THE PRINCIPLES OF PROVERBS
1. WHY WE MUST HANDLE THE PROVERBS WITH GREAT CARE?
One of the many definitions of the word “proverb” is that it is “a simple and concrete saying that expresses a truth based on common sense or practical experience.” There are proverbs that exist both outside and inside the scriptures. Obviously, we should give more weight to the proverbs found in the Bible than anywhere else since these are inspired by God. It would be incorrect to assume that a particular proverb holds true in every case, or situation. In other words, one proverb may apply to a particular situation, but another proverb may be what is appropriate for a different circumstance you may find yourself in. This applies to Proverbs whether they are found in the Bible or not.
Proverbs not found in the Bible, yet not without value:
Example: “a stitch in time, saves nine” means that if you don’t take care of a problem when you should it will be more costly to wait. An example of this might be having my oil changed on time, otherwise my engine will not last as long, and it will cost me more in the end.
Example: “haste makes waste” is another proverb where we are instructed to not act too quickly in a matter. This might apply when we make a quick judgment about a matter without obtaining all the facts to make a responsible choice.
Proverbs found in the Bible:
Another good example of the proverbs found in scripture would be to compare Proverbs 26:4 with Proverbs 26:5.
Proverbs 26:4 (KJV) Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Proverbs 26:5 (KJV) Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
These two proverbs found together in scripture demonstrate the point I am trying to make. I need to study the situation I am confronted with and ask God for wisdom when faced with a confrontation with a foolish person. In fact I may apply Proverbs 26:5 when trying to point out how illogical the person is being by the course of action they have chosen. I may do this in an attempt to point out a person’s folly so that they will correct their chosen path. I may see in the process that Proverbs 26:5 is not working because this person refuses to listen to the voice of reason. It may very well be that I need to apply Proverbs 26:4 with that person going forward. People that refuse to listen to the advice of others, may just have to be left alone to learn some lessons the hard way.
It takes “wisdom”, which these proverbs are all about, in order to have the discernment to know which proverb to apply to a particular situation. So, proverbs without the Wisdom of God, and the Holy Spirit of God could be dangerous when applied in an incorrect way.
“Since a proverb is only the statement of a general truth, it must not be taken for a divine promise. David and Jesus both pleased the Lord, but they still had enemies (Prov. 16:7); and more than one obedient child of God has died young (Prov. 10:27). Not all godly people have houses full of money (Prov. 15:6), and many godless people eat well (Prov. 13:25). In the light of eternity, the wicked are the losers—no matter how successful they may be—but Proverbs focuses primarily on this life, not the next.” (Warren Weirsbe, With the Word)
I think many a parent has been harmed when they have been told by their pastor that God guarantees that if they raise their children right, they will turn out right, based on “the promise” of Proverbs 22:6. That is a general principle, but not an absolute guarantee or promise. God is the perfect parent, and He even said to Israel, “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.” (Isaiah 1:2). It is no more a guarantee than it is that all obedient children live a long life. Think about it! If you live a reckless life like the proverbs warn about, then it is likely you will live a much shorter life than if you did not. If you smoke, we have been told by health care specialists that you will almost certainly shorten your life by ten to twenty years. That has been proven to be true, but a few seem to beat the odds from time to time.
We must always pray for wisdom when reading and studying the proverbs and when applying them to life situations. We can be as dangerous with the Bible in our hands as putting a magnum 44 in a child’s hand, fully loaded, if we are not careful. Knowledge about what the scriptures is saying is one thing, but it is quite another to have the wisdom to know how to rightly apply it.
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2. PROVERBS GIVES GUIDANCE ON HOW TO LIVE LIFE ON EARTH AS WE PREPARE FOR HEAVEN.
The word “proverb” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to rule or to govern.” Thus Proverbs are sayings designed to rule or govern our conduct, and may be called “Heaven’s rules for men on earth.”
“The theme of Proverbs is wisdom, the right use of knowledge. This wisdom is more than an intellectual pursuit; it also involves devotion to the Lord. The wise person fears the Lord, trusts Him, and seeks to obey His will. The wisdom described in Proverbs is like a spiritual “sixth sense.” It enables you to evaluate circumstances and people and make the right decisions in life.” (Warren Weirsbe: With the Word)
As a chaplain, it is so good to have a network of fellow chaplains that are all on the same team, seeking to provide the best care they can for those whom God and the company owners have entrusted to them. Realizing the awesome responsibility that I have, I try not to bluff my way through a situation when I am asked to help someone in an area that I have little or maybe no expertise on. Chaplains can’t be all things to all people, but they can be an excellent resource provider. Sometimes I have the luxury of going to another chaplain on the field and without breaching confidentiality, I am able to explain a particular circumstance that somebody is faced with and it just might be that another chaplain has dealt with this issue and has a lot of wisdom and insight into it. Rather than me telling an employee something that would not be the best advice, I would rather tell them I will pray for them, and if they will give me a little time, I will get back with them soon and try to have some helpful advice for them.
Sometimes I might even know from the standpoint of scripture, exactly what course of action would be appropriate for them, and Maybe I can even sympathize with the employee about it, but because I have not been down the road that they are on, I might not be able help them quite as well as somebody else could. On quite a number of instances, my wife has been a huge help in helping assisting a lady that is struggling with something in ways that I never could simply because she has a greater understanding through personal experience than I do. When I am willing to defer to another like that, it is a win- win situation for all parties. In the last twelve years of doing chaplaincy, I have never run across a single employee that expects me to have all the answers. The chaplain who thinks they have all the answers will often fail to point people to the ONLY ONE WHO TRULY IS THE ANSWER.
Your problem that is too big for you to get your arms around today may be too big for me too. But one thing we can be certain about is that it is not too big for God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, right now, whatever you may be going through, your greatest need is always to have more of Christ in your life.
In the apostle Paul’s day there were religious groups that claimed to have special supernatural knowledge that nobody else had access to. They wanted people to always go to them for direction. They wanted to create a dependence on them so they could control and manipulate the people. Paul’s remedy for this problem was to point the people to the true source of wisdom and knowledge, which is Christ. Solomon wrote most of the proverbs but only Jesus lived these things out to perfection. So if all our efforts to study to know the Proverbs do not lead us daily to Christ, we will likely miss the most important truth of all.
Col 2:3 (NLT) “In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Matthew 7:24-27 (MSG) “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. [25] Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. [26] “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. [27] When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
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3. “Unsought advice is seldom heeded!” (Proverbs 1:1-6)
Proverbs 1:1-6 (HCSB) The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning what wisdom and discipline are; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving wise instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man — a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance — for understanding a proverb or a parable,the words of the wise, and their riddles.
This is a great statement and one that I have found to be true, but sometimes am only reminded of it when I have forgotten to follow it. I have discovered in my life experience that “unsought advice is seldom heeded” and when given is in fact, often resented. As a matter of fact, though the odds are much greater, I have also found that even when the advice is sought, it too is often not heeded. When people ask for the opinion of another I think they are often more interested in getting confirmation about what conclusions they have already come to on a matter, rather than trying to gain wisdom from another person. I have been on both sides of this equation. I have been guilty of this, and I think many others are as well. That is why these verses in proverbs 1 are so important. Proverbs is all about wisdom, and wisdom is the right application of knowledge.
The word that jumps off the page to me as I read these first six verses of chapter one is the word “receive” found in verse three.
Proverbs 1:3 (AMP) Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity,
The word “receive” means to “to get,” “to mingle,” “to seize,” “to take in” and it is even translated elsewhere as “win.”
Lets consider what this can mean for you and I if we are willing to receive what God has for us. To “receive” it we must make sure we “mingle” God’s truth throughout our being so that it becomes part of the fabric of our nature. This is what Jesus did when He “spit” on the ground and then mixed his “spittle” with the clay dirt. He took the “dirt” which represents our flesh, because that is the orginal material from which God made man. But the “dirt” was mingled with that which “proceeded out of the mouth of God” (John 6:63), and the result in the story of the blind man, was that his sight was restored. This is what God wants to do for all of us. God wants us to be so willing to receive His truth into us so that it will become second nature (which is the new nature, we have in Christ 2 Cor 5:17) to apply this truth to our life.
The book of James has often been called “The Proverbs of the New Testament” and James essentially tells us to do the same thing.
James 1:21 (AMP) So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.
Solomon’s primary target audience seems to be to those who are young and inexperienced. The best thing anyone can do if they come accross a difficult situation is to find someone who has had more experience in this area and ask for help. Pride is what keeps us from doing that, and humility is what is needed for these “Lone Ranger” kinds of people.
One of the other words I mentioned for the word translated “receive” is the word “win” or “winneth” (Proverbs 11:30). In Proverbs 11:30 the righteous one who wins souls is ultimately Christ, because only He can conquer for his own possession, a soul for God. In the same way that Christ “wins souls” to Himself, we can capture wisdom for our own possession if we are humble enough to receive it. Take a look at verse three in a few other translations for clarity, and I think it will bless your heart.
Proverbs 1:3 (NLT) “Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”
Proverbs 1:3 (MSG) “A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair;…”
While the whole Bible is “a manual for living” this is the main message of the proverbs collection of wise sayings. We are not in heaven yet, so while we are here, we need to be good stewards of the time that has been alloted us. The best way to do that will be to “look” “listen” “learn” and then “live” out the truth that God has for us.
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4. How can I have a great last chapter in my life? (Proverbs 1:5).
Proverbs 1:5 (HCSB) “a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance…”
As I reflect on many of the characters in the Bible, I notice that many of them had a great first chapter in their life story, but their last chapter was not so great. As I get older, I think more and more about how I am to sprint to the finish line for God. I think of people like Solomon who wrote many of these proverbs, and how he began well, but did not finish so well. The same can be said for David and Saul who preceeded him. One might think that it is the young man who is most vulnerable to Satan’s attacks and defeat, but that can be deceptive thinking. I have seen how pride and self- sufficiency has entered the lives of many, and I fear the same could happen to me. I don’t ever want to be so comfortable in my own skin, that I ever think I can do anything “without Him” (John 15:5).
One of the marks of wisdom is the willingness to “listen” with the intent to understand. In the New Testament, though Appollos was mighty in the scriptures (Acts 18:24), he was willing to be taught by others who were willing to mentor him in the way of God more perfectly. One of the things that I am reminded of as I meet with men bi-weekly, and our church on a weekly basis is how much I learn from others in these groups every week. Sometimes I learn the most helpful and profound things from those who are fairly new in their faith journey. Just the other day, a young believer in our group talked about having the proper balance of “confidence with humilty.” He spoke about how he applied that to a life situation, and in so doing shared wisdom with the group beyond his years. This is exciting, when we can all learn from each other and realize that, nobody but Jesus ever had it all figured out.
May God give us all the “spirit of humilty” to be a good listener, and to listen so that we may learn to obey. Because Apollos was willing to listen and learn (Acts 18:26) he was able to share his new insights to others and expand the message of the gospel of Christ, throughout the Roman world.
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5. Should we live in terror of God? (Proverbs 1:7)
Proverbs 1:7 (AMP) The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline. [Ps 111:10.]
Many think this verse to be the key verse of Proverbs. We might want to add to that at least one other verse that reads similar to it in (Proverbs 9:10). Here in Proverbs 1:7 we are told that, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” and in Proverbs 9:10 we are told that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
The real question to ask here is, What does it mean to fear the Lord? I do believe that the best way to look at this word in the context of its use throughout the bible in most cases means to have a “reverential trust” in God. In other words, to fear God is to love God, honor God, adore God, and worship God. That is the goal of proverbs, and the key for all of us to be obedient to what would otherwise appear to be very difficult commands of God. If we are really in love with God more than any other thing in this world and we really have bought into the idea that God’s plan for us is always better than any plan we could ever come up with, then obeying God is not a difficult thing to do (Proverbs 3:7). John tells us something like this in 1 John 5:3.
1 John 5:3 (AMP) For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).
If we are under law these commands are burdensome, because the law tells us what we ought to do, but does not give us the grace that enables us to do anything. When Jesus came to us and now that He dwells within us, He gave us not just the truth to follow, but also the grace to be willing and able to carry it out. That does not mean it is effortless, it just means that the more we are in love with God, and truly trust “his ways above our ways” the easier obedience becomes.
This to me is the predominant way we are to understand the phrase, “the fear of the Lord” as it is used in the Bible. The idea of “terror” however is for those who are on the other side of God’s grace. Those who do not embrace God, or the Bible, or His Son Jesus Christ do have good reason to “fear God” in an entirely different way. Let me share with my readers a couple of examples when God needs to be feared in the sense of terror.
Deuteronomy 11:25 (KJV) There shall no man be able to stand before you; the Lord your God shall lay the fear and the dread of you upon all the land that you shall tread, as He has said to you.
In this verse God told his people that others would “fear” them because they knew that destruction was imminent for those nations who were in Israel’s path, and refused to become God followers. There was hope for any individual Gentile that wanted to become an Israelite and follow the ways of God, but it would be “curtains” for all the rest.
Another verse in the New Testament makes this point even clearer.
Matthew 10:28 (NLT) “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
The point here is that God should be feared if we are not interested in being a God follower. If this is the case, and one dies in this condition I can promise you that such an individual will face God with “fear and trembling.” If a person is a believer, they will not stand before God perfect “in their flesh” but they will be able to stand before God, “perfect, in Christ Jesus” and because of that biblical truth they need not fear God in the sense of being terrified of Him.
Having said that, I would not want to fail to remind any believer that thinks they never need to fear God in this sense of dread in any way at all. I say that because if a follower of God chooses to be disobedient to God, He will chasten and discipline any child of His (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:6-11).
