No harm befalls the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble. Proverbs 12:21
When I read this proverb I struggle a little. The reason for my struggle is that I know of many of the righteous who have experienced physical harm. But when I began thinking according to the whole counsel of God's Word, I take a much different view of things. Let's take a look at this passage in light of God's eternal perspective. No "real, lasting" harm befalls the righteous. The example I will give is that of Paul. In light of this I am going to quote a long passage of Scripture from 2 Corinthians 11."Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) Paul, after writing this, could have seriously complained about this passage in Proverbs. He could have said, "No harm?! Are you kidding me? Harm is pretty much my middle name!". But that is not what he wrote. Instead he wrote that he would boast even more about these things because they put him in a place of weakness, which he knew made him strong in the Lord. He wrote to these same Corinthian believers that these were only light and momentary discomforts, that were working for him an eternal weight of glory beyond finding out. This only works for someone who maintains an eternal perspective. Paul said this in light of fixing his mind on the things that are above, not on earthly things. But when we do this even the things that would seem like earthly harm become that which is an eternal blessing to us. We don't live for the physical and this life. We live for eternity. Now let's look at this verse with God's perspective. No harm befalls the righteous. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. The list in Romans eight covers it all. Because we are blessed forever due to the righteousness of Christ, we are blessed eternally. One might even say that we have eternal life! Because of this, even the so-called bad things cannot harm us for they are working for our good as we are conformed to the image of Christ. What a glorious truth! What a magnificent promise! Now consider the wicked, who do not know Jesus Christ. Many of them seem to live a charmed life here on earth. Yet our proverb today tells us their lives are filled with trouble. The blessings of the wicked only last in this life. When they stand in the judgment all their life will testify against them. James speaks of how their riches will burn them like fire. The foolish, rich farmer lost everything in a moment. At death all his wealth became evidence against him. There are also judgments that will come in this lifetime upon the acts of the wicked. Truly for them all things will come together for their condemnation. The key to grasping the wisdom of today's proverb is having eyes that see with an eternal perspective. But then again, that is the key to wisdom at any time. God desires for us to see as He sees. This may not gain us all the world says is valuable sin this world and in this life. But in the end only th perspective of God will be all that matters. May God give us grace to not only see this way, but also to reason and live this way as well.
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Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.
Proverbs 12:20 What are you doing as you walk through life? Are you among those who are plotting evil or with the ones who are promoting peace. Today's proverb shows the contrast between these two things. First we see those who are plotting evil. What is interesting about this is many who would fall into this category would not agree that they are plotting anything. Yet - because they choose to reject God's Word as truth - and instead make up an argument for their own truth - they are indeed plotting the demise of those with whom they speak. On the day of judgment they will learn the awful truth that their deceitful speaking misled many to where they now stand in the same judgment they do. Our proverb describes the heart condition of those who devise evil. Their hearts are said to be filled with deceit. The word here is mirmah. It means to intentionally mislead someone by either distorting the truth or withholding the truth from them. The fact stands in all of history that God's Word IS truth. That eternal fact will never change. But there are those who do not acknowledge that God's Word is truth. They hold to another "truth" which is nothing more than error. Because they hold fast to their version of truth - they now hold fast to lies. This means that as they spread them - they are misleading others as to what is truth. They are also intentionally withholding from their students the truth of God's Word. This is deceitful - since truth is readily available to anyone who will read the Word of God with an open mind and heart. What is truly fascinating is the word used for the evil that these people devise. The word for "devise" used here means to plow or till the soil. Hosea uses this same metaphor when he speaks of how Israel was "plowing wickedness" and reaping God's justice as a reward for what they had sown (see Hosea 10:13). The so-called truth of the ones who deny Scripture - is nothing more than a falsehood and lie that is deeply tilled into the hearts of those who are their students. This plowing with falsehood and evil will one day reap a harvest of judgment if God does not intervene. They are simply plowing evil into the hearts of men - and that plowing will one day reap the wrath of God. The godly man or woman is one who is a "counsellor of peace." These are the ones who bring the truth from the Word of God and present it to men. They bring the gospel to those who realize that they are facing a dire future in their sins. To be a counsellor of peace is to be a man or woman who presents Christ to the lost. There is no peace for the wicked - but for those who humble themselves - there is great joy and peace. May God make each one of us a counsellor of peace - and an individual who works alonside the prince of peace so that the ultimate message of God's peace, the gospel, may be understood - received - and the cause of great joy to those who hear it with faith. He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him. Proverbs 11:27
