Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. Proverbs 2:8
Why is it so disheartening to see a judge or a police officer break the law and be guilty of criminal activity? The reason is that we look to these individuals to be ones who guard justice in our society. When they are guilty of injustice - it shakes our confidence in the system. It also leaves us without a guardian over issues of justice and righteousness. Here we are told something in Proverbs that should bless us greatly. The ultimate guardian of justice is not a man. The ultimate guardian of justice is God Himself. Don't worry too much about the paths or the way of justice - at least to the point of thinking it won't exist any longer. Such thoughts are false. God Himself is the One who guards the paths of justice. He watches over them and will one day bring every injustice to light - and each will receive the due penalty of their error. That should both comfort and terrify us. It should comfort us to know that this world is not spinning out of control. God has been watching over it - and will continue to do so until the end of the age. No one is going to "get away" with anything in the end. God will call all men to stand before Him and give account for the deeds which they have done in their bodies. Each will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Justice will be fine and will be swift in that day and hour. But what about that nefarious enemy of justice - nepotism? We've all watched as a relative or close friend is rescued from justice without any of the consequences of it being experienced. The only ones punished in that scenario are those who had the unfortunate providence of working with the relative or close friend. In the end justice is skewered and cooked on a spit - and all those watching have their faith in a truly just judge or official shaken. There is where we can be assured that God is the true guardian of justice. If there ever was a time when He would have decided to lapse into nepotism, it would have been with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When He became sin - the entire universe watched with their breath held at what the Father would do. True to His nature and His holiness - and the fact that He is the guardian of justice - God brought justice to bear on His Son, when He became sin for us. Thus, we see that God was just - but because of His actions and the sacrifice of His Son - He was also the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. God also is known as the One who preserves the way of His godly ones. This literally means He is watching, guarding, and protecting the course of their lives. The descriptive language used here with the words "way" and "paths" has the idea of where we are going. It also gives us the picture of a map of our lives laid out before us. That map is known by the Lord - and He is watching over it. When we choose to be one of His godly ones - and concern ourselves with justice as well - He watches over us. That is not a promise we will never have problems - but it is a promise that nothing will happen to us that does not first come through God's purposes and plans for our lives. So don't fret over justice. God, who watches over the paths of justice will deal with all matters on that great and glorious day when all men will have to stand and give an account for their lives and their choices. Know also that as you live a godly life - that He is watching over you as well. Your confidence in such things can be overwhelming - and hopefully your peace will be sufficient in every situation.
0 Comments
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6
According to most folks - you can get wisdom from numerous sources - all of which are pretty much equal to one another. I know this is not a popular statement - but that view is contrary to what the Scriptures state. The Word of God makes it clear that the true source of wisdom is Jehovah and the Words that come from His mouth (i.e. revelation of Himself in Scripture). The world will actually lead you astray in the end - God never will. Now in order to undestand the previous statement, you have to grasp a biblical view of life. It is not enough for us to go around and make semi-wise choices in life. The purpose God gave us life is that we would live for and unto His glory. That includes coming to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ - then living the rest of our lives to the glory of God. That is wisdom. Anything that does not ultimately lead to that end is foolishness. Some assert that Confucius, Plato, Socrates, and other philosophers and sages offer us great wisdom. I do not disagree that they have sayings that are wise - but I also assert that the only reason their sayings reach the level of wisdom is because they agree with what the Scriptures teach us - either directly or in spirit. The problem with following such wisdom as a source is that none of these men ever came to faith in the God of the Bible. Thus, in spite of their temporary wisdom - they ended their lives in utter foolishness - following the same rebellious purposes of mankind. Unfortunately, none of their so-called wisdom led them to see their own sinfulness and the God of creation. None of their so-called wisdom led them to turn away from their own works and look in faith to God and His solution for the sin of mankind. I realize that such a statement seems either unbelievably bold or incredibly arrogant. But this is the standard worldview of the