 Proverbs 3:21-26 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.
If you have ever lost a night's sleep due to fear or worry, you know what a blessing it is to have a sense of security and peace as you go to bed. That is what God promises to those who base their lives upon His wisdom and Word. Since so many have trouble sleeping, let’s take a closer look at what God says will bring us a sleep that is sweet. To get the full story on God’s secure, sweet sleep you need to go back as far as verse 21. The first thing we learn is that we need to keep sound wisdom and discretion with us. Solomon uses the picture of wearing such things like a necklace around your neck. What are these things? Sound wisdom is a word that means to have wisdom that is applied to your life. This applied, sound, wisdom brings a continuing success in walking in God’s ways. Added to this is discretion, which means to have a purpose or plan that guides you in all that you do. It refers to having a worldview or a plan for life that is based on the wisdom of God’s Word. How do you get such things – this sound wisdom and life plan or purpose? You get them by being often in God’s Word – reading and learning from God to see things the way that He sees them. Thus the Word of God and the wisdom of God become not just a quick answer to a question. You get the answer then move on to life on your own. No, this sound wisdom is a lifestyle of following after God and His Word. The result of this is blessings on the inside, thus the comment on our soul receiving life. When we hold fast to God’s wisdom there is a life given to our soul. Our mind, will, and emotions are helped by God’s wisdom. Our mind is instructed, our will commanded, and our emotions are quieted by God’s wisdom. These are all things that would help contribute to sweet sleep. There are also outward blessings. The concept of the neck is interesting. When someone is “stiff-necked” the Bible is referring to him or her being disobedient and rebellious. When others are honored – they are said to receive a necklace around their neck. This was a symbol either of victory or of authority. There are also promises of walking in our lives safely and not stumbling as we walk. Having such promises again help to encourage a sense of security and safety with God guiding our lives. The next verse is our focus verse – promising sleep that is sweet. This happens to us because we are no longer “afraid.” This is an interesting word (pahad) and it means to be in dread or a bad sense of awe of something or someone. Deuteronomy 28:66 uses this word in the following context. “So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. "In the morning you shall say, 'Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.” Deuteronomy 28:66-67 This “dread” is because you have “no assurance of your life.” This speaks of someone who thinks that blind fate is responsible for whatever happens next. Someone sees the difficulties and disasters of this present world and as a result have no confidence – so much so that they dread when morning comes, wishing instead that it were evening – or wishing is was morning when it is evening. For the person who doesn’t understand God’s omniscience (knowing all things) and omnipotence (power over all things) and loving providence – life is terrifying. And that dread and terror makes it difficult for them to sleep at night. Isaiah 33 also speaks of this kind of fear and dread. “You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might." Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.” Isaiah 33:13-16 God speaks to Isaiah about sinners who are terrified about being confronted by God. They will not submit to Him – and as a result they eventually see that they shall stand before Him and give an account of their lives. This makes them tremble – because they have not chosen righteousness. Yet God’s word to the righteous is that they will dwell on the heights – with God as refuge – and with Him as an impregnable rock for their protection. Peace with God is something that people mock, and yet it should never be underrated. Knowing peace with God gives one a peace that according to the New Testament “surpasses understanding.” What gives us sweet sleep in life? God has revealed that it is not a pill or some secret meditation or calming that is self-taught and self-empowered. Instead it is the wisdom of God infusing the soul. It is God’s Word in meditation and contemplation, giving us God’s perspective as well as keeping us in His way. There is no source that can rival a peace one has from Him. It is a peace that cannot be taken away by earthly powers. It is the kind of peace that allows us to sleep sweetly in the arms of His love because we know He watches over us. We sleep sweetly because we know that even death itself cannot separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Such confidence breeds contentment. Such contentment breeds peace. Such peace results in sweet sleep.
