Category: Presumption

The Sluggard's Thoughts: Mindless Muttering of a Mental Midget - Proverbs 26:16

9/27/2012

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer.
Proverbs 26:16

The fourth verse we come to about the sluggard has to do with how his lack of any work ethic eventually affects his reason as well as his ego. He is wise in his own eyes - even though he does not put any work into what he thinks. He is a stranger to hard physical work - but now we learn he is also one to mental work as well. When he looks to someone for wisdom - he looks to himself. This is because of his ego - which is vastly overgrown while having no real reason to be so. He is too lazy to study - yet he thinks he knows far more than those who do. He is wiser than seven men who give a reasoned, well-studied, well-thought out answer. He is a genius in his own estimation - while his supposed genius is honestly ignorance of anything other than what he himself thinks. A legend in his own mind, he mentally gives himself the Nobel prize for everything.

Anyone who has ever done good academic work knows that this is no place for the sluggard. Good quality academic work requires painstaking study and hours of sacrifice both thinking and writing (not to mention re-writing). Someone who has expertice in a subject area has put in years of effort in order to have it. The whole idea of a "masters" degree is that someone has "mastered" a subject area. The seminary I attended required that we read a 300-500 page text for each course taken. But, this was not all we were required to do. We also were required to do extensive reading while preparing papers as well as do 1500 pages of outside reading on the subject. Even after all this effort, we were just barely beyond ignorant in the subjects we studied. Most areas of theology had literally thousands of texts written on it -some had hundreds of thousands.

The mental sluggard stands against seven men who work hard at honing their minds - and mocks all of them. He will take what little learning he has and string it together so as to think he is a mental heavyweight - when he doesn't even tip the scales of learning at a single pound. He spouts his opinion and then closes his mind to anything other than his highly self-valued moronity. He has no need to listen to others since his own ultimate genius has been voiced. Thus the mental sluggard continues his self-imposed banishment to ignorance in a miniature land of his own making.

A wise man knows that he does not yet know as he should know. He is teachable above all things - and is willing to spend more time gathering information than spouting it to others. He who holds his tongue and opens his mind is wise! He may not agree with what is said to him - yet he takes all things in an effort to become wiser still. He does not see himself as wise in his own eyes. He sees God as ultimately wise - and is actively looking for those who will speak according to God's wisdom. If you are a mental sluggard beware of lacking the wisdom of seeing yourself as not yet wise. Few things can dwarf your intellect and your spiritual acumen like being wise in your own eyes. It is proof that your field of spiritual and mental vision is extremely narrow.

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Three Other Names for the Proud Man - Proverbs 21:24

7/21/2012

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"Proud," "Haughty," "Scoffer," are his names, Who acts with insolent pride. Proverbs 21:24

Here we have a proverb that gives us a great deal of information about the proud man. There are four terms that are used to describe this proud person. The last of them speaks of the actions of this person - the first threee of the heart or mindset that gives rise to such pride.

The actions of the proud person are said to be those of insolent pride. The word insolent means to presume or to assume that you are right. This person is has presumptuous pride - he is already filled with himself - but to a level where he thinks he is always right and everyone else is always wrong. It can be a frustrating experience to come upon someone like this because they almost never think they are wrong. Everyone else is wrong - and their ideas - their thoughts - their desires are the best. What leads up to a person thinking and reasoning like this? We are told there are three attitudes that bring such a way of living to the forefront of someone's life.

We are told that this person is "proud." The Hebrew word used here is "zed" and it speaks of pride itself. It is the word used most often in the Old Testament to speak of pride. There are three specific aspects of pride that are contained in this word. The first is that of presumption. The proud man presumes always in his own favor. As was said earlier - he thinks he is always right and everyone else is wrong. The is especially the case in regards to authority. The proud man thinks he has all the authority in the world to speak. He is the expert and everyone should listen to his wonderful ideas and thoughts. The second aspect of pride is that it is both rebellious and disobedient. The prideful man sees know reason to obey anyone except himself. Therefore if God's will (or anyone elses for that matter) opposes what he thinks he wants to do - he arrogantly assumes that his will is better and does it in rebellion and willful disobedience to God's. The third aspect to pride here is closely tied to the second - and that is a willful decision to do whatever it wants. The proud man doesn't respond to God - he responds to himself.