Hebrews 12:6-11 For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. [7] You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline? [8] Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. [Pr 3:11,12.] [9] Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? [10] For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. [11] For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness — in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
Most adults my age can remember back to one of those days when they heard one of their parents just before getting ready to spank them say, “I am doing this because I love you!” It was hard to believe at the time, but was true back then, and it is even much more so, when our Lord chastens us. I can promise you too, that when my dad came home and I knew I was going to get one of his spankings, the kind of fear I had for my dad, was not the “reverential trust” kind of fear. It was the “fear and trembling” kind of fear, when I made the foolish choice to disobey. I really did know that my dad loved me, but the pain of his belt, never felt very lovely at all. All God’s people would do well to remember this kind of “fear” before we decide to do life our own way instead of God’s. _______________________________________________________________________________
6. If we choose to run with the Devil’s crowd, there will be hell to pay! (Proverbs 1:10-19).
Proverbs 1:10-19 (HCSB) My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded. If they say — “Come with us! Let’s set an ambush and kill someone. Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun! Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol, still healthy as they go down to the Pit. We’ll find all kinds of valuable property and fill our houses with plunder. Throw in your lot with us, and we’ll all share our money” — my son, don’t travel that road with them or set foot on their path, because their feet run toward trouble and they hurry to commit murder. It is foolish to spread a net where any bird can see it, but they set an ambush to kill themselves; they attack their own lives. Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly;it takes the lives of those who receive it.
There are many strong warnings in the scriptures that tell us clearly that danger lies ahead if we don’t make a u-turn quickly. It reminds me of the two preachers who held up a sign along the road that said, “The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it’s too late!” They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car. “Leave us alone you religious nuts!” yelled the first driver as he sped by. From around the curve they heard a big splash. “Do you think,” said one of the preachers to the other, “we should just put up a sign that says ‘bridge out’ instead?”
Take a look at the following other scriptures in the Bible that give us a similar warning.
Proverbs 13:20 (MSG) Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Psalms 1:1 (NLT) Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners,or join in with mockers.
Psalms 1:1 (MSG) How well God must like you– you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.
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7. Wisdom is knocking at our door, if we are only willing to open it up and welcome her in (Proverbs 1:20-33; Proverbs 8:1; 9:1).
As we study Proverbs we will discover what the actions are of a truly wise person.
1. The truly wise person will never stop learning and will receive guidance in life (Prov. 1:5).
Proverbs 1:5 (NLT) Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance
2. The truly wise person will not waste their breath on one who refuses to take advice (Prov. 9:9).
Proverbs 9:9 (MSG) Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.
3. The truly wise person will think through their course of action instead of flying by the seat of their pants (Prov. 14:16).
Proverbs 14:16 (NLT) The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.
4. The truly wise person will make their point known, and be willing to leave well enough alone (Prov. 10:19).
Proverbs 10:19 (NLT) Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
5. The truly wise person will be diligent (Prov. 10:5).
Proverbs 10:5 (NLT) A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
6. The truly wise person will bring joy to their father (Prov. 10:1; 15:20).
Proverbs 10:1 (MSG) Wise son, glad father; stupid son, sad mother.
Proverbs 15:20-22 (MSG) A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly. Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
7. The truly wise person will have his or her needs met (Prov. 21:20).
Proverbs 21:20 (NLT) The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.
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8. The path to recovery for those who really want help (Proverbs 2:1-22).
Six times the word “paths” is found in this chapter in the Holmon Christian Standard Bible. If a person is ever going to find the wisdom to live a healthy and whole life before God, then they must really apply what they are being told. The Message paraphrase says that we must search for wisdom from God, like a person would pan for gold.
In order to be on the right path, there are certain steps that must be followed.
(1) We must be willing to “accept (God’s) words,” which means we must be willing to receive instruction (2:1).
(2) We must “store up” God’s commands (2:2).
(3) We must make sure that our “heart” is tuned in and we are “listening closely” (2:2).
(4) If we follow this direction there is reason to hope for “success” in life’s journey (2:7).
(5) This person will have “discretion” to know how to make healthy choices (2:11).
(6) This person will know what toxic relationships they must run from (2:12-19).
(7) This person will know what kinds of examples they should “follow” after (2:20).
These verses focus on human responsibility and personal diligence. This is what demonstrates a persons willingness to be helped. Solomon is giving us the tools, and the question is, HOW WILLING AM I TO FOLLOW HIS PLAN OVER MY OWN! If your plan is working fine, I wouldn’t tell you to change a thing, but, if you ask the Dr. Phil question to yourself, “How is that working for you?” and you realize that ten years from now, you will be right where you are right now, and that is not where you want to be, maybe its time to give something else a try.
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9. Two verses in Proverbs every Christian should memorize (Proverbs 3:5-6).
It may be that you are already a Christian, and have been one for quite some time, so you are thinking, I have been there and done that. I have already memorized this verse. Well, I have too, many years ago, but maybe reading, meditating, and even memorizing it in another translation will help you to see the truth of this passage in a fresh and new way. Let me suggest a couple translations below that you might like.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG) Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
If you are really ambitious you may want to add verse seven.
Proverbs 3:7 (MSG) Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! Run from evil.
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10. HOW TO COMBAT THE SIN OF WORRY (Proverbs 3:5-6)
As I look at these two very important verses in the Bible, it makes me think of two similar verses in the New Testament (Philippians 4:6-7). You might say that Proverbs 3:5-6 is the Philippians 4:6-7 of the Old Testamant. I like what one pastor said, when he preaches on the Old Testament, he stays away from calling it “the Old Testament,” and instead calls it the Hebrew bible. I kind of like that, for the same reasons he gives for doing it. So many people tend to stay away from the old, since we have the new, as though the Old Testament is out of date and somehow irrelevent for today. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, I think we have an example here of how both testaments are far more complimentary than they are contradictory.
In Philippians 4:6-7 in THE MESSAGE paraphrase it says, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”
I think as you read these verses alongside Proverbs 3:5-6 you will see that both are addressing the same thing. On sunday morning many church folk go to church and so often we like to appear like we have everything together, and live a very stress free life. Then, after church we get back to how things really are. It is true that Christians should have less stress than those who do not know Christ, simply because we have Christ to turn to, so that normal burdens do not turn into major worry sessions. Too often, that is not the way it works at all.
Some try to handle what they are worrying about by just trying to focus on some other thing, and they just live in denial, but just deciding not to think about something never really works in the end. In both passages we are taught to replace our worry with faith and trust in the Lord.
Faith is only as good as its object, and since the object of a Christians faith is the LORD, we should be able to displace worry with Christ, and not be stifled in our worship and journey because of something that is consuming our thoughts.
I must tell all my readers, that I struggle in this area too. I know what the Bible says, but I often struggle with the implimentation side of the Bible. This only proves what I have often said, “The most difficult parts of scripture for a Christian are not the parts that he or she does not understand. The most difficult verses are those that are made plain to our minds, but because of our weak faith are most difficult to carry out.”
So, lets ask God to help us all to do the following things.
(1) Trust in the LORD (3:5a).
The word for LORD here is Jehovah, which means, “the self-existent eternal God.” If we were to focus more on who we are to trust in and less on the amount of faith that is needed by us, I think we might get some where with this verse of scripture.
(2) Lean not on our own understanding (3:5b).
One might think this is such an obvious truth that it should not be neccessary to mention, yet this is probably where most of us get into trouble. If you are a “fixer” like me, then you often will be eager to impliment your own plan of redemption for yourself and everybody else you are trying to help than you are by yielding to the Lord.
This is where the “ego” gets in the way of God. Somebody said “ego” is an acronym for “edging God out.” Think about the situation you are in right now. Are you really trusting the Lord with the matter or have you just implimented your own plan of redemption. If all of our efforts to help ourselves is crowding out God, so that He cannot do the real work, we may be causing more harm than good. There is only one Savior in this world, and I have to remind myself often that it is not Dan McKenney. The only Savior is God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
(3) Acknowledge the Lord (3:6a)
Verse 6 says, “in all your ways acknowledge him.” This means in my work, in my home, or in my whatever. It also means to acknowledge him in times of discouragement, hurt, depression, failure, fear, or even in times when you have experienced great success and blessing. We must never fail to acknowledge that God is God, and we are not in all of life’s experiences.
Conclusion: God’s spiritual mathmatics for the equation of Proverbs 3:5-6 is that these three points will result in God making our paths straight! In seeking God’s will we should first follow the Word (Psalm 119:105), A great Old Testament Psalm about seeking God’s will that has helped me is (Psalm 37:4). Keep in mind, we can only follow the “desires of our heart” when we are walking in fellowship with God. On this point, we must make sure we are first delighting in the Lord with all our heart or the wishes of our heart will be wrong, because of the deception of our heart (Jer 17:9).
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11. Christians have a real responsibility to honor God with their substance (Proverbs 3:9-10).
Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV) Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; [10] then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
“The generous Jew in the OT was promised bulging barns and overflowing vats of wine. Even though our blessings may be of a more spiritual nature, it is still true that we cannot outgive the Lord.” (Believers Bible Commentary)
This is often where Christians yelp the loudest when pastors are delivering their Sunday morning messages. It is true that some pastors may mention money matters too much, even though I am told that the Bible teaches us what to do with our money more frequently than it tells us about hell.
From an experience standpoint, as pastor I rarely talked about money, because I always believed that if people see value in things they will turn loose of possessions. There are certain grocery stores that I like better than others, because they are the ones that have the goods that I want, for the best value, consequently, there is one particular grocery store that I am willing to travel further to get to, even though there are a few others much closer to where I live. I think the same is true about church. If there is good Bible teaching and the church seeks to use what funds comes in to support missionaries and help support those in need, first in the church and then those we are trying to reach for Christ, then people don’t seem to mind giving to that.
Having said that, I think there is such a thing as stingy Christians. Like the guy who puts a dollar in the offereing plate, and fishes for ninety-cents in change before the plate is passed to the next person.
In the proverbs passage God is telling us we should honor Him with the “firstfruits of our substance.” That means that He should get the first of whatever portion you believe God would have you give to His work. Some call that a tithe and others prefer to do what they call “grace giving” based upon passages like 1 Cor 16:1-2 and 2 Cor 8 & 9. I personally like the idea of praying about what to give and then giving out of gratitude for what God has done for you. The more God blesses you with materially, it would seem the more one would want to have a big heart to give for the cause of Christ and those ministries involved in Kingdom building. Quite honestly, a persons willingness to give does reflect where their heart is. Jesus said so Himself.
Matthew 6:21 (NLT) Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Let me say however that there are some people in my church that may have little to contribute financially, but they put the rest of us to shame when it comes to the time and talent that they are willing to give to God. I really appreciate them for that too. I don’t worry about what anyone gives or who gives, I just want to see people grow in grace, and giving to God is part of that spiritual growth. _____________________________________________________________________________
12. How will “discretion” save me? (Proverbs 3:21).
Proverbs 3:21-22 (BBE) My son, keep good sense, and do not let wise purpose go from your eyes. [22] So they will be life for your soul, and grace for your neck.
Most translations use the word “discretion” in this verse. I think what THE MESSAGE calls it pretty much defines what discretion is. The Message calls discretion “common sense.” The BBE translation says to keep “good sense” and “wise purpose” as the lens that guides your steps.
If we would take a minute to think before we act on a matter and ask oursleves, “What does God think about this matter?” most of us would avoid a lot of grief, and find ourselves not needing to say quite so frequently, ” I am sorry!” “Good sense” and “wise purpose” doesn’t come naturally, but will likely be the result if you are walking in the fellowship of the Lord.
So many times we can hear a message from the Bible on Sunday, only to find that it is quickly forgotten by Monday morning. This is how quick we allow the devil to snatch away that which God desires to have sown in our hearts. If, on the other hand, we take the time to think about what God thinks about a matter and then act through that filtered biblical world view, then we will benefit by it in two ways.
(1) You will benefit because in your heart you will know that you have done the right thing and therefore you can sleep at night with a clear conscience. In other words there is an INNER benefit to living life this way. This is what is meant by the phrase, “life to your soul.”
(2) You will benefit in that others will see that this is the way you govern your steps. When the bible says, it will be “grace for your neck” it is describing what others can see. So their is an EXTERNAL benefit as well.
Early this morning my wife and I were talking about a comment someone made on facebook that we both agreed with. I then went on to say that I could not hit the “like” button on that comment because doing so would have gone against my “purpose driven” life! My wife agreed, that she refused to do so for the exact same reason. When you are a chaplain, it is so important to be known by what you are an Ambassador for. I am not ever going to be an ambassador for any political candidate. My calling is to be an Ambassador for Christ, and if I am known for anything less than that, then I am operating outside the perimeters of my calling from God.
Decisions about what we do in life would be much easier if we had a Purpose and knew what that purpose was, and we operated always within that sphere.
The famous Baptist Preacher, C. H. Spurgeon use to smoke cigars. What eventually made him quit was when he saw a Billboard put up that advertised the kind of cigars that he smoked. According to the story I heard, he quit smoking once he saw the sign, “THESE ARE THE CIGARS THAT SPURGEON SMOKES!” because he did not want to be known for such an earthly thing as what kind of cigars he smoked. He wanted to be known only for the gospel he preached.
May God help each of us to know exactly how God wants us to live out the days of our life according to the purpose he has given us for living life while we remain on this earth.
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13. Is there a contradiction between Proverbs 3:5b and Proverbs 3:21?
I feel compelled this morning to clear up what might appear to be a contradiction between these two passages. The first passage tells us to, “lean not unto our own understanding,” while the second one tells us to rely also on “common sense.” While on the surface it may appear to contradict, upon careful examination the passages harmonize quite well.
When the proverbs writer is telling us to “lean not unto our own understanding” he is addressing someone who would be ignoring the Bible, wise counselors who know the Lord and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the person who “walks in the light, as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7) is walking in harmony with God’s will and therefore will have “sanctified common sense” to rely upon. The “discretion” spoken of is the by-product of applying Proverbs 3:5-6 to ones life. There is therefore no contradiction between the two statements.
Warren Wiersbe makes the following comment on Proverbs 3:1-8.
“What you do with your heart determines what you do with your life (Prov. 4:23). Cultivate an obedient heart (v. 1) that receives God’s Word (v. 3; 2 Cor. 3:1-3) and a trusting heart that obeys (vv. 5-6). Verse 5 does not suggest that you ignore your mind or common sense, but that you not lean only on them and reject God’s way.”
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14. Walking toward the Light is the direction we must take (Proverbs 4:18).
