Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Feet that be swift in running to mischief: As the father of our author says, we are born in sin. It is therefore easier, even more natural for us to conceive to do evil than to do good. Even after we are regenerated, while in this pre-millennial period, we only get an ‘earnest’ of our salvation, the fullness of it we will be granted as Jesus returns to rule the earth.
The question therefore can be asked, why should we get punished for just being what God created us? It is a legitimate question. The idea though is that now that we have been regenerated we have no more excuses. We can pray and be delivered from our sinful nature. Even one like our author who is an Old Testament person is without excuse, because he has received the knowledge of the oracles of the Torah (Torah means: instruction) of God therefore, since done in knowledge, he cannot claim ignorance and the evil is done willfully.
This same author advises us in another part of Proverbs to acknowledge of all of our actions. When we willfully plan to do evil, we do not usually acknowledge God to ask him permission. We don’t want to let him know so act like the child who quickly goes to do something he knows would be disapproved without checking with his parents so he can claim ignorance. Will God ‘buy’ our claim?
It is the willfulness sinning which is abhorrent to God. In the shedding of the blood of innocent Jesus-Christ, some knew what they were doing and some didn’t. The populace crying for crucifixion followed a mob driven hype, but the priest, scribes and Pharisees knew who Jesus was. The Roman soldiers who drove the nail in Jesus’ hands and feet followed orders, but Pilate knew he executed an innocent man. They executed Him quickly. They didn’t want to wait passed the Passover festival. They didn’t want conviction to set in their hearts. In so doing, they were swift to run to mischief, but in their case, they also executed the will of God, which also exposed their perfidy.
'Be strong, be strong and be strengthened!'
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
THE ULTIMATE PRIDE OF MAN
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
NOTE: Wicked: From the root word: wick; meaning: twisted as we twist the wick to set it in a wax candle.
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations: Three thousand years ago, King David, the author’s father of today’s text rhetorically questioned, Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. Psalms 2.
From the Tower of Babel unto today, futile man has not changed. In his pride, he has to attempt to thwart God’s purposes. He tries to justify himself by passing laws allowing behaviors that God has forbidden. He plunges into the esoteric to find the keys to hidden wisdom. He tries to understand prophecy thinking to change the course of history. Every generation forgets the sovereignty of God; each generation has to learn to see God for itself.
Let there be no mistake here. We may sit and devise wicked imaginations of all sorts and kind, but this text brings us to the ultimate, to the epitome of wicked imaginations: the rejecting of God’s laws and subsequently, the killing of the Messiah. Since Cain’s rejected sacrifice man has tried to establish his own rule and ways. Since the beginning of time governments have rejected God’s control through His appointed Messiah. Their only way is to reject His statute, and when He finally comes to pay a visit, to kill Him.
Here is King David’s answer to the question; can I say it better?
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
NOTE: Wicked: From the root word: wick; meaning: twisted as we twist the wick to set it in a wax candle.
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations: Three thousand years ago, King David, the author’s father of today’s text rhetorically questioned, Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. Psalms 2.
From the Tower of Babel unto today, futile man has not changed. In his pride, he has to attempt to thwart God’s purposes. He tries to justify himself by passing laws allowing behaviors that God has forbidden. He plunges into the esoteric to find the keys to hidden wisdom. He tries to understand prophecy thinking to change the course of history. Every generation forgets the sovereignty of God; each generation has to learn to see God for itself.
Let there be no mistake here. We may sit and devise wicked imaginations of all sorts and kind, but this text brings us to the ultimate, to the epitome of wicked imaginations: the rejecting of God’s laws and subsequently, the killing of the Messiah. Since Cain’s rejected sacrifice man has tried to establish his own rule and ways. Since the beginning of time governments have rejected God’s control through His appointed Messiah. Their only way is to reject His statute, and when He finally comes to pay a visit, to kill Him.
Here is King David’s answer to the question; can I say it better?
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
THE SANCTITY OF DEATH
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.
Hands that shed innocent blood: From the beginning of creation Satan hates mankind. Satan hates mankind because mankind is made in the image of God and Satan hates God. His main weapon to get rid of mankind has always been the same: murder; and not just murder, but murder of the righteous ones whose character is shaped according to the image of God. Satan started his dirty work right with the murder of righteous Abel. All the elements of modern-day murder and shedding of innocent blood are found in this Genesis story.
When commenting on the commandment against murder, Jesus pointed us to one of the main reasons for murder: anger; anger in our hearts. Anger in our heart also stems from, self-righteousness, pride, jealousy, grudges, and a basic unwillingness to be defrauded in times of injustice. Our verse today implies that God hates these things.
In the Old Testament, killings, even of whole nations were done under the command of God. These were for the sole purpose of eradicating sin and idolatry, not out of vengeance, hatred, or personal interest. Another option for law-breakers was excommunication from the congregation. Whole cities were dedicated for the protection of people who were accused of involuntary murder.
How devil-like is one who can thoughtlessly think he can justifiably kill another human being made according to the image of God. The God who gives life to the righteous ones made according to His character is also the only One who can take it away. And who are we to truly know who is righteous and who is not? At times of church apostasy, God has even called its persecutors His ‘servants’ doing His will. We speak of the sanctity of life, but we may need to also address the sanctity of death.
The devil is responsible for the killing of all righteous people throughout history. He started with righteous Abel, and his illustrious career culminated with the killing of the Righteous Jesus-Christ. If that was not enough, Satan added insult to injury by killing righteous people all throughout modern-day history, but oh, oh, how it is going to lash back on him. As soon as the resurrected Jesus, who came first as the lamb of God, the Suffering servant to voluntary give His life for His people on the altar of sacrifice returns as the Lion of Judah, the earthly king ordained by God to rule humanity in justice, honor and beauty, Satan will meet His final everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.
The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.
Hands that shed innocent blood: From the beginning of creation Satan hates mankind. Satan hates mankind because mankind is made in the image of God and Satan hates God. His main weapon to get rid of mankind has always been the same: murder; and not just murder, but murder of the righteous ones whose character is shaped according to the image of God. Satan started his dirty work right with the murder of righteous Abel. All the elements of modern-day murder and shedding of innocent blood are found in this Genesis story.
When commenting on the commandment against murder, Jesus pointed us to one of the main reasons for murder: anger; anger in our hearts. Anger in our heart also stems from, self-righteousness, pride, jealousy, grudges, and a basic unwillingness to be defrauded in times of injustice. Our verse today implies that God hates these things.
In the Old Testament, killings, even of whole nations were done under the command of God. These were for the sole purpose of eradicating sin and idolatry, not out of vengeance, hatred, or personal interest. Another option for law-breakers was excommunication from the congregation. Whole cities were dedicated for the protection of people who were accused of involuntary murder.
How devil-like is one who can thoughtlessly think he can justifiably kill another human being made according to the image of God. The God who gives life to the righteous ones made according to His character is also the only One who can take it away. And who are we to truly know who is righteous and who is not? At times of church apostasy, God has even called its persecutors His ‘servants’ doing His will. We speak of the sanctity of life, but we may need to also address the sanctity of death.
The devil is responsible for the killing of all righteous people throughout history. He started with righteous Abel, and his illustrious career culminated with the killing of the Righteous Jesus-Christ. If that was not enough, Satan added insult to injury by killing righteous people all throughout modern-day history, but oh, oh, how it is going to lash back on him. As soon as the resurrected Jesus, who came first as the lamb of God, the Suffering servant to voluntary give His life for His people on the altar of sacrifice returns as the Lion of Judah, the earthly king ordained by God to rule humanity in justice, honor and beauty, Satan will meet His final everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.
Monday, December 31, 2007
WHO’S THE FOOL?
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.
A lying tongue:: that is the second of the hateful things; a tongue speaking falsehood, knowingly and willingly, with an intention to deceive others; to hurt the character of a neighbor, or to flatter a friend, is a most detestable evil; it ought to be so to men, it must be so to God, who is a God of truth: nor is there anything in which a man more resembles the devil, who is the father of lies; Courtesy of John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible
Yet, do we even need a tongue to lie? When Judah, Jacob’s son, presented Joseph’s bloody to his father, he only said, ‘discern these’. He did not say a thing about what happened to his brother Joseph. Jacob drew his own conclusions.
Do we not also lie by pretending to appear to be something we are not? Do we not do so constantly in our social relationships? Do we not dress, act and wear make up in a manner projecting what we wish we were and not what we actually are? Do we not do so because secretly we feel uncomfortable we what God made us, and wish we were more something, or even someone else?
There is such a freedom in the truth. We do have to, like Judah and his brothers, carry the burden of a lie for decades in dread of the moment when God will demand accounts. We can be just who and what we are and do not have to play the game of appearances. Moses himself admitted to God his own feeling of inadequacy. God acknowledged it and gave him Aaron his brother to speak for him to pharaoh.
The worse of it is that, either we are in a crowd that plays the same game and everybody knows that everybody knows and goes along with it because they like it, or that we are with people who can see right through us and we make fools of ourselves. The truth of the matter is that we can fool some of the people all the time; or we can fool all the people some times; but we can never fool all the people all the time; and we can certainly never fool God.
The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.
A lying tongue:: that is the second of the hateful things; a tongue speaking falsehood, knowingly and willingly, with an intention to deceive others; to hurt the character of a neighbor, or to flatter a friend, is a most detestable evil; it ought to be so to men, it must be so to God, who is a God of truth: nor is there anything in which a man more resembles the devil, who is the father of lies; Courtesy of John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible
Yet, do we even need a tongue to lie? When Judah, Jacob’s son, presented Joseph’s bloody to his father, he only said, ‘discern these’. He did not say a thing about what happened to his brother Joseph. Jacob drew his own conclusions.
Do we not also lie by pretending to appear to be something we are not? Do we not do so constantly in our social relationships? Do we not dress, act and wear make up in a manner projecting what we wish we were and not what we actually are? Do we not do so because secretly we feel uncomfortable we what God made us, and wish we were more something, or even someone else?
There is such a freedom in the truth. We do have to, like Judah and his brothers, carry the burden of a lie for decades in dread of the moment when God will demand accounts. We can be just who and what we are and do not have to play the game of appearances. Moses himself admitted to God his own feeling of inadequacy. God acknowledged it and gave him Aaron his brother to speak for him to pharaoh.
The worse of it is that, either we are in a crowd that plays the same game and everybody knows that everybody knows and goes along with it because they like it, or that we are with people who can see right through us and we make fools of ourselves. The truth of the matter is that we can fool some of the people all the time; or we can fool all the people some times; but we can never fool all the people all the time; and we can certainly never fool God.
Friday, December 28, 2007
THE CHIEF SIN
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.
A proud look: Pride: the first and chief of all sins. Josephus, the first century historian tells us that Satan fell because of pride. After creating Adam, God put all things under his command. The angels were to come to honor and dedicate their service to Adam. Satan, who at this time held a prominent position in heaven. He also knew that this man Adam was the representation of Jesus, God’s own Son’s rulership on earth and therefore refused to be put in his service, under His authority. As a result, Satan defected and became the chief angel of hell. He became the epitome of he who’d rather be his own boss in hell, rather than live under God’s command in heaven.
As foolish as this seems, our world suffers because of the same proud attitude, on both a corporate and an individual level. We have God’s written word. In it we find the simple basic rules and laws that can help us live our lives in peace and prosperity. In spite of it all, because of our pride and unwillingness to go under the command of our Creator, with each generation, we insist on reinventing the wheel. We are determined to write our own laws. This megalomaniac false sense of freedom has become an idol to us, and we see its results in our sick history.
