Proverbs 27.18
“Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored.”
This proverb teaches the principle of diligent work ethic and faithful stewardship. If you work hard and do your job, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you take ownership of your “20 square feet” of the organization where you work, and you faithfully execute the organization’s strategy, your employer will be greatly appreciative.
The word used for “guards” in the second part of this verse is the Hebrew word samar. This is a word that means “to watch over, keep, or preserve.” The idea is careful watchfulness and diligent work, not grudging service. It refers to those who pay close attention to their responsibilities at work.
This proverb is also a metaphor for God’s people being faithful stewards of their 20 square feet of the kingdom. The Lord has given you a sphere of responsibility. He has given you 20 square feet of his plan for planet earth. The Lord calls you to be faithful and diligent in your daily work at home, on your job, in the community, in the culture, and in the church. He calls you to be an agent of his kingdom in your sphere of responsibility. This is what it means to “have dominion.”
Proverbs 27:19
“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.”
Interestingly, this proverb has no verbs. It literally reads: “As in the water face to face; so the heart of man to man.” The message is that the feelings and thoughts that come from our heart reveals our character just as our reflection in smooth water reveals our face. Who we are will eventually be evident to others as our words and actions reveal the content of our heart.
This is a call to deep self-reflection using God’s word as the reference point. The NT book of James provides the same admonition:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1.22-25)
This passage from James says that if we only hear the word of God and do not put it into practice, then we have deceived ourselves. James illustrates by saying that the hearer who does not do the word is like a person who sees themself in a mirror and then goes away and forgets what they look like. The mirror gave the person truth about their appearance, but when they walked away they completely forgot what the mirror revealed about them.
The point is that when we read or hear the word of God, we are confronted with truth about ourselves. When we read the bible we are looking into a spiritual mirror that reveals who we really are and what we really look like. And the mirror of the word of God goes beyond surface appearance, looks deeply into our hearts, and exposes everything about us.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4.12-13)
The bible is not to be read at a distance. It isn’t a “safe” book to read. It speaks truth and then challenges us to respond. Scripture gives the Ten Commandments, not the ten suggestions. The bible doesn’t ask for our opinion, it demands our obedience. Jesus is Lord, not a consultant or therapist.
More tomorrow …
