He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor. Proverbs 28:8 Is God against all l ending that is done establishing a level of interest that is charged for the use of the money? Some would look at today's proverb and say yes. But before we decide to level wholesale accusations against the banking industry, let's take a closer look at what God is saying in this proverb. God says that those who increase their wealth by interest and usury - will only gather it for the one who will be gracious to the poor. What are the principles here - and how do we deal with the wisdom of this in today's world? First of all, God told Israel that they could not charge interest to their brethren (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36-37; Deut. 23:19). They could, however, charge interest to a foreigner (Deut. 23:20). The question that we need to ask is whether this was in regard to the poor among the people - or in all matters of commerce. The passages mentioned here refer to the poor. The Bible speaks very strongly to the fact that we need to be gracious to the poor. What God is prohibiting is the use of interest to keep the poor mired in their poverty. This was expressly forbidden. The people of Israel were to be kind to one another - especially the poor among them. Thus, what we have here is the prohibition of interest put on the poor in Israel. If this were not the case, then we would ahve a huge problem in the New Testament in the parable of the talents. This is a story where God is represented as One who gives 10, 5, and 1 talent of money to three different servants. When the third tells him he hid his talent in the ground and is giving it back. The owner calls him a wicked slave - and says that he should have at least taken his money and given it to the bankers so that he woul have received his money back with interest. So what we see is that in regard to commerce interest can be charged for money lent for the purpose of doing business. But even in this regard God is definitely opposed to excessive interest being charged. This does not bode well for our friends at the credit card companies who charge 18-20% or those who give cash advances on people's paychecks at rates sometimes above 50% or more. God's promise to those who do this is simple. God will eventually take their profits and redirect them to the poor - or at least to one who will lend to them in the way God desires. Know this before you decide to try to get rich with disreputable people. God sees all things - including every business that is getting rich on ungodly principles. Among these are those who get rich on the backs of the poor and disadvantaged. God will even things out one day - and often is doing it without us even realizing it. It is better to make a little less - or none at all - if our other option is to become rich in an ungodly fashion. This is especially true for those who want to bilk the poor out of their money by burying them in debt. Beware - because while burying them under a load of debt - you are burying yourself under a load of judgment.
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He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. Proverbs 28:7
Here is an interesting proverb for us. In it we find comments about discernment, the Law, gluttons, and the way we represent our families, our fathers in particular. Yet, all of it boils down to how we maintain a relationship with the Word of God. The entire proverb hinges on the first statement. Here we see a son who "keeps the law." What is it that this son is doing? The word for keep is the Hebrew "natsar" and it means that he guards the Word in his life. He does this by living a life that seeks to obey the Word. He also is seeking to preserve the Word and its effects in his life. He does this by hiding the Word in his heart - keeping it in his mind - and realizing that the Word (here the law) is entrusted to him. Thus he wants to "maintain" a relationship with God's Word. This is more than just a casual relationship that this son wants to maintain with the Word. He is longing to protect the way that the Word impacts his life - desiring to maximize it as well! Because of this - the Word says that this son is discerning. When we have this kind of ongoing relationship with God's Word - we are putting ourselves in line to being someone with a fair amount of discernment from God. But why is this the case? There is an inherent blessing that comes to us when we "keep the Word" in our lives. Think about the practices that this involves. We have a mindset that wants to guard obedience to the Word and what God has said to us today. We take the time to memorize and meditate on the Word each day. In the end the Word begins to fill our minds and our thoughts. We find our thinking processes being transformed by what God says - and we consider what He says as worth guarding and protecting in our lives. As a result when things happen in this young man's life - he filters it through the Word. He asks fascinating questions like, "Will this please God," or "Am I glorifying God while doing this?" He wants to see all of his actions and attitudes agree with what the law says. He sees it not just as a "have to" situation - but because his heart has worked to keep the law near - it becomes a "want to" one as well. This young man will experience the blessing of discernment. He will have that ability to look at two things that differ - and see the difference in light of the law of God. He will be able to discern what pleases God and what displeases Him - what delights His heart and what breaks