We cannot do anything about Satan’s choices, but it seems that we can do something about ours. May God help us.
The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.
A proud look: Pride: the first and chief of all sins. Josephus, the first century historian tells us that Satan fell because of pride. After creating Adam, God put all things under his command. The angels were to come to honor and dedicate their service to Adam. Satan, who at this time held a prominent position in heaven. He also knew that this man Adam was the representation of Jesus, God’s own Son’s rulership on earth and therefore refused to be put in his service, under His authority. As a result, Satan defected and became the chief angel of hell. He became the epitome of he who’d rather be his own boss in hell, rather than live under God’s command in heaven.
As foolish as this seems, our world suffers because of the same proud attitude, on both a corporate and an individual level. We have God’s written word. In it we find the simple basic rules and laws that can help us live our lives in peace and prosperity. In spite of it all, because of our pride and unwillingness to go under the command of our Creator, with each generation, we insist on reinventing the wheel. We are determined to write our own laws. This megalomaniac false sense of freedom has become an idol to us, and we see its results in our sick history.
We cannot do anything about Satan’s choices, but it seems that we can do something about ours. May God help us.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
BODY LANGUAGE
Proverbs 6:12-14 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. (13) He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; (14) Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
The Bible, especially in the book of Proverbs, reveals much about human psychology. It provides us with the keys that help us understand human behavior.
In our culturally Greek influenced culture, we tend to believe that the moral elements of our being are what constitute our belief system. If we think the right way, know the right things and have the proper opinion about things, that what matters. We cannot be expected to be perfect in the physical, so we feel that as long as we believe the right thing, we’re OK. On the contrary though, the Hebrew-style belief that emanates from the Bible, even in the first century messianic Jews of the book of Acts, is that faith without works is dead, or, that what you believe is actually portrayed by your lifestyle and your actions. The author of our text today was a Hebrew, and he knew the truth of the latter.
When people feel challenged about the welfare of their soul, they automatically go into a hiding mode. Using all the right words, they first make mention of their ‘righteous’ belief system, and/or justify themselves in the light of their good deeds. But there is much more hidden than revealed behind these barrages of words, behind this smokescreen of appearances.
According to God, it is neither our philosophy nor our occasional good deeds that stand as the true picture of our lives. It is our overall lifestyle formed by the sum of the condition of our heart. If our heart is right, it is reflected in our everyday natural and uncalculated actions. That is why in this text, a ‘naughty’ person is defined by its ‘ody’language. It works both ways. A righteous person is also defined by it ‘body’ language.
The Bible, especially in the book of Proverbs, reveals much about human psychology. It provides us with the keys that help us understand human behavior.
In our culturally Greek influenced culture, we tend to believe that the moral elements of our being are what constitute our belief system. If we think the right way, know the right things and have the proper opinion about things, that what matters. We cannot be expected to be perfect in the physical, so we feel that as long as we believe the right thing, we’re OK. On the contrary though, the Hebrew-style belief that emanates from the Bible, even in the first century messianic Jews of the book of Acts, is that faith without works is dead, or, that what you believe is actually portrayed by your lifestyle and your actions. The author of our text today was a Hebrew, and he knew the truth of the latter.
When people feel challenged about the welfare of their soul, they automatically go into a hiding mode. Using all the right words, they first make mention of their ‘righteous’ belief system, and/or justify themselves in the light of their good deeds. But there is much more hidden than revealed behind these barrages of words, behind this smokescreen of appearances.
According to God, it is neither our philosophy nor our occasional good deeds that stand as the true picture of our lives. It is our overall lifestyle formed by the sum of the condition of our heart. If our heart is right, it is reflected in our everyday natural and uncalculated actions. That is why in this text, a ‘naughty’ person is defined by its ‘ody’language. It works both ways. A righteous person is also defined by it ‘body’ language.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
INVESTMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Proverbs 6:9-11 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? (10) Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: (11) So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
The king continues with his financial advice. He teaches us according to the same parameters as the apostle Paul: He that shall not work shall not eat.
Today’s smartness is defined by the ability to have a considerable amount of money while putting out the least possible effort. This purpose is accomplished through practicing usury, gambling, the lottery and shady business deals. Yet the biblical facts are that God ordained for us to work for our sustenance; it was one of His early commandments to us after we were driven out of the Garden of Eden, advice which Paul reiterated. In the Old Testament, even charity was on loan, except for what was given through the Temple.
How indeed like the principles of earth are the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Master also taught us that the Kingdom of Heaven also grows. It provides dividends equal, even greater than our investments. The unprepared foolish virgins did not receive their desired reward, and even what he had was taken away from the unfaithful servant. But what is it that we invest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Would it be gold, silver, precious stones, knowledge or good works? Nay, my friend; the investment currency of the Kingdom of Heaven is: ourselves.
The king continues with his financial advice. He teaches us according to the same parameters as the apostle Paul: He that shall not work shall not eat.
Today’s smartness is defined by the ability to have a considerable amount of money while putting out the least possible effort. This purpose is accomplished through practicing usury, gambling, the lottery and shady business deals. Yet the biblical facts are that God ordained for us to work for our sustenance; it was one of His early commandments to us after we were driven out of the Garden of Eden, advice which Paul reiterated. In the Old Testament, even charity was on loan, except for what was given through the Temple.
How indeed like the principles of earth are the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Master also taught us that the Kingdom of Heaven also grows. It provides dividends equal, even greater than our investments. The unprepared foolish virgins did not receive their desired reward, and even what he had was taken away from the unfaithful servant. But what is it that we invest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Would it be gold, silver, precious stones, knowledge or good works? Nay, my friend; the investment currency of the Kingdom of Heaven is: ourselves.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: (7) Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, (8) Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
This could be considered the first talk on ‘financial freedom’. The beginning of this chapter warns us about financial deals with the ungodly, especially of contracting debts. Our text today gives us the solution: work.
There is something to working hard; it seems to help provide for the bills. There is also something to saving in the time of plenty; it seems to save us from catastrophe. We do not need to look very far nor be very educated to know that. In the book of Genesis, Joseph, the son on of Jacob saves a whole civilization from an annihilating famine because of his foresight of putting aside twenty per cent of Egyptian crops during the seven years of plenty. But is this all this text teaches us?
Towards the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus answers a question to his disciples about the timing of His return. In His two chapter long monologue, Jesus challenges his disciples to be wise and faithful. First he compares His disciples to ten virgins waiting for the Bridegroom. Five are prudent and five are foolish. The prudent ones had enough oil to last till the Bridegroom arrived, but the foolish did not. At that crucial time, at that moment they had waited for all their lives, they were not ready; they did not have enough oil; they could not enter the nuptial chamber with the Bridegroom. They tried to go to the store, but the Sabbath had started and they were closed.
In that same chapter, Jesus qualifies the parable of the virgins with another parable: the one of the talents. In the parable, a traveling businessman entrusts his assets to three servants. At his return, he praises and rewards those servants who brought increase to the assets and severely reprimands the one who ‘buried’ it in the ground.
These stories could be solely interpreted at their face value, but when we read the Word of God, we need to also research the spiritual value. Like, Joseph, we need to continue receiving the oil of the Spirit in our heart, cause no matter how dark life can be, one day we will be lifted out of this earthly dungeon and be crowned to our glorious destiny. After having faithfully invested our talents in the earth, we will use them to serve the whole world. Will we be ready when He comes?
This could be considered the first talk on ‘financial freedom’. The beginning of this chapter warns us about financial deals with the ungodly, especially of contracting debts. Our text today gives us the solution: work.
There is something to working hard; it seems to help provide for the bills. There is also something to saving in the time of plenty; it seems to save us from catastrophe. We do not need to look very far nor be very educated to know that. In the book of Genesis, Joseph, the son on of Jacob saves a whole civilization from an annihilating famine because of his foresight of putting aside twenty per cent of Egyptian crops during the seven years of plenty. But is this all this text teaches us?
Towards the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus answers a question to his disciples about the timing of His return. In His two chapter long monologue, Jesus challenges his disciples to be wise and faithful. First he compares His disciples to ten virgins waiting for the Bridegroom. Five are prudent and five are foolish. The prudent ones had enough oil to last till the Bridegroom arrived, but the foolish did not. At that crucial time, at that moment they had waited for all their lives, they were not ready; they did not have enough oil; they could not enter the nuptial chamber with the Bridegroom. They tried to go to the store, but the Sabbath had started and they were closed.
In that same chapter, Jesus qualifies the parable of the virgins with another parable: the one of the talents. In the parable, a traveling businessman entrusts his assets to three servants. At his return, he praises and rewards those servants who brought increase to the assets and severely reprimands the one who ‘buried’ it in the ground.
These stories could be solely interpreted at their face value, but when we read the Word of God, we need to also research the spiritual value. Like, Joseph, we need to continue receiving the oil of the Spirit in our heart, cause no matter how dark life can be, one day we will be lifted out of this earthly dungeon and be crowned to our glorious destiny. After having faithfully invested our talents in the earth, we will use them to serve the whole world. Will we be ready when He comes?
Monday, December 17, 2007
DEAL WITH THE GODLY
Proverbs 6:1-5 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, (2) Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. (3) Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. (4) Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. (5) Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
In the ancient Nuzi society, in the days of the patriarchs, a covenant, an agreement, or a treaty between two people was considered the same as the marriage bound between a man and a woman. They endorsed each other’s name, as well as each other’s assets and liabilities. They even entered each other’s former treaties and warred aginast each other’s enemies. It was a bound only breakable by death, but their children entered it by choice at the age of responsibility.
A Jew was meant to live a life of holiness, to be set-apart from the world. Therefore he couldn’t marry a stranger neither enter a covenant with non-Jews. Borrowing money from a stranger put him in a position where he could end up being owned by that stranger, which would profane him. Moses instructed that if a Jew went bankrupt, his relatives were to help him. They were to lend him money, employ him or even buy his assets to be returned to him on the day of jubilee. For Jew to therefore ‘strike hands’ in a binding treaty with a ‘stranger was forbidden. It would pollute him.
Sounds archaic? Do we forget that Paul, a Jew, taught the same thing? In fact, there are no moral or spiritual difference between biblical Judaism and biblical Christianity. The latter is the fruit of the former, and a fruit embodies the properties of the tree that produced it.
Paul also teaches us to live a holy, or a ‘set-apart’ life. He teaches us to not even go to non-believers courts to settle private arguments, and instructs the church to care for its own poor. If such was done today, our people would not have to ‘strike hand’ with ungodly powers and governments to get the help they need.
When we make a promise, when we make a deal, we are bound by the words we have agreed to. If we break the contract, if we don’t make the agreed payments, if we don’t keep the conditions of the covenant, someone gets upset and imposes on us unwanted consequences. Let us therefore be discerning about the people with whom we ‘strike hand’ with; whether it be concerning a business deal or even a friendly commitment. The people we ‘deal’ with, become part of us.
Let us owe no man anything but to love them, and let us certainly not put ourselves at risk of being owned by ungodly popwers.
In the ancient Nuzi society, in the days of the patriarchs, a covenant, an agreement, or a treaty between two people was considered the same as the marriage bound between a man and a woman. They endorsed each other’s name, as well as each other’s assets and liabilities. They even entered each other’s former treaties and warred aginast each other’s enemies. It was a bound only breakable by death, but their children entered it by choice at the age of responsibility.