What you seek will eventually be seeking you. That is the wisdom that Solomon is seeking to give to his children - and God is seeking to give to His. We have a fairly general statement made here about this - nevertheless it is still wise to hear it. The words good and evil are the usual words that we see in Scripture. The word "good" means something beneficial, well-pleasing to God, fruitful, morally correct, proper or convenient. The word "evil" meaning something bad in a moral and ehtical sense. The final arbiter of whether something is in either category is God and His Word. What brings a distinction to this is the use of the word "seeks." In this passage each time it is used - it is a different Hebrew word - and that helps us to see what is going on in this passage itself. The first time this word is used it is used to speak of diligently seeking good. The word here is "shachar" in the Hebrew and it means to inquire after something or someone. Here what the person is iquiring about is what is good. This is a passionate search to know and to walk in what is good. The second time the word is used it is the Hebrew word "baqas." This means to seek something so that you can obtain it. When these two words are put together they communicate something very important to us. The wise man is the one who diligently inquires of God what is good. He wants to understand what is morally right and good - what is beneficial to others and to himself. But he or she inquires (seeks) it because he or she wants to obtain favor from God. Thus the seeking (inquiring - questioning - study - longing for knowledge) is so that they can please God and obtain His favor. There is another aspect of this that simply means by inqiring what is good morally - they also will obtain favor with others as they watch their selflessness and willingness to give of themselves. The last time the word "seeks" is used - it is used in the context of seeking evil. The Hebrew word here is "darash" which means to seek after something by frequently going after it. It has the idea of treading a path again and again. It speaks of someone who is seeking after something by going somewhere often. Thus the idea here is that the one who is seeking evil - is choosing to tread a path to it again and again in their lives. We are told that those who do such things, evil will come to them. King Saul is an example for us of someone who did this. Although Saul started out well - he began to seek out evil by not obeying the Lord. He tried to obey God - his way. He did not carry out God's wrath against Amalek. He decided to keep what he thought was good and use it to serve God. He did not honor God's way of sacrificing to Him. When Samuel did not come in an allotted time - Saul did God's will his way. He made the sacrifice. This led to a pathway to evil for King Saul. As he walked this path again and again it became easier to disobey than obey. His walk with God deteriorated. He soon found it easier to follow his own flesh than respond to the Spirit's leading. In time evil came to him - and he followed it. His life is a reminder that we need to seek to know and do good - rather than frequent the path to evil. What we seek is what will eventually come to us. Seek evil and evil will be ready to lead you any time you need direction. Seek good - both to know what it is and then to own it by having a heart that seeks good - and favor from God and from others will be granted to you. He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. Proverbs 11:26
Today's proverb is fascinating to me because it addresses an abuse that often happens in the area of economics. This abuse, though a proven way to make money, results in the inflation of prices for food. What has happened over the course of economic history is that when this is done - and it reaches a critical level in food prices - it leads to riots and in some cases the overthrow of a government. Our proverb speaks of one who has much grain. Here is a man who has worked hard and labored to produce a crop on his farm. As a result he has a large amount of grain. He can choose to withhold grain from the people and not sell it. By doing this he will drive the price of grain up due to a scarcity of grain in the market place. This will make him very wealthy, but in time it will backfire on him. The people, who need grain, will begin to curse him because his actions are preventing them from eating - or is making it to where being able to provide food is becoming very expensive. The cost is not coming due to natural reasons such as a flood or drought or crop failure. The added cost is coming due to a man's greed. But for the man who sells his grain there will be a blessing - not just a financial one - but one from God Himself. This proverb allows us to consider the whole area of how Biblical authority addresses economic theory. In our day it is considered a wise business move to hold on to goods until they wind up in short