He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:18
One might think on the first reading of this proverb that God is encouraging those who have hatred to let their mouths voice it openly. But you need to remember that many of the proverbs start with a basic statement - and then that statement is explained with an added comment that further defines it. That is the way to understand the proverbs. If we do not read them this way - it is easy to grab a partial proverb and make it say something it was never meant to say. What we have here is a proverb about hidden hatred later escaping through slander. The first part of this proverb speaks of one who is concealing their hatred by saying things they do not believe. An example of this is someone who says nice things or supportive things of someone when they are around that person. Inwardly they despise this person - but they do not allow their hatred to be expressed when around them. But do not be deceived by their lying lips - because deep within them they are churning with a hatred that will surface in time. Their hatred surfaces in what is said in the second part of this proverb. They begin to spread slander. They will not speak openly about their hatred of a person, a viewpoint, a decision, etc. But later they will begin a slander campaign to express their hatred. Put very plainly - they won't tell someone openly they hate them - but in private and with others they will let their hatred fly by slandering them often. The one who does this is a fool. The Scriptures says that it is better to openly rebuke someone than to secretly slander them. If there is a biblical issue that needs to be addressed, then address it privately with the person. If there is a view that needs to be opposed - then oppose it where a debate of ideas can be had. If there is a decision that is wrong - then openly state that it is wrong. To allow a hatred to build up in our hearts is not just foolish - it is dangerous. In time it will surface in slanderous gossip. We WILL eventually have our hatred come out - and when it does - it will not be pretty. You may not like someone who openly confronts you - who rebukes and questions a view you have taken - or who disagrees with you publically. But one thing is for sure. You have far more respect for someone who does this, then for someone who speaks open words of support - but follows them up with slanderous gossip when you are no longer around. Such a man is a fool - and his actions will come back to roost eventually. Speak the truth in love - and if you disagree with someone and do not feel God wants you to speak out - then love them by interceding for them. Hatred, gossip, and slander has NEVER helped any situation where it was used. It has only made for fools and for deep hurt by those who have been injured by it.
2 Comments
Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:31-32
Ours is a society that is enamored with violence. We glorify it daily in our entertainment mediums - movies, television, magazines, books, and newspapers. It is interesting that we also try to sit in judgment on cultures like Rome, saying that they were barbaric in their gladiator games and other forms of public violence. Yet, if we were to look at what we do and how we consume it - there is little difference in our two cultures. God says not to envy a man of violence or to choose any of his ways. The word for violence is very telling in this passage. It is the word "hamas" in the Hebrew - and it means to do violence or wrong. The word implies not just violence - but also cruelty, damage, and injustice as well. We are to stay away from people who are like this - who are violent - and whose violence is manifested in being cruel, unjust, and in doing damage to that which belongs to others. The reason some might "envy" this violent man is because of the gain that it brings him in the short term. Think about the people who in history have gained money, influence, and power because of their violence. Many of the world's most heinous dictators used violence to their advantage. But Scripture tells us not to choose ANY of the violent man's ways. This is because everything these men do is tainted by their violence. This is why I've included verse 32 with verse 31. There is another reason to reject the ways of the violent man - which is shown to us in verse 32. The violent are also "devious." The word devious here is the Hebrew word "luz" which means to be crooked or perverse. God is telling us here that when a man is a violent man - he will also be a perverse or crooked man as well. The idea behind this word is that being crooked and perverse is what a person is trusting in - as a way of walking through life. This word is used in Scripture to describe those who are wicked, perverse, and who reject God. They reject His ways - things like righteousness and truth - and choose instead to twist the truth to their advantage. When someone wants to trust devious and violent ways - they do not have a heart to seek God - or to learn from His Word. They do not want to walk with Him. That is why God says that these devious ones are an abomination to Him. This is because they utterly reject Him and His ways. We should also note the word, "for" that begins verse 32. This links what is said here to the previous verse. The devious are the violent ones - and the violent ones are those who function with a devious and God-rejecting mindset. They choose violence and deceit because they do not want to trust God with their plans and purposes. Since they do not have God's power at their disposal, they have to trust their own thinking (which is fatally flawed due to sin) and their own power. The last thing said in this verse is that God is "intimate" with the upright. What a wonderful thought this is for us - that God is intimate with us when we walk in His ways and choose His paths. The word "intimate" here actually means intimate counsel - and has the idea of being brought into a kind of inner circle where God shares His wisdom with us. So God is promising us that if we reject the violence and deceit of this present world's ways - that God will bring us into the inner circle with Himself for the purpose of teaching us. This particular proverb is one we should consider - especially when we consider the way our current society is so enamoured with violence. We see it in just about every form of entertainment we consume daily. When there is not violence in a movie or television show - it is almost completely ignored. We are inundated with violence - and the tendency is for this violence to more and more graphic in nature. This is happening at a time when we are watching a corresponding decline in our desire for intimacy with God. Is this just a coincidence - or - is it exactly what God is trying to get us to see in this proverb? The more we embrace violence - the more we will embrace deception and a rejection of God and His ways. The more we embrace violence - the less we will embrace God Himself - and with this we will also place a lesser value on the counsel of His Word. May God bring to us a return to Him and a corresponding turn from loving violence. Remember Jesus' name is the prince of peace - and His Word tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, NASB) He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined.
