1) READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 2) KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 3) HEED ALL WARNINGS. 4) FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS

Proverbs 13:18
Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction:
But he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

It is so easy to look at the world today and wonder where is God. Those who disobey His ways seem wealthy and honored while those who give regard to His Instructions seem poor and persecuted. Thus it has always been through the generations since the fall of man into sin.

But in the end, when the ‘day’ is done, when the books are opened and judgment is pronounced, what are the parameters whereby we will be evaluated? If they are the unadulterated and non-rationalized Words of the Almighty, some of us who have the habit of changing the perspective of the Word in order to make it fit our preferences may be in trouble.

Many may be surprised on that day. The prophet tells us that some will be resurrected to eternal honor and glory, and some to everlasting shame and contempt. The Master also taught us the same through the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus who was poor in this world received his reward in the next, while the rich man who enjoyed his heaven on earth had none left ‘over there’, so to speak.

I just purchased an acoustic guitar amplifier. I looked at the instruction booklet that came with it and here is how it starts:

“1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.”

Only after all these injunctions does the booklet proceed to give me the very precious safety instructions for my amp, and this only for a mechanical type of machine. Those who wrote this booklet must be used to people being disobedient.

What if I were to rationalize the instructions in the booklet and use my machine as I pleased? I would surely break it; I could also injure others and myself with it. Our bodies, life and its interactions are a much more complicated and dangerous machine than a simple guitar amp. How much more then should we respect the Instructions for it given to us by our Creator. If we do, honor awaits us in the next world; if we don’t, poverty and shame.

Let us not be fooled. We will be evaluated by the Instructions given in the Book without any of our modern rationalizations and excuses. We would therefore do well to stop reading books about the Book, and start immersing ourselves in the Book itself, and learn to:

“1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.”

REVIVAL?

Proverbs 13:17
A wicked messenger falleth into mischief:
But a faithful ambassador is health.

Many appear today as messengers, prophets, revivalist, healers all claiming to be sent by God. People travel great distances, at great expenses just ‘to get some’. The wealthy, in search of atonement for their ungodly riches, sponsor these modern-day prophets, while poor widows give them their last mite. But at the end of the day, there often remains an obstinate question accompanied with a sinking feeling, something like: ‘This man/woman sure does everything claiming the name of Jesus, but deep down in my heart, I am not really sure they are from God; are they?’

Yahoshua warned us that in the last days, false prophets would come on the world scene and do things in His Name; that by such actions, they will try to deceive even the very elects. Yahoshua even foresaw that these will argue with Him blocking their entry to the final wedding feast saying, ‘haven’t we done thus and thus in Your name?’ So how do we know the difference?

I would think that the Word is pretty clear. Healing and miracles do not prove the presence of God. The devil, who was God’s right-hand man, has no scruples to copy the outward appearance of what God does in order to deceive us poor humans. What he cannot copy though, is the form and format, the heart of God’s actions. Healings and miracles from God are always a means to an end, not an end in themselves. In the Old Testament, healings and miracles are always accompanied with a declaration of faith and repentance; that is the biblical form and format. Healings and miracles without faith declaration and/or true repentance demonstrated by a life change are not from God. They are the devil’s counterfeit; religion versus true faith.

This is the difference (as observed in Hebraic etymology) between the use of the word messenger and the word ambassador in our text today. The messenger was sent by God but went and did his own thing so instead of giving the life-giving message of God he lead people to mischief. The root of the Hebrew word used for ambassador is synonym with the word ‘hinge’ one who is securely attached to its other part, in this case God, through a proper application of His Instruction.

Let us not be fooled nor deceived. Yes life is hard, but difficulty with God has an eternal reward that greatly outshines the devil’s shiny noisy counterfeit. Let us rather judge everything by a proper educated intelligent understanding of God’s will, Words and purposes.

A DESERT JOURNEY

Proverbs 13:16
Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge:
But a fool layeth open his folly.

