THE WEIGHT OF OUR GRATEFULNESS

Proverbs 11:1
A false balance is abomination to the LORD:
But a just weight is his delight.

Several similar references are made in this proverb; God Yahweh certainly disapproved of the dishonest merchant whose weights differed. In these days people used stones for weights; each stone claimed to be of a certain weight. A dishonest merchant owned stones with differing stones, or weights. The literal translation of the second clause of this proverb says, “a full stone is acceptable unto Him” Much certainly needs to be said about honesty in business, but is this all this proverb intends to teach us?

What is the weight of our Master’s gift to us? Can we ever find it? Is there a measure that can quantify the worth of the messianic sacrifice? Can we calculate its length, width, height, volume or strength? Can we even compare it to anything we know? How can we? We have yet to learn about the concept of infinity.

With such a price paid for our ransom from the evil one, we are left with a dilemma. We are not asked to repay, but the very virtue that we receive from our salvation teaches us about gratefulness. How can we then show the right weight of gratefulness for a gift we cannot even measure?

Ah my friend, the measure is not in the length, width, height, volume or strength. The measure is, as is stated in the original language of this proverb, in the ‘fullness’. Our Master’s fullness is truly immeasurable, but he gave it all. Here is the right weight of our gratefulness to the Master who delivered us from slavery to Satan:

to give our all to Him.

THE TOUCHSTONE

Proverbs 10:32
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable:
But the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

Again the Scripture divides humanity into two camps: the righteous and the wicked. Again this polarization is done within the perspective of the fruits of our speech. Not that the speech is necessarily conscious, but rather that the speech is an illustration, even a revelation of what already is in our heart.

Ideas and concepts travel from one person to another through the vehicle of human relations. We have contact with and speak to each other. In this process we affect each other, even have the ability to lead each other in the right or in the wrong direction. God has therefore given us parameters that we may be able to discern if a person is a right according to God’s standards, or wrong. By these parameters, we are to judge whether or not we are to associate with a person or not. It is important to notice that most of these parameters reveal people’s nature through the content of their speech.

If we follow the parameters given to us and if we ourselves know the Word, it doesn’t take to be a highly educated psychologist to define someone’s character. All we have to do is match them with these proverbs on the tongue and speech. Like the touchstone helps us know the quality of gold, the Word helps us find the worth of a person. Then, our own worth is also defined by whether we choose or not to associate with that person after the Word reveals their character to us.

When He returns, Jesus will discern and evaluate each one of us. He will judge between person and person. The sheep He will put at his right hand and the goat at His left hand. These proverbs, and many other character evaluating statements in the Word are the laws by which he will judge the world on that day. How will we fare?

Now that we know the content of the test, maybe we should prepare ourselves for the greatest ‘exam’ of all times.

A PARABLE OF TREES

Proverbs 10:31
The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom:
But the froward tongue shall be cut out.

Words are like seeds. Words grow flowers or weeds depending on heart of the sower. They are conceived in our hearts; proceed from our mouth; planted in someone’s mind, and finally conceive in their heart to continue the same process.

Like a good tree, a sower of good words needs at times to be fertilized, pruned and trimmed. This faithful care results in a harvest of goodly fruits. Seed from this good fruit can be planted to produce more goodly trees. The farmer and his family feed from the fruit, so they are happy to care for and protect the tree. So it is with who has the tongue of God’s wisdom: he shall be kept forever.

Oh, but there is a tree in the garden that has withheld for several years now. It does not respond to fertilizing and pruning. The master of the garden comes to receive fruit from it and there is none. The tree just holds space. Some of its branches are dead and dangerous; he is infested with parasites. This dead sick tree also hides the sun from the other trees in the garden. The farmer is frustrated with this tree. So it is with one who has a perverse tongue: he shall be cut off.

Can the Master of our soul collect His due from the many words we speak during the day? Can He come and feed from the fruits of our tongue in the life of others? Will he have to cut us out from the land and give our place to another?

Something to think about.

FINALLY HOME

Proverbs 10:30
The righteous shall never be removed:
But the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

From eternity, the righteous is promised an inhabitation.

