Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro

What Sexual Immorality Does to Our Teachable-ness - Proverbs 5:12

01/15/2013

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And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!  Proverbs 5:12

Pride goes before a fall . . . into sexual sin. This entire chapter is a father's advice and counsel to his son. The issue which is being discussed is that of sexual immorality - with an emphasis on the adulterous and immoral woman. Toward the end of his instruction Solomon tells his sons that there will come a day when their aduiltery will be brought to light by God. When that day happens, we are told that the one who followed after these sins will not be truly repentant. Instead he will speak of how he hated all that teaching about adultery being sin. He ignored all that garbage that the Bible had to say about morals. He will say it even as his life is in shambled about him - due to his sexual immorality.

The two words used in this verse are instructive to us about what our attitude becomes toward God's call for holy living. The first word is "sane" which means to hate. The word means to loathe, dislike, and even despise another, their actions or their words. Here the sexually immoral man hates the instruction of the Bible on sex. He also "spurns" reproof. The word for "spurn" is the Hebrew word "na'as" which means to revile, reject, and scorn. This word has the idea that the one doing this is very unhappy and angry as they do this. Thus when reproof comes their way - they can spew angry and unhappy words as they hate what they are hearing. I've had the unfortunate responsiblity to confront people about sexual immorality - and have faced the vitriol that comes toward those who dare to speak against the spirit of this age, which fully embraces a full and free expression of sexuality without any limits.

A quick look at the Biblical record of people who were given over to sexual immorality shows that they were very rebellious to the message of God's Word. Whether that was an appeal to the Law of God - or the appeal of one of God's prophets, they hated when they were rebuked. Just like this passage says, they spurned God's reproof and would not listen to the teachers God sent them. Sexual sin blinds us to the truth - and the further we go into it - the worse that blindness becomes. All that is visible is the desire for more that knaws at those who reject the morality God calls us to follow. 

God warns us in Romans chapter 1 that ignoring His commands concerning sexuality, (Which are simply this - sex is only acceptable in a marriage relationship between a man and a woman - all other sexual activity - heterosexual immorality, monosexuality, or homosexuality are sin) ignoring them is sin. When we reject this - God gives us over to our sin - first in more bondage to fornication heterosexually - and eventually to homosexuality, as a sign that we are further being given over to our sin. What is a little frightening is that by the end of Romans - we have a society that has rejected pretty much all that God commands - and heartily approve of others who live as they do - rejecting God's way. There is a steady move away from God, away from listening to Him and His Word, and away from any kind of teachable mindset. 

A wise man sees far enough into a sexually immoral lifestyle to know that it will hurt him in many ways. We've seen from prior verses that health and relationships are destroyed by it. Now we see that one's relationship to truth is greatly harmed by it - as well as their relationship with the God Who gave His Word to us. Some think they can tinker with immorality without consequence to their relationship with God. After reading and looking at today's proverb - the wise man knows better, and instead submits himself to God's Word. The stakes are just too high to ignore what God says here.
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Pits That Wind Up Being the Pits - Proverbs 26:27

09/20/2012

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He who digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.  Proverbs 26:27
 
This is not a proverb that explains why bad things happen to Wylie Coyote - even though at first glance it might.  It is actually about those who plan to do evil to others.  Those who set traps to catch others and have bad things happen to them are warned in this proverb that what they do will eventually happen to them.  Let's take a look at what this means - and also see an example or two.
 
Those who dig a pit do so to catch someone in it.  In biblical times people would dig pits and cover them for the purpose of catching more than just animals who would fall into them.  These pits would be dug and covered with camouflage as well as wetted down on the sides so that whoever was caught in them would not have opportunity to escape.  Those who caught the person would then either take them captive as a slave - or kill the one who fell into the pit.  The reason a stone would be rolled is to be put on a steep hill so that it could then be rolled down to kill or badly injure someone who was coming through the valley.  This was a tactic of thieves who wanted to steal what travellers would have as they went through valleys and along roads that were next to hilly or mountainous areas.  The idea with a pit or with a stone was to injure or kill someone for evil purposes.  
 
God warns that those who do such things will fall into a pit themselves.  God also warns that the stone that is rolled with come back on them.  This is not a reference to an actual pit or an actual stone rolling on them - but was a warning that God was going to hold them responsible for their wicked actions.  A good example of this would be the story of Joseph and his brothers.  The brothers threw Joseph into a pit with the original intention of killing him because of their jealous hatred of him.  Joseph and his stinking varicolored coat reminded them every day that their father loved him more than them - so why not teach the little runt a lesson.  Of course killing your brother is a little intense.  In the end they decided just to sell him into lifelong slavery (their sibling rivalry was way more intense that what I remember with my brothers).  They covered their tracks by dipping the hated coat in blood and telling their father that a wild animal killed Joseph.  But the pit they dug - and the rock they rolled was going to come back on them one day.
 