supply. This allows the person who has them to artificially inflate the price of what they sell so that they can make huge profits from it. Such actions eventually become accepted business practices on larger levels so that embargos are used by nations to boost the price of their domestic products. In time groups of businesses form consortiums that try to corner an entire market so that they can set the price wherever they want. The government then steps in a tries to enforce what they call "social justice." They impose restrictions on businesses so that things will be fair. The problem is that in time the government oversteps their bounds and corruption within the government (due to the sin nature in all of us) begins to crystalize. It is then that officials learn how to use their power to corner their own political markets and do the very thing they initially were trying to prevent in the public sector. The problem throughout all this is that the poor are hurt the most by such practices. Some think wrongly that the end of all labor is to make money. But Scripture militates against that philosophy. God desires us to work hard and be diligent to make a profit - but - He also desires for us to be compassionate in the process. This sets up a very interesting tension in life and in the economic theory that governs Bible-believing Christians. At one end is the philosophy of pure Capitalism. This philosophy functions under the idea that life is about the profit motive at all times. But God warns against a "love of money" which He says is a root of all sorts of evil. At the other end is Socialism and Communism. This philosophy functions under the assumption that a government should rule over all land and production efforts. Their goal is then to take all profits and distribute them equally to all the people. Both of these extremes will fail. Pure Capitalism will fail because greed will so rule men's hearts that they will lack compassion for others - and especially for the poor. In time their greed will consume them with a desire for more and more profit - and an insatiable desire for more and more wealth. In the process they will shut their hearts to the plight of the poor. This will lead to greater levels of abuse of the poorest - who will then curse those who have the economic power - and will ultimately lead to revolution and the overthrow of those who have the wealth and power in society. Communism and Socialism will fail because of greed as well. Though such economic philosophies sound wonderful at the outset, they fail because of several factors. First, there is no man who is not fallen. When given the power to confiscate the wealth of a society, they will NOT distribute it equally. They will eventually treat themselves well - and let the rest of society live on the rest. This has happened in every situation when such an economic system prevails. Their goals may sound lofty, but their practices wind up eerily similar to the captialist. Second, there is no motive in this system to work. Actually there is a motive - to do what you do for the good of all others in the collective society. But this equates good as distributing things equally among all in the society. This will not work in a fallen world because over time some will sinfully decide that if they don't work hard - or at all - they will still get an equal part of the collective pie. Others who intially work hard - will be greatly discouraged that it is their hard work that is allowing the lazy, the undisciplined, and the slothful to live just as they do. In time there will be an equality - but it will be an equality of poverty and want - because no one will be motivated to work to the best of their ability. No matter how hard they work - they only get the same part of the collective's goods. These will never be enough for collective prosperity because sinfulness will move many to barely work at all - or at a level where they are forced to work. The system God will bless is one that encourages and rewards hard work and industriousness. This is captialism - but there must be a restraint in this system as well, if it is to succeed. This is what I call "Compassionate Captialism." It is a system where the profit motive and self-interest is encouraged. But it is also a system that values compassion and kindness. Where a profit and self-interest motive might move a man to withhold grain so he can make an obscene profit - he does not do it. He is moved by the desire to serve those who buy his grain. Understanding this he chooses to sell his grain - not just for a profit - but for a profit that also allows those who are poor to be able to afford to feed their families. In the end, this man is blessed with profit - and also is blessed with the favor of God for acting with kindness and compassion toward those who can easily be taken advantage of by the system. He chooses a wise profit level rather than one driven by greed alone. This promotes peace and the welfare of all those in the market. It is fascinating to see the wisdom of God address all areas of life. One would not readily think that the Word of God would be a good place to learn economic principles. Yet when we read and mediatate on God's Word - immeasurable benefit is gained from it. Oh, that we would not divorce academic pursuit from the queen of the sciences - theology. May God gives us wisdom to see that His perspective is best in all academic and lifestyle pusuits. Then we can be blessed - not just a religious context - but in all of life. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered.
