My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 24:13-14
Here we have it on biblical authority - eat honey! There is an interesting study that comes with seeing the benefits of honey and then comparing those to the benefits of wisdom to our souls. Let's take a look at them today and gain wisdom by learning a little more about honey and wisdom. Solomon tells us here that we should eat honey for it is good. Anyone who has tasted honey knows that it tastes good - but Solomon is saying more than this. He says that honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. There are sugars in honey that make it a wonderful source of sweetness. Note though that Solomon is telling us to eat honey from the comb - natural, not processed. Then we are told that just like honey is good for us an sweet to our taste - so also wisdom is for our soul. We are reminded that when we find wisdom, there will be a future. The word used here is "acharith" which means, "a latter end." What the word says to us is that when we get wisdom - there is a good end to things. If we live our lives with wisdom - our lives will have a desired end - one that is blessed and good. We are also told that when we partake of wisdom - our hope will not be cut off. Wisdom yields a lasting hope. Wise living is living for eternal things. Living for this world may seem great at first - but in the end it is bitter. We have things now - we have pleasures now - but they are all cut off by death. Ecclesiastes also reminds us that we may be able to enjoy the things of the world when we are young - but when we are old those same things will not satisfy. The older we get - the less we enjoy things due to the aging of our bodies. So to live for the foolishness of this world - is to live for a hope that is cut off more and more every year. In the end - when the "acharith" comes - it is cut off altogether. Wisdom will protect us from living for a hope that will be cut off. But how does honey factor into all this? There are several ways that honey is helpful and healthy for our bodies. The first is the way that honey gives us sugars. Refined sugar is digested in a way that elevates our sugar levels in our blood stream - making it easier to become diabetic. Honey has actually been pre-digested by the bees - and is digested in a way that gives us the energy we need - without an elevation in our blood sugar levels. In other words, honey gives us what we need - but does so without also giving us the negative. Wisdom is the same way. There are those who desire to be smart and educated - but their education lacks God's wisdom and understanding. When this happens a person has a tendency to become very smart, but also very arrogant. They get the blessing of knowledge and education - but do so without getting humility and submission to God. This makes their education dangerous in that they trust a man-centered wisdom - that due to the sin nature in man - rejects the moral wisdom of God. In the end, their learning tends to corrupt them for they reject God's revelation and view education, knowledge, and wisdom to be purely a human endeavor. God's wisdom is different. Like the honey - it offers the good in a way that is not harmful. God's wisdom educates us - but with a view to submission to God. The more we learn, the more we embrace humility. We see that wisdom comes from God. The Lord does not bypass true learning and education - it is just submitted to God's moral law and is used to bring glory to Him. Because the God-centered worldview is radically different from the humanistic worldview - the learned gained in each system will lead to drastically different conclusions about life. A second benefit of honey is that it is filled with antioxidants that help us to fight disease. We have learned over the years that antioxidants help us fight free radicals - a type of chemical compound in our bodies that weakens them and makes them more succeptible to disease and even cancer. Honey helps fight these free radicals and keep them from harming us. Wisdom is like honey in this regard. Left to ourselves we will make choices that are harmful to us. The fall of man into sin has guaranteed that. According to Romans 1 and Ehpesians 4 - our understanding is darkened due to sin. We will inevitably choose to make a god of our choosing rather than honor the God who made heaven and earth. Wisdom from God counters this tendecy in sinful man - pointing us to God as the source of wisdom and understanding - rather than turning to our own ungodly wisdom instead. Wisdom that we gain from God's Word is like a divine antioxidant that will counter our tendency to turn to ourselves and the world for wisdom. Whereas the world tells us that we are free to make our own sexual choices - even if that involves sex outside of marriage - God's wisdom tells us that sexual intercourse outside of marriage is wrong and harmful to us. God's wisdom has been vindicated as study after study shows us that abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in it keeps us from all kinds of disease that runs rampant in the sexually promiscuous population. Like a divine antioxidant, the Word protects us from the free radicals of our sinful nature and the world system around us. Another benefit of honey is that is it a wonderful antibacterial and antibiotic. I learned from a local honey grower in our town that honey is wonderful to