it. What is even better is that he learns to choose what delihts the heart of his Father! The contrary of this thought is really interesting. The opposite is a son who humiliates his father by being a companion of gluttons. OK - didn't see that one coming when I read the first part of this - but let's take a few moments to break it down and discern wisdom. First something indirect we should notice. If this young man's activities an companionship humiliates his father - it must mean that the father was actively seeking to teach him differently. Dad was wanting his son to have the law as a guidepost for his son. He was teaching and training his son to be a young man who could discern God's will through His law. Thus we come to an interesting question for fathers. Are you training your sons to be discerning young men who approach all in this world with the Word of God as a filter and a guide? That is not the main point here - but it is one that is implied. The main point here though is that the son who is a companion of gluttons will humiliate his father. A couple of things that a wise man knows. First he knows that those whom he chooses to be his companions matters. If he makes the wrong choices about those who are his friends - he will be harmed by it. Bad company corrupts good morals. Godless companions will bring about a godless lifestyle in the end. Minister to the godless - but let your companions be those who honor God and who desire to obey His Word. Who are these "gluttons?" The Hebrew word is "zalal" which means to be vile, frivilous, gluttonous, or worthless. The word was used in Deuteronomy 21:20 to describe a son who is worthless in his character and gluttonous. A similar word was used to those who drank too much. It is the opposite of what is useful, valuable, or precious. This is the word used to describe the foolish son's friends and companions. They are definitely bad characters - whose character is bad. They give themselves to excess (thus the word gluttony) and the excess that they embrace is an excess of godlessness and worthless things. Since this word is set over against the son who watches and keeps God's law - the companions of the foolish son are overindulgent in their appetites for evil. They are godless - and they take their godlessness to the extreme. The son who keeps company with such men will humiliate his father. He will live the life of a profligate - giving himself to the same excess of the flesh and the world that they do. He will embrace the godlessness - and in so doing will break the heart of his father. There is good news in all this though. Jesus spoke of a son who embraced these kind of companions - and who demanded his inheritance so that he could pay for all the wickedness that money could buy. His father allowed him to walk away - rich yet very stupid. His father, I'm sure, was humiliated by his son's godless conduct. But in this story - the prodigal son wound up wishing he could eat the food that he was feeding to the pigs. He decided that his godless lifestyle had brought him little joy - and much sorrow and disgrace. As he returned home to beg forgiveness - and offer himself as a slave to his father - he experienced an astounding thing. His father had been praying and waiting for his return. When the father saw this prodigal son, he ran to him and embraced him. What we learn from this is that even a foolish son who shames his father - is loved by the Father. He is watching ahd waiting for his return. Though his actions shamed Him - the Father still loved his son - and rejoiced when he returned. Wisdom tells us to steer clear of godless companions. But even though many of us ignore this and walk headlong into sin and wickedness - the Father still waits and watches. He works so as to bring His wayward sons home. Those who come and see the radical difference living for Christ makes - embrace the wisdom of turning to God and finding grace and mercy ready to run to them when they arrive in repentance toward God. So, even if you have been a fool with your companions - and have been corrupted as a result - know that God loves you and is willing to forgive and restore! Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked though he be rich. Proverbs 28:6
Integrity and honor are character traits that are of high value in the kingdom of God. They make a person very wealthy even though at the time they may not have a fantastic financial bottom line. When someone is varying between two stances - which is what this passage called being "crooked," they can have all the money in the world and still be seen as far less successful than the poor man who lives a godly life. God's way of valuing things and people is far different than that of the world. The word "crooked" is very interesting. The literal Hebrew means, "perverse in two ways." What this describes is someone who is going back and forth between two opinions and two views. According to the Theological Wordbook of the OT this term refers to the twisted and perverting nature of sin. The word was also used to describe how a woman twists her hair for the purpose of putting it in braids. Thus the word came to mean the way that people twist their ways and choices contrary to what God commands and desires. The word is used to describe the way rulers "twist everything that is straight" (Micah 3:9). In a similar Proverb about the need for integrity, this same word is used to describe how fools are perverse in their speech. Too often the rich think they are beyond the law - or above it because of the influence their money buys in this world. I have several