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 Proverbs 13:13 - The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
We are advised in this proverb to have a healthy fear of the commandments of God. This is not a slavish fear that God will strike us at any moment. But it is a genuine fear and respect that what God commands He intends for us to obey – and when He warns that a person who disobeys is choosing not just rebellion when they do – but ruin as well. The proverb of the day today begins with a warning to those who despise the Word. Some try to make this a word spoken by a teacher or instructor – but in the second half of this proverb we are told of the one who “fears the commandment.” This refers to God’s commands in Scripture. So we are introduced to the one who “despises” God’s Word. The word used for despise here is the Hebrew word “buz,” which means to despise, disrespect, or to hold in scorn or contempt. Here is the unwise person who hears God’s commands and has no respect for them. The person holds himself and the thinking of his own mind in higher regard than what God commands. He knows better how to live and what will make him happy than an ancient book. What is interesting is that this rebel is told that the more he despises it the more he will be in debt to it. That sounds like a strange statement until you grasp it from the Biblical viewpoint. If God has created man for His own purposes and plans – it is not odd to see that man has an obligation to obey His creator. If we understand that we will give an account to God on the Day of Judgment for our actions and for our disobedience to His word – then this begins to make perfect sense. The more the person despises God’s Word – the greater debt he begins to accumulate to it. “Habal” is the word used here for debt and it comes from a root word that means to wind a rope tightly around something or someone – to bind them with it. The word itself is a root word for our word obligation. The idea is that as he acts and thinks contemptuously against God’s word – God nevertheless binds him to obedience to His Word. The more he disobeys the tighter is wound the case against him by the commands of God. He will not be free from this pledge until one of two things happens. Either he is redeemed from the debt he has obtained – or he is punished by the authorities when he unable to pay it. Suddenly the words of Jesus make perfect sense, “Forgive us our debts (indebtedness to God’s commands). As this proverb asserts – the more we despise the word by disobeying it – the greater is our indebtedness to that very command we despise and disobey. We claim freedom by our rebellious actions, yet nothing is further from the truth. Every disobedience only tightens the ropes that bind us as we await the day of recompense from the One Who gave that Word. The one who fears the commandment will be rewarded! The fear here is one that respects and honors God. But it would be a disservice to everyone who reads this if it was not brought out that the Scriptures themselves warn us that is it terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Fascinating the context of this verse – so fascinating that I’ll give it to you below. For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-31 (NASB) The context of this verse is disobeying the Law of Moses – i.e. the commandments of God. We are reminded of the warnings given in the day to those who would rebel against God. But then we are told – a severer punishment is in store for those who trample the Son of God – regard the blood of Jesus as something unclean – and who insults the Spirit of grace (i.e. the Holy Spirit as He reveals to us the grace of God through Jesus – and His blood). Then we are told – it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Not exactly a proof text for those who wrongly assert the New Testament does not preach about the judgment of God. The wise man tells us fearing the commandment is good – and a reward comes to the man or woman who embraces it. What is fearing the commandment? For us it is not a call to works. It is a call to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The fact is that all of us have broken the commandments of God again and again. Thus what Hebrews 10:26-31 says is our destiny as one who has disobeyed God’s commands. But there IS HOPE! What God has done in Jesus Christ is wonderful. Jesus has given His life as a substitute and a payment for our rebellion and sin against God’s commandments. Thus to fear the commandment is to see our hopelessness in religious works and run to Jesus Christ for salvation. It is only in Him that we have an answer for our disobedience and rebellion against God’s law. But if that fear of the commandment does hasten our turn to Christ – we will find it is rewarded! The word for rewarded is such a sweet word to know. It means to be safe and secure. Does that not speak of what the grace of God does in our lives. We are taken from the role of the rebellious that despise the word – to those who fear the commandment and have run to Christ. Rather than fearfulness in falling into the hands of the living God – we experience salvation, grace, love, and comfort in falling into His hands. But these things come because we have run to Christ – whose sacrifice on the cross is placed to our account. Forgiven in full – given the righteousness of Jesus Himself – and born again are all credited to us. There is no more debt for it is gone in Him. He has paid the debt in full – moving us from terror to His everlasting reward – life in Jesus Christ! The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility. Proverbs 15:33