Proverbs 10:10 At first look this proverb seems to make two statements that do not match one another - but actually both parts of this proverb speak to the same thing - hypocrisy. One speaks of hypocrisy with the actions - while the other speaks of it with words. When someone winks the eye - it means that they are sending a sign with their eyes that betrays the words or actions that they are about to say or do. The wink is not for everyone - but only for those they desire to be in the know about the coming hypocrisy of their statement or their action. The person to whom their words are said is kept in the dark. It is almost as if the hypocrite is saying to the person, "Watch what I do to this fool. You will find that what I am about to do is funny or clever." When you have a "winker" you basically have someone you cannot trust. If they lied to this person - they can lie to you. If they are seeking to deceive this person - they will deceive you. We are told that the "winker" does what he does to cause trouble. He winks at you - but he only does so to make you an accessory to the crime. Now that you are in the know - you too are aware of the hypocrisy - and your job now is to laugh behind the scenes - but to help maintain the hypocrisy by your silence and complicity. We read in the second part of this proveb that the "babbling fool will be ruined." The "winker" is the "babbling fool." They are one in the same. The babbling fool deceives with his mouth - the "winker" with his eyes. But in the end, both of them are fools because they are walking in deception. They have no good in their desires for the one they try to deceive. And like all those who babble as fools - the day will come when their duplicity will be exposed. On that day they will be thrust down - humbled and that with severity. When someone winks at you - and does so to cover an malicious action or unkind thoughts and words toward someone who is not initiated into the mess, we should reject their invitation to enter into the hypocrisy. As an example we have Judas who did not reject the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Saducees. He chose to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver - and promised to betray Jesus openly. The sad end of that story is that Judas did sell Jesus out for the price of a slave. He did so as He maliciously winked - or as was the case in his betrayal - he kissed Jesus on the cheek. There was no love or fellowship in that welcome - only open betrayal. That is why we need to be men and women of truth - and reject the call to enter into other's treachery when winked at and encouraged to betray others. Overcoming Sexual Temptation, part 8 - Final Words and Pictures to Remember - Proverbs 7:26-2712/14/2010 For many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death. Proverbs 7:26-27
Today we come to the end of our look at overcoming sexual temptation in chapter 7 of Proverbs. It ends with the father warning his sons one last time of the extreme dangers of the strange woman - the prostitute - the adulteress. Just a note to dads out there. This is the third time a warning has been issued to his sons by this father in as short as 18-20 verses. First he refers to her victims as the mortally wounded. Many, he says, are the mortally wounded that she has cast down. The word victim here refers to those who have been mortally wounded in battle. The world would have us view casual sex as something pleasurable alone - the Word tells us that it is something far more deadly. It is part of the war to destroy men and women's souls. When they depart from the Scriptures - they find themselves wounded badly - mortally by it. It probably should be noted here that this primarily refers to a man committing adultery with this woman. Although any sexual sin is deadly, the sin of adultery is more damaging in the end. Most often it ends a marriage - and blows a family apart. Those who have been through a divorce and a divided family know very well the damage such actions cause in the home. But this is only one way that sexual immorality is dangerous. There is also the specter of sexually transmitted diseases. Consider the multiple stories of men who entered into adulterous affairs - only to find out later that they had not only contracted AIDS themselves, but they had passed their disease on to their innocent wives as well. In this case death is brought to an entire household. There are currently over 30 different sexually transmitted diseases that cannot be cured. Do we really want to swim in the cesspool of the world of ungodly, immoral women and men with the state of our collective societal health in such disarray? But there are worse things than just the diseases that come from sexual immorality. There are the victims in the families - wives, children, and parents with broken hearts. Testimonies that have been destroyed lie fallen and trampled by the effects of actions taken in the moment of unthinking, foolish passion. The adulterous woman has seen numerous ones "cast down" in this way - and numerous slain because of the problems that have arisen in the end from the disease, the anger - even double murders due to one partner being so distraught that they first kill