The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so. Proverbs 15:7
In life there are those we meet that just spread knowledge that is helpful to our souls. What a wonderful thing it is to meet such a men or woman. They are like an oasis in the midst of our wicked and perverse generation. It is a delight to talk to them - but even more of a delight to listen to what they share. This is the kind of person Proverbs speaks of today. Let's look more at what this today as we examine Proverbs 15:7. The lips put forth words that reveal what is in the heart. Here we see clearly that the wise have knowledge stored up in their hearts while the fool is devoid of it. The word for "spread" is very descriptive. It is an agricultural word that speaks of how a farmer goes into the field and scatters and disperses seed by casting it out on the ground. The wise man is taking every opportunity to cast out the seed so that it can bear a harvest later. Thus the wise man takes the opportunity to put out God's Word for a harvest that will come later in life. The wise man spreads knowledge. He spreads learning but his learning is not just head knowledge or uselessh information. He is spreading the kind of knowledge that leads to discernment, insight, and notion. Let's look at these three words for a moment to gain insight on what the wise man is spreading. When we have discernment we are learning to distinguish between two things that differ. We need to know the difference between good and evil, God's will and the world's mindset, the flesh and the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. The wise see things from God's perspective thus they can help us to learn the subtle and not so subtle differences between what is of God and what is not of God. They also help us gain insight. This word means exactly what it says, in-sight. It is seeing into things and realizing there is usually more to things that just their outward appearance. God says that man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. Therefore if we are going to see things as He does, we will need to see into the heart of a situation. The last word is notion. There's a word that we don't use much any more. Webster defines notion as an conception or impression of something. A notion can also be that conception or impression carried out to a theory or belief about a person, thing, etc. When we speak of the notions we receive from the knowledge of the wise man - these are not just the notions of an average person - but they are notions, beliefs, theories, conceptions and impressions gained from Scripture and from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. To have a notion based on these things is to gain a way of looking at life - a theolry about people - about the world around you - but one gained from a biblical worldview. The proverb finishes with the fact that the heart of a fool is not like the wise man. He does not offer knowledge to others. He does not spread seed that will sprout and bring a godly harvest of righteousness and peace. His seed is filled with his own foolish notions, theories, and conceptions of life. Since these are governed by his own sinful nature - and by the world around him (remember and think a fallen world that rejects God's revelation and authority) they are useless. These things will bring about a harvest of foolishness and harm. How wonderful it is when we can surround ourselves with wise men and women. How marvelous it is that in our society and with our electronic capabilities we can expose ourselves to great men and women of God - actually hearing them speak - hearing them spread the seed of God's wisdom and Word to us. The truly wise person will seek to be in the range of their voices.
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Surely I am more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man. 3 Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Proverbs 30:2-3
I know that at first reading this sounds like the Proverb of the one lacking self-esteem. But if this is your thinking, it is simply because you are too much a child of this age and the deception of its culture. Although we may not see it like we should, this is actually a man who is about to move from foolishness to wisdom in short order. As a result we have much we can learn from him. He speaks with serious lament in his voice. "Surely I am more stupid than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man." His lament is for wisdom - for he sees such a strong need of it in his life. The vast majority in this world do not have such a lament. If anything, their mindset is that they have pleanty of knowledge and understanding. They do not feel stupid! They are brimming with the confidence that they are worthwhile and that they usually get stars and high grades on all their papers. They've gotten the token trophies that everyone gets - regardless of their performance or achievements. Stupid! Lacking understanding! How could anyone be so filled with a lack of self-esteem! Who educated this poor soul to where he would think he lacked anything? There is the crux of the problem with our educational system. We are so concerned about the effect of actually correcting the children of this generation (for fear of harming their poor self-esteem) that we will not do what is necessary to help them see their