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Who is God? Proverbs 30:4

6/30/2010

Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know! Proverbs 30:4

Wisdom has as its core quest God Himself. A wise man will look at the glory of the heavens and the earth and realize that such order and such majesty is not just the work of random forces. Thus he will see the order - see the creation and immediately realize that there is a Creator. We will try to look at each of these questions and see the wisdom in asking these things. (Due to the sheer grandeur of the questions themselves - we will only answer one each post on this verse - therefore there will be multiple posts on verse 4 in this blog).

Question #1 - "Who has ascended into heaven and descended?" What is fascinating is that God asked questions very similar to this to Job when Job decided that God was unjust - and that Job needed for God to explain Himself in Job's suffering. The Word of God answers this first question - which assumes that there is a God. There is also an assumption that the one who has ascended into heaven itself and descended would be an authority on these matters. Humans are a horrible choice when it comes to the matter of the origin of the earth and all its processes (like wind, clouds and rain, creation, and the identity of God Himself who made all these things).

Here we have our first problem with philosophers in our world. They want to know why and how we can just assume that there is a God. They make no such assumption - demanding proof that there is a God or gods before they continue. The argument here is honestly pretty simple. For there to be a creation - for there to be something - there has to be a creator - there has to be someone who made it. When we see a painting we do not doubt there was a painter. When we see a building we do not doubt there was a builder. When we see a book we do not doubt there was an author. Why then when we see creation do we doubt a creator? To argue that there is no God - and that creation was never created - it just happened - is to argue that nothing plus no one equals everything. It is also to argue that if random processes just happened to bring about everything around us - that there is absolutely no reason to exist - and that it is the height of foolishness to even ask if there is meaning in anything around us. The worldview that demands that God prove Himself beyond the fact that there is a creation of His making, is to descend into Nihlism. That is the only "honest" conclusion that can be reached if there was no intelligent being behind the design in our universe. If everything came about by chance - it still exists by chance - and since there is no reason to random chance - there is no reason to our lives and no reason for which we exist.

The wise man, as said earlier, knows to ask these questions. His assumption is that God is able to ascend and descend the heavens at will. If God is able to make all that we see - and even beyond that - going up into heaven and coming down from there is not difficult. If there is such care and such glorious design in all that there is - He must be a God of detail and beauty. No one has seen God at any time. The Word itself tells us that if a man were to see God he would not live. Thus, the question also asked here is who has the revelation of God. Who has ascended before Him - and who hase descended to earth again. Here we have the answer - it was Jesus Christ - He is the One who has given us the perfect revelation of God through His life, death, burial, and rsurrection. There is only one who has done this - and it is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has ascended and descended! He has brought us revelation of God - but has also brought us far more! He has brought us salvation and a payment for our sins.

Wisdom drives us to know Who God is. And true wisdom is in knowing that God has revealed Himself and shown us Who He is. We find in Scripture that this is answered on our behalf. Jesus Christ is the One who has ascended into heaven - and descended from it. Know Him and we will know wisdom. Know Him and we will know all that we truly need to know in this life and in this world.

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Flattery is a Trap! Proverbs 29:5

6/29/2010

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A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps. Proverbs 29:5

When I was a kid growing up I heard a phrase that honestly did not make sense to me. The phrase was this, "Flattery will get you no where." When I heard this I was confused. When I heard someone flattering me, all I heard was someone giving me a compliment. Can receiving a compliment be all that bad? Honestly, the things that were said felt pretty good. So what exactly was I missing here?

That sense of confusion was compounded when I first read this verse that says that when a man is flattering his neighbor - he is actually spreading a net for his steps. This makes flattery sound like something sinister. Whatever is being said is being used to set a trap. You don't "spreak out a net for someone's steps" for the purpose of blessing them. This was what was done to catch and capture an animal. Here the trap is words - and the prey . . . the prey is me!