use in fighting infection - especially among burn victims. In China honey is used to keep burn victims from getting infections. Their success rate in keeping burn victims from getting infections puts ours to shame in America. Wisdom is just like honey in this regard. It is a divine remedy to keep us from being infected with the world's thought - and thus from the world's maladies. God's wisdom tells us that in relationships we should be selfless and patient. The world tends to be all about themselves in relationships. That is why there are so many broken relationships in the world. Marriages are protected from selfishness infections when God's wisdom prevails. Families are protected from self-centered outbreaks when we apply a healthy dose of God's wisdom to the inevitable difficulties and problems that we will face in this world. These are just a couple of the ways that honey and wisdom are good for us body and soul. When we choose to have a daily diet that includes these things, we will be blessed. As we read earlier - this will provide us with a desired end and a hope that will not be cut off. We will find ourselves energized with God's power - as well as protected from the infections of the world in our minds, hearts, and spirits. So eat up dear saints! Eat honey - do so wisely, but partake of it. Take a healthy daily dose of wisdom from God's Word as well. You will find that when you do this - there will be blessings that will last far beyond a moment - or even a day. You will be given blessings that will last a lifetime.
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Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:11-12
Here is a couple of verses that seem a little dramatic to us at first glance. How often in our society do we see people being taken away to their death and staggering to a slaughter? We need to remember though that the proverbs not only speak of physical realities but spiritual ones as well. So how can we learn from this particular proverb? There is the obvious slaughter to those who know Christ that is coming on the horizon. That event is the judgment seat of Christ - and the day when all men shall give an account of themselves to God. Too many think that on that day God's mercy will prevail and God will allow all men into heaven - or - they just deny God altogether. The problem is that the time of mercy - where God is showing amazing mercy to mankind is NOW - not then. Every day God has indignation with the wicked (Psalm 7:11) - and as a righteous Judge - He is showing unimaginable mercy by not consuming the wicked each and every day that He withholds the just consequences of mankind's sin. So contrary to popular thinking, God is showing mercy NOW - but in the day of judgment that general mercy shall no longer remain. All there will be on that day is grace for those who have run to Christ - and infinite, eternal judgment to those who chose to remain in their rebellion, thinking their own works will bear up in the judgment. There have been other slaughters in history. To the Germans who watched the Jews being carted off to the slaughter houses of the Third Reich, they were responsible to do something. To those who watched the awful specter of ethnic cleansing in country after country in our world, they were responsible to speak out against it and do what they could to stop it. In our own nation there has been a silent slaughter that has been going on since 1973. Abortion has dwarfed the slaughters foisted upon society by the likes of Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Mau, and Pol Pot. Sadly, this slaughter continues at a rate of 4000 a day - all legally - and now even paid for by our government. We've exported our murder of the innocents through the auspices of the United Nations and their wicked population control efforts. So for us to say that such a slaughter is not happening in our enlightened century - is to simply close our eyes to the truth that the wickedness of man has only multiplied to where they have come up with far more efficient ways to slaughter the innocent. God's call to us in the midst of the slaughter of the innocent is to hold them back. You can hear the cry of heaven saying, "Stop this! Hold them back from such a slaughter." Just like the heros of the past who spoke against slavery - and the racism that desires to cleanse the world of others unlike themselves - we need to speak out and act to stop the slaughter. To do otherwise is to be complicit with the murderers themselves. We may not be the actual executioners - but our inactivity and unwillingness to take the cause of the innocent empowers them to continue the slaughter. I find it the most perverse of activities that people camp outside prisons protesting the death sentence on the most vile of criminals - but justify abortion even up to the day of a child's birth. There has never been a more disgusting form of execution than that perpetrated upon the victim of a partial birth abortion. Yet for the most part - our society remains unmoved by this most horrific of injustices. God's Word to those who sit silently by and watch the evils of a slaughter of innocents is terrifying. The Lord speaks first to those who claim ignorance. They say that they did not know this - they knew nothing of a slaughter of this kind. They say this not because of actual ignorance - but as a ruse to cover their culpability. God's