A Jew was meant to live a life of holiness, to be set-apart from the world. Therefore he couldn’t marry a stranger neither enter a covenant with non-Jews. Borrowing money from a stranger put him in a position where he could end up being owned by that stranger, which would profane him. Moses instructed that if a Jew went bankrupt, his relatives were to help him. They were to lend him money, employ him or even buy his assets to be returned to him on the day of jubilee. For Jew to therefore ‘strike hands’ in a binding treaty with a ‘stranger was forbidden. It would pollute him.
Sounds archaic? Do we forget that Paul, a Jew, taught the same thing? In fact, there are no moral or spiritual difference between biblical Judaism and biblical Christianity. The latter is the fruit of the former, and a fruit embodies the properties of the tree that produced it.
Paul also teaches us to live a holy, or a ‘set-apart’ life. He teaches us to not even go to non-believers courts to settle private arguments, and instructs the church to care for its own poor. If such was done today, our people would not have to ‘strike hand’ with ungodly powers and governments to get the help they need.
When we make a promise, when we make a deal, we are bound by the words we have agreed to. If we break the contract, if we don’t make the agreed payments, if we don’t keep the conditions of the covenant, someone gets upset and imposes on us unwanted consequences. Let us therefore be discerning about the people with whom we ‘strike hand’ with; whether it be concerning a business deal or even a friendly commitment. The people we ‘deal’ with, become part of us.
Let us owe no man anything but to love them, and let us certainly not put ourselves at risk of being owned by ungodly popwers.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
THE TIME OF RECKONING
Proverbs 5:23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
We are now at the end of this monologue about the evils of the strange woman. Its warnings are clear.
We have one life, only one, and its goal is redemption. We are born lost, and we need to find our way. We are born sinners, and we need to repent. We are born of flesh and we need to be born of the spirit.
A child grows, and the sin of youth eventually disappears behind the learned matured individual. There always comes a time of maturation in life. Even in adulthood, we may experience a time of deception, a time of error under a false teaching, but eventually, a time comes when the light is presented to us; a chance for repentance, for change; an opportunity aided with a motive to return to God’s ways. He is faithful, and He always provides us with such.
I dare submit that that moment is the climatic goal of our life. God brings it to us at His pleasure, but if we willfully miss His opportunity, what chance is there left to us for redemption? We then die without His instruction. We die without ever have fulfilled the main reason for our existence, and there is a place reserved for such who willfully resist the Spirit of God, for those who emulate the attitude so well expressed in the poem ‘Invictus’, My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Many are today satisfied with mid-way decisions. They like to stay on the proverbial ‘fence’. Little do they realize that the devil owns the fence. The fence is the perfect place where we can pretend to make decision against evil, while kidding ourselves and feeling smart that we’ve avoided surrendering to God, avoided His demand for a clear decision.
The Bible predicts a time of polarization, a time when the fence will altogether disappear. We will then have to fall one way or the other. At that time, each of us will be faced with his own deeds, his own decisions or lack of it. Let us now catch the time God has allotted for us to repent, let us now return to His ways, and not be part of those who die without His Instruction, without His Words, without His commandments, without His Torah.
We are now at the end of this monologue about the evils of the strange woman. Its warnings are clear.
We have one life, only one, and its goal is redemption. We are born lost, and we need to find our way. We are born sinners, and we need to repent. We are born of flesh and we need to be born of the spirit.
A child grows, and the sin of youth eventually disappears behind the learned matured individual. There always comes a time of maturation in life. Even in adulthood, we may experience a time of deception, a time of error under a false teaching, but eventually, a time comes when the light is presented to us; a chance for repentance, for change; an opportunity aided with a motive to return to God’s ways. He is faithful, and He always provides us with such.
I dare submit that that moment is the climatic goal of our life. God brings it to us at His pleasure, but if we willfully miss His opportunity, what chance is there left to us for redemption? We then die without His instruction. We die without ever have fulfilled the main reason for our existence, and there is a place reserved for such who willfully resist the Spirit of God, for those who emulate the attitude so well expressed in the poem ‘Invictus’, My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Many are today satisfied with mid-way decisions. They like to stay on the proverbial ‘fence’. Little do they realize that the devil owns the fence. The fence is the perfect place where we can pretend to make decision against evil, while kidding ourselves and feeling smart that we’ve avoided surrendering to God, avoided His demand for a clear decision.
The Bible predicts a time of polarization, a time when the fence will altogether disappear. We will then have to fall one way or the other. At that time, each of us will be faced with his own deeds, his own decisions or lack of it. Let us now catch the time God has allotted for us to repent, let us now return to His ways, and not be part of those who die without His Instruction, without His Words, without His commandments, without His Torah.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
THE BOOMERANG EFFECT
Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
In the whole Bible, there is no principle so established than this one. We fall in the pit that we dig for others. We receive the rewards of our actions. We become prisoners of the cords we braid for our enemies.
Jacob was deceived in the same way he deceived his father Isaac. Judah was convicted with the same words he told his father Jacob after selling Joseph as a slave. In Persia, Hamman built gallows for a Jew who would not prostrate to him. Hamman was hang on the very wood he had built for Mordechai.
This principle should cause us to carefully look at our lives. We may have much trouble, but lets take the time to analyze what comes on our plate. Are we in the loop of the boomerang effect of our actions? Lets look; lets look even very far, ten, even twenty years ago; what do we see? Are we the victims of our own doings?
The bad and the good both return. The bread that we generously deal in the waters around us also returns, with dividends. Maybe the blessing that we see poured on an individual is the simple return of a life spent blessing others.
There is hope. There is also deliverance from this ‘karmatic’ return of our actions upon our heads. The Son of Man, Jesus, Yeshua ha Mashiah’, can and delivers us from the sins we carelessly bind ourselves to. By His grace He restores our repentant hearts to a new start and behold, we are delivered.
In the whole Bible, there is no principle so established than this one. We fall in the pit that we dig for others. We receive the rewards of our actions. We become prisoners of the cords we braid for our enemies.
Jacob was deceived in the same way he deceived his father Isaac. Judah was convicted with the same words he told his father Jacob after selling Joseph as a slave. In Persia, Hamman built gallows for a Jew who would not prostrate to him. Hamman was hang on the very wood he had built for Mordechai.
This principle should cause us to carefully look at our lives. We may have much trouble, but lets take the time to analyze what comes on our plate. Are we in the loop of the boomerang effect of our actions? Lets look; lets look even very far, ten, even twenty years ago; what do we see? Are we the victims of our own doings?
The bad and the good both return. The bread that we generously deal in the waters around us also returns, with dividends. Maybe the blessing that we see poured on an individual is the simple return of a life spent blessing others.
There is hope. There is also deliverance from this ‘karmatic’ return of our actions upon our heads. The Son of Man, Jesus, Yeshua ha Mashiah’, can and delivers us from the sins we carelessly bind ourselves to. By His grace He restores our repentant hearts to a new start and behold, we are delivered.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
THE TEN INSTRUCTIONS
Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
The Almighty God watches. As a wise judge He seats in His throne. He has set good and evil before us to test our character; to see what we will choose.
How does this Judge of humanity process our actions? How does he establish the good and the bad in our hearts? All our ways are before Him and he ponders all our goings. Are His criteria of judgment so complicated? Are there some big principles hidden from us that will surprise us the end? I do not believe so.
God is not a trickster. He has established His words from the beginning. He has fully and openly given us His contract in the Ten Commandments at Mt Sinai. He said that we please Him by the following of them wholeheartedly. Jesus even told us that these commandments hang on the principles of love. But this great Judge of humanity sees right inside our heart. He knows when we obey not with a full heart. He knows the hypocrisy that so often temps us to do the motions, to worship with our lips, when our heart is far away from Him. Could we ever trick God, or bribe Him with fake obedience?
God has only given us ten basic commandments; yet these ten simple instructions are the most viciously attacked principles in modern society.
1: To totally give ourselves to one God is seen as narrow-minded.
2: We fashion God and our religion according to our own liking.
3: Pseudo-shepherds use the name of God to teach their own theology.
4: We profane the Sabbath and even changed its day.
5: Children find it to be a burden to care for their old parents.
6: Punishment for manslaughter is relative.
7:Adultery is widespread through the practice of sequential polygamy.
8: Banks and merchants steal and call it ‘good business’.
9: Lying about others is so common practice that people must swear to be believed.
10: Covetousness is the driving force of capitalist economy.
By these my friend, by the wholehearted true obedience to the ten instructions given to the Church in Sinai God judges our hearts. God’s Word is written in Heaven. He has established it even above His own name. He wrote them on stone with His finger, and now, He wants to write them on our hearts. Can He? Will we allow Him, or are we so full of our own ways?
The Almighty God watches. As a wise judge He seats in His throne. He has set good and evil before us to test our character; to see what we will choose.
How does this Judge of humanity process our actions? How does he establish the good and the bad in our hearts? All our ways are before Him and he ponders all our goings. Are His criteria of judgment so complicated? Are there some big principles hidden from us that will surprise us the end? I do not believe so.
God is not a trickster. He has established His words from the beginning. He has fully and openly given us His contract in the Ten Commandments at Mt Sinai. He said that we please Him by the following of them wholeheartedly. Jesus even told us that these commandments hang on the principles of love. But this great Judge of humanity sees right inside our heart. He knows when we obey not with a full heart. He knows the hypocrisy that so often temps us to do the motions, to worship with our lips, when our heart is far away from Him. Could we ever trick God, or bribe Him with fake obedience?
God has only given us ten basic commandments; yet these ten simple instructions are the most viciously attacked principles in modern society.
1: To totally give ourselves to one God is seen as narrow-minded.
2: We fashion God and our religion according to our own liking.
3: Pseudo-shepherds use the name of God to teach their own theology.
4: We profane the Sabbath and even changed its day.
5: Children find it to be a burden to care for their old parents.
6: Punishment for manslaughter is relative.
7:Adultery is widespread through the practice of sequential polygamy.
8: Banks and merchants steal and call it ‘good business’.
9: Lying about others is so common practice that people must swear to be believed.
10: Covetousness is the driving force of capitalist economy.
By these my friend, by the wholehearted true obedience to the ten instructions given to the Church in Sinai God judges our hearts. God’s Word is written in Heaven. He has established it even above His own name. He wrote them on stone with His finger, and now, He wants to write them on our hearts. Can He? Will we allow Him, or are we so full of our own ways?
Monday, December 10, 2007
THE BRIDE
Proverbs 5:15-20 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. (16) Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. (17) Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. (18) Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. (19) Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. (20) And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
The beginning of this proverb took us through a litany of warnings against the dangers of the strange woman, the harlot who tempts us with her worldly dainties. The writer now lifts the curtain and introduces us to the anti-thesis of the strange woman. He shows us the Bride, the virtuous woman. Solomon teaches us here that as we keep ourselves from the Babylonian harlot, that as we keep the Instructions of God with all our hearts, we receive His true gift, the person with whom we make our lives forever.
Hebraic literature teaches its principles through opposites. The harlot belongs to none; the bride is claimed for. The harlot gives herself to the highest bidder; the bride is to belong to one only. The harlot is cursed from hell; the bride is blessed from God. The harlot is used and thrown back into the streets; the bride is to be cherished and kept as a precious treasure forever. Like Sarah of Abraham, even in her old age, the bride is renewed to bring precious fruit, and satisfaction to her husband.