Most of confusion over flattery can be solved by understanding what flattery actually is. When that question is answered everything else falls into place. The word "flattery" here means to be smooth and slippery. The idea behind this word is that of being faithless, to flatter, or to be smooth. Flattery therefore is smooth and slippery speech - but speech that is meant to lull someone into a false sense of security. The compliment is not genuine. It is meant to disarm someone so that they don't see the trap.  The words are subterfuge - like leaves and brush hiding the trap from view. Just as the animal sees the leaves and brush and thinks this is just a normal trail - so the compliment is there to have the one who hears it think all it well.  Unfortunately, the animal doesn't see the trap until it is too late - until he is caught. Neither does the unwise one whose pride and ego receive the praise without question - and unwittingly step into the trap!

Just about everywhere this word is used in the OT it is used negatively.  Flattery is a compliment with an agenda.  When someone is flattering you, their kind words do not have a kind or gracious intent behind them. They are smooth and slippery words outwardly - but the agenda behind them is not good. Your compliment is a set-up.  There is something behind the glowing compliments - and that is what the person is after. They use the words and your good reaction to them to gain access to you and to your favor.

This is the net for your steps. It is laid out for you to step into and be caught. Then the true intent behind their gracious and glowing comments is exposed. A wise man will learn to be gracious about compliments, but never let them be that which causes him to drop his guard. This is even more true when it comes to women who offer him compliments. If the compliment is from your wife, that is fine - but if it is from another woman - be very careful. You can be gracious and thank her for it - but never let it be used to trap you. If you remember a previous Proverb in the early chapters of this book, the immoral woman uses flattery to capture men.    That is why you need to be unshakable in your commitment to God and your commitment to your bride.  Compliments and flattery can be dangerous things when they are in the hands of those who are using them to disarm us to their real intent. That is why we need to always deflect praise and compliments to God. Were it not for Him and His grace, nothing really could be said of us. Thus we make it a habit to deflect priase unto Him. That is the safest thing to do - and the one way you can be wary of the net that often comes with flattery. Like I said at the beginning, our attitude needs to be, "Flattery will get you no where!"

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Want Justice? Turn to the Man Who Seeks God! Proverbs 28:5

6/28/2010

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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.

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The Blessings of Being Hungry. Proverbs 27:7

6/27/2010

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A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. Proverbs 27:7

This proverb is about much more than just when a person likes and dislikes honey. It is about hunger - first physical hunger as the physical meaning suggests - but it is about much more than just physical hunger. It is about how we walk through life - about worldliness and about knowing and walking with God.

The physical picture painted for us is very clear. When a man is sated he loathes honey. To be sated means that you are stuffed. This is like when you have eaten too much at a meal and you are miserable. It wouldn't matter what someone offered you - you would not want any part of it. This is why the man loathes something as sweet and enjoyable as honey. He is too stuffed with food to enjoy anything. The opposite is also true though. A famished man considers any bitter thing sweet. The famished man is truly hungry. He has not eaten all day long - and as a result he is ready to eat anything. Even something which others might consider bitter is sweet to him. He will take it up and eat it grateful for anything to help him with his hunger.

Beyond the physical picture shown to us are great spiritual truths for us to glean. A man sated with the world will look at the Word of God and loathe it. He is filled up with the daintes of the world and as a result has little or no spiritual hunger. 1 John tells us that everything in the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life comes not from the Father, but from the world. When we fill our hearts and souls with whatever our eyes desire, whatever our flesh demands, and with a heaping helping of boasting in this life - we will not have any desire for the Word, which is sweeter than the honey or the honey comb. The glories of God and what He has in store for us seem like nothing when we are glutted with worldliness and selfish pursuits. This is why it is so hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. He is so filled with what "this world" has to offer - that often he has no room left for the things of God. We need to see the danger of feasting on the world, the flesh, and the fast food of the devil. When we do - we will despise and loathe the things of our Lord.