their spouse - and in remorse for their death - take their own lives. All of them lie slain due to the horrific effects of sexual sin. last thing this man says about sexual sin and the place the adulterous woman takes men - is that there is an address where she lives. We are not talking about the physical address - wherever that is on the earth. We are speaking of the ultimate address - Death. Her house is the way to Sheol - the place of the dead. It is a house that is a descent into chambers of death itself. The word "chamber" here means a parlor or a room. It is not a special word - but when it is further described by the father - it takes on a very ominous sense. The chambers of death. I am not usually a fan of some of the modern paraphrases of the Bible - but here both the "Message" and the "Living Bible" are paraphrased in such a way that they almost make goosebumps rise on my arms. Let me quote what they say about this last verse so you can read them and see a picture in your heads. The Message says in verse 27, "She runs a halfway house to hell, fits you out with a shroud and a coffin." That is pretty expressive isn't it. She promises pleasure and sexual fulfillment - but actually she is just a pit stop on the way to hell. You think she is undressing you for a night of passion like no other, but actually she is just getting ready to outfit you with a death shroud and a coffin. The Living Bible states verse 27 this way, "If you want to find the road to hell, look for her house." Can you imagine a road sign that does say "Main Street," or "Fifth Avenue," but rather - "Road to Hell." Would you ever even want to be near that street - that pathway? That is what the wise father tries to do for his son. He seeks to paint such gruesome pictures - he may even tell true stories of the horrors of sexually transmitted diseases - of homes crushed and destroyed - of lives that crumbled - all for the purpose of warning his sons. These are not just ways of graphically describing something - they are promises from God - warning signs for us along the road to sexual immorality and adultery. Ignoring them is just as stupid as ignoring a bridge out sign. May God give us first the wisdom to heed His word for our own lives - and then may He also fill us with the wisdom and the Spirit to warn our sons in a way that engraves the truth about such things deep in their minds - reaching even to the innermost parts of their hearts and spirits. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. Proverbs 7:24-25
After giving a graphic description of the way a man falls into the trap of the harlot, the Holy Spirit gives a conclusion. God begins by having the father call for his sons to listen and pay attention. Here is a huge problem - and one I understand. Most people know the thing they should do about temptations to commit adultery or to visit a prostitute. The problem is not knowing - it is listening when someone is warning them. Very few of the sins of which I've been guilty were committed because I did not know the morally proper thing to do. They were committed because I was not listening to the warnings of the Holy Spirit as I was being tempted. They were committed because I ignored godly counsel that had been given to me. The wise father reiterates the truth to his sons again and again. He doesn't just talk to them or lecture them - he calls them to listen as he speaks. The word "listen" here does not mean just having the biological functions of the ear working properly. The word means to listen so as to comprehend, to discern, to give earnest heed, to be diligent in obeying what is said. The wise, godly father knows about distractions. That is why he calls his son to listen diligently with a view to discerning obedience that flows from fully comprehending what he has said to his son. The second phrase he uses here as he speaks is this, "pay attention." This phase means to listen and pay attention so as to give heed and to obey what is said. Dads, be careful to gain not just your son's ears - but to aim directly for their heart. The first thing that is said to the son is that he does not need to turn aside to her ways in his heart. There is the first problem when it comes to men who get caught up in sexual immorality and adultery. Their hearts are the first thing to go. This manifests itself first in seeing their hearts no longer being given to the Lord. In the third chapter of Revelation Jesus says to the church that they've lost their first love - that love that draws them to the Lord and has them belong to Him more than anything else. I've seen this before in young people - old people - anyone who finds themselves drawn away to sexual sin. They start when they no longer have that passion for Christ. They turn to someone other than the Lord - looking for satisfaction - for something to fill their emptiness. They find that the Lord is not enough - and that they will actually find what they need in someone else. That is how a man allows himself to "turn his heart" to her ways. When his heart is gone - there is a real serious danger - because at that point he probably won't listen. It isn't too much to say - he can't listen - because his heart controls what his ears will listen