As walking through a maze inlaid with dangerous inlets and outlets, so is our walk through life in this world, but the Word warns us of pitfalls. If we are to arrive at destination, we are to walk prudently, meaning, in the knowledge of the Word.

Baal Shem Tov, a seventeenth century sage one day said, “The forty-two ‘stations’ from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in the life of every individual Jew, as his soul journeys from its descent to earth at birth to its return to its source.” The Torah also mentions that God orchestrated the desert wondering of the Children of Israel to test them; to know what was in their heart, whether they would obey or not.

The desert journey revealed many temptations. There were temptations to murmur; temptations to complain; temptations to disobey; temptations with idolatry; temptations with impatience; temptations with rebellion; you name there it was. Our lives in this world seem to be full of the same temptations. As it was with the Children of Israel, our destiny is decided by the how we respond to these tests.

The prudent, acts in harmony with his knowledge of the Word, thus displaying wisdom.

The foolish acts ignorantly of it, thus spreading to all the depraved fruits of his ignorance.

Up to the second half of the twentieth century, not everyone could learn to read. Only the financially privileged or those who worked very hard could afford an education; illiteracy kept people from reading and studying the Word for themselves. Today, even though most people read and can therefore avail themselves of the knowledge in the Word, the devil found another way to keep them away from It: distraction. We are so distracted by life, by its social demands and its constant broadcast of vanity, that even though knowledge and wisdom are readily available to us, and often free for the getting, we are today more ignorant of the good advice in the Word than when people couldn’t read.

As a result, few are prudent, many are foolish.

May we not be guilty of this.

Let us lay our priorities straight; spend our time wisely and in the study of the Word that can save our soul and bring our heart to its Promised Land destination.

FAVOR FOR FERVOR

Proverbs 13:15
Good understanding giveth favour:
But the way of transgressors is hard.

Who is he of good understanding? Here is what King David, the father of our author said: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments:

Because they accepted the statutes of God, the Israelites were accounted by their contemporaries as a wise and an understanding people. Yahoshua, when he increased in wisdom, received favour with God and men. After a long doctrinal explanation on how to wisely address differences in scripture application within the Body, Paul says, he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

It seems that the ‘good understanding’ that receives ‘favor’ is about doctrine. Good doctrine, sound practical understanding of Scripture, provides grace to its applicant. Others see it and marvel at the wisdom. God is pleased also because He loves it when we give due attention to His Words.

The Hebrew word Solomon used for ‘transgressor’ is the word ‘traitor’. Ancient Israelite culture recognized the grace and bounty of God. They also knew that their blessings were contingent on their obedience. Consequently, they considered those who discarded the commandments of God’s grace as traitors. They were traitors because they selfishly brought God’s displeasure on the whole nation.

The way of these traitors is hard because not only do they displease God, but they also displease the people around them. Israelite lifestyle was a community-based lifestyle. People worked together to make things happen. One who was in disobedience found himself alone and with very little help. That in itself was deterrent against criminal activities. Maybe our present world should learn something from the ancients.

Life in itself may be hard, as we are meant to labour for our existence. But if we live by God’s commandments, if we have a sound, well balanced, intelligent and wise understanding on how to apply His commandments, we often draw to ourselves the grace of not only God, but also of the people around us, believers and unbelievers.

This word is true and unfailable: Good understanding gives favour.

COME TO THE WATERS

Proverbs 13:14
The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

The Hebrew version of this text reads, The Torah (doctrine; instruction) of the wise man is . . . In another passage our author teaches us that counsel in the heart of man is as deep waters. The Master said, He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Many rivers flow. They all have sources, usually mountains. They all go somewhere, usually to the sea. On their way, to their final destination, rivers fill people’s wells, irrigate lands, and provide refreshments to weary travelers. Most early cities were built on riverbanks because water is the essence of life.