There are few people who do not want to be wise. The rub comes when they learn how to become wise. There is even a higher cost when you learn the method by which God will bring us to the point where we become wise. The first thing we need to grasp is that wisdom comes from God. If men, in their experience of life, manifest wisdom - it is only because they have stumbled across it over the course of their lives. Even a blind squirrel will find a few nuts as he wanders underneath the trees. Wisdom is defined best as seeing things as God sees them. Therefore if we are going to become wise - we will have to respect God and what He has to say. That is the crux of what Solomon is saying here when he states that the fear of Jehovah is the instruction for wisdom. If we do not respect and reverence God - we are fools. If we do not honor Him and give Him the honor which He deserves, we will not be wise in the end. We note here that the fear of Jehovah is the "instruction" for wisdom. The word for instruction here is the Hebrew word "musar" which means to instruct with discipline. This means far more than just learning something in our heads. This involves both mental instruction of the head - and discipline to make sure that what goes into our heads is then applied and carried out in our lives. This often involves some correction, pain, and difficulty as we have to learn to value God's perspective more than our own. This is the process of wisdom - and depending on how stubborn or prideful we are in holding to our particular perspective - how painful and hard it will be to become wise. The last part of this proverb lets us know the one overarching principle that will apply throughout this entire process. "Before honor comes humility." Humans (at least fallen ones - and that means all of us) want the honor now. They want honor immediately. If we want the honor of other men and the world that may be possible. If we want the honor that comes from God and that is lasting - we will have to take a different path. Honor from God requires humility first. It is the humility that is willing to empty ourselves and lay our own will and ego down. This is what Christ Jesus did according to Philippians 2, and God requires nothing less of us. Oh how hard the human will goes down. But in order to be wise - and to receive honor from God - that is what we will have to do. But such wisdom and such honor is better than anyting billion things the world can offer us in the way of its trinkets and trash. Want to be wise? Want lasting, eternal honor? Then wisdom is what you want. You will haae to first admit you don't have any - and then turn to the only One Who can give it to you. You will need to see your view of God raised infinitely higher - where you find His wisdom and guidance impeccable in every way. You will need to embrace His thoughts and working in your mind even in the most difficult times when honestly, it does not make sense. You will need to lay your own thoughts in the dust - until you learn that they are in agreement with His - then praise Him for enlighening your mind to have such thoughts. This is the way of wisdom - which is also the way of humility. But I can promise you by the Word of the Lord that this is also the way of true happiness, true contentment, and a true reward that will last infinitely beyond any trophy, any medal, any certificate, or any human reward that will fade and fade away with time. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27
Ours is a society that craves safety. Some think that carrying a gun at all times or having a top notch security system will provide them safety. But for the man of God these things, although providing some measure of safety are nothing compared to the fear of the Lord. According to today's proverb that is the most effective security system known to mankind. The fear of the Lord is described here as a fountain of life. The Hebrew words used for the phrase, "fountain of life" are "mekor chaiyim." This phrase literally means, "the vein of lives" and referred to the aorta which is the artery which carries the blood from the heart as it seeks to pump it throughout the entire body. Without our aorta we would be dead. I remember a very terrifying moment when my own father was found to have a seven inch long annuerism on his aorta. It was a life threatening condition of the worst kind. If my father's aorta burst - the very fountain of life in him would be cut off - and he would have died within seconds. The medical staff were able to do surgery and repair his aorta. But it was a reminder to me that without the "vein of lives" functioning, we will not live long. I am not saying that without the fear of the Lord we will die in mere seconds, but I am saying that the fear of the Lord is essential to us having the life that God provides. Here in today's proverb we read that the fear of the Lord is what helps us to avoid the snares of death. What are these "snares" that are mentioned here? The Hebrew word for "snares" is very telling. The word is "moqesh" and it refers not so much to the snare itself, but to the bait which is placed in the snare. The word literally means the bait placed within a snare or trap - without which the animal would never come near it. It is the bait that makes the trap effective. The bait tempts the animal to come near even when his own instincts tell him the situation is dangerous. Unable to quell his own lusts for the free food, the animal draws near. The end is a trapped or dead animal. This parallels our problem with sin. Our desires draw us toward things that will eventually damage and destroy us. But we cannot seem to shake the lusts of our flesh, eyes, and prideful love of the world enough to turn away. We are bllind due to our sin. But this is where the fear of the Lord becomes a life-giving fountain to us. The fear of the Lord is the respect and honor that we have of Him and of His Word. It is the willingness to respond to the Holy Spirit when He warns us about something we are about to do. We listen and obey when we fear the Lord - but we ignore Him when we have