s word that is like a hammer (Jer 23:29), are summed up in these two verses (Mat 13:52, 2Co 5:17).
Mat 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (rightly divided old and new wine)
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; [old Babylonian concepts of the old covenant and the wrongly divided new covenant wine] behold, all things are become new (1Co 2:13).
Pro 14:4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
The crib is the manger, and Christ being in the manger typifies Christ being in our hearts and minds as the manchild, the bullock (Luk 2:12), and our high priest who gives us the strength we need to overcome, to increase in faith (Gal 2:20), as we go onto maturity through Jesus Christ (1Co 3:6).
Luk 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Pro 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.
Christ again is the true witness in the lives of those who have God’s spirit (Rev 3:14) that leads us into all truth (Joh 16:13). Without God’s spirit within us leading us into truth (Rom 8:14) and giving us the ability to rightly divide the truth we will just automatically become that false witness who will utter lies, even while we think we have the truth and are not speaking a lie. It is those things that we think we have that will be taken away, in judgement. God’s mercy will be shown to all in time, but for today His goodness is leading the body of Christ unto repentance so that the bride can be made ready as she is washed with the word of God (Rom 2:4, Rom 11:31-33, Rev 19:7).
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Pro 14:6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
A scorner is one who has a boastful spirit, and boasting is excluded by the law of faith (Rom 3:27) and so God will not exalt this proud spirit, but to the soul who is being humbled in this life through trials and tribulation (Act 14:22) that knowledge will come easily to him and understanding while in this abased state (Jas 4:6).
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Pro 14:7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
If we perceive that someone does not have the lips of knowledge we should not be opening our spiritual house to that person (2Jn 1:9-11), or casting are pearls before them (Mat 7:6-7). There is vast difference between someone who is humbly learning and growing as they ask, seek, and knock in order to have knowledge opened unto them as opposed to the scorner who seeks wisdom and finds it not, of (Mat 18:3, Pro 14:6).
2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Pro 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
We grow in wisdom and become prudent through the experiences that God gives us in this life that mature us (Tit 2:12-13). We can look back and compare the fruit in our lives and remember our former conversation (Eph 2:1-2), which was the folly of fools that produced nothing but deceitH4820 .
H4820 mirmâh meer-maw’
From H7411 in the sense of deceiving; fraud: – craft, deceit (-ful, -fully), false, feigned, guile, subtilly, treachery.
Total KJV occurrences: 39
It is this subtilty of the devil that God has called the elect to overcome through patient continuance in well doing, as we “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:14), that demands that we remain a house that is not divided (2Co 11:3, Col 3:12-14, Php 2:2).
2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicityG572 that is in Christ.
G572 haplotēs hap-lot’-ace
From G573; singleness, that is, (subjectively) sincerity (without dissimulation or self seeking), or (objectively) generosity (copious bestowal): – bountifulness, liberal (-ity), simplicity, singleness.
Total KJV occurrences: 8Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Pro 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.
The first carnal man Adam will boast or mock at sin, and not even know that we’re sinning. An example would be when we would take credit for overcoming, or declare the wonderful works we did for God. The pride of life is the most insidious and hard to detect sins in our flesh, “but among the righteous there is favour” means God knows how to chasten and scourge His children to burn that pride of life out of us, and bring us to acknowledge how we bring nothing to the table (Luk 17:10).
It takes our sins being made manifest to bring us to this clear picture of what we really are and how only by the grace of God can we overcome and be given the heart and mind of a servant. The prodigal son best describes this ongoing process of dying daily that God’s elect are called unto, and this parable of the kingdom of God within us demonstrates His ongoing favour toward His children who are being received in this life through a process of judgement (Luk 15:14-24).
Luk 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.(Rom 7:24)
Pro 14:10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
It’s a blessing to be brought to our senses (Rom 2:4) to be led unto repentance and to recognize the bitterness in our soul that we can now repent of because of God’s mercy expressed through the gift of grace through faith that is granted to His children (Eph 2:8).
Bitterness is describe in God’s word as ‘a root’ (Heb 12:15) and if God will grant us to judge ourselves (1Co 11:31) and die daily so that root can be sought out, it will be destroyed every time it manifests, by simply confessing our fault to our “advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jn 2:1).
1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
No one can take away our joy when we are finally blessed to be brought to our senses (Joh 16:22), which comes about as a result of our confessing our faults before our Father.
Joh 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
“a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy”
(the stranger being the elder son in this parable (Luk 15:27-32) who represents Babylon, but also our old man of sin who cannot intermeddle with the joy (Rom 3:3, 2Ti 2:13) that the younger repentant son has, being made a servant in the house of His Father, after having been brought to his senses)
A stranger does not intermeddle with our joy at this time (is another way of saying there is no condemnation in the Lord (Rom 8:1)), and the body of Christ along with all the angels in heaven greatly rejoice at this process of having spot and wrinkle or any such thing removed (Eph 5:27), as God makes the bride ready and reassures us that we are more than conquerors through Him who is able to set us free from sin (Luk 15:7, Joh 8:36, Rom 11:18-20). The house of God is not divided and the gates of hell will not prevail in trying to create that division, and it will be through our heartfelt repentance, which is a gift of God (Psa 51:1-5), that the body of Christ will remain healthy and continue to grow and go unto perfection on the third day (Luk 13:32).
Luk 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Rom 11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:Psa 51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.