Proverbs 11:25 God wants His people to be like Him - and that requires that we take a serious look at what it means to be generous. The Lord Himself is extremely generous toward mankind. When you consider that we have sinned against Him, rebelled against His sovereignty and authority, and even gone so far as to deny His existance while blaspheming Him - you begin to grasp why any response other than total judgment is marvelously generous. Yet God has gone far above just showing us a little mercy. He has allowed His justice to fall upon His Son, the Lord Jesus, having Him bear the payment for our forgiveness. Therefore we should honestly consider God's generosity as being infinite. God says that the generous man will be prosperous. The literal Hebrew here says, "The soul of blessing will be made fat." The idea here is that a person wants to bless others. This men or woman is generous in the very core of their being. Their normal response is to be kind and generous to others. God tells us that this kind of person will be prosperous. Some in the "name-it, claim it" movement states that this means they will have lots of money. But, I've seen over the years people who would not be in any way described as rich - be very generous. They are this way not just with money - but with their time. I've also known these people to be some of the most blessed people in my life. Thus, in defining prosperity, we need to define it not just as monetary prosperity, but also as prosperity of soul as well. The last aspect of this proverb says that the one who waters others, will himself be watered. This is an allusion to the agricultural world. When someone waters a plant, he is providing much needed moisture to the plant for its health and welfare. The picture here is not of a plant being watered, but of a person being blessed. When we are generous with our time and our ministry to others, we are helping them grow spiritually. When we do this, God lets us know that we ourselves will be aided in our spiritual growth. The way this works is truly amazing - because so often our fallen nature wants everyone to "water us" rather than to pour into others. At the risk of being prideful, I will use an example from my own life. There have been many days that I have woken up and did not want to do anything. I was filled with thoughts of myself - and all I wanted was to do my own thing - or to just sit and do nothing. Often on these days I feel pretty depressed and useless. But on several of them God began to speak to my heart, encouraging me to get up and actively go out somewhere to bless someone else who needed it. What is funny is that at first when I chose to obey God in this, I was not terribly excited about the whole thing. Usually I did it by accessing what seemed to be the last ounce of strength I could muster (really this was not the case - I just get a kind of dramatic when I am a selfish putz). What is truly astounding though is how I was watered as I went to bless someone else. Eventually the depression would begin to lift - and my attitude would alter radically. By the end of the day I would notice that I had come full circle, being filled with joy over God's goodness in it all. I remember a good friend talking about a friend of his who had a day like this. He chose to get up and go bless someone else. The story concludes with this man stating that it was because this brother obeyed God that he himself was saved. The man he went to bless - was him. He shared the gospel with my friend - and later that evening, at a revival service he invited him to attend, he gave his life to Christ. Remember this proverb the next time you get into a spiritual and emotional funk. Go do something that will bless others. Choose to be generous - to go out and water someone whose spiritual life is dry and barren. Go out and bless someone else who could never repay you for what you are about to do. When you do this - you will soon learn the truth of this passage. You will be prosperous spiritually - and - you will find yourself being watered by God Himself for your generosity - and by your willingness to adopt His character as your own. It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.