It is important to notice that under King Solomon, God’s people possessed that land under the large boundaries given to Abraham: from the Euphrates to the Nile. This inheritance is a perpetual inheritance conditional on obedience to God’s Law. After all, if we abide in His Land, we should obey His rules. Sad to say, because we broke the terms of the ‘Lease’, our ‘Landlord’ kicked us out. All is not lost though, because the ‘Lease’ also comprises an atonement clause. The ‘Landlord ‘s Son’ pleads to His Father on our behalf and even pays for the damages. He also takes charge of teaching us how to be better guardians of the terms of the ‘Lease’; the terms even say that He ‘turns’ us away from our Law-lessness and disobedience. As we learn to obey the terms of the ‘Contract’, we are in time returned to our Land.

But those who absolutely refuse the help of the Son, those who do not want to learn how to obey the lease, those will never possess the land. The eschatological role of that land is too important. It is to become the spiritual center of the earth: the place where the whole world will come to learn about God. Therefore the people living there have got to be an example of God’s character. God cannot allow sin, which is the breaking of the ‘Lease’, to exist in that land. The Son, who is without sin, will reign there and that land is to represent Him, His character, His inner being.

Let us rejoice in this promise: God’s people have a land. It has been promised to them. They have a land from where they shall never be removed. No dubious peace plans preserves it for them, only the Hand of the Almighty El Shaddai Himself who has promised it to them. The wicked, he who is disobedient to God’s law, has no place in it. It is a place of promise, of learning, of plenty, of peace, of love and of laughter. It is a place where God’s people are no more pilgrims and stranger trying to obey their God while living in foreign cultures. It is a place they can finally call ‘home’, where they can, without fears and uncertainties, unpack from their millenniums of travels and finally settle with their children and grand-children. It is a land where serving their God is no strange thing. It is a Land of milk and honey.

TRUE STRENGTH FROM GOD

Proverbs 10:29
The way of the Lord is strength to the upright:
But destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
NOTE: ‘Iniquity’: law-lessness

And what is the way of the Lord but to walk in His laws?

Those who think they know better than God; those who seek to live solely by their own rules; those who refuse to subject themselves to the company of God; they say that faith in God is for the weak. Maybe they are right.

God has taken the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. Weakness in our own eyes wins us the strength of God. What would happen if a man joined the armed forces, but refused to subject himself to military rules and training? This man would be a danger to himself and to his comrades. So it is with the upright. If we join this army of the Lord on earth, our strength lies in our abiding in His laws and statutes. Only by doing so can we expect to inherit the promises of provision and protection granted to us in our salvation.

The worker of iniquity, or the ‘law-less’ by definition of the word, denies to himself the strength of God and therefore is the one who is truly weak. He is weak because he has no standard but himself by which to judge the right and wrong of his actions. He is weak because he refuses the character strength training that comes by exercising the muscles of faith when we obey God’s laws. He is weak because he does not have the ‘way of the Lord’ to protect him; he therefore becomes prey to every one of his own evil inclinations.

May we take the to heart this admonition of the Lord:
Deuteronomy 6:6-12 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

HOPE. AGAIN I SAY, HOPE

Proverbs 10:28
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness:
But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

In this we can assuredly pray for a better world. In this we can certainly expect a change.

The righteous, along with all of God’s creation, cry daily for this madness to end. They cry to God against the evil trend that envelops their children. They cry to God for justice against their oppressors. They cry to God for peace and security. They cry to God that His will be finally done on earth, as it is in Heaven. They cry and know that their hope and that the end of their expectation is gladness. God hears. God tenderly gathers the sweet prayers of his children and tends to them like a gardener tends to his flowers. He responds and nurtures each one. We may not see it now as we are still in winter, but underground the seeds of God’s answers to these righteous prayers have already germinated. Already the seeds are burst forth with life. The daffodils push the hardened earth. The crocuses peek through with promise. Oh, what a wonderful spring it will be.

It is not the same for the wicked. Daily, his expectations are doomed to destruction. They are no sooner conceived that hell takes a hold of them. The worm devours them even as their heads pops out of the ground. The judgments of God burn their consistence even as they flourish. How can we be deceived and look at the plot of the wicked with envy? How can we fear the wicked’s empty boastings?

Let us now rejoice as we remember these words. Let us sit at peace and look forward to the future with gladness. Let us now with joyful anticipation work and till the garden of our hope. Watch now; even now, it’s Friday evening. The greatly expected Sabbath of all times is at the door.

