Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions. Proverbs 10:12
Two things are compared in this verse in Proverbs. They are hatred and love. We see the emotions and choices of both of these things - and because Proverbs is all about wisdom, we also see what they eventually will yield. If you need a proverb that will aid you in having good relationships, this would be a great one to learn. First we see hatred. The word used here is "sinah" and it means a strong feeling of hatred. It is used of hatred that one human feels toward another. This hatred can be so strong that it can lead to murder - but it doesn't always end this way. Usually the manifestation is that it leads to dissension and unrest between two people - and often a broken relationship. Hatred may begin as a feeling - but soon hatred will bring us to a choice. The choice that is illustrated here is that of strife. Where someone has hatred in their heart, strife and discord cannot be far behind. We can choose to deal with our hatred in a biblical fashion - which is what the second half of this proverb relates to us. But if we will not deal with our hatred biblically - then that hatred will result in strife. We are told that hatred "stirs up" strife. The concept here is that of arousing and awakening someone. It refers to an agitating action. Hatred is a motivator - and it wants to motivate someone and agitate them to where they start a fight. This can be verbal - or as we have seen in worst case scenarios - even physical to the point of death. That is why we must immediately respond to hate when it rises up within our hearts. We might find it interesting that God wants us to hate sin and hate evil. These are things God does not want us to have decent relationships with in life. We are to hate these things - and allow that hatred to stir us to stiving with sin and godlessness until we reject and refuse them in our lives. But when hatred is felt toward "someone" we are walking in dangerous territory. The second half of this proverb tells us that love covers all transgressions. The words used here are very expressive. The love that is mentioned here is the very love of a man for a woman or the love of God for His people. This kind of love is selfless, self-giving love. When we love like this - it covers all transgressions. The word "cover" is the Hebrew word "kasah" and it means to clothe or conceal something. This is not the "cover-up" that we refer to when speaking of illegal activity. It is the covering and concealing that happens when one thing covers another. This word was used to speak of what the water did to the Egyptians when God had the Red Sea cover them. It is also used metaphorically in the Scripture of something that covers the shame of the guilty. But in order to fully understand what is said here we need to combine all the words used. Love covers all transgression. Transgression speaks of rebellion against God and His Law. It speaks of rebellion of one individual against another. Love chooses to cover over these times of rebellion. When we look at this whole proverb we see that the usual response to transgression and rebellion is hatred and the strife that results from it. But what God desires is for us to respond with love - so that relationships will be blessed - even when one party doesn't contribute or want peace. The most awesome way we see this truth illustrated is by God Himself with sinful mankind. We have chosen rebellion and disobedience - even hatred of the things of God. Yet God in His love chooses not to judge us immediately. His love was manifest fully in Christ. He chose to love us - and God manifests His love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is love in its most glorious form. That love covers all transgressions - and makes it possible for grace to bring salvation to men. As we have reaped the glorious benefits of salvation from God's grace, may we also reap the blessings of donning His character in our response to slights of others. This is the way to redeem a relationship rather than let it take the fallen, natural course that is usually followed. What a wisdom is ours when we see a whole way of relating to one another in the cross. May God use it to bless you in your relationships in the weeks and months to come.