Bible. The LORD gives wisdom - this is the assertion of this proverb. If you really want wisdom - turn to God. If you want to grasp knowledge and understanding, you are going to have to realize such things come from God's mouth - i.e. the revelation of Scripture. Jesus said, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." This does not mean that we have to hear God actually speaking to us every day. Jesus was speaking of how the Scriptures give us God speaking - His revelation of Himself and His will and ways. If we learn to listen to Him through the Word - we will truly be wise. What does it mean to know wisdom in the area of "knowledge?" The Hebrew word here for knowledge means a technical or specific knowledge of God, of the world, and of how to make practical decisions based upon what God says. That is a wonderful thing to have - that specific "word" from God that comes from understanding and applying Scripture to your situation. The ability to technically use God's Word and the knowledge of Him and His ways to know what to do in every situation you face. The second word, understanding, helps even more. It means the ability to discern - decide between two things and differentiate between them - thus a biblically based reason and skillfulness in chosing between what is God's will and what is sinful - or in certain cases, second best. That means we have the ability through knowing God and His Word to see a choice between two or more things - and then be able to distinguish what is God's will and way - and what is not. Some want these things through a direct - or at least that is how they represent it - communication with God. "God told me to do this or that," is their reply to just about everything. I used to do this more than I needed to and it presents a real problem for us and for those who love us. It places us in the position of infallibly knowing God's will. God said it to us - are you questioning God? I've heard from God - are you questioning Him? The problem actually is not anyone questioning God - it is that we are questioning your ability to hear Him infallibly at all times. Thus we place ourselves in a position of not being questioned about our decisions - and put our friends and family in the uncomfortable spot of not really being able to offer loving critique of our infallibility of having heard from God. Wisdom is seeing that the way we hear from God is through His Word as His Spirit teaches us - or grants us impressions and leadings. Often what I was actually saying when I spoke of God speaking to me, was that His Word said something to me - and I was seeking to obey Him. In all honesty - I could have misinterpreted the Word - or picked a verse that agreed with what I wanted to do. Remember, the LORD gives wisdom - and it is from His mouth that the specific knowledge and discerning understanding come to make godly decisions. Therefore it is wise to appeal to His Word - and also be open to correction, suggestion, and possibly even rebuke as to our impression or leading. This requires the ability to think critically about ourselves and our decisions - which I know is very hard. But it also requires us to be able to stand on the Word when we know it is God leading us through it. In the end, it requires knowing the LORD, the Word, and a growing maturity in both. God does give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to us. He gives it freely, according to James chapter one, to those who need wisdom and understanding. Turn to Him - to where He has spoken objectively in His Word - and learn to follow His leading - not as an infallible inner subjective word - but as a work of His Holy Spirit that can be confirmed through the Scriptures and godly counsel. He will lead you and guide you this way - and you will be far more secure in that leading - than in a subjective feeling you have inside. If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:4-5
Solomon is relating to us an exhortation he gave to his own children. It dealt with the search and the quest to know God. There is no greater quest for anyone in this life than to know the God of creation and the God of salvation. The search is worth all the effort that we can muster - and the rewards will eventually dwarf any cost or effort we put into it. Solomon tells his son to seek after God like one seeks for silver. The search for silver takes a man under ground. There are dangers in this search, but when you run across a vein of silver there is abundant wealth in the finding. The famous "Comstock Lode" in the Nevada region started just as a smaller vein of silver that was discovered. Yet when the search continued to areas adjacent to that area - a lode of silver of phenomenal proportions was discovered. This is how a search for silver goes. You research and study an area and search at great length to discover even a small vein of silver in the earth. But as you follow that vein there is the possiblity that you will find the "mother lode" which refers to the largest portion of the valuable silver ore. This parallels the search for the knowledge and wisdom of God. As you search the Scriptures - and seek for God Himself - He will allow you to find Him. The search may be long and arduous - but the finding is so glorious that all the hard work will seem as nothing. This search is also compared to searching for hidden treasures. There are those who know of sunken ships that contain great treasures. Those who search for them scan documents that give clues in