need. They have a socialistic system that promises them government money from cradle to grave - whether they work or not! They have a government that guarantees a world without problems - at least ones that the government promises to fix. They have a promise that no one will be considered more successful or more intelligent than them (at least not without serious punishment for it). Thus seeing themselves stupid, lacking in understanding, even in need - well those ideas are out of style in our socialistic utopia. This man is on the verge of great wisdom because he knows the great truth. That truth is that he needs wisdom. He needs education. He needs understanding that can only come from God Himself. What he needs is God - and the wisdom that comes from intimacy with God in sweet fellowship with Him. He begins with the statement that he is stupid - more stupid than any man. Rather than have him brimming with self-centered, self-induced, and self-glorifying pride, this man has learned the truth. He is a sinner - and as a sinner he is cut off from the all-wise God. Thus he makes foolish and stupid decisions. He does so because He lacks understanding - lacks wisdom - but most of all, lacks knowledge of the Holy One. Our problem is not our environment! Educationally . . . our problem is our sin. We are not wise - because we reject God's wisdom. We are lacking in understanding because we will not listen to our Father in heaven Who longs to give it to us. We lack wisdom because we refuse to see things God's way. We lack all across the board because we do not know the Holy One of Israel! This world was made by God . . . for God. It is beset with all his working - and works best when His wisdom is applied to daily living. Without Him - we are stupid - and will continue unabated in that stupidity until His mercy lays hold of us and we understand His grace. The man who is the closest to receiving God's wisdom, understanding, and knowledge . . . is the man who embraces humility. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. The fact is until we come to the place this wise man reached - we are not candidates for God to work mightily in our lives. When we do come to the place where we humble ourselves and trust Him - we will lack. But to the man who embraces humility - to the man who grasps and deals with the fact that he is not a genius - to that man goes the marvelous gift of God's grace, mercy . . . and the joy of knowing Him . . . which is wisdom indeed! These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed. Proverbs 25:1
Thank God for the men of Hezekiah! Were it not for their diligence, we might not have a great deal of wisdom at our finger-tips today! This is probably a proverb you've never heard comment upon - and honestly - it is one I've not looked forward to dealing with as I do this study. But as I read it and asked the Lord to give me insight in what good it is for us - I began to truly appreciate what these men did for us - and what people do for us even today. The word for "transcribe" means to move forward, to proceed, or to grow older. What it indicates here is that these men of Hezekiah took writings that were old - and brought them forward to a new generation. They took what were old documents and they copied them so that another generation could enjoy them. Seeing the spiritual decline that preceeded the reign of Hezekiah, these writings easily could have been lost - but these godly men of Hezekiah kept them from this fate. Did you ever think of all the Christian writings that have been preserved for us - generation after generation. We have our Bibles because men faithfully transcribed things generation after generation. We have wonderful books because of this same thing. Men who were blessed and strengthened by something they read - transcribed it so that others could receive the same blessing. Consider, for just a moment, the spiritual poverty that would be ours if the writings of Jonathan Edwards, A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, A.B. Simpson, Andrew Murray, John Calvin, Charles Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, and a host of others were never transcribed or copied from one generation to the next. One of the fears I have is that we will lose the writings of godly men of generations past because our current generation has such a disdain for older things. We would be so impoverished if these writings were no longer available to us. So, I want to send a thank you out through the generations for those whom God used to give us the Scriptures. Some did so at the risk of their very lives. I want to also thank God for all the godly publishers and printers who might have made more money publishing "best sellers" but who chose instead to make sure that we have the works of our godly fathers and mothers available to us. Your diligence has provided us with a wealth of Christian literature in our day. May we be diligent to pass on to our children that same wealth from our past. May we be the men of our day who transcribe works of wisdom and inspiration that will bless many generations to come. To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, Proverbs 1:4
