TO BE READY

Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing:
But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

The Creator gave us this temporal corruptible physical world as a shadow of the eternal incorruptible spiritual one. Therefore the truths imbedded in the principles of our daily lives represent teachings of spiritual realities.

The soul of the indolent desires the good things of the world but never can attain them because they are obtained through diligent work. Forever he wishes his soul to indulge in the fatness of the land, but he can only sit and play victim for his poor lot. He blames everything from his traumatic childhood to the government just to excuse his laziness.

But whereas he excuses himself from being all he should or could be, will Yahweh excuse him?

The same works with spiritual realities, or so Yehoshua teaches us. In His discourse on millennial preparations, Yeshua compares those attending his final wedding feast to ten virgins. Those are like the ten friends of the bride found in traditional Jewish weddings. . The bridegroom always arrived at an unexpected moment in the night on a white horse to ‘rapture’ his beloved. These ‘bridesmaids’ therefore were to keep themselves alert and ready to attend the party at any time the bridegroom arrived. They were to keep their oil lamps full and trimmed so as not give black smoke. They were also there to be support, help and friends to the bride. Oh, how they wanted to be there with a part of the wedding feast. But some became indolent. They did not keep alert, awake and waiting. And worst of all, they had not gathered enough oil to last the long wait through the night. When the bridegroom arrived, he was disgusted at their lack of diligence towards such an important event, so he kept them out of the wedding party.

Even so today, the Bride, the bridesmaids, and all those to be guests at that great party are to prepare and get ready. We are to don the white robe of righteousness given to all those invited. We are to keep our wicks trimmed so our doctrine remains pure and does not emanate the black smoke of man’s erroneous teachings. Our lamps must be full of oil due to diligent faithful daily in depth study of His Words. Manna was given freely to the children of Israel, but they still had to go fetch and prepare it. Desiring without the ‘go-getting’ is vain.

May we be not found as the sluggard who desires so much, but receives nothing because of his lack of diligence.

THE WISDOM OF SILENCE

Proverbs 13:3
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life:
But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Wisdom demands ponderance of thoughts and quietness of spirit.

Like the Ark in the Holy of Holies, it abides alone in the golden dark silence of the chambers of man’s heart, its silence only broken by the once yearly visit of the High priest. At that moment, this lonely furniture doesn’t even say a words; its very countenance says it all. It does not need a mighty orator to shout its precepts. It does not need a flashy show to impress mankind. It only speaks from the objects imbedded in Its heart. May we take instruction from one of the symbols given to us by the Eternal Father.

May we sit at its feet as Mary did with the Master and learn from Its silence.

But sad to say, we live in a world of noise and sounds. The loudest, most erudite fastest and smartest speaker gets the audience. He opens wide his lips and lets out corruption (the Hebrew word used for ‘openeth’ has the sense of opening the legs for fornication). They forget that their own words, the lies and corruptions that come out of their mouths is the very canker that eats their body to the grave.

They drown the world with words to their own sinking.

Let us then emulate the former. Let us learn from the lonely silent Ark who influenced and led a whole nation towards God solely by the presence of the very elements embedded It’s heart. Let us keep our lives by keeping a silence only broken when spoken through.

WORKS FROM WORDS

Proverbs 13:2
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth:
But the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.

This verse invites us to discover a much wider concept than is revealed in the mere straight text. Jesus touched on it when He said, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work. Jesus associated ‘eating’ with the work at hand for him.

Could it be then that the work that is set for us to do in life is the result of the words that come out of our mouth? Could it be that good and godly words lead us to good and godly works, and that words that transgress God’s laws lead us to violence? I would certainly think so. James mentioned it in his epistle. He said, Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

It is not about being right; it is about being wise. A self-righteous proud mouth will create conflict no matter how right it is; soft words turn away wrath.

Let us now review these parameters from the wise king and apostle and inspect our lives. Let us with sincerity and honesty examine our relationship with others. Are we ‘eating’ good or violence from the words of our mouth?

THE WISE SON

Proverbs 13:1
A wise son heareth his father's instruction:
But a scorner heareth not rebuke.