FROM NOW TO THEN

Proverbs 10:27
The fear of the LORD prolongeth days:
But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Is longevity a blessing? The ancient certainly looked upon it as such. For them, the very concept of death was very different than ours. Dying was in itself not as important as the way in which we died. Did we die in youth or full of years? Did we die a glorious purposeful death or did we die torn by a ravenous beast or a loathsome disease?

It is true that the contentment of heart, the peace of mind, and the overall prosperity that defines the life of the righteous contributes to a long life. It is the true secret to longevity. It is also true that the guilty soul, the internal contentions, and the overall vice that characterizes the life of the wicked shortens his chances to a long life. Sin is definitely the main death-contributing factor. But it is also true that the life of a righteous man is often shortened as he walks with God. God also allows the pious to be taken away from evil early in life, especially in case of martyrdom. So is our author merely reflecting on our passage in this life, or is he pondering something more?

In Hebraic terms, life and death are not just the union and separation of our body with our spirit. Life is union with God. Death is separation from God. This is the death of the wicked: to be separated from God forever. This is the life of the righteous: to live in the Temple of God, to enjoy Him in His courts, and to be partakers of the fullness of His blessed Spirit forever.

And what is to be learned from this: let us not exchange the temporal sinful seeming self-gratification of this day against the true joy and contentment that is to be ours forever.

VINEGAR TO THE TEETH; SMOKE TO THE EYES

Proverbs 10:26
As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

Peasants used to drink sour wine. Even Jesus was offered some when hanging on the cross. This vinegar-like wine blunted the teeth and made it troublesome to eat. Smoke from a campfire also frustrates the sight. So is the sluggard, lazy, unfaithful person to him that sent him on a mission.

When our Lord sends us on a mission, we are to lay aside all other priorities. We are to solely focus and concentrate on the job He accorded us the privilege to do. When we allow other things to distract us, we are to His teeth as vinegar, and to His eyes as smoke.

Do we have a mission from Him? Is there a particular job He would have us accomplish during the vanity of our time on earth? Each of us has to answer this question for himself. But whether we have a special calling in this world or not, there is one mission He has sent us all to do, something that is part and parcel with our salvation. While in this world, we are to be as He is. As His people, we are to be the world’s luminaries shining with the exemplary light of His virtues. We are to show the world how life should and could be lived. We are to represent the character of Yehoshua the Messiah on earth.

When we fail in this mission, when our lives are distracted by the foolish elements of life, When we are lazy to accomplish this precious calling, we are like the vinegar that Jesus was given to drink at the cross, brew which he rejected. We also become like the smoke of a campfire that impairs His vision.

Let us now take this reflection to heart. Let us be to the One who saved faithful messengers of His light, diligent carriers of His Words, dependable representatives of His virtues.

A SURE PROPHECY

Proverbs 10:25
As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more:
But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

Both the righteous and the wicked walk this world. They are sown on the soil of the earth to take root, prosper and flourish. They work, toil and compete for the good soil, for the nutrients and moisture of the earth. At their early stage of growth, we can hardly tell who’s who, so the wise husbandman waits for harvest time to reap the righteous and burn the wicked.

Tornadoes regularly ravage parts of our country. They are powerful. As they pass through our lands, they take with them cars, trucks and even dislodge houses. They leave intense ravages behind them. When God’s judgments come, the righteous stand strong, but the wicked is like what is left on the path of a tornado.

Today the wicked rages; he plots against the righteous. He plans and connives with other wicked ones; he wants to destroy the culture of the righteous. He is a virtue terrorist. But the day will tell all. As the wicked tries to choke the good seed, he is the one who, when the Husbandman Jesus returns, will be left with nothing. While he will found to be no more, the righteous will possess the land and rejoice in an abundance of peace.

THE RETURNED FEAR AND THE OBTAINED DESIRE

Proverbs 10:24
The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him:
But the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

Again, contrast is the key to this proverb. We see the righteous contrasted with the wicked; fear with desire. Fear comes upon us, while desire is granted us.

Job exclaimed, I feared a fear and it came upon me. Fear is really the opposite of faith. The wicked, who has no peace, spends his whole life indulging in his fears. His wealth was gained dishonestly. He was hurtful to others. And he knows his house is built on the sands of disobedience to God. He therefore lives in fear. He rightfully lives in fear that his wealth will be taken from him. He fears that all he has done to others will be done to him. He fears that his house will crumble from under him. It is a fear God implanted in the wicked for them to know that he who sows the wind inherits the whirlwind.