Why should we read and study the Proverbs? Here we receive additional reasons why knowing and studying this material is so important to us. We begin with the biblical fact that we are fallen due to sin. This is so important for us to understand, because it reminds us that we are so prone to being deceived and led astray. Far too many people do not begin with the sinfulness of the human heart as a starting place for learning and wisdom. We tend to deceive ourselves in thinking that we cannot be deceived. Thus we tend to be naive and don't question ourselves in our decisions and in our natural way of thinking. Here is where the wisdom of God is our greatest friend. Solomon writes that the proverbs are written to give prudence to the naive and discretion to the youth. Let's take a look at both o these things as we consider a little bit of wisdom today. The naive are the ones who are simpleminded and foolish. The Hebrew word here refers to the person who is naive and too simpleminded when considering the complexities and challenges of life itself. They do not have suficient understanding or perception to properly grasp how to make decisions in life. The naive are very broadminded - but not in a good way. What they need is skillfulness in discerning things. They need an ability to detect subtleties in life. The word for prudence actually means a craftiness which we usually consider a bad thing. But for the one who is wise it is the ability to see through things - and to detect trickery and the kind of thinking that sets traps. In Joshua 9 when the Gibeonites deceived Israel with their appearance - Joshua was deceived because he did not use the proper prudence to detect the craftiness of these wicked men. Because Joshua simple trusted his eyes and the supposed honesty of the Gibeonites motives and words - he was deceived and led astray. Unfortunately we live in a fallen world where appearances do not always relfect the truth of a situation. This is why we need God's perspective and counsel in all matters. Yes, it would be wonderful if all men and women were perfectly honest - but they are not. There are amazing subtlties in life that can only be properly understood by knowing God and going to Him for wisdom and understanding. The second half of today's proverb says to us that the youth needs knowledge and discretion. All of us have been and have known youths who know everything. They have no need for anyone to share additional knowledge - nor do they need to know the ways of mankind - because they know everything. This is definitely a product of of sin entering our world. We desperately need for the youths in our lives to hear and increase in knowledge. It is only by adding knowledge and a better skill in distinguishing things that have subtle differences that they will grow in wisdom. Without such a growth in wisdom, they will find themselves in serious trouble - and as we learn often in Scripture - deceived and led astray from God's ways. Therefore we need to keep our minds and our hearts open to God's Word and the teaching of His Spirit concerning wisdom. God wants us to have a greater ability to detect and discern His ways and paths. If we keep our hearts wide open to Him - we will know that wisdom and will be kept from many problems that might otherwise trip us up in life. By the transgression of a land many are its princes, But by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures. Proverbs 28:2
Those of us who live in the United States have never experienced a coup in our lifetimes. The most disturbing event of our republic has been the Civil War in the 1860's. There has been a remarkable stability that God has allowed in this nation when it comes to how we deal with our rulers and the peaceful transition of power down through the years. That is what this particular proverb comments upon - what brings about the stabilty and enduring character of a nation. The transgression of a land brings it many princes. Transgression here means a breach of trust or rebellion. Understanding that we are reading Scripture - we need to grasp that the rebellion spoken of here is that which is against God. When a nation begins rebelling against God - trouble is brewing for it. Contrary to our current psuedo-constitutional view of separation of church and state - (which is interpreted more like separation of state and the God of the Bible) - our nation is under God. That fact exists regardless of whether that phrase is printed on our money or recited in our public school classrooms. All nations are under God Who is Sovereign over the universe. Thus God holds all nations to His moral law. When a nation rejects Him and His moral law - a measure of chaos results which grows over time. If a nation continues on its path of rejecting God and His ways - soon there will be rumblings of the coming moral and political earthquake that will hit society. In our nation we began to reject God's ways in the early part of the 20th century. That continued through the teen's and 30's - where we faced the first world war and the beginnings of the great depression. God was trying to get our attention, but we ignored Him for the most part. The 40's brought another world war - even more horrific than the first. Europe, who rejected the Lord in greater measure than the U.S. was doing, faced devastation from this war. Unfortunately, we really didn't learn much from their example either. There was relative prosperity in the 50's but the moral rumblings were gathering to become an earthquake. Parents