“For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.“ Proverbs 8:35
Wisdom is the One we should seek in life. It is not just information - but a person. God wants us to have a relationship with Him - not just a reading habit with a book. Wisdom calls us to know God - to find life by knowing God - and to obtain favor from Him. Oh, how we need to see that what we are being called to by Wisdom is a relationship with Almighty God. This is not merely religion - nor is it s body of material that we are to learn - like Biology or Physics. This is the living God calling us into relationship with Himself. It is God telling us the way of life and the way of obtaining His favor. The idea of favor is one that overflows with the idea of relationship. We obtain favor - so that we can grow in intimacy. More amazing to me is what I read in 1 Corinthians chapter one. I read that God has made Someone Wisdom unto me. Not just wisdom - but also sanctification and redemption. The One Who is all these things to me . . . Jesus Christ. Thus we have a call both in 1 Corinthians 1 and in Proverbs 8 that knowing wisdom is knowing Christ - for a truly wise man will turn to Jesus Christ. We find that when we do this - when we embrace God's wisdom - we will also embrace the life and favor that God offers to us through the gospel. If you will - let me connect a few dots - and maybe answer a few questions as well. What we have seen in Proverbs 8 is that God made wisdom - so that He could communicate Himself to us. Then God embarked on creating this world that we see. What Proverbs 8 has shown us again and again is that God's wisdom is in perfect sync with what we actually see in biblical creation. Wisdom reminds us numerous times that this world did not evolve into higher and higher organisms - culminating in man - and with promise of even a more wonderful evolution into something higher than man. God spoke this world into existence by the power of His Word. Thus, what we see is that the heavens (if seen in a biblical worldview) are declaring the glory of God. The earth and all its works are also resounding with praise for their Creator. Men, though, deafen themselves to this glorious song by providing themselves with pseudo-scientific myths about a creation making itself. If we would listen to wisdom - we would find life - and come to a place where we have favor with God. Now, let me start connecting dots. Wisdom is manifest by the glories of God seen in creation. If we would listen to creation and hear her song correctly - creation would point us to the creator - God. If we would follow this path - we would come to the Word of God to learn more about God. More wisdom would be given to us - eventually pointing us to the reason God gave His Word - to reveal what He has done to provide salvation through Jesus Christ - to His own glory. Wisdom would then even further counsel us to repent and believe - putting our faith in Jesus Christ - who was crucified for our sins - Who died, and Who resurrected the third day - all to pay for our sins and offer a way for us to be made right with God. Thus, in the end, we would find wisdom speaking through creation to lead us to Christ - so that we might be declared righteous through faith. This would then give us favor with God and life when we would be born again through Jesus Christ. I have some who ask me about the heathen who do not have a testimony of God - or who do not hear the gospel. Would God send them to hell and judge them - even if they have not heard. The problem is not with God - but with the fallacy of the question. They have heard! Wisdom shouts out about Who God is through creation. Every day and night the heavens and the earth are declaring to us a message about a glorious God. But men reject that message. Romans 1:18-23 says, " For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." Here is Proverbs 8 right before our eyes. God is speaking within men by conscience - and all around men by His creation. God's invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature have been CLEARLY SEEN through creation itself. When men reject the wisdom that is available to them through creation - they have no excuse before God. They choose to ignore the wisdom of God - and instead choose not to honor God as God - they choose not to give thanks to God. They choose instead to make gods for themselves - either in their own image - or by making God a bird, or some other kind of animal. They even say God is a bug of some sort. Having rejected God's wisdom - and His very person - they have made a much more manageable god - one they can control - and one who will be far more understanding of their wickedness and sin. Thus they are under God's wrath. They rejected wisdom - thus they reject the revelation of God in nature. This rejection therefore leads them to making their own god - and rejecting the true and living God. What we have in Romans 1 is a re-write of Proverbs 8. What we need to do in response is to return to the Word of God - which will return us to God. That will be handled by bringing us to Christ, Who is the wisdom of God - as well as our salvation through being our righteousness and our redemption. Hmmm . . . the gospel right here before our eyes - in Proverbs 8.