When drinking water out of a well in Samaria, Yahoshua said to the woman who served him that who ever drinks of this water will surely thirst again. He will have to return to the well and get a refill. The Samaritan woman who probably came daily to the well understood this very well. The Master offered her the waters that quench thirst once and for all. He could give her the waters that remain as a perpetual sustenance; the only waters that would free her from dependence on the human well of phony doctrines.

This water comes from Mt Zion. It is the water of life mentioned by the prophets. The water that flows from Jerusalem fills up the world with its doctrine and gives eternal life to all who drink it. Once we drink from this water, we are satisfied; our heart is at home and has found its soul mate. This is the true water of life. It is not like the water of man; there is no need to return once we’ve partaken of it, except for pleasure.

Come everyone. Why drink of the waters that do not quench. Why partake of what doesn’t satisfy. Let us not be like the dependant customers of temporary bliss that only fill the pockets of their peddlers. Come and satisfy yourselves from the waters of Zion. Let us quench our thirst for true justice, love and righteousness with the doctrine that flows from Jerusalem. Let us live by the waters of the Son of God, Yahoshua Hamashiach. Hasn’t He said, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled?

GOD WAS SERIOUS WHEN HE SAID IT

Proverbs 13:13
Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed:
But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

No one can keep all the commandments; at least not in a sense of obedience to all of them. Only Yahoshua has succeeded to do so. That is why the Hebrew Old Testament never uses the expression to ‘keep the commandments’ in that sense. The word it uses is ‘shomer’ meaning to ‘guard’ the commandments. We can certainly guard the Word in our heart. We can certainly fear It and give It due respect even if sometimes we fail in our obedience to it.

We may not like traffic rules. We may even feel that some of the speed or seat belt restrictions are stupid. But respecting and obeying them insures us a better chance to safely enjoy the benefit of driving. It also avoids us getting tickets. We may not always like exercising and eating healthy, but using our bodies properly ensures us a better chance to a healthier happy life. If we despise health principles, we surely bring destruction upon ourselves.

God is serious about obedience to His Word. The wood gathering Sabbath breaker had to be stoned (there is no way he could have crossed the whole camp and not be reminded of the Sabbath as he saw others around him), and Pinchas, the man who slew the two idolatrous revelers, was recompensed for his zeal by being elevated to the position of high-Priest. To say that God doesn’t mind whether we explicitly obey His Word or not is like saying that the teacher doesn’t mean if the children don’t follow instruction or that the IRS was not serious about filing and paying our taxes, nor about the way to do it.

Surely the word of our text comes to pass. Everywhere around us we see people’s lives emotionally, physically and spiritually destroyed just because of a lack of obedience to the Word of God. I seriously believe that all, and I mean all, of our social problems could be solved without spending a single penny if we gave heed and obedience to the Ten Commandments. It is a simple solution, but somehow, one that very few people are willing to adopt. The big question of the day is: why?

SUCK AT THE BREASTS OF GOD

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick:
But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

LINGUISTIC NOTE: In Hebrew, the literal translation of the word ‘El Shaddai’ would be: ‘The Great and Mighty Breasted One’. The Torah has always been seen by Jews as the breasts of God. That is the origin of Paul’s expression ‘desire ye the sincere milk of the Word’. Psalms also uses the expression: ‘nursing fathers’ as a picture of a father teaching Torah to his child.

Fear not ye daughter of Zion. For you have put your hope in the everlasting God, in the Adonai of the Heaven and earth. Hath He said and shall He not do it?

It is easy when hope is deferred to start relying on fables and lies. We so much want it to come that in fear and lack of faith we start inventing the fulfillment of our hope. What was then meant to be God’s edenic gift becomes the doing of our own hands which eventually makes us sick.

Let it not be so my friend. Let us not be found like a child playing with Lego blocks, fabricating the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. Let us not like an imaginative writer redefine theology to fit our conscience. Let us not as an impatient people carve ourselves a definition of Him who is indefinable. Horeb and Calvary stand today as two undeniable witnesses of the unchangeable definition of the Almighty. The blood sprinkled on these two mountains sealed forever the promises of their Maker.