0 Comments
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Proverbs 10:11
God speaks a great deal about "a fountain of life." That is why it is truly amazing to read that God says the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. Let's take a look at what the Word says about being a fountain of life - and learn to embrace the wisdom of having our mouth be all that this means. In Psalm 36:9 we read that the people of God are given the blessing of drinking the fill of God's presence in His house - and also to drink of the rives of God's delights. These things are said to bring us to know that God is the fountain of life. A second time in Psalm 68:26 God is called the fountain of Israel. Thus we see that "a fountain of life" coming from our mouths is simply that we speak of the Lord and the things of the Lord. This is confirmed further as we learn that Proverbs 13:14 tells us that the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life. As we experience these wonderful words, they teach us to turn aside from the snares of death - the sin that can ensnare us and destroy us if left undealt with in life. Proverbs 14:27 tells us that the fear of the LORD is a fountain of life - again telling us that when we live according to it, we will avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 16:22 reminds us that understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it - keeping us from the discpline of fools. All these various statements tell us something wonderful. To be a fountain of life - a righteous man or woman whose mouth flows forth with the blessing of God, we should strive to have all these things at work in us. That means that we embrace God Himself as the source of all that we offer to others - all that we speak and say. We know that God is also the one who allows us to teach and speak that life to others. But as we do, we also fear God and embrace understanding things as He does - speaking them as He would speak them to us. (Remember that the earliest definition of wisdom we had was that it was seeing things as God sees them.) As we speak according to the fear of God - speaking with His understanding, His wisdom as we teach others - we will be not just a fountain of life - but a fountain that protects them from death - its snares and its lies. The opposite of the fountain of life is what the mouth of the wicked offers to us. The wicked is speaking - but he is speaking falsehood - and he is not offering to others a fountain of life. What he offers is concealed violence. Since selfishness reigns in his life - he doesn't have a desire for others to be blessed. Deep down he wants what they have - he wants things for himself. There is not a fountain that flows outward - in giving life to others. He has a type of vortex that sucks all things toward himself. And when things begin to move toward taking something from him, no longer making him the center of things - he responds with violence. The example of this is best seen in the example of Saul. When he realized that God was taking the kingdom from him and giving it to another - he became very paranoid . . . and very violent. He watched as God blessed David - and it drove him crazy. He tried to pin David to the wall with a spear - tried to kill him by the hand of the Philistines - tried to kill him in his bed even while David was married to his daughter - and when his son, Jonathan stood up for David, even tried to kill him by throwing a spear at him. What flowed from Saul's heart was violence, even though he tried to conceal it with his mouth. It was eventually revealed that he was filled not with love and live - but with violence and hate. What is coming out of your mouth? Jesus let us know that what comes out of our mouths is what dwells in our hearts. He desires for life to flow out of us - for blessing to be what is spoken as we speak. But that will only happen as we embrace the righteousness that God offers to us in Christ. The way that we receive "the mouth of the righteous" is by embracing the only One Who can make us righteous, Jesus Christ. It is only as His life fills us through the Holy Spirit that we will have that mouth that blesses. May God give us the wisdom to embrace Him - and in so doing - have Him gloriously transform our mouth to speak so as to give life and blessing to all who hear us. He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined.
Proverbs 10:10 At first look this proverb seems to make two statements that do not match one another - but actually both parts of this proverb speak to the same thing - hypocrisy. One speaks of hypocrisy with the actions - while the other speaks of it with words. When someone winks the eye - it means that they are sending a sign with their eyes that betrays the words or actions that they are about to say or do. The wink is not for everyone - but only for those they desire to be in the know about the coming hypocrisy of their statement or their action. The person to whom their words are said is kept in the dark. It is almost as if the hypocrite is saying to the person, "Watch what I do to this fool. You will find that what I am about to do is funny or clever." When you have a "winker" you basically have someone you cannot trust. If they lied to this person - they can lie to you. If they are seeking to deceive this person - they will deceive you. We are told that the "winker" does what he does to cause trouble. He winks at you - but he only does so to make you an accessory to the crime. Now that you are in the know - you too are aware of the hypocrisy - and your job now is to