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The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life. Proverbs 16:17
I live in a city where there are two ways to get around. The first is to get around the city by trying to navigate the maze of city streets that are in it. When you do this you also have the problem of constantly running into traffic lights and stop signs. What is far superior to this way of getting around town is what we call the bypass. It is a highway that goes around the city and provides a very quick way of covering large distances without having the problems of the normal city streets. The upright also have a highway that blesses them and makes sure that they have a clear path in walking with God. That is what today's proverb addresses and helps us to see. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. The best way to walk in God's will is to depart from evil. This is a pretty simple thing to understand. When we see evil - we go the other way. The difficulty in our society is determining what is and what is not evil. Our society would call good evil and evil good. They do not value God's Word and God's ways. They also in most cases even believe in truth - except as the individual views it. Therefore a lifestyle where we go to the Word of God to learn what truth is - is not the common thing. Most folks call what Christians call righteousness - judging - and intolerance. God calls it knowing the difference between good and evil. God calls us to depart from evil. Because I don't want to have anyone misunderstand what God says here - I will fully define the word "depart." It is the Hebrew word, "sur" and it means to turn away, to go away, to desert, quit, keep far away. It is also translated to stop, to take away, to remove, and to turn aside from something. So when we realize what this word means - it is very easy to see that when God calls something evil - our response to it is to stay away from it - and if we are already doing it - to depart and go away from it - keeping as far away as possible. The second thing we are told here is that the one who "watches his way preserves his life." Watching our lives means being very careful and cautious. Times when I have sinned against God are usually times when I have become careless about watching an area of my life. Sin is insidious in how it will seek to gain a foothold - and we must watch if we are going to avoid it and walk godly. The one who does watch is not being ultra-victorian as some would chide - rather he is doing what is necessary to preserve his life. This can be viewed two ways - first that he is preserving his life itself - because sin will bring death in many circumstances. Second, though is preserving the life of God that is given to us as we live by the Spirit of God who is in us. Either way - the man who watches what he says and does is wise to do it. There is a highway that is before us every day - it is marked as well as the highways upon which we drive our cars. This highway is clearly marked out for us in the Word of God. It is revealed to us as the highway of the upright - but also as the way of righteousness and the way of the Lord. The wise man is the one who daily consults with the map (the Word) and who chooses to follow it. He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But he who is careless of conduct will die. Proverbs 19:16
God's commandments are excellent keepers of our souls. God did not give us His commandments to make our lives miserable - or to keep us from ever having fun - as some would accuse. His commandments are boundaries that protect us from entering into areas where we would be harmed. He does not command us to honor and obey our parents because He desires for us to be miserable as children - not getting our own way and being dominated by an older generation forever. He does this so that children, who do not have good sense and whose sin nature would run rampant, would be protected from themselves. He does so because they must be guided and helped to know the right from the wrong in their lives. The Lord tells us to steer clear from adultery because God knows the damage and the destruction and misery caused by unfaithful partners in marriage. He knows that sexual immorality will lead to disease and to the destruction of our bodies. Thus the one who keeps the commandment indeed keeps his own soul. God's commandments go even deeper than our physical beings. The one who keeps the commandment keeps his soul. The word for soul here is the Hebrew word "nephesh" which means our breath. This speaks of our inner being with its thoughts and emotions. This came to mean our whole person - both body and spirit. It spoke of the whole creature of man - both his outer health and his inner. When we keep the commandment - watching closely to obey and even kep the "spirit of the commandments," we are protected inside as well as out. Our mental health will be blessed by holding fast to God's commands and living by His ways. God blesses our thinking, our reasoning, our understanding, our discernment, our decision-making processes . . . He blesses so much when we learn to walk in obedience to His commands. But again I want to stress we obey the command - and we come to grasp the heart and love that is behind them. The second part of the Proverb today reminds us that the one who is "careless of his conduct" will die. The word careless is "bazah" which means to hold in contempt or to despise. The reason one acts this way is because