Proverbs 16:1  We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.

Prov 16:9  We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

• Man can make all his own choices, plans and pursuits without the Lord in whatever way he wants; however, the Lord has the last say.  When all is said and done, God still watches over the world and individual lives, and nothing goes on without His knowledge or permission.  We may not understand it at the time, our faith and trust needs to be in operation in spite of our lack of understanding.  When evil is persistant, God only allows it to persist just so long before He intervenes. 
• For God's children - those who follow in His ways, wisdom tells us that our plans and purposes should be guided by Him.  While we don't have all of God's vision and reasoning laid out before us, and His plans may vary from what we had envisioned, God still guides our path and we know the path we are on is prepared by Him even though it can get a little wavy at times.  As such, we continue to trust Him in all our ways, just as Proverbs 3:5-6 say:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  Then in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.

² People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.

• We have all seen and heard people justifying their behavior over and over again, and unless asked, most of us generally don't say anything to them.  As Christians, even we fall guilty of justifying our behavior at times.  The reality is that we all have blind spots to where we even deceive ouselves - most of us not intentionally; therefore, we cannot fully evaluate ourselves correctly.  
• The Lord knows the motives of all of our hearts, and when we are blindly walking in our own deception, we may not even know it.  So then, isn't it important to go to the Lord regularly asking Him to reveal anything in us that He wants to change?  In addition, it is also important that we all have wise godly counsel around us to help us see any blind spots in us.

³ Commit your actions to the Lord,  and your plans will succeed.

• How often have you had it in your head to do something and then you go about figuring out how it is going to be done.  Often, it is this figuring out is where so many Christians go to the Lord on how to do what they want to do.  Shouldn't it be just the opposite?  Here, King Solomon is saying that we need to commit first whatever it is that we want to do.  Let God direct you to whatever that something is.  When you do, all those plans will have been His, not yours.  He will then guide you each step of the way and your plans will succeed.  Just the opposite of what most Christians do!  Again, apply Proverbs 3:5-6 to our lives - trust Him, even if you don't understand, in everything acknowledge Him as Lord over your life, and then follow where He leads you.

⁴ The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.

• God, as the Creator of all mankind has the right to adjust all situations and all people to accomplish His plans and purpose on earth.  God uses the wicked and the righteous, such as Pharoah being the wicked and Moses being the righteous.  In using both, the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt.  God uses believers and unbelievers, even wicked people in high places for His purposes even today.  He is our Creator, and that is His right for He works all things out for good according to His purpose.
• God's plans and providence includes the past, present and the future, here on earth, as well as the eternal dwelling place for all people's based on their own personal choices. 
  
  
  • It isn't that God foreordains and predestines all men to their eternal future; it means God foresees into the future of all mankind, and as such, knows their choices, and adjusts situations to fit into His plans and purposes.  

⁵ The Lord detests the proud;  they will surely be punished.

• Again, as has been brought out several times, God hates pride (Jms 4:6 & 1 Pet 5:5), and regards it as an abomination.  Even though the prideful join forces together, God is fully aware of their actions and will judge them according to His righteousness, both here on earth and at their eternal judgment. 

⁶ Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.  ⁷ When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.

• John 3:16 tells us that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and that whoever believes (relies and have faith and trust) in Him will be saved and have eternal life with Him.  This assures us that God then has provided the atonement for sin for all of mankind. 
• Proverbs tells us that the fear of the LORD is not only the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7; 9:10), it is also the foundation to a life that pleases God.  To live in the fear of the LORD then is to depart from evil. 
• Wise people - those who choose to walk in the fear of the Lord - even have the ability to be at peace with angry or opposing people because they purpose to walk in gentle peace and harmony with all men as they are being led by the Holy Spirit. 

⁸ Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. 9  We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. 

• The point of this verse is to say it is better to have little with the Lord and His godliness reigning in our life than to be rich, being dishonest and evil.  While these are two extremes, with most of us falling somewhere in between these extremes, I think we get the picture.
• We may not know all the reasons for the why's of this life, and I don't think we want to know, but let's take a closer look here. Why then are some good godly people poor and why are some evil wicked people so rich.   King Solomon is speaking here of material wealth, but wealth comes in a lot of different forms in our life.
   
  
  • One can be materially poor and still have the joy of the Lord operating in their life, filled with the love of family and friends, as well as a hundred other things the righteous enjoy.  That person can have riches beyond measure, yet be materially poor. 
  • Or one can be rich and be miserable, refusing the blessings that God has to offer struggling through life on their own.  They will do whatever it takes to keep their wealth while family and friends suffer.  Life is filled with envy, hate, and suffering and  many other negative things that life has a way of providing.  The world may not see what is going on behind the scenes, but that is what often happens.  In these cases, it is so much better to have little and be happy than have a lot and be miserable.
    

I am convinced that God has placed each one of us in this time in history, in the family He chose for us - rich or poor.  We were not born in 1000 A.D. or B.C.  He placed you here today for a reason.  God has planned for each one of us to be used for His plans and purposes today in the life that we live in - in this time in history.  Then with God's help, what we do with what we got then is up to us.    

• We can make all kinds of plans to get rich and have the finer things in life, but it still the Lord who determines our steps.  If God wants you to have material riches, He will lead you in that direction by blessing you with the gift of the ability to learn the knowledge, understand and apply the wisdom, having the gumption, or the drive, and He will provide the right opportunities for you to apply all of that to obtain that wealth.  And in that, you will be content as the Lord and you work together to have plenty so then you can give to those in need.  That way, God provides for His own whether they are rich or poor.
• I'm reminded of the Scripture verse where the Apostle Paul says in Phil 4:12  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  In other words, be happy in what you have and make the best of every situation you are in. 

For those wealthy and who hoard their money for themselves and do not use their money in the sharing for the good of mankind, just remember, God knows, and He has allowed them to have that kind of wealth for whatever is His reasoning.  They, however, will be responsible to God for what they do with what He has given them and will be judged accordingly.  Since God's plans and purposes are in force, even in the wealthy who chose to use their wealth contrary to the Word of God, they are the losers in the end. 

• As God's people, whether we are rich or poor, or somewhere in between, let's let God direct our path by putting our faith and trust in Him just as Proverbs 3:5-6 says. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  Then in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.  
• With God's leading you, wherever you are at, in whatever situation you are in, just like the Apostle Paul tells us, you will discover the secret of being content in life.  

We already compared verse 9 with verse 1, so let's go to verse 10.

17  The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.

• The virtuous or upright are wise men and women who know that their path in life is to avoid evil when it comes their way.  They don't run toward it, but away from it, clinging to the path that Jesus has us on - for that path is safe.