The first "pit-experience" was when their father almost died from grief.  Then there was the famine that came and caused them to have to go to Egypt where they had to ask for food from . . . wait for it . . . their snotty little brother who was now the second ruler of Egypt.  What was very good for them was that their brother had far more mercy on them in their pit that they had on him when he was in theirs.  They had rolled their stone on him - but he refused to roll his on them.  He chose forgiveness rather than revenge.  
 
The varied pits that you can fall into are as numerous as the ones you dig for others.  It is amazing as I grow older to see all the various pits that people have fallen into after they've dug ones for someone else.  It is a fact of life that what goes around comes around.  That is the simple, one-sentence way to define this particular proverb.  I just hope that we all remember that the next time we grab our shovels and start digging for someone else.  
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Hatred. Love, and Their Outcomes - Proverbs 10:12

04/10/2011

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Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions. Proverbs 10:12

Two things are compared in this verse in Proverbs.  They are hatred and love.  We see the emotions and choices of both of these things - and because Proverbs is all about wisdom, we also see what they eventually will yield.  If you need a proverb that will aid you in having good relationships, this would be a great one to learn.

First we see hatred.  The word used here is "sinah" and it means a strong feeling of hatred.  It is used of hatred that one human feels toward another.  This hatred can be so strong that it can lead to murder - but it doesn't always end this way.  Usually the manifestation is that it leads to dissension and unrest between two people - and often a broken relationship.  Hatred may begin as a feeling - but soon hatred will bring us to a choice.  The choice that is illustrated here is that of strife.  Where someone has hatred in their heart, strife and discord cannot be far behind.  We can choose to deal with our hatred in a biblical fashion - which is what the second half of this proverb relates to us.  But if we will not deal with our hatred biblically - then that hatred will result in strife.  We are told that hatred "stirs up" strife.  The concept here is that of arousing and awakening someone.  It refers to an agitating action.  Hatred is a motivator - and it wants to motivate someone and agitate them to where they start a fight.  This can be verbal - or as we have seen in worst case scenarios - even physical to the point of death.  That is why we must immediately respond to hate when it rises up within our hearts. 

We might find it interesting that God wants us to hate sin and hate evil.  These are things God does not want us to have decent relationships with in life.  We are to hate these things - and allow that hatred to stir us to stiving with sin and godlessness until we reject and refuse them in our lives.  But when hatred is felt toward "someone" we are walking in dangerous territory.

The second half of this proverb tells us that love covers all transgressions.  The words used here are very expressive.  The love that is mentioned here is the very love of a man for a woman or the love of God for His people.  This kind of love is selfless, self-giving love.  When we love like this - it covers all transgressions.  The word "cover" is the Hebrew word "kasah" and it means to clothe or conceal something.  This is not the "cover-up" that we refer to when speaking of illegal activity.  It is the covering and concealing that happens when one thing covers another.  This word was used to speak of what the water did to the Egyptians when God had the Red Sea cover them.  It is also used metaphorically in the Scripture of something that covers the shame of the guilty.  But in order to fully understand what is said here we need to combine all the words used.  Love covers all transgression.  Transgression speaks of rebellion against God and His Law.  It speaks of rebellion of one individual against another. 

Love chooses to cover over these times of rebellion.  When we look at this whole proverb we see that the usual response to transgression and rebellion is hatred and the strife that results from it.  But what God desires is for us to respond with love - so that relationships will be blessed - even when one party doesn't contribute or want peace.

The most awesome way we see this truth illustrated is by God Himself with sinful mankind.  We have chosen rebellion and disobedience - even hatred of the things of God.  Yet God in His love chooses not to judge us immediately.  His love was manifest fully in Christ.  He chose to love us - and God manifests His love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  This is love in its most glorious form.  That love covers all transgressions - and makes it possible for grace to bring salvation to men.  As we have reaped the glorious benefits of salvation from God's grace, may we also reap the blessings of donning His character in our response to slights of others.  This is the way to redeem a relationship rather than let it take the fallen,  natural course that is usually followed.  What a wisdom is ours when we see a whole way of relating to one another in the cross.  May God use it to bless you in your relationships in the weeks and months to come.
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