laugh behind the scenes - but to help maintain the hypocrisy by your silence and complicity. We read in the second part of this proveb that the "babbling fool will be ruined." The "winker" is the "babbling fool." They are one in the same. The babbling fool deceives with his mouth - the "winker" with his eyes. But in the end, both of them are fools because they are walking in deception. They have no good in their desires for the one they try to deceive. And like all those who babble as fools - the day will come when their duplicity will be exposed. On that day they will be thrust down - humbled and that with severity. When someone winks at you - and does so to cover an malicious action or unkind thoughts and words toward someone who is not initiated into the mess, we should reject their invitation to enter into the hypocrisy. As an example we have Judas who did not reject the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Saducees. He chose to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver - and promised to betray Jesus openly. The sad end of that story is that Judas did sell Jesus out for the price of a slave. He did so as He maliciously winked - or as was the case in his betrayal - he kissed Jesus on the cheek. There was no love or fellowship in that welcome - only open betrayal. That is why we need to be men and women of truth - and reject the call to enter into other's treachery when winked at and encouraged to betray others. He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. Proverbs 10:9
Those who walk in integrity in their ways do not have to look over their sholders as they live their lives. That is becasue a walk of integrity doesn't have anything to hide. That is the lesson that we can learn from today's proverb. The one who walks in integrity is very secure. The word integrity means to walk in a completeness. It has the idea of a clear conscience - or doing what you do with no hidden motives. Abimelech stated that it was with a clear conscience that he took Sarah as a wife. The problem in that relationship arose because of Abraham's lie that she was his sister. Abraham would have argued that this was a half truth - but since it landed his wife in a foreign king's harem - it was nothing more than a cowardly lie. But Abimelech was an honest man in this situation - and God warned him so he would not sin. That is the protection offered to us by walking in integrity. It guards us and protects us from willful rebellion against God. We are told that integrity is not only a way to walk secure - but the psalmist says in Psalm 25:21 that it is a way to be protected as well. Truth is always an ally to whoever walks in it. That is the peace that integrity provides. The man who walks in perversity has no such promise. This man perverts his ways. Note the emphasis here on personal responsibility. He perverts his own ways - it is due to his own choice to do so. There is no way to blame everyone else for his own choices to pervert his ways. The word pervert means to twist or to make uneven. It refers to a moral and ethical choice to pervert and twist what is right - and once again what is right is what is laid out in Scripture. The sentence for such actions is that they will not remain secret. He will be found out. We can try to hide our sin - but the problem with this is that we will be found out in the end. For many they are found out before they die - which honestly is the more merciful choice. That is because when this is the case the man has a chance to repent and turn from his sin - finding mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Some use a passage like this to make it seem that God wants to humiliate them. The fact is that God knows our sin the moment we commit it - and honestly - even before with his knowledge of all things past, present, and future. But God would prefer that we be found out by the convicting work of His Holy Spirit. When we respond to that conviction, we can come to Him and find grace and forgiveness. We choose to reveal our sin ourselves. It is only the man who consistently tries to hide his sin that faces being found out in the more embarassing ways. The Psalmist tells us that the man who hides his transgressions will not prosper - but the one who confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion. So, if you read this proverb and were convicted - but the devil and your own flesh is seeking to convince you to continue to hide your sin - don't! Turn to the Lord and confess and forsake it! That is the wise thing to do. Expose it yourself to the Lord - and if it is a persistant, besetting sin, turn to a brother or sister who can help hold you accountable as you deal with it over time. You don't have to face complete humiliation before men. Admit your sins to the Lord - and follow James' advice to confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed! That is the way to turn from walking in perversity to a life of integrity once again. Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 10:2