locating the sunken vessels. They take these clues and follow them in their search. They may search for weeks and months and even years - but they know that finding the treasure will make it all worthwhile. Solomon told his son to search the Scriptures the same way so that he would know the God of his fathers. This search will yield great treasure. But our treasure is not measured in silver and gold. It is measured in discerning what is means to fear God. It is measured in what we find when we discover and know God Himself. We search the Word and the wisdom of God so that we can discern what it is to fear God. The fear of God is not a terribly popular thing in today's society - but for those who study the Scriptures the fear of God is a treasure trove full of diamonds and rubies. We've already learned in Proverbs that one doesn't even begin the trek toward wisdom until he or she learns the fear of God. As one searches the Scriptures he learns about God Himself. He learns of God's judgments and His mighty acts. Can you imagine being present as Mt. Sinai rumbled beneath a cap of smoke and fire? My guess is that those who viewed such a thing didn't respond with warm and fuzzy feelings. They looked and experienced great fear and trembling. Consider the mighty works of the Lord through the ages. Consider Sodom and Gomorrah being rained upon with sulphurous fire - consider Dathan and Abiram with their families falling into the gaping crevice that God opened in the earth to swallow them alive. Think about what it must have looked like to watch the Egyptian army crushed by millions of gallons of water as the Red Sea poured upon them - even while Israel walked on dry land with a wall of water on either side. Imagine the enemies of Joshua being crushed with huge stones that God was casting from the heavens - even as the sun was standing still in the midst of the sky. What do these things inspire? They inspire wonder and awe and fear! They should help us discern that our response to such a mighty God is to fear and honor Him. There is more though. Through this kind of search we also "discover the knowledge of God." The word here is "daath" and it speaks of a knowing by experience, by relationship, and by encounter. This is what I love about the study of Scripture. We are not just looking into what is written in a book. We are not just studying so we can add to our "head-knowledge." We are studying and examining things so that we can KNOW GOD! There is a very real relationship and encounter awaiting us. God is real - in fact He Himself is ultimate reality. We search and seek so that in the end we may experience Him. This is the incredible promise that is made to us in Proverbs chapter 2. All the listening, the crying out, the seeking and searching is so that we can know the living God in a living relationship. This is NOT just religion or a set of values that will make our lives better. We are searching and seeking for THE God of the universe - Who literally made all that we see. He reveals Himself through Scripture - so that we may know Him as we walk through our every day lives. He is here - and He is knowable! That is why we search - that is why we seek - that is why with every fiber of our being we reach out to Him. We do so because He IS there - and He is drawing us into a vital, glorious, wonderful relationship with Himself. Oh the treasure that awaits us at the end of our search. Oh the ultimate mother lode that rewards us for digging and mining in His Word. Do not ever underestimate what awaits you when you seek God. Not even the first billionth could ever be comprehended of His imeasurable wealth and riches. So search . . . search with all your heart . . . search for the ultmiate treasure which is God Himself. For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; Proverbs 2:3
What do you do when you just don't seem to have the wisdom and the understanding to deal with a situation? Simple . . . you cry out to God for it. Proverbs tells us that we need to "cry for discernment." The word "cry" here is the Hebrew word that means to call out or to summon. Now, we cannot summon God - but we can request His presence and His ability to see things. This is the best thing to do when you don't know what to do. Cry out to God for the ability to determine the difference between things. That is what discernment is - the ability to distinguish between two things that are different. Some times this is not as easy as it is on Sesame street when they ask which things are different. Some times there is a subtlety to our choices - and often that subtlety is there by design of the devil, who desires to deceive us. That is why we need God's discernment to know the difference between things - especially when it is between settling for what we want - and striving for God's best. The second thing we are told to do is to "lift our voice for understanding." Lifting your voice here means to "give" it for the sake of understanding things. We give our voices for a number of things in life - but do we give it for understanding. The word for understanding here means "insight into things." It is one thing to just take the world as it comes to us - but it is another to begin to gain insight into what is happening in our own lives as well as the lives of others. That requires grasping the purposes and plans of God - as well as His commandments. When we look at things through His prism - suddenly what seemed to be merely white light - is broken into numerous components. We see motives - we see the problem of our own heart - we see a world fallen and sinful. Understanding means that we see things far better than when we approach them with our human wisdom alone. There is the problem that often besets us - we are approaching things from our own perspective rather than from Gods perspective. That is the reason why we need to call out to Him and give our voice to asking questions and seeking answers from His mind - from His Word - from His heart. When we do this - then we are living according to wisdom. My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; Proverbs 2:1-2