Haughty is the second word that is used to speak of the inward working of the proud man. This is the Hebrew word "yawhir" which means to be full of ourselves. The proud man is narcissically self-centered and self-assured at all times. This guys has an ego the size of an entire city - and that ego makes him think that all that matters is what he wants.

The third word used is "scoffer." This is the Hebew word "liyus" which means boast, scorn, mock, or deride another. The proud man mocks everyone else - and all ideas that do not agree with his own. He speaks in contempt of these things - and mocks them mercilessly to make them seek goofy in comparison to his own wonderful thoughts. This is even more so in reference to God and God's Word. He mocks it as an old, outdated book - as ideas that arose from hucksters and charlatans. He has no respect for God or for His Word which reverals God to us.

When these three motivations are put together it leads to a very arrogant proud person to is so prideful that it reeks. It is these things we need to seek to avoid - because as Scripture says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. A wise man recognizes these things in his own life - and then humbles himself for God to do a deep work in his character so that he does not live his life in a sad, unusable prideful way.

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Understanding Ordained Steps - Proverbs 20:24

6/13/2012

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Man's steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24

Wisdom acknowledges the sovereignty of God. God is omniscient - which means He knows all things past, present, and future. God also is working all things together to bring about His will that all things work together for good - and also work together for His own greatest glory. These are basic truths hat we learn from the Scriptures. Passages like Romans 8:38 and Romans 11:34-36 make these things very clear.

We read here in Proverbs that a man's steps are ordained by the Lord. I wish I could write a pithy little article that would once and for all solve the problem that seems to exist between our seeming ability to make choices - and God's ultimate sovereignty over all things. But if such an article could be written it would already have been by men far more educated and godly than I am. But let me lay before you a few facts. First - you are going to have to make a whole series of choices today. It would be better if you made them in concert with God's will. Second - God is working in your life even if you choose today to be a rebellious little toot. Third - God will ultimately get everything that He desires and is working toward. And finally fourth - there is nothing you can do to thwart God's ultimate plans for His own glory and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are things that are true - will continue to be true - and are even true if you choose to think they are not.

God ordains our steps - He guides our way. For some this is relatively easy because they see God's will portrayed in the Scriptures and quickly submit - receive His power to do them - and enjoy bringing glory to God. Others are not so much this way. For them the process of God working in their lives involves more than a fair share of rebellion, self-will, and self-seeking. Thus for them the will of God is a process of guidance through the Word - and guidance through discipline. In the end God receives what He desires both ways - one just takes longer - and often involves more pain and hard-learned lessons. Regardless of how you come to His desired ends - they will be accomplished.

The second half of this verse asks us a question, "How then can man understand his way?" This question is meant to be answered two ways. First of all, there is no real way for us to understand our way - at least in our own thinking. Consider for a moment Job. He walked with God - was considered blameless - yet he faced incredible suffering for God's ultimate purposes. The entire book of Job deals with him and his friends trying to "understand God's way." It consists of his friends telling him he was ungodly - that was why he had to suffer. It also consists of Job wrestling with the reason for his suffering Himself. There is little light of day in all this wrangling until 30 plus chapters into the book. Then God, first through Elihu, and then through His direct revelation asks Job a serious of questions. In all honesty these questions do not really answer the burning inquiry that Job - and those of us who read this historical account - have within our hearts. In the end, we come to the conclusion that God is God, God is good, and therefore no matter what happens in our lives - God ultimately purposes it for our good and His glory. We are left with the explanation of Proverbs - how can a man understand his way?

There is an encouragement in all this though. That is the second answer to this question. How can a man understand His way? The answer is that he can only understand his way in relation to God. People spend their entire lives living for things that are worthless. Their lives are summed up as a cautionary tale for us to learn from in life. Consider the rich farmer who thought only of himself all his life. Some 30-50 years were spent allowing this man to accumulate a fortune. At the end of his life he had a bumper crop unlike any he ever had, and wondered what to do with it. His ungodly, ill-informed reply was to tear down his existing barns and build bigger ones. Then he could keep everything for himself - and retire rich and full. God then broke in on the scene informing him that he would die that night - and that all his wealth would mean nothing - except as a warning to all others who did not choose to be "rich toward God." What we would consider a total waste - God used to warn any generations about greed and self-serving living.

