Category: Hope

Hope That Lasts - Proverbs 10:28

10/16/2011

The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes. Proverbs 10:28

The word "hope," as used in the Scriptures, means to have a confident expectation of something. The way the concept of hope is used in the rest of the world has nothing to do with Biblical hope. Worldly hope has to do with wishing for something and hoping that you get it. Biblical hope is not vain wishing - it is a confidence in something or someone that lets you know that you WILL be receiving something. With this definition in mind let us look at today's proverb.

The hope of the righteous is gladness. What is the "hope of the righteous?" That hope is that God, Who has spoken and revealed Himself and His ways in the Scriptures, will be true to His Word. The first and foremost area where this is true is in our salvation and the confident expectation that we have of being able to stand before God in the judgment. God has done what is necessary to pay for our sins. In the time of the Old Testament this was through the covenant promise that God made to Abraham. Abraham was made righteous before God by faith - as He believed God. This is what Paul presents to us in both Galatians and Romans. Those promises were further defined as the sacrificial system was put into place under Moses. The blood of those bulls, goats, and lambs were a sign of a more perfect sacrifice to come. Jesus Christ fulfilled that sacrifice when He died on the cross and paid the price for sin - forever! As a result of what God has done - the confident expectation of the righteous (those made rightreous by faith) is gladness! We are overjoyed at God's grace given to us in Jesus Christ. We are delighted at the salvation God has given to us in Him.

The second half of this proverb reminds us of the wicked - and their ignoble end. The expectation of the wicked perishes. Two things we should see here. First the wicked does not hope, the expect things. Their expectation is based on what they think they have earned. The wicked rely on their works or their religious system - which will be based on a false understanding of God. They feel that they have worked hard for their salvation - and therefore they deserve something for it. But their expectation will fade and die. There is nothing to it - and nothing they will gain from it. This is the second thing we need to see here. Their expectation perishes. That is because their expectation is in themselves. They will perish - becasue what they have done will never stand before a holy God. It is a sad reality - but it is a sure one.

What are you relying on for your eternity? Are you looking to yourself and your own religious works? If you are - both your works and you will perish. There is no hope for such a person, because they remain in their wickedness. All they will see in the day when they stand before God's judgment is His wrath. The wise man finds his righteousness not in himself - but by faith in Jesus Christ. That person will know a gladness that will never end. Hope in Jesus Christ - for that is a hope that will never disappoint.

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The One Who Makes a Fool Look Good - Proverbs 26:12

6/26/2011

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Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12

There is a great deal of difference between a positive self-image and an arrogant one. Today's world places too much emphasis on this - to the point where we have men and women who do not have an adequate amount of self-deprecation in their personalities. We've raised a generation that feels better about itself more than any other - but this has not led to good things. Instead it has led to one of the most arrogant and foolish generations in American history.

When a man is "wise in his own eyes," he is conceited and arrogant. A man wise in his own eyes thinks he is a genius when he is not. He considers himself far too brilliant in his own estimation, which leads him to think far too highly of his own thoughts, ideas, and opinions. A wise man is one who learns to see things from God's perspective - not from his own fallen one. Since the fall of man into sin - and the ongoing choice in every generation to seemingly plumb new depths of that fall - wisdom is something that comes only as we learn to question our own fallen assumptions and turn to God and His Word for true wisdom. The more we do this, the wiser we become. But the opposite it true as well. The less we turn to God and choose instead to trust our own natural, fallen assumptions, the more foolish we become.

The man wise in his own eyes is fixed on himself and his own views and opinions. To turn him from them is not an easy task - some consider it almost impossible. He sees himself as the end-all, be-all of wisdom and understanding - and will argue with others about it until he is blue in the face. Considering all that God has to say about the fool - it is pretty amazing that God holds out more hope for the fool than for this man.

The admonition of Scripture on this is clear. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn from evil. That is the counsel that God offers to us when it comes to the how we view ourselves and our own wisdom in life. To do otherwise is to mire ourselves in a pit of self-centered, foolish, and self-indulgent thought. The end of which is to so bury us under the weight of our own stupidity and selfishness that we cannot dig ourselves out.