The father in this passage again is teaching his son to be wise. Therefore we once again see that wisdom flows best from a father to his children. The father here presents wisdom in an "if-then" scenario. If you want to be wise, then you need to do this. God did not make us to be robots - preprogramed to make all the right choices. He gives us the option to make wise or foolish choices - and then to experience the ramifications of those choices. Let's take a look then at the "ifs" that need to guide our choices - as well as the "thens" of how we will be blessed by wise choices. If you will receive my words is the first of the cause and effect statements made by the dad to his son. Do we receive God's Words - or words of wisdom from godly sources? The word "receive" here is interesting to consider. First it implies that someone is giving us something - in this case wisdom. Do we receive such things as intended? It is a wonderful thing when wisdom is offered to us. Truly such words are gifts and should be received as such. If we hear the wisdom of God's Word - or hear wisdom offered to us by another with irritation or pride - the words offered are wasted on us. Pride resists what another offers to us - thinking our own understanding to be adequate in all situations. This godly father (who simply mirrors our heavenly Father) wants us to remember to gladly receive what is said. This is especially the case when it is offered by someone in authority or care over us in our lives. Receive what dad says to you. Receive what mom says. Receive what is said to you by an authority in your life. If you do - you will be blessed. There is more than receiving though - when it comes to getting wisdom. We need to treasure the commands of our fathers and those in authority over us. Our culture is not much on commandments - preferring a radical autonomy for self rather than a wise command that offers not just something to obey - but a wisdom and understanding behind the command that protects us as well. The second "if" statement here is that we also treasure God's commandments as well. Imagine treasuring , "Thou shalt not murder." What would that look like - and what benefit would we gain from it? First of all - we would treasure life. It is something sacred given from God - therefore we do not take life without there being a clear directive from God to do so. Life is not ours to take. Thus we choose to highly value life in every situation we experience. As we do this - we find ourselves receiving as a gift God's words - treasuring those words as they command us on what is right and wrong . This leads to us finding delight in the character of the One giving the commandments - and speaking the words to us. The father goes on to tell the son that doing this will lead to other choices. These choices are first to make his ear attentive to wisdom as the words and commandments are received and treasured within him. As God's Word comes to us we are ware not just of words - but wisdom represented by those words. We see things from God's perspective - and learn to delight in His perspective and how His heart sees things. We learn to love how God sees, perceives, and acts in the world around us. The second choice is to incline our heart toward understanding. God wants us to receive words - to receive commands - to receive wisdom - but this is not an end in itself. We are to take these things and grasp the world around us according to them. Imagine putting on a pair of glasses that allows you to see beyond the raw information you get - to where you grasp what is going on in your own heart and the hearts of others. You would be getting understanding at this point. Information is great - but the ability to then take that information and use it in a way that helps you understand people - understand situations - understand what to say, how to say it, when to say it - and consequently when to say nothing - this is a wonderful gift. This is ultimately where God is taking us . He wants us to have wisdom - but wants it to be practical wisdom that helps us live life better. This always involves receiving raw date and information - but it also always moves us toward coordinating and cataloguing that information so that it can be accessed to foster a better understanding of our world. THE GOAL of all this - to live so as to glorify God in all that we say and do. To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; Proverbs 2:12-15