to in life. Once he has strayed in his heart from the Lord - and into her ways - then he begins to stray into her paths. He begins walking without the normal cautions that he would have naturally. But worse than this is the fact that he is walking without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is grieving the Holy Spirit so his warnings are no longer being heeded. This is a very dangerous place to be. When he does stray into her paths - there will not be the protection that he normally has. Thus - it will be that much easier to fall into sin. Wise fathers want to speak to their sons about these things. They want to not just fill their ears with lecture after lecture. The godly father wants to gain access to his son's heart. He wants to lay the protections and the guard rails there. That way his sons know that the battle is for their minds first - and for the hearts most. I am not opposed at all to doing exactly what this father does - and that is tell a cautionary tale to his son - filled with truth - and with the consequences of not guarding their hearts against the wiles of the strange, adulterous, sexually forward woman. Share even frightening details of what the possibilities are when they sin sexually. You are not using fear when you do - but you are using wisdom and truth. These are the allies that are needed to win the war against sexual temptation. Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life. Proverbs 7:22-23
For the past several days we've been looking at how to overcome sexual temptation through the example of a fool who did not. Today we come to the sad choice that this man makes to enter into adultery - and the terrifying way that it is described. Just a point of reference first though to remind us of the context of this passage. This is a father warning his son of these things - and doing so through a story of a man who did not walk in wisdom when it came to his sexuality. Dads . . . I know I am talking to you a lot in these posts - but it is only because your role as a father is absolutely critical. Please talk to your sons - and do so in an honest and straight forward way as this father does. Don't succomb to passivity in this role - because I can promise you that the world is not being passive in the way it is trying to deceive your sons in to the opposite choices for sexual immorality. Suddenly seems such a strange word here - because we've watched this man act foolishly for quite a while now. But suddenly does describe the way men enter into the act of adultery. There is something intrinsic that resists adultery and sexual immorality in us. God has drawn a line in our spirits and souls - and it is one that we have to consciously cross to sin in this way. There is resistance all along the way - but when we push against those inner barriers - they give all at once. The choice to do this is a kind of all at once moment in our lives. We push and ignore the barrier - until it breaks . . . all at once. Then we follow our lusts into far more dangerous territory. Note here that he follows her. Men, that is not the way that this is supposed to work. God calls us to lead women, not follow them. But far too often men are passive and allow women to lead them. Here, we watch a man ignore his vows, ignore the warnings of the Holy Spirit, ignore the intrinsic barriers to this sin - and follow a woman - into a sexual tryst. Unfortunately too many men have done just this - follow a strange woman sexually into sin. They are not leading in any way spiritually - they just follow where sin points them. But what is truly terrifying here is the picture that is painted for us of just where she is leading him. All along this passage seems to be building to a sex scene of monumental proportions. The flesh salaciously is waiting for the sordid description of the act itself - yet none will be given here. Instead we read that what this fool is doing is compared to an ox going to the slaughter. It is like waking up from a great dream suddenly gone bad. This is not a pleasure palace - but a poisoned pit! The is not ecstasy - it is the end! The ox is going to have his throat slit - be grabbed by the feet or impaled by a hook - and is going to hang thrashing until his death by bleeding out. What a picture of what a few minutes of forbidden pleasure has in store for us. There are more pictures for us to have forever etched into our hearts about sexual sin. The second is that he is going to the discipline of a fool in fetters. The world lies to us telling us that when we give ourselves over to our fleshly desires we will be free - free from the fetters of a God who does not want us to experience pleasure. The truth is that the freedom is in marriage - with our wives. The bondage is in sexual immorality. The fool is first fettered - bound hand and foot - and then led to the place where he will be disciplined. That usually involved both a financial cost - and most likely 39 lashes upon his back with a whip or with rods. Sooo - how does sexual immorality look now? The next picture is of a man whose liver is pierced with an arrow. The Hebrew commentaries on Scripture infer that this is a deer that is being pierced by an arrow. The pain of that injury is