Proverbs 14:2
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He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
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O hypocrite! We have found you out! Your talk is cheap. Your Sunday religion vain. Your baptism empty. Your friendship false. Your words lie! Your actions tell the truth!
You will soon be exposed before the whole church (26:26; Ps 144:7-8)! You are afraid to say you hate God, but your actions say you despise Him! See the comments on 6:12.
The man who walks uprightly - does that which is right all the time - fears the Lord. The man perverse in his ways - who regularly disobeys - despises the Lord. This rule is simple; it is accurate; and hypocrites claiming to fear God do not deceive wise men at all.
Americans say, "Actions speak louder than words." Solomon confirmed this rule. He said even children are known by their doings, whether they are pure and right (20:11).
Good trees bear good fruit; evil trees bear evil fruit. And so it with man. Unless his heart is good, his actions will be evil. For the mouth speaks and the feet walk according to what is in the heart. Evil men cannot bring forth good actions (Matt 12:33-35). No matter how hard a hypocrite tries, wise men see the inconsistent life betraying his words.
Hypocrites do not want to be discovered nor judged, for their whole life is a lie. They pretend they fear the Lord in order to get some thing. They defend their inconsistent lives by denying that anyone knows their hearts. But sincere hearts are known by consistent righteousness, and evil hearts are known by sins. The rule is simple.
Why do men pretend to fear God? Think closely, dear reader. They need something in the church, so they act religious to get it. They need friends, and Christians are friendly. They need a job, and their boss is a Christian. They need a spouse, and the best women are Christians. They want financial help, and Christians are generous. They fear their spouse leaving, so they obligate her as a Christian. They do it to keep their family happy.
The fear of the Lord is not a single profession of an emotional event. "Going forward" is neither Scriptural nor Christian, so it has no meaning at all. "Making a decision" is not walking uprightly, it is just vain thinking. "Getting saved" shows great ignorance about salvation, for there are at least five phases of it. "Being baptized" or "joining the church" are only single, small steps. They alone do not prove the fear of the Lord at all.
The fear of the Lord is a lifestyle of obeying God, keeping His commandments, and hating sin (Eccl 12:13; Pr 8:13; 16:6). The early churches walked in the fear of the Lord, for they gave up their lives to follow Jesus Christ, even at great personal cost (Acts 9:31).
Let Solomon's father tell you how he walked uprightly even in his house (Psalm 101).
Walking is not a step: it is many steps. Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). If you do not continue, you do not fear the Lord. We are to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long (23:17). We can judge your heart!
Few say they hate God. How horrible! But a lazy spiritual life with sin says louder than words that you despise Him (Mal 1:6-14). If you are not sold out for Him, He despises you and your life (Rev 3:14-19). Loving Christ means keeping His commandments (John 14:21-24). Knowing God is only by keeping His commandments (I John 2:3-5).
Eli despised God by loving his sons too much (I Sam 2:29-30). He was perverse in his ways by not killing them. David despised God by taking Bathsheba (II Sam 12:9-10). He was perverse in his ways by taking another woman.
O hypocrite, consider your ways! For we have found you out! And if we know your evil heart, how much more does He before Whom all things are naked and opened!
O beloved saint! Keep your heart with all diligence (4:23). Pray for God to examine it thoroughly (Ps 139:23-24). Confess every variance from His holy standard in Scripture! Remember that your heart is only as good and pure as your actions.
What of our Lord's heart? It was full of the fear of the Lord, and God honored His heart by hearing His prayer (Heb 5:7-9). His perfect life proved a perfect heart! Amen.
The wicked fool says, "You can't judge me, because you don't know my heart." But the Preacher says we can know his heart easily. We simply judge him by his actions!
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