Proverbs 4:18 (NKJV) But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
I don’t suppose I will ever forget one of my early experiences hunting with another man who really knew his way around the woods well. He was trying to mentor me to be a skilful hunter, and on this particular day, I wasn’t a very good student of the game. This kind of hunting included dogs, so there was a lot of walking involved. He placed me in an area, where the sun was directly in front of me. He then said that he would be about 50 yards away from me and we both were to walk straight ahead, through the woods. He gave me one simple instruction to follow, and that was to keep walking toward the sun. It didn’t seem so difficult, but very quickly I got so distracted by the briars and tree branches in front of me, that in a very short time when I looked up the sun was not in front of me. I looked behind me, and there was the sun. I would never have thought I could have messed up such a simple instruction that I was given, but I do know that is often what we as Christians do as well. WHEN WE GET OUR EYES OFF THE (SON), BEFORE WE KNOW IT, WE WILL FIND OURSELVES WALKING MORE TOWARD THE DARKNESS THAN THE LIGHT.
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15. In order to avoid the trap of sexual sin, we must FLEE anything that might cause us to yield (Proverbs 5:1-4,7-8).
Though Solomon wrote most of the proverbs in this collection, and many more according to 1 Kings 4:32 (3000 in all), He didn’t always follow his own advice. His life ended in disaster because of the immoral influence of pagan women. His hypocritical lifestyle had a much greater influence than his words.
Joseph, on the other hand is a good example of actually exercising the biblical instruction of Solomon’s wisdom. He was being pestered day after day by Potiphar’s wife, as she tried to get Joseph to engage in the sexual act with her. He did more than just turn her down, his integrity caused him to actually run from her (Gen 39:8-9).
Another elder in my church the other day taught on the three enemies of a Christian, which are “the world” (meaning the world system that is opposed to God), “the flesh” (our own selfish desires), and “the Devil” (no explanation needed). What was most helpful was the particular instruction that he gave on the proper response to each of these attacks.
(1) When it comes to the allurement of the things of this world that can distract a Christian from their devotion to Christ, we must RENOUNCE IT, or STAND OUR GROUND against it (James 4:4-5; 1 John 2:15-17).
(2) When it comes to the Devil, we must RESIST, OR WITHSTAND, which we can only do with the whole ARMOUR OF GOD ON (Eph 6:10-18).
(3) But, when it comes to THE FLESH, which probably for me is my biggest foe, WE MUST FLEE (2 Timothy 2:22).
I think Paul’s advice to Timothy about how to be A MAN OF GOD, or A MAN FOR GOD, goes right along with Solomon’s advice here in this chapter.
In 2 Timothy 2: Paul gives us 4 IDENTIFICATION marks of a GOD CALLED MAN! Of course much of this instruction would apply to any person who wants to be godly. You can tell a godly person by…
1. What he FLEES from (2 Timothy 2:22a; 1 Timothy 6:11). “flee youthful lusts”
2. What he FOLLOWS after (1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22b) (“righteousness, faith, love & peace” etc.)
3. What he FIGHTS for (1 Timothy 6:12a; 2 Timothy 2:23-26; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; ) “the good fight of faith”
4. What he’s FAITHFUL to ( 1 Timothy 4:13-16; 6:13-14; and in some ways the rest of the chapter and all of 1 and 2 Tim and Titus)
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16. We should avoid becoming involved in economic agreements that will interfere with biblical priorities.
Proverbs 6:1-11 (NLT) My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger– [2] if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said– [3] follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. [4] Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. [5] Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. [6] Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! [7] Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, [8] they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. [9] But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? [10] A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– [11] then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
This is just one of the many passages in the Bible where we are given good advice when it comes to money matters. I remember years ago, someone very close to me, asked their parents to co-sign for a loan that she wanted to start a business. Her Christian parents graciously said that it was against their biblical convictions to do that even for their daughter (Proverbs 6:1; 11:15; 22:26-27). It hurt her feelings at the time, but later, as is usually the case, she understood better as her own children began to grow into adulthood. I too, have been in this position, I can honestly say, co-signing a loan for anyone is not good. You may be fortunate and not get burned, but the risk of harming relationships is so great, I personally think it is not wise. If the person cannot afford what they want to do without your help, maybe it is a venture they don’t need to undertake, at least at this time. Also, if a bank thinks it is a bad risk without, someone else signing on to the loan to guarantee the bank it will be paid, then they know by experience the numbers do not work in your favor. Besides, I am told at least three times in the bible not to do this.
I learned a long time ago, that a loan to friends is seldom really a loan. If I do decide to help someone, even if they consider it a loan, and promise to pay it back, I really never expect to see any money. It may sound pessimestic to you, but this way, I am pleasantly surprised when they do actually pay it back.
The truth is, we need the guidance of the bible when it comes to money matters, because money really does matter in the world we are living in. If someone is trying to be humble and says that they don’t care about money, I can promise you that it is likely a “false piety” that is talking. I think very few people can really say that, nor do I expect that they should.
God commands us to work, and He even gives instructions that employers should pay employees a fair wage. Money is not evil, what is evil is when we make a god out of it. The wrong use of money is the number one problem in marriages today, even though most might think that a partner having an affair is the number one marriage killer. It would do well to heed the advice of the proverbs writer on these matters.
If someone is always asking to borrow money from you the best thing you can do for that person is insist that they take a financial planning course before you loan them another dollar. Think about it! Something is wrong, and if they keep coming to you for help, which likely means your not the only “lucky” person, they have a problem and your not helping them. You may feel good and godly for doing so, but you are contributing to the problem, not helping.
Keep in mind, I am not talking about a person that has experienced an unforseen hardship, I am addressing a person with an obvious issue. Quite often, it is much easier on us to give the money than it is to have that difficult conversation with the person that needs some wise advice. We should make sure when we help others that we are really helping them and not ourselves. So much of ministry is done today just to fill a need in the life of the one who is doing the caring. If you care for others because it makes you feel good, then that can never be the highest motive. All that we do must be first for God’s glory, and secondly we must ask ourselves, Will this action really advance this person forward in spiritual growth?
Laziness is not always the persons problem. They may have another problem, but the text here has a rebuke for those who are lazy. In addition to not helping the lazy person by giving them money Paul gives additional instruction in Thessalonians where we are told to avoid and not keep company with such a person (2 Thess 3:6-14).
We all would do well to keep at the forefront of our mind this principle when it comes to our budgets.
“When your outgo, exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall!”
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17. What is a sluggard? (Proverbs 6:6-11)
The Hebrew word translated “sluggard” is found only in Proverbs, and the word is found fourteen times in this Old Testament book. It is translated either as “sluggard” or “slothful” in the KJV. The most frequent synonymn used today for this word would be “laziness.” In the New Testament, where the writer of Hebrews is describing what the faith journey is supposed to look like for a true believer the Bible says, “that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12 KJV) Where the KJV has the word “slothful” the NIV uses the word “lazy.”
The way the word “sluggard” or “slothful” is used in Proverbs, is not talking about a small shortcoming. Some think that being this way is not such a bad thing at all. Others are very sympathetic toward a lazy person, but in so doing they are often contributing to the problems of our society today. It is one thing to be physically disabled, where you cannot work, it is another to be lazy. Sometimes people get layed off and it takes months to get work again. That is the way life works, but if you don’t have a job, your full time job should be trying to get a job. If you are not willing to do this, then you become a “drag” on society and the church too (Hebrews 6:12 MSG).
It has been said that 90% of the work done in a church ministry is done by 10% of the people. Having pastored 20 years, that has been my experience as well. Think what the church could accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit, if every Christian was fully engaged. If every Christian was fully engaged, and contributing consistently of their TIME, TREASURE and TALENTS, to the cause of Christ in the building up of the Kingdom, we could change the world.
Even though Christians are in the minority, God specializes in utilizing “small things” to accomplish Great things (Zech 4:10). God used a “little Maid” in Elisha’s day to bring “Good News” for Namaan the leper. God used “a little cloud” to encourage Elijah’s servant in his day. God used a “few little fishes” to feed a multitude in our Lord’s days on earth. And before He left this earth He encouraged what was then His “little flock” that would eventually grow into a great multitude!
He could cause the “rocks to cry out” (Luke 19:40) and testify to the world about Christ, but He has called His people to be His “witnesses” (Acts 1:8). He used a small boy who only had five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed over 5000 men, plus women and children, and look what was left over after He finished! He still required hard work of the disciples as they distributed all that food, but what a blessing it was for God to allow them to participate in that miracle. Active people will see miracles happen, but inactive people usually miss out. When Thomas missed church one week, he stayed in unbelief for a whole week, and the next Lord’s Day he got in on the blessing of what he missed a week earlier. It was only then that He was able to experience Christ in such a way that He testified, “My Lord and My God” (John 20:24-28).
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18. Characteristics of a sluggard contrasted with an ant (Proverbs 6:6-11; 26:13-16).
Study these Proverbs and you will discover the following facts about the wilful sluggard!
“The sluggard likes to sleep (Prov. 6:6-11; 24:30-34) and expects everybody else to serve him (Prov. 12:27; 19:24). He dreams of wealth but ends up poor (Prov. 13:4; 21:25-26). He is good at excuses (Prov. 20:4; 22:13; 26:13-16) but poor at performance (Prov. 10:26). He is not a builder but a destroyer (Prov. 18:9).” (Warren Wiersbe)
Proverbs 26:13-15 (MSG) Loafers say, “It’s dangerous out there! Tigers are prowling the streets!”and then pull the covers back over their heads. [14] Just as a door turns on its hinges, so a lazybones turns back over in bed. [15] A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie, but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.
Proverbs 26:16 (NLT) Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
When the sluggard finally discovers what he is doing isn’t going to work for him anymore he can then learn from the ant and do things God’s way. The ant makes good use of opportunities to prepare for the future. Have you ever seen a lazy ant? Of course not! When I lived in Louisiana, I would mow over a large ant hill one day, and the next day the mound would be right back like it was the day before. Ants don’t mess around. Each one has a job to do, and they do it well. God wants us to learn from these little creatures.
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19. All sin is bad, but there are certain ones that God calls DESTESTABLE (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Proverbs 6:16-19 (MSG) Here are six things GOD hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion: 17 eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, 18 a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, 19 a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family.
A healthy Christian will find out what God loves and that will become his or her love too. It is not all about love though, because in order to love like God loves, we must learn to also hate what God hates.
This sounds like a very strange and unpopular message today, but it is in fact what the scripture teaches.
Psalm 97:10 (AMP) O you who love the Lord, hate evil;
Psalm 119:128 (NKJV) Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:163 (MSG) I hate lies—can’t stand them!— but I love what you have revealed.
Many will quickly point out when any Bible teacher, or Christian mentions anything about the biblical doctrine of hate that we are commanded to “love the sinner, but hate the sin.” While I do agree with this, I think it is also important to point out that sin can never exist apart from a sinner, and it is not sin that will one day go to Hell for rejecting Jesus Christ, it is the sinner.
I agree that we are commanded to love our friends (fellow believer’s), lost loved ones, and even those who are out and out enemies are people we are commanded to demonstrate love toward. God does this too, as the scriptures testify when it says, “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked” (Luke 6:35 NLT).
Having said that, I must recognize the henoiusness of sin, first in my own life, and any other place I see it as well. I must also, never treat sin as though it were as harmless as candy, when it is much more like a wild animal. Wild animals that have been trained to appear tame, have even been known to turn against their masters, and we too cannot afford to treat sin in our own life or those we love as though it is one of our pets that we pamper and adore. The moment we do, we will find ourselves falling in the very ditch that we are tying to pull others out of (Gal 6:1).
Galatians 6:1 (KJV) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
When we see sin in our own life first, and then in the lives of all we love, we should do our best to treat it like a cancer that must be excised out of where it resides. We cannot do it ourselves, but we can go to Christ for ourself first for cleansing, and then take others to the Cross too, and for every color of sin that one discovers in their life, there will by a matching color of grace, through Christ to deal with that sin. Only the blood of Christ washes away sin, and so we must go to Him first for the salvation of our soul, and then keep on going to Him every day and often througout the day for continued cleansing. Sin is like the pollen that gets on my car. When the pollen in really strong, I can wash my car and within thirty minutes it will look like it has never been washed at all. May God help us to go to that fountain where all our sins are washed away (Rev 1:4-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-2:2).
Sin is really bad, in all of us, but I am thankful to God that His GRACE IS GREATER THAN ALL MY SIN!
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20. THE VALUE OF GODLY PARENTS (Proverbs 6:20-22)
Proverbs 6:20-22 (AMP) My son, keep your father’s [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you]. [Ep 6:1-3.] Bind them continually upon your heart and tie them about your neck. [Pr 3:3; 7:3.] When you go, they [the words of your parents’ God] shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you.
Good character traits are often instilled in a child when they are young. It is every godly parents prayer that their children will follow the good things they were taught in their youth by their example, as they sought to follow the ways of God. Though Timothy did not become a Christian until later in life, Paul knew that his godly mother and grandmother had a lot to do with with his conversion to Christ as an adult. Children often go through a time when they want to do things their own way, inspite of the good instruction they received as a child. We get out on our own and we want to experiment with life. This happens a lot, but often, thank God, those same children will come back to their roots and embrace the same God their parents adored.
No parent is perfect, and quite often even the best parents mourn what they see of themselves in their wayward children. We all want them to learn from our mistakes because we know that they will make enough of their own. More often than not, they will make the same mistakes we did. We are all “fallen” creatures and need redemption through Christ, and then we need to go to Him daily for guidance and direction.
Even though children often veer off course for awhile, it is not in vain for parents to do the best they can to lead their children in godly ways. What paid off for Timothy’s mother and grandmother, can pay off for many parents today who are hoping their children will one day live to honor and glorify God.
Many schools specialize in teaching young people how to make a good living, but only the Bible will teach them how to really live “the good life, in Christ.”
2 Timothy 3:15-17 (MSG) Why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [16] Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. [17] Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
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21. Everyman’s battle! How your best dream can turn into your worst nightmare.
