Click to Play
0 plays
Sign in to like or dislike songs
“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
> “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
> But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
> The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge,
> But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
> Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
> But a man of understanding walks straight.
> Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
> But with many counselors they succeed.”
> — Proverbs 15:13–14, 21–22 (NASB, selected)
These verses give us a divine pattern for wisdom and joy. They touch four realms of our inner and outer life:
1. The heart – the source of our emotional condition.
2. The mind/understanding – the pursuit of truth and knowledge.
3. The path – the way we walk, our daily decisions.
4. The plans – our strategies, purposes, and long-term direction.
The song’s lyrics simply echo these verses, almost word for word. That is significant. When God repeats something, He is underscoring its importance. Here we learn that true joy is not a superficial emotion but the fruit of a wise, rightly ordered life; and that foolishness is not just ignorance but a spiritual condition that affects joy, direction, and success.
The Book of Proverbs is God’s manual for practical wisdom. It shows us that wisdom is always moral and spiritual, not merely intellectual. It is inseparably connected to our attitudes, our speech, our relationships, and our plans.
In these verses we are confronted with a choice: wisdom and true joy or folly and counterfeit joy. The song brings that contrast before our hearts as a spiritual call to alignment.
---
Proverbs is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Its primary human author is Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, renowned for his God-given wisdom.
### Who is speaking?
Though Solomon is the human author, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate source. Proverbs 1:2–3 tells us its purpose:
> “To know wisdom and instruction,
> To discern the sayings of understanding,
> To receive instruction in wise behavior…”
This is not philosophy. It is covenant instruction—how to live under the rule of the LORD in everyday affairs.
### What is the situation?
Israel is in a time of national strength under Solomon. Yet God knows that prosperity is dangerous without wisdom. People may be tempted to live by their own understanding, their own impulses, their own emotions. So God provides a book that deals—not with ceremonial laws—but with:
Proverbs 15 sits in a central section (chapters 10–22) where brief, concentrated sayings set before us two ways:
Our specific verses focus on how inner condition, character, and relationships shape the visible outcome of our lives.
These sayings were originally addressed to young men being formed as leaders in Israel—future rulers, judges, heads of families. Today they address us as members of the royal priesthood in Christ (1 Peter 2:9). We are called to rule with Christ, firstly by ruling our own hearts, minds, and decisions.
---
Let us take two key words: “heart” and “foolishness/folly.”
### 1. “Heart” – לֵב (*lev* or *lēv*)
Proverbs 15:13 – “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face…”
The Hebrew word לֵב (lev) is far richer than our modern use of “heart” as mere emotion.
Lev includes:
In Hebrew anthropology, man does not think only with his brain but with his heart. The heart is the control center of the whole person.
Proverbs 4:23:
> “Watch over your heart with all diligence,
> For from it flow the springs of life.”
So when Scripture speaks of a “joyful heart,” it does not mean a passing good mood. It means an inner life aligned with God, full of confidence in Him, producing a steady, visible cheerfulness.
This changes how we read the lyric:
> “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”
A “happy heart” in biblical terms is a heart rightly related to God—cleansed, trusting, obedient. Conversely, “heartache” is more than disappointment. It is an inner wound, a brokenness that, if not healed by God, will “crush the spirit” and sap vitality, courage, and desire.
### 2. “Foolishness / Folly” – אִוֶּלֶת (*ivvelet*) and כְּסִיל (*kesil*)
Two related concepts appear in these verses.
Proverbs 15:14 – “The mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.”
Proverbs 15:21 – “Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense…”
The “fool” here generally translates כְּסִיל (*kesil*).
A kesil is not simply uninformed. Biblically, a fool is:
Proverbs 1:7:
> “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
The word “foolishness” in 15:21 is often אִוֶּלֶת (*ivvelet*), describing a pattern of foolish behavior and attitudes.
It suggests:
So when we read:
> “Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense…”
we are not dealing with harmless silliness. We are facing a perverted delight in what is contrary to God’s wisdom. It is the joy of sin, mockery, rebellion, or triviality.
This explains why:
> “The sensible stay on the right path.”
The man of understanding sees through the deceptive joy of folly and chooses a different way, even when folly looks attractive.
---
We will take each line and connect it to the wider testimony of Scripture.
### A. “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”
This reveals a foundational biblical principle: the inner condition governs the outward expression.
1 Samuel 16:7:
> “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
But man, though he looks at the outward appearance, often reads the condition of the heart on the face.
Psalm 34:5:
> “They looked to Him and were radiant,
> And their faces will never be ashamed.”
Notice again: the direction of the heart (“they looked to Him”) shapes the face (“they were radiant”).
But there is a warning: heartache can crush the spirit. Many believers carry deep disappointments, wounds, and unresolved grief. If these are not brought to the Lord for healing, they open the door to spiritual oppression—heaviness, hopelessness, even depression.
Isaiah 61:1–3 tells us the Messiah’s ministry:
> “…to bind up the brokenhearted…
> to comfort all who mourn…
> to give them a garland instead of ashes,
> the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
> the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting…”
A “spirit of fainting” (or “heaviness”) often arises when heartache is not healed God’s way. These proverbs are an invitation:
### B. “The heart of the one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.”
Here we see two opposite appetites.
1. The heart of understanding:
Proverbs 9:10:
> “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
> And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
So the person of understanding is drawn to:
He tests what he hears, examines, and grows.
2. The mouth of fools:
Jesus says in Matthew 12:34:
> “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”
What you continually choose to feed upon—media, conversations, doctrines, entertainment—will eventually fill your heart and come out of your mouth.