friends who are police officers who have told me again and again that they have far more trouble out of rich people they pull over for speeding than from any other group. They are told that they should give the rich person a warning or nothing at all because of all the people they know in City Hall. They try to throw their influence around to intimidate my friends in law enforcement into ignoring the law - or might we say perverting it. They want my friends to act crookedly. These guys write them tickets seeking to enforce the law - only to have them ignored by those in power when they come to court. Too many of the rich make the mistake of placing their hope in riches and what they provide in this world - rather than in God and the hope of His reward in eternity. I say this not to absolve the poor of integrity issues - because the problem is not money - it is the love of money. I've seen the love of money in every financial category there is. The warning here is to run after integrity and honor - and not allow money to make us think that these things don't matter as long as you are well off financially. Just an aside here for our mutual benefit. I've heard a saying again and again that grieves my heart. Here is the saying, "Money may not be able to make you happy, but it makes your misery much more bearable." Those who say that are truly deceived. They think that a few years of less miserable riches are worth trading for all of eternity. God does not countenance such foolishness. They are truly deceived because they do not understand that their momentary happiness in their wealth and stuff will actually make their judgment more severe. The Scriptures tell us, "To whom much is given, much is required." Whatever brief comfort they find in their things and their wealth will be infinitely offset by the searing judgment that awaits them for loving the world and therefore not having the love of the Father in them. Again - that was for free - because I'm tired of fools sounding wise to this world when they are only multiplying their foolishness for a judgment that awaits them at the throne of God. True wisdom is seeing the end, in this case eternity, and making sound decisions with God's ways in view. The poor man walks differently here because he walks in his integrity. The word "walk" is the Hebrew word "halak" which means to come and go, or to walk about. It was a word that was used to describe a flowing river, the blowing of the wind, and the movement of animals of all kinds. It was therefore used to metaphorically speak of the pathways of one's life - and came to mean the lifestyle that one chooses. This poor, wise man has chosen to walk out his life using God's wisdom as his guide. The best way to describe this integrity that the poor, wise man chooses is to walk with all of our heart in the things of the Lord. The word here for integrity was used to describe the way that men like David and Job spoke of walking with a perfect heart. This did not mean these men were sinless - just that they did not want to waver between two opinions and two ways of living. They wanted to live for the Lord with all their heart - all the time. There is something that God values greatly in this world. But what God values and what men value are two entirely different things. This world does not value living for God and His ways with a whole heart. They might give an honorable mention to the occasional religious person who they admire for a few moments because of their devotion to God, but they do not see this as a way of living for all men. They live for the things of the world - and chase after them with all their heart. But what is highly valued by men of this world is despised by the Lord. He is looking for men whose heart is completely given to Him. How much better it is to be one of these men - regardless of their financial bottom line. It is far better to be that kind of a man and poor - than to be the richest man on earth and only enjoy it for the mere length of a breath - which is how God describes this life in comparison with eternity. Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all things. Proverbs 28:5
Why should we never trust an evil man to administer justice? It is because a wicked man is morally confused. His mind is not filled with what is just - but rather with what his own flesh desires. He is not led by the Spirit of God, Who takes the Word of God and instructs us in what is right and true. He is led by the spirit of this world, which, when it does not get what it wants, it kills and steals and decides rules do not apply. To grasp what this proverb is saying we must once again delve into the whole concept of evil. The philosophies of today do not recognize evil - or call it what it is. They state that man is basically good and if left to himself, without negative influences, would self-evolve into everything that is right and good and perfect. The evil man does not acknowledge God or that God's Word is right and true in all things. Thus he is blind when it comes to true justice. The word "justice" here also needs to be discussed for a moment or two. This word is "mishpat" in the Hebrew - and it actually means "judgment." The judgment spoken of here is that of God. Israel was expected to uphold true justice. God warned her leaders that they should decide with justice between two brothers in conflict. God declared what is right - and men were to take what is true and right and use it for judgment and the administration of true justice. The place we find this "right" and "truth" upon which justice can be understood and practiced