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Heart Sickness Due to a Wrong Hope - Proverbs 13:12

2/13/2011

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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12

Today's proverb is placing before us a truth - that when we hope for something and that hope is indefinitely put off - we can become heart-sick for that thing. When we want something very badly, we begin to set our sights upon it and long for it. If that thing does not come to us - the longing increases to the point where we cannot get it out of our minds. From that point there is an increasing burden upon our hearts for the thing we long for in life. But if what we long for is not within our grasp - and we cannot bring it within our grasp - our hearts will grow sick over it. Soon, we find ourselves in a morose and depressed state over this thing - where it dominates our lives. If there is not a relieiving of that situation - we will lose hope altogether - which is a sad state to be in as we walk through life. I'm sure we've all met someone who has utterly lost hope - embittered against someone, something, even against God - they live a life defined not by what they have - but by the one thing they did not get. They are a bitter, resentful, horrid lot - and very difficult to be around.

The opposite of this is also true - that a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. There is something about a desire that is met that thrills and envigorates the soul. We find ourselves overjoyed at the realization of that which we desired - and it only encourages us to desire and work toward other things. Please see and grasp that word, "work" here. Jacob had a desire to marry Rachel - and was willing to work 7 years for that desire to be realized. The Word tells us that the 7 years seemed but days because of his great love for her. Even after his father in law deceived him and gave him Leah first, Jacob still worked another seven years for Rachel. There is something about a desire that can be realized, that will make us work hard for it. There is something about the accomplishment of a task - one that helps us realize a goal - that will help us to work joyfully toward it. That is why it is so wise to live by understanding that comes from knowing and pursuing God's will rather than our own.

Romans 12:1-2 urges us to present our very bodies to God as a living sacrifice. We are exhorted to be conformed to God, and not to this world. And in this divine pursuit we are promised that we will find the will of God to be good, acceptable, and perfect. There is wisdom indeed! The desire fulfilled here is a reference to God's will being the source and the center of our desires. We do not allow the world to lead us by the nose through its lusts. That, too often, will lead to heart sickness over a hope deferred again and again. What is astounding is the heart sickness is over that which is outside God's will for us. When we make the mistake of being conformed to this world, our desires are conformed to its lusts as well. Then we find ourselves in opposition to God's will and longing for things God does not desire to give to us. Just like with the Israelites, He may give them to us - but send a leanness to our souls in the process. This means that God will usually say, "No!" to those desires. If we continue to want them, we will find that our "ungodly hope" will be deferred again and again.

God's deferral is for our own good - but that is not the way that we will see it. We will continue to writhe in anguish in the grasp of God's controlling and sovereign hand - finding ourselves miserable in the will of God. Our heart sickness will eventually turn us against Him - making us think He is withholding from us that which is good or best. This, dear saints, is the same lie that was told to Eve in the garden. God knows that in the day you eat of this forbidden fruit your eyes will be opened. He is trying to keep you from being just like Him. Just like Eve, we will too often believe the lie - and allow our heart sickness to lead to a soul sickness - and death.

We do not want the false fruit of the tree of our own and this world's evil desires. What we should want is the fruit of the tree of life. Interesting isn't it, how this passage points us to that fateful decision that was made in the garden. That decision deferred the hope of life for generations - and unleashed on the earth sin, suffering, and death that would reign over men until the second Adam, Jesus Christ, made His appearance and destroyed the lie. Oh, saints of God, do not give your life to worldly and fleshly hopes that will only take you toward heart sickness. Embrace God's ways and paths. Surrender to His will and His Spirit's guiding. In that you will find a tree of life that will yield not just an earthly satisfaction now - but an eternal one that will last forevermore.

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When You Die Will Your Hope and Expectations Die With You? Proverbs 11:7

7/11/2010

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When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. Proverbs 11:7

The true test of a man and his choices is how he dies. More accurately it is what happens to him after he dies. That is what this proverb addresses today.

When a wicked man dies - everything dies with him. He has no expectations beyond this world. During his life he lived for the things of this world - and now that he is dead - he has to face the fact that he lost everything at the moment he died. You leave it ALL behind. The wicked man's expectation was centered in this world. He bet his entire life that this was all that there is - that there is no afterlife. He figured that all he did will speak for him on that day.

The fact is that the moment the wicked man dies - things will never get any better than the moment before his death. Any good perishes the moment he perishes. All that he can look forward to from that moment on is the wrath of God. Jesus spoke to the rich man who was in torment in flame after death. He reminded him that he received his good things in this life. He rejected God - rejected serving God - and rejected living for God rather than for his own selfish agenda. He bet that God did not exist - that heaven was just a state of mind - that judgment day was just a device used by Christian preaches to get people to walk down the aisle at church. He was radically wrong! God is real - and He is holy and just. The strong man and the complete weakling are identical before the throne of God. The strong man does not want to humble himself before the Lord. But no matter what he does - his hope and his expectation perish before the Lord.

