Episode Transcript
Proverbs 12, verse 24.
I sure had a good time studying God's Word for this.
Proverbs 12, verse 24.
The title of the message tonight is "A Diligent Hand."
"A Diligent Hand."
And to go with a diligent hand is a dry voice.
So let me get this here to take care of the dry voice.
God's Word never ceases to amaze me.
When I looked at this particular verse, it seemed so simplistic.
But its truths are not only life-giving, but they fill our hearts with wonder as we meditate on them.
And this is what it did for me.
The simple things become marvelously complex when we study them closely.
Brother Shepherd was commenting on that in Sunday School last week about how even as much as he's read Genesis, it's still learning, still learning, and he always will.
But as we study the Proverbs closely, what seems so simple becomes marvelously complex.
In our text tonight, the Holy Spirit draws our attention to, if you look now at the Scriptures, to the hand.
The hand.
I thank God for the two hands that God gave me.
And I thank God that I haven't lost one or both of them in an accident, and that they both still work as God designed.
And the human hand was marvelously designed by God's wisdom and love.
By God's grace, the human hand is capable of serving, loving, helping, defending, providing, manufacturing, communicating, and performing all types of music and art, and on and on and on.
By the work of our hands, we have traveled to outer space, performed life-saving surgeries, built amazing structures, grown, harvested, and cooked wonderful food, built cars and ships and airplanes to transport us around the world with these.
Take these away, none of that would happen.
By God's design, with very few sad exceptions, God made every one of us and gave every one of us two hands.
And it's up to each individual what they do with the hands that God gave them.
We have to understand then, God didn't give us buildings, He gave us hands.
God didn't give us automobiles, He gave us hands.
God didn't give us silos full of grain, He gave us hands.
God didn't give us wealth and prosperity, He gave us hands.
And it's up to us to utilize those hands to produce those things by the grace of God.
One night I pulled behind a car full of teenagers.
They were broke down on the side of the road and they were stranded.
They were standing outside looking at a flat tire, just watching it.
And I pulled up and I'm watching them watch the flat tire.
I said, "So, you all don't have a spare?"
They said, "Oh, we have a spare, we don't have a jack."
So I go to the back of my car and I get the jack out of my car.
There was a big young man out there and I handed him the jack.
He just looked at me and kind of backed away.
He said, "I don't know how to change a tire."
Well, I knew that tire wasn't going to change itself.
And I wasn't about to get my hands dirty when there was a big young man standing there.
And who had two hands just like me.
So I taught that young man how to change the tire that night.
And by the work of his hands, they made it home.
And I get so put out when I see grown men standing on the side of the road, using their hands to hold a sign to beg for food.
When they could use those same hands to hold a mop to work for food.
It's fascinating to me.
I marvel at it.
And that brings us to the two types of hands tonight.
The first hand being that, look back in your text, of the diligent.
The diligent.
Now, the Hebrew word here that's translated diligent, it has the idea of something sharp or pointed.
And fascinatingly, the word is most often translated, would you guess it, as gold in the Bible.
Isn't that fascinating?
The word diligent, the Hebrew word translated diligent, is most often translated as gold in the Bible.
Not because the word means glittery or gold or pretty or expensive or valuable.
But because it means sharp and pointed.
You see, gold is mined or cut out of the ground with something sharp or pointed.
Gold doesn't just jump up out of the ground into your pocket.
It'd be nice if it did.
But you have to use your hands to get that gold out of the ground.
And with this in mind, the word used to describe diligent here and used to describe gold, is also described or also used to define and translated as determination.
Determination.
Can you see how they all three go hand in hand?
Diligent, determined, gold.
How about that?
Determination and diligence.
That's what it takes to get the gold out of the ground, you see.
And someone who by definition here, this word determination or this word translated diligent, most often translated gold, once translated determination, by definition this word has the idea of someone stirring themselves up to use their hands for beneficial purposes.
Diligent people don't have to be told to do their homework.
Diligent people don't have to be told to get a job.
You know, my parents never sat down with me and said, "Son, have you ever thought about how you're going to provide for yourself growing up?"
They just never had to.
They didn't care about my homework.
I just handled my business.
And as a young man, it just seemed natural that I need to figure out some way to earn my keep and be able to pay my bills and have a family and everything.
And diligent people don't have to be told to get a job.
Diligent people care about the responsibilities in life that they have.
Diligent people work to provide for their families.
Instead of being a drain on their families.
We should never be a drain on our families.
And here's the other thing, we should never let our families be a drain on us.
Period.
Don't let it happen.