who chased the American dream - soon found in their children of the 60's the American nightmare. Those children rejected the idol of money their parents served and toked up, tuned out, and rebelled against everything their parents stood for in life. They also embraced publically what their parents had done privately. The 50's and 60's saw the rise of private indiscretion and adultery - the practice of keeping mistresses (though secretly for the most part) and the beginning of the divorce culture in our nation. The children of these parents rejected marriage altogether and embraced what they called, "free love" which was just the bondage of fornication. This culture of sexual immorality then gave rise to easily accessible abortion as a convenient way to deal with problem pregnancies in the early 70's. Just as Scripture tells us in Romans chapter 1 the heterosexual immorality of the 50's, 60's, and 70's gave way to the homosexual immorality of the 80's and 90's. But during this time we saw another thing begin to happen. The political dialogue, which has always had a tendency to be contentious, began to become toxic. There also was a great rise in the number of politicians who no longer cared about any kind of long term benefit or damage to our country, as long as they could be re-elected and consolidate their power. Decisions were made and money was spent without thought to the problem their debt was causing for our future. This kind of careless and selfish rule has given rise to our current political climate. Our current situation is that our country is badly divided over political and moral issues. The rift is about 50/50 - and the radicalism of those opposing each other is rising - as is the rhetoric used to describe one another. Could it be that a coup or a revolution could be in our future. I certainly hope not - but our proverb today tells us to the contrary. The "many princes" spoken of at the first part of our proverb do not refer to our current type of government with many leaders serving within it. It refers to the problem of coups and overthrows. It speaks of those usurping power. When a land or country begins having a total disregard for the Lord and His Laws - that country is headed for trouble. When people have no regard for God and His law - they will also have no regard for any law. We are watching this in our day as the enforcement of laws is being tossed to the side if those in power don't like the laws on the books. Also there is far more being "decreed" by presidential decree than is being done as our constitution directs by the Legislative branch (the Senate and House of Representatives). We are facing a growing practice of presidential dictatorship than a republic where the elected officials hash out laws in Congress. This is because as we grow to reject God - and reject law in general - people will turn to whatever is right in their own eyes (as they did in the book of Judges). The proverb also tells us how to have a nation endure. It endures by having a man of understanding and knowledge around. The two words used here are vital to us grasping what God is saying here. Understanding is the Hebrew word "bin" and it means to be discerning, to be able to perceive, to pay attention to things - having the ability to apply God's wisdom to a situation in life. The second word, knowledge, is the Hebrew word "yada" and it means to know - and here it refers to the ability to discriminate between what is right or wrong, good or bad. It also has the idea along with it of knowing what to do - which in this case refers to what God desires that the nation do. Consider these two words - their overt reference to God's wisdom - and the current way God is viewed by our elected leaders. Do you see much of a chance for our nation with leaders who reject God - and who are rejecting any kind of accountability to the laws already on the books of our nation? A wise and discerning counsellor or leader is able to help a nation endure. Think for a moment about our founding fathers and the documents they gave to us in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. These were for the most part godly men - or at least God fearing men. Their wisdom and desire to honor God in this nation resulted in a document that has guided our nation for over 200 years! Considering the history of democracies and constitutional republics, this is nothing short of astounding. They also gave us a system that recognizes the danger of sinful man. They made it difficult to change things quickly. They made it difficult for the calls of the populace to be made into law - without debate and time to consider what would truly happen if those laws were enacted. Their goal was a nation led by "WISE" leaders who would lead with that wisdom - and with caution and discernment. When a nation rejects God - and rejects His Word - they are walking in a way that will eventually destroy that nation. As they reject Him, they will reject things like wisdom, caution, discernment, discretion, and restraint. What will replace these things are the calls by the populace for instant change to fix any perceived problem quickly. Rejecting God will also bring a population to its knees as moral degradation and a lack of good character pervades society - at all levels. Consider Rome and how Rome fell. It was not primarily due