Why is wisdom needed? Well for many in the modern mindset, maybe it isn't. They contend that the basic nature of man is good. Yet the very reason for wisdom is the fact that evil exists. But we are not being told about evil in theory - we are being told here that evil men exist. The battle with evil in theory is one only in our minds - but a battle with evil that actually involves evil men - that is another story altogether. The first thing we learn is that there is a "way of evil" that exists in our world. We are facing those who have developed lifestyles that embrace evil. The facts are in - and those facts clearly delineate for us that man is fallen. The facts also indicate that being fallen, man has developed a whole way of life that is contrary to the will of God. If we are not careful and wise - we will find ourselves following that path - that way of evil. According to Solomon, we need to be delivered from the way of evil. Maybe this is why we hear John telling us, "Do not love the world or the things of the world, if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him." The way we are drawn into this way of evil is by men who speak perverse things. This perverse speech involves saying things that distort and deviate from what God has said and what God wants. It is deceptive, corrupt speaking that either denies the Word or twists it until it suits our fallen appetites. That's why we need wisdom and discretion - the ability to distinguish between things godly and ungodly. We need to know when an "evil man" is trying to deceive us and lead us astray. The evil man leaves the paths of uprightness to walk in their darkness. Here it is again - the fact that there is an entire walk and path that is ungodly. But we also learn that there is a corresponding walk that is upright and godly. The evil man leaves God's ways and chooses those that are dark instead. We learn again from John that the ungodly hate the light and do not come to the light. That is the way of the evil man. That is also why we need wisdom and understanding - to remind us that fellowship with the evil man means fellowship with darkness. It seems that God is trying to get us to see that there is a light/darkness - good/evil - godly/ungodly situation in life. Worldly wisdom equates the best of thinking and acting to mankind. That is why they are shocked with evil rears its head. They want to think the best of man - when the truth is man IS capable of the worst atrocities. Proverbs tells us that there are those men who "delight in doing evil and rejoice in perversity." We almost shrink from these statements - yet that is what is said here. If there has been a "fall" of mankind into sin that has corrupted them utterly - then it really isn't that much of a stretch that man rejoices in evil and perversity. To fallen man - evil is good and good is evil. Isn't that what we see today? In our world evil is called good and good evil. They consider the things of God strange and His commandments as burdensome. They see freedom as bondage and their current state of bondage as freedom. Delight in doing evil then becomes the norm - and it should not be all that strange to see those devoting entire programs on television and articles in writing to rejoice in how they pervert the straight paths of God. Look at the sexual revolution of the 60's as an example. The morals of the past were thrown off (possibly the biggest lie of that period was to deny that such things had always been happening - just that they were done far more secretly). But I think that the shock was not that morals were cast aside, but that now those acting immorally were rejoicing openly in their perversity. The movement was not just a desire to set aside what is right - it was a rejoicing in what heretofore was considered evil. What is even more amazing to me is that several generations of this behavior has led to society adopting such actions as normal - and now even certain segments of society say we should rejoice in evil. NOW we get why we need to cry out to God for wisdom, discretion, and knowledge to escape such a fate. The final statement about the way of evil is that their direction in life becomes like their heart. Their paths (again the word for lifestyle) are crooked. Crooked is the Hebrew word 'iqqesh'. It means something that is morally, religiously, and socially perverted. This perversity comes from the source of an evil, deceitful, perverse heart. No longer are certain actions perverted - but the whole direction and path of their life runs counter to the truth of God. Their lifestyle is finally described as being devious. This is the last straw. It describes a person who has followed their perverse and wicked ways to the point where they now despise and reject God's ways. They find them abhorrent. What is worse is that they are utterly blind to their condition. What we have described for us is the natural degradation of fallen men. They may begin with the remnants of God's image within them - but as they continue in their perversity they soon scald their conscience and harden it to the point where they no longer feel any shame in their sin. By the way, this is exactly what is taught to us in Romans chapter one. We learn that man begins with denying God and being ungrateful, but ends with those who cheer on the wickedness of man - preferring their own perversity to anything God has to offer. In light of such an ignoble end - we see why Solomon impresses on his son the importance of crying out to God for wisdom and understanding. There is too much at stake here to live and let live. The fall of man guarantees that what starts as a mere snowflake will become a massive ball of snow that destroys all in its path. May such a vision of the destructive power of our core perverseness motivate us to a passionate cry for God's wisdom and a desperate search for His ways and paths. |
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 |