With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord. With deceit in his heartThe phrase "with deceit in his heart" highlights the internal nature of wickedness. The Hebrew word for "deceit" is "mirmah," which implies treachery and falsehood. This deceit is not merely an external act but is deeply rooted in the individual's heart, indicating a premeditated and intentional disposition towards dishonesty. In the biblical context, the heart is often seen as the seat of thought and intention, suggesting that the person's very core is corrupted. This aligns with the broader scriptural teaching that sin originates from within ( Mark 7:21-23). The deceitful heart is contrasted with the pure heart that God desires ( Psalm 51:10), emphasizing the need for inner transformation. he devises evil
The act of devising evil is a deliberate and calculated process. The Hebrew verb "charash" means to plot or scheme, indicating a conscious effort to plan wrongdoing. This is not a momentary lapse but a continuous and intentional crafting of malevolent plans. Historically, this reflects the wisdom literature's emphasis on the moral and ethical dimensions of human behavior. The devising of evil is condemned throughout Scripture, as it stands in stark opposition to God's righteous standards (Isaiah 32:7). The wise are called to devise good and seek peace, contrasting the wicked's schemes (Proverbs 12:20). he continually sows discord
The phrase "he continually sows discord" speaks to the persistent and active nature of the individual's actions. The Hebrew word "shalach" means to send forth or scatter, akin to a farmer sowing seeds. However, instead of sowing seeds of peace or righteousness, this person spreads strife and division. The term "discord" (Hebrew "madon") refers to contention and conflict, which disrupts harmony and unity. This behavior is particularly abhorrent in the biblical narrative, as unity among God's people is highly valued (Psalm 133:1). The continual nature of this sowing suggests an ongoing commitment to creating division, which is antithetical to the peacemaking that Jesus commends (Matthew 5:9). The wise are called to be peacemakers, fostering unity and reconciliation rather than division. Persons / Places / Events 1. The Deceitful PersonThis individual is characterized by a heart filled with deceit, constantly plotting evil and causing division among people. 2. The CommunityThe broader context involves the community or group affected by the actions of the deceitful person, experiencing discord and strife. 3. The Wise ObserverImplicit in the text is the presence of a wise observer, likely the reader or listener, who is being warned against such behavior and its consequences. Teaching Points Guard Your HeartThe heart is the source of deceit and evil plans. As believers, we must guard our hearts diligently, ensuring they are aligned with God's truth and love. Promote UnityInstead of sowing discord, Christians are called to be peacemakers, fostering unity and harmony within their communities. Discernment in RelationshipsBe discerning about the company you keep. Avoid close associations with those who habitually sow discord, as their influence can be damaging. Repentance and RestorationIf you find yourself guilty of deceit or causing discord, seek repentance and strive to restore relationships through humility and love. The Power of WordsRecognize the power of your words to either build up or tear down. Choose to speak life and encouragement rather than deceit and division. Bible Study Questions 1. How can we identify deceit in our own hearts, and what steps can we take to address it? 2. In what ways can we actively promote unity and peace in our families, churches, and communities? 3. Reflect on a time when you witnessed or experienced discord. How was it resolved, and what role did you play in the resolution? 4. How does the teaching in Proverbs 6:14 relate to the New Testament teachings on the fruit of the Spirit, particularly peace and self-control? 5. What practical steps can we take to ensure our words and actions align with the call to be peacemakers in Matthew 5:9? Connections to Other Scriptures Proverbs 16:28This verse also speaks about a perverse person spreading strife and a whisperer separating close friends, reinforcing the destructive nature of sowing discord. James 3:16James discusses how envy and selfish ambition lead to disorder and every evil practice, paralleling the chaos caused by deceit and discord. Galatians 5:19-21Paul lists the acts of the flesh, including discord and dissensions, highlighting the sinful nature of such behaviors. Psalm 28:3This Psalm describes those who speak peace with their neighbors while harboring malice in their hearts, similar to the deceitful person in Proverbs 6:14. People SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Acts, Always, Contentions, Continually, Deceit, Deceits, Designing, Devises, Deviseth, Devising, Discord, Discords, Dissension, Evil, Forth, Frowardness, Heart, Lets, Loose, Mind, Mischief, Perverseness, Perversity, Perverted, Soweth, Sowing, Sows, Spreads, Stirs, Strife, ViolentDictionary of Bible Themes Proverbs 6:14 5016 heart, fallen and redeemed
