Proverbs 22:11 Commentary and Bible Study

This proverb is about the beauty or the attractiveness of pureness of heart. None have a pure heart by nature, but only as a result of regeneration and the work of the Spirit in sanctifying the heart. Conversion brings a new appreciation of the beauty of purity. It comes, David tells us, from the fear of the Lord: ‘The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever’ (Psalm 19:9). That passion for cleanness is linked to our desire to draw close to God and our awareness that he is pure beyond description. He cannot bear anything that involves deceit, disloyalty, or perversity, and the believer studies how to root out everything contrary to God’s character as expressed in his law. Every thought is brought for examination and the highest possible standards are applied to test it. We desire fellowship with God in the secret of our hearts and therefore our hearts must be free from impurity. This is more than a desire to appear pure; it is a desire to be pure, because the true believer is satisfied with nothing less. He hates what is false and mere pretence. He desires to be genuine, with a heart that does not contain some secret decay that will in time spread throughout. He wants to eliminate sin completely, like those who run a program to eliminate some terrible disease from mankind.From a pure heart come pure words and particularly, the proverb says, gracious words. Gracious speech pours forth as water from a fountain from a pure heart. What is the connection between a pure heart and gracious lips? Certainly, God has so constructed man that the lips are closely coupled to the heart, and what is unseen within must find a way of coming out. What is so attractive about gracious lips? The pure heart is a heart free from self-importance and ostentation. It puts other first and has a set of values which is completely at odds with the standards of the world. It is full of kindness, and generosity, and peace. It loves to edify and to give freely without expecting anything in return. When this wholesome spirit is seen, it is refreshingly different to the speech that comes from those who do not know God, even if it only touches on secular things. It strikes the hearer as something which is not only different but elevating, which defies gravity, which deserves special attention. The worldling knows the character of the world and knows when he finds something that was not manufactured in the world. He values it for its rarity, but he also values it for itself. The Lord loves those with a pure heart. Even the king may at times befriend someone on account of their gracious speech. In few cases on earth, but in every case in heaven, where Christ knows each one deeply and personally. He loves the pure heart for it is the work of his Spirit and that rare bloom growing in the wilderness of this world. At death it will be transplanted into heaven, while all else is left behind.