answer to them is simple. He who weighs hearts will consider this. God is saying to the multitudes who want to ignore such things that He knows their hearts. He weighs all hearts - and knows exactly what we know and what we do not know. The term weigh here is used of God's process of moral evaluation. The Lord says that a man's ways are all good in his own eyes - but God will weigh his motives and the "end" of his actions. God weighs our hearts by what happens as a result of our actions. Even when we choose to deceive ourselves - God is aware of the truth we refuse to embrace. If this is so in the little perjuries of our souls - is it not even more accurate in the major sins which we wink an approving eye toward by our inaction? God knows it because He keeps our souls - a term that speaks of how God watches over all that we do. There never has nor will there ever be something we've thought or done that He does not know intimately. This is a terrifying thought to those who think God will forget our sin. To help us grasp this even more clearly the writer of proverbs tells us He is the one who will render to every man according to his work. This term render is one that is sobering because it means to turn back or to return to another. In other words, what we have done and what we have allowed - will be done and allowed upon us for all eternity. This is true with the physical injustices that we see in the world - but it also will be true for those who do nothing for those staggering toward judgment without Christ. The ultimate injustice spiritually is when we refuse or cowardly back away from sharing Christ with the multitudes staggering toward the judgment seat without anything to pay for their sins. What an injustice we perpetrate when we enjoy salvation ourselves, but do nothing to stem the fearful judgment that will come upon others. We need to speak - speak for the wicked injustices that are happening in our generation - and speak to those who do not know Christ. I read a statement somehwere that said, "Daddy, what were you doing when they were killing babies?" Each generation that passes is often asked by history what they did to stem the tide of evil in their generation. We look back on Hitler's Germany and wonder why they did not speak out? We look at the horrific murders of the communist regimes of Stalin and Pol Pot and wonder why no one spoke out. And at the judgment seat of Christ the loudest thing we will hear will be the sound of our own silence in sharing the gospel as billions face the ultimate judgment of eternity. In light of such ultimate moments we need to ask ourselves, "Why do we not lift our voices to speak for the ones being led to the slaughter?" One who plans to do evil, Men will call a schemer. The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men. Proverbs 24:8-9
There is a foolishness that leads men to plan evil and devise ways of running after foolish things. We are warned against such things here in Proverbs. The term "plan" here means to think up things, to mull them over in your mind and to consider something extensively before doing it. The wicked man's mind is set on his evil - he plans it and considers it - thinking through the things he is going to do. Every wicked man is given to doing evil - everyone who has not been redeemed by the work of Christ on the cross is set in this direction - but there are those who take it to another level. They actually sit and make serious plans to act out their evil. Proverbs tells us that men like this will become known as a "schemers." What is a "schemer?" The term here is literally, "lord of mischief." He becomes a master at doing things that are wrong - things that are just plain evil. The word here is "ra" and it means evil, misery, and wickedness. It is not just that the schemer is planning mischief like you would see from a bunch of young men who plan pranks. This is a man who is planning and scheming about evil and godless things. And anyway - who wants the title, "lord of mischief" anyway? This is not exactly a title that brings great respect with it, except among those who glory in evil. The next verse expounds upon this even further. We read that the devising of folly is sin. There it is as plain as we can make it. When you become known as the "lord of mischief" you are sinning. When a person begins to "devise" folly - they are planning, purposing wickedness, lewdness and sin. The Hebrew word used here almost never pertains to any kind of good intention. It is reserved for the plotting of the wicked and the thoughts of foolish people. This word also is used heavily when describing sexual sins like prostitution, adultery, rape, and incest. This is NOT a good word at all - and when we are planning and purposing to do such things - we are walking in gross wickedness and sin. That is why this word for planning and purposing here is stated as sin itself. When we are devising foolish things like this - we are sinning. There cannot be any clearer statement than this made to us and given as a warning to us. This is also why when someone begins walking in this way, they become a scoffer. They scoff at God's Word with its warnings and its prohibitions of such lifestyles. They hate it - and mock it because it points to their actions and says plainly that they are sinful and wicked. In fact - this particular scoffer is so godless that God tells us that he is an "abomination to men." This is sinking to the lowest of low points. We have someone who has decided to plan and to map out their life for the purpose of evil, godless scheming, being the "lord of mischief," walking in folly, sinning, and scoffing at God's ways and morals. This is not a path the wise want to take. It is a warning to us to abandon even the smallest of sins - and to deeply abhor departing from the Lord. We do so because we do not want to displease or dishonor the Lord in any way. For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 24:6