What is true treasure? When I think about this I go back to my childhood memories of the book Treasure Island. My mind thinks of pirates and those who ride the high seas in search of that most illusive of all things - buried treasure. I consider the intrigue and the hidden motives and betrayals that await me as I read of a journey based upon a tattered treasure map. The air is heavy with excitement as the first shovel of dirt and sand is lifted on the very spot where the X is on the map. That excitement reaches fever pitch as the shovel thuds for the very first time on the chest itself. Solomon tells us about a kind of treasure in this proverb. The phrase "ill-gotten gains," is actually the Hebrew phrase, "The treasures of wickedness." So we find that there are treasures that no matter how much they say they are worth - are actually worthless. When we seek our treasures here on earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break in and steal, we are only gathering up the treasures of wickedness. In fact, unless we are locating the X on God's map - the gospel of Jesus Christ - everything we think is true treasure is only a chest filled with filthy rags. Let me explain further. Solomon tells us in the second half of this proverb, "but righteousness delivers from death." What a powerful phrase he has just uttered. What a prophetic phrase it is as well. Any treasure that cannot deliver us from death is not a treasure at all. This is where we begin to see there is only one treasure that we should desire. The Scriptures say some interesting things about this Treasure. Jesus asked the question, 'What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?' (Matthew 16:26) There is an interesting question. What will you give in exchange for your soul? What amount of money or earthly treasure will pay the price for our souls? The psalmist answers that question when he says, 'No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him—For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever.' (Psalm 49:7-8) There is NO price in human terms that will ever be able to buy our souls. The problem is not with a financial price, it is with the currency that must be paid for our souls. Our problem is that the price tag is blood - blood of an holy sacrifice offered to God. The price is the blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He paid the final and ONLY acceptable price for our souls. When he gave up His Spirit on the cross His final cry was, "Tetelestai!" That is a financial term meaning, "Paid in full!" The cost for our souls is perfect righteousness. We must be absolutely holy and pure to come into God's presence. Any sin would merit His full wrath being poured out upon us. Coming into His presence without this righteousness would be as foolish as Nadab and Abihu's approach to God in Exodus. Their entrance without righteousness resulted in them being consumed by the fire of God instantly. Considering the fact that God tells us in His Word that all our righteousness is like filthy rags - we quickly see that we are in need of a righteousness that will stand before God. Praise the Lord, God provided that righteousness Himself through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and fulfilled the Law. He came and lived a perfect life absolutely keeping all God's commandments and precepts. Then He took our sin upon Himself and paid the horrific penalty of God's wrath. Through His death, burial, and resurrecton God now forgives our sin and gives us the glorious exchange - His righteousness for our sin. By the grace of God we have been justified by God. Justified means, "declared righteous." As a result of being justified/declared righteous we can now stand before God - not in our own righteousness, but clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is the "righteousness that delivers from death." All the treasures of all the ages piled as high as the heavens amount to nothing before our holy God. Added together they still amount to a sum of the "treasures of wickedness." All the achievements of all the people who have worked to attain them mean nothing in light of our sin. None of these things profit us - or have profited any son of Adam. What we need is the "righteousness that delivers from death." That righteousness was provided by God Himself. It is only attained when we receive it as a gift by the grace of God. It comes only through Jesus Christ. In light of these undisputable Biblical facts there is then only one question to be answered. Are you trusting in the treasures of wickedness to deliver your soul from death - or - are you trusting in Jesus Christ. Only He has the righteousness that delivers from death. The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot. Proverbs 10:7
What kind of memories come to mind when you hear the following names. Take a moment and remember Billy Graham. Now take a moment and remember Adolf Hitler. That brief exercise has just proven the proverb that we will examine today. Proverbs tells us that the memory of the righteous is blessed. God is not saying that the righteous will have a great memory - but rather when people remember the righteous they will do so with a smile on their face and good things in their heart. Godly people not only die well - they also are remembered well. Billy Graham is nearing the day when he will go to be with the Lord. I can promise you that on the day our brother goes to be with Jesus, the memory of who he is and what he has done in the Lord will be a blessing to millions. I remember a scene from the movie, "Chariots of Fire." It was at the very close of the movie. Two men are remembered for the lives that they lived. The first was Harold Abrahams, a sprinter who won a gold medal in the 1924 Olympics. He was a determined man who lived for that medal. When he died some rememebered him as a great sprinter - but Abrahams was not known for his graciousness or great soul. The second man was Eric Liddell, a scotsman, who won gold in the 400, a race many thought he would compete in poorly. Liddell was supposed to be in the 100, but chose not to compete as it would make him do so on