Then there is the famished man. The man who knows that the things of this world and this life are temporary. They are fleeting pleasures - what the Bible calls lying desires. They lie to us because they constantly promise fulfillment - but in the end they do not satisfy. They don't provide contentment - they do just the opposite. They eye is never filled with seeing - the flesh is never satisfied with food - and when we set our sights on wealth and riches, they take flight and soar to the heavens, always just a little beyond our ever grasping hands. Knowing these things - he seeks God for his "daily" bread - and asks not for riches. He knows that often the man with them forgets his God. Thus he wants something more. He has heard of this One Whose Spirit within is like a spring that rises up to heaven and salvation itself. He has heard of One Whose bread of life actually fills. He seeks the One Who offers rivers of living water - not a river outside of himself - but one that God puts within that overflows out of him to bless others. He is a famished man when it comes to worldliness and sin. He is a famished man when it comes to the religion of the eyes and flesh. He knows that boasting in this life provides him nothing in the end. Therefore he hungers and thirsts after God. He has heard from One that blessed is he that hungers and thirsts for righteousness, for he will be satisfied.

This hunger makes it to where any bitter thing is sweet to him. Where the worldling is constantly receiving but is never satisfied, this one receives everything from the hand of God - good and bad - and it all works together for good in his heart and life. Whereas the worldling ever complains that it is just not enough - the spiritually hungry one has eaten of contentment itself in the presence of God. Having his spirit filled to overflowing - he knows that all that God allows in his life (whether sweet or bitter) is working on his behalf. He even knows that the light and momentary discomforts, disappointments, disconcerting events - are working toward an eternal weight of glory that cannot be ascertained. God is at work in this famished man's heart - thus any way that God's providence and sovereignty designs his circumstances are going to be satisfying for eternity.

When you look at this proverb - and the truth that it represents - you come away with the paradox of God's work in this world. The filled go away hungry - while the hungry are deeply satisfied. The difference between seeking this world - and the world to come - is the difference between knowing contentment and fulfillment in hunger - or just walking through life empty even though you are sated with the world and all it offers. Truly, blessed are the poor and destitute in spirit - for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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The Wrong Person as a Courier. Proverbs 26:6

6/26/2010

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He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool. Proverbs 26:6

There are certain things you do not ever give to a fool. One of these things is any message that you want given to another. The fool, who is ultimately concerned with himself, will do a bad job of doing anything given to him. Here we have two amazing statements made about the man who gives the job of communicating a message through the means of a fool.

The first is that sending a message through a fool is akin to cutting off your own feet. One expects a fool to take a message and use his own two lets to get the message to another. Seeing that a fool is lazy and undisciplined, this is a very unwise choice. When we send a message through a messenger - we are supplementing the use of our own legs with the legs of the one who carries the message. Here though, the fool is utterly unreliable in this task. Therefore sending a message with him is like cutting off your own two feet. Your chances are if the messages is communicated at all, it is communicated badly.

The second picture is of a man who drinks violence. The reason you send a message with another is so that you will be refreshed by their work on your behalf. A message sent by a faithful envoy is like a cool drink - it refreshes you and it lessens your own work load in the time being. Unfortunately, when you send a message by the hands of a fool, that is not going to happen. When you do this it is like drinking violence. You will have to deal with the damage and the scorn of those who have either not received the message at all - or they have not heard what you meant for them to hear. When this happens, you are facing a situation where someone is offended and angry over the "messing-up of the message." Rather than your work being lessened, it is increased - and that with a new problem of someone who is angry with you.

Those by whom we send messages to others ned to be those with the highest levels of responsibility and trustworthiness. The communication of that message can either be a delight or a debacle. The wise man makes sure that his messages are carried by those who are wise like him. Better to take the message yourself than to have a fool take it and create a very bad situation. Even better than this is to cultivate good messengers who will truly and selflessly take any message given to them and faithfully transmit it to those to whom it is sent.

