Proverbs 11:27 (Mini Sermon)

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27. Pro 11:27 – “He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.” A. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: i. Definitions a. Diligently adv. – In a diligent manner; with diligence. a. With steady application; assiduously, industriously; not idly or lazily; with dispatch. b. Diligent adj. – 1. Of persons: ‘Constant in application, persevering in endeavour, assiduous’, industrious; ‘not idle, not negligent, not lazy.’ c. Seek v. – 1. a. To go in search or quest of; to try to find, look for (either a particular object—person, thing, or place—whose whereabouts are unknown, or an indefinite object suitable for a particular purpose). d. Good n. – II. The neuter adj. used absol., passing into sb.: That which is good. 2. a. In the widest sense: Whatever is good in itself, or beneficial in effect. e. Good adj. – A. adj. The most general adj. of commendation, implying the existence in a high, or at least satisfactory, degree of characteristic qualities which are either admirable in themselves or useful for some purpose. II. With reference to moral character, disposition, or conduct. 5. Morally excellent or commendable. f. Procure v. – II. 4. To bring about by care or pains; also (more vaguely) to bring about, cause, effect, produce. g. Favour n. – 1. a. Propitious or friendly regard, goodwill, esp. on the part of a superior or a multitude. to find favour in the eyes of (orig. a Hebraism): to gain the goodwill of. h. In other words, he that constantly applies himself in a search for what is morally excellent and commendable will obtain the goodwill of both God and man. ii. Those that diligently seek good procure the favor of God. a. God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6). b. Those who patiently continue in well doing and seek for glory, honor, and immortality will procure the goodwill of God for all eternity (Rom 2:7, 10). c. The LORD will bless, protect, and show favor to the righteous (Psa 5:12). d. Those who seek and find wisdom shall obtain the favor or the LORD (Pro 8:35). e. A good man procures favor from the LORD (Pro 12:2). iii. Those that diligently seek good also procure the favor of man. a. The Lord Jesus Christ, even from a child, diligently sought what was good (what pleased God) (Luk 2:49; Joh 8:29) and procured the favor of both God and man (Luk 2:52). b. Those who diligently seek good are characterized by mercy and truth and will find favor in the sight of God and man (Pro 3:3-4). c. Joseph diligently sought good, and God blessed him to find favor in the eyes of the keeper of the prison (Gen 39:21-23; Act 7:10). d. Ruth was a diligent and virtuous woman who sought the God of Israel (Rut 1:16), and she therefore procured the favor of the LORD and Boaz (Rut 2:8-17). e. The early Christians who diligently sought the Lord in His church found favor with all the people (Act 2:47). B. but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. i. Definitions a. Mischief n. – 1. a. Evil plight or condition; misfortune; trouble, distress; in ME. often, need, want, poverty. Obs. 2. a. Harm or evil considered as the work of an agent or due to a particular cause. b. An injury wrought by a person or other agent; an evil arising out of or existing in certain conditions. b. In other words, he that goes looking for trouble will find it, and he that goes on a quest to harm others and do them evil will receive harm and evil to himself. ii. While a good man who diligently seeks good obtains favor of the Lord, an evil man who seeks mischief obtains condemnation from the Lord (Pro 12:2). iii. The same is true concerning both good and wicked men in their dealings with the king (Pro 14:35). iv. Men reap what they sow (Gal 6:7-8). a. Saul sought mischief against David (1Sa 23:9) and ended up dying by the sword he lived by (1Sa 31:4). b. Benhadad king of Syria sought mischief against the king of Israel (1Ki 20:7) and it came unto him (1Ki 20:20). c. Haman sought mischief against Mordecai and the Jews (Est 8:3), and it came upon him (Est 7:10). d. Those who conceive mischief fall into the ditch they dig and their mischief returns upon their own heads (Psa 7:14-16). e. Those who frame mischief by a law will have their own iniquity be brought down on them by God (Psa 94:20-23).