Waging war - not exactly something we spend a lot of time thinking about in life - unless we're in the armed forces right? Well, before you dismiss this verse let's take a few moments to think about it and learn from it some very valuable lessons. In military matters we see the wisdom of what is being said here. We watched our military over and over again plan their campaigns with great care - and their wisdom was revealed as victory after victory was achieved. We also watched foolish leaders like General Custer not concern themselves with good planning and information and the disaster that came with their foolishness. Not just planning is wise - but also getting counselors who will help you understand things from many perspectives is also good. Doing these things will not absolutely assure victory - but will work toward it greatly. But there is other warfare that we should consider when reading this verse . . . spiritual warfare. There is a warfare for walking in holiness and living for God's purposes of which we should be aware. We have a very real enemy who wages war against our souls and who desires to hold us captive morally. Every day when we walk in this world, we are going to face a fight for godliness. This world system is under the power of the evil one - and it really shouldn't shock us that the world is not doing much to encourage godliness and a heart for the gospel. Paul told us that we should not be ignorant of the devil's devices in this warfare. He also told us that we should take up the armour of God and be ready to stand - and having done everything - to remain standing. Hmmm . . . sounds to me like the Bible may have some things to say to us in the way of wise guidance when fighting for godliness every day? Two things we learn here. When fighting the spiritual battles we face every day - we need to do so drawing upon "wise guidance." The word used here is "tahbulah" and it means counsel or advice - and is used more often for God's counsel and advice than anything else. It is even used of God's counsel used to direct the clouds in the sky. What we can learn from this is a wise man seeks God's own counsel in the way to fight the every day battles of godliness and holiness. We need to hear from Him every day. That points us to spiritual disciplines like the quiet time - the daily prayer time - and daily Bible reading. We do not do these things to be religious - we do them to survive and thrive in the warfare that we face against the world, the flesh, and the devil. If we listen - we will be blessed, but if we turn a deaf ear to the Word of God - we will suffer for it in the end. The second thing we see here is that there is victory in an "abundance of counselors." We need the wise guidance of God Himself to wage the war we fight daily in this world. But we also need to counsel of our brothers and sisters in Christ. A wise man knows that in an abundance of godly counselors - there is victory for us. This is something we need to embrace because quite often we face trials and problems that require some assistance from our brothers and sisters in Christ. The "lone ranger" Christianity that many embrace because of the emphasis in the west on individuality and self-reliance often robs us of the unity that comes from shared struggles in life. There is also that word "accountability" that we need to hear as well. Being accountable is more than just calling one another on the carpet and asking questions about how a person is doing in an area of struggle. Being accountable also means mutual encouragement and mutual counsel - so that there can be victory. We read in Ecclesiastes that two are better than one - and that a strand of three cords is not quickly broken. These verses remind us that we need each other in Christ. We need not just a few - but an abundance of counselors in life to see victory consistently in our walk with God. I cringe when I hear political figures tell us that it takes a village to rear a child. I only cringe because the village of which they speak means "it takes government and bureaucracy" to rear a child. That only means that government wants to take over the responsiblity of rearing your child - or reserves the right to trump how you want to rear your child. But with all double-speak aside - it does take an abundance of counselors to see victory in life - even with our children. Blessed is the child - and the parents - who have a church family with many counselors who will steer a child to the Scriptures for answers. That child - that family - and that church will be blessed - and will win the battle for that child's mind and heart. War is a serious matter - whether it speaks of those fought on actual physical fields of conflict - of the ones fought in our minds. The wise man accepts the counsel of God each day in preparing for battle. He also listens to his brothers and sisters in Christ who also offer godly counsel and encouragement in this daily war we call the Christian life. As Peter said, we need to "gird up our minds for action." That daily "girding" needs to have a healthy does of counsel from the body of Christ - and from God Himself as He speaks to us through His Spirit in the Word! Wisdom is too exalted for a fool, He does not open his mouth in the gate. Proverbs 24:7