I will again bore you with a linguistic note. Every time a word is italicized in the KJV Bibles, it is meant to inform the reader that this word was added to the text in order to make it more understandable and/or smoother to the reader. As you can see, the word ‘heareth’ was added. Also, Hebrew does not use the present tense of the verb ‘to be’ (only God allowed Himself that honor in His personal introduction to Moses), it is only inferred; the first clause of this sentence therefore reads ‘A wise son is his father’s instruction’.

What a beautiful continuation to the last verse of Proverbs 12.

The father’s instruction has been given; it is now up to the son to live it. His wisdom is to live his father’s instruction. The scorning son does not heed his father reproofs, his advice towards restraint nor his doctrine; he does not hear it; he does not obey it. May we be faithful sons and act, live, and in essence be, the Instruction that God gave us in His Words.

Let us not be hearers of the Torah only, but doers.

This concept also brings out a beautiful element involving the life of the only begotten sun of the Father: Yehoshua. Ancient Hebrews knew that their Messiah was defined in their writings as the Son of God. Believing therefore that a wise son was the instruction of his father, they expected the Messiah to be the incarnation of the principles of their Torah, given by the Father At Mount Horeb.

Today, people who are ignorant of Torah principles say that Yehoshua broke Old Testaments behavior. Nothing could be further from the truth. All He challenged was the rabbinic over-zealous additions which were never prescribed anywhere in the Torah.

He said that by their traditions, they negated God’s Torah, teaching for commandments doctrines of men.

He tried to clean the Torah from the negative effects of man’s interpretive traditions.

His mission was to get His people back to God’s word.

He actually came to teach us the proper application of obedience to the commandments.

He did so because He is wise, and

‘A wise Son is His Father’s Instruction.'

LIFE OR DEATH

Proverbs 12:28
In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

Paul the apostle tells us of those who through fear of death are their lifetime subject to bondage.

It is amazing how we are willing to spend billions of dollars in research and rehabilitation programs in order to counteract the effects of our death/sin lifestyles. It is truly astounding to realize the length to which mankind goes in order to defy the natural physical, spiritual, moral and emotional deathly outcomes that comes from living an ungodly lifestyle. Really, the solution to all our problems is very simple and given to us: if we walk in the way of righteousness, we will not reap the effects of death.

This human attitude to want to defy God no matter what so well expressed in the Poem, Invictus: ‘My head is bloody, but unbowed’, reminds me of our youth today. Many would rather leave home; suffer uncertainty, poverty and even sickness just to obtain independence from being under the roof of Mom and Dad, and having to submit to a wiser authority.

God often uses children to exemplify the attitude of parents. As a parent, I have had to learn that parental attitudes, mostly negative ones, are often magnified in our kids. Could it be that our very attitude with God is also embodied in our contemporary problems with youth?

It is true that our children have free choice and that we are not always responsible for their final choices, but if we took the time to honestly compare the way they obey us and our wishes, to the way we obey God and His wishes as expressed in His word, how would we fare? We like to absolve ourselves from the idea that we disobey God by donning Him with this man-made robe of eternal unconditional grace and forgiveness, but is it how His Word represents Him? And does the overly ‘grace’ attitude we dress God with works when it comes to parenting?

Let us use the results of the questions in this little experiment to if we are walking in obedience or disobedience, in life or in death.

EATING WITH GOD

Proverbs 12:27
The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting:
But the substance of a diligent man is precious.

Let us again delve in the cultural literary translation of the proverb; bring to light this precious nugget.

This proverb seems to work in conjunction the preceding one. In the former statement, we are told that the ways of the righteous are superior to that of the wicked. The Hebrew text of Proverbs 12:26 refers to the ‘successful ways of the wicked’, which by the contrast nature of this book implies to the poverty of the righteous. In today’s text, we see that the righteous will eat of his prey, whereas the wicked will not even roast his wealth obtained.