Proverbs 7:4-18 (MSG) Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. [5] They’ll be with you to fend off the Temptress— that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress. [6] As I stood at the window of my house looking out through the shutters, [7] Watching the mindless crowd stroll by, I spotted a young man without any sense [8] Arriving at the corner of the street where she lived, then turning up the path to her house. [9] It was dusk, the evening coming on, the darkness thickening into night. [10] Just then, a woman met him— she’d been lying in wait for him, dressed to seduce him. [11] Brazen and brash she was, restless and roaming, never at home, [12] Walking the streets, loitering in the mall, hanging out at every corner in town. [13] She threw her arms around him and kissed him, boldly took his arm and said, [14] “I’ve got all the makings for a feast— today I made my offerings, my vows are all paid, [15] So now I’ve come to find you, hoping to catch sight of your face—and here you are! [16] I’ve spread fresh, clean sheets on my bed, colorful imported linens. [17] My bed is aromatic with spice and exotic fragrances. [18] Come, let’s make love all night, spend the night in ecstatic lovemaking!
A long time ago, God put Adam to sleep, took out one of his ribs, and made out of that rib an absolutely gorgeous looking creature. It is not a woman’s fault for looking so good, but every man has a problem, and it is that he is weak, when it comes to the opposite sex. The most dangerous man is the one who thinks this is not a problem. Satan uses women as a very effective weapon to slay many a man, who was at one time, on fire for God.
Think of the many who are considered greats in the Old Testament, that fell into sin, and the favorite weapon of choice for Satan was a woman. This happened to Samson, to Saul, David and Solomon. It is true that women could do a better job in how they display themselves, but men have a huge responsbility to stay very close to God, lest he get burned. Many of the proverbs give strong warning, against the seductive woman.
If you are a man, read this passage carefully and when this situation rises “flee!” (1 Cor 6:18)
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22. WISDOM FROM GOD IS AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO REALLY DESIRE IT (Proverbs 8:1-9:6)
There are several places in the Bible where “wisdom” and “folly” are contrasted with one another. Jesus spoke about the “Wise man who builds his house upon a rock” in contrast to the fool, who builds his house on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). James does this as well, when he talks about “wisdom from above” in contrast to the “earthly, sensual and devilish wisdom” that is clearly not God’s way (James 3:13-18).
In Proverbs 8 & 9 the writer contrasts these two kinds of wisdom as if they were two different kinds of women. The wise woman is calling us to follow God’s way, but the foolish woman would entice us to go the way of the world (Proverbs 9:13-18).
In chapter 8:1-9:6 Wisdom is crying out for us to follow after her, but the question is, Will we listen (8:6,32,34) and learn (vs 14) and abide in wisdom, or will we tune her out, and follow the call of the foolish woman instead. God really does delight to tell us what to do, how to do it, why we should want to do it, and also the strength to carry it out.
Some have been critical of those who have written books like this one on PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY suggesting that this is just a bunch of rules, and is no different than being under the law. That would be true if anyone would suggest that we are to do any of these things in our own strength. That is not at all how it works. I think we need instruction from God on what to do, and how to live, but we also need the power to carry it out. God promises wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5), and He also promises to give us the power to follow after him, if we are willing to tap into it (Proverbs 8:14). Sometimes this enabling from God is described as coming from God our Father (1 Cor 1:18). Other times this ability comes through abiding in Christ (John 15:1-16; Philippians 4:13). Today, it seems to be most commonly understood to be the primary work of the Holy Spirit that dwells within every child of God (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49).
Proverbs 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
It is interesting that the word translated “strength” in this verse is found 62 times in the Bible, and in the KJV it is translated “might” 27 times, “strength” 17 times, “power” 9 times, “mighty” 7 times, “force” 1 time, and “mastery” 1 time as well. This is worth some meditating on, as God will indeed be with those who look to him for good advice, wisdom and strength.
Whenever we yield our lives to God’s way, and walk in that way, we get to experience God’s kingdom the way it was meant to be (Romans 14:17; Proverbs 8:15-16).
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23. WE MUST ALWAYS BE ON THE ALERT BECAUSE FOLLY IS CRYING OUT LOUDLY TOO, AND SHE IS PACKAGED UP IN A WAY THAT WILL ENTICE AND TRAP ANYONE WHO GIVES HER MORE THAN A GLANCE (Proverbs 9:13-18).
Proverbs 9:13-18 (ESV) The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are, GOING STRAIGHT ON THEIR WAY. “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Those who are easily trapped by Miss Folly, are those who are travelling “on their way.” How easy it is for us to read the Bible but not bathe what we have read about in an adequate amount of prayer. Those who do so may very easily find themselves, “going straight on their way,” which means they have not given enough thought to God’s way.
James addresses this same thing when he talks about the Bible being like a mirror. The person who reads it, but does not meditate on it “day and night” (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3) will find themselves acting and reacting to life’s circumstances in their default sort of way. As a believer in Christ it is true that we have a new inclination to want to do what is right, but since we still have the weakness of the flesh to deal with daily, we need to make sure we grow strong by feeding on the Word of God, and keeping it on our minds and in our hearts always (Psalm 119:9,11,15; 2 Timothy 2:15).
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24. SOMETIMES IT IS GOOD TO KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT PATH LOOKS LIKE, SO YOU CAN BE CERTAIN YOU ARE ON IT (Proverbs 10)
Have you ever been given directions by someone and they add certain detail by telling you of certain businesses that you will pass by to make sure that you are on the right path? Solomon does that sort of thing in this chapter for a variety of life situations.
1. If you are walking in wisdom your parents will be happy, but if you do not, you will bring them much sorrow.
2. If you gain earthly wealth in an unlawful or immoral way, you will not profit from it, but if you do right by how you obtain your wealth, you will experience God’s blessings.
3. God blesses the righteous by supplying their physical needs, but the wicked have no resource in God.
4. A diligent son that knows when to work and when to rest will make a father proud, but a lazy son will bring him shame.
5. You will be remembered by others for your righteous ways, if that is how you choose to live, but you will soon be forgotten if you live in a wicked way.
6. The wise person is more interested in being a good listener, but the fool doesn’t know when to be quiet.
7. If you create strife by how you live, you need to examine your heart, because that is where the problem is, but if you are full of love you will find it comes easy to overlook offenses.
These are just a few of the many contrasts in this chapter. I challenge you to make your own list, in your own words, and go through this whole chapter doing so. Ask God to direct your feet, by molding and shaping your mind and heart to want to do His will (Romans 12:1-2). May God help us to pledge with God’s help and power that we will be purposed in our hearts to be like David in the following declaration.
Psalms 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
Psalms 108:1 O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
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25. HOW TO MAKE YOUR FATHER “GLAD!” (Proverbs 10)
Proverbs 10:1 (MSG) “Wise son, glad father; stupid son, sad mother.”
The majority of the proverbs in this thirty-one chapter collection were written by Solomon. There are three main sections. We are now entering into the second section of the book where we have actual proverbial statements. These are what I would call “stand alone” proverbs where context is not an issue as much as it is with most of the books of the Bible. Each one teaches a truth about one of the many topics of proverbs.
This chapter begins a division that contains “the proverbs of Solomon” (10:1). Through 22:16, Solomon presents 375 of his wise sayings that teach some of the great truths of life. These are not all of his proverbs as we stated earlier. He authored over 3,000 (1 Ki.4:32) proverbs in all. These are the ones that the Holy Spirit led Solomon to include in God’s Holy Word.
I guess one of the reasons why I like THE MESSAGE PARAPHRASE so much is that it tends to get to the point in quite a precise way. The Message translation does not “sugarcoat” what we need to hear from God in these proverbs.
I know that when a child acts wisely, both parents are glad, and when a child is wayward both parents are saddened. I do believe from personal observation it is quite true that when things go wrong in a child’s life the mother tends to grieve the most. There are exceptions I know, but the mother is often the primary caregiver that makes sure their children are clothed and fed, and will likely be the one to help them with their homework too.
The father, on the other hand, is often the one to do all the fun things with their children. They will be involved in their extra-curricular activities. The father is always involved to celebrate the victories in the events of their children’s lives.
The admonition in this chapter for young children who are growing into adulthood is for them to follow the path of wisdom layed out before them by their parents.
There are some things that my mom taught me that I never will forget. She told me to treat people with kindness even if that is not how they treat you. She told me to wave, or say hello to those who cross your path. If they do not return the gesture of friendship that should never affect what you do the next time you cross that persons path again.
There was a family that moved in our neighborhood that never waved at my wife and I as we drove past their house for the longest time. We both decided to make a game of trying to get this family to wave back. We made a point to wave even with a little extra hand movement. It took a while but, after much peserverance they began to wave, and now it has become a habit. It could be those chocolate chip cookies that my wife handed out to all the neighbors at Christmas time that did the trick. Whatever the case, we really celebrated the waving of their hands the first day that it happened.
These little character traits that were instilled in me, as a child I passed on to my children. I see it in them too. Neither of my adult children are judgmental of others. They do not judge according to appearance (John 7:24), and they are “no respector of persons” either (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:7). I smile when I see that they treat everyone wtih dignity and refuse to judge merely by outward appearance. It makes me a very “glad” father, and I know it delights their mom too!
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26. WHEN IT COMES TO OUR WORDS, SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE (Proverbs 10:19)
Proverbs 10:19 (MSG) The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words.
My intention for these proverb devotions is not to cover every verse, but to do my best to cover every topic. Topics are visited over and over again in Proverbs, so my concentration is to extract the essence of the riches that God has for us in these proverbs. Keep in mind that there are 375 proverbs of Solomon alone in this collection.
This proverbs deals with the right use of words. There are many proverbs that talk about the proper and improper use of the tongue. One of the best preachers I have heard in my lifetime always preached twenty minute sermons, and He said more in twenty minutes than most preachers I know say in an hour.
This proverb is one among many that enourage us to develop the skill of being able to say more, with less words. It is not easy, but with prayer and the Holy Spirit’s help it can be done. If we use less words, to say more, which is what these proverbs are all about, what we say will likely have a greater impact on others.
This reminds me of the preacher who preached a sermon with a lot of points. Someone later brought this to his attention saying the sermon was too long. The next week he got in the pulpit, apologized to his congregation, and promised that this week HE WOULD BE POINTLESS! It turns out that He lived up to it too!
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27. THE GIFT OF ENCOURAGMENT (Proverbs 10:21)
Proverbs 10:21 (NIV) The lips of the righteous NOURISH many, but fools die for lack of judgment.
Proverbs 10:21 (NLT) The words of the godly ENCOURAGE many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.
I thought I would share a couple translations of this great proverb. I think many of us find that our “encouragment tank” is running on low, and we are desperately in need of refueling. I just wrote a reply a moment ago to a dear Christian lady that has been such an encouragment to me. It is funny how it works. This is Monday, and this morning I have visited three work places. I ask God to help me to be an encourager to many. Everyone is in need of it. Often I find that people on my path are on the same mission. I must say my “encouragment tank” was a little low this morning, and God used several people to “fill me up.”
This is not surprising though, because God is a “God of comfort” (2 Cor 1:3), and the Holy Spirit that dwells within every believer is called a “Comforter” (John 14:16; 15:26).
As I read this verse I think of what I heard about Rick Warren’s son the other day.This is the young man who commited suicide. I am told he was an encourager. Think about it. This young man was plagued with depression, yet he would hunt down discouraged and lonely people so he could “nourish” and “encourage” their souls. I am sure that young man will be missed greatly by many. In the area of his greatest weakness he demonstrated strength in the Lord, to help others in need. May God help us all to be Christlike in that way. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO FIND SOMEONE TODAY WHO NEEDS SOME ENCOURAGMENT, AND ASK GOD TO HELP YOU TO NOURISH THEIR SOULS?
My encouragment thought for the day: “A diamond is merely a lump of coal that did well under pressure!”
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28. THE BEST KIND OF RICHES! (Proverbs 10:22)
Proverbs 10:22 (MSG) GOD’s blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.
To many people happiness is having lots of money, yet many of the rich people I read about, or hear about on the news don’t seem to be very happy at all. I am confident by observing the lives of many and by reading scripture that having lots of money will not make a person rich (1 Timothy 6:6-10,17-19). Being rich is a more a “state of mind” than a status in life. If you have been summoned by the Father, saved by the Son, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, you are rich (Eph 1:3-14), and these are the kind of riches you will take with you when you die.
It is not a sin to be rich materially. Abraham was made rich by God. It is clear from the testimony of scripture that Abraham desired a different kind of riches than even the earthly land that he was promised in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 11:8-10 (NLT) It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith-for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
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29. 5 Questions to Ask Before Making a BIG Decision
Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Not every decision we make is a big one.
What pair of shoes should I wear today?
What kind of coffee should I order?
But there are some decisions we make that really matter.
They either lead us towards or further away from God’s purpose and destiny for our lives… with every choice we make BIG or SMALL we have an opportunity to become more like Jesus and walk in His will for our lives.
Whether it’s a decision about what school to apply to or what city to move to or who to date or what local church to be a part of or whether or not to have that difficult conversation with a friend, we need to rely on more than our own experiences and perspectives! And the great news is that we don’t have to! God generously offers His wisdom for every area of our lives!
The Bible teaches us in the book of James that, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.”
God has wisdom for you! You don’t have to go through life guessing and hoping things will turn out okay… You can rely on God’s direction and guidance for your life!
Below are 5 simple questions to ask yourself that will help you unlock divine wisdom for your life in your decision-making:
1. What does the Bible have to say about the decision you are considering making?
The Bible provides much needed direction for our lives. It’s like our spiritual GPS! God speaks to us and gives us the guidance we need to make choices that will lead us to God’s perfect will in our decision-making. (Tip for free: Find more than one passage or Bible verse to help you navigate your current situation. The more Bible verses you discover, the more likely you are to accurately interpret the direction God is giving you through His word.)
2. Who have I talked this over with?
Discuss the decision you have to make BEFORE you make the decision with people you can trust. Make sure to get advice from people who are spiritually mature and have wisdom to offer in the area you are making a decision about! Get counsel from people who who can actually give you great, godly advice. Be open-minded as you discuss with your pastors and mentors.
3. When I pray, how is the Holy Spirit confirming direction found in the Bible?
Take time to pray and ask God what you should or shouldn’t do. When we pray, we ask for God’s perfect will to be done in our lives, and that He would show us what that looks like in our current decision-making.
And then, we listen. Prayer is a time of listening and reflecting as much as it is a time of talking. Through faith in Jesus we have been given access to the Spirit of God who speaks to us and gives us guidance in our lives! (Tip for free: The Holy Spirit will never lead us to do something contrary to the direction for our lives found in the Bible. If you believe God is leading you in a specific direction, make sure it’s the same direction found in your Bible.)