Wisdom is costly - and it is something that requires commitment to have in our lives. Those who have gained any wisdom knows this. Wisdom requires an investment of time and effort. One who desires wisdom must gather wisdom by reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating upon God's Word. One who desires wisdom also will desire to be in the presence of God and godly men who will speak wisdom as they listen intently. Wisdom also requires an investment of life or living. One who has wisdom - true wisdom - lives it out each and every day. The wise man bucks the world when the world tells him to go his own way. The wise man does not run with the worldly crowd when the run headlong into a pursuit of their own lusts and desires. The wise man will make difficult choices that will of necessity require him to die to self. He will walk contrary to the fools who gather and approve each others foolishness. He will speak and live wisdom when it is in season - but more importantly when it is not. This is why wisdom is too high for the fool. He will not open his mouth in the gate. The gate was the place of decision making - the place where the elders gathered and offered their wisdom for the good of the city. Blessed is that land - that city whose gate is filled with men of wisdom. Blessed are they because the fool will not open his mouth there - for the very reason that wisdom prevails in that place. Very unfortunate is that city - that state - that people who have surrounded themselves first with their own foolishness - and ultimately with fools who sit in the gate. Theirs will be a land that multiplies foolishness - and pays for it dearly in their captivity to their own lusts and desires - and in the future - captivity to others who exploit their foolishness to gain the ascendency over them. It is better for us that the fools of our society not have the freedom to open their mouths in the gate -and that foolishness is seen for exactly what it is - foolish. Keil and Delitzsch make a wonderful comment about this when they say, "Wisdom is to the fool too high; the way to wisdom is to him too long and too steep, the price too costly." For this reason the fool is unwilling to make the climb, pay the price, or make the sacrifice necessary to gain wisdom. The wise man does not see the cost - but the jewel. He does not see the climb - but the panoramic view. He does not see the sacrifice - but the victory in the end. Wisdom is indeed exalted, high, and pricey - but is worth every penny, every sacifice, and every labor to attain. Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; 2 For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble. Proverbs 24:1-2
There are certain things that are repeated in Proverbs - certain aspects of life - certain issues that require reminders. One of those areas is the one addressed in these two verses. We need to beware of envying the wicked. But why would we envy them? One of the best places to grasp why is in Psalm 73 where the Psalmist temporarily lost his footing while envying the wicked. We envy wicked men because in this world their lives seem to be much easier and better. Often wicked men are successful in this age. Some achieve this because they cheat, steal, and claw their way to the top. Others just set their hearts on this world and what it offers - and don't take no for an answer till they have what they want. The psalmist looked at their lives and wondered why things were like this - how come the wicked seem to be catching all the breaks? The answer he came to only arrived when he went into the sanctuary and remembered God. Remembering God and the end of things brought sanity back to the psalmist. He considered the end of such men. They fell all at once - and their fall was often spectacular. They were consumed in an instant by death - and what awaits them beyone the grave is true, absolute justice. After seeing such horrific sights in God's presence the Psalmist decided it was better to serve God without all the worldly success - than to be evil, successful now - but ultimately impoverished and destroyed. God forbids jealousy toward evil men. Jealousy is easy when you see the successes here and now of the wicked. Their lives seem to be paved with butter and pastries. They have things we'd like to have - they have pleasures we think we would want. But God forbids this. When we become envious of the wicked - we start to want what they have. We think they have it made. Then we decide to hang around them because we like their stuff - their lifestyle - their buttered steps. Spiritual reality tells a different story though. The things they have that we want - how many of those things are the will of God for us? Men look at the playboy - or more recently the bachelor - and think, "Man, I'd love to have all those women fawning over me!" We look at the rich and famous and think, "If only I could have their wealth, their fame, their stuff - then I'd