to an overthrow of her enemies from without - but from a moral, spiritual, and foolish decay from within. That decay was soon seen in leaders that were chosen - in a decay of public morality among them - and in a growing preoccupation with being amused and entertained rather than in working to build a stronger individual character, strong families, and a strong nation. In time the lack of these things - as seen in the growth of transgression in the land - led to the overthrow of emperors - and eventually the overthrow of their government. Many princes ensued and the land languished - lacking the kind of people who could help it endure by leading with wisdom and understanding. What will it be for our land - for our nation? I grieve as I watch leaders from both sides of the aisle make choices that only lead our nation into greater and greater transgression. I grieve as both parties have now defended a president who has openly trashed his wedding vows - even while one was in office. I grieve as I watch and wonder if our nation would even tolerate a leader who held genuinely biblical views on sexual morality, marriage, divorce, racism, gender, violence, obedience to the laws of our land, and abortion? But I also grieve that all along the way as these things have arisen - that the church has failed to respond with brokenness, humility, repentance (for our own sins in these areas), love (for those trapped in sin) , and prayer for genuine revival first in us - then spiritual awakening in our land. In the United States it is not enough to just curse the darkness we choose to see in others. We must be people of understanding and knowledge of our own sins too. Maybe then we will be in a position to offer a more honest assessment of the transgression of our land? Will it eventually be "many princes" for our land in an overthrow or a coup? I do not long for one - but in light of current events - we may be watching this proverb come to fruition in our nation. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1
I've grown up being taught that the word stupid is not a very nice word. It is one that my parents encouraged me to avoid. So when the living God refers to someone as "stupid" it is a verse that catches my attention. What is it that makes God call someone stupid? The stupid man is the one who hates to be reproved and corrected. He bristles when someone offers rebuke. He does not like it when someone corrects him when he is wrong. This is what makes him stupid, because by nature we are fallen - and by nature we are born ignorant. The only way to remedy this situation is for us to be corrected by God and corrected by others. Any discipline in life is to turn us from the wrong and toward the right. Those who love us discipline us, because they know that such discipline directs us away from wickedness and toward righteousness. Discipline by its very nature is not pleasant - and that is why the Lord doesn't tell us that we always have to be happy about it. But when we move from finding it unpleasant but necessary - to - hating it and despising those who offer it - then we move to dangerous territory. Wisdom has us embrace discipline and reproof. Proverbs tells us that this is the way of life - the way things work - and the way to move from foolish actions to wise ones. We are told here to love discipline. To appreciate it for what it is - instruction that keeps us from problems - keeps us from ungodly patterns and habits in our lives. Those patterns and habits yield destruction and death. Thus we need to learn to embrace discipline because when we learn from it - we receive what Hebrews calls, 'The peacable fruit of righteousness." We learn what is right and we hold fast what is right when we learn from correction. Otherwise we just become entrenched in our wrong - in error - and in ways that are displeasing to the Lord. Stupid is not a great word to use every day - or a good name to call someone. Yet, God in His wisdom lets us know that when we hate the correction and reproof that will lead us to a godly life - we are being nothing less than stupid! By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4
There are things written by authors concerning how to built a godly home - volume after volume - and yet none of them can come close to giving the kind of counsel we find in these two simple verses in Proverbs. Four simple lines written here that let us know how we can have a home filled with all that is pleasant and all that will let the world know that we are truly rich. The very first princple must never be missed. A godly home will never exist without a proper view of its plans and materials. It is by wisdom that a house is built. Wisdom is our familiar word, "chokmah" in the Hebrew. I love this statement about wisdom made by Keil and Delitzsch in their volume on Proverbs. "It is wisdom, that which originates from God, which is rooted in fellowship with Him, by which every household, be it great or small, prospers and attains to a successful and flourishing state." Wisdom is seeing things as God sees them. Wisdom views all of life - all its decisions as decisions to be made in agreement with His will and His Word. Oh, how blessed is the house that lives this way! But life requires more than just seeing things as God sees them. This home, built upon God's wisdom, is established as this view