Don't let your family be a drain on you.
If you let your family be a drain on you, you know what you're doing?
You're keeping the drain flowing.
Tough love, man, tough love.
That's what sometimes we have to do.
But diligent people pay their bills.
Diligent people are self-disciplined people who handle their business on their own.
And the Hebrew word here is also translated as "decision" in the Bible.
Decision.
Decisiveness is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
Decision.
There's a man I know who always thinks and overthinks and considers and considers some more and rethinks.
And never pulls the trigger on things.
I mean, it may take him years to pull the trigger and make a decision on something.
And as a result, what he has in his heart never gets accomplished a lot of times.
At least not for a very long time.
But diligent people are people who can make a decision.
And sometimes we just have to say, "You know what?
I'm going to make a decision here and I'm going to go for it."
Diligent people don't live in a fantasy world.
In which they dream of future things that they never accomplish.
Y'all know people like that?
They always have some big pipe dream out here.
And they never accomplish it because it takes decisiveness.
You have to make a decision and then take those two hands God gave you and apply it.
These people, diligent people, they make decisions in life and then they follow through on the decisions they make.
And the Bible says tonight that diligent people, look back in your text, shall bear rule.
Quite a statement here that we're looking at tonight.
I want you to notice the three key words here.
Hand, diligent, and rule.
Key words give us key ideas, which ends up giving us kingdom truths.
Hand, diligent, and rule.
Here's a kingdom truth for you tonight.
A diligent hand is a ruling hand.
You know what we just did?
We just mined that gold out of the scripture.
A diligent hand is a ruling hand.
Now, don't confuse the word ruling with reigning.
A person who reigns as a king certainly rules, no doubt about that.
But all who rule are not kings.
A person who reigns as a king, thank God he rules, but we don't all rule as kings.
So this is not a political proverb, this is a practical proverb.
Most importantly, it is a spiritual proverb as we'll see tonight.
A diligent hand is a ruling hand.
Man, I have repeated that statement to myself several times since I have been doing this study.
A diligent hand is a ruling hand.
So the proverb naturally can be applied physically, it can be applied earthly, because men do set diligent men over their affairs.
And definitely if we're diligent with our hands, then we're going to be ruling over our own business instead of someone ruling over us.
Having a diligent hand gives you the ability to be independent in life, rather than dependent in life.
To be in charge of your affairs, rather than someone else in charge of your affairs.
And when I thought about that, I thought of the borrower is servant to the lender.
He's not ruling, he's serving the lender.
All right, so, but what I want you to see tonight is this, that this word "rule" here, it has the idea of God setting us over something.
The first time we see this word "rule" in the Bible is when God made the sun to rule the day, and the moon to rule the night.
That's the very first time we see it.
And we know the sun and the moon, they don't reign as our kings, they rule as God's servants.
God set them over the earth to bear light.
One rules the day, the other rules the night.
And how do they rule?
They rule by light.
That's how God rules.
He rules by light.
Now the second time we see this word is in Genesis chapter 3 verse 16, where God said unto the woman, He said, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, and sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Again, Adam's not a king, the sun and the moon are not kings, but God put the sun and moon over the earth, and in God's authority and by God's grace, they rule by light.
God put Adam, the husband, over the wife, and by God's grace and authority, he rules by light, by the light of God, by the Word of God.
God set man over the woman to rule in God's authority.
Now listen to how 2 Samuel chapter 23 verse 3 through 4, likens a king ruling to the sun ruling.
You're talking about marrying up some beautiful truths here.
2 Kings 23 through 4, we're going to see how the king ruling and the sun ruling are the same.
It says, "The God of Israel said, 'The rock of Israel spake to me, "He that ruleth over men must be just."
Ruling how?
In the fear of God.
What happens when a man rules as God intended?
He rules in the fear of God over men.
If I am ruling in the fear of God over men, I'm ruling by light.
I'm ruling by God's Word, according to God's Word.
And look what happens when a man rules over other men in the fear of God.
Verse 4, it says, "And he shall be as the light of the morning."
Isn't that amazing?
"He shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth."
The first ruler that we were given was the sun and the moon.
And if a man rules as the sun rules by the authority of God, by the light that God gives, "Then he shall be as the light in the morning when the sun riseth, "even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass."
Watch this now.
"As the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain."
Do you see what happens when a man rules in the fear of God?
It's like a rainstorm.
And after the rain comes down, because God's doctrine drops like what the Bible says?
Drops like the rain.
And after God's doctrine, His rain, His truth drops down to the earth, to men, then what happens?
That king then rules according to that doctrine.