severe - and fatal - but please note something important to see with this wound. The liver is the organ in our body that promotes purity in our blood. It literally cleanses our blood each time it passes through the liver. But when this man enters into the adulterous relationship, he is being pierced throught the one organ that cleanses our life itself. Remember Scripture says that the life of anything is in the blood. Here the life of this man is being polluted by his sin. But this sin does more than just pollute - it pollutes while also doing great damage to our ability to be purified. Paul makes an amazing statement in 1 Corinthians 6:18 when he says, "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body." Immorality is a sin against our bodies themselves. When we join ourselves to a prostitute or an immoral woman - we are damaging our very bodies. That is true physically through things like sexually transmitted diseases. But it is also true spiritually. I work with men - seeking to disciple them so that they will follow Jesus Christ. THE area I hear most trips men up is THIS AREA. That is why Paul's counsel in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is this, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." God wants us to glorify Him with our bodies - and that means fleeing sexual immorality. When we do not - we are piercing not just our spiritual condition - but we are seriously weaking our ability to be cleansed and fight sin period. Next is the picture of a bird actually running toward a snare. What a strange picture. A bird running to get caught and killed. But that is what a man entering into sexual sin is doing. He does not see the snare - nor does he recognize the camouflage. All he sees is the bait - and he doesn't even recognize it as bait. His lusts and desires are driving him and all he sees is momentary fulfillment. The last statement made to us is a warning. The fool here does not know that this will cost him his life. Once a man commits physical adultery - there is radical change coming for him in his life. Don't lose all hope if you've sinned in this way, because adultery is not the unforgiveable sin. But, it is a sin that costs dearly. Ask David. He will tell you that it pretty much cost him the life he once knew. Everything was different after that. We need to see this as well. Once we enter into adultery - and even when we enter into sexual sin - everything is different. There will be a battle after that - and it will be a difficult one. That is why the father is going to such lengths to warn his son in this passage. He is trying to do everything in his power to help his son see that such a path is not just dangerous - it is fatal! May God give us fathers wisdom to look at our own lives, our own struggles, possibly even our own failures - and warn our sons diligently to beware of sexual sin. May we use the wisdom God offers to us here - and teach them the dangers of such activity - and hopefully rear a generation of young men who will be less likely to step into sin when facing sexual temptation. With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him. Proverbs 7:21
This is a summary statement of all that we've been looking at the past several days about overcoming sexual temptation - only in the reverse - learning from someone who did not overcome it - but succumbed to it instead. Two things led to this fool's demise. First is that he allowed the adulteress to have the opportunity to have "many persuasions" in her time with him. This points to a simple, yet oft ignored, truth about the appropriateness of man/woman relationships outside of marriage. Too often as American's we scoff at other cultures who limit the amount of contact a man has with a woman. We tend to scoff at their emphasis on modesty in clothing too - for which we are double fools in this society. The fact is that there is an appropriate way for men and women to interact - and an inappropriate way. Let me explain. Most affairs begin far from the bedroom. They start with the beginning of an inappropriate relationship between a man and a woman. These relationships almost always begin with one of the other starting to share the problems. With rapt attention the other listens - because usually they share a problem of intimacy with their mate. By intimacy I am not referring to their sexual relationship - but to the fact that they rarely talk any longer. This is due to the busy-ness of life or problems and barriers that have developed over the long-term of their marriage. Since neither of them are really working on this aspect of their marriages - they find someone willing to talk a wondeful thing. They do not intend on committing adultery during that first discussion - but nevertheless - they do enter into a man/woman relating to each other that is inappropriate. This builds as they share more and more - and reveal deeper and deeper levels of intimacy. At one point - sexual tension enters into their relationship. If they do not do a Barney Fife action (i.e. "Nip it in the bud!") they are now on a fast track to adultery. This is because it is not wise for a man to have a "best friend" that is a woman once he is married. In some ways this probably doesn't apply