Proverbs 10:22 There is a wrong view of wealth that says that God does not bless men with wealth - therefore if anyone has it - they have it due to sin. This is contrary to what we see written in the Scriptures. God does make men wealthy. He blesses some men with the ability to accumulate and make a great deal of wealth. Eccleiastes 5:18-19 says the following, "Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God." God grants people the ability to receive great wealth from His hand - and also grants to them the ability to enjoy it. This is truly a wonderful gift. It is also what our proverb today is telling us from the Lord. It IS the blessing of Jehovah that makes a man rich, and when God grants this - there is also no sorrow with it. There is often great sorrow that attends the rich men of this world - who have put their hope in these riches - rather than in the Lord. These men do not enjoy their riches - because that is all that they are living for. Paul warned young Timothy to beward of living for riches - because when a man loves money - he pierces himself with MANY sorrows. Not only this, but when a man sets his heart on wealth - it is as if wealth takes up wings and flys toward the heavens. This is the malady that strikes those who think if they could just get a little more they would be happy. You see the folly of this when you see men who are billionaires who are not satisfied with their wealth - but struggle and strive to become even richer. Their lives are consumed by their wealth - and even as the Scriptures tell us - their sleep flies away from them because they cannot stop thinking about their money and how they will continue to protect it. God does bless some with wealth. But we know those when we se that there is no sorrow that comes with it. They are happy - and do not allow wealth or riches to consume their thinking. They even use their wealth to bless God and to expand the work of the kingdom here on earth. Therefore they are among the blessed whom God has given riches - and the ability to enjoy them and use them without harm to themselves. If you are one of these people - fall on your knees and thank God - for their numbers are few indeed. “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.” Proverbs 8:34
Wisdom had regaled us with tales of creation and what it was like to watch and be a participant in the very creation of all that God has made. We have seen from Wisdom's statements and from an examination of the world around us, that we can trust Wisdom and what God says to us through His Word. Now we hear Wisdom calling us to be a listener - to be one who watches and waits for what God has to say to us. Just as God has been true about His creation of this world - so He is now calling us to listen to what He has to say to us about life itself - and how to live it. Blessed is the man who listens to me. This is God's promise of happiness for those who listen - who heed what He has do say. The word for blessed means one who is happy. The happiness experienced is not a transitory happiness based on getting our own way and living for what we want to live for day to day. It is a happiness at a much deeper level - more than happiness. This is about a deep-seated joy that comes from knowing and walking with God. It comes from knowing Him - and knowing His blessing in our lives. But this blessing is conditional - it is for those who listen to Him. We need to open our ears and more than that, our hearts, to what God desires for us. There needs to be more than basic hearing. Let me explain with a less than gracious example from my own experience. I am a guy - which usually means there are times I have "listening" issues. My wife is very gracious in spite of my listening disorder. There are times when she is talking to me (come to think of it - I also have four daughters who struggle with this "lack" of mine as well) that she will pause and ask me if I am listening to her. My response is to repeat the last sentence she has just said. This is not amusing to her at all. She did not ask if I heard words that she was saying to me - she wanted to know if I actually listened to her. This, my dear fellow males, means was I listening for the purpose of furthering our relationship. Was I listening so as to hear more than just words - was I hearing her heart. If I had honestly answered that question I would have had to say no. I was not listening - I heard some stuff - but I was not really hearing with understanding. I was not hearing to have a relationship. To put it in a way that maybe we can understand - I was not truly "getting her." That would have required listening. It would have required zeroing in on what she was saying with an intent to know what she said, why she said it, and respond in an intelligent and caring way that expressed that I loved her . . . more than the football game that I was currently watching. (Wow - that was far more cathartic than I thought.) God wants us to LISTEN to Him. He wants us to do two things each day. First He wants us to be "watching at His gates." The "gate" was the place where important decisions were made. This was serious stuff - because it was at the gate that the wisest and most influential men gathered. God wants us to listen and watch for the really important stuff in life. We need to watch for Him - because He will give us guidance on the major decisions and major life choices that we face each day. But he also calls for us to be "waiting at His doorposts." What a wonderful