of life is translated into daily decisions, for it is by understanding that this home so built is established. Understanding takes the wisdom of God and moves it into our decision making processes. We take the Word - and use it to discern and understand the situations we face every day. It is the prism through which we experience life - which takes our problems and decisions and bends them toward the will of God as a prism takes light and bends it into all its array of colors. Thus understanding bends all our decisions toward God so that we see them for what they are - and helps us make decisions in accordance with all that will please and honor Him. It is one thing to fill yourself with the Word of God - but quite another to then take that Word and apply it to all of life - especially how you bring up your family. But what a blessing to know that when you do, your home will be well-built and established so that it can stand strong for years. Kind of like what Jesus said in Matthew 7 - that the wise man builds his house on a life that hears and heeds the Word of God - as a wise builder founds his house upon a rock instead of upon sand. This building process even continues to the point of interior decorating. We are told by the Lord not just how to build the house - but how to fill all the rooms to capacity with abundant wealth. The various rooms of this house are filled with precious things by knowledge. This word is closely associated with wisdom - and means a technical or specific ability to do something - here it means taking the Word of God and usin it to walk through life. It means to wield wisdom with great skill and ability. The man who has this kind of specific skill with wisdom knows how to take God's Word and apply it in every situation that comes up in life. A beautiful picture emerges as we look at this word and how God applies it here. God speaks of how various rooms are filled with items specific to the room. Is this not how homes are decorated? We would never think of putting a sofa in our kitchen - or a toilet in the living room. A stove fits perfectly with a kitchen, yet would look absolutely ridiculous if put as a bedside table in our bedroom. So also is wisdom put into place by one who knows how to use it. This man fills up his home with the perfect match of furniture and decorations - room by room. He knows how to speak to any and every situation with just the right statement. Proverbs tells us that like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. To decorate our lives in just the right way requires a skill with wisdom and the Word. Like a master decorator - the wise man puts the perfect touch on every opportunity with his family and friends with words of wisdom and understanding. Each room is filled with "precious and pleasant riches." The word "precious" is the Hebrew "yaqar" which means something valuable and rare. It is used throughout the Old Testament to describe costly and expensive stones that were used as foundation stones or jewels. We would expect nothing less since wisdom itself is described as being more precious than jewels and as that which cannot be bested by gold and silver. Imagine walking into a home where each room greets you with an array of jewelry perfectly placed to accent the room so that it glimmers with a sense of perfection. That describes the way the wise man accessorises all of life with the perfect word spoken to every aspect of living. Yet, what is even more marvelous is the next word used here. He not only fills each room with precious things - but also with that which is described as pleasant as well. The Hebew word here is "naem" and it means that which is pleasant, sweet, comfortable, delightful, and beautiful. The wisdom and knowledge with which this man builts and decorates his home and life is not only profitable, but it spoken in such a way that it is delightful as well. Wisdom presents the truth so that it is pleasant to those who receive it. It would be foolishness to think that every wise saying will be pleasant at all times, for our fallen mentality must be addressed and our waywardness must be corrected. But too often we think that such things must always carry with them a bitter taste and sharp character. Oh, what a wise man it is who can take even the most difficult of truths or deep corrections and state them in such a way to soften the blow - while still addressing the core corruption involved. If you know such a man or woman - hold fast to them - and thank God for a rarity that is greater than a 25 carat diamond. When I read this short exposition, I realize it is a rare thing to see such a man in this world. One would almost come to a sense of despair to locate such a man on this planet. Thank God that such a man rises above all others with our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not so much a life to be attained, but one that is bestowed upon us as we daily search the Scriptures and look to our Lord. We do have the pleasure of knowing such a One as this - yet it is only as we fellowxship morning by morning with Him in the Word at the foot of the throne of God. Yet God, in His mercy, encourages such a meeting. We can meet with Christ and partake of His wisdom and understanding - finding that even today, as when He was twelve - that His answers and wisdom astounds us. May we grasp that when building and decorating our homes and families - that a master builder is available to come alongside us and give us the skill of a Bezalel and Uriah as our lives are constructed for His glory. Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, How much more the hearts of men! Proverbs 15:11