they have a basic disdain for something. They disrespect the idea of a code of conduct. They despise the idea that God would tell them how to live. Here is the sin nature exposed in all its ugliness. Mankind rebels against any master - and that is especially true of God as our Lord. Fallen man trumpets his own freedom of will to do as he pleases - yet is so blind not to see that his will is in bondage to his own sinful desires and the spirit of this world. He is careless of God's commands - and of his own ways. He walks where he wants - being led about by his own lusts and by the "ruler of this world" who has rebelled against God as well. He does not grasp that this rebellion - this contempt of God - this disrespect for His Word is a hellish thing. The one who lays hold of such a lifestyle will perish. He will die in two ways. First he will die physically - the wages of sin is death. When God told Adam and Eve that in the day that they ate of the fruit they would surely die - He was not lying to them. This was no mere ploy of God to keep them away from something good. It was a loving warning that death lay in that decision to turn against Him and rebel. But there is a death that comes spiritually as well. The first pair knew sweet fellowship with God. They could actually walk with the Lord in the cool of the day in the garden. They could talk with Him, love Him, fellowship with Him in ways that we will only know in eternity. All that was gone after they despised their conduct - or at least the one commandment given to them. They died spiritually and passed down to all future generations a dead spirit at birth. They were dead in their transgressions and sins - and so was every child descended from them. In the first Adam we all died. Oh such a warning is given to us by this proverb. How we should watch our ways - and watch God's commandments as our way. The one who does so watches not just over his physical existance in this world. He watches over the life that God gives him - both physically, but so much more importantly - spiritually. Watch dear saints - watch your life and keep it according to God's Word. See the positive call to life in every one of God's commandments. For though they are given with a thou shalt not - there is within every one of them a call to life and life abundantly. They is within them a freedom to walk in fellowship with God. Enjoy it and walk in it! The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13:14 Here God tells us that the law or teaching of the wise - the one who sees things as God sees them - is a fountain of life. As usual - we are being taught to have a very teachable spirit - and this is especially the case when we are hearing truths from someone who is wise and godly. Our ability to pay attention in these moments will make the difference in a large number of situations. The phrase "fountain of life" should catch our eyes because it is a term that is very rarely used in Scripture, yet when used it refers to some very important truths. The first time it is used is in Psalm 36:9 as a reference to God Himself. With God Himself is the fountain of life. We are told that it is in His light that we see light. If we don't take advantage of listening to God - we won't even have the light we need to see things properly. The other four times when this exact phrase it used is in the Proverbs. We read in Proverbs 10:11 the the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, so once again we are encouraged to listen closely when a godly or righteous man is speaking. Next in Proverbs 14:27 we learn that the fear ofthe Lord is a fountain of life. When we fear God - showing respect to Him and to His Word, we are given the wisdom necessary to "avoid the snares of death." Lastly in Proverbs 16:22 that understanding is a fountain of life - keeping us from the discipline of fools. These passages along with the promise here that the teaching of the wise (which is that fountain manifest again) will turn us aside from the snares of death. We see a pattern here that should catch our attention. The "fountain of life" is when God Himself is giving wisdom - and that comes through His Word, through godly men and women who speak it, and through gaining understanding when we hear what they have to teach us. Oh the problems and difficulties that we could avoid in life if we would only listen - and learn from this fountain - hearing what God has to say - and the understanding and cautions that He wants to offer to us. Our problem is that much like the people in Jeremiah's day, we abandon the fountain of living waters - to dig our own cisterns instead. We consider so many other sources more informative and worthy of our time rather than the Word of God. We do not realize the value of godly counsel and teaching until it is too late and we've landed ourselves in the discipline of fools. That is why it is wise to cultivate a desire for and an ear to hear what God is saying to us - no matter what the source at the time. Listening will provide blessing - and in some cases the difference between walking unhindered in our lives, as opposed to finding that our path has led us to fall into a pit. Such "snares of death" can be avoided if we will only listen and learn that the bait in the snare is a lie. It won't bring satisfaction. It will only be a lure to bring us down and yield death and destruction in our lives. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13:14 Here God tells us that the law or teaching of the wise - the one who sees things as God sees them - is a fountain of life. As usual - we are being taught to have a very teachable spirit - and this is especially the case when we are hearing truths from someone who is wise and godly. Our ability to pay attention in these moments will make the difference in a large number of situations. The phrase "fountain of life" should catch our eyes because it is a term that is very rarely used in Scripture, yet when used it refers to some very important truths. The first time it is used is in Psalm 36:9 as a reference to God Himself. With God Himself is the fountain of life. We are told that it is in His light that we see light. If we don't take advantage of listening to God - we won't even have the light we need to see things properly. The other four times when this exact phrase it used is in the Proverbs. We read in Proverbs 10:11 the the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, so once again we are encouraged to listen closely when a godly or righteous man is speaking. Next in Proverbs 14:27 we learn that the fear ofthe Lord is a fountain of life. When we fear God - showing respect to Him and to His Word, we are given the wisdom necessary to "avoid the snares of death." Lastly in Proverbs 16:22 that understanding is a fountain of life - keeping us from the discipline of fools. These passages along with the promise here that the teaching of the wise (which is that fountain manifest again) will turn us aside from the snares of death. We see a pattern here that should catch our attention. The "fountain of life" is when God Himself is giving wisdom - and that comes through His Word, through godly men and women who speak it, and through gaining understanding when we hear what they have to teach us. Oh the problems and difficulties that we could avoid in life if we would only listen - and learn from this fountain - hearing what God has to say - and the understanding and cautions that He wants to offer to us. Our problem is that much like the people in Jeremiah's day, we abandon the fountain of living waters - to dig our own cisterns instead. We consider so many other sources more informative and worthy of our time rather than the Word of God. We do not realize the value of godly counsel and teaching until it is too late and we've landed ourselves in the discipline of fools. That is why it is wise to cultivate a desire for and an ear to hear what God is saying to us - no matter what the source at the time. Listening will provide blessing - and in some cases the difference between walking unhindered in our lives, as opposed to finding that our path has led us to fall into a pit. Such "snares of death" can be avoided if we will only listen and learn that the bait in the snare is a lie. It won't bring satisfaction. It will only be a lure to bring us down and yield death and destruction in our lives. "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," And to him who lacks understanding she says, Proverbs 9:16
We continue to look at the call of foolishness and how to discern it. So far we've primarily looked at the place where foolishness dwells - the company that she keeps, and the way that she is sitting on the spiritual sidelines calling out to those who desire to live godly lives - being a dangerous distraction to them. Today, we see what she says - we see the actual call of Folly to those who will make the mistake of listening to her. There are two things that foolishness says to us as she attempts to get us to turn our gaze from the path in front of us. The first is a simple call to come to where she is. "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here." We have seen this word "naive" (which is the Hebrew word "pethi") before. The thing that we need to see here is that the simple or naive is one who does not yet fully understand God's Word. They are deficient in seeing the world from God's perspective - and as a result their moral maturity is lacking. The call of foolishness to such a person would most likely involve a call to be open-minded to seeing things other than how God sees them. Foolishness does not usually say this outright - but the call nevertheless is for someone to listen to "another" view of morals and righteousness. Foolishness calls out to those who are lacking "understanding." The word here is "leb" and it means heart. The reason foolishness calls to such a one is because they lack a fundamental growth in their inner man. They are lacking a heart for God - and as a result - they lack a true devotion to the Lord and to what He teaches. This is why they are a prime target for the evil one. He knows that they have yet to fully embrace God's ways and God's Word - therefore they can be picked off easily by a call to be broad or open minded. This call for an open mind is one of the most dangerous things in the arsenal of the wicked one. It is not that God does not want us to think - but that He desires for us to first submit ourselves to His Lordship and His Word. The original sin in the garden was a rebellion that was centered in wanting to make up our own minds concerning the knowledge of good and evil. When Adam and Eve partook of that fruit - far more than just a new taste was in their mouths. God desired for them to partake of the tree of life and live according to the life that God would grant them in Him. But because they listened to the devil and believed his lie - they decided to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They wanted to decide for themselves