a Sunday, something that was against his own religious convictions. After the Olympics Liddell went to China as a missionary where he was dearly loved by the Chinese during his ministry there. The movie spoke of the day Liddell died with these words, "All Scotland mourned." When that godly man went to be with the Lord - all of Scotland mourned his death - and remembered his life with great joy. The memory of the righteous is blessed! That is the case with men like Liddell - but it is also the case with much lesser known men. Being a pastor, I've watched it again and again at funerals. My third funeral, after I did two for lost people, was for a precious 90+ year old woman who loved the Lord with all her heart. She never raced in the Olympics or went to China as a missionary. She just lived in a small Arkansas community and loved Jesus and those around her all her life. When she died it was such a precious thing to hear from all those who knew her. They spoke glowingly of her commitment to Christ and the way that she lived for God's glory as she gave herself to those around her. Indeed her memory was blessed that day - and many afterward. But let us turn to Mr. Hitler. Just that name causes people to cringe. Over the years - the rot of that name continues to cast a putrid shadow over history. Adolf Hitler's name will rot throughout all time. He was a wicked man who lived for his own power and conquest. After World War II we learned of his horrific efforts to exterminate an entire race of people. There are few if any who have any kind thoughts toward this man - and those who do usually share his twisted philosophy of a master race. His name will live in infamy and shame for what he did. So, what kind of memory will you create when your days are done? Will you live for righteousness and godliness? Will you live for Christ and His kingdom with a selfless, self-emptying passion that drives you to bless all those around you? Or will you give yourself to more selfish and self-centered pursuits. Will you embrace wickedness instead of righteousness. What you choose in life will determine how you will be remembered in death. Choose life - choose godliness - choose the path of the righteous that is like the light of dawn, shining brighter till the noon day. If you do this you will leave a memory that will delight the hearts of those who think of you and your works - even long after you have left this life for life eternal. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Proverbs 10:6
Proverbs often compares the righteous and the wicked. Here is no exception. This passage speaks of what covers the righteous man and what covers the wicked as well. Whereas we read that blessings are on the righteous man's head - the wicked have something far different covering them. The head of the righteous receives blessings. Why the head? The Hebrew culture viewed the head as the most important part of a person. Cut off the head and the body is dead. The head is also considered the leader. It represents what truly is leading us in our lives. So, when we read here that the "head of the righteous" has blessings poured out upon it, we see that when what leads us - what drives us in life is geared toward righteousness (just think simply - doing what is right in God's sight - doing what pleases Him). There is wonderful blessing when we choose God's way. We need to know this. When our "chooser" (yes I know that this is not a word - but it works here) functions according to God's way and God's direction - blessings ensue! Make your choices according to his Word and according to His ways. You will never regret it - especially in light of the fact that these choices go beyond the grave - while others only last in this life (unless you consider punishment and hell for those who reject Christ altogether). But there is actually even more to this. There is blessings not just in eternity - there are blessings here and now. The way of God may be difficult at times - but it is also filled with joy and peace. The Scriptures warn us that it is the way of the transgressor that is hard. Remember this when you get ready to set a direction with your head - with your "chooser." The second part of this proverb is a little more difficult to understand because it involves a hebraism - a saying that makes perfect sense to a Jewish person - but does not exactly transfer with words alone. It is like us saying, "a stitch in time saves nine." That won't make sense to most people unless they know something about sewing. This hebraism says, "the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." The meaning here has the idea of covering something or someone. The words of the wicked - what comes out of his mouth - is both covered in violence - and due to what he says makes it inevitable that he himself will be covered in violence as well. The simplest way to grasp what this means is when someone speaks violently to another with their words. Not only are they speaking violence - but whan the other person responds, they are pretty much going to guarantee violence as a return for their violent words. The wicked, due to their ungodly choices and ways, are using violent words - and in the process are guaranteeing a culture of violence that will surround them. Take a look at our society for a moment or two. I'll use two examples to explain this. First is the abortion industry. They use extreme violence to end the life of an innocent child. They choose to execute the baby - who has done nothing wrong. Those in the industry say that they are preventing child abuse by those