no repect or honor toward the God who made us. For those who do this, there is only death in the end. They may have an initial experience of pleasure in their sinful choice - but be warned that they will stand in the judgment for their actions. Any sinful action will be eternally regretted on that day. But know also that sinful choices, although their poison may not be felt immediately - also have consequences here and now as well. Today's society, and unfortunately many in the church, think that the fear of the Lord is a thing of the past. They ignorantly say that we are a people of grace in the New Testament. The Old Testament idea of fearing God is out of step with who we are supposed to be. What I find interesting is that the book of Acts tells us that the church benefited greatly from the fear of the Lord. In Acts 9:31 we read the following, "So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. " The fear of God is a New Testament truth that will bless God's church. In fact the fear of the Lord is linked here with the "comfort of the Holy Spirit." It was the combination of these two that worked together by God's grace to cause the church to increase. But there is one more thing that will bless us as we look at the proverb for today. The fear of the Lord is said to be a "fountain of life." There is another parallel that is such a blessing to see here. In John chapter 7 Jesus spoke of the way that the Holy Spirit would come to those who believed in Him. He used the picture of fountains of living water that would flow from the innermost being of those who experienced the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is what we have learned today in Proverbs. It is another way that the Holy Spirit is linked directly to the fear of the Lord. We need to realize that one of the ways that the Holy Spirit works in our lives is to bring us the fear of the Lord. We have a respect for God - a desire to honor Him and not to displease Him. This makes us very receptive to His Word which tells us what He wants us to know. Both are the same fountain. As we fear God the Holy Spirit works in us to teach us God's Word - and then to urge us to listen and respond to what God has said. All this comes together to turn us from the snare - from the bait of Satan which seeks to lure us into His traps and his snares of death. May God give us grace to fear Him - to experience the Holy Spirit's teaching and warning - and to avoid sin as a result. In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.
Proverbs 14:26 It is in the book of Proverbs that we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Only when we have a proper respect and fear of God will we understand things as we ought to in life. It is a lack of fearing God that leads to sin and to ungodly behavior and choices. Thus it should be no shock to us that the fear of the Lord brings us a strong confidence in how we live, what we say, and in how we look to the future. The fool has no such confidence in life. Their brief forays into confidence are mere moments of braggadoccio that fade into insignificance when suffering and death make their appearance. Confidence comes to the man or woman of God because they fear the Lord. They truly know the end of the story - which is that man will stand in the judgment before a holy God. That seems a little odd at first because we read in the book of Hebrews that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. But for the one who fears the Lord, that day will not involve falling into the hands of a yet angry and wrathful God. Wisdom has told him to run to God's provision of forgiveness and grace which is in Jesus Christ. When we do this we know that the wrath of God fell upon His own Son, so that we might be forgiven and granted great grace by our loving Father. When we choose to fear God now - we will not have to cower in terror later. We fear God now - looking in absolute terror at the cross and what God truly requires in His holiness to pay for the debt of sin. It is in seeing what had to be done to Christ Jesus to pay for sin that we cringe in horror at what our wickedness truly costs. But when we embrace Jesus Christ, receiving the gift of repentance and faith, our sins are gone. Thus there is no longer the "terror of the Lord" at the thought of judgment, but rather a strong confidence that our anchor will hold. Jesus Christ has paid all that there is to pay - and we are forgiven and free. The second part of this proverb is vital for us to see as well. We are told that the children of the man who fears the Lord will have a a refuge. This points to the fact that if a man truly knows the Lord, his greatest desire is for his children to know his Savior as well. The refuge that his children have is first seen in how he rears them and teaches them the Scriptures. What a wonderful refuge is provided by a set of godly parents to their children as they grow up in the Lord. The parents may not be perfect, but they provide an example of two who walk with the Lord - and who look to Him for their hope and their salvation. They also do their very best to teach their children the things of the Lord and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They pray for their children and do all that they can to see that they follow them in their pursuit of Jesus Christ in life. God desires for men to be saved. That is a given when you read the Scriptures. But there is more. He also desires that there be many godly generations descending from a family who have come to Christ. This is the legacy that comes to children and grandchildren - and even great grandchildren of those whose parents fear the Lord. Oh that we would see this and live in the fear of God. Oh that we would provide a lasting refuge - a lasting legacy of godliness and gospel-led lives to our children - and even to many generations of our families. The fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened. Proverbs 10:27
