Proverbs 18:1 KJV
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
The proverbs continue their exposition of foolish behavior by presenting the position of the separatist. What is inferred in the Hebrew word used here for ‘separatist’ is the idea of one who separates himself from his Torah congregation, the Word study group that provides him accountability in order to pursue his own lusts.
We are all individualists. There is nothing wrong with that as long we are not that way with God and His program in our lives. The apostle Paul puts it in very good words. He says that we not to be conformed to this world, but that we are to be conformed to God’s will. This seemingly generic wording leaves of course a door wide open for each one of us to yield, and eventually become slaves and subjects to our own prideful independence.
We are told here about the person who leaves the safe accountable environment of his Word study group in order to follow his own lust. These ‘lusts can either be carnal, emotional or spiritual. One may want to ‘play’ with the world for awhile; he may have an overcoming desire for independence, or feels that he knows everything better than everyone else. We are taught in this proverb that one yields to such behavior to separate himself seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. The Hebrew actually says that he, ‘will be exposed’ as in ‘his folly will eventually be exposed to all his congregant friends’.
The idea is not of a person who leaves because their study group because their path takes them to a deeper place and they need to associate themselves with another study group that reflects that deepening of faith in their lives. The idea is of someone who leaves because they have yielded to their lusts. Of course, when we leave, we never say, ‘I am tired of the Word; it convicts and confines my spirit too much. I now want to go do my own thing’. We usually find an excuse through faultfinding or spiritualize issues in order to justify ourselves.
In the end though, like the proverb says, we are exposed.
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
The proverbs continue their exposition of foolish behavior by presenting the position of the separatist. What is inferred in the Hebrew word used here for ‘separatist’ is the idea of one who separates himself from his Torah congregation, the Word study group that provides him accountability in order to pursue his own lusts.
We are all individualists. There is nothing wrong with that as long we are not that way with God and His program in our lives. The apostle Paul puts it in very good words. He says that we not to be conformed to this world, but that we are to be conformed to God’s will. This seemingly generic wording leaves of course a door wide open for each one of us to yield, and eventually become slaves and subjects to our own prideful independence.
We are told here about the person who leaves the safe accountable environment of his Word study group in order to follow his own lust. These ‘lusts can either be carnal, emotional or spiritual. One may want to ‘play’ with the world for awhile; he may have an overcoming desire for independence, or feels that he knows everything better than everyone else. We are taught in this proverb that one yields to such behavior to separate himself seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. The Hebrew actually says that he, ‘will be exposed’ as in ‘his folly will eventually be exposed to all his congregant friends’.
The idea is not of a person who leaves because their study group because their path takes them to a deeper place and they need to associate themselves with another study group that reflects that deepening of faith in their lives. The idea is of someone who leaves because they have yielded to their lusts. Of course, when we leave, we never say, ‘I am tired of the Word; it convicts and confines my spirit too much. I now want to go do my own thing’. We usually find an excuse through faultfinding or spiritualize issues in order to justify ourselves.
In the end though, like the proverb says, we are exposed.
No comments:
Post a Comment