This proverb is millennial. Our rewards for faithful service to Yahweh will come in this life, when Yahweh reigns through Yahoshua in Jerusalem during the millennium. At that time, those who served Yahweh according to his parameters and requests have the assurance to receive of the fruit of their labor. Because they were diligent in their obedience and love towards God, they will eat of their prey. Those on the other hand who served Him in their won way because they found it too hard to obey Him in this life will not even roast that which they got; they already have their rewards

We also need to have a paradigm shift in our concept of rewards. The idea is that God’s blessings are not necessarily counted in dollars and cents in this life. If this is what we hope to get from God, we are going to the wrong person. Whereas God owns the cattle on a thousands hills, He has also given this world to be governed by the devil (Luke 4); and just like Yahweh blesses His children, the devil also blesses his.

The only reward we need to look forward to, is the same King David looked for,

I will dwell in the house of Yahweh for ever.

Anything else is a bi-product.

JUDGES OF TOMORROW

Proverbs 12:26
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour:
But the way of the wicked seduceth them.

When a man has found the way of truth, he stands as a shining light in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation. He not only is a guide to His immediate family to lead them into all verity, but he also is recognized by others around him as a guide, as someone who has the ability to understand right or wrong. He is valued as one able to separate word of commandment form assumptive theology, and to use the word of truth with wisdom in a constructive and edifying way.

This man understands that he has been blessed with a gift from God, and he knows that all men are not endowed with the same gift. This knowledge brings him the virtue of the patient teacher who gently leads; it anoints him with the heavenly gentleness of Yahweh when He looks at us on earth.

Being a man prey to all temptations himself, like the prophet Jeremiah he compassionately prays, oh that my head were a fountain of tears. He knows the miserable plight of him who has been seduced and trapped by the enemy’s look alike theology; so he is patient with the lost, tender with the young and with those with child, and he shares the mercy and understanding that he himself has been recipient of from the Almighty El-Shaddai.

In our righteousness, let us be holy and godly guides. Eventually, in millennial times, the righteous will certainly judge the world with Yehoshua. In that day, we will learn to judge like He does ‘righteous judgments’ , not with the seeing of the eye nor with the hearing of the ear. But this time has not come yet. At present, we are all ourselves under the mighty eyes of Him who judges the earth, us included, by the words we speak and especially by how we treat others and look at them in our hearts.

By the same parameters we judge others we shall also be judged ourselves.

WHY WORRY?

Proverbs 12:25
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop:
But a good word maketh it glad.

The literal Hebrew word used for ‘heaviness of the heart’ is, ‘worry’, which defines a bit more what we are talking about.

Not only worry will not change anything about the future, but it will ruin a very beautiful present. The late Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate prayed this prayer at the opening of the Senate: ‘Help us to do our very best this day & be content with today's troubles, so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying, lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith. Amen.’
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Worry is not something related to our environment, it is rather linked to a state of mind, a condition of the heart resulting from not looking to Yahweh for our protection and provision. An Indian fable says that a mouse was in constant distress because of its fear of the cat. A magician took pity on it & turned it into a cat. Immediately it became afraid of the dog. So the magician turned it into a dog. Immediately it began to fear the tiger. So the magician turned it into a tiger. Immediately it began to fear the hunter. Then the magician said, ‘Be a mouse again, you have only the heart of a mouse & I cannot help you.’ On the other hand, a French soldier in WW1 carried with him this little recipe against worry: ‘Of two things, one is certain. Either you are at the front, or you are behind the lines. If you are at the front, of two things one is certain. Either you are exposed to danger, or you are in a safe place. If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain. Either you are wounded, or you are not wounded. If you are wounded, of two things one is certain. Either you recover, or you die. If you recover, there is no need to worry. If you die, you can't worry.

So why worry?’

Let us now take sample from man’s best friend: the dog. A Chicago physician reports that he had to abandon the use of dogs in an ulcer research program. The dogs refused to get tense & worry, & worry & tension are prominently listed as suspected causes of ulcers. If you inflict an ulcer upon a dog by artificial methods, says the Chicago doctor, he will sit down & placidly cure himself by refusing to be bothered about anything. Let us do the same and actively refuse to worry, and cure ourselves by placidly sitting at the Master’s feet through listening to His Words.

Let us not be like the incorrigible worrier who said, ‘See how worry pays? Most things I worry about never happen’

HERE AND NOW FOR THERE AND THEN

Proverbs 12:24
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule:
But the slothful shall be under tribute.