to long-term best friends of the past - although a wise man will shift this kind of friendship toward his wife. But to make a "new" best friend of a woman is never a wise thing to do. There is another scenario here as well - and that is the fool who is already in trouble - who is kinda seeking another woman. This fool already has one foot in the grave - but he is quickly putting the other one in the longer he talks to the woman who is persuading him to have adultery. The wisest thing a man can do when a woman other than his wife makes any kind of remote advance is to run. The Scriptures tell us to "flee youthful lusts and pursue faith, righteousness, love, and peace with those who call upon the Lord with a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22). The next wisest thing he can do is to tell either an accountability partner of the advance - or honestly - tell his wife. The second is the wisest choice. It truly nips this thing in the bud - and it lets his wife know that she needs to watch this woman. Don't be a fool and ever allow a woman to give any more than one persuasion to entice you away from God and from your marriage vows. The second thing we see in this passage is that this woman catches this man with her "flattering lips." As I've written in another post - men have this thing called an ego. When we are wise to allow only our wives to stroke our ego - or allow recognition from colleagues at work to do this - or our children - we are being discerning. When we do this for even a moment with another woman other than our wives - we are allowing pride and utter stupidity to drive our ego. Believe me when I say that we do not want these things working in our ego for even a moment unchecked. This adulteress takes the time to say nice things about the fool. She strokes his ego with her flattery - which to be honest is something that might be lacking at home. That is why men give in to this trap. Let me help you for a moment. If this woman marries you after your current marriage is destroyed - and then lives with you as long as your wife has - you've got to know that she probably won't be flattering your ego much either! That is why we MUST grasp that these "flatteries" are nothing more than lies. When you hear them think of the cheese on a mouse trap. Looks awfully inviting - except for that snapping bar that will break your neck as soon as you take a bite. Flattery from a strange woman might not break your neck instantly - but know that the bar is coming at some point - and your spiritual and marital neck will be broken - possibly beyond remedy. Men . . . I know that your ego will tell you that it's kinda nice to know that someone still thinks your handsome - wonderful - even sexy. But that little spark you felt in your heart when that happened is prelude to a forrest fire that will destroy beyond imagination. It is a lie - and it is going to be very destructive if you don't see it for what it is. It is cheese, brothers! It is cheese on a trap set to catch and kill you! Don't ever think for even a moment that it is anything less - because when you do - you are one step closer to that bar breaking your neck. I was due to offer peace offerings; Today I have paid my vows. Therefore I have come out to meet you, To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. Proverbs 7:14-15
We are continuing in this verse with the entiement and thinking of the harlot, the adulteress, as she seeks to lure a young man into her trap of sexual immorality. This verse is fascinating because it reveals that the adulteress has a religious side to her as well. Her comment to her prey is truly interesting because it speaks of someone who has gone and done their religious duty. Let's take a look at it today and seek to gain wisdom and reject stupidity as a result. Her statement is that her peace offerings are with her. The idea here is not that she has yet to offer them, but rather that her spiritual condition is one who is at peace with God - someone who has already offered this sacrifice to the Lord - and who, as a result, has some kind of stored up religious earnings. She thinks that she has religious credit on deposit - and therefore she can withdraw it in her current actions. This is the mindset of penance rather than repentance. Penance assumes that we can pay for our sins with some kind of religious ritual - and too often is seen as a payment up to date - with the result being that we can sin some more later. Repentance is a change of mind granted by God - with the result that by grace alone our sin is forgiven. Along with repentance is both restortation and regeneration so that we are truly changed. The one who has engaged in repentance IS changed by God - whereas the one doing penance is engaged in a works mentality where they have earned something from God. The adulteress here is stating that she is paid up - and has somehow earned the right to now engage in further sin. Having done her religious work - her religious duty - she is now free to live as she pleases. This is the danger of works-minded religion - it deceives the one practicing it into thinking that after they have sinned, they can just work some more - work a little harder - and all will be