4. Does this benefit others and the local church?
Take a minute and consider how your decision will affect the lives of those around you? Is the decision you are about to make going to build the local church and make a positive impact in the lives of others?
5. What is the honorable thing to do?
Don’t just make the easy and convenient choice. Make the decision that honors Jesus and brings glory to Him. It might mean making a decision that is less convenient or that requires sacrifice… But in the end, it is worth it! Great lives are built on decisions made with eternity in mind, not just what makes sense in the here and now!
We will all be making decisions every day of our life. Let’s make them count!
NOTE: The above article is by Holly Wagner. The Proverbs reference goes along well with my notes on Proverbs.
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30. ANOTHER ONE OF THE DEVIL’S TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION IS THE GOSSIPING TONGUE (Proverbs 11:13).
Proverbs 11:13 (NLTS) A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
One of the most precious gifts I have to offer those I care for as a workplace chaplain, is THE GIFT OF CONFIDENTIALITY. I go to chaplain traininig classes three times a year, and without fail, we will be reminded of what this means. Corporate chaplaincy takes CONFIDENTIALITY to a level most ordinary people would not. We never assume we have the right to share anything about anybody. That is why I find myself always asking for PERMISSION. If I visit someone in the hospital, it is almost always going to cause fellow co-workers to be concerned and they will ask the chaplain on his next visit to the workplace if he visited their co-worker, and they want a full report on how they are doing. If I don’t remember to ask the person I visited in the hospital for permission to share with other concerned employees about his or her condition, I cannot share any information whatsoever. I cannot even tell them whether I made the visit or not. I cannot share with employers any conversations I have had with employees either. Most employers are fine with that, but in the past, some have been frustrated about not being able to do it, at least until they have need of the chaplain, and the one thing everyone wants to know before they have a serious conversation with the chaplain is, WILL THIS BE KEPT IN CONFIDENCE!
Another of our chaplains once told the story of an employee that came up to him, and asked the chaplain, jokingly I think, “Chaplain, do you know any good gossip!” The wise chaplain responded, “I do, but can you keep a secret?” The employee said, “I sure can, as he directed his ear to the chaplain.” The chaplain then said, “So can I, and he walked away.”
A great deal of damage has been caused by people sharing information to others and doing so for all the wrong reasons too! We would all do well to heed the advice of James when he said, “Be swift to hear, SLOW TO SPEAK…” (James 1:19).
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31. IF YOU ARE GOING TO LIE, YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD MEMORY!
Proverbs 12:22 (KJV) Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
Our words have a great deal of power. They have the power to HEAL, and they have the power to HURT. They have the power to DELIGHT, or the power to DESTROY. In world war two the sailors of one ship had a poster on the wall that said, “Loose lips, sink ships!” That is most cerainly true. James pretty much said the same thing when he wrote the following words.
James 4:1-2 (MSG) Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. [2] You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
Now, some may not go so far as to physically kill another person over their jealousy, but they will not hesitate to assassinate the character of another person for their own personal desire to gain what they covet for themselves.
In Proverbs 12:22 we are informed of one of the damaging things that many will do with their tongue. They will lie about matters to get the results they want for themselves. Twice in Proverbs 6, when the writer lists six things that God hates he mentions the damage that the unruly tongue causes (Proverbs 6:17,19a). God has a lot to say in Proverbs about the lying tongue.
A person is misled when they claim to be led by the Holy Spirit, while at the same time will lie about the very matters they claim God is leading them in (John 8:44). This person is not following Christ, unless your Bible reads quite differently than mine. The Bible does not say, “Jesus is the way, the LIE, and the life,” it says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.”
If you are going to lie about matters you had better keep a good record of what you said to who and when, and then make sure no two individuals are present, who you told different versions of your story to. This is why it is so much less taxing on the mind and the heart to just be a “truth teller” rather than a “tale bearer.”
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33. WE SHOULD LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO ARE DISCOURAGED (Proverbs 12:25).
Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.
I know there are times when there is a need for a strong rebuke for difficult and hardened people, but the natural default of a Christ follower should be to encourage. God himself is the ultimate encourager. I remember when my first wife died, within days of her death, God gave me special comfort during this time. I remember the words of scripture that God brought to my mind at that time as if it were yesterday. I have shared these with others during their times of grief and it has encouraged them as well. I hope these words encourage you today.
1. The SOURCE of all comfort is God, my Father (2 Cor 1:3-4).
2 Cor 1:3-4 (AMP) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.
2. The SCRIPTURES are the primary vehicle that brings comfort to me (Romans 15:2-6).
Romans 15:2-6 Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually].
3 For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me. [Ps. 69:9]
4 For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.
5 Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
6 That together you may [unanimously] with united hearts and one voice, praise and glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
3. The SAVIOR of my soul is always comforting (Isaiah 53:3-7).
Isaiah 53:4 (AMP) Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. [Matt. 8:17]
When I reflect upon what Jesus went through for me to be able to experience eternal life, it takes the sting out of any temporary pain that I might be going through. The Cross of Christ truly gives us great reason to rejoice even in the midst of our storms. If Jesus took my sorrows and grief on the cross, I must make sure that I go to the cross and leave my burdens with Him who has already proven to me He really cares for my soul. What He accomplished at Calvary not only gives me hope for eternity after I die, but it gives me a living hope right now that can be experienced through Him. He took my “sorrows” so that I could experience in Him fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), and that is why Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).
4. The Holy SPIRIT was given to me by Christ to be “another COMFORTER.
John 1614 (AMP) And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.
Many times we think of comfort coming to us, after a trial or a terrible tragedy in our life, but the word that is used here that is most often translated “Comforter” does not simply mean that He will be there after the tragedy to console us, but that He will be there for us while we are going through the trial as well.
Other translations use the word “Advocate.” An advocate is much more helpful during the trial, to plead your case, than after it is over with, and the sentance has already been handed down (1 John 2:1-2). I like the other words that are used in the Amplified Bible as well. It takes many words to describe what the Holy Spirit means to God’s people.
To be “another” Comforter means to be one just like Jesus. In the Greek language there are two distinct words for “another.” One word means another of a different kind, but the other is another of the same kind. The word that is used here means another of the same kind. That is what the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is able to do for us what Jesus could do if He were present with us. No wonder Jesus closed His gospel discourse in John out with the words, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
I truly believe we must go through trials on earth in order to experience God in certain ways, so that we will then be able to be a true encourager to others when they go through similar situations.
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34. MORE ON ENCOURAGMENT (Proverbs 12:25).
Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.
5. The SECOND COMING of Christ is a great encouragment (Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Thess 4:13-18).
I recalled these verses the day God was comforting me during my time of grief and loss. When the Lord returns one day, not only will I go to be with Him forever, but I will go to see all my loved ones and friends that have gone on before me.
I remember a few years ago, watching Larry King interview Billy Graham, and he asked Billly, as he looked back over his life if he had any regrets. Billy responded by saying something like this. “I wish I would have made more friends much younger than I.” The reason for that is that most of his close friends had already passed. I think this is often the way it is with God’s people. That is the reason why thoughts of heaven is much sweeter to a seasoned saint, than a young believer. When we are young, heaven is not really on our radar, because we are too busy living life. As we get older, more and more of our treasures have already been layed up in heaven.
Not only am I able to rejoice in what I am looking forward to when I get there, but I also am leaving behind many things that I would gladly give up. This life brings much sorrow as we get older. People we love and care for begin to get weak, sick and eventually die. We feel so helpless when others are sick, or when we are too. This is a good reminder for us to invest more of our TIME, TREASURE and TALENTS into heaven which is the final destiny of every child of God (1 John 3:1-3; Col 3:1-4).
May God give us all sweet thoughts of our future home in heaven today. This is sure to brighten any day, even in the midst of a current circumstance that seems rather gloomy.
As you read the suggested passages of scripture, these words of encouragment are not given to us, for us alone. We are commanded in both scripture passages to share this hope with others. If you share it with a person that has not yet come to Christ, you must encourage them to embrace Christ as thier Savior. If they have already embraced Christ, then you can encourage them to continue on in Him (1 Cor 15:1-2; Col 1:20-23).
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35. A GREAT VERSE ON HOW TO ESTABLISH HEALTHY BOUNDARIES (Proverbs 13:20).
Proverbs 13:20 (MSG) Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
I memorized this verse many years ago in the KJV translation but often I like to read from another translation to get a fresh look at an old and familiar verse. Sometimes this will cause it to breath new life into me. The verse is pretty clear, so the problem people have with this verse is not because it is difficult to understand. The problem is some just refuse to heed what it says. The result of being disobedient to God’s instruction is that you will damage your life, your testimony and your walk with God.
There is another verse in Corinthians that reads similar to this one.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (AMP) Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.
In the Corinthian passage, the context is talking about the truth of the Resurrection. Paul is not only talking about how keeping bad company will affect your behavior, He is also addressing how hanging out with those who don’t believe in the Resurrection may cause you to be influenced not to believe it as well. I have actually seen this happen when a young person that was raised in church goes off to a school of “higher learning” and because of the influence of their professors who don’t believe in God and hate Christianity their minds are soon persuaded that what they were once taught by their parents and their pastor is now no more true than the Easter bunny or Santa Clause.
Once a person is persuaded to abandon the very foundational truth of what Christianity is all about, it will not be very long before certain behavioral changes will take place as well. The behavior changes that take place will not be healthy ones once a person abandons biblical truth (see Romans 1:18-32).
Other great verses where we are given good instruction like this are (Psalm 119:163; Proverbs 1:1; Romans 16:17-18; James 4:4; Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17).
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36. TO SPANK OR NOT TO SPANK (Proverbs 13:24).
Proverbs 13:24 (AMP) He who spares his rod [of discipline] hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines diligently and punishes him early. [Prov. 19:18; Prov. 22:15; Prov. 23:13; Prov. 29:15; Prov. 29:17]
DR. SPOCK’S THEORY:
The following is from Baby and Child Care, 1998, pp. 437-438. This was the last edition of Baby and Child Care. Dr. Spock died on March 15, 1998.
“There are several reasons to avoid physical punishment. It teaches children that the larger, stronger person has the power to get his way, whether or not he is in the right. Some spanked children then feel quite justified in beating up on smaller ones. The American tradition of spanking may be one reason there is much more violence in our country than in any other comparable nation.”
MY THOUGHTS:
We, as a country are now reaping the results of Dr. Spock’s ideas concerning child rearing. I do believe that some parents who use physical means as a form of discipline have clearly abused it. I also, believe we can spank our children for the wrong reasons. I think spanking can be done in a controlled manner, and along with loving instruction from the parent as to why this is being done, so that it can be an effective means of discipline. My father spanked me occassionally with a belt. It hurt too, but I don’t think it turned me, or my other siblings into violant people. In fact, I would like to think all three of us have lived pretty responsible lives. I also, spanked my children, and now that they are adults and married, they seem to be quite civilized. Now, I must admit, I think I could have done a better job with the loving instruction and prayer that should have accompanied those spankings each and every time. I don’t think my children feel that any deficiencies that they have in their life could be attributed to my physical abuse of them.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS:
Now, my ideas are no better than Dr. Spock’s if I cannot support it with scripture, so let us consider the following verses.
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (see also Prov 10:13)
Proverbs 23:13 (NLT) Don’t fail to discipline your children. They won’t die if you spank them.
Proverbs 23:14 (MSG) A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
Proverbs 26:3 (AMP) A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a [straight, slender] rod for the backs of [self-confident] fools.
Proverbs 29:15 (NIV) The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
Now, some Christian’s who don’t believe in spanking in spite of what these verses say, attempt to reinterpret these verses suggesting that “the rod of correction” is to not to be taken literally, but that it really just means the Word of God. To be fair with these individuals, I would certainly say that telling your children what God has to say about a matter is always the first step. The Bible is indeed a rod of correction (2 Timothy 3:16). If the words of scripture sink in and do their job then nothing further should be needed.
But, to say that these verses are not addressing physical punishment is to ignore the language of the text. The context of these verses in Proverbs makes it quite clear that the writer is not talking about just reading the bible to your children as a means of correction. I know some of these verses sound quite harsh, but if we read these verses with a little “sanctified common sense” and exercise discipline for the right reasons, with love, it can and will help. We are living in a society today where punishment for crimes are so lax, that our punishments are little deterent for the crimes committed. Even if someone commits murder and lives in a state where the death penalty is a lawful means of punishment, appeals can go on for decades and often it is never carried out at all. Solomon has something to say about that too, in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 (NETP) When a sentence is not executed at once against a crime, the human heart is encouraged to do evil.
My children are grown now, and I must say that I think my daughter is doing a pretty good job with her little fellow. He is all boy, so he is a handful, but she is so patient with him. She doesn’t correct him all the time, nor should she. We should seek to understand our children’s tempermants and not assume too quickly that a particular behavior is a wilful attempt of disobedience. She does a better job than her parents on this. So, I was not the perfect parent, and nobody else is either. We all seek to do the best job we can, and there are certainly forms of discipline that might correct behavior better than spanking for a particular child. Though my dad spanked, the worst punishment for me was always standing in the corner and being told not to talk. Anybody that knows me knows, THAT IS THE KIND OF PUNISHMENT THAT WOULD GET MY ATTENTION!
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37. MANY WAYS MAY SEEM RIGHT, BUT ONLY ONE WAY LEADS TO LIFE (Prov 14:12)
Proverbs 14:12 KJV There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
This is one of those Proverbs that I comitted to memory many years ago. It was shortly after I heard about the life saving Good News about Jesus Christ for the first time. I was not brought up in a religious home, though as a child my parents occasionally sent me to church. I really don’t know why I went, other than that my sister went too. All I remember about those days was hearing about the previous nights hockey scores being discussed in Sunday School. That does not mean that they were not talking about anything significant, it is just that nothing at the time was really registering with me.