So, how much do you think God knows about you? How much do you think He knows about every person there is and ever has been? How we answer this question often will betray how we live as well. For the person who thinks of God in very low ways, God does not have a knowledge of everything going on in our world. This is especially true when it comes to themselves. God doesn't know everything about me - every thought and every motive. The result of such thinking is that such a person will sin more frequently and reason within themselves that God doesn't know what is going on in their lives. There is a problem with this thinking though - it is inaccurate. This proverb may seem strange to us at first - but it's purpose is very clear once we grasp what it is saying. Remember the fear of the Lrod is the beginning of wisdom. Thus we need to have adequate reasons to respect, honor, and fear Him. One of those reasons is the fact that everything lies open before Him. Nothing - including the thoughts and intents of our hearts is hidden from His sight. This One Who is Judge - knows every conceivable fact about our lives that can be gathered. Sheol is the place of the dead. That place lies open before the Lord. He knows everyone there - and everything about them. The place of the dead is not a mystery to God. He konws every intimate detail about those there - and about everything they did before they arrived. Even in death His knowledge is absolute. What seems to be the idea here is that no matter who you are - God knows all there is to know about you - even when you are dead. But what about those who reject Him - those who say either He does not exist, or if He does - that they offer Him no information about themselves? Well, that is an interesting question - and one which this passage answers. Abaddon lies open before the Lord. What is Abaddon? This is the place of the wicked dead. It means "destruction" and is the Old Testament equivalent to hell. This lies wide open to God. He knows everyone there - and knows all there is to know about them. Even those who reject Him - are known intimately by Him. There is an interesting statement made by some - that God is not present in hell. That is not Scriptural. He is there - but only in absolute judgment and wrath. Those in hell know God - but they only know Him in His wrath and judgment - and will only experience this for all eternity. He knows all about their rebellion and arrogance - and every last bit of it is reaping eternal destruction and devastation. Now, if Sheol and Abaddon lie open before God - where do you think this places the hearts of men still living today? Since God knows everything there is to know about everyone who has ever died - godly or ungodly - it is not a stretch to realize that every man's heart lies open before Him. What a comfort this is to those who seek Him - yet what a terror to those who think they can reject and shut him out of their lives. Yet that is the very purpose of this passage - this proverb. It is given to bring men to the terrifying realization that the One Who stands as their Judge - is One Who has absolute knowledge about them down the tiniest detail of their lives. To rebel against Him is the height of insanity. All their hearts are open before Him - and they will have to answer for every deed and word - every action and attitude - every mood and mood - every sin - all this will be at His instant disposal. This is meant to humble us - possibly even horrify us if we are living definantly toward Him. May He do His work through it to bring men to the end of themselves and to a point of repentance and faith in His only answer, Jesus Christ. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
There are many who say that they have wisdom for us - that their counsel will help us. There are even those who say that we can get wisdom from people who do not know the Lord and even from some who deny Him. Now, we might be able to get a little "temporary insight" on how to live here and now from such people, but wisdom - never. Let me explain from this passage why this is true. Wisdom lasts. There is a statement that we need to grab hold of in this life. The "temporary insight" that some have will not last. It may hold promise for tomorrow and even for a year from now - but true wisdom holds promise for eternity. Here we read the familiar statement that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we do not fear God - if we do not hold Him in highest regard with respect and honor - we are fools! We don't even start into the path of wisdom until we get this one down. Here's why this is true. If we are supposedly wise - yet all our wisdom passes away the moment we die - is that wisdom? If we are one of the truly insightful, yet we walk into judgment completely unprepared, I think it is not a stretch to say that insight of that kind is blindness. We need to acknowledge God - and honor and glorify Him as God - and then we will begin on the path of wisdom. Until we do this - we are blind, foolish, and stupid. Whereas