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The Importance of Godly Counsellors in Government. Proverbs 25:4-5

6/25/2010

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Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith; Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness. Proverbs 25:4-5

How important is it for a national leader to be surrounded by godly counsellors? According to what we read here in Proverbs 25, it is absolutely vital! When a king, chancellor, or president is surrounded by the wicked - there is a much greater chance that his rule or administration will be visited with problems.

The picture that is given for us first is a silver vessel that is being made by a smelter or silver smith. If he is making something valuable and something that will last, he will take the time and the effort to remove the dross from the silver. This requires a crucible and a lot of heat. It requires watching over the silver to make sure that he scapes off all the dross that comes to the surface as it heats. Dross is the junk and impurities that are in the silver ore. As it heats up this rises to the top and can be scraped away. It is what will make the silver polluted, less valuable, and more liable to be brittle and break. If he takes the time to properly take the dross out of the silver - he will have something he can properly mold - and something that will both last and be very valuable.

The dross in any governmental structure is the wicked who are trying to influence and counsel the king. We read next that if the wicked are taken from before the king - his throne will be established in righteousness. The wicked are constantly trying to gain the king's ear - so this is often a matter of wisdom in the king himself - and how he views his power. If he sees power as something he himself has - and something he uses to do what he wants - he will be far less likely to take away the wicked from before him. The reason this is the case is that men will use flattery and his own ego against him. Consider the story of Daniel and the lion's den. The king's greatest ally and wise advisor was Daniel. But because the king was liable to be led astray by his own ego, he listened to men who wanted to declare a day where no one could pray to anyone except him. When he made the fateful choice to enact this law - he learned that any real honor to him was the farthest thing from the minds of his advisors. They lay in wait for Daniel to pray - knowing he would. Then they brought the king's most trusted advisor before him - demanding that he pay the price for his evil prayers to God. Even though the king hated the action - he did so - and were it not for God's intervention, Daniel would have been torn to pieces. This is why it is so important for a king to know WHERE he got his power - and HOW he is to use it.

Kings and presidents get their power from God. Ultimately He has allowed them to come into a position of power - and the king and president would be wise to use that power to advance God's agenda in that nation. We read that "righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Therefore it is a wise king who removes wicked advisors from his presence and seeks to advance his kingdom on godly, righteous principles. Consider the advice of Ahithophel, who counselled Absalom when he robbed David of the kingdom of Israel. He told Absalom to rape the king's concubines in public view - to strengthen his kingdom. This was foolishness - because he was not strengthening anything but wickedness. God was not going to advance such a man - and it is no surprise that he was killed soon afterward in battle.

There is one misnomer I need to correct in commenting on this particular passage. The Bible does not say that this course will keep a king from trouble. Sometimes it puts a king in the crosshairs of the ungodly when he does this. But what is does do for a godly leader is place him in the safest of all places - the center of God's will. If a kingdom has previously been run by godless men and has been filled with godless leaders, there will be much opposition to this kind of rule. In the end, though, that king will be blessed, because historically, God rises up and brings wonderful deliverances to such a leader.

Something built with dross can look good upon first glance. It may even be useful for a time. But in the end - in a time of stress and testing - it will fail because it does not have inner strength upon which to draw in difficult times. It is far better to withstand the heat of becoming pure - because the heat (which is usually pretty unpleasant at the time) will in the end ensure greater strength and stability in the end. Therefore - pray for our president and for all our leaders. Do not be cowered into a corner by the separation of church and state crowd. Not only are they wrong constitutionally in their assertions, but more importantly - they are only seeking to lay a foundation that will NOT stand. Our forefathers understood much better that a nation built upon righteousness will stand. Any other foundation is only paving the way for failure in the end.

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"Lord of Mischief" - Proverbs 24:8-9

6/24/2010

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One who plans to do evil, Men will call a schemer. The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. Proverbs 24:8-9

There is a foolishness that leads men to plan evil and devise ways of running after foolish things. We are warned against such things here in Proverbs. The term "plan" here means to think up things, to mull them over in your mind and to consider something extensively before doing it. The wicked man's mind is set on his evil - he plans it and considers it - thinking through the things he is going to do. Every wicked man is given to doing evil - everyone who has not been redeemed by the work of Christ on the cross is set in this direction - but there are those who take it to another level. They actually sit and make serious plans to act out their evil. Proverbs tells us that men like this will become known as a "schemers."