A man understands his way in relationship with God. That is the only way to do this. A man understands his way by studying and understanding the Scriptures - which reveal to us the mind and heart of God. A man understands his way by turning to God and seeking to live for His ultimate purposes and plans. Philosophers may spend a lifetime trying to grasp a life of meaning and purpose - yet - if they only use their own understanding are like the blind leading the blind. As the Word of God itself tells us, if a man does not see according to God's light and revelation as given by the Holy Spirit in the Word - that man does not have the light of day. The truth is that God has been and still is working in this world to accomplish His desire and work toward His end. Life will be so much better for us if we acknowledge this - submit to it - and seek to walk surrendered to His sovereignty and His eternal plans.

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Four in the Animal Kingdom From Which to Learn Wisdom, part 4 - The Lizard, Proverbs 30:28

8/2/2011

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The lizard you may grasp with the hands, Yet it is in kings' palaces. Proverbs 30:28

What is the exceeding wisdom that the lizard has for us? We are told of four animals here - all who demonstrate wisdom by their existance and practics. We come now to the fourth and final animal - the lizard. What does he have to teach us?

First we read that the lizard is not the most intimidating of animals in the world. He can be grasped with the hands. His natural defenses are not very effective. Thus he is able to be caught and grasped with a human hand. The lizard is not given a great deal of weapons at his disposal. The lizard spoken of here is usually the common ones that you seek on the walls in homes. He has no sharp claws or teeth - and the ones mentioned here have no venomous bite or sting to deliver. Yet we are told that he is in the palaces of the king.

The lesson for us is an interesting one.  Though we may feel weak and defenseless, we can still be in high places.  The lizard teaches us though that if we are to be in such places, we will need to be humble and come in such a way as is fitting for our situation. If the lizard were to come to the king's palace and seek to knock down the door - he would be a fool.  If he decided to battle his way into his presence with his great strength - he would be deluding himself. If he decided he would come showing his comeliness and beauty - he would be blind to the fact that he is a lizard. The lizard uses none of these tactics. Instead he is humble and comes quietly. He remains on the wall and chooses not to be boisterous and draw attention to himself. Because this is how he comes - he can be in the presence of the king.

The lizard teaches us that great strength can be had in something as inauspicious as humility. God says that He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. There is something about a humble man that can disarm even a king. Therefore if we want to be received and come even to a king's palace - we need to learn humility. With the humble comes great favor. Jesus told us that when we come to a banquet we should not seek the place of honor - and take a seat next to our host. That would be coming in pride and arrogance - stating that we are viewed highly in our own mind. The warning was that when our host comes, he would see us in such a proud position and completely overlook us. When he would see someone far more humble taking a seat beneath himself - the host would invite him to sit where we are. At that point we would be humiliated and have to go to the very last seat in the sight of all those present. Instead we should adopt the attitude of the lizard. Jesus said that we should take the lowest place at the table. Then when our host sees us taking such a humble place, he would request for us a better seat - and we would be honored before all at the banquet. This is where our Lord told us that God opposes the proud, but honors the humble.

Exceedingly wise is the lizard, who embraces humility. Wise indeed he is to come quietly and without fanfare. Thus he is in king's palaces. Wise also is the man who in life chooses to humble himself, not just to be exalted, but who truly sees himself humbly. We are counselled to humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord, and he will exalt you (James 4:10).  So be wise - be like a lizard - humble yourself - and be blessed by the Lord.

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The LIttle Known, but Oft Practiced Sin of Presumption - Proverbs 13:10

10/13/2010

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Through insolence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel. Proverbs 13:10

Today we are going to learn about the danger of the sin of presumption. I know that this one rarely comes across our lives - or at least we rarely talk about it. Can't really remember a time when anyone dealt with this in a teaching or a sermon. But, since that is where we are in Proverbs - let's take a look today.

The Bible calls this sin "insolence," and we are warned that nothing comes through it except strife. The word for insolence here is the Hebrew word "zadon" and it means presumptuousness or pride. The idea here is that of a willful decision that has not consulted with God - or doing something without really knowing whether it is the will of God or not. We presume that we can do something or say something and we have no real idea whether the Lord is in it or not. But rather than back up and check - we push ahead.  Suddenly the sin of presumption seems much closer to our world and lifestyle than we first thought. This was actually the original sin in the garden. Eve presumed that it would be OK to partake of the fruit - even though it was clearly NOT the will of God for her to do so. When she heard the arguments of the serpent, she presumed that the rules had changed.