who don't want an unexpected child (Interesting to me that they don't get that sex produces pregnancy - which by the way - makes a child - guess what they were expecting was sex without consequences and without the biological process of reproduction being a result - hmmm). The fact though is that since we've begun throwing away children in this way - child abuse has risen exponentially. Kind of looks like the violence with which they cover themselves with their words and actions - is now covering them too - just like God said. The second example is the way that violence is glorified by our culture. We see it everywhere. The most obvious example is in television, movies, and the video game culture. We are encouraged to deal with our problems with violence. We've actually gotten to the point where we see violence and violent acts as a form of entertainment. There seems to be no limit to how graphic and how grotesque we will get when it comes to these things. The result of our violence? We have watched an explosion of violence consume our culture and our relationships in society - just like God said. Wisdom tells us very plainly here that what abounds in our words and with our choices is what is coming back upon us. It is almost like God is saying here in the Old Testament what He says in the New Testament. What a man sows, that he will also reap. Sow righteousness - sow doing what is right in God's eyes - you receive blessings here - and even greater blessings in eternity. Sow violence now - you will reap an ever increasing harvest of violence as well. May God give us true wisdom that does not embrace the fullness of our culture - but the harvest of righteousness and blessing that comes from choosing His way at every turn. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully. Proverbs 10:5
Something that used to be said often was that the protestants in Christianity had a strong work ethic. In fact, this was known as the protestant work ethic. The place where such a strong motivation and exhortation to work was learned was from the Scriptures. Here we see one of those passages that encouraged and exhorted people to work hard. Work existed before the fall. It is a godly thing to work - and the very first work was tending a garden. Thus in Israel's agrarian world the idea of working in the fields, planting and harvesting crops was something that was valued highly. The son who gathered in summer, when the crops were ripened, was a son who acted wisely. He knew when hard work was required - and when it would yield great benefits. This is another area where work ethic is important to us. We work hard because we gain from the work that we do. The Lord encouraged a system where hard work by the individual and the family yielded gain and blessing to those individuals and families who worked hard. Only in extreme situations did the Lord have men live in a way that they worked so that they could equally share things. Too many look at the early days of the church and deduce that God wants us to live in a commune - or in some kind of socialist utopia. There is far more Scripture that tells us that we are rewarded individually for working hard. Socialism and Communism eventually break down into those who work hard - and others who benefit by taking what those who work hard produce. Thus these systems promote laziness and a lack of a work ethic. It is only when a man can personally benefit from his own hard labor that work will be encouraged throughout society. And . . . it is only when a lack of work results in shame, disgrace, and poverty that work will be respected and embraced by all in society. This is what the second half of our proverb today encourages. The son who sleeps in the harvest is one who acts shamefully. Shame will come upon him when he has nothing to show for his laziness and slothful attitude and actions. There is also a spiritual application to this passage that we should not miss - because the whole idea of gathering and harvesting are terms that God uses in reference to the work of evangelism that should be taking place in the life of a New Testament believer. The son who gathers as the Spirit of God is working is a wise son. He recognizes that the gospel must be planted and watered in the lives of those who need to know Christ. There is also a time to gather - as God brings a harvest in accordance with our diligence to share Christ with others. But the son who sleeps spiritually - who is too busy loving the world and the things of the world - is indeed a shameful son. He does not see that we only have a very limited amount of time to share the gospel in this life - and therefore wastes that time in foolish pursuits. God expects us to work - and to work hard. He wants us to work so that we can provide for ourselves and our families. He wants us to work so that the gospel can touch each and every generation. And just as important . . . He wants us to teach our sons and our daughters to also enter into work - the work of provision as well as the work of eternity. Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4