What is a "schemer?" The term here is literally, "lord of mischief." He becomes a master at doing things that are wrong - things that are just plain evil. The word here is "ra" and it means evil, misery, and wickedness. It is not just that the schemer is planning mischief like you would see from a bunch of young men who plan pranks. This is a man who is planning and scheming about evil and godless things. And anyway - who wants the title, "lord of mischief" anyway? This is not exactly a title that brings great respect with it, except among those who glory in evil.

The next verse expounds upon this even further. We read that the devising of folly is sin. There it is as plain as we can make it. When you become known as the "lord of mischief" you are sinning. When a person begins to "devise" folly - they are planning, purposing wickedness, lewdness and sin. The Hebrew word used here almost never pertains to any kind of good intention. It is reserved for the plotting of the wicked and the thoughts of foolish people. This word also is used heavily when describing sexual sins like prostitution, adultery, rape, and incest. This is NOT a good word at all - and when we are planning and purposing to do such things - we are walking in gross wickedness and sin. That is why this word for planning and purposing here is stated as sin itself. When we are devising foolish things like this - we are sinning. There cannot be any clearer statement than this made to us and given as a warning to us.

This is also why when someone begins walking in this way, they become a scoffer. They scoff at God's Word with its warnings and its prohibitions of such lifestyles. They hate it - and mock it because it points to their actions and says plainly that they are sinful and wicked. In fact - this particular scoffer is so godless that God tells us that he is an "abomination to men." This is sinking to the lowest of low points. We have someone who has decided to plan and to map out their life for the purpose of evil, godless scheming, being the "lord of mischief," walking in folly, sinning, and scoffing at God's ways and morals. This is not a path the wise want to take. It is a warning to us to abandon even the smallest of sins - and to deeply abhor departing from the Lord. We do so because we do not want to displease or dishonor the Lord in any way.

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The 'Evil-Eyed' Man and The 'Free Stuff' Trap - Proverbs 23:6-8

6/23/2010

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Proverbs 23:6-8 (NASB)
6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments.

Proverbs lays out for us here three verses that warn us of selfish and greedy men. The term used to describe this men is a man of an 'evil eye.' This term is a Hebraism that refers to a man whose eye is set in a way that he is covetous and very selfish when it comes to his money. This guy has evidently made a promise of a sumptuous meal. To break bread with someone in this day was to offer them a meal. And from what we read here - this man is putting quite a the spread before us. It does not only involve putting food before us - but delicacies. Delicacies here is the Hebrew word "mat'am" and it means a very tasty, delicious food. It indicates soemthing like gourmet food or special tidbits and delicacies that were usually only served to the wealthy and influential person. This meal is provided to catch our eye - but dull our sensest. This is not just a Big Mac at Mickie-D's. This would be an entire meal at a fancy restaurant - including a top shelf dessert as well.

Why would this man do this? What is even more important though is that God warns us to stay away - and not eat it - and not to be drawn in by the delicacies! We are warned against the desires that arise in us as we look at te delicacies set before us. Again, one might ask, "Why?"

The answer lies with the character and the motives of the man who is providing the meal. He has a reason for what He is doing. And according to this passage - his motives are evil, selfish, and self-centered. Let's look a little further at all this as we seek to get all we can from this warning - as well as how all this applies to what we can face from men in THIS generation that use the same tactics.

God now reveals to us this man's heart. The motives of his heart are hidden from us and the only way we know them is when God reveals them to us. This man thinks within himself differently than he is acting outwardly. His outward words say, "Eat and drink!" There is every indication that he is all about his hospitality. There is a problem though.  His words do not match his heart. Who he is in his heart is who he really is and since his heart is not with us, we should question his true motives.