The sin of presumption comes in so many ways. It comes when we decide that we really don't need to study and read God's Word. Our ignorance of the Bible only radically furthers our presumption.  Some mistakenly lump presumption with initiative. But initiative considers what someone wants - or what they need - and rather waiting to be asked to do something - takes the initiative to do what is right. Presumption doesn't know what is right - doesn't ask - and goes ahead with the plan and action without finding out.

Through presumption comes nothing but strife. We first have strife with God because ultimately He is the One upon which we are presuming. We just figure that He approves what we want to do - and we do it. Later when we learn that it is sin - we justify ourselves and our actions claiming ignorance. Our most ignoranct moment was going ahead with our plans before we ever knew His will. Presumption draws upon pride for its strength. Pride tells us that we know what is best for ourselves - and we ought to be able to do some things without asking. We "presume" that we are free agents, able to do what we want without consequences. Yet, the consequences come - and come hard in the end.  We also wind up with strife among people. Take 5 selfish people and put them in an organization. Each is prideful about their ability to lead - and each thinks their ideas are wonderful! Let them loose without any kind of restraint upon them - especially any when it comes to seeking the face and heart of God. Soon you will have more strife as they push forward with their "ideas" without any thought of their consequence (except the consequence of them being noticed, advanced, honored, etc.). They presume that because they think it is a good idea - it ought to be done - and done now. Oh, the battles, the strife, the infighting, and the grief that the sin of presumption causes. You sometimes watch entire churches set aflame with anger, broken relationships, and pride as they splinter due to the sin of presumption.

How do we keep presumption from creeping into our thinking and our lives? The second half of this proverb tells us that the cure for presumption is to receive counsel.  But wisdom is with those who receive counsel. First, we receive the counsel of God. The Lord told Joshua at the beginning of his leadership over Israel, "This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night. So that you may be careful to do all that is in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success." There is the key - to know God's Word. We receive counsel when we make sure that what we are doing is in accord with the Word of God. We are wise when we make it a priority to seek His face and know His ways. Then we make certain that what we are doing is what He wants. No presumption - but careful seeking and careful ordering of our lives according to His direction for us. The same is true when we take the time to ask for counsel from others BEFORE we launch out into an endeavor. The Word tells us that in an abundance of counsellors there is victory! How much better we do when we take the time to ask someone - and hone our ideas through the wisdom and eyes of others. We are resuced from our own extremes - and learn to live to serve one another - even in how we push forward with what we are desiring to do.

Before we end today's proverb I would like to give one memorable Biblical example. When Joshua led Israel, the people of Gibeon came to him and the leaders of Israel deceptively. They wore worn out clothes and took crumbled provisions to make them think they were from a far country.  They were from Canaan - and were not to be a people with whom Israel entered into any covenant. But Joshua and the leaders believed their eyes - and presumptuously decided to enter into a covenant with the Gibeonites. The Scriptures tell us that, "they did not seek the counsel of God." The end was a horrible decision - one that would cost them dearly. It happened all because they presumed to know what to do - and decided that they did not need to ask God about it. Oh the grief that would be spared if we would seek to destroy this sin of presuming upon God. The strife that would be avoided if we would only make it a lifelong practice to turn to Him and ask Him what should be done. Make it a point today to turn to the Lord - make it a point to turn to Him in every situation to ask His heart and His will. Learn from Joshua - that we need to meditate day and night upon the Word of God - so that we will do the will of God and prosper. That is how we can begin to see this little known - but often practiced sin removed from our lives.

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Proverb A DAy

The Sluggard's Thoughts: Mindless Muttering of a Mental Midget - Proverbs 26:16

Three Other Names for the Proud Man - Proverbs 21:24

Understanding Ordained Steps - Proverbs 20:24

Four in the Animal Kingdom From Which to Learn Wisdom, part 4 - The Lizard, Proverbs 30:28

The LIttle Known, but Oft Practiced Sin of Presumption - Proverbs 13:10

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The Sluggard's Thoughts: Mindless Muttering of a Mental Midget - Proverbs 26:16

Three Other Names for the Proud Man - Proverbs 21:24

Understanding Ordained Steps - Proverbs 20:24

Four in the Animal Kingdom From Which to Learn Wisdom, part 4 - The Lizard, Proverbs 30:28

The LIttle Known, but Oft Practiced Sin of Presumption - Proverbs 13:10

Proverb a Day

Archives

Proverb A DAy