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“The Lord sees everything, watching both the wicked and the good.”
— Proverbs 15:3
The central theme of this passage, and therefore of this song, is wisdom in words flowing from a life under God’s gaze. The Spirit of God, through Proverbs 15, confronts us with a vital truth:
are all lived openly before the Lord. Nothing is concealed from Him.
In these verses (Proverbs 15:3–8, 10), the Holy Spirit lays out a series of divine contrasts:
These are not poetic ideas; they are spiritual laws. Just as surely as gravity operates in the natural realm, these moral and spiritual principles operate in the unseen realm and produce inevitable results in our lives.
The thread that runs through all these verses is the tongue, and behind the tongue, the heart. Our words are not random sounds. They are instruments of life or instruments of death. They either align us with God’s purposes or with Satan’s purposes.
Let us look at what the Word of God says, and submit ourselves to its authority.
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The book of Proverbs is primarily associated with Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. Solomon is unique in that Scripture records he asked God for wisdom, and God granted him a level of wisdom unmatched among men of his time (1 Kings 3:9–12).
So we are dealing here with inspired wisdom, not human philosophy. These are Spirit-breathed principles given to God’s covenant people, Israel, and preserved for us as the church.
### The Setting
In Proverbs 15 in particular, God is addressing:
Imagine you are a young Israelite in Solomon’s day. You live in a world of family honor, discipline, sacrifice at the temple, and clear moral categories of wise and foolish. These proverbs are not optional. They are covenant instructions. To disregard them is to invite disaster.
And this is just as true for us under the New Covenant. The moral and spiritual principles here have not changed. The God who spoke through Solomon is the same God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He still weighs our words, examines our ways, and responds to our attitudes.
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### 1) “Kind words bring life” – “Marpeh” (Healing)
Proverbs 15:4 (first half):
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” (KJV)
The phrase translated “wholesome tongue” (or “kind words”) in many versions is:
“Marpeh” does not mean merely “nice” or “pleasant.” It refers to healing, restoration, health-giving. So we could legitimately say:
This goes beyond politeness. It speaks of words that:
This connects directly with the “tree of life” imagery—words that minister life from God Himself.
By contrast:
“but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” (KJV)
Cruel, twisted, or dishonest speech does not merely hurt feelings; it creates a fracture in the spirit. It opens the inner life to damage, oppression, and decay.
### 2) “The Lord sees everything” – “In every place… watching”
Proverbs 15:3:
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (KJV)
Key term:
This is the word used of a watchman on a wall. It is not passive seeing; it is active, purposeful, discerning observation.
So we can say:
This means:
The combination of these words—*marpeh* (healing) and *tzofeh* (watchful)—gives us a powerful picture:
The lyrics of the song echo this: kind words bringing life, cruel words crushing the spirit. When we understand the Hebrew nuance, we see that we are dealing with spiritual medicine or spiritual poison.
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### Stanza by Stanza, Scripture by Scripture
Let us now move through each lyrical line and its corresponding verse.
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### 4.1 “The Lord sees everything, watching both the wicked and the good.”
(Proverbs 15:3)
Here the Spirit confronts us with the omniscience and moral awareness of God.
This aligns with Hebrews 4:13:
> “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
There is a day of judgment embedded in this truth. God’s watching is linked to accountability. Every careless word will be brought into assessment:
> “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”
> — Matthew 12:36
So the first theological foundation is this:
Our words and our responses to God are spoken under the unblinking eye of the Lord.
This dissolves the illusion of privacy in sin and carelessness in speech.
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### 4.2 “Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush the spirit.”
(Proverbs 15:4)
As we saw, “kind” here points to healing. Our tongue can become “a tree of life,” echoing Eden and pointing ahead to the “tree of life” in Revelation 22:2.
He created by speaking (Genesis 1).
Jesus is called the Word (John 1:1).
The gospel is spoken, heard, believed, and produces life (Romans 10:17).
When our words agree with God’s truth, when they are saturated with love and guided by the Spirit, they become channels of divine life.
By contrast, “cruel words crush the spirit” (or “perverseness… is a breach in the spirit”). This is vital in deliverance and inner healing:
James 3:6 says:
> “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity… it sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
In plain terms:
There is no neutral ground.
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### 4.3 “A fool despises a parent’s discipline, but whoever learns from correction is wise.”
(Proverbs 15:5)
Here, the focus shifts from speech to response to authority and correction.
God has placed parents as primary earthly authority structures. To despise parental discipline is often the seed of despising all God-given authority—including God Himself.
Scripture is clear:
> “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
> For whom the Lord loves He chastens…”
> — Hebrews 12:5–6
“Whoever learns from correction is wise.” Correction received and acted upon is a mark of true wisdom.
This confronts a very contemporary problem: a generation that often rejects correction and confuses guidance with “judgment.”
Real spiritual maturity is impossible without embracing God’s discipline—whether through parents, leaders, Scripture, or the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit.
---
### 4.4 “There is treasure in the house of the godly, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble.”
(Proverbs 15:6)
Here we move into the area of material and spiritual prosperity.
Proverbs 10:22 explains:
> “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”
The contrast:
Even if the wicked prosper materially, their income is often linked with injustice, deceit, oppression, or idolatry. The result is trouble:
This is an important principle:
Not all wealth is neutral.