Why would someone provide a great spread like this - and not have their heart in it? The answer to this question is that greed and selfishness are what motivate him.  Ever been to a "free meal" or a "free weekend" at a time share? Yeah . . . that's what we're talking about here. We are provided what seems like an innocent and wonderful gift. Problem is the entire time we are enjoying it we are being set up for the real purpose. The gift is given to get something from us! Before the night is over - before the weekend is over - there is going to be a presentation. The reason for all the generosity is that you are supposed to buy something - commit to something. I've been to a free weekend at a resort - and the term "high pressure sales" is an understatement of what I eventually faced. When my "free" weekend was over, I honestly wished I had just paid for my so-called free vacation. That was one of the longest three hours of my entire life.

When someone's heart is not with you in providing that great meal or that wonderful weekend; when someone's heart is not with you in giving you those "free tickets" or that gift card for a free meal, you need to know that a the heart is not set on giving, but greed. You are being lured into a way for Mr. Generous to make money in the end.

We are told that we will vomit up the morsel we thought we enjoyed. There will be a disgust in our hearts when we eat this man's food. That disgust will only be experienced after we find out the real agenda here.  He didn't do this for us . . . He did it for himself. Covetousness and profiteering were the real reason this for Mr. Generosity's gift. In the end you feel like a fool for being tricked into doing something you "normally" would not do. You curse your desires that deadened you to the warnings of the Holy Spirit.

Remember my time share story? Oh, how embarassingly this ended. I told myself that I would not buy anything! I was going to be strong - and say NO to everything. Then I'd enjoy the rest of my free vacation and go home. Remember the "high-pressure sales pitch?" Well, in the end, we didn't buy a time share. Instead we paid a ridiculous price for a promised "future" vacation - actually three were promised. I'm not stupid enough to fall for just one!  Of course the promised triple play did not quite work out like it was mapped out for us. In fact the entire sitaution was a debacle.  In the end - I vomited out the vacation we took - and wished I could take back my compliments about what a "great deal" I had just gotten! Remember this . . . when a selfish, greedy man "gives" you something, he has every intention to more than double or triple what he invested. At least that is my story - and my savings (or lack thereof) is sticking to it!

In the end - you feel like a fool for complimenting the generosity of your host. You look at what was provided - and you think that it is wonderful. But the cost in the end - oh the cost in the end - makes you feel like a complete idiot for ever accepting his invitation. You kick yourself for ever getting involved.

There are plenty of evil-eyed men out there in the world. They have their plans and their purpose for their pseudo-generosity. But remember that we've been warned by a wise God - and a wise man who walked with God - that there are subversive plans in this pseudo-generosity. The plans of these heartless givers are laid out like a trap for the unwary and the unsuspecting to step into. They want to catch your eye with their delicacies - and keep you from seeing the long-term plan in their ruse of free provision. Believe me when I say that their intention is to make far more than they have given. The truly wise man will see this ahead of time - and avoid even a meal provided by one whose eye is evil - and whose plans are selfish and filled with snares.

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Child Training . . . Proverbs 22:6

6/22/2010

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Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Here is probably one of the most well known proverbs that there is. It has to deal with how to rear a child. Too often it is quoted more like, raise up a child and church - and he won't rebel or depart from going to church or doing the church thing. Many a devastated parent reads this verse and wonders why little Johnny doesn't go to church any longer - or want anything to do with the Lord. Let's take a close look at this verse to see what is DOES say and what is DOES NOT say to us as we seek to rear our children for the Lord.

The word train is very important to know here - as we see that the "training" of the child in the way he should go is imperative to the blessing of him not departing from that way when he is old.  This word is the Hebrew word, "chanak" which means to train or to dedicate. The root word for "chanak" means to narrow something - thus to initiate, discipline, or train it to that narrow path. Ah, here we begin to see what God is saying to us about child training. We are to narrow the child's way - by training and instruction - so that the child's way conforms itself to God's way. This narrowing had to do with the opening of a path. It was a constricting of that opening so that someone went a specific way as they sought to enter the path before them.  Let's take a moment and talk about how this is applied to child training.