That's why in 1st and 2nd Kings, and we see what happens when a man rules in the fear of God.
He says, "Here's what we have.
"We have God's Word that's been given to us."
Okay?
That's the rain.
And then the king takes that rain, and he comes out and he enforces it.
He applies it.
He then shines that light and causes the earth that's under his domain to be ruled by the light of God.
And when that happens, what happens?
As the sun, after the rain, causes the grass to spring out of the earth.
So the same thing with that king when he rules in the fear of God.
As the grass grows according to the light and the rain, so the people grow according to the light and the rain.
And people then, they grow in the nurture and admonition of God as the ruler of all things.
God sets diligent people over his earthly affairs.
Not all people who rule, rule with diligent hands.
But this is talking about God's diligent hands that he sets over people.
This is not talking about people that lied, cheated in their way into Washington and got voted in somehow.
It's not talking about that.
It's talking about diligent hands being ruling hands according to God.
Being set under God and thus set over people.
Or set over God's things.
Not just God's people, but God's things, his creation.
So as the ruler of all things, God sets diligent people over his earthly affairs.
And those who rule in the light of God, cause God's people to grow spiritually, just as the sun causes grass to grow physically.
Again, God sets diligent people over his earthly affairs, both in this life and also in the life to come.
If you want to be used by God, you know what you're going to have to have?
Diligent hands.
Diligent hands.
God is not going to set someone that does not have diligent hands over his kingdom work.
Using a parable to explain how God will set diligent people over his, not only his earthly affairs here.
Because who ordains pastors ultimately?
Is it people or is it God's Spirit?
It's God's Holy Spirit.
God, the Bible says that Jesus, he gave gifts to the church.
By his Spirit he gives gifts to the church.
And he gave some apostles and prophets and pastors and teachers.
And he gives gifts to the church.
But he's going to set diligent hands over his earthly affairs in his kingdom work today.
But he's going to set diligent hands over his eternal affairs as well.
If you want to manage God's business, then get some diligent hands.
Be diligent about God's kingdom work.
Be diligent about your service to God.
In Matthew chapter 25 verse 1, Jesus said, explaining again by parable how he will set diligent people over his eternal affairs.
"His Lord said unto him, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'"
What is a good and faithful servant?
It's someone with diligent hands, is it not?
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
Thou hast been faithful, diligent over a few things.
I will make thee," what?
"Ruler over many things.
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Diligent hands are ruling hands.
Notice the words faithful and ruler.
God doesn't set unfaithful people over his affairs.
It reminds me, I think, isn't that one of the qualifications of a pastor?
He has to be faithful.
I can't remember the exact wording, but Brother Shepherd, maybe you can look that up.
No, you know what?
I can do it real quick.
I'll just look it up real quick.
Why not?
Oh, that's very interesting.
Very interesting.
This is a true saying.
There's no slide for this.
1 Timothy 3, 1, this is a true saying.
"If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth the good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy, a filthy looker, but patient, not a brother, not covetous."
Fascinating.
"One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.
For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of or rule the church of God?
Diligent hands make ruling hands."
So if a person doesn't have diligent hands, they should never be put in charge to rule.
They shouldn't.
And so he says, "You've been faithful over a few things that will make thee ruler over many."
God doesn't set unfaithful people over his affairs.
Matthew 24, verses 45 through 47.
Jesus asked, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made," what?
"Ruler over his household."
You see the faithful and the ruler again?
God makes rulers out of faithful people.
"To give them meat in due season."
Verse 46, "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing that verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods."
Diligent hands are ruling hands.
So in other words, Jesus was saying the hand of the diligent shall rule in his kingdom.
As we begin to close, he says back in our text in Proverbs, "But the slothful, the lazy, the unfaithful versus the faithful, the unmotivated, the uncaring person."
Look back in your text, "shall be under tribute."
Now God set the sun and the moon over the earth.
God set the man over the woman.
God sets a pastor over a church.
God sets kings over people.
Ultimately, unlike unfaithful kings here in this world, God will set the most diligent hands of all over his creation in the end.
It'll be Jesus.
When Jesus rules, it'll be diligent hands that bear rule.
But in all of those cases, the diligent hand was over.
But notice here, the slothful hand is under.
Isn't that something?
The slothful hand is under.
Now the Bible says, speaking of Jesus, "Thou hast put all things under his feet."
Under Jesus' feet.
Being under Jesus' feet, those of us who are in Jesus, they're under our feet.
Which means if God put Jesus over those things, God put us over those things in Jesus.
But the slothful person here shall be under tribute.
