Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro
 
A poor man who oppresses the lowly Is like a driving rain which leaves no food. Proverbs 28:3

We have all heard stories of the oppressive who are rich.  God condemns this kind of behavior.  But when a poor man does the same - it is an even greater sin because the poor man should know better being among the lowly himself. 

Proverbs describes this man as a driving rain which leaves no food.  The rain described here is one that is a deluge - a true drenching storm.  It is described as being a "driving" rain.  The word here means something that sweeps things away.  It is rain that is so heavy and strong that it literally washes all the crops in an entire field away.  It leaves nothing behind, completely destroying all that is in its path. 

The poor man who oppresses the lowly is best described in the parable of the debtors.  Matthew 18 tells this parable of two men who owed money.  One owed millions to the king - and there was no way of paying it back - even in a hundred lifetimes.  When the king pronounced judgment upon him for his debt, the poor man begged for mercy.  The king then acted with unimaginable mercy - forgiving the man every penny of his debt.  It is one of the most poignent displays of mercy in all of Sripture.  But what did the poor man do with this mercy and newfound freedom.  The Word tells us that he went out and found a fellow lowly servant who owed him about 50 to 100 dollars.  The fellow servant begged too for mercy - and asked for a little time.  He promised to pay it all back.  But the forgiven servant then grabbed the other by the throat and cast him into the prison till he was paid all that was owed to him.  Indeed, this was a case where the poor was oppressing the lowly.  When the other servants heard of this, they informed the king - who then called the poor oppressor to account.  He was told that having received mercy - he should have shown it to others.  Having been forgiven, he should have forgiven others.  The end of the oppressing servant was to be thrown into prison and handed over to the torturers until every cent was repaid of his debt. 

This proverb does speak to us about the need for reciprocity in showing mercy.  If we are the poor - we of all people should have great patience with the por who are around us.  To oppress them is like being a driving rain that washes away everything.  If there cannot  be mutual grace among the lowliest of people, what is left.  But there is a greater reminder given to us here.  It is the reminder of the spiritual lesson before us.  Just like the poor man in the parable, we need to forgive as we have been forgiven.  We are the poor in spirit - the spiritually devastated and bankrupt.  God has shown us astounding mercy in forgiving our sins and giving us His unmerited favor.  Oh, how we should be ready to show that same mercy and grace to others - the ones around us just as poor, just as spiritually bankrupt - as an example of our Father's love.  To do otherwise is to be a driving rain that leaves nothing behind.  It is to offer no hope of forgiveness and grace among the lost.  Our message is also to be our example.  By God's grace - when we show grace - we will verify grace - thus offering grace to those who need grace.  Don't be a driving hurricane that leaves nothing behind - be a gentle rain that waters so that fruit can be borne to God - fruit that will last - and thus our Father will be glorified.
 
 
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

How can a person maintain a good reputation as well as the favor of those around him or her?  Even more important to us as believers is the thought of how we can have these things in the sight of God.  The answer may be different than you think.

Two things you must have to enjoy favor and a good reputation among men and with God are kindness and truth.  These two things are a perfect team.  Some people are geared toward kindness more than anything else.  They are very merciful people who can commiserate with anyone around them.  They are a perfect shoulder to cry on - and they will always join with you in feeling your pain.  When going through difficulties they will listen and love you no matter what.  It is a blessing to be geared toward kindness - but there a liabilities as well.  When you are geared toward kindness at all times, you will find it very difficult to share tough truths with people who really need to hear them.  One of the pitfalls of being filled with kindness alone is that you can become someone who enables people to stay where they are when they desperately need change in their lives.  For someone with a deep problem this can lead to an enabling relationship that allows them to continue with lifestyle choices like alcohol abuse, drug abuse, or sexual problems. 

There are also those who are geared toward truth.  They will speak the truth to you in all situations.  In fact they have a difficult time with those who won't take a stand on an issue.  These people are wonderful to have around when you need to have a confrontation in regard to sin - or s situation where only truth can remedy things.  These people are people of integrity and honor.  But, a problem can develop when only truth is spoken.  The problem is not the truth verbalized,  but the spirit in which is it spoken.  Those given to truth sometimes lack the personal touch - the ability to speak the truth in love and with kindness.  They can offend - not because of the truth they speak - but because of the way that they speak it. 

This is why Proverbs tells us that we need to have both kindness and truth.  There is a balance here.  Both are needed to truly be a person who knows the blessing of having a good reputation and favor of both God and man.  When these things are combined you have someone who speaks the truth in love.  You have the person, who according to Proverbs, can speak the truth gently, and who can with a gentle word break a bone.  These two things need to be bound around our neck and written uon our hearts.  What you have when you have this is the character of Jesus Himself working and speaking through you.  He had the ability to speak the truth in incredibly difficult situations.  He did not back away from truth - but spoke the truth with kindness. 