Is there a more beautiful thing in life than to be granted a gift from God? We know we don’t deserve it. We know we can’t even begin to earn it, but yet, God, in His great mercy and pleasure in us loves to please us. He loves to please us as a father who comes home bringing lovely gifts for his children. He loves to please us as a husband who enjoys seing a smile of satisfied adoration on his wife’s face. When we please Him by putting our trust in Him, He also becomes our greatest gift. Like with Moses who begged to see God, He hides us in the cleft of the rock; and He puts his hands on our face so he can pass before in all his glory.

INSTRUCTION OF WISDOM

Proverbs 10:23
It is as sport to a fool to do mischief:
But a man of understanding hath wisdom.

We can categorize those who do evil into three main categories. Those who know they sin but don’t know it; those who know they sin and are convicted of it; and those who know they sin while they even boast of it. The fool, the one who is careless of God’s Instruction, is part of this last category.

The fool sins and boasts. The fool sins and laughs. The fool sins and despises correction. The fool sins and returns to his folly. The fool sins and mocks the wise. The fool sins and sins again. Even a rod on his back has no effect on the fool. Mothers, protect your children from the fool. Father, chase him from your grounds. He infects everything around him, and with a sneer destroys the pure building of your children. As he passes through your lands, do not speak with him; do not get in his ways. Do not answer him nor interact with him. Just open the road wide for him to flush out from your midst and fall into his eternal hellish reward.

The wise learns and shares. The wise practices righteousness and rejoices. The wise seeks the correction of his ways. The wise learns from his mistakes. The wise honors the wise. The wise wins and learns to flee from sin. The rod of correction on the back of a wise is precious gold. Mothers, invite the wise to your table. Fathers, invite him to teach your children. Righteousness emanates from his mouth, and with godly satisfaction edifies your children. As he passes through your lands, speak with the wise; walk with him a while. Interact and learn from him. As he walks the narrow road, he will show you the way to your eternal reward.

THE GREATEST OF BLESSINGS

Proverbs 10:22

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

The usual understanding of this proverb is that when a gift is truly from God, it is totally free; there is no work added to it. Yes; the blessing of the Lord enriches, and there is not work, or ‘sorrow’ added to it. Is it truly so? Adam was given a garden that he was told to tend. He was also to tend his heart towards keeping God’s one and only commandment. We may marry the love of our lives, but marriage also requires to be ‘tended’, or it will fail. We may get saved, but even Paul tells us to’ work’ this freely given salvation with fear and trembling.

We are overly used to think of wealth in terms of dollars and cents. Why do we forget that physical wealth is fickle? From day to day, the biggest fortunes of the world lose and gain value according to the whims of a man made market. The physical is temporal, but the spiritual is eternal, so really, the blessing of the Lord can only be a spiritual value.

The only thing we get for free is this life, the only blessing that truly makes rich, the only thing that the true spiritual men of God looked for and considered the highest of God’s blessings is to live in God’s presence; to live in His house.

God’s presence is given for free. There is no extra effort or ‘sorrow’ added to it. When we are in God’s presence, He fills our hearts to the uttermost. The principle is easy to understand. In everything on this earth, we are the one who tends, who cares, the responsible ones. But when we are in the presence of the Almighty El-Shaddai, we are the ones cared for, the ones tended unto. When we enter the presence of Yahweh, we become the Bride enveloped in the love and care of her husband.

Is there a greater blessing that to find the place where we can lay down our tools and sheath our weapons? Than to find the place where we can de-activate the ‘protective shield’ of outward appearances we feel we have to project in order to protect ourselves? Is there a greater blessing that to be able to let go of everything and just snuggle in the arms of our husband and Creator?

THE WORDS OF THE WISE FEED

Proverbs 10:21

The lips of the righteous feed many:

But fools die for want of wisdom.

Literal translation: The lips of the righteous shepherd many. . . ..
The shepherd, or pastor, provides guidance, care and food. Our Lord and Master Jesus-Christ was an excellent example of this by providing all of these to His disciples, and He has promised to continue. He has promised us food and raiment; for the rest we work. He has also promised the needs for the execution of the work He has assigned us to do for Him on earth. For His work not ours; even though He may also indulge us in that. He has not promised our wants, He has promised us our needs. He has not promised the ‘top of the line’ in everything, even though He may indulge us in that too, He has promised us our needs.