Wealth obtained or used outside God’s righteousness will often become a snare, bringing anxiety, conflict, and ultimately destruction.
In spiritual warfare terms: doorways are opened in homes not merely through sins of the mouth, but also through unrighteous financial practices—fraud, bribery, extortion, obsessive greed.
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### 4.5 “The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright.”
(Proverbs 15:7)
Notice the pairing: lips versus hearts.
The wise do not hoard what God has shown them. Their mouth becomes a fountain of accurate, edifying, doctrinally sound, practically helpful truth.
Paul exhorts believers in Ephesians 4:29:
> “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Why can’t fools spread that kind of knowledge? Because the problem is not firstly in their mouth but in their heart. Their inner life is twisted, not straight.
Jesus said:
> “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
> — Matthew 12:34
So a crooked heart will inevitably produce crooked speech—error, slander, foolish talk, or empty chatter.
This verse teaches us:
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### 4.6 “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but He delights in the prayers of the upright.”
(Proverbs 15:8)
Here we move into the area of worship and religion.
Scripture is unambiguous: God hates and rejects such worship.
Amos 5:21–24:
> “I hate, I despise your feast days,
> And I do not savor your sacred assemblies…
> But let justice run down like water,
> And righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Isaiah 1:11–15 says the same: God is weary of sacrifices without righteousness.
This is a powerful statement. The Hebrew for “upright” (יְשָׁרִים – *yesharim*) means “straight, right, level.” These are people whose hearts and paths are aligned with God’s ways.
God takes pleasure in their prayers. Prayer from an upright heart is more precious to God than any elaborate religious performance.
In New Covenant terms:
This is part of spiritual warfare:
Many try to use religious acts as cover while refusing to repent. That religious cover does not fool God; it invites His displeasure.
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### 4.7 “The Lord hates the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness.”
(Primarily reflected in Proverbs 15:9; closely related to 15:8 & 10)
Even though 15:9 is not in your list, the phrase in the lyric echoes its truth:
> “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
> But He loves him who follows righteousness.”
> — Proverbs 15:9
The Hebrew for “follows” (*radaph*) suggests chasing after, pressing toward.
So righteousness is not a passive state; it is an active pursuit.
Jesus expressed the same principle:
> “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
> — Matthew 5:6
A believer who treats righteousness casually, who is indifferent about holiness, cannot claim to be walking in the love that God approves.
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### 4.8 “Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die.”
(Proverbs 15:10)
This is among the most solemn statements in the chapter.
Scripture warns repeatedly about turning aside:
> “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
> — Proverbs 14:12; 16:25
The second half is even more stark:
Notice: not “whoever dislikes correction,” but “hates” it. There is a settled hostility toward being confronted or adjusted.
To hate correction is to cut yourself off from one of God’s main instruments of salvation and preservation. The final outcome is death—spiritual, and often physical.
This aligns with Romans 8:13:
> “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
So the path is clear:
---
Let me now outline several concrete steps. These are not theories; they are actions you can take.
### 1) Bring Your Tongue Under the Lordship of Christ
First, we must acknowledge that our tongue is not neutral. It will serve either God or Satan.
“Lord Jesus, I yield my tongue to You. Let my words be truth, healing, and life.”
Practical actions:
### 2) Embrace Correction as a Gift, Not an Insult
Second, we must reverse our natural reaction to correction.
Practical actions:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart… see if there is any wicked way in me.”
### 3) Align Your Home and Finances with Righteousness
Third, we must ensure that our “house” is the house of the righteous, not the wicked whose earnings bring trouble.
Practical actions:
When finances and home life come under God’s order, His blessing can rest there as true treasure.
### 4) Replace Outward Religion with Upright Prayer
Fourth, we must move from mere “sacrifice” (external performance) to prayer from an upright heart.
Practical actions:
As you shift from performance to uprightness, your prayers will carry more weight in the spiritual realm.
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### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, thoughtfully, in faith:
“I proclaim that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good. My tongue will not be an instrument of cruelty or perversity, but a healing tongue—a tree of life. I renounce foolishness and embrace correction as the pathway to wisdom. My house will be the house of the righteous, filled with treasure that comes from the blessing of the Lord, not from wicked gain.
My lips, by the help of the Holy Spirit, will spread true knowledge, because God is making my heart upright and straight before Him. The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but He delights in the prayers of the upright. By the blood of Jesus, I am made righteous, and my prayers bring delight to His heart. I will not abandon the right path; I will not hate reproof. I choose life, I choose righteousness, I choose truth in the inward parts. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord God, You see everything. Nothing in my heart, my home, or my words is hidden from You. I acknowledge that my tongue has often wounded rather than healed, and my heart has often resisted correction. I repent.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask You to cleanse my lips, purify my heart, and straighten my path. Make my words a source of healing and life to others. Give me a humble, teachable spirit that welcomes Your reproof. Bring my home and my finances under Your righteous order, and remove any trouble that has come through sin or compromise.
Father, deliver me from empty religious acts. Make me a person whose prayers You delight in—upright, sincere, and submitted. By Your grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep me on the narrow, right path that leads to life. I ask this in the name of Jesus, my Lord and my righteousness. Amen.”
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