When we talk about "narrowing" a child's way - we are talking about discipline. When they are little it means instructing - but also if necessary corporal punishment (spanking if you will) in order to train the child that there are certain things you just do not do. If you choose to do these things there will be punishment. It means we MUST correct our children when they act out in a way that is contrary to God's way. When we refuse to do this - we are not helping our child find his way - we are confusing them. Study after study has shown that children desire boundaries - and that they will test the ones that are imposed to see if they are truly boundaries or not. Create godly boundaries for a child (oh, and by the way, live by them yourself as well) and a child will have a great deal of stability in his or her life. In many ways, to rear a child in this way is simply to prepare him for a life of discipleship later. Jesus calls us to "Make disciples of all the nations." This means our own children as well. When we teach them that disicpline is the "way of life," we prepare them for the reality that reward and punishment - really are the way of life. They will face such things all the remainder of their days. It is best to begin young teaching them such things - and showing them through our discipline that there are very real consequences for actions outside of the Scriptures.

Too many see child reading in this permission society as letting a child find his own way in the world without the parents doing much to get in his way. This is a sure way to lose a child - to have them follow after their own sinful nature and ruin themselves by indulging their flesh and walking in an ungodly path. Adam Clarke spoke of this passage as teaching a child how to narrow the opening of his path so that he was directed in God's way, no matter what chioce he had to make. Clarke spoke of how we needed to show the child the path - instruct him on the duties, dangers, and blessings of the path - and then do all we can do guide the child so that he takes God's path. Thus when a child faces the reality of life in this world - and the choices that are placed before Him - then that child will be able to reason from the Scriptures and know how to conduct himself or herself in the world.

We are told to train up this child in the "way" he should go. Way is our old Hebrew friend, "derek" and it means a path, a way - and was probably the word used most often to speak of choices someone would make that would lead to a lifestyle - or way of living. Note here that we are to train up this child to the lifestyle and way - the path of life in which he "SHOULD" go. Here we face a very serious problem when we present this to the average worldling of today. A way in which someone "should go" indicates that one way is superior to another - something this world finds anathema to their worldview. They think all lifestyles and all paths are the same. Thus to say a child has a way he "should go" rather than to just let the child find his own way and follow his own heart until he knows his own path - that is nothing more than legalism and a domineering way of rearing a child. The worldling parent is not supposed to care if the child goes in a way that is not acceptable to the parent.  The child will find his own way - and besides, it is the height of arrogance to think we KNOW how someone should go!

The Bible has a much different view here. God gives us a Law that guides us into the right way and away from the wrong way. There are certain moral choices that are soundly right - and others that are horribly wrong. There are choices in the area of sexuality that are the right way to live - and others that are wrong (not just an alternate lifestyle - just wrong). Taking the time to teach a child these ways - and guide them into these paths - that is what child training is all about. There is a right way - God's way - and that is how we are to teach our children to walk. We are to train them that right way - and also to instruct them on the consequences of walking in the wrong way. We should show them, not just God's instructions, but also God's judgments on certain ways of living and certain choices that they might make.

Then there is the promise. It is a bold promise.  Even when he is old he will not depart from it. As the child grows older - with instruction, discipline, warnings, encouragements and everything else a parent should use to teach him - that child will not depart from God's way. The example of the parent is also vital here because we teach not just with words - but with our actions as well. When they see these things - hear these things - watch these things modeled before them - then then will know the way in which to walk.

This proverb involves so much more than just taking a child to church and youth group. It involves serious child training using God's Word as our blueprint. It involves selling out on how we live ourselves and laboring to teach our children God's Word on morals and meaning. We labor - striving to show them God's way - striving to help them see the forks in the road - but also the consequences of taking the wrong turn there. These are the things that matter if we are to be successful in rearing children for the Lord. If we instruct and lead in a way that narrows their choices into the wise and godly way - we can be assured that when they grow old, they will not depart from the way in which they were instructed. It is a promise that God's way - taught in God's way - modeled in God's way - will provide results as a child chooses His way as His own way in life.