picture that this is. The doorposts referred to the opening of the house. This speaks of two things. First it speaks of intimacy - of a relationship where we can talk about everything in life. God tells fathers to talk to their children in this way. He wants us to speak to our kids when we get up and go to sleep each day. He wants us to talk to them about Him when we go out and come in. He also wants us to write on our very doorposts the Word of God - so that is what we see when we go out and come in. This is every day life - and the wonderful blessing of having a friend with whom we can talk when we are going through our day. The second thing this points to is redemption. We wait for God at the doorposts of our house. This was the place where every year the Jewish family would put blood for the Passover. This blood was left on the doorposts overnight. Over time the obedient Jewish family would wind up with permanent blood stains on their door frame. But oh what a wonderful picture this is of how we wait for God. Wisdom reminds us that we are God's people. We are bought with a price - and we are redeemed. When we wait for Him here - we experience intimacy - but we also are reminded that we are intimate because we are redeemed. Wisdom calls us to walk with and know God. This is done in every area of our lives. It is in the big stuff - and in the little stuff. It is in the huge decisions that will direct our lives - but it is also in the little decisions that set the daily course of where we will walk today. The thing wisdom asks of us is that we listen. That does not mean being able to quote Bible verses by rote - but not really know what they mean. Listening means coming before God and hearing Him with a bent to know His heart. When we do that - we will see that this is the true way to a deep abiding happiness that will last throughout a lifetime. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. Proverbs 25:13
How reliable and faithful are you when someone sends you with a message to deliver? Today's proverb encourages us to be faithful messengers. That means when our leaders or a friend - or even God sends us with a message, we need to deliver that message exactly as it was given to us. The problems that come from people misunderstanding one another are myriad. These misunderstandings can be the result of someone not grasping what has been said - but too many times it is because the original message has been changed in some way by the messenger. The end of these misunderstandings can be small - but there are other situations that can mean the difference between life and death itself. Our proverb today involves a practice that was distinct to the region of the middle east. That practice was taking snow from the higher mountainous elevations and packing it very tightly to bring it to the lower, much hotter regions for the purpose of cooling water and other drinks. This was done, according to this proverb, during the time of harvest - which was a time which was very warm in that region of the world. Not only was the temperature hot, but this time of life involved very strenuous labor. That is why having someone bring snow to cool water was such a wonderful thing. It allowed someone to have a cold drink when they were very hot. This wonderful cool drink is compared to someone who is a faithful messenger for his master. He faithfully communicates what his master wants to be said - and therefore refreshes his soul. The refreshing comes because the master knows that what he has said will not be misinterpreted or misunderstood because of a failure to speak the truth about what he has said. It is easy to understand why this is important in business because proper communication in that area can mean the difference between a job done well vesus a job that is completely messed up - and which costs the company anywhere from hundreds to thousands to even millions of dollars. Think about the recent recall of Toyotas that had defective brakes. That cost the company millions of dollars in repairs - and additonal millions of dollars in lawsuits. This happened because somewhere along the line someone did not pass the correct information along - and the brakes were defective because of it. Now consider for a moment the damage that comes when the gospel is not faithfully communicated for our ultimate Master, God. Whether the error is because of a failure to understand the gospel, or because someone has added something they think is important to it, or because of a cult leader who twists the gospel for his own ends - all these scenarios are disastrous . . . eternally! The gospel is the power of God unto salvation - and if communicated so that anything other than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our hope - that power is short-circuited. How devastating it will be for those who have believed a false gospel that has only offered to them a false hope. Yet on the other hand how refreshing and delightful it is to God to know that the message of His salvation through Jesus Christ has been communicated faithfully. What a blessing it is to know that salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ has truly transformed another heart and life! It blesses the heart of God (not to mention the heart of the one who has been saved) to know that the gospel has been shared faithfully and truly. Precious saints of God, we need to be faithful messengers with whatever has been communicated to us. We need to be those who take what has been entrusted to us - whether it is something small and seemingly insignificant or something as monumental as the gospel of God itself - and share it just as it has been given to us. By doing this we will be a wonderful drink of cool water on a hot day to those who have sent us. The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Proverbs 3:33
