PROVERBS 15:14
“The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.”
The Scripture tells us in Proverbs chapter 4 verse 23, that–
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
So, he that hath understanding, …
is someone whose eyes of understanding has been enlightened through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;
is someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
He has received the knowledge of God and he is desirous to learn more.
He seeks knowledge.
He desires to increase in knowledge.
He desires to walk in the wisdom of God.
Because he has the fear of God, his purpose is to increase in the fear of God.
So, he seeks knowledge as a necessary food. The word of God becomes his necessary food.
Proverbs chapter 1 verse 5 says –
“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”
So: …
He is ready to hear the truth.
He is ready to hear the word of God.
He is ready to increase his knowledge.
He is ready to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness :
He is not contented with just the basic knowledge of the truth.
He doesn’t stop at drinking the milk of the word of God. He goes further to feed on the meat of the word of God, and to chew the bone of the word of God.
So, he seeks knowledge, because he has understanding. He has the understanding that it is through the knowledge of the word of God that you will be set free; that ‘you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’
So, he is desirous to continue to walk in the truth of the word of God.
Proverbs chapter 9 verse 9 says this, it says–
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”
So, he is a man who has received what Jesus Christ did for him on the cross of Calvary.
So, he is desirous to remain the justified of the LORD.
So, he is open to be instructed, he is open to be directed, he is open to receive the wisdom of God which is profitable to direct.
So, if you give instruction to him, he takes it; especially the instruction of righteousness.
He desires to walk in it and to improve himself in obedience and in doing the will of God.
That’s what the Scripture is telling us there –
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”
So, …
He is ready to be taught.
He is ready to learn.
He is ready to be corrected.
He is ready to grow in the truth.
It (The Scripture) says :
“The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: … … .”
He seeks knowledge!
‘The heart of him that hath understanding criest after knowledge, and lifts his voice for understanding.
He seeks knowledge as silver and searches for her as a hid treasure.
He will labour for the meat that does not perish; that meat that leads to eternal life. That is his desire– labouring in the word of God; desiring to do the will of God.
Proverbs chapter 4 from verse 7 says–
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
"Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.”
Verse 9: “She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”
So: ...
The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh for wisdom. He knows that wisdom is the principal thing, so he desires to get wisdom, to get understanding.
He exalts wisdom, the wisdom of God : Christ the Wisdom of God and the Power of God.
He knows that in the wisdom of God he shall be honoured and he shall be promoted. So, he desires to remain and to walk in the wisdom of God.
He refuses that any thing will take him away from the wisdom of God. So, he abides in the wisdom of God, doing the will of God.
He is not like the simple that believeth everything. He searches the Scripture to know whether what he is being told is so.
He is prudent.
He operates in discernment because he is yielded to the Spirit of God.
He is desirous to learn and to be taught, but also ready to search the Scriptures to know whether what he is being taught is so. So, he does not swallow everything without searching the Scriptures.
Psalm 119 from verse 33 says–
“Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.”
³⁴ “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”
So, he doesn’t only seek knowledge; but he is desirous to do the knowledge he has received. He puts the knowledge into application. Because he has understanding, he will walk in wisdom.
So, …
He is desirous to be taught.
He is open to receive understanding.
And he is open to do what he has understood.
He doesn’t just accumulate knowledge for its sake. He receives the knowledge so that he will fulfil the word of God, he will do that which God has called him to do.
The same Psalm 119 verse 66 says–
“Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.”
So, he receives the knowledge, he believes it, (ie the knowledge of the truth). He receives it, he believes it, and he is ready to do!
He walks in the wisdom of God.
He is open to be directed through the word of God. He is not made up.
He desires to know the truth, … the truth that will set him free.
He is ready to study to shew himself approved unto God as a workman that is not ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
He will do as Paul did:
pressing unto perfection,
desiring to know Christ the more,
to know and to attain to the knowledge of the suffering of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
and to remain in His fellowship.
So, he is ready to sit at the feet of Jesus to learn more, like Mary did.
So: “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge:...”
They will seek it as a necessary food.
They are desirous to walk in the truth.
And they are ready to seek the direction that the LORD wants them to go at each point in time; like Solomon did when he was king of Israel.
He sought the face of the LORD; he sought wisdom; he sought understanding, because he knew that with the wisdom of God he will be able to make progress. He did not arrogate any thing to himself, but rather, he sought the face of the LORD.
So, the heart of him that hath understanding will seek the face of the LORD in every situation.
He will wait upon the LORD.
He will be desirous to walk in the will of God.
He would not allow anything to take him away from the will of God. Rather, he will be abiding in the truth and doing the truth.
I encourage you:
Receive the wisdom of God by accepting what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross of Calvary; believing and receiving Him and remaining in Him, so that He will continue to teach you the way to go to profit.
For “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: ...”
If you are seeking the knowledge of the truth, if you are seeking to walk in the word of God:
it shows that you have understanding.
It shows you have the fear of God.
It shows you are not ready to do anything outside the word of God. But rather, you want to walk in the will of God.
“... but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.” The fool says in his heart, There is no God. Don’t be a fool! Desire to have the perfect knowledge of the Son of God, and those things that relate to your spiritual peace and eternal welfare!! ...
For the fool says in his heart, There is no God; so he does what he likes to do.
The mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness – foolish talking, foolish jesting, foolishness; and he is desirous to spend his time on unlearned questions, on foolish and false doctrines which will lead him to destruction.
Such a fool feeds on foolishness, because he feeds on false doctrines and hurtful lusts, because he has a deceived heart. Having turned himself aside from the truth, he is desirous to hear and to feed on the pleasures and satisfactions of his lust. He feeds on things that will lead to destruction, not on things that will lead to eternal life. So, Don’t Be A Fool!
I desire you to continue to press unto the perfect knowledge of the word of God. Desire to know the truth and to walk in the truth. For as you know the truth, the truth shall make you free.
“The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.”
They feed on foolishness. They feed on things that will destroy them. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak.
His heart is full of foolishness. His heart is full of vain and lustful things, so his mouth will speak forth things that do not edify, things that do not bring life to the soul.
Proverbs 15 verse 21 says this–
“Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.”
So, the mouth of fools feed on folly. Don’t feed on folly, because you will be destroyed in it! Because the mouth of fools feed on folly and on foolishness, what will proceed out of their mouth will be foolishness. So, you don’t listen to such a one, because all that he has in his heart is foolishness.
The fool’s heart loves lies and feeds on lies. He doesn’t like to be told the truth. Don’t be such ones that feed on lies and walk in lies.
I Encourage You …
Delight in the truth! For “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” [Ref: Proverbs 18:2].
Desire the wisdom of God!
Desire the word of God!!
Desire to do the will of God!!!
That is what I am encouraging you today.
Don’t be like the fool!
Don’t be rebellious to the word of God, to the truth!!
Don’t be a lying child of God or a lying person that will not hear the truth of the word of God!!
Don’t be amongst those who will say– ‘Do not tell me the truth!!!’
Like the Scripture says in Isaiah 30 verse 10, it says–
“Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:”
Don’t be such ones!
Desire to know the truth!!
Desire to press unto perfection; perfecting holiness in the fear of the LORD.
As you do this, remain blessed in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
It teaches us to fear God and to follow and obey Him .It is a great blessing to me