the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord - the continuance from wisdom to understanding is knowing God. Solomon tells us that the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. We won't have a lick of understanding and discernment into this life and the next without knowing God. Lacking that is lacking what is most precious. If we don't know God - we won't be able to understand and discern what is right. There are those who want to divorce wisdom from knowing God - saying that we can gain wisdom in a way that doesn't know God. They point to the so-called wise men and gurus of this world and say that they have wisdom. Whatever wisdom they have is only because they have stumbled across Biblical principles. But if they were wise, they would turn from their false religions and run to the Lord. Because they do not - not only do they themselves act with penultimate foolishness - but they lead others to do as well. They themselves will end their lives in eternal agony as they burn in the lake of fire with the smoke of their torment going up forever and ever. They will suffer more from the reality that they have also led countless others into the same fate with their foolish advice. The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. We would do well to remember that - and cling to the wisdom that leads us to fear and know God. That and that alone is wisdom indeed. Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And he who hurries his footsteps errs. Proverbs 19:2
Ever make a hurried decision - one that you did not take the time to think through carefully? Ever start out in a direction - but you did not take the time to seek God - seek counsel from godly men and women? Yep . . . me too . . . and the results were not very pleasant at all. That is exactly what this proverb tells us. It is not good (the word here means agreeable, pleasant, or beautiful) for us to be without knowledge. Making a hasty decision will usually result in a wrong direction - and a painful conclusion to a situation. We take off with great expectations only to arrive with our hopes crushed by the problems we should have seen before we left. The word knowledge is very telling here. It means to know - but has the idea of discernment. This is the wisdom of looking into a decision and seeing ahead what it will lead to in the end. It is knowledge and learning that results in discernment, insight, even notions concerning where we are going. One way this was described was as a kind of foreknowledge. You know that a decision is going to cause problems - thus you avoid it. Kind of like the child knowing that if he smarts off to his mother, good things are not going to happen. Granted, we all don't have the time to submit every decision we make to a biblical think-tank so that we can avoid the bad ones. But . . . we can seek the Lord - spend time daily in His Word - learn His ways and His thoughts from what is written - and decide to follow the instruction and leading of the Holy Spirit in every situation. When we're not sure of a choice - we can talk with a godly man or woman to get advice. Here's a place where texting could be a good thing! It's also a place where young people could choose to value the perspective of someone older and wiser. Our other option is to hurry our footsteps. The word for hurry here means to be pressed and hasty in what we do. Just a personal anecdote here may help. The vast majority of decisions where I was pressured to do something have turned out badly - some very badly. Through too many train-wrecks I've learned that when a salesman tells me - you have to make a decision NOW - the best thing I can do is walk away - pray - and come back another day. It is fascinating how often that very deal - or even a better one was available the NEXT DAY. It is also interesting how often walking away led me to realize I really didn't need what they said I absolutely had to have NOW! Absolutely for NOW . . . I need water, air . . . um . . . that's about all. He who hurries his footsteps - who bows to the pressure to get it now - to do it now - ERRS. Errs is the word "hetah" and it means to miss the mark - to do wrong - to sin. Oh how the hurried step is too often the sinful step. The thoughtful step - is the wise one. I heard a great statement once that has greatly affected me over the years. It goes like this. "When you see a group of sheep being driven from behind - that's the butcher taking them for slaughter. When you see a group of sheep with someone leading them from the front - that's the shepherd leading them to pasture." So, just who is it that is driving you to make that decision now - urging you to just act - don't take time to think - to look at the consequences - to consider the end of the matter? Does he have your best interests in mind? I doubt it. The One who has your best interests in mind is the Shepherd - oh, by the way, He's known as the Good Shepherd. Learn to FOLLOW Him - for His desire is to lead you - not drive you. He'll teach you and show you knowledge that will lead to footsteps that don't err. His direction leads you in the paths of righteousness - to a desired end - to a place where you won't here "Real Dumb." When Jesus leads you, you will hear - WELL DONE! |
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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