Proverbs 12:25, Words that Hurt!
June 19, Proverbs 12:25
Matt. 6:24; Luke 13:11-17 “Lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.”
Words that Hurt!
Heaviness is a rare word in Hebrew, occurring six times as a verb, and three times as a noun. It is more than an anxious heart as one translation has it. There is a deeper note here. It is one of fear, even terror. And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing (Jos. 22:24). It may come from an unjust censure, or evil tidings. “The rendering in this verse in the AV is to be retained” (Perowne).
1. Discouragement: Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop. This verse takes us back to the beginning of Proverbs (1:1-6). Few in this life escape this condition, at one time or another. It may stem from a stinging defeat, or crushed hopes, or shattered dreams, or friends that fail us, or the sense of our own inferiority.
a. The Cause: Make to stoop, to prostrate, bow down (Isa. 51:23) with anxiety. Despair and depression are closely linked. This is soul-crushing sadness! It is a common mental illness today. Most of us undergo what is a normal temporary state of depression resulting from heaviness through manifold temptations (1 Pet. 1:6). Then there is the chronic type that can lead to thoughts of desperation or even suicide. We are learning more these days about the appalling effects of stress on the health and well-being of the human mind and body. Yet here we see this problem dealt with in this ancient book of Proverbs! This heaviness may have its source in the physical (illness), or the psychological. The heart of a man encompasses mental and emotional states. The cause may be the personal relationships where you are out of fellowship with God or your fellows.
b. The Consequence: It maketh him stoop, causes him to sink down, so the Hebrew. Made to stand upright and to look up to God and around at man, heaviness bows him down so that he can do neither. This is surely the work of the Devil who can distort and twist our characters so that they can no longer stand upright before God or man. How clearly this is illustrated in our Luke passage (13:11)! Here a spirit of infirmity makes this woman stoop bodily eighteen long years! A stooping heart is a picture of this stooping life. While we must be grieved over our sin beware of an excess of sorrow that can drive a sensitive soul into the hands of the devil, who is to be feared more than all. It can easily become sinful to brood over our sins (2 Cor. 2:7). Peter speaks, not only of manifold trials, but also of the manifold grace of God (1 Pet. 4:10). “I hear the accuser roar of ills that I have done; I know them well and thousands more – Jehovah findeth none.” So sang Martin Luther. Beloved, remind the Archenemy of your souls: Redemption means Paid in Full. Don’t let heaviness in the heart rob you of your duty to thank God (Jas. 1:2-3), or from serving the Lord where you are (Rom. 12:11, 12, 21).
Thought: Since God does not despair of you, why should you despair of yourself?
Prayer: For the Peace of God that passes all understanding.