As we peek thought the many analogies of this text, we cannot help but see its messianic character. The Son of God has chosen His Church. She is His and His only. Whereas at times he lets her reap the fruits of her own adulterous ways; He also jealously and violently punishes those who dare to abuse her. He protects her like the apple of His eye and with His own blood redeems her from the filthy hands of the world. He will not throw her away in her old age, but, as Sarah was renewed to bear fruit for her husband, so the Church is renewed. Her fountains are dispersed throughout the earth to bring the fruit of righteousness to her husband, Jesus the Messiah
May we be that bride, worthy of all He has done for us. May our waters be dispersed throughout the earth. Let us be a bride so proud of her husband, that she cannot help but speak to all she meets about Him. Let us bear his banner of love over us openly that all may see and also desire Him.
NOTE: Church: From the Greek word: ekklesia: a body, a congregation of believers called out from the world to belong to God. Noah and his family were the ‘church’. Abraham and his nomadic tribe were ‘church’, and Paul points us to the ‘church in the wilderness’ referring to the people at Mt Sinai. All these were called from the world, unto God to be sanctified by His presence among them.
The beginning of this proverb took us through a litany of warnings against the dangers of the strange woman, the harlot who tempts us with her worldly dainties. The writer now lifts the curtain and introduces us to the anti-thesis of the strange woman. He shows us the Bride, the virtuous woman. Solomon teaches us here that as we keep ourselves from the Babylonian harlot, that as we keep the Instructions of God with all our hearts, we receive His true gift, the person with whom we make our lives forever.
Hebraic literature teaches its principles through opposites. The harlot belongs to none; the bride is claimed for. The harlot gives herself to the highest bidder; the bride is to belong to one only. The harlot is cursed from hell; the bride is blessed from God. The harlot is used and thrown back into the streets; the bride is to be cherished and kept as a precious treasure forever. Like Sarah of Abraham, even in her old age, the bride is renewed to bring precious fruit, and satisfaction to her husband.
As we peek thought the many analogies of this text, we cannot help but see its messianic character. The Son of God has chosen His Church. She is His and His only. Whereas at times he lets her reap the fruits of her own adulterous ways; He also jealously and violently punishes those who dare to abuse her. He protects her like the apple of His eye and with His own blood redeems her from the filthy hands of the world. He will not throw her away in her old age, but, as Sarah was renewed to bear fruit for her husband, so the Church is renewed. Her fountains are dispersed throughout the earth to bring the fruit of righteousness to her husband, Jesus the Messiah
May we be that bride, worthy of all He has done for us. May our waters be dispersed throughout the earth. Let us be a bride so proud of her husband, that she cannot help but speak to all she meets about Him. Let us bear his banner of love over us openly that all may see and also desire Him.
NOTE: Church: From the Greek word: ekklesia: a body, a congregation of believers called out from the world to belong to God. Noah and his family were the ‘church’. Abraham and his nomadic tribe were ‘church’, and Paul points us to the ‘church in the wilderness’ referring to the people at Mt Sinai. All these were called from the world, unto God to be sanctified by His presence among them.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
THE ‘STRANGE WOMAN’
Proverbs 5:1-6 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: (2) That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. (3) For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: (4) But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. (5) Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. (6) Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
A long and sobering warning; but who is the woman? Is this warning related to sexual sins or is it the simile of a deeper truth? Maybe it is both. Let us now unravel together the principles of this analogy.
The way of the Lord in our lives is not always easy. It is rough at times. It is lonely. It seems to take more than it gives. Sometimes we are even tempted to let the seeming security of the physical take over the reality of the spiritual. At times we hunger and thirst for the ‘easy’ path.
It is in those moments that the ‘woman’ comes to us. Her lips drip with honey-like sweet flatteries. Her words denote of the easy smooth flow of oil. “Here is the other way,” she says, “my way is easier; it is soft and sweet”. “Trust in me” she says while she coils her drippy tentacles around our neck and brings us down to the hellish pit that is the place of her hellish conception. For all the promises of ease the devil would bring, a sting of wormwood like bitterness plunges into our heart and draws us closer to the pits of hell.
We do not know ‘her’ way. We are not able to decipher and see ‘her’ when she comes to us. We sometimes mistake her for the ‘blessing’ of God; but she is a wolf in sheep clothing.
Our safety therefore lays in the clinging to God’s Words. We need to bow our ear to His understanding. We must attend to His wisdom. God’s Word teaches us the ways of God, and at the same times, it protects us from the evil distraction that daily seeks to destroy us.
A long and sobering warning; but who is the woman? Is this warning related to sexual sins or is it the simile of a deeper truth? Maybe it is both. Let us now unravel together the principles of this analogy.
The way of the Lord in our lives is not always easy. It is rough at times. It is lonely. It seems to take more than it gives. Sometimes we are even tempted to let the seeming security of the physical take over the reality of the spiritual. At times we hunger and thirst for the ‘easy’ path.
It is in those moments that the ‘woman’ comes to us. Her lips drip with honey-like sweet flatteries. Her words denote of the easy smooth flow of oil. “Here is the other way,” she says, “my way is easier; it is soft and sweet”. “Trust in me” she says while she coils her drippy tentacles around our neck and brings us down to the hellish pit that is the place of her hellish conception. For all the promises of ease the devil would bring, a sting of wormwood like bitterness plunges into our heart and draws us closer to the pits of hell.
We do not know ‘her’ way. We are not able to decipher and see ‘her’ when she comes to us. We sometimes mistake her for the ‘blessing’ of God; but she is a wolf in sheep clothing.
Our safety therefore lays in the clinging to God’s Words. We need to bow our ear to His understanding. We must attend to His wisdom. God’s Word teaches us the ways of God, and at the same times, it protects us from the evil distraction that daily seeks to destroy us.
Monday, December 03, 2007
RESPOND; DON’T REACT.
Proverbs 4:26-27 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. (27) Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
The New Testament rendition of this verse starts: Make straight paths for your feet.
We are to take an active part in the direction of our life. We are to ponder on our way. We are to consciously make the paths of our lives straight and according to God’s way. We are to live our life consciously. If we do not, we become victims of fate and most importantly, of anyone, including the devil, who will take advantage of our indifferent passivity. If we do not, if we let ourselves be led by every current of wind or emotion; we are then bound to be led in error, and therefore to destruction.
Our do we do this; how do we live our lives consciously; how do we make straight paths for our feet? How do we respond instead of reacting?
When King David found his country besieged, he did not react in the most logical way, which was to send troops to the front. He took the time to respond. He first asked the Lord if he should even attack. When he was done, he also took the time to hear from God on how he should attack. There is even a time when the prophet Isaiah told King Hezekiah that he should not attack against an oncoming army, because God had already taken care of the situation.
In the same way, we must not ‘react’ to the events that come to us hour by hour. We must rather pray and ‘respond’. We must make a conscious prayerful decision in teamwork with Jesus for each one of them. When we do this, we take control of our lives with the power of the Holy Spirit. When we do this, we yield our lives to God, and we give Him full control.
May we learn today to respond and not react. May we learn this day to make straight paths for our feet; to not turn to the right nor to the left from the direction God has put us in. May we learn to invoke and involve you Jesus in each and every one of our responses to life, whether they be in deed or in word.
The New Testament rendition of this verse starts: Make straight paths for your feet.
We are to take an active part in the direction of our life. We are to ponder on our way. We are to consciously make the paths of our lives straight and according to God’s way. We are to live our life consciously. If we do not, we become victims of fate and most importantly, of anyone, including the devil, who will take advantage of our indifferent passivity. If we do not, if we let ourselves be led by every current of wind or emotion; we are then bound to be led in error, and therefore to destruction.
Our do we do this; how do we live our lives consciously; how do we make straight paths for our feet? How do we respond instead of reacting?
When King David found his country besieged, he did not react in the most logical way, which was to send troops to the front. He took the time to respond. He first asked the Lord if he should even attack. When he was done, he also took the time to hear from God on how he should attack. There is even a time when the prophet Isaiah told King Hezekiah that he should not attack against an oncoming army, because God had already taken care of the situation.
In the same way, we must not ‘react’ to the events that come to us hour by hour. We must rather pray and ‘respond’. We must make a conscious prayerful decision in teamwork with Jesus for each one of them. When we do this, we take control of our lives with the power of the Holy Spirit. When we do this, we yield our lives to God, and we give Him full control.
May we learn today to respond and not react. May we learn this day to make straight paths for our feet; to not turn to the right nor to the left from the direction God has put us in. May we learn to invoke and involve you Jesus in each and every one of our responses to life, whether they be in deed or in word.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
BE A GATEKEEPERS TO YOUR CHILD’S HEART
Proverbs 4:23-25 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (24) Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. (25) Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
The heart pumps the precious pure blood of life into every part of our body. The actual quality of our heart affects the health of our whole body. Is our heart weak? Is it strong? Is it sturdy? Urban life today causes us to do many that negatively affects the quality of our heart. Our food habits also contribute to degrade its quality, and we suffer dire consequences for it. A healthy heart means a healthy body. A sick heart means a sick body.
Our author refers to these properties when he admonishes his son. The way to our heart is through our eyes and ears. Whatever we see, hear or get emotionally affected by, gets recorded in the tablets of our soul and affects the heart of our being.
This son is told by his concerned father to keep his heart pure. He is told to keep his heart pure by staying away from the ‘froward mouth’. This means to stay away from the people who talk against God, because constantly hearing something eventually affects the soul. Advertisers know that. This son is also told to keep his eyes straight on the Words of God. This means to stay his eyes on godly sight rather than on ungodly scenes or actions, because the things we see affect our heart even more than those we hear. A picture is worth a thousand words, and can carry subliminal messages. Advertisers also know that. The eye is a much quicker learner than the ear.
May we follow this wise advice and keep our hearts pure. Let us keep not only our hearts pure, but also the heart of our children. As parents, we need to emulate this father who admonished his child about his company and his entertainment.
Today those questions remain: with all the sights and sounds that we are bombarded with on every side, is it a wonder that our society’s moral standards are going down? Is it a wonder that our youth lacks godly values? We cannot fight the media giants but can we be the gatekeepers of the hearts of our children?
The heart pumps the precious pure blood of life into every part of our body. The actual quality of our heart affects the health of our whole body. Is our heart weak? Is it strong? Is it sturdy? Urban life today causes us to do many that negatively affects the quality of our heart. Our food habits also contribute to degrade its quality, and we suffer dire consequences for it. A healthy heart means a healthy body. A sick heart means a sick body.
Our author refers to these properties when he admonishes his son. The way to our heart is through our eyes and ears. Whatever we see, hear or get emotionally affected by, gets recorded in the tablets of our soul and affects the heart of our being.
This son is told by his concerned father to keep his heart pure. He is told to keep his heart pure by staying away from the ‘froward mouth’. This means to stay away from the people who talk against God, because constantly hearing something eventually affects the soul. Advertisers know that. This son is also told to keep his eyes straight on the Words of God. This means to stay his eyes on godly sight rather than on ungodly scenes or actions, because the things we see affect our heart even more than those we hear. A picture is worth a thousand words, and can carry subliminal messages. Advertisers also know that. The eye is a much quicker learner than the ear.
May we follow this wise advice and keep our hearts pure. Let us keep not only our hearts pure, but also the heart of our children. As parents, we need to emulate this father who admonished his child about his company and his entertainment.
Today those questions remain: with all the sights and sounds that we are bombarded with on every side, is it a wonder that our society’s moral standards are going down? Is it a wonder that our youth lacks godly values? We cannot fight the media giants but can we be the gatekeepers of the hearts of our children?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
MAY GOD GIVE US FATHERS
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
We hear again the wise king admonish his son. He tells his child to bring his inclinations towards his paternal counsel. This man tells his son to never let his fatherly advice out of his vision; to seal them in his heart; that in them, the boy will find both life and health.