Again, the semantic contrast of a more literal translation of the text unveils its wisdom. The Hebrew word used for ‘diligent’, is a word meaning ‘ faithful service’. This word comes in contrast not only with ‘slothful’, but also with ‘under tribute’. In other words, this proverb could say, ‘He that serves well and honestly, will become the master; but he that is of a fraudulent lazy hand, will become the servant.’

This wisdom is taken straight from the testimony of very famous Old Testament heroes. Eliazar, Abraham’s servant, obtained a very high position, even as that of potential heir, just because he served well under just Abraham. Jacob was restored to his spiritual and physical inheritance after he served well under wicked Laban. Joseph, the son of Jacob, learned from his fathers and served well under just and wicked leadership, which brought him to become Pharaoh’s right-hand man. The same could be said of many other Jewish leaders such as Daniel and Esther, who through their integrity in service were instrumental in preserving and even saving their people. These all lead to the final example of all, the example of the Suffering Servant Himself, Yehoshuah who faithfully served His Father in all things good and bad, and thus was given command of His whole creation.

And what does this teach us? Oh tell it to our youth today. Teach it to the children that a good leader is first and foremost a good follower; that a good director/manager must primarily be an example of service; that he who would lead as a foreman, learns to do so by first living the life of a faithful servant.

Haven’t we been promised at Mt Sinai that we will become kings and priests for the whole world? Hasn’t Peter reiterated this promise in his letter to thedisciples? We therefore have hope that in serving well in the capacity in which God put us in this world, we learn the skills necessary to fulfill our future roles in the next.

THE FOOL AND THE WISE

Proverbs 12:23
A prudent man concealeth knowledge:
But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

There is he with no knowledge, who proclaims folly through many words.
He is honest.
There is he with no knowledge, but pretends to have it through many words.
He is a fool.
There is he who has the truth, knows it and proclaims it through many words.
He is a boaster.
There is he who has the truth, knows it, and conceals till afterwards.
He is wise.

Many words do not reveal knowledge; they often just reveal a person uncomfortable with themselves and so hides behind a smokescreen of words. Our author knew about the hidden chamber where where counsel is hidden; he said in another proverb, Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

He who has the Truth needs not to prove himself. He who has the Truth needs not to justify himself. He who has the Truth can afford to be prudent with his words. He who has the Truth hides it, and like our Master with Pilate, lets himself be found.

LACK OF FAITH AND LYING

Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD:
But they that deal truly are his delight.

The literal Hebrew text reads in the second phrase, but they who act in faith are His delight.’ Contrasts are a Hebraic way of teaching doctrinal principles. With the help of this literal translation, the contrasts of this proverb are revealed unto us to teach us its wisdom. We now have the contrast of God’s abomination with His delight, as well as the contrast of lying lips with acting in faith.

It seems that God hates most of all when after He redeems us with a great and mighty hand from our devilish oppressor; we still have a lack of faith in His ability to save. He seems to disdain it the most because this lack of faith causes us to go a-whoring after other means of help and support. I guess any husband would feel the same. If his wife doesn’t demonstrate her faith in his ability to lead and care for his family spiritually and physically, she will try to do it herself through her parents and own efforts, which of course will be discouraging to the poor husband. It is a fact that the sad dysfunctional world of today presents us with many situations where a man doesn’t take the care of his family seriously enough, but I am using the ‘ideal situation’ as means of parameters. Whereas a man may not have earned the right of respect from his wife, God certainly has shown His mighty hand to His people. Our lack of faith is so abhorrent to Him that He contrasts it with ‘lying lips’. In other words, not having the faith in God that we should have is a form of lying, which ultimately is to bear ‘false witness’ of our wonderful Yahweh, a breaking of the ‘Ten Commandments’.

The apostle Paul, who was an expert at Hebrew Scriptures, concurs this same message when he tells the Hebrew believers of the fists century C.E., without faith it is impossible to please God. How wonderful it is to reflect on the harmony of thought and doctrine between what are the called the two Testaments of the Bible. Are they really two books when they tell the same story, speak of the same God, as well as define the same parameters of the same Covenant?