There are times when we can learn from the wicked. The first two funerals I ever did were for two people who were lost. As I worked through the service - I felt completely helpless and unable to offer a lot of hope for those who had died. This was because the hope and expectation of the wicked perish when they do. When death made its play for them they lost everything. The lesson I learned from them was to be prepared for the ultimate loss of all earthly things. Death will rob a wicked man of everything he owns and everything he has hoped for in life. I learned that I need to live for things that last beyond the grave. I need to live for the spiritual reality that will continue throughout eternity. I need to be prepared to die - and to have an expectation that goes beyond my trip to the funeral hope and graveyard. Jesus promises life eternal - a reward that goes beyond the grave. The wise man . . . places his hope and expectation in Jesus Christ.

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A Pet Name - A Picture of Forgiveness - A Reminder of True Wisdom in God's Grace - Proverbs 31:1-2

1/31/2010

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The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him: What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? Proverbs 31:1-2

Who is king Lemuel? According to some the name was a pet name for Solomon. Thus, this would make the woman speaking this his mother, Bathsheba. God called Solomon Jedidiah, which means "beloved of the Lord." Lemuel means "devoted to the Lord." Several commentators believe this may have been a pet name for Solomon used by Bathsheba. I love pet names. I have several for my children (which I won't mention because it might embarass them). Most pet names arise because of love - and most are spoken in love as well. How this was the case for Bathsheba.

This is described as being the "prophecy" that his mother taught him. Prophecy here is "massa" which means a burden or a load. It was a weight that his mother carried with her all her days - and it was truths as a result of that burden that she spoke strongly to her son. Considering what happened to Bathsheba and David it is easy to see why this would have been a burden to her. She may have heard whisperings in the palace all of her life - whisperings that were the result of her sin with David. Thus we can see that her burden would be to save her son from a similar fate by warning him of some things to avoid as a man - and especially as a king. Those words come later - for now let's take a closer look at that pet name - Lemuel.

Bathsheba speaks of Solomon as her son - as the son of her womb and the son of her vows. We can only imagine the difficulty and pain Bathsheba felt after her sin with David - and the loss of their child born of their sin. Would God ever give her another child? Had her sin cost her everything? These are the words of a woman who needed to know God's grace.

Ever wonder why Solomon was called Jedidiah by God? This means "beloved of the Lord," and was to be a sign to David and Bathsheba that this boy was dearly loved of the Lord. What a glorious picture of grace this is to us! And now that we see that his mother who carried him considered him the "son of her vows" it becomes even more precious to us. It is easy to see Bathsheba coming to her own repentance. These words may be her own Psalm 51 moment. She knew she should not have committed adultery with the king. She knew she should not have consented to the cover up with him - one in which she unwittingly was an accessory to the murder of her own husband. Oh the guilt and pain that must have racked her from day to day. Then came the death of her first child - the very child that resulted from her sin. It would be easy to see her sinking into utter despair and depression. Yet we see her doing this. Instead we see her turning to the Lord in repentance and in making new vows to God to be a woman of character and godliness! And how God accepted her brokenness as a gift and a prize. He gave her a son - and afterward God gave him a pet name - Jedidiah - the beloved of God - for the Lord loved this child that resulted from the grace on the other side of David's sin.

Here dear saints is the wisdom for today. Never give up on turning to God in repentance and in faith. Never turn away and think you've gone too far. If you do - think of Bathsheba and David. Think of the shame and disgrace of their sin - and the cost of the child afterwards. Then think of the name that Bathsheba called her son within the palace. Consider that this child of her vows was a constant reminder to her that the Lord loved him too! He heard her prayers and cries of confession. He too loved the child on the other side of repentance - as he does everything that is birthed after we break and turn to Him.

So, if you are tempted and tried - sorely grieving your own sins. If you struggle with whether God will receive you - welcome one so stained and damaged by rebellion and wickedness. Think of the lovely wafting sounds of "Lemuel!" sounding through the palace. She too had a pet name - one that reminded her of God's own name for her son. Think of a child that God gave a name to remind you that He loved him and that He forgave you. Think of a pet name - a name that was uttered with a smile upon Bathsheba's face. Think of that name that reminded her that though her sins were as scarlet - God washed them whiter than snow! That, dear saints, is wisdom - and it is also the glorious grace of God! May He ever be praised and glorified for shedding it upon us!