Sad to say, the wise words of King Solomon were exemplified with his behavior only for a while. In his old age, this King let go of the Words of God and dabbled in the occult. The son who heard these words became a king who made unwise decisions and under whom the kingdom was divided.
If anything can change the course of history; if anything can move the heart of God towards His children; if anything can turn the evil tide that quickly drowns this generation; it is the desperate cry of upright fathers. When Moses cried to God for mercy as a father would cry for his children, God stayed his hand from destroying the Children of Israel.
May God give us fathers.
May God give us fathers whose words reflect the pattern of fatherhood given to us by the greatest Father of all.
Mayt God give us fathers whose Words match the actions.
May God give us fathers who can safely tell their children to emulate them because they themselves own the Words of life in their hearts.
May God give us fathers who fight in prayer and deeds for their children against the wolves of worldliness, laziness, mediocrity, selfishness and godlessness.
May God give us fathers who do what is right, unafraid to buck the tide of common opinion.
May God give us fathers whose life is hidden in the care of their little ones; who prepare with care the next generation.
May God give us fathers who in spite of their own selves, do their best to point their children in the direction of the Eternal father of all humanity.
We hear again the wise king admonish his son. He tells his child to bring his inclinations towards his paternal counsel. This man tells his son to never let his fatherly advice out of his vision; to seal them in his heart; that in them, the boy will find both life and health.
Sad to say, the wise words of King Solomon were exemplified with his behavior only for a while. In his old age, this King let go of the Words of God and dabbled in the occult. The son who heard these words became a king who made unwise decisions and under whom the kingdom was divided.
If anything can change the course of history; if anything can move the heart of God towards His children; if anything can turn the evil tide that quickly drowns this generation; it is the desperate cry of upright fathers. When Moses cried to God for mercy as a father would cry for his children, God stayed his hand from destroying the Children of Israel.
May God give us fathers.
May God give us fathers whose words reflect the pattern of fatherhood given to us by the greatest Father of all.
Mayt God give us fathers whose Words match the actions.
May God give us fathers who can safely tell their children to emulate them because they themselves own the Words of life in their hearts.
May God give us fathers who fight in prayer and deeds for their children against the wolves of worldliness, laziness, mediocrity, selfishness and godlessness.
May God give us fathers who do what is right, unafraid to buck the tide of common opinion.
May God give us fathers whose life is hidden in the care of their little ones; who prepare with care the next generation.
May God give us fathers who in spite of their own selves, do their best to point their children in the direction of the Eternal father of all humanity.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
FEARLESSNESS OR COURAGE
Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
The wicked, those who turn against God can be so arrogant. They seem almost fearless, which sadly, is credited to them as strength. The media’s super-heroes seem to be imbued with this property, which creates the admiration of its immature unsuspecting audiences.
What is it with this fascination with fearlessness?
The wicked fear not because they have rejected the sense of fear put in them by God. They want to defy it, and doing so defy God like Nimrod who wanted to build a tower all the way to Heaven. It is abnormal to not be afraid, just like it is abnormal to be numb to the conviction from the Holy-Spirit of God when we have done wrong.
God put in us a natural sense of danger. It is like the voice if God in us. It warns and protects us. It is therefore like a light in darkness. Those who reject this natural sense of fear also reject the voice of God in them. And those who reject the voice of God in them reject the light of God and therefore, they walk in darkness, not knowing at what they stumble.
There is a difference with fearlessness and courage. Fearlessness is the absence of fear; courage is the conquest of fear.
The wicked, those who turn against God can be so arrogant. They seem almost fearless, which sadly, is credited to them as strength. The media’s super-heroes seem to be imbued with this property, which creates the admiration of its immature unsuspecting audiences.
What is it with this fascination with fearlessness?
The wicked fear not because they have rejected the sense of fear put in them by God. They want to defy it, and doing so defy God like Nimrod who wanted to build a tower all the way to Heaven. It is abnormal to not be afraid, just like it is abnormal to be numb to the conviction from the Holy-Spirit of God when we have done wrong.
God put in us a natural sense of danger. It is like the voice if God in us. It warns and protects us. It is therefore like a light in darkness. Those who reject this natural sense of fear also reject the voice of God in them. And those who reject the voice of God in them reject the light of God and therefore, they walk in darkness, not knowing at what they stumble.
There is a difference with fearlessness and courage. Fearlessness is the absence of fear; courage is the conquest of fear.
Friday, November 09, 2007
THE LIGHT OF GOD
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
After being in darkness for a time, light, especially God’s light, needs to be introduced to our eyes slowly. It would blind us if it were to suddenly appear to us. The same goes with the light of truth from God.
If the light of Truth from God were to appear to us suddenly in its full integrity, it would probably hurt us; we are not ready to receive it. When Moses wanted to see the face of God, God told Him he could only see God’s glory from behind. When God spoke face to face with Moses, his face shone so that he had to cover it with a veil. When God spoke to the congregation of Israel, they begged Moses to be their mediator because they could not stand to hear God’s very voice. So, in His great wisdom and mercy, God promised that one day, He would come to talk to us at our level, as a human being.
If God were to suddenly pour in our hearts the pure Light of His spirit, it may reveal such an amount of wickedness in us that we would probably get discouraged. So, in order to bring us in slowly, He starts us with a small light, like a candle. But as we walk with Him, our path gradually becomes brighter. As our path gets brighter, we are able to take more, see more, realize more, and carry more. As days, months and years go by, we see new areas in our lives that we need to work on. As time passes, we understand more; we are less confused and more knowledgeable.
Let us feed God’s light in our heart through faithful fellowship with Him and His. We need not be afraid of it anymore. Let’s us allow it o come to our heart in all its fullness and clean us from all our iniquities.
After being in darkness for a time, light, especially God’s light, needs to be introduced to our eyes slowly. It would blind us if it were to suddenly appear to us. The same goes with the light of truth from God.
If the light of Truth from God were to appear to us suddenly in its full integrity, it would probably hurt us; we are not ready to receive it. When Moses wanted to see the face of God, God told Him he could only see God’s glory from behind. When God spoke face to face with Moses, his face shone so that he had to cover it with a veil. When God spoke to the congregation of Israel, they begged Moses to be their mediator because they could not stand to hear God’s very voice. So, in His great wisdom and mercy, God promised that one day, He would come to talk to us at our level, as a human being.
If God were to suddenly pour in our hearts the pure Light of His spirit, it may reveal such an amount of wickedness in us that we would probably get discouraged. So, in order to bring us in slowly, He starts us with a small light, like a candle. But as we walk with Him, our path gradually becomes brighter. As our path gets brighter, we are able to take more, see more, realize more, and carry more. As days, months and years go by, we see new areas in our lives that we need to work on. As time passes, we understand more; we are less confused and more knowledgeable.
Let us feed God’s light in our heart through faithful fellowship with Him and His. We need not be afraid of it anymore. Let’s us allow it o come to our heart in all its fullness and clean us from all our iniquities.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
BARKLESS DOGS
Proverbs 4:14-16 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. (15) Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. (16) For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Who is the sleeper? Who is he that has his eyes closed? Is it not he who has lost the spiritual compass of God’s Instructions? Because of his loss of God’s Word, his heart has grown so relative that he is not able to recognize evil anymore. He is not able to be indignant at wickedness nor does he have the spirit to fight it. He is like clouds without rain; a dog that cannot bark.
Spiritual sleep, spiritual apathy, spiritual lethargy is the result of doing ‘mischief’. The main mischief is the rejection of God’s standards; the ‘relativising’ of Gods Word. Once we mix God’s Word with our own cultural principles, it looses its value and power; it is not able to keep us awake spiritually anymore. One of the problems with that is that when we backslide from God’s pure Word in that way, we seldom do it alone. We often drag someone else down with us, even if just our personal family.
We are given here the cautionary advice to not enter into the path of such people. We are told to avoid it; to turn from it and pass it. Maybe it is after all, safer to run into a blatant sinner than into him who is caught in the deception of look-alike faith.
One night a little girl fell from her bed. When her Mom asked what happen, the teary-eyed girl said, “I guess I must have fallen asleep too near to where I got in.” Could it be what happens to many of us? We enter the kingdom, but through some smooth-tongue unchallenging Word teacher we stop progressing and growing in our spiritual life. Oh yes, there is always a lot of activity which makes it look like we are awake but could it be like the little boy who told his Mom about the purring sleeping cat, “Mom, the cat fell asleep and left its engine running.”
May God help us to read the Word with wisdom and with understanding. May God help us to let it bark at our soul to warn it from the dangerous wolves of spiritual relativism.
Who is the sleeper? Who is he that has his eyes closed? Is it not he who has lost the spiritual compass of God’s Instructions? Because of his loss of God’s Word, his heart has grown so relative that he is not able to recognize evil anymore. He is not able to be indignant at wickedness nor does he have the spirit to fight it. He is like clouds without rain; a dog that cannot bark.
Spiritual sleep, spiritual apathy, spiritual lethargy is the result of doing ‘mischief’. The main mischief is the rejection of God’s standards; the ‘relativising’ of Gods Word. Once we mix God’s Word with our own cultural principles, it looses its value and power; it is not able to keep us awake spiritually anymore. One of the problems with that is that when we backslide from God’s pure Word in that way, we seldom do it alone. We often drag someone else down with us, even if just our personal family.
We are given here the cautionary advice to not enter into the path of such people. We are told to avoid it; to turn from it and pass it. Maybe it is after all, safer to run into a blatant sinner than into him who is caught in the deception of look-alike faith.
One night a little girl fell from her bed. When her Mom asked what happen, the teary-eyed girl said, “I guess I must have fallen asleep too near to where I got in.” Could it be what happens to many of us? We enter the kingdom, but through some smooth-tongue unchallenging Word teacher we stop progressing and growing in our spiritual life. Oh yes, there is always a lot of activity which makes it look like we are awake but could it be like the little boy who told his Mom about the purring sleeping cat, “Mom, the cat fell asleep and left its engine running.”
May God help us to read the Word with wisdom and with understanding. May God help us to let it bark at our soul to warn it from the dangerous wolves of spiritual relativism.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
THE UNDERSTANDING OF WISDOM
Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
We need to remember that in these sayings as well as in those to come, ‘Wisdom’ is very much defined as Jesus Himself. It is not a form of poise or virtue, nor the ability to be witty and discerning. It is simply the ‘all in all’ of the Messiah.
Past and contemporary history shows us that just accepting Jesus is not enough. Religion often takes an oppressive form thus causing pain and even war. Faith also suffers an identity crisis. Instead of learning and understanding its form and format, everyone wants to just put its label on their own. This always leads to contentions, divisions, denominationalism and sectarianism born of self-righteous pride.
This happens because we get ‘Wisdom’ without getting ‘understanding’. It is like getting a new complicated appliance without a manual of operation. We end up breaking the machine or even using it in a hurtful manner. ‘Understanding gives the form and format of faith. It gives us its context, its culture and tells why things are a certain way and not another.
As we get faith, as we get wisdom, as we let Messiah be our Lord, Master and Savior, let us learn to understand all we can about Him and who God had chosen Him to be on earth. May we understand some of the simplest details like, “Why was He born a Jew?”; Why did He often go to Jerusalem?”; Why did He have to die in Jerusalem?”; Why was He born in Bethlehem?”; Why did He eat the Seder unleavened bread and drank its wine before He died?” How do these things affect us?”
As we learn to understand Wisdom, as we gather around the true identity of Messiah, we will be able to finally have a united vision of a united congregation.
