◄ Proverbs 15:7 ►
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.
Study Bible
The lips of the wise
This phrase emphasizes the importance of speech and communication in conveying wisdom. In the Hebrew context, "lips" (שְׂפָתַיִם, sephatayim) often symbolize the outward expression of inner thoughts. The wise, those who fear the Lord and live according to His commandments, use their speech to reflect their understanding and discernment. Historically, wisdom literature in the Bible, such as Proverbs, often contrasts the speech of the wise with that of fools, highlighting the transformative power of godly wisdom in everyday life.

spread knowledge
The Hebrew word for "spread" (זָרָה, zarah) can also mean to scatter or sow, suggesting an active and intentional distribution of knowledge. This implies that the wise are not passive in their communication but are deliberate in sharing insights that can edify and instruct others. Knowledge, in the biblical sense, is not merely intellectual but is deeply connected to the fear of the Lord and moral living. The wise, therefore, are seen as stewards of divine truth, tasked with disseminating it to those around them.

but the hearts of fools
Here, "hearts" (לֵב, lev) refers to the inner being, encompassing thoughts, emotions, and will. In biblical anthropology, the heart is the center of one's moral and spiritual life. Fools, in the biblical sense, are not merely lacking in intelligence but are morally deficient, rejecting God's wisdom and guidance. The contrast between the wise and fools is stark, with the latter's inner life being devoid of the truth and understanding that characterize the wise.

are perverse
The term "perverse" (תָּכַן, takan) suggests a deviation from what is right or good. In the context of Proverbs, perversity is often associated with moral corruption and a willful turning away from God's ways. The hearts of fools are described as being twisted or distorted, indicating a fundamental misalignment with God's truth. This highlights the destructive nature of folly, which not only affects the individual but can also lead others astray. The verse serves as a warning against the dangers of rejecting divine wisdom and the consequences of a life lived apart from God's guidance.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Wise
In the context of Proverbs, the wise are those who fear the Lord and live according to His commandments. They are characterized by their understanding and ability to impart knowledge.

2. The Fool
Biblically, a fool is someone who rejects wisdom and understanding, often living in a way that is contrary to God's will. Their hearts are described as unstable and unreliable.

3. Solomon
Traditionally, King Solomon is credited with writing the Proverbs. Known for his wisdom, Solomon's teachings often contrast the wise and the foolish.

4. Ancient Israel
The cultural and historical backdrop of Proverbs, where wisdom literature was highly valued and seen as a guide for righteous living.

5. The Heart
In Hebrew thought, the heart is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. It is crucial in determining one's actions and words.
Teaching Points
The Power of Words
Our words have the power to spread knowledge and truth. As believers, we should strive to speak words that reflect God's wisdom and love.

The Condition of the Heart
The stability of our hearts is crucial. A heart aligned with God will naturally produce wise and edifying speech.

Pursuing Wisdom
True wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. We should seek to grow in understanding through prayer, study of Scripture, and fellowship with other believers.

Contrast of Lifestyles
The lives of the wise and the foolish are starkly different. We are called to examine our lives and ensure that our actions and words reflect the wisdom of God.

Impact on Community
The knowledge we spread can influence those around us. We should be intentional about using our words to build up and encourage others in their faith journey.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we ensure that our words consistently reflect the wisdom of God in our daily interactions?

2. In what ways can we cultivate a heart that is steadfast and aligned with God's will?

3. How does the contrast between the wise and the foolish in Proverbs 15:7 challenge us to evaluate our own lives?

4. What practical steps can we take to grow in wisdom and understanding according to biblical principles?

5. How can we use our words to positively impact our communities and spread the knowledge of God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
James 3:13-18
This passage in the New Testament discusses the characteristics of heavenly wisdom versus earthly wisdom, paralleling the themes of wise and foolish behavior.

Matthew 12:34-35
Jesus speaks about how the mouth speaks what the heart is full of, connecting to the idea that the wise spread knowledge because their hearts are aligned with God.