what "living" was about - and it yielded to them and their posterity - death. This lie continues to this day - and is still effective among the sons of men. God has given us His Word - which shows us the way of life. It reveals to us all that we need to know to develop morally and spiritually. We can know life and life abundantly! The problem is that we hear another call - the call of foolishness. "Come on!" Folly says to us. "Have an open mind about these things." Folly would have us think that morality - righteousness - holiness is not just what God says. We should think for ourselves - determine our own right and wrong. God even knows that in the day that we determine these things for ourselves - we will be like Him knowing good and evil! But the lie kills - it killed in the past - and it will kill today. Hold fast to God's Word - and hold fast to how God defines life. Do not listen to the call of foolishness. Remember that the man is blessed who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scoffers. The man is blessed who meditates on the Word of the Lord - day and night - so that he may do all that is according to that Word. If we want to know Who to listen to in life - we should listen to God as He speaks by His Spirit through His Word. That is the way of life - and those who partake of this fruit will know life indeed. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 The heart is the key to walking with God. When the heart is changed and sanctified, the life will be godly and will be pleasing to the Lord. But when a man's heart is not guarded and kept for the Lord, there will be problems. This is why the father who is speaking frankly with his sons, will urge them to do all that is necessary to watch over their hearts. The word "watch" used here is the Hebrew word, "natsar" and it means to watch over something, to guard and to keep it. This word was used to describe how a person is to maintain something that is entrusted to them. Whether we truly realize it or not, God has given us our hearts. He has given us life and a direction in which it should be going. Once this wonderful gift of salvation and a new heart is ours by God's grace - it is our duty to protect it - and to make sure that we watch over what God has done in our lives. This "watching" is to be done with all diligence. The word used here is "mismar" and it means to have someone put into custody, to guard them. It speaks of things that are in a condition of being watched and controlled. What a fascinating word to use here. We are to watch our hearts and do so with a diligence that would be reminiscent of a prison - or the watch of a military unit at night. This is no casual affair, but is something that is of the utmost seriousness. God is absolutely serious about what we are doing with our hearts. The reason for this "due diligence" over our hearts is because our hearts are vital to our spiritual lives. The father tells his son that from his heart flow the very springs of life itself. A literal way of translating this passage is to say, "from out of it are the issues of life." William Harvey, in the seventeeth century, discovered the circulation of blood in the human body. This one discovery absolutely revolutionized science and medicine. Over 2500 years before Harvey, the writer of Proverbs, inspired by the Holy Spirit, accurately spoke of how the heart was the very location where springs of life flowed out into the rest of the body. The heart pumping the blood of the body through the arteries - is the very wellspring of life for the entire body. If we watch out for the health of our heart - we are doing what must be done for a healthy body. Kill the heart - and the body will die. In a similar way, the heart is the seat of our spiritual life. Keep our hearts and we will maintain a life of holiness and godliness. Let our hearts go and we will find that the life of God will no longer flow freely through us and in us. The godly father impresses such things on his son. He makes frank statements to his boys about the need to maintain a vital spiritual life where a heart for God is not just maintained, but is encouraged to flourish. The father who takes this job seriously will be the father who rears sons to be men of God. Dad, are you challenging your sons to maintain hearts for God and the things of God? For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Proverbs 4:22
The wise father will place before his sons that fact that living according to God's ways and commands is the very best way to live. Living this way is how to experience, "Life and life abundantly" as Jesus said in John 10:10. He will also let them know that God's ways are also the most healthy way to live for their physical bodies as well. This should be almost a "no-brainer" when we grasp that God, Who is omniscient and all-wise, would of course know the very best way for us to conduct ourselves for the most healthy and meaningful life the few years we have on this planet. The father begins by frankly telling his son that the ways of God are life to those who find them. Jesus warned us in John that the thief, who is the devil, comes to kill, steal, and destroy. We should take note that also in 1 John we read that the world lies in the power of the evil one. Therefore it should be no surprise to us that the world and its ways are destructive to our health and well-being. To follow the world is to ultimately harm ourselves. God made the world around us to function in a certain way. To follow Him is