Pro 15:15 | KingComments | STEP | The emotional condition of a person, what he experiences in his soul, has a definite effect on his mind. If a person has “a joyful heart”, it can be seen on his face ( ). One who is on his way to meet his beloved will have a joyful heart. The joy of that encounter will radiate from his face. So it is with a heart that is filled with the Lord Jesus and lives with Him. There is joy over the redemption of sins and the judgment thereof and over the coming encounter with Him. When a heart is sad, when it is filled with worry, “the spirit is broken”. The words used here emphasize pain and depression with a thought of despair. A broken spirit gives a sad facial expression. Nehemiah was experiencing “sadness of heart”, which could be read on his face ( ; cf. ). With Hannah, her face changed from dejected to happy after she received the assurance that her prayer for a son would be answered: “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” ( ). Thus, we too can bring our worries, which make us broken of spirit, to the Lord in prayer. This produces a change for the better in our mood. Here again, this is stated generally, with no guarantee that this always and immediately happens. There may be situations where a person is depressed and remains depressed (for a long time) even though he brings everything to the Lord. This can have all kinds of causes, which we do not always understand. It is so when it happens to ourselves and certainly when it happens to others. For a long time Job did not have a cheerful heart and did not walk around with a happy face. Only when God had come to His purpose with him did this change completely ( ). Opposite “the mind of the intelligent” is “the mouth of fools”, opposite “seeks” is “feeds” and opposite “knowledge” is “folly” ( ). Both the intelligent and the fool are bent on filling his mind with something. He who is intelligent in mind seeks knowledge. He who has knowledge longs for more knowledge. It is knowledge about how life should be lived according to the thoughts of God. When a mind seeks that, it demonstrates wisdom. In the heart of fools, the desire for that knowledge is not present. He does seek something “to eat”. Hence reference is made to “the mouth of fools” and to feeding. To “feed” is to graze as cattle do and points to the fool being satisfied with fodder of the brand of “folly” (cf. ). What a person seeks is evidenced among other things by what he reads and what he looks at. An intelligent mind has “tasted the kindness of the Lord” ( ) and therefore longs for “the pure milk” of the Word of God ( ). Fools feed their minds on depraved reading and they watch bad movies. They graze like the obtuse cattle in defiled pastures and gobble up the folly of these pastures without any filtering. Life can be miserable or pleasant, depending on one’s circumstances and nature ( ). “The afflicted” is one who feels inwardly miserable all the days. All those days “are bad”. He cannot find any joy in anything, because inside he feels afflicted. No matter what is tried to cheer him up, affliction so dominates that he sees only affliction. Everything is bad. Nothing tastes, nothing makes him happy. He is constantly afflicted. There is affliction when we fail to find our help in God. Jacob said to Pharaoh: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life” ( ). That is because his life was full of going his own way without asking God to help him. Naomi, with her husband Elimelech, also went her own way. She testifies that she has experienced “great bitterness” in that way ( ). Those who have “a cheerful heart” see and live life in the light of the sun, that is, in the light of the Lord Jesus, Who is called “the sun of righteousness” ( ). For a cheerful heart, life is “a continual feast”. We have a cheerful heart when we are rejoicing in the Lord and living in fellowship with Him. Even bad days will not be able to affect the cheerful state of mind. If there is joy within, outward circumstances cannot take away that joy. The prophet Habakkuk testifies to this. Though he sees around him desolate barrenness and emptiness, he testifies and says: “Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” ( ). We are offered a continual meal by the Lord Jesus in Himself ( ). He wants to dine with us and we may dine with Him if we open our heart to Him ( ).

‏ Proverbs 15:15

A Joyful, Intelligent and Cheerful Heart

The emotional condition of a person, what he experiences in his soul, has a definite effect on his mind. If a person has “a joyful heart”, it can be seen on his face (Pro 15:13). One who is on his way to meet his beloved will have a joyful heart. The joy of that encounter will radiate from his face. So it is with a heart that is filled with the Lord Jesus and lives with Him. There is joy over the redemption of sins and the judgment thereof and over the coming encounter with Him.

When a heart is sad, when it is filled with worry, “the spirit is broken”. The words used here emphasize pain and depression with a thought of despair. A broken spirit gives a sad facial expression. Nehemiah was experiencing “sadness of heart”, which could be read on his face (Neh 2:2; cf. Gen 40:6-7). With Hannah, her face changed from dejected to happy after she received the assurance that her prayer for a son would be answered: “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (1Sam 1:18b). Thus, we too can bring our worries, which make us broken of spirit, to the Lord in prayer. This produces a change for the better in our mood.

Here again, this is stated generally, with no guarantee that this always and immediately happens. There may be situations where a person is depressed and remains depressed (for a long time) even though he brings everything to the Lord. This can have all kinds of causes, which we do not always understand. It is so when it happens to ourselves and certainly when it happens to others. For a long time Job did not have a cheerful heart and did not walk around with a happy face. Only when God had come to His purpose with him did this change completely (Job 42:6-17).

Opposite “the mind of the intelligent” is “the mouth of fools”, opposite “seeks” is “feeds” and opposite “knowledge” is “folly” (Pro 15:14). Both the intelligent and the fool are bent on filling his mind with something. He who is intelligent in mind seeks knowledge. He who has knowledge longs for more knowledge. It is knowledge about how life should be lived according to the thoughts of God. When a mind seeks that, it demonstrates wisdom.

In the heart of fools, the desire for that knowledge is not present. He does seek something “to eat”. Hence reference is made to “the mouth of fools” and to feeding. To “feed” is to graze as cattle do and points to the fool being satisfied with fodder of the brand of “folly” (cf. Isa 44:20).

What a person seeks is evidenced among other things by what he reads and what he looks at. An intelligent mind has “tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1Pet 2:3) and therefore longs for “the pure milk” of the Word of God (1Pet 2:2). Fools feed their minds on depraved reading and they watch bad movies. They graze like the obtuse cattle in defiled pastures and gobble up the folly of these pastures without any filtering.

Life can be miserable or pleasant, depending on one’s circumstances and nature (Pro 15:15). “The afflicted” is one who feels inwardly miserable all the days. All those days “are bad”. He cannot find any joy in anything, because inside he feels afflicted. No matter what is tried to cheer him up, affliction so dominates that he sees only affliction. Everything is bad. Nothing tastes, nothing makes him happy. He is constantly afflicted.

There is affliction when we fail to find our help in God. Jacob said to Pharaoh: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life” (Gen 47:9). That is because his life was full of going his own way without asking God to help him. Naomi, with her husband Elimelech, also went her own way. She testifies that she has experienced “great bitterness” in that way (Rth 1:20-21).

Those who have “a cheerful heart” see and live life in the light of the sun, that is, in the light of the Lord Jesus, Who is called “the sun of righteousness” (Mal 4:2). For a cheerful heart, life is “a continual feast”. We have a cheerful heart when we are rejoicing in the Lord and living in fellowship with Him. Even bad days will not be able to affect the cheerful state of mind. If there is joy within, outward circumstances cannot take away that joy.

The prophet Habakkuk testifies to this. Though he sees around him desolate barrenness and emptiness, he testifies and says: “Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Hab 3:18). We are offered a continual meal by the Lord Jesus in Himself (Jn 6:35). He wants to dine with us and we may dine with Him if we open our heart to Him (Rev 3:20).