When the Jewish people lost their Temple in 70 C.E., their leaders thought of a way to preserve their spiritual and cultural heritage. Since they couldn’t continue the Temple rituals, they decided that reading the commandments of the rituals on their particular days would accomplish their commandment by default. Today, let us learn from the wisdom of the ancients. By default of Eden, let us live It by reading It.

We have been promised to sit on His throne with Him. So when the world gets us down; when it seems impossible to hope on, when we feel that the great final Millennial Sabbath will never come, here is what we should do. Like a lover who satisfies himself at the breast of his beloved, let us sit with Him on His throne and satisfy our hopes at the breasts of His Words. Let us nestle in His bosom by opening our books to learn everything about His promises to us. In the same faith of a child, let us put our full weight on Him of whom we know the Word of promise never to fail.

TRUE WEALTH OR VANISHING DREAM?

Proverbs 13:11
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished:
But he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

From the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, God has decreed that we should work for our substance. The Torah requires a man to work for his support. Even the Levites and the priests who benefited from people’s tithes and offerings worked at the service of the Temple and of the people. One who went bankrupt was to be helped by being given employment, even to be used as a servant if need be. Paul reiterated the principle by saying that he who doesn’t work should not eat.

Man’s markets dance at the rhythm of the whims of man. Only in a couple of years, the worth of a house has diminished to almost halt its inflated price. Shares rising at an inflationary rate fall the next day leaving its doomed investors in the dust. Like drugs, the roller coaster of man’s fluctuous market offer the make-believe high of illusionary temporary wealth, only to take it away the next day when man’s cloud of vanity disappears and gives way to the reality of true substance.

A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush. The only wealth we own is that which we hold in our hand in the present tense; that for which we honestly worked for. It is that true substantial wealth which is not the result of debt repayment nor dependant on fickle relative appraising. It is that wealth which is born from honest hard work earned on a daily basis.

The man in rural India who own his ox, his small rice paddy and his mud hut, is richer than he in American suburbia who lives in a house, drives a car and spends his holidays in an RV that belong to a bank who only lends him these things as long as he can keep a job that is in itself dependant on the fluctuating whims of worldwide markets.

One day, Yahoshua will return. In that day there will be a great restoration. Elements will be appraised at their true worth. On that day, mountains shall be made low and the low places shall be exalted. When all is said and done, we will discover the true value of all things. We will learn to judge and appraise according to His eternal unchanging standards.

A WORD TO THE WISE

Proverbs 13:10
Only by pride cometh contention:
But with the well advised is wisdom.

The humble man doesn’t think he has all the answers. He takes the time to counsel with others. He is well advised and balanced in his opinion. He has taken the time to do his homework. He does not go on a tangent unadvised or on someone else’s thought process. He also makes sure that he is led of Yahoshua and that he is in the right spirit. Because of all this, he is not uncomfortable with opposition and with opinions different to his own.

Let’s take a look at the prophets of old. They were simple messengers. They knew where their authority came from, so they didn’t feel like they had to push their point. They came, they delivered their message, and they left, if they could. So is the humble man. To be right does not give us license to be disagreeable. The humble man does not feel like he has to contend and make everyone agree with him in order to feel validated. He just comes, humbly and softly expresses his view and lets Yahoshua do the rest. It is the responsibility of an audience to be sensitive to what is being spoken; it is not the responsibility of the speaker to push it.

Solomon speaks of the world ‘fitly’ spoken, which is the right word, at the right time, in the right place, in the right way and by the right person. Sometimes also the right word at the right time is to say nothing at all and allow our Master to do the job.

KEEP THE CANDLES OF THE LIGHT

Proverbs 13:9
The light of the righteous rejoiceth:
But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

The key to the imagery of this proverb is given to us somewhere else.