be happy." Here's a truth to remember - even they are not happy! They have their emptiness. At the highest point of my life in sin - I would come home from the parties - from the sex - from the pinacle of popularity and turn my face to the wall at night and long for something real. I would call out to God - asking Him to take away the emptiness of my heart. But here is another truth to remember - the more we look at them - and focus our thoughts and desires on what they have - the more we feed our flesh. In time, we will walk away from God, thinking that if we had a little of what they have - we'd be better off - happier. Oh, the devastation that comes from learning otherwise. I'm sure David thought that a night with the lovely Bathsheba would spice up his life. Samson proabably figured that a new relationship with that fox named Delilah is just what he needed to shake things up a bit. Absalom probably thought that being in charge himself would make his life better. Ahab figured that if he could just get Ahab's great garden spot he'd be content. Finally, Judas probably figured that he had those 30 pieces of silver coming to him after following Jesus 3 years - Jesus didn't seem to be offering a pay raise any time soon! Envying the wicked, their lifestyle and their stuff will get you into a load of trouble - because that's usually where they're headed - for trouble. Verse 2 here puts it bluntly to us. Their minds are working to devise violence - the word for mind here is the Hebrew "leb" which speaks of the heart. The Jewish concept of the mind is that it flows from the workings of our heart - our innermost desires. What a great picture is painted for us by the words used here. Devise is "hagah" and it means to growl, sigh, or mutter. It spoke figuratively of the meditation of the mind. In the wicked mind we hear growling. What are they growling about? We learn that their growling has to do with violence. The word here means violence, destruction - and is used to describe violence and havoc as social sins. This makes more sense to us when we put two and two together biblically. The evil man is living out the desires of his heart. His heart is given to himself and to the world and its desires. What he wants - he goes after - and he is absolutely committed to getting. Now take this reality and put it in the context of James chapter 4. "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel." (James 4:1-2, NASB) The evil man growls violence in his meditations because he cannot have what he wants - what he is lusting after - so he is willing to do violence (does not have to just be physical, could be moral as he does unethical things) to get them. This is the modus operadi for the evil man. Also his lips talk of trouble. Here is another interesting word in the Hebrew that describes the inner working of the evil man. Trouble is the word "amal" and it means something troubling. What is meant is that the evil man is constantly speaking of causing trouble. This guy is headed for trouble - and you hear him speak of it a lot. If you hang "with" him - you may "HANG" with him. Evil men exist. One of the facts of life is that there are those who are looking for trouble - and who cause it in life. What is fascinating is that we cannot relegate this to a socio-economic status or race. There are poor and rich alike - people of every racial background who just seem to breed trouble with their actions and attitudes. Some of these people can also have a life that may look glamourous and exciting on the outside - but beware - to travel with them or envy their outward status will only lead you into the same trouble and disaster. Better to steer clear of having them as close friends - or of desiring what they have. In the end - what they have is a coming disaster. Ask David - question Samson and Absalom - queerie Judas on this one. They'll all have the same answer - guard your heart! If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited. Proverbs 24:10
Why do distresses and troubles come to us? I know that I would like it much better if I had a life without these things. In fact most often I think that these kind of things are not just a problem - they are an annoyance. Some equate such things to the devil - as if troubles never come to us within the will of God or have a purpose in what He does in our lives. But they have tremendous purpose. Without them we would face grave problems in the end. Let's take a few moments today then and look closer at how God uses trials and distress for our good. The proverb today says that we are slack if in the day of distress our strength is limited. The word "slack" here means to cease and desist, to become discouraged or disheartened. To be slack in the day of distress is to lack the strength to face the distress or trial and thus to quit - become discouraged or disheartened by it. How often have we faced distresses only to realize that we lose heart in the midst of them. We don't have the strength to go through them without becoming seriously discouraged? That is why they are given to us. To teach us when we lack strength - or lack the kind of mindset that makes us fight when things get rough. We need distresses because it is only when we are tried and tested that we can know if we are learning anything from the Lord. It is only in these times that we will know whether we are just being religious - or whether we are gaining the strength to stand when things get difficult for us. Without distresses we would not know the joy of knowing that God's strength is sufficient for us to stand in any situation. As we go through these things, we learn that our hearts need to be stronger and our minds more filled with God's Word. We learn when our thinking is off and easily led astray in trouble. These things are vital to us as we seek to mature in the Lord. Yes, it is tough to go through a distress - and on top of it learn that our strength is limited. But when we learn this - we turn to the Lord - realizing that it is only in Him that we will be able to stand in every distress and every trial! By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4