In order to represent God in a balanced Scriptural way, we need to see both the grace and mercy of God as well as His wrath and justice. When we turn too far toward one without the balance of the other we can make God either a tyrant - or an indulgent parent. He is neither. Here we read of God - and see Him in balance. First we see that the curse of God is on the house of the wicked. The wicked are those who are enemies of God and His people. They do not want to learn righteousness, but choose instead to actively pursue wicked ways. At first we may be a little shocked by these words - that God has a curse for those who live this way - but the fact is that this is true. It is a proper representation of God, and one that we should be alert and aware of in life. Too many want to make God out to be an indulgent parent who winks at sin. God has never winked at sin. What was poured out on the Lord Jesus Christ is God's final statement about sin. He poured wrath and judgment out upon His Son, when He became sin. What God shows to the wicked is both patience and mercy. He is patient with them in that He does not bring judgment upon them immediately upon their first sin. But His mercy goes far beyond a "first sin," to the point where God is withholding His wrath on billions of sins every day. He does this because He loves us - and because He loves to show mercy. But that mercy will not last forever. There will be a day when God's mercy will end - and then the wicked will face a judgment unlike anything we can ever imagine. Though His judgment is awaiting the wicked - His lack of immediate action is not due to anything except His infinite mercies that are allowing the lost, the wicked to receive another day to hear the gospel and repent. The righteous though - are blessed. Their dwelling place will know the blessing and goodness of God. What we may fail to see is that the only way we can be righteous in God's sight is to believe the gospel - to be made righteous by faith. But oh how the blessings are released upon us when we respond to the gospel and receive what God has to offer. First, He gives us the very righteousness of Christ as a gift - and then blessings flow freely to us. Ephesians reminds us of the richeness of these blessings in the entire first chapter. God has indeed blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus! What is even more wonderful is that this passage reminds us that these wonderful blessings are passed to our entire household or dwelling place when we receive them. There is a blessing in the home of the godly - just as there is a curse on the house of the wicked. Let me close today's comments with a question. What are you bringing on your home with your choices spiritually? Are you a conduit of blessing because of your submission and obedience to God, or are you something much different? Does your family and friends rise up and call you blessed because of how God's grace is evident in you - and even evident to the point of blessing others around you? That is what the truly wise person brings to their family and friends. They bring blessing because of God's blessing in their lives. May God make us a wonderful blessing to those around us! For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips. Proverbs 22:18
How can wisdom help ensure that you have a pleasant life? That is what we have presented for us today as we continue to look at God's call to Wisdom. We are offered a promise by God here - that if we keep the words of wisdom within us - it will be pleasant for us. The word pleasant is the Hebrew word "naem" which means to be sweet, beautiful, comfortable, delightful, and enjoyable. So wisdom kept within us - wisdom that we gain by listening to wise men and women - wisdom that we let knock about in our heads as we think on what it is saying to us - and the understanding that comes through it - will make our lives pleasant. This is not promising us that we will never have any problems - but it is saying that wisdom will make even problems and difficulties more pleasant because we will know God's direction and leadership in the midst of them. Note here that this is true if we "keep them within" us. This is saying that just a casual aquaintence with wisdom is not enough. We have taken the time to either memorize or extensively meditate on these godly principles. In fact we have thought about them enough that they are "ready on our lips." There is enough confidence in what we've learned that we are ready to speak of them - and that they have become principles "rooted" deep within us. This passage reminds us of God's promise to Joshua that says, "This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night - so that you may be careful to do all that is in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8, NASB) There is a blessing that will come to us - that will make our lives very pleasant if we will take to ourselves the Word of the Lord - keep it in our hearts and minds - and begin to do all that we do based on the wisdom that God grants us from His Word. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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