Proverbs 21:1-4 – God is sovereign, we must live for Him

Without a doubt Proverbs 21:1 is true. “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” He is in sovereign control. Whether the king submits to God or not, he has to bend to God’s plan and purpose. For that matter God can choose to use anyone and everyone, be that person a king or a queen, a leader or an ordinary citizen, to fulfil His redemptive plan. For us believers we are His willing redemptive agents. For unbelievers, know it or know, they are all unwittingly God’s unwilling servants. And He often uses them to help shape His people to be more effective workers in the world. The song that says, “God has got the whole world in His hand” is so true. God ordains rulers of the land to ensure a safe society. Ultimately, it is He who will put them on or take them off the reign.

Proverbs 21:2 is inviting us to factor God into our plans in life. We may have certain desires and they may seem right before our eyes but may not be aligned with His purpose and plan. We must not be so cocksure that whatever we want is the best. We need to weigh in in the light of God’s ultimate plan for the world. It is His purpose and plan that will be brought to fruition. Hence it is better that we collaborate with Him than to work against Him.   

God prefers that we live righteous and just lives than to make a big show of our spirituality, so say Proverbs 21:3. If we don’t live right, no amount of faith will please God. Be mindful that justice and righteousness are derivatives of the principle of love. This in essence is what the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:2-3. He says, “If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” Whether we be a leader or not, our duty in life is to show love and love is demonstrated in righteous and just living. 

Proverbs 21:4 is a warning against pride. This verse is not just talking about pride that causes us to look down on others. It is also about having a wanton ambition and an unfettered yearning for wealth and power. A person with such an ambition is full of himself or herself. He may have all the wealth, power and position, but the purpose is to exalt the self. In the eye of the Lord this is sin and it displeases the LORD. This verse is a warning against self-aggrandizement. We must humbly live to fulfill God’s will.