I know there is a time in our life when we hear the truth about Christ, and it means nothing and then for those who eventually respond favorably to the gospel, there is that time when you REALLY HEAR IT AND GET IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. That is what happened to me about the age of sixteen. It was at the age when I first became aware of my own mortality and thoughts of dying were on my mind. I heard a preacher teaching the bible on TV and ordered his bible study material about knowing the way to God. I ordered the material, studied the lessons and those lessons walked me through the Bible, showing me that Jesus Christ was God’s way of bringing salvation from sin and death to mankind.
Prior to taking the bible lessons I had ordered the only ideas I had about anybody being able to go to heaven was at best if you were a good person you got to go. I guess I pretty much thought that most people I knew were pretty good people therefore most would go to heaven. I don’t know where I got the idea, but I also thought everybody became an angel when they got there. None of this was based on the reality of what the bible teaches, so I was grateful that God provided a way for me to know for sure the way to heaven through Christ.
I have heard people say from time to time that there are many ways to God. While I agree that there are many ways the message of salvation may be brought to a person, I believe any other way than through Christ will lead to death and not life.
John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
_______________________________________________________________________________38. ISN’T IT THE CHRISTIAN THING TO DO TO TAKE EVERYBODY AT THEIR WORD? (Proverbs 14:15)
Proverbs 14:15 (MSG) The gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word.
If you really believe that it is the Christians responsibility to take everyone at their word then, maybe you should listen to the George Strait song about, “Ocean front property in Arizona” that is for sale.
One of my favorite commercials on TV is the State Farm commercial about “apps” that can be downloaded for use to pay premiums etc. The man was trying to tell the girl all about it, when she mentioned that she heard that they didn’t have those apps. The man asked where she heard that, and she responded, “On the internet.” He tried to point out that you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, and about that moment another man is making his way toward them, and as she sees him coming toward them she tells the State Farm agent that her date is here to meet her. He asked her where she found him, and she says, “the internet.” Just before the man gets to them she says, “He is a french model.” The man then says, “Bonjour” without the french accent, and she walks off with the man who everyone else but her knows, that he is not really a french model.”
It may have been a commercial about State Farm insurance, but for me it is the perfect warning not to believe everything you hear or read.
A wise person will not be so gullible to believe anything anyone says just because they say it. I like Ronald Reagans approach to the Russians in the arms agreement that both countries signed. His adage was, “Trust, but verify.” I believe it is a good practice to do a background check on any person you meet on the internet that you are planning on going out on a date with. Is that really any different than asking for a full history on a car that you are thinking about purchasing?
Just because you are a “believer” that does not mean you are required to “believe all.” Being a beleiver only means that God never lies, but if you read the bible long enough you will soon learn that people often do.
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39. “WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND” (Proverbs 14:14)
Proverbs 14:14 CEV) The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves, and a good man, what his deeds deserve.
When I read this Proverb it reminds me of another one I grew up hearing when I was a child. My mother use to tell us children when we were picked on by some bully in school, “what goes around comes around.”
There is coming a day when those who think they are getting by with lying, cheating, physical abuse of others, stealing and you name it, will one day face God and then they will get what they deserve.
It is for this reason we are taught in Romans not to try to “avenge ourselves” (Romans 12:17-21) but to leave such matters to God. When I say that, I am certainly not saying that it is wrong for a wife that is being abused by her husband to get a restraining order if necessary. It would make common sense to do that in certain instances and especially when children are involved as well. What Romans is talking about is using the same tactics against your enemies that they use on you. If you are lied about by another, don’t resort to the same thing, because God will take care of that in due time, and the truth will eventually come out.
For those who are rebels against God this verse is a warning, but for those who love God but are wronged by others there is comfort in this verse in knowing that God will one day right all the wrongs that have been made. Not only that, but there is comfort in knowing that there is still a reward day for those who follow through with doing the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do.
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40. WHAT IS A “BACKSLIDER?” (Proverbs 14:14)
Proverbs 14:14 (KJV) The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: …
The word backslider is a word that I began to hear a lot in the churches I was associated with from my late teens to my mid thirty’s. In those churches the word was used many times with reference to Christians who were not “tithers” or did not go to church. If you ever left their church to go to a different kind of church than the one these preachers considered the “true church you were labeled a “backslider.” Some preachers would even condemn you to hell.
One might think that this word “backslider” would be a common word in scripture since it has been used quite frequently in certain circles. In the Old Testament, the word that is translated “backslider” in the KJV in Proverbs 14:14 is more frequently translated “turned backward” and this particular Hebrew word is found only fourteen times in the Old Testament. It is not used to describe Christians who had gone astray. It was a descriptive term for someone, or a group of people that had turned so far away from God that there was no turning back again. The word is never found in the New Testament, but there is one scripture that I think does describe what it means to be “backsliden” and it even comes close to mentioning the word.
Hebrews 10:38-39 (NKJV) Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone DRAWS BACK, My soul has no pleasure in him.” [39] But we are not of those who DRAW BACK to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
To “draw back” in the sense of this passage means to apostasize or to turn away from God to never return back to Him again. That is the absolute worse thing for anyone to do. In fact, in Peter we are told a person who does this would be better off to have never known about the ways of God to begin with (2 Peter 2:20-21). If we read the Hebrews passage carefully, I think it is clear that a true believer could never make a complete 180 away from God to never return. Certainly nations and institutions and churches can apostasize, and those who have a PROFESSION of faith but no real POSSESSION of faith can as well. Hebrews 10:39 makes it quite clear that this would never happen with a true believer.
Many people claim to be a Christ follower, and a true believer, but the proof of this according to the teaching of scripture is that those who have believed, will continue on in the things of God. It is true that believers can get off track from time to time, but they will never “backslide” as I understand this word. To “turn back” means to turn away from Christ and renounce everything you once claimed to believe about Him. God forbid that this would be the case with any of those who read these words.
Our eternal destiny is at stake, when it comes to believing in and embracing the life changing Good News of Jesus Christ. How could any true believer ever turn away from such a one as this! We have an example of this clear distinction in John 6. Jesus has just finished preaching about the necessity of the power of the Holy Spirit in a person’s lfie in order for anyone to ever come to saving faith in Christ. This preaching was offensive to many who had been following after Christ. After many “so called disciples” left (John 6:66), Jesus turned to the twelve and this is how the dialogue went.
John 6:67-69 (KJV) Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
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41. ONLY BY SPEAKING TRUTH INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS CAN WE BE HELPFUL (Proverbs 14:25)
Proverbs 14:25 (KJV) A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.
I recently heard about a church that had a very smooth talking salesman in it that encouraged many Christ followers to invest in his get rich quick scheme. Many followed him because of how they thought him to be a truthful person and one with integrity. Since he claimed to be a believer many were confident to follow his investment stragedy and thought they would get a great rate of return on their investments. Some invested all their savings for retirement, and it turns out he was a fraud and many lost everything.
This is how dangerous it is to follow the lies of others. It really does matter what you believe. These people lost all as far as thier financial future is concerned, but if one listens to many on matters of a persons eternal destiny and believes and embraces the wrong things, much more is at stake.
I can only help people by sharing with them the truth. If I am going to “deliver a soul” I must tell everyone first the “bad news” before the “Good News” will ever make any sense to them.
You must hear the bad news that “as in Adam all die” (1 Cor 15:22a), before the Good News that “even so in Christ, shall all be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22b) will ever make any sense. Why do I need to be “made alive?” (Eph 2:1; 1 Tim 5:6).
You must hear the bad news that “the wages of sin is death” before the Good News about the “gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ” will ever be embraced.
Why would anyone come to Christ as Savior, if they do not even know what they need to be saved from? Clearly the Bible says that Jesus came to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The Jewish people in Jesus time wanted salvation from Roman oppression, but it was a greater salvation that Jesus came to bring. There was an enemy that was destroying them that made their Roman oppression pale in comparison. This enemy is common to all of us since birth (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3). This enemy is sin, and the only salvation from it is Christ.
We all have some “bad news” to hear first. The bad news is that we are all condemned in Adam (Romans 5:12, 19a), but if we will fully embrace Christ as our Savior, and seek Him with all our heart then our soul will be delivered (Romans 5:19b; Jude 24; Heb 11:6). This is the Good News all of us need to hear and to heed (1 John 5:12).
If you want to know more about this, let’s talk!
dmckenney@chaplain.org
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42. HOW GODLY PARENTS PROVIDE A SPIRITUAL COVERING FOR THEIR CHILDREN (Prov 14:26).
Proverbs 14:26 (HCSB) In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge.
We usually think of fear as the opposite of confidence. The unique beauty of the fear of the Lord, however, is that to fear God is to trust God, and when trouble comes, those who fear God this way will run to Him and not from Him (Proverbs 29:25).
When Adam sinned he attempted to run from God. This is the wrong kind of fear. On the other hand, in the book of Exodus, the fathers who applied the blood of a slain lamb to the door frame of their homes feared God in the way this text is referring and consequently they provided a covering of protection for their family members (Exodus 12). The first born children’s lives were being threatened with judgment from God and only those homes that had blood applied to it were protected. In order to do this it required “fear” and “trust” in God.
Notice the contrast of “fear of man, with trust in God in Proverbs 29:25.
Proverbs 29:25 (AMP) The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.
It is easy to see from these two proverbs that true faith is active. It was Noah’s faith that was active in building an Ark to the saving of his household. Today Christian parents will often have a baby dedication for their children, and some churches even practice what they call “infant baptism.” No parent thinks that this practice will guarantee the safety of their children and make certain that they will one day decide that their parents God will be their God too. I do know however, that those parents who do this and then live out their faith before their children, have reason to hope that it will yield spiritual fruit when they are grown.
I am seeing the fruits of it in certain ways in the lives of my grown children. They are not perfect, nor were their parents, but they do have an interest in spiritual things. Parents should not underestimate their family altar time, wondering if it is really getting through to their children or not. The important thing is to be faithful in how you actively fear God, and then trust God to do that work of faith in each of your children’s hearts.
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43. “AT THE HEART OF EVERY PROBLEM, IS A PROBLEM IN THE HEART” (Proverbs 14:30)
Proverbs 14:30 (HCSB) A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rotteness to the bones.
Very few would deny the correlation between ones spiritual health with the health of the body. There are a lot of illnesses that are brought on as a result of a disturbed heart. It is a known fact that sins of the heart, such as anger, bitterness, worry, rage, jealousy etc, will raise the blood pressure and that alone is called by doctors, “the silent killer.”
In 3 John 2 this is the prayer of John for his friend Gaius.
… I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers (3 John 1:2 AMP)
This might be something good for us all to think about. What if your bodies health was in the exact proportion of health as your soul is right now? If Christ is not in your life, that means you are “dead” (Eph 2:1; 1 Timothy 5:6). That would not be so good would it? If you have any of the inner attitudes of the heart that affect your “blood pressure” then things are not right now as well as they could be. The thing to do in this case is go to the Great Physician (God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ) and ask Him to EXAMINE our hearts in the way David made this request in Psalm 139:23-24. If we are sincere about it, then we will be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will reveal to us. We certainly cannot be in good health if we don’t discover what the real problem is.
May God help us all to pray this prayer of David!
Psalms 139:23-24 (NLTS) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
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44. WORDS OF THE WISE ARE WORTH HEARING (Proverbs 15:7)
Proverbs 15:7 (HCSB) The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools.
The word for “broadcast” means “to scatter.” It is akin to the word “sow” in Matthew 13:4 in the parable that Jesus uttered about the farmer scattering seed in Matthew 13. Jesus likened the farmer’s work of scattering seed to the gospel being shared to many people. Just as the seed fell on different types of soul, the gospel that is shared will be received by those who hear in different ways. The four kinds of soul represent four different heart conditions when it comes to those who receive the gospel message. Some are hard hearted and pay no attention to it. Others receive it rather quickly being easily persuaded, but it doesn’t last, and therefore it has no lasting, life changing impact on that persons life. The third hearer allows the cares of the things of this world to choke out the gospels impact on the persons life, and the gospel proves to be in that person just a passing fad as well. The fourth hearer corresponds to the “good ground” that the seed goes into when scattered by the farmer. This seed produces fruit because the heart was prepared to receive it.
I am convinced that when any sinner trusts in Christ when I share with them the gospel, that I am only being blessed by seeing a soul harvested by God because God had already in a variety of ways prepared that persons heart for the gospel that I would share. My role is to be a “seed sower” of THE LIFE CHANGING GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST, and it is the Holy Spirit’s job to make the gospel real to that person and to prepare their heart to receive it.
If I truly am a wise person then the best thing I can do for others is to point them to Christ, and broadcast “Good News” of Jesus Christ to all in hopes that some will say yes to Jesus, and experience true life transformation.
Acts 13:38-39 (AMP) So let it be clearly known and understood by you, brethren, that through this Man forgiveness and removal of sins is now proclaimed to you; [39] And that through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him] is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified and freed by the Law of Moses and given right standing with God.
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45. THE ART OF SAYING THE RIGHT WORD AT THE RIGHT TIME (Proverbs 15:23)
Proverbs 15:23 (NLT) Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
It is one thing to memorize the scripture and to have a working knowledge or familiarity with the Bible, but quite another thing to know the right words for a particular circumstance (2 Timothy 2:15). Sometimes I think what comes out of our mouths when we haven’t taken the time to engage our mind before we open our lips is pure folly and useless to those who hear us. We should think about how our words will be received and how much good they can accomplish before we utter them. We should make sure that our words bring God glory before we open our mouth. Our speech is to always be “with grace and seasoned with salt” (Col 4:6), which means we speak graciously and not maliciously to others. It means that we are like salt in that even when it stings, it is done to be an anticeptic to the wounded soul, so that what has already infected the hearer will not bring something even far worse upon them than the load they are already carrying.
Even the apostle Paul, who often preached to his hearers “repentance” along with “faith” (Acts 20:20-21) knew in the case of the Philippian jailor all he needed to tell him was to “believe” on Christ. Why would he leave off repentance if it was so important? Perhaps it is because he perceived that the jailor was already in a broken and repentant state of mind (Acts 16:25-31).
Many words often accomplish far less than the very carefully chosen few that have been left in the cooker long enough to think through its likely affect (James 1:19).
Isaiah 50:4 (MSG) The Master, GOD, has given me a well-taught tongue, So I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, Wakes me up, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders.