well. There is no transformation involved - just another IOU paid in full to God as they continue in their self-made menagerie of religous ritual. Today she has paid her vows . . . what vows? Evidently there is a supposed promise of reformation - but there is no action toward it coming any time soon. The next verse is so telling because in it she says, "Therefore I have come out to meet you, to seek your presence earnestly." Her comment is that having done her religious duty, having made worthless and empty vows, now she is free to engage in her sexual escapades. Her religion is merely a facade to further deceive whatever willing dupe is in her sites. She's ready to roll - now that she has played her religious game for the week - or the day - or however she works to maintain the illusion of being right with God. What a convenient religion this is. The danger here is that we will be drawn into an illicit relationship thinking that we are having adultery with a good person - a religious person. The reality is that we are walking over the pit that has been covered with leaves by the one hunting us. If we buy the lie and step over the hole, we will quickly find that what we've actually stepped upon is a trap. The lie was there to lure us into a false sense of safety. The reality is that we are now caught - and in grave danger. Just one last parting comment though - because this particular practice is even among those of us who are evangelicals. We need to be extremely careful that we are engaging in repentance before God and not just a protestant form of penance. When we come to confess our sins - we don't need to stop there. Too many (myself included unfortunately) just confess their sins - but do not go into the second part of 1 John 1:9. We are all about confessing a sin that makes us feel bad, feel guilty, feel caught - but are we truly interested in God's change in our hearts? The second half of that verse says that we also ask to be "cleansed from all unrighteousness." Here is the forgotten part. We need God to not only forgive - but cleanse us of the mindset and choices that led to that sin in the first place. We need to say to God, "Get rid of every 'unright' behavior, choice, thought, reasoning, and activity." There is where we can camp out for a while and have the Lord do a thorough heart searching in us. There is where we can be protected from the very sin these two verses reveal to us. We can move from penance to repentance - and in so doing - from merely salving our conscience for a few moments to true change. A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will perish.
Proverbs 19:9 The battle had not gone well that day. Many of Israel's fighters had fallen on the field. A young Amalekite watched as the king of Israel struggled to stay on his feet. It was evident from the shafts of the arrows sticking out of his body that he had been hit by the archers and would not survive the day. As the events unfolded before his eyes - he watched as Israel's king then took his own sword and fell upon it - then he watched the king's armor bearer do the same. He was horrified as this took place - knowing that this battle was about to be lost badly. But he also saw an amazing opportunity as his eyes became fixed on the crown that lay only inches from the king's fallen body. He quickly rushed to the king and scooped up the crown - put it in his satchel and fled to the rear of the conflict. As he ran that day visions of grandeur filled his mind. He knew exactly where he was going. He headed for David's camp - for he had heard many speak of David's exploits. "This one will be king some day, mark my words!" Those were the words he had heard from a commander of a hundred who had later defected to David. He smiled a wicked smile as he weaved a web of deceit that would tell the king how he himself had helped the king - and now was bringing his crown to the heir apparent. His plan was completed in his head just about the moment that he reached the outskirts of the camp. He immediately was stopped by a sentry who asked his business. "I have news of the battle for David," was his reply. He did not miss that the sentry noticed the crown just inside his satchel. Seeing that expedited the process whereby he could see the future king. His mind raced with all that would be done for him. He would be rich and influential at last. All it would cost him was one little lie. He related his story to David. Israel had fled in battle, defeated before the Philistines. Then David asked of the welfare of the king. He related his falsehood - making it seem that he was being merciful by killing Saul in battle. Now he had come to bring David the crown. David's response was anything but what he was expecting. He was horrified by the defeat of his nemesis. Wasn't Saul the one who was chasing him around the wilderness? Wasn't Saul the one who supposedly threw a spear at this young man - more than once. The Amalekite's horror was far worse though when he heard David ask why he was not afraid to stretch out his hand against the Lord's annointed? Before he could answer, one of the young men who attended David unsheathed his sword and came toward him. His lie did not yield him riches or position - unless