5589 trap
6186 evil scheming Proverbs 6:10-15 5398 loss Proverbs 6:12-14 5834 disagreement Proverbs 6:12-15 5817 conspiracies
5890 insecurity Proverbs 6:12-19 8736 evil, warnings against Library The Talking Book
A Sermon (No. 1017) Delivered on Lord's Day Morning, October 22nd, 1871 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee."--Proverbs 6:22. It is a very happy circumstance when the commandment of our father and the law of our mother are also the commandment of God and the law of the Lord. Happy are they who have a double force to draw them to the right--the bonds of nature, and the cords of grace. They sin with a vengeance who sin both against …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on ProverbsAn Appeal to Children of Godly Parents
A sermon (No. 2406) intended for reading on Lord's Day, March 31st, 1895, delivered by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Lord's Day evening, March 27th, 1887. "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs The Talking Book
In order that we may be persuaded so to do, Solomon gives us three telling reasons. He says that God's law, by which I understand the whole run of Scripture, and, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ, will be a guide to us:--"When thou goest, it shall lead thee." It will be a guardian to us: "When thou sleepest"--when thou art defenceless and off thy guard--"it shall keep thee." And it shall also be a dear companion to us: "When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee." Any one of these three arguments …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871 How Sowers of Strifes and Peacemakers are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 24.) Differently to be admonished are sowers of strifes and peacemakers. For sowers of strifes are to be admonished to perceive whose followers they are. For of the apostate angel it is written, when tares had been sown among the good crop, An enemy hath done this (Matth. xiii. 28). Of a member of him also it is said through Solomon, An apostate person, an unprofitable man, walketh with a perverse mouth, he winketh with his eyes, he beateth with his foot, he speaketh with his finger, …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great A Jealous God
I. Reverently, let us remember that THE LORD IS EXCEEDINGLY JEALOUS OF HIS DEITY. Our text is coupled with the command--"Thou shalt worship no other God." When the law was thundered from Sinai, the second commandment received force from the divine jealousy--"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863 How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Preface to the Commandments
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God,' &c. Exod 20: 1, 2. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments? The preface to the Ten Commandments is, I am the Lord thy God.' The preface to the preface is, God spake all these words, saying,' &c. This is like the sounding of a trumpet before a solemn proclamation. Other parts of the Bible are said to be uttered by the mouth of the holy prophets (Luke 1: 70), but here God spake in his own person. How are we to understand that, God spake, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments "Boast not Thyself of to Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." As man is naturally given to boasting and gloriation in something (for the heart cannot want some object to rest upon and take complacency in, it is framed with such a capacity of employing other things), so there is a strong inclination in man towards the time to come, he hath an immortal appetite, and an appetite of immortality; and therefore his desires usually stretch farther than the present …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Heavenly Footman; Or, a Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven:
TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN. 'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.'--Genesis 19:17. London: Printed for John Marshall, at the Bible in Gracechurch Street, 1698. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. About forty years ago a gentleman, in whose company I had commenced my …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life "And Watch unto Prayer. "
1 Pet. iv. 7.--"And watch unto prayer." "Watch." A Christian should watch. A Christian is a watchman by office. This duty of watchfulness is frequently commanded and commended in scripture, Matt. xxiv. 42, Mark xiii. 33, 1 Cor. xvi. 13, Eph. vi. 18, 1 Pet. v. 8, Col. iv. 2; Luke xii. 37. David did wait as they that did watch for the morning light. The ministers of the gospel are styled watchmen in scripture and every Christian should be to himself as a minister is to his flock, he should watch over …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning 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 Links Proverbs 6:14 NIVProverbs 6:14 NLTProverbs 6:14 ESVProverbs 6:14 NASBProverbs 6:14 KJV
Proverbs 6:14 Commentaries
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