There is cause and effect in this phrase. The words of the righteous leave us with a sense of satisfaction, spiritual and physical. Pastoral Words inspired of God leave us with a counsel that presents a light at the end of the tunnel; with a providing practicality. After all, isn’t one of the names of God: Yehovah-Yiree: God, the Provider?

Literal translation: But many fools die for want of wisdom . . . .
The understanding of this phrase is in the contrasting properties of the sentence structure of this Book of Proverbs. A literal translation with inferred meaning would maybe read:
The lips of the righteous shepherd many, thus keeping them alive and wise;
but fools die in foolishness because they do not receive the words of the righteous.
Again, we find cause and effect. Fools, who are not recipients of the wise words of the righteous, die for want of food and wisdom.

It is sad when people die because of a famine of righteous words, but it is depressing when fools die when the Word is published and easily available.

John, the disciple, is quoted to have ended the Book of Revelation in these terms, Let the righteous be righteous still, and let the wicked be wicked still. . ..

May the righteous faithfully teach and feed the flock the only Words of eternal life; and may people allow God to open their eyes that they may see the path of truth wherein lies all of God’s bounties.

THE GAUGE

Proverbs 10:20
The tongue of the just is as choice silver:
The heart of the wicked is little worth.

Let us here remember the maIn literary structure of the Book of Proverbs: contrast.

In today’s text, the tongue, an instrument of the heart, is contrasted with the heart itself. The just, one who is justified by Jesus-Christ, is contrasted with the wicked: one who is not justified. Choice silver is contrasted with ‘little worth’, which in the contextual Hebrew text could be seen as mere silver shavings falling off the tool of the silversmith.

Jesus told us that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So in the case of the just, if his tongue is valuable, how much more his heart. But in the case of the wicked, if his heart is worthless, his speech also is.

The Hebraic mind is one of simplicity. To the Hebrew, if it looks like a duck, if it sounds like a duck, if it acts like a duck: it is a duck. You can’t tell the true Hebrew mind, ‘no, it is not a duck, because in his heart, he is really a chicken’. In the same manner, you couldn’t tell the Hebrew, ‘oh, this person only acts and sounds bad, but in their heart, they are good’.

Applying this very important principle to basic theology in today’s text, we could therefore say, ‘If these words I hear benefit my soul like choice silver, the heart that produced them must be justified, and of even greater worth than the words themselves. But if the words I hear are of no more value than, contrasted with choice silver, the silver shavings falling from the tool of the silver smith, the heart that produced these words must also be, by contrast, of worse value than the words themselves. This is hard gauge by which to judge, but it is a gauge as infallible as the law of gravity. It is a safe gauge.

‘May the words of our mouths be few, but may they be fit. May they shine to audiences big and small with the golden glow of our salvation in Jesus-Christ. May they be godly wealth to the hearer, a spiritual map to the traveler and true comfort to the mourner. And by Your grace oh Lord, may our words not be vain or poisonous, for how could the same fountain give both sweet and bitter waters?

What can be said of your words?

WISDOM IN SILENCE

Proverbs 10:19
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:
But he that refraineth his lips is wise.

The Master reminded us that by every one of our words we shall be judged. Each and every one of our idle utterances will be brought before the throne of the Almighty, and placed in the quantum of evidence concerning our case. What will these words prove?

Will our words be arrows in the arsenal of accusations of the accuser of the Saints, or will they provide the Master, our Defense Attorney, with evidence of sincere repentance and devotion?

In light of our subject today I will not say more, but let us instead be silent and ponder on this question.

CLEAN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

Proverbs 10:18
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

The Word of God is not only concerned with our actions; it also challenges the intentions of our heart. In the case of our text today, the Word instructs us that to entertain evil thoughts against someone while at the same time outwardly acting friendly towards them, is as foolish as to openly let out our negativity towards them.

The Word doesn’t leave much room for hypocrisy. The word ‘hypocrite’ means ‘one who pretends to own a virtue that he does not possess’. The word ‘hypocrisy’ also comes from the Greek word, “actor’. When we entertain evil thoughts that, for a reason or another we do not want to reveal, we put on an act. But eventually, our words or our actions betray us. It is often practiced in politics; it is called ‘diplomacy’. It is also practiced in commerce; it is called ‘good business’. But whatever man calls it for whatever reason, God calls is foolish.