In another teaching our author says, 'the commandment is a lamp (candle); and the law (Torah) is light'. Jewish sages looked at it as the full light of Torah being composed of many candles; that the brightest the light was, the more it ‘rejoiced’. Also, the Hebrew text of this proverb is written in the future tense. Literally translated it would therefore read, ‘The Light (Torah) of the righteous will rejoice; but the lamp (commandment) of the wicked shall be put out. It seems therefore that this verse teaches us about our future fate according to our personal integrity towards the Word. It seems to tell us that in the end of days, when all is said and done, the righteous who has applied God’s commandments to his life will live in great light in that city where there is no sun, but where the Light of God encompasses all. But on the other hand, the wicked, who followed his own commandment will live in darkness.

The Bible is, and has always been a counter-culture book. The lifestyle it promotes is at odds with man’s depraved culture generation after generation. In this day and age, religious teachers have allegorized it so much that according to them, hardly any of its old time injunctions are valid for us. This attitude towards it started with the writings of the Church fathers of the second and third century C.E. Sad to say then, but negating the commandments (the candles) of the Light (Torah) only leads us to a living in the confusion of darkness.

In another passage, our author teaches us that the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. In other words, as we learn to follow and obey God’s Commandments in what Yahoshua coined as this ‘perverse and adulterated generation’, our lives becomes brighter and brighter, especially in the contrast of their darkness.

May our lives always be so.

THE RANSOM

Proverbs 13:8
The ransom of a man's life are his riches:
But the poor heareth not rebuke.

Linguistic note: literal Hebrew says: …the poor heareth no threatening.

The idea here is that in times of wars, civil commotion, or political upheavals, riches endangers the life of their possessors. In fortunate cases, as kings need money, they spare the rich in exchange for their support.

The poor man on the other hand has nothing to offer, so he is not even addressed; he does not hear the threatening of the powers that be. He is just transferred to slavery to his new owner.

Every principle in the physical realm has its counterpart in the spiritual realm. I am now reminded of the Words of the Master, every one which hath shall be given. In a certain way, as the wicked king spares the life of the rich to obtain his physical wealth, our spiritual wealth, which is Messiah, stays the hand of the executioner against our sins. The Master continues His statement with: and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. Also, the sinner who has not heard the threatening warnings to receive Messiah’s atonement has nothing to ransom his life. He either dies or stays in slavery at the service of sin.

As we read the words of this old book, let us continue understanding the marvelous principles of our salvation in Yahoshua.

TRUTH VS PRETENCE

Proverbs 13:7
There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing:
There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

We judge so much by outward appearance. If a man can show the glitters, lights and colors associated with wealth we automatically assume that he is rich. We totally forget that a close look at his financial situation reveals that he owes more than he owns. We omit to realize that the repayment of his debt is dependant on the many uncertain factors that affect our economy.

The Bible teaches that when a man borrows he becomes slave to the lender. When we borrow to buy housing or a means of transportation, we work to repay the person who lent to us. In most cases it is the bank. This is why in ancient Israel, people followed the Bible’s mandate to bail family members in financial distress by employing them until they got back on their feet. Today, we enslave ourselves to the bank. Worst of all, we enslave ourselves to our greed. On the other hand, the little guy in Africa who owns his mud hut his ox and his cart owing to anyone is a free man. It is a social anomaly when a man cannot own his housing and transportation without having to first enslave himself. God did not ordain things so.

Worst than financial slavery by pretending to be rich, there is spiritual pride. It is easy for an unscrupulous person to utter all the right spiritual jargon and therewith intimidate people into false teaching and doctrines really based on ignorance. Whereas this man/woman pretends to be rich in knowledge, he/she is actually faking. And because no one likes to appear stupid, like in the famous story of the “Emperor’s New Clothes”, nobody dares to tell the ‘king’ he is actually naked.