is God's Word. It is written down - and it is absolute truth. All other truths in the world must conform to it - or be found wanting - and be untrue. Oh, how the world hates this kind of talk. "Mollify your statements man," they say with teeth clenched. But the fact is always the same that the Bible IS truth. If you want justice - you will have to judge according to what God has to say on the issue. Nothing else will do - and nothing else ultimately matters. The fact that evil men reject God's Word and choose instead to decide things by what they think, is the very reason they do not understand justice. The second half of this proverb states the opposite aspect of this truth. Those who seek the LORD (who seek Jehovah God) understand all things. Those who seek the Lord - and do so in truth - seek Him through His revelation of Himself in the Word of God. This is the ONLY place where you get accurate information about God and Who He is. When we seek Him and know Him through what His Word teaches us about Him - then we not only understand justice - but we understand all things. Both times the word "understand" is used it refers to the ability to discern or to perceive what is right. It means being able to distinguish between two things. You see the world - you see the Word - and you can make a viable decision on what God wants in any situation. Note here that we find that justice is not the only thing you receive when you seek the Lord. The wicked cannot even grasp justice alone - but the man seeking God - gets it all. He understands and can discern all things. There is the glory of knowing and loving the Lord. You don't get just wisdom - or justice - or joy - you get all things. Having Him - you have it all! Paul said in Colossians that in Christ was all the riches of wisdom and understanding. Those who seek Him understand ALL things! Thus the goal of our lives should be to seek and to know Him. We don't study the Bible to become more spiritual - or more wise - or bolder - or anything else. We study and know the Word because when we do - we get everything. God gives it all to us in Christ. Having Him we have everything. Evil men should not be trusted to know and administer justice. The man who can be trusted to make decisions and judgments for an entire society - is the man who desires to know God with all that is in him. Find that man - and you will find the one who understands all things - not just justice - but the meaning of life itself. Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them. Proverbs 28:4
How should a Christian deal with the wicked in society? That is part of what we will learn in this passage in Proverbs. We read of those who "forsake" the law here. These are people who look at God's law and they abandon it. They want to loose themselves from it - and see God's Law as a binding thing - something that chains them and keeps them from doing what they want to do. They separate themselves from what God says is morally and ethically right. Not only do they do this - but they praise the wicked. The wicked are the ones who revolting against God. They do not want to obey the Lord - nor do they intend on doing so. When men forsake God's Law - they don't want anything to do with it - or with anyone who is obeying it. They prefer boasting and rubbing elbows with those who reject it as well. They praise the wicked for their open-mindedness and for their desire for life. They package evil and wickedness in such a way that it looks good and acceptable. Problem is that God does not change His mind - and the things that He considered wicked before - He will continue to consider them wicked until the end of time. The ones who keep God's Law - they strive against the wicked. Keepers of the Law are those who watch over it and seek to protect it. They cringe at the thought of disobedience - but they also realize the damage it causes. Therefore they strive with the wicked. To strive here means to stir oneself up against something. When we strive against the wicked - we are standing up to their views and opposing them. We will not allow them to win the battle of ideas in our world without a fight. The way this looks in the world today is that godly men and women stand for God's righteousness. We stand for it in our homes - in our churches, and yes, in the world system itself. We will not go quietly, but will show people the error of living apart from God's Word and ways. We will fight them in the marketplace of ideas - by preaching the teaching the Word of God. We will show that a godless lifestyle is not blessed here - or in eternity. God's ways are best - and we will stand for them and in them. So how do we do this in our current situation. First, we identify what is godly, what God considers to be righteousness and what He considers to be sin. Next, we pray for God to grant us victory in overcoming the wicked. Then . . . we act! The slave trade was an evil in the British empire. It was one that William Wilberforce was unwilling to stomach. He fought and strove with the wicked within the empire in an effort to ban it in their country. It was not a short fight for Wilberforce, but rather one that lasted most of his career - yet he strove on - never losing sight of his Lord - or of what was right in the midst of it. We face a similar fight today with the abortion industry. This is a wicked practice and one which God abhors. If we are God's people and grasp righteousness - we need to rise up and strive with the wicked once again on this issue. No matter how long it takes - or how difficult the battle becomes, we need to strive with the wicked on this matter until this barbaric practice is laid aside in our nation. We must speak against it - work for godly legislation that will outlaw it - and offer ministry to the women who would be drawn into it. This is how we practically take this Proverb - and we do so everywhere wickedness raises its ugly head. A poor man who oppresses the lowly Is like a driving rain which leaves no food. Proverbs 28:3