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"Lifestyles of the Fearing and Faithful" - Proverbs 23:17-18

11/23/2009

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Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always. 18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

Ever look at the prosperity of sinners and the ungodly with the wrong set of eyes? Here's what I mean . . . it is difficult to miss the the wicked and ungodly are many times prosperous in this present world. It is also difficult to see sinners experiencing instant gratification for their sinning. Too often Christians want to keep this a secret - and not acknowledge such things. But the fact is that these things exist - and that we will have to see them as we walk through this world. The problem comes not with their existence, but rather with those times when we look at them with the wrong set of eyes.

The proverb begins, "Do not let your heart envy sinners . . . " This command would not be given to us if there were not a danger of us doing just that, envying sinners. The whole reason for celebrity magazines is to help mankind to envy sinners. The reason for the old show - "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is to have us envy those who live that way. But the Word of God warns us - don't envy them. What is the counsel we receive from God's Word? Don't envy sinners - don't let your heart be drawn to love what they love - but live in the fear of Jehovah always!

Our lives are to be lived in the fear of Jehovah - in the fear of the Lord. How do we do this? We do it by learning wisdom from God's Word - and then allowing the Word to be the primary influence on our desires and direction in life. That Word warns us about the transitory nature of riches - as well as the fact that to whom much is given, much is required. We are warned about sexual immorality in precept and in example. The Word tells us to guard our hearts against the harlot - then gives us a front row seat to the destruction of the strongest man in history by the fleeting lies of free sex - or sex without responsibility. We watch David as he turns from the Word to his own fleshly desires. What seems tantalizing at first becomes a nightmare of lies, deception, and cover-ups later. Then the real price is paid - several times over and literally thousands of times more than his brief pleasure - as daughters are raped, sons die, and an entire nation is thrown into disarray. Yeah - think after watching several episodes of "The Lives of the Judged and Jaded," I think I've been convinced that living in the fear of the Lord always is the better choice!

But before we are left with only His judgments to learn from (which actually should be sufficient for us to learn wisdom) we are given a wonderful promise from the Lord Whom we are to fear. When we live in the fear of the Lord - surely there is a future!

The word future is so instructive! The word for "future" is "acharith" and it means, "the after-part or the latter end." The Lord is saying to us, "Look at the end of these things! Note and learn from the end of the matter." We are not to focus on the immediate moment when making a decision. Honestly, that is what often gets us in trouble. We look at the chocolate chip cookie sitting on the cookie sheet - wafting out its promise of a "toll-house" moment of pleasure - not realizing the "toll" is higher than we think until we step on the scales. (I know this routine all too well - those cookies call to me like the Sirens of Odysseus) Wisdom is seeing the end from the beginning - to see the consequences ahead of time. When we see them in our mind's eye and heart - we avoid choices that will leave us shipwrecked and without a future.

That in the promise - we will have a future - a desired latter-end in life. We'll make choices that may hurt now - but in the end we will be blessed! When we do this we will see that our hope will not be cut off. This is the problem with envying sinners and allowing their short-termed blessing to guide us into making a choice like theirs. We learn only later that the short-termed blessings of sin leave us with long-term problems. There is no long-term hope in sinful actions. There is no future in sin - ask anyone in hell.

One last encouragement . . . when sinners flaunt their envious position in the present moment . . . when they try to entice you to join them, don't do it. Don't envy their short-lived adventagious position. They are standing on a fault line of judgment. Sooner or later there is going to be an earthquake from which they cannot escape. Their ground is shifting sand and their house is going to fall. In that moment of temptation remind them of their latter end - man . . . remind yourself of your own latter end if you follow their example. There is a future - a hope. Go to the last book and read of "The Lifestyles of the Happy and Heaven-bound."

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Proverb A DAy

Hope That Lasts - Proverbs 10:28

The One Who Makes a Fool Look Good - Proverbs 26:12

Heart Sickness Due to a Wrong Hope - Proverbs 13:12

When You Die Will Your Hope and Expectations Die With You? Proverbs 11:7

A Pet Name - A Picture of Forgiveness - A Reminder of True Wisdom in God's Grace - Proverbs 31:1-2

"Lifestyles of the Fearing and Faithful" - Proverbs 23:17-18

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​Proverb A DAy

Hope That Lasts - Proverbs 10:28

The One Who Makes a Fool Look Good - Proverbs 26:12

Heart Sickness Due to a Wrong Hope - Proverbs 13:12

When You Die Will Your Hope and Expectations Die With You? Proverbs 11:7

A Pet Name - A Picture of Forgiveness - A Reminder of True Wisdom in God's Grace - Proverbs 31:1-2

"Lifestyles of the Fearing and Faithful" - Proverbs 23:17-18

Proverb a Day

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Proverb A DAy