Among the things that help people have a long life, my guess is that fearing God is not listed very often, yet that is what we learn today from our proverb of the day. The fear of the Lord prolongs life is what we are told by Solomon. This means that we have great respect and honor for God Himself and for His Word. Therefore this man chooses to obey God and do what His Word says. If we only looked at this from a medical perspective, it is true. The Old Testament dietary and cleanliness commands present the healthiest way to live possible. These laws protected the people of Israel from disease and from a host of illnesses that are related to how people eat. They also protected them by keeping them from a myriad of bacterial, viral, and commuicable diseases. They were not just advanced for their day, they were advanced even for our day. We continue to learn of the wisdom of God through these dietary and public health guidelines. If one were simply to follow these commands, they would be blessed with a long life. They would also not have the usual diseases that shorten life for many in today's world. The opposite is also stated here - that the wicked will have their years shortened. Again, as was said earlier, there are a number of diseases that an ungodly way of life brings. Abuses in how one eats, drinks, and lives sexually - will greatly shorten someone's life. There are also studies that have looked at how a peaceful heart also will lengthen a person's life. When stress levels are high - all kinds of problems develop both physically and mentally. Some, who otherwise would have lived long lives, did not because of what excessive stress did to them. Of all the areas where these truths apply, our choices in sexuality are the clearest ones of all. When a wicked person ignores God's call to abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in a monogamous, heterosexual marriage, there are multiple problems that develop. First there are sexually transmitted diseases. These abound in a sexually promiscuous society. They shorten lives of millions - and also greatly reduce the quality of a person's life as well. When we factor in the diseases that are rampant in the homosexual community we see that ignoring God and not fearing and respecting His Word shortens the lives of too many. Let me close by dispelling a bad attitude some have toward the whole idea of fearing God. The reason so many do not like this idea is because they treasure their own independence from God. They do not want to have an all powerful, all wise God who knows the truth and tells us what it is. But the reason we should fear God is BECAUSE He knows the truth. When He tells us something and warns us of adverse consequences - He is right. These things WILL HAPPEN to us - and will cause untold grief and, in the case of today's proverb, sometimes even early death. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it. Proverbs 15:16
More is better. That is the attitude of the world toward money. But the Scriptures tell us a different story. We learn from Proverbs that it is a far better investment to have the fear of the Lord than it is to have treasure without it. What is interesting to me as I read this particular Proverb today is that the guy who wrote it was arguably the richest man to ever walk the earth. We read that a little with the fear of the Lord is a good thing. The fear of God is a proper reverence for God. It is not a cowering fear that trembles at the thought that God might strike at any moment. It is a respect and reverence that puts one in their proper place - and in so doing this encourages in them a proper response to God. This respect for God will bless in far more ways than money. Since there is a respect for God Himself, there will also be a respect for His Word. This respect for the Bible leads us to read it and apply it. That in turn will bring blessings untold over time. The fear of God also leads one to have a great distaste of displeasing the Lord or disobeying Him. Therefore the principles that one reads in the Word will be followed with great caution. The other option is to get wealth no matter what is at risk. We read there is "turmoil" that comes with this great treasure. Turmoil here means to have confusion, panic, tumult, and distrubance. There are those who have a tremendous amount of money - yet with their riches they also have incredible trouble as well. Their family is destroyed - relationships are strained - and since what they truly value is money - they have few real friends. Instead they have sycophants who hang around them because they think they will be receiving something from them at some point in the future. Solomon had a heart for God at the beginning of his reign in Jerusalem. He had wisdom and turned to seek the Lord. His heart was geared toward pleasing God - and thus it could be said that he feared the Lord. But Solomon loved many women - way too many women. They turned his heart as they had him worship their false gods. Solomon may have been wealthy and may have had anything his heart desired financially, but he was a man filled with turmoil as he grew older. His desires ran rampant in his heart - and he became a fool who sought only after his own pleasure. In the end, his kingdom became more and more difficult to maintain - and his son - who followed his ways wound up losing almost all of it. If you interviewed Solomon at the end of his days, he would have been a man filled with regret - and also filled with a jaded view of things. That is exactly what we see in the book of Ecclesiastes. We watch Solomon looking over everything he had and saying that it all was vanity and like striving after wind. What we learn from his life is exactly what he wrote in this proverb. It is better to have just a little while fearing God - than having it all and living in a constant turmoil over it. For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths. Proverbs 5:21