We have all heard stories of the oppressive who are rich. God condemns this kind of behavior. But when a poor man does the same - it is an even greater sin because the poor man should know better being among the lowly himself. Proverbs describes this man as a driving rain which leaves no food. The rain described here is one that is a deluge - a true drenching storm. It is described as being a "driving" rain. The word here means something that sweeps things away. It is rain that is so heavy and strong that it literally washes all the crops in an entire field away. It leaves nothing behind, completely destroying all that is in its path. The poor man who oppresses the lowly is best described in the parable of the debtors. Matthew 18 tells this parable of two men who owed money. One owed millions to the king - and there was no way of paying it back - even in a hundred lifetimes. When the king pronounced judgment upon him for his debt, the poor man begged for mercy. The king then acted with unimaginable mercy - forgiving the man every penny of his debt. It is one of the most poignent displays of mercy in all of Sripture. But what did the poor man do with this mercy and newfound freedom. The Word tells us that he went out and found a fellow lowly servant who owed him about 50 to 100 dollars. The fellow servant begged too for mercy - and asked for a little time. He promised to pay it all back. But the forgiven servant then grabbed the other by the throat and cast him into the prison till he was paid all that was owed to him. Indeed, this was a case where the poor was oppressing the lowly. When the other servants heard of this, they informed the king - who then called the poor oppressor to account. He was told that having received mercy - he should have shown it to others. Having been forgiven, he should have forgiven others. The end of the oppressing servant was to be thrown into prison and handed over to the torturers until every cent was repaid of his debt. This proverb does speak to us about the need for reciprocity in showing mercy. If we are the poor - we of all people should have great patience with the por who are around us. To oppress them is like being a driving rain that washes away everything. If there cannot be mutual grace among the lowliest of people, what is left. But there is a greater reminder given to us here. It is the reminder of the spiritual lesson before us. Just like the poor man in the parable, we need to forgive as we have been forgiven. We are the poor in spirit - the spiritually devastated and bankrupt. God has shown us astounding mercy in forgiving our sins and giving us His unmerited favor. Oh, how we should be ready to show that same mercy and grace to others - the ones around us just as poor, just as spiritually bankrupt - as an example of our Father's love. To do otherwise is to be a driving rain that leaves nothing behind. It is to offer no hope of forgiveness and grace among the lost. Our message is also to be our example. By God's grace - when we show grace - we will verify grace - thus offering grace to those who need grace. Don't be a driving hurricane that leaves nothing behind - be a gentle rain that waters so that fruit can be borne to God - fruit that will last - and thus our Father will be glorified. 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. He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13
Here is a proverb that agrees perfectly with what is said in the New Testament. We read in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is that truth stated in another way. Whereas the 1 John passage states this truth in the positive only, this proverb also warns us about not dealing with our sins. The Concealer . . . First we are told about the fate of the one who conceals his transgressions. The word "conceal" means to cover - and has the idea of a cover up. This man is hiding his transgressions (word meaning a sin or rebellion - here against God and His Law and way). He is not willing to bring his sin to light before God. Therefore he hides his rebellion thinking that God does not see him. This word was used to describe how Joseph's brothers tried to hide their sin when they dipped his coat in goat's blood and brought to Jacob. Psalm 32:5 also speaks of his particular sin of hiding and trying to cover up our sin. The Psalmist says, "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah." When he was trying to hide his sin from God, the Psalmist had nothing but grief and pain - but when he faced his sin before God that is when he received forgiveness. Hiding our sins is not only counterproductive - it is also kind of silly. We serve a God Who is omniscient. He knows all things. When Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden - it was out of shame and rebellion. The problem for them was that God could still see them - and did even as they committed the first sin. Cain answered God rebelliously when God asked where his brother Abel was. Cain must have thought God did not see - but he did - and Abel's blood was crying out to God from the ground. Moses thought he could kill the Egyptian and hide him in the piles of grain - but God saw - as well as some