Which means shall have something over him.
The key word here, once again, is under.
The diligent shall bear rule over God's household.
The slothful person shall be under those who rule.
And the word tribute here in the Hebrew, it has the idea of a burden being imposed on someone, especially by slave labor.
A burden being imposed on someone, especially by slave labor.
This is the same word translated as the word taskmasters in the book of Exodus.
When the taskmasters kept the Israelites enslaved there in Egypt.
So this gives you an idea of this tribute here being under tribute.
In the physical sense, the lazy could literally go into slavery back then and can be burdened down with debt today.
As we said, the servant is, the borrower, excuse me, is servant to the lender.
And so serving that lender and being under that tribute.
But in the spiritual sense, which this is pointing toward, the person who fails to serve Jesus in the freedom of the gospel shall serve in the bondage of sin and death.
I repeat that again.
And understanding this principle here in Proverbs will unlock some of the parables that you read in the New Testament.
So once again, the person who fails to serve Jesus in the freedom of the gospel shall serve in the bondage of sin and the bondage of death.
In the parable of the talents, after declaring how he would make the diligent ruler over many things, Jesus at the end had to address the slothful, didn't he?
He had to address the slothful servant.
And in Matthew 25, 30, listen to what Jesus said about the slothful servant.
He said, "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
That person is going to lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
Now, this isn't talking about working for your salvation.
This is talking about serving in the freedom of Jesus or serving in the bondage of sin.
Because we all serve one of two ways.
Whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness.
But we all serve one of two ways.
We can obey the gospel and be justified by faith.
And then we can serve in that justification, the freedom of the gospel.
Or we can disobey the gospel and we can be condemned to sin and death.
And we can be under tribute for all eternity.
Speaking of the diligent hand in Matthew 24, verses 47 through 51, Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods."
But then Jesus said, "But, and if that evil servant, the evil servant shall say in his heart..."
Now, remember, we're all created servants of God.
All of us are born as servants of God.
So now Jesus is going to address the evil servant.
He says, "But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 'My Lord delayeth his coming,' and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with whom?
With the drunken.
The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of."
That won't happen to the believers.
Because the Bible says that day shall not overtake us as a thief.
Because we're children of the day, not children of the night.
And so he says, "In a day when he looketh not for him, in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder."
Cut him off.
Just like the uncircumcised from Israel.
Cut off and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.
Play actors.
"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The difference was not how hard the servant worked.
It was who the servant was working for.
Instead of feeding God's people, the slothful man was smiting God's people.
You see?
This servant is someone who is against the children of God.
He's an enemy of the cross.
He's an enemy of the church.
And so he is doing the persecuting of God's people.
Instead of eating with the believers, what do we do?
Jesus said, "Take, eat.
This is my body which is broken for you."
He says, "Don't be drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.
This is my blood which is shed for you."
And so what do we do?
Together we feed on the Word of God.
We feed on the Son of God.
And we help and we motivate and encourage one another.
And so much the more as we see the day approaching.
We're not persecuting the saints.
We're trying to edify the saints and encourage the saints and help the saints because we belong to the church of Jesus Christ.
But the slothful servant here, in comparison to the diligent hand, he's not a diligent hand.
He's a slothful servant.
But diligent hands are ruling hands.
And I want to encourage each and every one of us tonight to take the two hands that God has given us.
And say, "Lord, You've given these to me.
And by Your grace, I'm giving them back to You.
And let me serve You with these hands.
And if I don't have hands to serve, I'll serve You with my voice.
I'll serve You with my feet.
I'll serve You with my heart.
I'll serve You, if I'm paraplegic, I'll serve You with whatever You've given me.
Whatever small talent You've given me, I'll serve You."
And you be diligent in what God's called you to do.
And when we die, we'll be overcomers, not undercomers.
Father, we thank You so much for Your precious Word.
We thank You, dear Lord God, that the diligence of our hands, dear Lord God, do not work our way to heaven.
But the diligent hands describes the believer in Christ.
That they're hands, Father, that have been turned over to You.
That have been redeemed from this world by the blood of the Lamb.
And Father, I pray, dear Lord God, just as when You redeemed Israel by the blood out of Egypt, their hands quit serving Pharaoh.
Yes, their hearts looked back.
But Lord, now they had a new service, a new calling to perform.
And they ended up serving You in the promised land.
Some served more faithful than others.
But they all served in the freedom that You called them into.
Thank You for us being called into that freedom.
And I pray, Father Lord, that we'll diligently serve You until You call us home.
In Jesus' precious name, Amen.