So there is a spiritual law:
Philippians 4:8 calls us to a different diet:
> “Whatever is true… honorable… right… pure… lovely… of good repute… dwell on these things.”
This is not sentimental. It is protective. It guards the heart from becoming a fool’s heart.
### C. “Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense; the sensible stay on the right path.”
Here the Holy Spirit exposes a dangerous deception: sin and folly can feel joyful—for a time.
Hebrews 11:25 speaks of:
> “…the passing pleasures of sin…”
A person “with no sense” (literally lacking heart or discernment) is able to enjoy what offends God:
They find joy in it. That should alarm us. It shows that their inner compass is broken. Isaiah 5:20:
> “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…”
But:
> “The sensible stay on the right path.”
The “sensible” here is the man of understanding, the wise. He measures joy not by immediate excitement but by alignment with God’s way.
Psalm 16:11:
> “In Your presence is fullness of joy;
> In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
The wise man knows that true joy flows from walking with God, even when it requires denying temporary pleasures that are sinful or foolish.
Jesus describes the “right path” as the narrow way:
> “The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14)
The sensible man stays on that path. The verb implies perseverance, stability, consistency. Wisdom is not a flash of insight; it is a steady walk in the same direction.
### D. “Plans fail for lack of advice, but with many counselors they succeed.”
The final statement moves from the inner life to practical decision-making.
1. “Plans fail for lack of advice…”
The Hebrew word for “plans” often refers to strategies, deliberations, designs of the mind. Even if your plan is good, if you isolate yourself and refuse counsel, you expose yourself to blind spots and self-deception.
Proverbs 12:15:
> “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
> But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”
Notice: the refusal of advice is a mark of folly. Many failures in ministry, business, marriage, and personal life come not from lack of vision but from prideful isolation.
2. “…but with many counselors they succeed.”
The phrase “many counselors” does not mean listening to every voice indiscriminately. Scripture qualifies the kind of counselors we should seek:
Proverbs 24:6:
> “…in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
When we humbly open our plans to godly counsel:
Thus, success is not simply an outcome; it is the product of humility and submission to godly wisdom expressed through the Body of Christ.
Notice the progression of the whole passage:
Wisdom and joy are not random. They are the fruit of a heart rightly ordered before God, walking in His ways, in community with His people.
---
If we are to move from theory to practice, we must respond to the Word with deliberate steps.
### First, guard and heal the heart
Proverbs 4:23 commands:
> “Watch over your heart with all diligence…”
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart:
Bring these consciously to the Lord:
You may need to say, by faith:
> “Lord, my heart has been broken. I choose to forgive those who hurt me. I renounce bitterness. I receive Your healing. I open my heart to Your joy.”
### Second, change your diet: seek true knowledge, refuse folly
The heart of understanding seeks knowledge; the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
Examine your “diet”:
Replace foolish input with Word-centered, Spirit-led input:
Consciously refuse:
You cannot feed on folly and expect a wise heart.
### Third, choose the right path, not the easy joy of sin
When you face a decision, ask:
Remember: foolishness brings joy to those with no sense. The fact that something feels enjoyable does not make it right. The man of understanding stays on the right path, even when it involves:
Pray regularly:
> “Lord, show me the right path. Keep me from the deceptive joy of folly. Strengthen me to walk the narrow way that leads to life.”
### Fourth, submit your plans to godly counsel
Any significant plan—marriage, ministry, business, relocation, major financial decisions—should be tested in the light of wise counsel.
Take these steps:
1. Write down your plan clearly.
2. Bring it before God in prayer, asking Him to open and close doors according to His will.
3. Share it with:
Ask them:
Be prepared to:
Remember: plans fail for lack of advice. If you are not willing to submit your plan to counsel, you have already chosen the way of the fool.
---
### Proclamation (Confession of Faith)
Speak this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith and alignment with God’s Word:
> I proclaim that God’s wisdom governs my inner life and my outward walk.
> In Christ, my heart is being healed and made whole, and a joyful heart makes my face cheerful.
> I refuse to feed on foolishness. I am a person of understanding, and my heart seeks true knowledge from the Word of God.
> I reject the deceptive joy of sin and folly. As a sensible person in Christ, I stay on the right path, the narrow way that leads to life.
> My plans will not fail through isolation and pride. I humble myself to seek godly counsel, and with many counselors my plans are established and succeed according to God’s will.
> The LORD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. His wisdom is my guide, His joy is my strength, and His Spirit leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
> In Jesus’ name, Amen.
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the wisdom of Your Word.
I bring my heart before You now. Where there has been heartache, disappointment, or brokenness, I ask You to heal me. Bind up my broken heart. Deliver me from a crushed spirit. Pour upon me the oil of gladness and clothe me with the garment of praise.
Holy Spirit, change my appetite. Deliver me from feeding on foolishness—through my eyes, my ears, and my mouth. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Give me a hunger for Your Word, for truth, for wisdom from above.
Lord Jesus, keep me on the right path. Expose every deceptive joy that would lead me into sin or folly. Strengthen my will to choose the narrow way, to walk in righteousness, purity, and obedience.
Father, I submit my plans to You. Deliver me from pride and isolation. Lead me to godly counselors, and give me humility to receive correction. Establish my steps and cause my plans to succeed in the measure that they align with Your purposes.
I receive, by faith, a joyful heart, a wise mind, a straight path, and well-guided plans. Let my life display the wisdom and joy that come from You alone.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
No more songs available