We need to remember that in these sayings as well as in those to come, ‘Wisdom’ is very much defined as Jesus Himself. It is not a form of poise or virtue, nor the ability to be witty and discerning. It is simply the ‘all in all’ of the Messiah.
Past and contemporary history shows us that just accepting Jesus is not enough. Religion often takes an oppressive form thus causing pain and even war. Faith also suffers an identity crisis. Instead of learning and understanding its form and format, everyone wants to just put its label on their own. This always leads to contentions, divisions, denominationalism and sectarianism born of self-righteous pride.
This happens because we get ‘Wisdom’ without getting ‘understanding’. It is like getting a new complicated appliance without a manual of operation. We end up breaking the machine or even using it in a hurtful manner. ‘Understanding gives the form and format of faith. It gives us its context, its culture and tells why things are a certain way and not another.
As we get faith, as we get wisdom, as we let Messiah be our Lord, Master and Savior, let us learn to understand all we can about Him and who God had chosen Him to be on earth. May we understand some of the simplest details like, “Why was He born a Jew?”; Why did He often go to Jerusalem?”; Why did He have to die in Jerusalem?”; Why was He born in Bethlehem?”; Why did He eat the Seder unleavened bread and drank its wine before He died?” How do these things affect us?”
As we learn to understand Wisdom, as we gather around the true identity of Messiah, we will be able to finally have a united vision of a united congregation.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
THE FINAL PROMOTION
Proverbs 3:33-35
- The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
- Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
- The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Our king seems to conclude this exhortation to his son with these three maxims. Should we forget all the details in the preceding admonitions; should we fail to understand all their implications; if we only but remember these three maxims, we will possess the true heart of the wisdom that comes from above.
We may look at the house of the wicked and consider them blessed. In turn,as we try to be faithful to Him, we may look at our own house and wonder if God really sees us. Thus it is always with God’s people. But whatever our physical sense declare to us, we must remember the truth of the Word which reveals to our hearts the truth hidden from our eyes, that: The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
Many people scorn and scoff at the laws of God. They declare the principles of Godly living outdated. They push their ‘enlightenment’ agenda though every mediatic and political mean possible. They constantly feel like they have to fight and struggle in order to justify their position. On the other hand, the people who humbly and lowliness of mind simply accept and endorse God’s ways seem to own a spirit of peace and quietness that no psychologist could ever offer. Thus He scorneth the scorners: but He giveth grace unto the lowly.
Oh, for the precious promises. When all is said and done; when the books are opened; when faith is balanced against works; when intentions are compared with actions; when spirits are rubbed against the touchstone; when the wheat is separated from the chaff; when fire reveals the only true lasting matter of our soul; when the sheep go again under the counting hand; when the Lord God of the Hosts of Heaven gives the final roll call; when the ultimate judgment is pronounced; glory, yes glory is given to those faithful ones who had enough love for their Lord to love Him with all their hearts, at even the cost of their lives and worldly reputation. But shame, oh yes, shame shall be the only promotion that those who loved wickedness, that those who scorned God’s commandments will receive.
Even so Lord Yehoshua, come quickly!
Monday, November 05, 2007
WEALTH OR WEALTH?
Proverbs 3:31-32 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. (32) For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Here is a rich man, successful and established. He has not a care in the world but to look after his wealth and to indulge his heart. Of course, he tithes and contributes to the many social causes in his community. Many would consider him blessed of God. Many would consider that God smiled upon this man. Many would be envious and covet his position in life.
Let us take a closer look at the source of his wealth. Is it a wealth truly sent from God, or is it a wealth conceived by oppression?
When a man is blessed beyond his personal immediate needs, is he supposed to build bigger ‘barns’ and plan for his personal future, thus oppressing those for whom this wealth was meant? Does his wealth come from usury, the ungodly oppressing practice of benefiting from a brother’s misery by lending him money for interest? Does he oppress his family, working so hard at the cost of their neglect? Does he oppress his own soul, withholding it from God by working on the Sabbath which God has created for himself?
Wealth from God is a gift without condemnation. You didn’t work for it. You didn’t oppress for it. You didn’t withhold it from those to whom it was due. You did not compromise virtues and principles for it and yet, like King Solomon, author of this proverb, God laid it at your feet.
Let us know and remember that wealth wrongfully earned will not remain unpunished. Let us also remember that the secret of God is with the righteous. As we go and faithfully follow God, our needs will be met, and the wealth of His presence will abide in our heart. What more should we want?
Here is a rich man, successful and established. He has not a care in the world but to look after his wealth and to indulge his heart. Of course, he tithes and contributes to the many social causes in his community. Many would consider him blessed of God. Many would consider that God smiled upon this man. Many would be envious and covet his position in life.
Let us take a closer look at the source of his wealth. Is it a wealth truly sent from God, or is it a wealth conceived by oppression?
When a man is blessed beyond his personal immediate needs, is he supposed to build bigger ‘barns’ and plan for his personal future, thus oppressing those for whom this wealth was meant? Does his wealth come from usury, the ungodly oppressing practice of benefiting from a brother’s misery by lending him money for interest? Does he oppress his family, working so hard at the cost of their neglect? Does he oppress his own soul, withholding it from God by working on the Sabbath which God has created for himself?
Wealth from God is a gift without condemnation. You didn’t work for it. You didn’t oppress for it. You didn’t withhold it from those to whom it was due. You did not compromise virtues and principles for it and yet, like King Solomon, author of this proverb, God laid it at your feet.
Let us know and remember that wealth wrongfully earned will not remain unpunished. Let us also remember that the secret of God is with the righteous. As we go and faithfully follow God, our needs will be met, and the wealth of His presence will abide in our heart. What more should we want?
Sunday, November 04, 2007
THE PURE IN HEART SEE GOD
Proverbs 3:29-30 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. (30) Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
For this proverb, I will refer to Patrick Henry’s Bible Commentary where it is rephrased in the following manner:
· We must not be quarrelsome and litigious.
· Do not strive with a man without cause;
· Contend not for that which thou hast no title to;
· Resent not as a provocation that which peradventure was but an oversight.
· Never trouble thy neighbour with frivolous complaints and accusations, or vexatious law-suits, when either there is no harm done thee or none worth speaking of, or thou mightest right thyself in a friendly way.
This advice reflects Paul’s in the New Testament where He says, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Sad to say, were this advice followed, gossip columnists and lawyer would go broke.
What is it in human nature that makes us strive on drama? I have known people who feel it abnormal when things quietly follow their course. They automatically attribute it to denial, so they go around trying to find the drama; and if they can’t find it, they create it.
In the classic movie Gone with the Wind, Scarlet was determined to steal her best friend’s husband from her. In trying to do so, Scarlet constantly took care of this man, even all the more after he came back wounded from the war. His wife, suspecting nothing, took it all as act of selfless love towards her. Because her heart was pure, she couldn’t even conceive the very real and present evil that was threatening her life. Call it innocent naïve stupidity, gullibility or denial, but I know who was the happier of the two women. It may only be a movie, but it works in real life. Those whose heart is pure and drama-impervious, see God, instead of the devil in everything.
What a different world we would have if instead of making mountains out of molehills, we would make molehills out of mountains.
For this proverb, I will refer to Patrick Henry’s Bible Commentary where it is rephrased in the following manner:
· We must not be quarrelsome and litigious.
· Do not strive with a man without cause;
· Contend not for that which thou hast no title to;
· Resent not as a provocation that which peradventure was but an oversight.
· Never trouble thy neighbour with frivolous complaints and accusations, or vexatious law-suits, when either there is no harm done thee or none worth speaking of, or thou mightest right thyself in a friendly way.
This advice reflects Paul’s in the New Testament where He says, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Sad to say, were this advice followed, gossip columnists and lawyer would go broke.
What is it in human nature that makes us strive on drama? I have known people who feel it abnormal when things quietly follow their course. They automatically attribute it to denial, so they go around trying to find the drama; and if they can’t find it, they create it.
In the classic movie Gone with the Wind, Scarlet was determined to steal her best friend’s husband from her. In trying to do so, Scarlet constantly took care of this man, even all the more after he came back wounded from the war. His wife, suspecting nothing, took it all as act of selfless love towards her. Because her heart was pure, she couldn’t even conceive the very real and present evil that was threatening her life. Call it innocent naïve stupidity, gullibility or denial, but I know who was the happier of the two women. It may only be a movie, but it works in real life. Those whose heart is pure and drama-impervious, see God, instead of the devil in everything.
What a different world we would have if instead of making mountains out of molehills, we would make molehills out of mountains.
Friday, November 02, 2007
BE YE PERFECT
Proverbs 3:27-28 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. (28) Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
I pause for a moment this devotional approach to these Proverbs from King Solomon as I take you to behold the wonders of their literary constructions. Hebrew wisdom literature, as well as Hebrew poetry, works in sets of two verses. Two opposite concepts can develop an idea, or we can have what we have in these two verses: the first verse introduces the taught principle, while the second verse defines its application.
This may not seem very important but, and some may argue with me about that, I believe that God did not leave much room for guessing what He meant in His Word. If the second verse explains the first, then the person to whom good is due, is our neighbor. And to know who our neighbor is, we turn to the Messiah who, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, taught us that our neighbor was whoever we meet on our way that is in dire need, even if it is an actual oppressing enemy.
This is a simple proverb about giving, but it teaches more than generosity. It teaches us a form of generosity that is beyond the principle of ‘good deeds’. Mostly, it teaches us a generosity that makes us come near to the perfection Jesus talked about when He said,
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
I pause for a moment this devotional approach to these Proverbs from King Solomon as I take you to behold the wonders of their literary constructions. Hebrew wisdom literature, as well as Hebrew poetry, works in sets of two verses. Two opposite concepts can develop an idea, or we can have what we have in these two verses: the first verse introduces the taught principle, while the second verse defines its application.
This may not seem very important but, and some may argue with me about that, I believe that God did not leave much room for guessing what He meant in His Word. If the second verse explains the first, then the person to whom good is due, is our neighbor. And to know who our neighbor is, we turn to the Messiah who, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, taught us that our neighbor was whoever we meet on our way that is in dire need, even if it is an actual oppressing enemy.
This is a simple proverb about giving, but it teaches more than generosity. It teaches us a form of generosity that is beyond the principle of ‘good deeds’. Mostly, it teaches us a generosity that makes us come near to the perfection Jesus talked about when He said,
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
Thursday, November 01, 2007
TO WHOM THE FEAR?
Proverbs 3:25-26 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. (26) For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
When God plunged the whole world into a flood of water, He kept Noah and his family safe. When the mighty God of Israel battered Egypt with plague after plague, He spared the land of Goshen. When the walls of Jericho tumbled and fell at the sounds of the shofars, Ahab’s house stayed untouched.
Oh, may we not trust God today also? May we not trust our mighty God to protect us? He is getting ready to again shake the earth; He said, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Already today we can feel the mighty shaking of God. Moral values are reversed as the Word of God is either adulterated or all totally ignored. Will such a generation be spared the shakings of God? Probably not.
But we, who have put our trust in God through His Messiah, should not fear the shaking to come. If our eyes are fixed on His sound wisdom, on His knowledge and discretion, Why should we fear?
It is the wayward disobedient children who need to fear the judgments of the Father, not those who stay close to him and live in line with His Instruction.
When God plunged the whole world into a flood of water, He kept Noah and his family safe. When the mighty God of Israel battered Egypt with plague after plague, He spared the land of Goshen. When the walls of Jericho tumbled and fell at the sounds of the shofars, Ahab’s house stayed untouched.