one meant the wealth of pain and the position of a fool as he felt the glinted steel pierce his chest. He was not exalted for his news - but struck down. As his life ebbed from his body he felt the dust from his fall settling around his face. The only reward he had received was that of the death of a fool who thought he could advance himself through lies and deceit. Solomon surely heard this story from his father, David. Punctuated by this very truth he knew that a false witness will be punished. He will be punished when the web of his own deceit is exposed. How often had he seen this before his very eyes as he experienced it himself - and watched others caught by their own web - rather than catching the ones they intended to mislead. The liar will pay the penalty of his lies. And if he persists in them - if he continuously lies to others, as this proverb states, he will perish. The one who remains a liar - whose very life is defined by being a false witness - will spend eternity along with the one whose main descriptor is "the father of lies." Lying will get you somewhere. It will get you destruction and devastation for all eternity with the devil himself - the ultimate false witness - the ultimate liar. The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit. Proverbs 14:8
Are you more concerned about your own actions or the actions of others? Today's proverb offers us some pretty heady stuff about the way a wise man thinks about things in life. There is great wisdom for us today if we will open ourselves to what God has to say to us. Here we read that the sensible man has wisdom. To be sensible is to be shrewd and prudent. So a prudent man has wisdom to offer to us today. That wisdom is this, to understand one's own way. It is wise to be able to understand ourselves. This word, "understand" means to discern and perceive. The one who understands himself pays attention to what he himself does. He watches himself far more than he does others. This is not a selfish thing - but rather a desire to grasp why one does the things they do. This man takes a close look at where his actions and attitudes lead him. He looks at his own way - but only so that he can understand where he has gotten himself. He then uses this information for the purpose of change and growth. He studies himself to gain wisdom on how an attitude change - a change in actions - a change in how he speaks - can help him to be a better person. In the context of the Bible - he also does this so he can walk with God more closely and honor Him better in all that he does. He examines himself, considers himself, and after doing this he considers what is right - what is his duty and his responsibility - and then he goes about doing it regardless of what others say or do. This wise man wants to know his own way because he fully grasps that he is the only one he can change. He is not quick to blame others and fault others for his problems. He takes responsibility for himself. This is one of the best ways to improve your mental health. If you are forever blaming everyone else for your problems, you will rarely change - and - you will be filled with bitterness and unforgiveness. You will view yourself as a perennial victim of others. The sum total of who you are will only be what others have done to you. You will think that your own actions don't matter - or have real consequences because you see all your problems as someone else's fault. Oh, and by the way, you will also be a fool who lacks any real wisdom. The foolishness of fools is deceit. This is the second half of this proverb. The fool is focused on deceit. Simply put, the fool lies. He lies to others. He does not want to understand his own way - because he is too busy making up what he would like his own way to be. He seeks to manipulate others - not himself. He uses lies and deceit to dupe others into believing he really is not responsible for his own actions. When caught in a lie - he will use another lie to get out of his difficult circumstances. Most of all, he lies to himself. Every bad thing that happens is someone else's fault. Every problem is due to someone else. His shortcomings are the fault of others who did not do enough to equip and train him properly. He will never change because he honestly does not see the need for it in his own conduct. If others had only done their part, his actions or words or laziness or inactivity would not have mattered. In the end, though, people grow tired of his blame game. Figuring he is either not worth dealing with - or - incapable of being honest with himself - they turn away from him. Two men are pictured here. One sees no fault in himself and turns to deceit to deal with his problems. The other man is prudent - he turns to look closely at himself. As he looks he seeks to understand how his own actions, attitudes, and words affect what happens to him. One man will fail while the other succeeds. One man will forever be blaming others while the other will receive encouragement to change. One will walk the way of fools while the other will live a life of godly wisdom. |
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!
Archives
August 2018
Copyright 2024 Calvary Chapel Jonesboro | all rights reserved |