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46. THE OLDEST SIN IN THE BIBLE (Proverbs 16:18)
Proverbs 16:18 (KJV) Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
The Message has another way of saying this that may help to drill this truth deep into our heart. “First pride, then the crash– the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”
Though we don’t know for sure when Lucifer, who is now known as Satan, fell, we do know he must have fallen before he tempted Eve, therefore his sin of PRIDE, is the oldest sin of the Bible. Let me share with you two passages in the Bible that most Bible scholars believe to be references to Satan. These scripture references demonstrate the greatest example of pride in the Bible.
Isaiah 14:10-15 (KJV) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! [13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I Will BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH. [15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Ezekiel 28:2-3 (MSG) ‘This is what GOD, the Master, says: “‘YOUR HEART IS PROUD, going around saying, “I’m a god. I sit on God’s divine throne, ruling the sea”— You, a mere mortal, not even close to being a god, A mere mortal trying to be a god.
There is one other important scripture reference that is worthy of note.
1 Timothy 3:6 (AMP) He must not be a new convert, or he may [develop a beclouded and stupid state of mind] as THE RESULT OF PRIDE [be blinded by conceit, and] fall into the condemnation that the devil [once] did. [Isa 14:12-14.]
This final scripture reference is Paul giving Timothy instruction about the qualifications of an elder. He must not be a “new convert” or an inexperienced believer. When anyone is put into a position where they are over their head, and will not take direction from others who have such experience is destined to be overtaken by the sin of pride.
Now, while Lucifer, who we now know as Satan or the Devil is the greatest example of pride, Jesus Christ, is the greatest example of that quality that is the exact opposite of pride, which is humility. May God help us all to model our lives after Christ, and not Satan. One course of action will take us down, and the other will elevate us, because in God’s Kingdom, the way to move up, is to be willing to come down.
Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT) Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. [5] You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
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47. THE DANGER OF A GOSIPPING TONGUE (Proverbs 16:28)
Proverbs 16:28 (HCSB) “A contrary man spreads conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”
In our introduction to Proverbs we pointed out that James and Proverbs address similar issues. Some have even called James the Proverbs of the New Testament. Both books address sins of the tongue quite a bit. James mentions something about the right and wrong use of our tongues in every chapter of his book, and in the third chapter of James the whole chapter is devoted to the tongue. In James three we get a clear picture of the WORLD’S LARGEST BUT SMALLEST TROUBLEMAKER!
This verse in Proverbs addresses the evil of a gossipping tongue. The sin of gossip in some ways could be likened to murder. Gossip certainly can be done with the malicious intent to assassinate the character of another person. Both sins, once committed can be forgiven but you can never restore to another person what you have taken away from them. If I steal from you, I can return the stolen goods, but if I murder your loved one I cannot bring them back.
Gossip is the kind of sin that takes a life of its own, and once you open your mouth and let some untruth fly out of it about another person, you will never be able to retrieve the damage done.
A pastor once had one of his parishioners come to him with a sin to confess. The lady said, “Please forgive me pastor, because I have told some lies to other people about you. I want to make things rigtht with you.” The pastor said, “If you really are serious about this, I want you to do something for me.” The woman inquired as to what it was. The pastor said, “I want you to take a feather and place it at the doorstep of everyone’s home where you have told lies about me, and when you are finished, come back and let me know.” After hearing that, the woman was perplexed and thought to herself, “I don’t understand this, but certainly it is the least that I can do.” Some time later the woman came back to her pastor telling him that she completed her assignment. The pastor then asked her to go back and fetch everyone of the feathers that she had placed on the doorsteps of people’s homes. The woman once again looked puzzled and said to her pastor, “I coudn’t possibly do that because the wind will have blown the feathers all over the place.” It was then that the lady understood the gravity of her sin. When we gossip about others we will never be able to undo all the damage we have done.
May God help us all to guard our tongues so that we can use it to DELIGHT others rather than DEVOUR them!
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48. CHRIST FOLLOWERS ARE DESIGNED FOR COMMUNITY (Proverbs 18:1)
Proverbs 18:1 (HCSB) One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.”
In recent years I have been more focused on reading the letters to the churches in the Bible as though they are letters to many and not just to me. We sometimes try so hard to personalize the message of scripture so that we can get the most good out of it, but we may do this to a fault as well. The New Testament letters were written to a body of believers and not just one. I know the general epistles were addressed to specific people, but the church letters had a collective body in mind. Jesus is the “Head” of His church (Col 1:18) and we are His body. If I am going to fight against “spiritual wickedness” in the spiritual warfare that I am in (Eph 6:10-18) I must not try to do so alone. I must not be so proud that I do not call out for help from other godly people for strength in time of need.
The truth is, we may pray a long time for spiritual breakthrough on a matter, and God is ready to answer the need through a loving church body, but because we are not willing to lay the matter before others we may suffer needlessly. Just as going to the doctor does not mean you do not trust God, going to your church family to come alongside you in time of need is often God’s way of answering the very cry of your heart. When we don’t do so, we rob ourselves and the church body of the blessing of being obedient to the scriptures when it comes to demonstrating the love of Christ toward one another (John 13:35). We also rob the watching world of a valuable witness of what it means for Christians to love one another.
John 13:35 (GW) Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.”
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49. ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE (Proverbs 19:2)
Proverbs 19:2 (HCSB) “Even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily sins.”
We have a good example of this very thing in the book of Joshua. God commanded Joshua to conquer the enemies that were in front of them so they could occupy the land that God had promised to His people. After much victory, we begin to read about the Gibeonites. They knew that if they didn’t do something radically different from all the other enemies of Israel, then they would meet the same fate. They came up with a plan. It was a plan of deception, but it worked for them.
When the Gibeonites came to Joshua, saying, “We’re from a far country. Make a peace treaty with us,” Joshua looked at their moldy bread and worn-out sandals and quickly agreed, only to find that he had been tricked (Joshua 9). Like Joshua, the things we wish we could do over again would be done in a much calmer, slower manner. How we need patience.
Have you ever been fooled by someone, thinking you were doing the right thing by taking them completely at their word? It is good to have zeal for all sorts of things, but when it is not coupled with knowledge you may defeat the very purpose of your cause.
If I get in a hurry helping the poor man on the street without regard for how I am to properly help him, I may actually be supporting some bad behavior that will only allow him to remain on the street longer. Something even worse than that may happen. He may get his “final high” on some drug that you provided for him, thinking you were doing a good deed.
If I get in a hurry wanting some poor lost soul to be saved so that he will not perish in hell, and I do so, without first earning the right to be heard by him, through a caring relationship, I may only harden him more toward the things of God. This may prevent not only a future opportunity for myself, but others as well, from ever being able to reach him for Christ.
The children of Israel had zeal for God, but it was without knowledge. They thought they were saved, but it was a fruitless zeal. They were in such haste about their religious fervor, that they passed right on by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:1-4 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
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50. THE KINDNESS OF GOD, DEMONSTRATED THROUGH US (Proverbs 19:17).
Proverbs 19:17 (HCSB) ” Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.”
One of the most important ways for the “body of Christ” to demonstrate the “kindness of God” is by caring for those who have real needs. Many times we find people in such a mess that it is difficult to know where to begin. We cannot help those who refuse to cooperate with a recovery plan, but there are those who will respond and recognize the graciousness of Christ that is being extended to them through the church.
What motivates Christians to be the first responders in a time of national crises, and often the last ones to remain on the scene to continue the support that is needed, is the love of Christ. There was a time when every one of us were helpless like that before God, and God demonstrated His kindness to us, in bringing salvation to us through Christ.
Titus 3:3-7 (MSG) It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. 4 But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, 5 he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. 6 Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. 7 God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come–an eternity of life!
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51. THERE IS A NEED FOR US ALL TO SEARCH OUR OWN HEARTS (Proverbs 20:27).
Proverbs 20:27 (HCSB) “The Lord’s lamp sheds light on a person’s life, searching the innermost parts.”
My first pastor would frequently hold up his Bible and say the following words: “This book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this book.” I believe that is so true. When we read and study the Bible we must make sure we do it for the right reasons. One of the traps that Bible teachers and preachers can get caught in, is studying the Bible and preparing messages for others more than for themselves. Paul cautioned Timothy, and gave him clear instruction on this saying these words.
1 Timothy 4:11-16 (MSG) Get the word out. Teach all these things. [12] And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. [13] Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. [14] And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use. Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! [16] Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.
Notice how Paul made it clear that Timothy was to apply the Word to his own life first, before he instructed others with it. This is certainly a much better model for discipleship than the “do as I say, don’t do as I do” model that has often been what is demonstrated before those who are new to the faith.
As each of us reads the Word of God today, may God shed light upon the dark areas of our lives so that with God’s help we can profit from what we read. May God change us in such a tangible way that our brand of Christanity will be worth taking a look at by others who may be entertaining thoughts of becoming a follower of Christ. May God help believer’s everywhere to be the godly example that those who are new to the faith desperately need to see lest we cause them to stumble before they get far enough in their journey to even be able to stand up, let alone walk and run for God.
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52. THERE IS NO KING ON EARTH, LIKE THE KING OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (Proverbs 21:1,30)
Proverbs 21:1 (HCSB) “A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hands: He directs it wherever He chooses.”
Proverbs 21:30 (HCSB) “No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel will prevail against the Lord.”
In a world that is filled with so much evil, it is hard at times to believe that God is in control. It is true that God gives people the freedom to choose to go against God (Joshua 24:15) and it is also true that the Devil, who is the Father of deception, lies and murder (John 8:44), is at work in the hearts and minds of them that do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ (Eph 2:2-3; 2 Timothy 2:24-25; 2 Cor 4:3-4). Even Christ followers can get so distorted in their thinking that they really think they are doing God’s work, but in reality are being influenced by Satan! (Matthew 16:23)
If all of this is true then, one might ask, “How can God possibly be in control of this world?” While there is a lot that I don’t understand as to the particulars of my life and the lives of others, I still believe there is plenty of reason to embrace the idea that God is in control. Sometimes for reasons I may never understand, God allows evil to have its hayday, while at other times, God clearly intervenes. When God does not intervene, I am comfortable with what I do read in scripture about God and I then conclude that He has good reason for it (Eph 1:11; Rom 8:28).
There were times in Joseph’s life that God could have intervened, and changed the situation for Joseph, but if we read the whole story of his life as it is unfolded, God allows us to see why He didn’t get in a big hurry (see Genesis 37-50). In the end, God elevated Joseph where He became “the Savior of the world” of that day and time in terms of people starving etc. There was a famine in the land both in Egypt and its surrounding areas, and God revealed His fourteen year stradegy for Pharoah to follow.
In the lives of the three Hebrews that were eventually thrown into the fiery furnace, God could have prevented it altogether, but in His wisdom, rather than delivering them from the furnace, He decided to deliver them through it.
I think the reason it is so difficult for Christians to believe in God’s Sovereignty in this world, is that we fail to see the big picture. We tend to look at everything revolving around us, when it is not so much about us, as it is about God and His plan.
I don’t know why in the book of Acts God allowed the martyrdom of James, and yet Peter was released from prison in a miraculous way. While I don’t know the answer, I don’t fret about it either, because God is God and I am not. I am sure that one day we will see these matters clearly, but until then, we must walk by faith and not by sight. We must be willing to believe passages like these verses in Proverbs and be content with what we are told. For me, great comfort is brought to my heart when I read this verse of scripture. I know no matter what happens in this life, nothing can separate me from the love of God, in Christ (Romans 8:31-39). In order for this to be true then God must be in control. As I read the scripture’s, believing in God’s Sovereignty is the only SANE way to think. Afther king Nebuchandnezzar repented and God changed His heart, this is the conclusion that He came to as well.
Daniel 4:34-35 (NLT) “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. [35] All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’
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53. WHY WE SHOULD NOT GLOAT WHEN OUR ENEMIES FALL? (Proverbs 24:17-18)
Proverbs 24:17-18 (AMP) Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown, [18] Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him [to expend it upon you, the worse offender].
Why is it that when two people get in a fire fight, and one ends up wounded for life, while the other is dead, that we consider the one who lives in misery the winner? I see this all the time in family quarrels, church splits, etc. I know in the world we are living in, all conflict cannot be avoided. I also know, in a best case scenario, in the end there can be two winners. We can learn from our conflicts, and we can see forgiveness and full restoration. That is the best case scenario, and I wish I could say that this is what happens most of the time.
Rejoicing, because you seem to have won a conflict really makes little sense to me. In most cases both sides of a particular conflict are left much weaker than they were before the conflict ever got started.
May God help us to avoid wars wherever possible. In order to do this we must think through what the consequences will be. I have often thought, as I contemplate our currrent economic situation where our national debt is so astronomical that it seems we will never recover from such a mess. Let us suppose that congress never resolves the issue and we bandrupt as a nation. We lose a lot in this case, but the countries that we are indebted too will lose too. In fact, we are so globally connected that it is impossible for a little country like Greece to fall, and it not affect us here as well.
“World Peace” is a great idea, but I know that it will only become a reality when the “Prince of Peace” (the Lord Jesus Christ) one day rules this world (Isa 9:6). Just as the world will never know any real peace until Jesus comes to bring it, none of us will have any real peace in our hearts without Him as well (Col 1:20-21). If Jesus is the answer then, He must certainly be the answer now as well.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (AMP) For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace. [Isa 25:1; 40:9-11; Mt 28:18; Lk 2:11.] [7] Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from the [latter] time forth, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. [Da 2:44; 1Co 15:25-28; Heb 1:8.]
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54. WHY WE SHOULD NEVER BOAST ABOUT TOMORROW (Proverbs 27:1)
Proverbs 27:1 (HCSB) “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.”
There are times when we read the scriptures, and what one passage says in one place appears to contradict the instruction given in other places. In other proverbs we are given clear warnings about not properly preparing for the future. An example of this is in Proverbs 20:4 where we are told that a lazy person that won’t get up to plant during planting season, will have nothing to harvest later on. Then in Proverbs 21:5 the writer speaks of how “the plans of the diligent” will most certainly lead to “profit.”
There are those that think the scriptures are quite contradictory by telling us to prepare for the future and be a wise invester, and then on the other hand we are told not to think about tomorrow. That is almost the exact words of Jesus in Matthew 6:34 (see context Matthew 6:25-34).