As was said yesterday, this is the main reason why the father is taking the time to counsel his son on the issues of moral and sexual sanity. Our ways are before the eyes of the Lord - or said another way - GOD SEES ALL THINGS. This has to do with the very nature of God. God is Spirit - and therefore can be all places at all times. This truth has to do with God's omnipresence and omniscience. God's omnipresence means that God is everywhere. There is not a place in the entire universe where God is not present. In Psalm 139 David wrote of this when he said, Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10) The idea of God's omnipresence is communicated when David tells Solomon that the eyes of Jehovah are on the ways of men. God watches our paths. David knew this because he thought no one was looking when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. God was looking - and he watched David's path into sexual sin. The day came when God sent one of His prophets, Nathan, to David to confront him openly about what David thought he had done secretly. The other doctrine that we see here is that of God's omniscience. God knows all things. He knows when we sin - and he knows when two people have agreed to get together and commit adultery. There is nothing that we can hide from Him - because He is God! His power and His might are unparalleled - but so is His presence and knowledge. There is NO limit to either of these things. Therefore, it is wise for us to remember this about Him - and act accordingly. This means understanding and knowing His Word, which reveals to us His heart on moral and sexual matters. Here is a verse that should help to guide us when it comes to the matter of moral and sexual sanity. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the need for each one of them to possess their own vessel in Ssanctification and honor. Here the vessel is themselves - and especially their sexuality. Here is what Paul said, For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 1 Thessalonians 4:2-6 God desires to sanctify us - and part of that sanctification is helping us to maintain moral and sexual sanity! We are to carry ourselves and our sexuality in "sanctification and honor" rather than in "lustful passion." When Paul later says that we should not "transgress and defraud his brother in the matter," what he is speaking of is adultery. The brother we transgress and defraud is the one whose wife with whom we've had adultery. Paul then gives us a promise in regard to this - that God will be the avenger in this matter. God sees and knows all - and as a result we should be wise and fear Him by turning from sin - especially sexual sin. This is not just a warning from a parent who is a little overprotective of his or her child. It is God, knowing our frame and our weakness - and warning us about how sexual sin can take us captive and destroy our lives. But I believe at the root of this admonition is not just a negative warning - but a positive one as well. If we know that our ways are before Jehovah - and that He is watching our paths - we can turn to Him in time of temptation. We can cry out to Him for deliverance and for strength to stand. We can know, as Scripture tells us, that no temptation that has overcome us is not common to man - but God will provide with it a way of escape so that we may endure. He is there - and when faced with serious sexual temptation we need to turn to Him, listen to Him, and in the process shut out the voice of the devil. He truly is there - not waiting to smack us upside the head - but waiting to meet us and strengthen us so that we may stand - and having done everything - to remain standing! A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. Proverbs 14:16
Why is it wise to be cautious in our choices and decisions in life? It is because we live in a world that has fallen. I know that those of you who read this regularly in these posts may think that I emphasize this too often, but I fear that we do not fully grasp at times what mankind's rebellion against God has wrought in this world. Today's proverb tells us that a wise man fears. That is the literal translation of the word "cautious" here. It refers to the fact that the wise man fears God. He fears God becasue he reads of God's Word - God's glory, power, majesty, and holiness - and he fears displeasing and dishonoring Him. Wisdom tells us to fear God's displeasure. Wisdom also tells us that there is a way that is evil. Here is where we run into some very serious worldview problems with the world and its philosophies. The majority of worldviews do not take into account the fall of man into sin and the subsequent ruin of this world. They consider man's basic nature as good. As a result you will hear people tell others to, "Just trust what is in your heart." That is not wise or good advice. What is in our hearts is rebellion toward God and a bent toward sin. We will choose with an astounding regularity contrary to God's ways. This is because there is within us a bent toward selfishness - and a bent away from God. The wise man knows this - and as a result is cautious - and does fear making decisions and choices that run contrary to God's Word. This is the place he turns for wisdom - to the Word - because it gives us an objective revelation of Who God is and what He has said. Thus he takes time in making those decisions to check for God's will and favor in things. The fool though is said to be arrogant and careless. He is arrogant because he thinks he does not need anything to make wise decisions. He doesn't need anyone to tell him what to do - especially a "God" Who knows all things. He considers the Bible to be an ancient document that has no bearing on his life or his