POSTSCRIPT: Recently, individuals have quoted articles from this section and stated that we teach child abuse at Calvary Chapel Jonesboro. To this I feel the need to respond. First, biblically, we are told that if we have a problem with our brother to go to our brother - not the internet - and confront our brother. To date, these individuals have yet to contact me to discuss these things. That should say volumes in itself.
Second, we do not teach child abuse at our fellowship. This blog is an endeavor to teach what is in the Bible for the edification and upbuilding of God's people. Anyone who has been to our fellowship knows that in our classrooms we administer NO physical discipline. We correct with words and with "time outs" and eventually with a report to parents. From our nursery throughout every age group our people are instructed NEVER to administer physical discipline. We believe this right alone belongs to a parent. Even then we teach the following about any application of physical discipline.
Discipline is about the heart of a child. Physical or corporal punishment is ONLY to be administered in a spirit of love for the child. Teaching and loving verbal correction is key - as is prayer for the child's eventual salvation in Jesus Christ. Any physical punishment administered due to anger or rage is out of line and wrong. The parent is to discipline the child with appropriate discipline - not abuse. In the end the child should be taught - and in every circumstance hugged, loved, and prayed with after any physical punishment to assure them of our love. The idea of a "beating" is completely out of step with what the Scriptures are teaching. Instead the idea of loving discipline is intended.

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The Wrong Kind of Vision - Proverbs 21:4

6/21/2010

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Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin. Proverbs 21:4

Two things that God hates are haughtiness and pride. They are actually two sides of the same sin - but nevertheless God really despises these things. We learn from this proverb that these two things are the very lamp that shines within the wicked - it is what they think gives them light and guidance. It should be a no brainer then why they are so blind to the things of God.

Haughty eyes are the first thing mentioned here. The word for haughty here means something having height - and actually refers to the physical height of the heavens. In the oriental culture it was considered a good thing to cast your eyes down before a superior. It showed respect. To this day orientals show their honor and deference to someone by bowing to them and lowering their eyes. Thus to have lifted eyes - even eyes raised to the heights - is to be a very disrespectful and arrogant person. It is a way of saying that you recognize no greater authority in life than yourself. Everyone else is "below" you.

A "proud heart" is also mentioned here. The word proud means something wide, spacious, and broad. When put with the word "heart" it came to mean someone arrogant - of a broad and prideful heart. One of the ways this speaks to us is that in biblical times someone who held a "broad" view of their morals and choices was someone who ignored the Scriptures and the Law - and chose rather to walk in the pride of their own desires (broad as they may be - yet still wrong!) rather than submit themselves to the Law of God and the boundaries it put on their actions and attitudes.

When a man has arrogant eyes that refuse any authority but their own, and a heart that refuses God's Law - that person is wicked. This proverb tells us that this is the "lamp" of the wicked - these arrogant eyes and proud heart. The lamp refers to the light by which this person seeks to live. The psalmist prayed, "Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them lead me." This was his request - that the light and the lamp that shone within him would be in agreement with God's Word - God's Law. Thus, as this light shone within him - he would see to know where to go and what to do. But for the wicked, their light is their own arrogance and pride. The light that guides them utterly rejects God's authority over their lives - and God's Word that speaks what is truth and light. The result is that their lamp shows darkness and not light. They are blind as a bat when it comes to any kind of vision or any kind of ability to walk in God's ways.

Oh, how we as believers need to reject in us eyes that are arrogant and lifted against God's authority in our lives. How we need to reject a heart that says that God's Word has nothing to say to us. If we want to be spiritually blind, these are the things we need to embrace - but if we want any kind of spiritual vision whatsoever - we need to reject anything that has to do with arrogance or prideful attitudes toward God or toward His Word.

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