Yahoshua, our master taught us the way to be in these matters. Actually, He didn’t teach us, He showed us. He was the One who, though He owned the cattle on a thousand hills, being the owner of all creation came down to earth and made Himself poor in order to bring us back with him. Let us not be guilty of false wealth nor of spiritual pride but follow His example. May we know how to condescend to poverty in order to bring others to the wealth of salvation.

RIGHTEOUS GIVING

Proverbs 13:6
Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way:
But wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

The Hebrew word for ‘righteousness’ in this passage is ‘tsedaka’. This word definitely means righteousness as in the sense of rectitude, but is also used as a synonym to ‘charity’ and ‘piety’. This is the way it is translated in Hebrew Bibles; I will therefore base my expose on it.

Righteousness in its religious sense can be seen as self-motivated, it can almost reek of selfishness; we practice all the right things in order to build our final reward. Sometimes our own righteous lifestyle even causes us to allow damage in our relationships with family and friends.

But charity, true charity that is, is not self-directed. It is the engine that motivates us to do something positive towards others whether we like it, or them, or not. Even if we do it with selfish motive, somebody actually gets something from it. God allowed there to be poors in the world (those who are rich in faith), but He also made sure that a big part of the righteousness of the rich was to give to the poor. He that said, Thou shalt not kill has also, within His moral code, imbedded a system of protection and provision for the poor.

The word ‘charity’ and ‘righteousness’ being synonymous reveals a principle to us. It is not enough just to give; we must also give God’s way. The ancient Hebrew way of tithing required support of the priests and Levites, of those who cared for the temple and handled the teaching of the Word. The Torah also directed the people to give directly to the poor, and required financial support of elderly parents, from whom you inherited your farm anyways. This is what the commandment to ‘honor your mother and father that you may live long in the land’ means. Yehoshua took issues against those who gave to the Temple as a cloak to not support their elderly parents. He also taught that charity and justice were the weightier matters of the Torah, as opposed to the dietary and distinction laws for example.

It even seems that in the Torah, charitable giving to others, especially caring for poor relatives even supercedes giving to the temple. In Isaiah 58 we read that a fast was to give to the poor and not turn our eyes from our own flesh. If we look at it, just the sacrificial system (the sacrifices offered because of sin) and firstfruit tithes seemed to be more than enough to feed the priests.

Giving to the poor certainly cannot buy us a place in Heaven, but with the same measure that we judge now, we shall be judged then. Sometimes the ‘boomerang’ of our actions even returns to us in this life.

LOVE AND HATE

Proverbs 13:5
A righteous man hateth lying:
But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

Linguistic note: The literal translation of the fist clause reads: The righteous person hates the false word…(the word ‘word’ is ‘davar’ as in : In the beginning was the Word).

With so much doctrinal differences between churches, congregations and even people, it is easy to want to desire settling for some sort of belief about things. This allows us to be able to start moving in some direction in peace and consistency. This also gives us a niche; some sort of ‘home base’ to work from. It is not bad in itself as we need to stake somewhere in order to start building our lives. Eventually, though, once the dust settles, our love for the Truth, and mostly our hatred of lies we should give us the hunger to reassess ourselves; to redefine and check if we are on the right track about things.

This is not a question of self-righteousness. It is not a proud ambitious desire to be better than everybody and having an edge on others. This attitude should be born of an undying irresistible love for the Truth of God, as well as of a violent negative allergic reaction against lies.

It is not enough for a gardener to love flowers; he must also hate weeds. The weeds of falsities in our lives make us loathsome to God and if we do not rid them from the garden of our heart, when Yehoshua comes back to gather His Bride in the end, we will come to shame.

Let not therefore be spiritually lazy. Let us be willing to constantly reevaluate our doctrine, belief and standards on certain things. Let us be always willing like Abraham, to leave the old behind and look forward into the new with no regrets for the past. Let us be new creatures daily, born again each day into the new truths He shows us from His throne. Let us daily, as we come to His Temple, be willing to lay on His altar the temporal knowledge we think we know and allow His eternal truth to birth in our hearts.