Oh, may we not trust God today also? May we not trust our mighty God to protect us? He is getting ready to again shake the earth; He said, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Already today we can feel the mighty shaking of God. Moral values are reversed as the Word of God is either adulterated or all totally ignored. Will such a generation be spared the shakings of God? Probably not.
But we, who have put our trust in God through His Messiah, should not fear the shaking to come. If our eyes are fixed on His sound wisdom, on His knowledge and discretion, Why should we fear?
It is the wayward disobedient children who need to fear the judgments of the Father, not those who stay close to him and live in line with His Instruction.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
PEACE THAT CONQUERS THE STORM
Proverbs 3:23-24 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. (24) When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
The promises pronounced in this text are entirely conditional. We cannot claim them on their own. They are not some magic chant we can use as safety and comfort affirmations.
These promises are fulfilled today in each and every person who, as was mentioned in the previous verses, keeps sound wisdom and discretion. These promises are solely for those who don’t allow wisdom, knowledge and understanding to depart form their eyes.
We have, in the life of our Messiah, a perfect example of the fulfillment of these promises. Our Savior could affirm today that these promises rang true for Him in their entirety. But did He walk safely? Did His foot never stumble? Was he never afraid when He lied down to sleep? Was His sleep always sweet?
To the contrary, Jesus’ life seems to have been one rife with problems, fears and troubles. He was a man of so much sorrow that we thought God Himself afflicted him. He ended up even dying the death of a criminal and yet . . . yet . . . He can claim that these above promises were fulfilled in His life. Why? Because even though trouble drowned Him; even though the world killed Him; even though the devil pulled every trick in the book to defeat Him, Jesus came out victorious and the everlasting conqueror of, even death.
These promises do not portray an image of idyllic utopian peace and comfort. They rather portray the image of one who conquers all in the name of God, by the sole power of keeping locked on His eyes.
The promises pronounced in this text are entirely conditional. We cannot claim them on their own. They are not some magic chant we can use as safety and comfort affirmations.
These promises are fulfilled today in each and every person who, as was mentioned in the previous verses, keeps sound wisdom and discretion. These promises are solely for those who don’t allow wisdom, knowledge and understanding to depart form their eyes.
We have, in the life of our Messiah, a perfect example of the fulfillment of these promises. Our Savior could affirm today that these promises rang true for Him in their entirety. But did He walk safely? Did His foot never stumble? Was he never afraid when He lied down to sleep? Was His sleep always sweet?
To the contrary, Jesus’ life seems to have been one rife with problems, fears and troubles. He was a man of so much sorrow that we thought God Himself afflicted him. He ended up even dying the death of a criminal and yet . . . yet . . . He can claim that these above promises were fulfilled in His life. Why? Because even though trouble drowned Him; even though the world killed Him; even though the devil pulled every trick in the book to defeat Him, Jesus came out victorious and the everlasting conqueror of, even death.
These promises do not portray an image of idyllic utopian peace and comfort. They rather portray the image of one who conquers all in the name of God, by the sole power of keeping locked on His eyes.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
THE HEART OF THE ISSUE
Proverbs 3:19-22 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
When we feel far from God, it is not God who moved. The wonderful virtues which have founded the earth; the understanding which has established the heavens forever; and the knowledge that breaks the deep and prepares the morning dew; these are all at our disposal.
To be able to benefit from these wonderful powers, for them to become life to our souls and grace to our necks, we are asked only one thing: let them not depart from thine eyes.
King David knew that; he said: I will not set any evil thing before mine eyes.
We are responsible for what we watch; we even have remote ‘control’ of our TV. Yes, the world is full of evil, but there is no one to force us to watch anything on the internet that we do not want to. We are free to buy whatever book and magazine we want to. We also have reviews available to help us choose movies.
What then keeps us from keeping sound wisdom and discretion?
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
When we feel far from God, it is not God who moved. The wonderful virtues which have founded the earth; the understanding which has established the heavens forever; and the knowledge that breaks the deep and prepares the morning dew; these are all at our disposal.
To be able to benefit from these wonderful powers, for them to become life to our souls and grace to our necks, we are asked only one thing: let them not depart from thine eyes.
King David knew that; he said: I will not set any evil thing before mine eyes.
We are responsible for what we watch; we even have remote ‘control’ of our TV. Yes, the world is full of evil, but there is no one to force us to watch anything on the internet that we do not want to. We are free to buy whatever book and magazine we want to. We also have reviews available to help us choose movies.
What then keeps us from keeping sound wisdom and discretion?
Monday, October 29, 2007
THE SENIOR-PARTNER
Proverbs 3:17-18 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. (18) She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
CONTEXTUAL NOTE: For details about who is ‘Her’ in this text, refer to the second paragraph of the devotional on Proverbs 3: 15-16.
Jesus said that there is rest in His presence. He said to people while on earth ‘My yoke is easy and My burden is light’.
I was talking with a young lady about her mother tonight. The concerned daughter was telling me all the reasons why her mother couldn’t cope in her spiritual and emotional life. As I listened, it seemed to me that nothing was happening in the life of this faithful mother that was exceptional. This lady was experiencing all the stressful situations that any mother her age would experience. The difference was mainly how she handled it.
We have the promise that Jesus’ ways are ways of pleasantness; that His paths are paths of peace; that we are happy of we hold on to Him. I would be the first to admit that just because we have Jesus as Lord, Master and Savior, our life flows like a song; each day has its own set of challenges that we need to face. Does God’s Word lie then? Is He lying to us in presenting us with hopes of an idyllic happiness?
I do not mean to be cold hearted, but as far as the Word is concerned, if the promise is there, so is the fulfillment. What I have told this young lady is that if her mother doesn’t find that peace that is promised to her, it’s not God’s fault; maybe she is not availing herself of the option.
Sometimes we rob ourselves from the peace Jesus wants to give us by fighting against Him and what He does in our lives. What we need to rather do, is partner up with Him as the ‘senior-partner’ of our earth walk. When we surrender ourselves to Him, things seem to change drastically. After all, He has the wider perspective. How is it this little song: My Lord knows the way through the wilderness; all I have to do is follow”?
CONTEXTUAL NOTE: For details about who is ‘Her’ in this text, refer to the second paragraph of the devotional on Proverbs 3: 15-16.
Jesus said that there is rest in His presence. He said to people while on earth ‘My yoke is easy and My burden is light’.
I was talking with a young lady about her mother tonight. The concerned daughter was telling me all the reasons why her mother couldn’t cope in her spiritual and emotional life. As I listened, it seemed to me that nothing was happening in the life of this faithful mother that was exceptional. This lady was experiencing all the stressful situations that any mother her age would experience. The difference was mainly how she handled it.
We have the promise that Jesus’ ways are ways of pleasantness; that His paths are paths of peace; that we are happy of we hold on to Him. I would be the first to admit that just because we have Jesus as Lord, Master and Savior, our life flows like a song; each day has its own set of challenges that we need to face. Does God’s Word lie then? Is He lying to us in presenting us with hopes of an idyllic happiness?
I do not mean to be cold hearted, but as far as the Word is concerned, if the promise is there, so is the fulfillment. What I have told this young lady is that if her mother doesn’t find that peace that is promised to her, it’s not God’s fault; maybe she is not availing herself of the option.
Sometimes we rob ourselves from the peace Jesus wants to give us by fighting against Him and what He does in our lives. What we need to rather do, is partner up with Him as the ‘senior-partner’ of our earth walk. When we surrender ourselves to Him, things seem to change drastically. After all, He has the wider perspective. How is it this little song: My Lord knows the way through the wilderness; all I have to do is follow”?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
WHAT IS HE WORTH?
Proverbs 3:15-16 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. (16) Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
I give my students five Bible verses a week to journal. I tell them that if the verse starts with a pronoun, they need to search for the noun it refers to in the preceding verses. If I would give them this verse to journal, without a little bit of linguistic knowledge, they would find it difficult to find the noun that ‘she’ refers to.
In the Hebrew text, "she" refers to ‘wisdom’ found two verses above. In English, the word wisdom is genderless. But in Hebrew, it is feminine. This causes a little problem for translators.
It is important to understand here that ‘wisdom’ here is not a virtue that is brought to us because we have received and accepted Jesus as our Redeemer. It is not a form of magic formula that gives us health, wealth and a long happy life. This verse does not represent promises of prosperity conditional to making Jesus our Lord and Master; that would sound more like the devils’ promises to Jesus in the desert.
Wisdom is Jesus: He is the one that is better than the merchandise of silver and than the gain of fine gold. He is the One more precious than rubies and than all the things we desire. He is the One who has length of days in His right hand, and riches and honor in His left hand. The idea here is that having Jesus makes us feel like worldly treasures are just husks, husks, husks!
Jesus has treasured us in that way; do we Him?
I give my students five Bible verses a week to journal. I tell them that if the verse starts with a pronoun, they need to search for the noun it refers to in the preceding verses. If I would give them this verse to journal, without a little bit of linguistic knowledge, they would find it difficult to find the noun that ‘she’ refers to.
In the Hebrew text, "she" refers to ‘wisdom’ found two verses above. In English, the word wisdom is genderless. But in Hebrew, it is feminine. This causes a little problem for translators.
It is important to understand here that ‘wisdom’ here is not a virtue that is brought to us because we have received and accepted Jesus as our Redeemer. It is not a form of magic formula that gives us health, wealth and a long happy life. This verse does not represent promises of prosperity conditional to making Jesus our Lord and Master; that would sound more like the devils’ promises to Jesus in the desert.
Wisdom is Jesus: He is the one that is better than the merchandise of silver and than the gain of fine gold. He is the One more precious than rubies and than all the things we desire. He is the One who has length of days in His right hand, and riches and honor in His left hand. The idea here is that having Jesus makes us feel like worldly treasures are just husks, husks, husks!
Jesus has treasured us in that way; do we Him?
Saturday, October 27, 2007
WHAT IS BETTER THAN SILVER AND GOLD
Proverbs 3:13-14 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. (14) For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Finding wisdom is not enough; any fool may stumble upon it. With wisdom, we must also get understanding. Throughout the ages, wisdom has often been misused. It has been an instrument of exclusion of the so-called ‘unwise’, and it even has caused the straying of many. A prime example of this is King Solomon himself. He was known to be the wisest man on the face of the earth, but he died an idolater dabbling in witchcraft. Also, in the times of the early church, many people who revered wisdom without having the understanding thereof got sidetracked in the idolatrous doctrine of gnosticism, which still has a great foothold on the Church to day.
Understanding teaches us how to rightly use the wisdom we get from God. Only when we apply understanding with the wisdom God gives us do we reap its benefits. What in this world is better than merchandise of silver and fine gold? What is there to hope for that is better than the riches of this world and all they have to offer? Oh yes; I know the answer to this riddle. What is more precious than a forever place in the Kingdom of God? What is better than Jesus, and what can be valued more than the righteousness He gives to His saints? All this is the blessing and happiness of one who finds wisdom and understanding.
Finding wisdom is not enough; any fool may stumble upon it. With wisdom, we must also get understanding. Throughout the ages, wisdom has often been misused. It has been an instrument of exclusion of the so-called ‘unwise’, and it even has caused the straying of many. A prime example of this is King Solomon himself. He was known to be the wisest man on the face of the earth, but he died an idolater dabbling in witchcraft. Also, in the times of the early church, many people who revered wisdom without having the understanding thereof got sidetracked in the idolatrous doctrine of gnosticism, which still has a great foothold on the Church to day.
