Good morning. I stand before you today, grateful not only for the opportunity to read and expound Holy Scripture but for the opportunity to be with you on a more regular basis. Admittedly, I've been absent as of late, but as Mike likes to say, "Seasons." That was a season in my life that I hope is behind me for some time. When Pastor Mike asked me to preach this morning, a few weeks back, he gave me a challenging task, at least difficult for me—he asked me to stay in the Old Testament.
I looked at several different texts I had in mind and landed on Proverbs chapter 21. I’ll invite you to turn in your copies of God's word to that text, Proverbs 21. We’ll go through verses 1-6, and I invite you to follow along. Some of you may have heard the story, or at least the phrase, "The Sword of Damocles." The story goes that Damocles was conversing with his king, King Dionysius. Damocles observed, "Oh King, you have so much power, so much wealth beyond measure, and no worries or concerns." In response to Damocles' flattery, the king offered to switch roles with him for a day.
Damocles was elated as he donned the kingly robes and sat down on the Golden Throne. He looked around at the soldiers ready to do his bidding, the banquet and servants, the golden columns of the palace, and the tapestries adorning the windows. But then, looking above the throne, he saw something that turned his stomach to water and made his knees shake with fear—a giant, massive sword hanging above the throne by a tiny thread. It could fall at any moment, causing instant destruction. The king placed it there intentionally to teach Damocles the importance of understanding that calamity is always close by.
My favorite celebrity preacher, Voddie Baucham, once said, "Justice is the righteous application of the law of God." Real, true justice comes from God alone. There was a popular musician in the 90s who wrote a song entitled, "Only God Can Judge Me." The truth is, nobody really wants to experience the true, righteous anger of God as He pours out His judgment. According to Scripture, anyone who breaks even one of God’s laws is guilty and deserves to spend eternity in a very real place called hell. Romans 6:23 pulls no punches. Today, I want us to use the Sword of Damocles as a metaphor for God’s judgment—a judgment that is always near for those who reject Him and do not obey Him.
Let’s reflect on Hebrews 9:27, which says, "It is appointed for people to die once, and after this comes judgment." In short, I want us to consider the weight of God’s judgment. I’ll read from Proverbs 21: “The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He pleases. Every person's way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord examines the hearts. To do righteousness and justice is preferred by the Lord more than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the lamp of the wicked—is sin. The plans of the diligent certainly lead to advantage, but everyone who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty. The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.” May God bless the reading of His word.
Verse one addresses the fear of God’s leaders. It states, "He turns it wherever He pleases," meaning God controls the hearts of kings. If God controls the hearts of nobility, He certainly controls the hearts of the common man. This is a theological truth: God is sovereign. From all eternity, God decreed everything that occurs. The Westminster Confession states that God "ordains whatsoever comes to pass." Some may ask, "What about sin? What about atrocities like the Holocaust?" God ordains all things, yet remains free from guilt. God’s ordination means He either actively molds events or allows them to unfold.
We should remember that confessions like the 1689 London Baptist Confession don’t hold the same authority as Scripture. Isaiah 46:10 says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, saying, 'My plan will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.'” The sovereignty of God is one of the most hated principles in all Scripture, even among some professing Christians. As human beings, especially Americans, we like to think we are in charge. We want to believe we are the captains of our souls and responsible for our achievements.
Horatius Bonar once said, "Man's dislike at God's sovereignty arises from his suspicion of God's heart." The truth is, we are at God’s disposal—from the most helpless infant to the most powerful rulers. God puts all rulers in place. As Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, "Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." Even if we don’t like our leaders, we should remember that God placed them there for His purposes.
Sometimes, leaders are a judgment from God. The United States, as a nation, has reveled in defiance of God, engaging in acts that defy His holiness. Leaders can serve as a judgment for a nation’s wickedness. Just as the people of Israel wanted a king like their pagan neighbors, God gave them King Saul—a ruler who would ultimately bring judgment upon them. Similarly, ungodly spiritual leaders like Joel Osteen and TD Jakes are placed as a judgment upon those who follow them.
In verse two, we see the folly of humanism: "Every person's way is right in his own eyes." This arrogance assumes there is no objective truth, only personal truths—a postmodern belief that logic and reason do not hold universal truths. This mindset leads people to think they are right in their own eyes, ignoring God’s ultimate truth. Romans 1:21 states, "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings." At their core, people know God exists, but they reject Him to avoid the consequences of His judgment.
Verse three discusses divine preference—obedience over sacrifice. While sacrifices were commanded in the Old Covenant, God prefers our obedience. There are those who believe they can live however they want and then confess on Sunday to be in good standing. But God prefers genuine obedience and heartfelt repentance, not hollow rituals. Ezekiel 36:26-27 describes how God will give His people a new heart and put His spirit within them to follow His statutes.
The proud heart and haughty eyes described in verse four characterize those who refuse to humble themselves before God. Stephen Fry, a vocal atheist, once declared, "How dare you create a world to which there is such misery." Such arrogance overlooks the reality that we owe God everything, yet He owes us nothing except what He has promised.
In verse five, the diligent are rewarded. Discipline leads to prosperity, while slothfulness leads to poverty. The universal biblical principle "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10) is a reminder that hard work is honored by God.
Finally, verse six addresses the danger of lawbreaking. There is honor in honest labor. Deceitful gains, however, will be exposed, either in this life or the next. Numbers 32:23 warns, "Be sure your sin will find you out." Dishonest gains will not last.
Matthew 7 speaks of Judgment Day when many will stand before God, listing the sacrifices they made. Yet Christ will say, "Depart from me; I never knew you." The weight of God’s judgment is heavy, and only obedience to God, through His grace, will bring us peace. Let us remember that Sword of Damocles as a metaphor for God’s judgment, always present, urging us toward obedience.
As we depart, let us keep in mind that God’s judgment is real, and let it lead us toward obedience. If you’d like to pray, please come forward as we sing this last song together.