Psalm 37:30-31
This Psalm describes the righteous as having wisdom on their lips and God's law in their hearts, reinforcing the connection between wisdom, speech, and a steadfast heart.
Sermons
Virtues and Vices of the TongueE. Johnson Proverbs 15:1, 2, 4, 7
People
Abaddon, Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Diffuse, Disperse, Foolish, Fools, Heart, Hearts, Lips, Minds, Scatter, Spread, Stedfast, Wise
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 15:7

     5164   lips
     5549   speech, positive

Library
God, the All-Seeing One
A sermon (No. 177) delivered on Sabbath morning, February 14, 1858 At The Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens by C. H. Spurgeon. "Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?" -- Proverbs 15:11. You have often smiled at the ignorance of heathens who bow themselves before gods of wood and stone. You have quoted the words of Scripture and you have said, "Eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they, but they hear not." You have therefore argued that …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Hedge of Thorns and the Plain Way
A sermon (No. 1948) delivered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain."--Proverbs 15:19. You must have noticed how frequently godly people almost wear out their Bibles in certain places. The Psalms, the Gospel of John, and parts of the Epistles are favourite portions, and are thumbed in many an old believer's Bible till the fact is very noticeable. There are certain sheep-tracks …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

God, the All-Seeing One
We have in our text, first of all, a great fact declared,--"Hell and destruction are before the Lord ;" we have, secondly, a great fact inferred,--"How much more then the hearts of the children of men?" I. We will begin with THE GREAT FACT WHICH IS DECLARED--a fact which furnishes us with premises from which we deduce the practical conclusion of the second sentence--"How much more then the hearts of the children of men?" The best interpretation that you can give of those two words, "hell" and "destruction," …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

How the Humble and the Haughty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 18.) Differently to be admonished are the humble and the haughty. To the former it is to be insinuated how true is that excellence which they hold in hoping for it; to the latter it is to be intimated how that temporal glory is as nothing which even when embracing it they hold not. Let the humble hear how eternal are the things that they long for, how transitory the things which they despise; let the haughty hear how transitory are the things they court, how eternal the things they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

And He had Also this Favour Granted Him. ...
66. And he had also this favour granted him. For as he was sitting alone on the mountain, if ever he was in perplexity in his meditations, this was revealed to him by Providence in prayer. And the happy man, as it is written, was taught of God [1112] . After this, when he once had a discussion with certain men who had come to him concerning the state of the soul and of what nature its place will be after this life, the following night one from above called him, saying, Antony, rise, go out and look.' …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83] …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Contention Over the Man Born Blind.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John IX. 1-41. [Some look upon the events in this and the next section as occurring at the Feast of Tabernacles in October, others think they occurred at the Feast of Dedication in December, deriving their point of time from John x. 22.] ^d 1 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. [The man probably sought to waken compassion by repeatedly stating this fact to passers-by.] 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
This, as the former, being spoken indefinitely, may be universally taken, as relating both to such as are yet in the state of nature, and to such as are in the state of grace, and so may be considered in reference to both, and ground three points of truth, both in reference to the one, and in reference to the other; to wit, 1. That our case is such as we stand in need of his help, as being the Life. 2. That no other way but by him, can we get that supply of life, which we stand in need of, for he …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

"Now the End of the Commandment," &C.
1 Tim. i. 5.--"Now the end of the commandment," &c. We come now, as was proposed, to observe, Thirdly,(474) That faith unfeigned is the only thing which gives the answer of a good conscience towards God. Conscience, in general, is nothing else but a practical knowledge of the rule a man should walk by, and of himself in reference to that rule. It is the laying down a man's state, and condition, and actions beside the rule of God's word, or the principles of nature's light. It is the chief piece …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"Thou Shall Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee, Because He Trusteth in Thee. "
Isaiah xxvi. 3.--"Thou shall keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." All men love to have privileges above others. Every one is upon the design and search after some well-being, since Adam lost that which was true happiness. We all agree upon the general notion of it, but presently men divide in the following of particulars. Here all men are united in seeking after some good; something to satisfy their souls, and satiate their desires. Nay, but they …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
2 Tim. iii. 16.--"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We told you that there was nothing more necessary to know than what our end is, and what the way is that leads to that end. We see the most part of men walking at random,--running an uncertain race,--because they do not propose unto themselves a certain scope to aim at, and whither to direct their whole course. According to men's particular …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of the Eleventh
An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in 1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity, who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis. "What," …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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