decisions. His arrogance is manifest by how he views himself - as just fine and having NO need of refinement - let alone a fundamental change in who he is or how he makes decisons. Therefore he is careless - he does not care about God, about God's Word, about God's will. He will make his own way. His favorite verse is an interesting rendition of Proverbs 3:4-5. It goes something like this, "Trust in yourself, and lean heavily on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge yourself and what you want. Forge your own path - make it what you want." These two paths definitely diverge from one another. One heads toward God and sees God's Word as a road map and a guide for decisions - for life itself. The other sees nothing but self and a pursuit of what the world says is valuable. Even in instances where the world is not used as the standard - this one turns to his own desires and his own ways. Correspondingly, one path leads to destruction and misery - the other to life and life abundantly. How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14
This particular proverb is based on the previous verse. That verse deals with those who conceal versus those who confess and forsake their sin. This verse is a reminder to us about another comparison. This one is those who fear God versus those who harden their heart. That is what happens when we become aware of sin in our lives. We have a choice at that point as to whether we are going to fear God and deal with our sin - or - whether we are going to harden our hearts and think that sin is not that big of an issue. Some even deny that sin exists and in so doing, put another crusty layer of hardness from ungodly philosophies over their heart. When we become aware of sin we should fear God. We should fear God because He is holy and sin will break our fellowship with Him. As a holy God, we should also fear because His great love for us will respond with discipline in our lives to get us to turn from sin. Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the passages in the Old and New Testament where God responds to sin, should know that good things are NOT going to happen when we choose sin. Even worse things are in store if we not only choose sin - but them add to our sin by rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit when He seeks to alert us to our rebellion against God's Word. Just naming names and places should remind us of this. Sodom and Gommorah, Pharaoh, the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, Dathan and Abiram, Achan, Nadab and Abihu, David and Bathsheba, and Annanias and Saphira are names and places that should immediately make us aware that God takes sin seriously. Then there is that whole "judgement seat of Christ" thing, as well as the "lake of fire" in the book of Revelation that should remind us that God is anything but "pro-sin" in His dealings with mankind. Therefore we grasp and see that there would be a blessing on the man who "fears always," when it comes to sin. This does not mean that this man is cowering 24 hours a day thinking God will strike him dead at any moment. But it does mean that this man has a healthy fear of God that assists him in making godly choices - and steering clear of ungodly ones. When sin comes to us, we do have a second choice. That choice is to "harden our heart" toward God. The wise man receives the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He embraces what God has to say to him, knowing that God loves him - and sin will be harmful. But the fool stiffens when God offers rebuke and correction. The fool doesn't want to listen - and he doesn't want any other authority than himself in his life. He completely rejects any warning that is given. He wonders what an ancient document has to do with him. Why should he restrict his desires and wants due to what the Bible has to say. Thus he hardens his heart against God and against God's Word (think here whatever God has to say about an issue. The problem with a hardened heart toward God is that its rejection of God's Word puts him in the path of calamity. That is what we read here. God made this world - and it works best when we submit to Him. When we do not - problems are on our horizon. What I am about to say you can take to the bank. You cannot reject God's Word without causing yourself harm. There are going to be consequences for disobedience and rebellion. There are going to be consequences for following your own lusts. There are going to be consequences for choosing your own way or the ways of the world system rather than choosing God's ways. The best way to describe these consequences is with the word "calamity." This word is the Hebrew word "raah" and it means something evil or bad. Zhodiates says that this word has ten or more shades of meaning about evil according to the context where it is used. It describes absolute evil as well as various aspects of bad things that happen in our lives. One thing though about this word is that it never means something good. Thus we may not physically die immediately after rejecting God's Word and hardening our hearts toward Him - but - you can know that nothing good is going to come of it. We have a choice day by day as to how we are going to live. Will we respect our own thinking and ways or the ways of God? Will be fear God and choose to honor and obey Him and His Word - or will will consider our own finite minds more than adequate to guide us through life? In the end, the choice that we make will yield very clear consequences. Thus we need to know as we make these daily choices that every one of them will come with either a reward or a recompense. May we be wise and choose the right way - the way of fearing the Lord - and the way of turning from sin rather than turning to it. |
 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. 
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