Now if we try to make peace with someone by doing the right thing and being nice to them when we don’t feel like it, this is different. This is almost viewed to God as a sweet flavored sacrifice of obedience. The idea here is to truly repair the breach in communication; to truly heal the relationship. It s not just to apply some cosmetic cream or powder on the wounds in order to alleviate the pain or hide the scar, and try to pretend it is not there.

When Moses was instructed to build the Ark of the Covenant, he was told to make it of acacia wood laid in gold inside and outside. We can easily question the purpose of the expensive inside layer. This is a sample to teach us that we must strive for our hearts to be pure on the outside that every can see, but also on the inside that only God can see.

TEACHING CHILDREN BY EXEMPLE

Proverbs 10:17
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction:
But he that refuseth reproof erreth.

The Hebrew word used for ‘instruction’ in this text is actually ‘discipline; to ‘discipline’ means to train, educate, to disciple.

Anyone who has children knows that the subject of discipline is all encompassing. Children do not like to receive it, and parents feel intimidated to give it. Yet, the Bible tells that to give discipline is part of love, and it also tells us that to be disciplined is a sign of being loved.

It is obvious when children refuse discipline. With teenagers it is sometimes a bit trickier; they learn to play game before our eyes while they have a secret life behind our backs, often online. With adult, we mostly have to fight ‘drama’, and sensitivity.

The apostle Paul warned us that in the end time, we would live in a generation that refuses discipline and instruction. What more could define the times we now live in? Children are unruly and do not naturally obey their parents. Teenagers feel that it is their right to legislate their own lives. And while children are prey to the viles of this premature sense of fake freedom, adults live contrary to the Laws of the loving God who created them. Could it be that our attitude towards God’s instruction and training is connected with our children’s attitude?

I believe that we should teach by example. It is very hard to teach a child to use proper language when our own mouth needs cleaning. It is difficult to teach a child to eat properly when we indulge in junk food or in other unhealthy habits. It is very difficult to teach a child to have wisdom in his choice of media when we ourselves are glued to its vain shows and magazines. Could it be that if we, as parents, with all sincerity of heart, showed a life yielded to God’s instruction, a life submissive to God’s discipline and to His training, we would stand a better chance with the training of our children?

It may or may not be, but one thing I know: when I come in the presence of the Almighty God; when my life’s works are weighed in the balance; I do not want to realize that it is I, who through my own rebellious attitude towards God and His Instruction, was the one who patterned rebelliousness in my children.

REVELATION

Proverbs 10:16
The labour of the righteous tendeth to life:
The fruit of the wicked to sin.

There is a day when our works will be weighed. There is a day when our worth will be measured. Everything we have done, said, omitted, judged, boasted of, cried, emphasized and minimized will come back to our face to judge and expose our heart’s true motives. The Foundation upon which we have based our faith will be revealed.

If our foundation consists of the sands of man’s doctrine, of man’s carving of its own god according to his own likings, nothing, absolutely nothing of our life’s work will remain standing in the sight of the true God of eternity. If the foundation is the Rock Jesus-Christ, the living fiery Word first revealed in the stone of Mt Horeb, this foundation will evaluate our life’s worth, through the testing of fire.

On that day, the elements of our life will be revealed. It will be revealed to all whether they lead to life or to sin. Relativism in judgment will be done with. The only arbitrator shedding light of our life will be fire of God’s Word. John taught us that sin is the breaking of the Law. Paul said that the wages of sin is death. A life of consciously breaking God’s law results in death, and is there an atonement left after we have willingly sinned? Is there salvation after willingly rejecting Christ in the form of rejecting His Word? That question still rages in theological debates and certainly deserves to be answered.

But why take a chance. If a man’s life is turned towards God’s Word, there is no more doubt. This man’s life tends to life eternal. Jesus Himself said that in this man, the spirit of God becomes a river of Life Eternal flowing from his belly. Not only his words but his actions, his interests and his priorities are in sync’ with the Spirit of God. They seem to both walk in unison as two hearts beating as one. It is an amazing thing, but if we put two heart cells together, eventually they beat as one. If our heart in near to God’s, we also beat as one, and bring life to the world.

Let man boasts of its works. Let him come before the court of public opinion and play his game before the jury. Let him bring his most precious prize that it may be tested in the fires of God’s eternal judgment. Watch it all disappear in smoke, leaving place for the rebuilding of a brand new society based of the loving Laws of our Father.