There are things written by authors concerning how to built a godly home - volume after volume - and yet none of them can come close to giving the kind of counsel we find in these two simple verses in Proverbs. Four simple lines written here that let us know how we can have a home filled with all that is pleasant and all that will let the world know that we are truly rich. The very first princple must never be missed. A godly home will never exist without a proper view of its plans and materials. It is by wisdom that a house is built. Wisdom is our familiar word, "chokmah" in the Hebrew. I love this statement about wisdom made by Keil and Delitzsch in their volume on Proverbs. "It is wisdom, that which originates from God, which is rooted in fellowship with Him, by which every household, be it great or small, prospers and attains to a successful and flourishing state." Wisdom is seeing things as God sees them. Wisdom views all of life - all its decisions as decisions to be made in agreement with His will and His Word. Oh, how blessed is the house that lives this way! But life requires more than just seeing things as God sees them. This home, built upon God's wisdom, is established as this view of life is translated into daily decisions, for it is by understanding that this home so built is established. Understanding takes the wisdom of God and moves it into our decision making processes. We take the Word - and use it to discern and understand the situations we face every day. It is the prism through which we experience life - which takes our problems and decisions and bends them toward the will of God as a prism takes light and bends it into all its array of colors. Thus understanding bends all our decisions toward God so that we see them for what they are - and helps us make decisions in accordance with all that will please and honor Him. It is one thing to fill yourself with the Word of God - but quite another to then take that Word and apply it to all of life - especially how you bring up your family. But what a blessing to know that when you do, your home will be well-built and established so that it can stand strong for years. Kind of like what Jesus said in Matthew 7 - that the wise man builds his house on a life that hears and heeds the Word of God - as a wise builder founds his house upon a rock instead of upon sand. This building process even continues to the point of interior decorating. We are told by the Lord not just how to build the house - but how to fill all the rooms to capacity with abundant wealth. The various rooms of this house are filled with precious things by knowledge. This word is closely associated with wisdom - and means a technical or specific ability to do something - here it means taking the Word of God and usin it to walk through life. It means to wield wisdom with great skill and ability. The man who has this kind of specific skill with wisdom knows how to take God's Word and apply it in every situation that comes up in life. A beautiful picture emerges as we look at this word and how God applies it here. God speaks of how various rooms are filled with items specific to the room. Is this not how homes are decorated? We would never think of putting a sofa in our kitchen - or a toilet in the living room. A stove fits perfectly with a kitchen, yet would look absolutely ridiculous if put as a bedside table in our bedroom. So also is wisdom put into place by one who knows how to use it. This man fills up his home with the perfect match of furniture and decorations - room by room. He knows how to speak to any and every situation with just the right statement. Proverbs tells us that like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. To decorate our lives in just the right way requires a skill with wisdom and the Word. Like a master decorator - the wise man puts the perfect touch on every opportunity with his family and friends with words of wisdom and understanding. Each room is filled with "precious and pleasant riches." The word "precious" is the Hebrew "yaqar" which means something valuable and rare. It is used throughout the Old Testament to describe costly and expensive stones that were used as foundation stones or jewels. We would expect nothing less since wisdom itself is described as being more precious than jewels and as that which cannot be bested by gold and silver. Imagine walking into a home where each room greets you with an array of jewelry perfectly placed to accent the room so that it glimmers with a sense of perfection. That describes the way the wise man accessorises all of life with the perfect word spoken to every aspect of living. Yet, what