Matthew 6:34 (NLT) “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Personally, I don’t see a problem with these verses at all. I actually think they harmonize quite well. We are never told in scripture not to prepare for tomorrow, or not to save for those days when you may not be healthy enough to work etc. That is a wise thing to do, as we see plenty of instruction in Proverbs on this. What Jesus is saying in Matthew is not to worry about tomorrow. This is an easy thing to do. I have gotten caught up with this myself. I have tried to prepare the best I could by saving for those days when I might “retire” or that I am no longer physically able to work. Even though I have done and am doing the best I can with all that I realize there are so many variables that I never thougth of that could happen that we easily leave me quite unprepared for that day.
This is where I need help and you may be like me and need help in this area too. In this case, Jesus comes to the rescue when we worry about what may never come to pass anyway. Take a look at the verse in Matthew 6:34 that I shared above, but this time in the Message paraphrase.”Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34 MSG)
Others have another problem when it comes to the riches they have stored up for their future. They think they have done such a good job that instead of worrying as I am prone to do, they will “brag” about how well prepared they are. They too need to take heed and both Solomon and James have something to say about that. Solomon tells us not to brag about their future. We should not so much as think we are going to do anything for certain on any given day. None of us can be sure about tomorrow.
James 4:13-16 (MSG) And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” [14] You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. [15] Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.” [16] As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. [17] In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
Knowing this to be true, even if a person thinks they are prepared for their future time on earth, called those “golden years” what about the time when those days come to end, and you die. You can be rich in all earthly goods, and die a spiritual pauper. This is exactly what will happen if you die without Christ, and Jesus tells a story about a man that did that very thing.
Luke 12: 16b-21 (MSG) “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. [17] He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ [18] Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, [19] and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ [20] “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’ [21] “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
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55. WHY FELLOWSHIP WITH GOOD AND GODLY PEOPLE IS SO IMPORTANT (Proverbs 27:17)
Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
I am sure we could think of so many examples where this is true. Now, the opposite is true if you don’t have the right kind of friend. Let’s suppose I have a golf partner. Me and my friend both like golf, but our objective is to be able to play golf better. If that is my objective and my friend has some very bad habits, and cannot play golf any better than I can, then he cannot help me or “sharpen me” anymore than I will be able to “sharpen him.” Now if improving our golf game is not the objective, and we are just playing golf for the purpose of socializing, then no harm is done.
The same principle is true when it comes to enhancing our walk with God. If the objective of two friends, is to “sharpen” each other in their walk with God, then spending time together, after each has spent time alone with God, will prove to be a great benefit.
I don’t have a lot of close friends. I am not saying that so that anyone will feel sorry for me. Quite honestly, I don’t need, and don’t even have the time to have a whole lot of close friends of this type. I think everyone needs at least one or two close friends in their life.
As I think about this, I am reminded of a line in the movie called “Tombstone.” It was a movie about Wyatt Erp. Wyatt and Doc Holiday became close friends over time. Doc Holiday was a very sick man in the movie and was dying of Tuberculosis. In one particular scene Doc was coughing and was with two other men who had defected from the outlaw group called the Cowboys. One of the men asked Doc Holiday after observing one of his coughing sessions, “Doc, Why are you out here anyway?” Doc replied, “Because Wyatt is my friend?” The other man responded, “I have many friends.” Doc answered back quickly, “I don’t!”
When you have only a few friends that really help you and are there for you when you need them, you want to make sure you do your best to be there for them as well. We need to be there for our friends in times of trouble, to encourage them in such circumstances. We also want to be there to celebrate victories as well.
If you don’t have any friends that “sharpen you” especially in a spiritual way, you need to find one or two, and you need to be a friend to them as well. The only way we can be good friends to others and the only way they can be a good friend to us, is if we spend time with God by ourselves. When we do this, and friends get together, “iron will always sharpen iron.”
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56. WHAT IS A TRUE CONFESSION? (Proverbs 28:13)
Proverbs 28:13 (HCSB) “The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”
There are many times as a chaplain, I function somewhat like I imagine a priest does when someone comes to the confessional, though I am not a priest. But similarly to a priest, I hear the concerns and burdens of many and my gift to them, no matter what they tell me, is to keep what they tell me confidential. I take these matters to the Lord, and I ask God to intervene for many. As a protestant, the confessional is not part of my church’s traditions or practices, but I must be honest—I have envied those who do practice regular confession at times because I think the act of confessing is valuable and can serve a useful purpose.
To me, confession could be like a “spiritual spring cleaning.” Confessing to the Lord is something we should all practice regularly but I wonder how often Christians really go to the “closet confessional” and get alone with God to get their soul cleansed.
Of course, I am sure it is very possible to abuse the solemn act of confession. I have heard of those who even justify sins they plan on and want to commit thinking that it will get erased or forgiven on confession day. That so called “confession” is certainly unacceptable. According to the Bible, when we confess our sin to God, we are actually taking sides with God against ourselves regarding a particular sin we have committed. We are saying to God, “You are right and what I did was wrong.” In addition to doing that we are also asking God for His help not to repeat this sin again. We don’t want to have to come back to God next week about the same thing. We want to renounce and abandon our sin.
If you would like to begin this practice, or renew it, a good place to start may be to take a look at David’s confession in Psalm 51. You may want to read it in your favorite translation, and then rewrite your own Psalm 51 and personalize it.
God, help us all to not cover our sin, but to realize you see and know all anyway. Help us to realize that you love us even in our sin, and out of love for you, help us to not only confess our sins but to forsake them too.
Psalms 51:1-17 (MSG)
A David psalm, after he was confronted by Nathan about the affair with Bathsheba.
Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. [2] Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. [3] I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. [4] You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. [5] I’ve been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. [6] What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. [7] Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. [8] Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. [9] Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. [10] God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. [11] Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. [12] Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! [13] Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. [14] Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. [15] Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with your praise. [16] Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. [17] I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
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57. HOW TO KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIFE (Proverbs 29:18)
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
In my early years the only bible I ever read from was the KJV translation. It still is my main study tool, but in reading this verse in this translation it seems to imply what I have heard many preachers say about it. Often preachers will talk about the need to reach lost souls for Christ and this verse is quoted, and people are encouraged to have a vision for those who are lost that they may come to Christ.
What I just mentioned is no doubt a good application to this verse, but it certainly not what it is actually saying. I like the way it reads in the New King James better, “Where there is NO REVELATION, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”
The word “revelation” is better to me than the word “vision.” It is not that the word “vision” is wrong, it is just that it tends to cause our minds to go to another place. The Proverb actually takes us back to the days of Samuel where we read,
1 Samuel 3:1 (NKJV) Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no WIDESPREAD REVELATION.
Once again where the KJV has “vision” the NKJV has “widespread revelation.” When the word “vision” is used it is talking about prophetic revelation. For us today that simply means that people perish when the word of God is not being presented to them, or they refuse to hear what it says.
In the passage in 1 Samuel 3 God was about to start talking to Samuel. That was not happening much during this “spiritual dark ages.” Today, since we have God’s complete revelation, He speaks through it and we don’t need anything but what we already have written down in our 66 books of the bible. That is the way God speaks today. If anyone claims to hear anything beyond that, it must at least be put to the test of scripture. A good example of this may be the many books that are being written today about people who died and claim to have been in heaven and come back. If they say anything that contradicts scripture we should not give it any weight. The sad thing about it is many Christians today seem to be placing more value on what these books say more than the Bible itself.
If we want direction on How to be saved, we must go to the Bible (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). If we want direction on how to live our life, we need to go to the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:105). If we want direction on how to avoid sin, we must know what sin is and the Bible will tell us all we need to know (Psalm 119:9,11).
If there is a famine of the Word of God today, at least in America, it is not because people don’t have access to a Bible. The famine that exists in America is a famine of hearing what God has to say.
The following is a quote from the John MaCarthur study Bible. “This proverb looks both to the lack of the Word (i.e., 1Sa 3:1) and the lack of hearing the Word (Am 8:11; Am 8:12), which lead to lawless rebellion (cf. Ex 32:25; Lv 13:45; Nu 5:18). The proverb then contrasts the joy and glory of a lawful society (28:14; Mal 4:4).”
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58. HOW RELIABLE IS THE WORD OF GOD? (Proverbs 30:5a)
I was not “raised in Church” but I do know my parents were not Athiests, or “non believers” in the sense of thinking church was bad or the Bible had no value. I can only remember going to church a few times with my sister. I don’t think I got much out of it, but I don’t blame that on the teachers or the pastor either. I am sure my mind was likely somewhere else.
What I do know, however is that I have always believed there is a God, and that the Bible is true. I may be wrong, but I think it is quite natural to believe the Bible. Most people that I know, grew up believing these things. I grew up in Canada, and many of my friends grew up in the U.S.A. If any of them do not believe the Bible is God’s Word, it is because they were taught later on in life to question it. I see this a lot these days. In our learning institutions and in government, as well as on television, we see the Bible being ridiculed, discredited, and dismissed, as something that should not be taken seriously by an educated person.
Even though some try to discredit the Bible with archeology, I think any reliable archeological discoveries only prove to confirm the Bible to be true, rather than discredit it. As I study the prophecies of the Bible, in light of the research that has been done on the time when these documents were written, it is nothing short of a miracle that we have such accuracy in the fulfillment of what was predicted. Even an honest statistician would have difficulty arguing against the reliability of scripture in this point.
If the truth were known, I think most people that have a negative opinion of the Bible have likely never read enough of it to have such an opinion in the first place. That is being prejudice toward God and the Bible, in the same way that a “white racist” chooses to hate all black people based on the color of their skin. How can you possibly hate what you know so little about? If you are going to decide not to believe the Bible, why not at least read it cover to cover and then at least then you can have a more informed opinion.
After having read through the Bible cover to cover many times I have more confidence that the Bible is God’s Word now, than ever before.
I also believe the Bible is:
1. PURE (Proverbs 30:5-6)
Proverbs 30:5a “Every word of God is pure…”
2. PROFITABLE (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
3. POWERFUL (Hebrews 4:12; Romans 1:16)
Hebrews 4:12 (MSG) God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.
4. PRESERVED (Psalm 12:6)
Psalm 12:6 (NLT) The Lord’s promises are PURE, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.
5. PRECIOUS (Psalm 139:17; Proverbs 3:15)
Proverbs 3:15 Wisdom is more PRECIOUS than rubies.
6. PROPHETIC (2 Peter 1:19-21)
2 Peter 1:19-21 (NIV) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The only way Christians can ever live Confidently is if they can fully trust God’s Word!
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59. HOW RICH CAN YOU AFFORD TO BE? (Proverbs 30:7-9)
Proverbs 30:7-9 (MSG) And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me— [8] Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. [9] If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’ If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.”
I wonder how the “health and wealth prosperity preachers” handle verses like these. To me, this is a very balanced prayer. It is one that I should not be afraid to pray.
To me, this is a very balanced prayer. It is one that I should not be afraid to pray. First, when it comes to lying, this statement helps remind me of the damage that has been done when others have lied or misrepresented the truth to others about me. It hurts and amounts to nothing less than character assasination. I need to remember that hurt before I tell some fib or some over exageration about another person. It would be foolish for me to misjudge my own heart and think that I am not capable of it.
Secondly, when it comes to riches and poverty, there is so much wisdom in this kind of prayer. I think it would be very easy to become rich and forget about God. It is part of our fallen nature to be self-sufficient, and when we are that way we are not walking by faith and trusting in the Lord. I know my wife and I have had those fantasy talks about what we would do if we would win the lottery. We do talk about the kind of ministry we would like to start if we caught that break. It will probably not happen though, for two reasons. First, it is hard to win if you don’t buy a ticket and secondly, I am sure God knows what He can trust me with. I am not sure I know my own heart well enough to be trusted with a lot of money right now. Maybe one day.
This proverb writer does not want to be poor either, because he does not want to be tempted with evil. He does not want to be so rich that he becomes INDEPENDENT, nor does he want to be so poor that He is tempted to steal and thereby DISHONOR God.
Before you listen to the “prosperity messages” that are real good at taking verses out of context, it might be good to read and meditate a little on these three verses too. If nothing else, it will give you reason to search your heart and bring some balance to your life.
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60. “THE GOOD WIFE” and No, I am not talking about the TV series! (Proverbs 31:10-31)
Proverbs 31:10-31 (MSG) A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. 11 Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. 12 Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long. 13 She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing. 14 She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises. 15 She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day. 16 She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden. 17 First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. 18 She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day. 19 She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking. 20 She’s quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor. 21 She doesn’t worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear. 22 She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks. 23 Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers. 24 She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops. 25 Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile. 26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly. 27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. 28 Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: 29 “Many women have done wonderful things, but you’ve outclassed them all!” 30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-GOD. 31 Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!
My wife and I have discussed this chapter before. I asked her the other day, when she reads this chapter how does it make her feel. She said, “Like a failure!” She was just being honest, and I couldn’t help but smile. Quite frankly, I don’t know of anyone quite like this woman. I really would like to know if any man put all the qualities mentioned here, on a profile for a prospective wife on harmony.com or match.com or any of those agencies that do that sort of thing, whether they would ever find a match for them. This is Mrs. Far Above Rubies that they would be looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I think wives should strive to be the best they can be for their husbands and mostly for God. Many of the men I know think they have “married up” realizing they are a better person for having the benefit of a “Good Wife.”
There are far too many women like the one on the “Good Wife” in the TV series. I am glad my wife is not that kind of “good wife.” She is a God-fearing woman, she loves her husband and works hard at her work outside the home. Since we both work outside the home we work on many things together when we both get home at the end of the day.
As I read this chapter, I think this is the “Gold Standard” wife. She is perfect, and runs on the energy of a twenty-five year old, but has the wisdom of a seventy-five year old. It’s hard to be that perfect, just as none of us men perfectly meet up to the standards of what a goldy man is as is mentioned in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. We should strive for it, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can really shine for God.
So as wives read this chapter, and men read the ones in Timothy and Titus, let us thank God for His grace, and be willing to be grateful for the wonderful qualities of Christ that are demonstrated by our spouses. At the same time, allow plenty of room for grace, for God knows we all need it.
Dan McKenney — Grace, Growth and God’s Word 