Work . . . to some this is a dirty word. Biblically it might be helpful to know that work existed BEFORE the fall. God always intended for us to work. The fall just ensured that this work would be much harder due to mankind's sin. But work is good. When we do not want to work - that is bad. There are those who work with a "negligent hand." These are those who treacherous in their work. They are deceitful in what they do. They may look to others like their are working, but therein lies the deceit. They actually are NOT working - at least not with a steadfastness and dedication to what they are doing. They are lazy, slothful and lack any kind of diligence. This word is also used to speak of those who have a loose character and are slack in far more than just their work. Their lifestyle is slack - their morals are slack - everything they do is slack. The Word tells us here in Proverbs that those who work like this will become poor. Think about this for a moment. Consider all the automobile recalls and problems we've seen in recent years. These are due to a slack-ness somewhere along the line. It may have been an engineer who was slack in his calculations and who took shortcuts in designing parts and systems. It may have been an assembly line worker who just slacked off over time in what they were doing. It may have been management who decided that their bottom line meant everything - and cut quality to the level that they could no longer put out quality parts. Whatever it was - slack work cost the company millions. The diligent though, are made rich. They may not always have the greatest profit margins - but they do what they do with quality always. Thus their works come back upon them - and as a result of their attention to detail - their godly work ethic - and their desire to glorify God in all that they do - they are rewarded. Work ethic unfortunately is something that we no longer focus upon in our nation as we should. The quick money stories have so much more traction to us. We don't want to hear that slow and stead wins the race. We don't want to hear that a lifetime of wealth and riches come usually from a lifetime of hard work and diligent effort. The lack of such things are costing us more than we realize. The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, But He will reject the craving of the wicked. Proverbs 10:3
There are two level's of meaning to this particular proverb. They are both a blessing to those who read it, understand it, and who look to the Lord for their subsistence. Jehovah will not allow the soul of the righteous to hunger. That is what this passage says. It refers on the surface level to the simple fact that God is going to provide basics for believers. David said, "I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." What a comfort to us this should be. God promises to make provision for us. Often our problem is that we want way more than provision. God promises food and raiment (clothing) and with these we should be content. Yet in our culture we have come to call too many things "necessities." In fact there are entire theological systems based upon us getting whatever we claim from God - no matter how blatent the greed becomes. Hopefully we see through the ruse of selfish and fleshly greed and rejoice when we are able to eat and clothe ourselves each day. But there is more to this proverb - a deeper level. God will not allow the SOUL of the righteous to hunger. If we desire the Lord - if we hunger for God - our soul will be satisfied! Blessed are the hungry, for they shall be filled! Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled! God promises to us a fullness that can never be defined by food and drink alone. It is the fullness of the Spirit. It is a fullness that describes how God Himself comes to fill us to the deepest levels of our hearts and souls with Himself. This, even more than just a promise of food, should fill our hearts with joy unspeakable, and full of glory! There is a comparison here though. We read that the craving of the wicked will be thrust away. The craving of the wicked is the desires and lusts that they have without limits and without bounds. The wicked will always seek to push the limits of what is allowed. They will always seek to push the laws of the land to where they can pursue greater and greater godlessness. Because it is the desire of the wicked - these desires and wants are ungodly ones - desires that are clearly outside of the scope of God's will and desires. The Lord promises to thrust away these things. When I read this I think of that horrific final day when God's judgments on all things, all choices, all lifestyles is made clear. In that all important day those who lived for wickedness will hear those eternally aweful words, depart from me, you wicked, into everlasting fire - I never knew you! In that moment every desire of the wicked - every lifestyle that is outside God's purposes will be thrust away. There is one thing though that I think we need to grasp to see this proverb clearly. We usually see words like "wicked" and think of only the most heinous of sinners. The wicked are those outside of God's grace and salvation in Christ. The "wicked" might look to us like the model citizen, the good ole boy, the nice girl, the sweet couple. Yet, if they reject their sinfulness in God's sight and the only remedy which is Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead - they are indeed wicked. Even their 'nice' lifestyles and 'decent-looking' lives will be thrust away. When our desires run contrary to those of the Lord - we place ourselves firmly in the place and the choices of the wicked. Their lives may look full and meaningful from the outside - but inwardly they are empty. Their desires will be thrust away. Yet the righteous - their soul will be satisfied as with fatness. They have Christ Jesus as an everlasting portion. Their hungers and desires in Him will be fulfilled! |
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!
Archives
August 2018
Copyright 2024 Calvary Chapel Jonesboro | all rights reserved |