other Hebrews. The simple fact of all this is that we can never hide our sin from a holy, omniscient God. He truly sees all! Proverbs tells us that this man who is trying to conceal his sin will not prosper. "Prosper" is tsalach and means to succeed or to be victorious. It has the idea of breaking out or breaking through - and has a military aspect to it. It spoke of how an army would break through their enemies - which was a sure sign that they were about to defeat their enemies. But what Proverbs says to us is that concealing our sins is a sure way to know we will NOT PROSPER! We will not break through to God - we will not break through to victory - we will not break through to see strongholds and sins overcome. And beyond that - we won't prosper spiritually period! If this was all this proverb said - it would be great counsel - but would leave us with just a warning. Yet God does not want us only to receive correction - He wants us to receive counsel. The Lord wants us to confess and forsake our sin. When we choose rebellion and sin against God, we are in serious trouble. We are facing judgment if we do not know Christ - or discipline if we do. What we need is grace - we need God's compassion. That is exactly what Proverbs is wanting to teach us. How do we obtain the compassion of God when we sin? First, we confess our sins and rebellion. What is fascinating here is the word that God uses to describe confession. The Hebrew word is "yadah." This word means to throw towards - to cast something towards. Here it means to throw off our sin and cast it towards God. It means that we are throwing all our sin and rebellion to God - with a desire for Him to show us forgiveness and compassion. What is wild is that this same word is used for praising God - meaning that we are casting our hands up into the air and casting our praises toward God. God does not want us to try to hold our sins close to us - He wants us to cast those sins away from us and toward Him for His compassion and grace! There is a second thing God desires here for us to receive compassion. Some teach that all we need to do is to confess our sins and everything is fine with God. That is true - if this second attitude is present. If it is not - I do not believe the Bible says that we will receive forgiveness. We also need to forsake our sins. This word means to abandon, desert, leave behind, completely neglect and STOP. When we come to God seeking His compassion and forgiveness - we need to come with a heart that says, "Please forgive me God . . . and I also want to forsake and abandon my sin." This is the kind of heart that finds compassion before God. Compassion means that God shows us mercy and a deep, kindly sympathy. This verse is so key to us knowing fellowship and grace from God. It is so important for us to grasp the call of God to us to deal with our sins and rebellion. I honestly believe that just as 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed verse - this verse in Proverbs 28:13 is as well. Oh that we would hear this and heed it as well. Believe me, if we do, we will obtain the grace, mercy, and compassion that we need. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26
"Just trust your heart," is a phrase that we hear often in our world. Yet this counsel runs absolutely counter to what God tells us in Proverbs - and honestly - everywhere else in Scripture. How could there be such a wide discrepancy between the common wisdom of the world and that which God gives us in the Word? To trust in your own heart is to be confident in it. The word means to feel safe and secure - to feel that you can rely on it in every situation. God calls the man or woman who lives this way a fool. But there is a reason God says this - a good reason. The world in all its philosophies usually does not want to take into account the fall of man into sin and rebellion against God. Those stories of a garden and a tree of good and evil are just that - stories. So they write off the rebellion of man - and choose instead to trust their own rebellious hearts. But the one who does not take into account the fall of man is a fool. He does not realize the corruption of his own heart. It is like trusting a watch that has been set incorrectly. No matter how accurate you think it is - it is fundamentally flawed. So is the man who trusts himself and does not see his sin. The one who walks wisely is promised deliverance. We've seen these words before in Proverbs. Walk speaks of our lifestyle - the way we walk about the world. The walk of this man is according to wisdom - which is "chokmah" and means a wisdom - but one used with skill - meaning a practical wisdom that is lived out in a myriad of decisions every day. The one who walks this way will be delivered. Delivered? From what are we to be delivered? What are we escaping? When we walk wisely according to God's ways - we will be delivered from our sinful ways and tendencies. We are declifered . . . from ourselves and from a fallen world that walks contrary to God's wisdom. Believe it or not, that is the primary trap set for us every day - to turn to ourselves rather than to turn to God. Only the wisdom of God's Word will deliver us from such a fate - such a natural fate that it seems like the height of normalcy to live that way. Yet, to fall into those normal patterns of the flesh - trusting ourselves rather than living in a conscious dependence upon God - well - that is a fate which we all need to be delivered from every day. |
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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