One of the most amazing examples of this was in John 8 when Jesus was tested by hypocritical men who brought a woman caught in adultery to Him.  These men did not truly want justice - because they did not bring the man as well.  They only wanted to have something with which to trap Jesus and give rise to criticism and the ability to destroy Him.  The humiliated adultress was thrown right in front of Him, along with the question of whether He was going to agree with the Law that such a woman should be stoned for her offense.  Jesus stated anyone without sin could cast the first stone.  Here He spoke truth dealing with the hypocrisy of His accusers.  Eventually they all left, knowing as they did their own sinfulness and hypocrisy.  Jesus made His comments gently and graciously, the bent over to draw with a stick in the sand.  Then after they all had left - He dealt with the woman.  Offering her His love - and no condemnation for her sin - He spoke with great kindness to her.  He asked where her accusers were - where those who sought to condemn here.  She stated that none of them were left to condemn her.  He then revealed that He was not going to condemn her either.  But He did not stop with kindness only,  there was the issue of her adultery.  To this issue He spoke truth when He told her to go her way and sin no more.  There it is perfectly demonstrated - kindness and truth bound together in one difficult situation. 

When we do this - we won't be popular with everyone.  But will will have favor and a good reputation with men because they know we will be fair and gracious with them.  We will also know God's favor because we show both His love and His justice.  It is a difficult balance to maintain.  This is especially true with those bent in one direction or another - toward far more kindness or far more truth.  We can thank God that in His Son He showed us what the perfect balance of the two looks like when walking among men.  So if you want to have these two things, kindness and truth bound perfectly together, there is only one real source where you can have them.  They only exist in perfect balance in Jesus Christ.  Embrace Him and you will find that they are yours as well.
 
 
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13

Here is a proverb that agrees perfectly with what is said in the New Testament.  We read in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  This is that truth stated in another way.  Whereas the 1 John passage states this truth in the positive only, this proverb also warns us about not dealing with our sins.

The Concealer . . . First we are told about the fate of the one who conceals his transgressions.  The word "conceal" means to cover - and has the idea of a cover up.  This man is hiding his transgressions (word meaning a sin or rebellion - here against God and His Law and way).  He is not willing to bring his sin to light before God.  Therefore he hides his rebellion thinking that God does not see him.  This word was used to describe how Joseph's brothers tried to hide their sin when they dipped his coat in goat's blood and brought to Jacob. 

Psalm 32:5 also speaks of his particular sin of hiding and trying to cover up our sin.  The Psalmist says, "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah."  When he was trying to hide his sin from God, the Psalmist had nothing but grief and pain - but when he faced his sin before God that is when he received forgiveness.  Hiding our sins is not only counterproductive - it is also kind of silly.  We serve a God Who is omniscient.  He knows all things.  When Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden - it was out of shame and rebellion.  The problem for them was that God could still see them - and did even as they committed the first sin.  Cain answered God rebelliously when God asked where his brother Abel was.  Cain must have thought God did not see - but he did - and Abel's blood was crying out to God from the ground.  Moses thought he could kill the Egyptian and hide him in the piles of grain - but God saw - as well as some other Hebrews.  The simple fact of all this is that we can never hide our sin from a holy, omniscient God.  He truly sees all! 

Proverbs tells us that this man who is trying to conceal his sin will not prosper.  "Prosper" is tsalach and means to succeed or to be victorious.  It has the idea of breaking out or breaking through - and has a military aspect to it.  It spoke of how an army would break through their enemies - which was a sure sign that they were about to defeat their enemies.  But what Proverbs says to us is that concealing our sins is a sure way to know we will NOT PROSPER!  We will not break through to God - we will not break through to victory - we will not break through to see strongholds and sins overcome.  And beyond that - we won't prosper spiritually period!  If this was all this proverb said - it would be great counsel - but would leave us with just a warning.  Yet God does not want us only to receive correction - He wants us to receive counsel.

The Lord wants us to confess and forsake our sin.  When we choose rebellion and sin against God, we are in serious trouble.  We are facing judgment if we do not know Christ - or discipline if we do.  What we need is grace - we need God's compassion.  That is exactly what Proverbs is wanting to teach us.  How do we obtain the compassion of God when we sin?

First, we confess our sins and rebellion.  What is fascinating here is the word that God uses to describe confession.  The Hebrew word is "yadah."  This word means to throw towards - to cast something towards.  Here it means to throw off our sin and cast it towards God.  It means that we are throwing all our sin and rebellion to God - with a desire for Him to show us forgiveness and compassion.  What is wild is that this same word is used for praising God - meaning that we are casting our hands up into the air and casting our praises toward God.  God does not want us to try to hold our sins close to us - He wants us to cast those sins away from us and toward Him for His compassion and grace! 

There is a second thing God desires here for us to receive compassion.  Some teach that all we need to do is to confess our sins and everything is fine with God.  That is true - if this second attitude is present.  If it is not - I do not believe the Bible says that we will receive forgiveness.  We also need to forsake our sins.  This word means to abandon, desert, leave behind, completely neglect and STOP.  When we come to God seeking His compassion and forgiveness - we need to come with a heart that says, "Please forgive me God . . . and I also want to forsake and abandon my sin."  This is the kind of heart that finds compassion before God.  Compassion means that God shows us mercy and a deep, kindly sympathy. 

This verse is so key to us knowing fellowship and grace from God.  It is so important for us to grasp the call of God to us to deal with our sins and rebellion.  I honestly believe that just as 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed verse - this verse in Proverbs 28:13 is as well.  Oh that we would hear this and heed it as well.  Believe me, if we do, we will obtain the grace, mercy, and compassion that we need.