to follow the designer and creator of all that we see and know. When God gave His Law to Israel He said something very powerful in Deuteronomy 30, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply . . . I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days . . ." (Deuteronomy 30:15-16,19-20) God made it clear to His people that His ways were best - actually they were penultimate over all other ways of living. To love, serve, and obey Him would bring them great blessing and life. Again, He tells Israel this in Deuteronomy 32:46-47 when He says, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life." The God who gave these very frank statements to Israel - also commanded the fathers of that nation to impress those same words upon the hearts of their sons. So all we are reading here in Proverbs is a restatement of what God has commanded previously. The father also seeks to say to his son that obeying the Lord's commands is also "health" to the body. Here is where things get fascinating. I attended Auburn University for my undergraduate work. While there I knew a couple of brothers in Christ who endeavored to study the Scriptures and test the Old Testament dietary laws to see why God gave them. Later I also read extensive articles out of a ministry in Chicago where doctors began treating patients based upon God's dietary and cleanliness laws. Both groups adamantly stated to me that what God gave in the Old Testament is the most astounding public health system known to mankind. If these commands were followed, it would lead to a marvelously healthy society. When the Jewish slums followed these laws in Europe - the beubonic plague did not affect their populations. Another way to say this is - the commandments of God are health to our bodies. Dads, we need to speak frankly to our sons concerning life - and what enhances and offers life to them. The world will not tell them such things, in fact, the world will tell them the opposite. We are the ones God has designed to speak such things to them. Actually, we are commanded to do so. Blessed is the son who has a wise father who will speak frankly with him about life - and life abundantly! In the light of a king's face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain. Proverbs 16:15
This verse in Proverbs is given as a second statement about rulers - and it comes from a positive point of view. Verse 14 dealt with the fury of a king - while this one deals with his favor. The light of a king's face is life. No one knew this more than Esther, who dared come into the presence of king Ahasuerus without being summoned. She knew that there was a punishment for this kind of action - death. Only if he extended the golden scepter to her would she be delivered from the death penalty for such an offense. To receive such an action was to be allowed to see the king's face. That meant that he was showing her grace and favor. The favor of the king is also compared to a cloud with the spring rain. This was called the "latter" rain - and it was the rain that was absolutely necessary if a good crop was to be expected. Without these latter rains, the crops would be killed by the lack of rain. When these clouds would come up over the land, people would rejoice because they knew that God had blessed them and that they were going to have a crop that would bear abundantly. So also the favor of the king meant that blessing was coming. In the culture at the time the king had absolute power. If he decreed that you were to die - you would die. If you knew his favor - then great blessing would come to you and your family. We sing a song in worship at Calvary that goes this way, "Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, Your my glory, and the lifter of my head." This song deals with something very similar to this verse. The lifting of the head was a symbol that the one who had previously bowed to the king was being allowed to see his face - and thus receive his favor. If you remember in the book of Esther, when the king was furious with Haman, a black bag was put over his head. This symbolized that he would NEVER see the face of the king again. It also meant death. The amazing thing about this whole idea of the light of the king's face is the way that is reflects to us the message of the gospel. There is a King that we all have to approach one day at the end of the age. He is a King Whose holiness prevents us from coming before Him without being judged for our sin. Were we to try to approach Him unworthily, we would be consumed by His wrath and righteous judgment upon sin. But there is also One who has gone before us - Jesus Christ - and who has taken our sin and paid the full penalty for our sin. He has taken the judgment. Not only this, but He has also given us His perfect righteousness - by which we can stand before God accepted and welcomed. Truly Jesus Christ is the light of the King's face to us - and he is the reason God's favor can be granted to us. May God ever remind us of the grace gloriously showered upon us by His gracious act in Christ - and may we rejoice in His favor like the clouds filled with the latter rains. Christ has opened the way and brought us to see the King's face with favor - favor purchased by His death, burial, and resurrection. Glory to God for His grace, favor, and the joy of seeing His face in Christ Jesus. 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. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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