The Lord weigheth the spirits

Prov 16:2 the Lord weigheth the spirits.  The definition of weigh is to ponder in the mind; to consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; as, to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a scheme.

The Lord weigheth the spirits because our lives are not just about of our souls and flesh.  Our souls are going to spend eternity somewhere.  So, Jesus Christ died to save our souls and seat us with him in heavenly places forever.  And after we are saved, we die with Christ so that we can live after the Spirit and not after the flesh.  These two stand opposed to each other.

Therefore, the Lord weigheth the spirits because the condition of our spirit greatly affects our attitude, emotions, motives, and relationship with the Lord and other Christians.

For this reason, we are going to study our spirit tonight and next Sunday night.

First of all, we find that there are other spirits besides our own that can affect our being.

• The Spirit of the Lord.
• Evil spirits – as in Jud 9:23 between Abimelech and the men of Shechem and 1 Sam 16:14 in Saul.
• Familiar spirits
• Lying spirits – as in 1 Ki 22:22 in Ahab’s prophets.
• Unclean spirits – as the dumb, deaf, fowl spirits during Jesus’s earthly ministry.

Secondly, there are many things that you experience in life that affect your spirit.  And in weighing our spirits, the Bible describes what kind of spirit we have as a result:

• Overwhelmed spirit – Ps 142:3; 143:4 David’s spirit when overwhelmed by attacks from his enemies.
• Broken spirit – Prov 15:13 by sorrow of the heart; it drieth the bones.  Prov 17:22 a merry heart helps this.
• Vexed spirit – Ecc 1:14, 1:17, 2:11, 2:17, 2:26, 4:4, 4:6, 4:16, 6:9. Vexed by all the vanity of labor under the sun.
• Haughty spirit – Prov 16:18 which goes before a fall.  It’s the same as the proud spirit – Ecc 7:8.
• Troubled spirit – Gen 41:8 Pharaoh after his dreams. Dan 2:1, Nebuchadnezzar after his dream.  Jn 13:21, Jesus when he announced that one would betray him.
• Anguished spirit – Ex 6:9 Jews in their cruel bondage and under increased turmoil by Pharaoh.
• Hardened spirit – Deut 2:30 Sihon’s spirit against the children of Israel.
• Sorrowful spirit – 1 Sam 1:15 Hannah’s spirit because she had no child.
• Provoked spirit – Ps 106:33 Moses provoked by Israel’s rebellion.
• Hasty spirit – Prov 14:29 exalteth folly.  We should be slow to wrath.  See Ecc 7:9.
• Wounded spirit – Prov 18:14 wounded by numerous things.
• Perverse spirit – Is 19:14 this spirit was mingled in Egypt.
• Grieved spirit – Is 54:6 as a woman forsaken, Dan 7:15 Daniel’s spirit was grieved after seeing a vision.

Thirdly, and now the subject of our discussion, the Bible identifies the kinds of spirit God wants us to have.  I have these organized in the way a person’s spirit would bring them into fellowship with the Lord and help them grow in their relationship with him.

Contrite spirit – Ps 34:18 the condition of your spirit in godly sorrow.  The Lord often brings us to contrition through affliction or trials.  This is how he got the attention of many of us here.  We realized that we had wronged God and, yet, he was willing to save us.  He “saveth such as be of a contrite spirit”.

Humble spirit – Prov 16:19, “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly…”.  Is 57:15, though God dwells in the high and holy place, yet he dwells “with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit”.  And he revives “the spirit of the humble”.

After coming to God with a contrite sprit, continue to fellowship with God through a humble spirit.  The downfall of kings in the Old Testament and Christians in the New Testament is a sense of pride and self-reliance after walking with the Lord a while.  Always stay humble and you will always stay revived.

Right spirit – Ps 51:10 David prayed, “renew a right spirit within me”.  We still live in sinful flesh and we will till we die or Jesus comes.  And sin affects your spirit as well as you flesh, 2 Cor 7:1.  Therefore, it is imperative that we come to the Lord regularly for him to renew a right spirit within us.  This will keep us in a right relationship with him.

You don’t get “victory” over sin by only dealing with it in the flesh.  You must consider the condition of your spirit when you keep committing the same sins over and over.  The Lord must weigh your spirit and renew a right spirit within you.  By this he changes who you are, and changing who you are changes what you do.

Guileless spirit – Ps 32:2 “blessed is the man… in whose spirit there is no guile”.  Nathanael was such a man, Jn 1:47.  Guile is crafty disguise.  It is duplicity.  After you start coming to church faithfully, there is a tendency to put on a front that makes you look “better” than you really are.  If you do this, you will never grow into or beyond what you’re pretending to be.  That’s guile and it hinders your relationship with God and your fellow church members.  Plus, it takes a lot of work to keep up the charade.

Refreshed spirit – 1 Cor 16:18; 2 Cor 7:13 Paul and Titus’s spirits were refreshed by the fellowship of other believers.  This is one of the great blessings of meeting together in church services.  You come in here sometimes tired, discouraged, distracted, or troubled and leave here refreshed.  There is something beneficial happening to your spirit right now through the singing, prayer, preaching, and fellowship.  Savor this and refresh your spirit.

Willing spirit – Ex 35:21 , “And they came… every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering…”.  The people with a willing spirit gave the offering that Moses used to build the tabernacle, the furniture, and all the vessels.  A willing spirit is what it takes to give to the Lord and to serve him in a local church ministry.  Serving the Lord faithfully begins with a willing spirit.

Conclusion: You can see the progression of spiritual growth in your spirit when you begin with a contrite spirit and get saved, and then maintain a humble spirit, a right spirit, a guileless spirit, a refreshed spirit, and a willing spirit.  Next week, Lord willing, we will discuss some other wonderful things the Lord is looking for in you when the Lord weigheth the spirits.