is even more marvelous is the next word used here. He not only fills each room with precious things - but also with that which is described as pleasant as well. The Hebew word here is "naem" and it means that which is pleasant, sweet, comfortable, delightful, and beautiful. The wisdom and knowledge with which this man builts and decorates his home and life is not only profitable, but it spoken in such a way that it is delightful as well. Wisdom presents the truth so that it is pleasant to those who receive it. It would be foolishness to think that every wise saying will be pleasant at all times, for our fallen mentality must be addressed and our waywardness must be corrected. But too often we think that such things must always carry with them a bitter taste and sharp character. Oh, what a wise man it is who can take even the most difficult of truths or deep corrections and state them in such a way to soften the blow - while still addressing the core corruption involved. If you know such a man or woman - hold fast to them - and thank God for a rarity that is greater than a 25 carat diamond. When I read this short exposition, I realize it is a rare thing to see such a man in this world. One would almost come to a sense of despair to locate such a man on this planet. Thank God that such a man rises above all others with our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not so much a life to be attained, but one that is bestowed upon us as we daily search the Scriptures and look to our Lord. We do have the pleasure of knowing such a One as this - yet it is only as we fellowxship morning by morning with Him in the Word at the foot of the throne of God. Yet God, in His mercy, encourages such a meeting. We can meet with Christ and partake of His wisdom and understanding - finding that even today, as when He was twelve - that His answers and wisdom astounds us. May we grasp that when building and decorating our homes and families - that a master builder is available to come alongside us and give us the skill of a Bezalel and Uriah as our lives are constructed for His glory. My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change, 22 For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them? Proverbs 24:21-22
Change! We need change! There is the byword of our society lately. Yet, there are some things that do not change, and should not be subject to quick changes. What is fascinating to me is the two areas where this is mentioned. Fear the Lord - that I can understand. At least in the context of change. Those who think that they can do better with God - who think that they know better than His Word are not wise people. An example are those who think that God should change His views on morals to parallel those of a changing society. They are given to change, and do so every time the society decides to loosen their morals beyond what is written in the Word. As it says in verse 22 - their calamity is going to come - it will rise suddenly. And the ruin that comes from such "change" is massive. With God's Word that is easy to see. But that is not where this passage stops. Fear the king . . . that is the second part of this statement made by the wise man. Government? We should fear the government? That is what God's Word tells us. But we need to remember what kind of government they had. Their king was to spend time writing out a personal copy of God's Word so that he would be careful not to overstep what it said. But before we make this statement only apply to a biblical theocracy, we need to remember that Paul urged first century Christians to submit to the government of Rome - or to any under which they lived. We are to pray for those in authority so that we can live peaceful lives in all godliness. Stability in government is actually a good thing. As long as we can live within it for Christ - we should be grateful for whatever form of government we have. The people describes as the ones given to change are those who are desirous of changing the government - which in that day meant an overthrow or a revolution. Hang around with these people long enough - and both you and they will find yourselves at odds with the king. An interesting historical parallel to this is the French Revolution. There were those who were given to change - and who decided to overthrow the monarchy. These revolutionaries soon decided to overthrow one another. Before long - blood ran in the streets as one faction turned on another. The end of all this was the dictatorship of Napoleon and the wars that ensued. France was in shambles due to it all. Associating with those "given to change" led to many being beheaded . . . yep, sounds like calamity to me. The best thing is to fear God - and fear the ones in government to whom He has placed the sword of its power. Romans tells us as much. Historically, being a Christian has rarely meant working for government change. I know in the United States such statements are foreign to us, but biblically the focus of God's people has been building a kingdom that cannot be seen - one that will last forever. So, follow the counsel of Scripture . . . fear God and the king. Work in your life to live under both - but ultimately with a view to standing before the Lord, Who ultimately is the One Who governs our lives. |
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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