Understanding teaches us how to rightly use the wisdom we get from God. Only when we apply understanding with the wisdom God gives us do we reap its benefits. What in this world is better than merchandise of silver and fine gold? What is there to hope for that is better than the riches of this world and all they have to offer? Oh yes; I know the answer to this riddle. What is more precious than a forever place in the Kingdom of God? What is better than Jesus, and what can be valued more than the righteousness He gives to His saints? All this is the blessing and happiness of one who finds wisdom and understanding.
GOD’S ROD OF CORRECTION
Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: (12) For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
We are sinners. We are sinners because we are naturally disobedient. Therefore we deserve each and every last stroke of the lash. If we do not know that, we have a serious problem with self-righteousness. What is worse when we don’t realize it is that we project the same spirit to our children. We absolve them the way we want to be absolved; we indulge them the way we want to be indulged, and we excuse them the way we wan t to be excused. The result is that we raise a generation of undisciplined disobedient whining brats that will pass the next laws in our country.
When Our Messiah walked the earth, He lived the life of an afflicted man. The Bible tells us that He was not physically handsome and that He was born in the remote corners of a country subjected to servitude. The prophet Isaiah also tells us that people saw Jesus’ trouble on earth, they thought that God was actually punishing him. The apostle Paul tells us that even the Son learned obedience through the things that He suffered.
Does God judge? Yes He does. How else would He be a just God? Does God discipline? Yes He does. How else would we learn from Him?
Let us remember next time we feel that God is our trail, that His rod of correction is His unbearable compliment that confirms our salvation. It shows the world not that God hates us, but that He loves us, and that He looks at us as His children who He trains and corrects.
We are sinners. We are sinners because we are naturally disobedient. Therefore we deserve each and every last stroke of the lash. If we do not know that, we have a serious problem with self-righteousness. What is worse when we don’t realize it is that we project the same spirit to our children. We absolve them the way we want to be absolved; we indulge them the way we want to be indulged, and we excuse them the way we wan t to be excused. The result is that we raise a generation of undisciplined disobedient whining brats that will pass the next laws in our country.
When Our Messiah walked the earth, He lived the life of an afflicted man. The Bible tells us that He was not physically handsome and that He was born in the remote corners of a country subjected to servitude. The prophet Isaiah also tells us that people saw Jesus’ trouble on earth, they thought that God was actually punishing him. The apostle Paul tells us that even the Son learned obedience through the things that He suffered.
Does God judge? Yes He does. How else would He be a just God? Does God discipline? Yes He does. How else would we learn from Him?
Let us remember next time we feel that God is our trail, that His rod of correction is His unbearable compliment that confirms our salvation. It shows the world not that God hates us, but that He loves us, and that He looks at us as His children who He trains and corrects.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
THE BLESSING OF TITHING
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: (10) So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
In our previous two verses we have uncovered the secret of good health: fear the Lord and to depart from evil. In today’s text we are given the secret of wealth: give to the Lord the firstfruit of your increase.
In the New Testament, not much is said about tithing except for a collection taken from the Greeco-Turk congregations to help the starving brethren in Jerusalem. In First Corinthians nine, Paul also refers to his right to receive tithes from his new converts, even though he prided himself in not taking advantage of it. For more information we have to go to the Old Testament.
Tithes constituted the firstfruits of harvests and of flocks. Tithes were to be given to the priests. It was their support as they administered to the temple the people. It also represented the bulk of the welfare system. Tithes also supported the care of the one temple in Jerusalem. Everyone else met in homes or simple meetinghouses called synagogues. God never asked for more. God’s ‘religion was not a financial burden on His people. It rather provided them with a system that literally filled their physical and spiritual needs.
God said that if people obeyed His ways of tithing, He would Himself make sure their barns would be filled with plenty, and their presses be bursting with new wine.
It is quite a biblically foundational principle, but what if tithes were only a voluntary matter? After all, why should God bless us if we don’t give from our hearts? The only way to know that is if tithing is voluntary. What if these tithes represented the salary of pastors, based on a percentage of what was received instead of on a set regular salary? What if also this money was used to feed the poor of the church? After all, why should God’s people depend on man’s governments for help them when our God own the cattle on a thousand hills?
There was another part to tithing. Every male that opened the matrix belonged to God. Jesus was the firstfruit among many brethren. He was a Nazarite who belonged to God. In essence, just like God gave His firstborn for the ‘cause’ so to speak, He also asks us to give our firstborn to Him in service. We are supposed to dedicate our firstborn for His service, meaning, we are supposed to train train into God’s service, not as assets to our own lives. Can you imagine how many missionaries we would have if we did that? I think it would make a difference in the world.
Why do we have to always re-invent the wheel?
In our previous two verses we have uncovered the secret of good health: fear the Lord and to depart from evil. In today’s text we are given the secret of wealth: give to the Lord the firstfruit of your increase.
In the New Testament, not much is said about tithing except for a collection taken from the Greeco-Turk congregations to help the starving brethren in Jerusalem. In First Corinthians nine, Paul also refers to his right to receive tithes from his new converts, even though he prided himself in not taking advantage of it. For more information we have to go to the Old Testament.
Tithes constituted the firstfruits of harvests and of flocks. Tithes were to be given to the priests. It was their support as they administered to the temple the people. It also represented the bulk of the welfare system. Tithes also supported the care of the one temple in Jerusalem. Everyone else met in homes or simple meetinghouses called synagogues. God never asked for more. God’s ‘religion was not a financial burden on His people. It rather provided them with a system that literally filled their physical and spiritual needs.
God said that if people obeyed His ways of tithing, He would Himself make sure their barns would be filled with plenty, and their presses be bursting with new wine.
It is quite a biblically foundational principle, but what if tithes were only a voluntary matter? After all, why should God bless us if we don’t give from our hearts? The only way to know that is if tithing is voluntary. What if these tithes represented the salary of pastors, based on a percentage of what was received instead of on a set regular salary? What if also this money was used to feed the poor of the church? After all, why should God’s people depend on man’s governments for help them when our God own the cattle on a thousand hills?
There was another part to tithing. Every male that opened the matrix belonged to God. Jesus was the firstfruit among many brethren. He was a Nazarite who belonged to God. In essence, just like God gave His firstborn for the ‘cause’ so to speak, He also asks us to give our firstborn to Him in service. We are supposed to dedicate our firstborn for His service, meaning, we are supposed to train train into God’s service, not as assets to our own lives. Can you imagine how many missionaries we would have if we did that? I think it would make a difference in the world.
Why do we have to always re-invent the wheel?
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
KEY TO GOOD HEALTH
Proverbs 3:7-8 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. (8) It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
When we are wise in our own eyes, we in essence say is “My judgment is better than God’s”. How long will we make gods of ourselves?
In His Word God has given us specific healthy guidelines for living a successful life on earth. We are taught what and how to eat. We are told how to handle our money, our politics, our families, our spiritual life, our emotional life, our love life and sexual activities. There is really nothing left to chance, but yet, we want to know better; we want to be wise in our own eyes. Each and every law passed in our government, is just another attempt to re-invent the wheel on the things God has already instructed us on. It is pure pride and rebellion against God’s ways.
The navel is the reminder of the umbilical cord through which a fetus gets his nourishment. The fetus receives nothing via the mouth or anywhere else. He is totally dependant on the food given to him through the umbilical cord. The marrow is the substance that irrigate and moistens the bones. Without it our bones are weak and brittle.
To not be wise in our own eyes, we have to be in a state of total dependency and surrender to God, just like the fetus in an expectant mother. Our text explains what it looks like; it says, to fear (respect, honor, obey) the Lord, and to depart (to move away from) from evil.
When we are wise in our own eyes, we care little for what God has to say about things and eventually reap the results of our actions, often through bad health. The word here promises us even good health if we are yielded enough to do things the way He wants us to do it.
When we are wise in our own eyes, we in essence say is “My judgment is better than God’s”. How long will we make gods of ourselves?
In His Word God has given us specific healthy guidelines for living a successful life on earth. We are taught what and how to eat. We are told how to handle our money, our politics, our families, our spiritual life, our emotional life, our love life and sexual activities. There is really nothing left to chance, but yet, we want to know better; we want to be wise in our own eyes. Each and every law passed in our government, is just another attempt to re-invent the wheel on the things God has already instructed us on. It is pure pride and rebellion against God’s ways.
The navel is the reminder of the umbilical cord through which a fetus gets his nourishment. The fetus receives nothing via the mouth or anywhere else. He is totally dependant on the food given to him through the umbilical cord. The marrow is the substance that irrigate and moistens the bones. Without it our bones are weak and brittle.
To not be wise in our own eyes, we have to be in a state of total dependency and surrender to God, just like the fetus in an expectant mother. Our text explains what it looks like; it says, to fear (respect, honor, obey) the Lord, and to depart (to move away from) from evil.
When we are wise in our own eyes, we care little for what God has to say about things and eventually reap the results of our actions, often through bad health. The word here promises us even good health if we are yielded enough to do things the way He wants us to do it.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I heard it said that the best way to know God’s will is to have no will of our own.
Many of us experience difficulty finding God’s will in our lives. We have in today’s text the key to find the right direction for our lives. I would like to submit a major side to the perspective that tells God, “Here God, direct my path”.
The prime element of finding God’s will is, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. In our dangerous society, we have lost the sense of trust. The idea of totally surrendering our critical functions and to lay in total surrender in the arms of someone, even God’s is rather foreign to us. We like to keep the controls, so we have to work at surrendering them.
He also tells us, lean not to thine own understanding. Trusting God means that we endorse His wild and sometime seemingly unreasonable ways before those coming form our own logical reasonable reasoning.
Now here comes the biggy: in all thy ways acknowledge Him. Sometimes we are like children who really want to do something but we afraid that wise Daddy will say no. So we go ahead without asking so we can say we didn’t know. God said, to acknowledge Him in all our ways; this means to let him know the full measure of what we have in mind so He can give us His piece.
Contrary to popular opinion, God is a gentleman. He generally doesn’t force His way on people. His Holy Spirit does come in to say its piece, but then we are left with the decision to go by its leadings or not. God though, will let us eat the full fruits of our own doing until we are sick of it and eventually ask Him for advice.
I heard it said that the best way to know God’s will is to have no will of our own.
Many of us experience difficulty finding God’s will in our lives. We have in today’s text the key to find the right direction for our lives. I would like to submit a major side to the perspective that tells God, “Here God, direct my path”.
The prime element of finding God’s will is, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. In our dangerous society, we have lost the sense of trust. The idea of totally surrendering our critical functions and to lay in total surrender in the arms of someone, even God’s is rather foreign to us. We like to keep the controls, so we have to work at surrendering them.
He also tells us, lean not to thine own understanding. Trusting God means that we endorse His wild and sometime seemingly unreasonable ways before those coming form our own logical reasonable reasoning.
Now here comes the biggy: in all thy ways acknowledge Him. Sometimes we are like children who really want to do something but we afraid that wise Daddy will say no. So we go ahead without asking so we can say we didn’t know. God said, to acknowledge Him in all our ways; this means to let him know the full measure of what we have in mind so He can give us His piece.
Contrary to popular opinion, God is a gentleman. He generally doesn’t force His way on people. His Holy Spirit does come in to say its piece, but then we are left with the decision to go by its leadings or not. God though, will let us eat the full fruits of our own doing until we are sick of it and eventually ask Him for advice.
Monday, October 22, 2007
MERCY AND TRUTH
CONTINUITY NOTE: Sentence starts with Proverbs 3:1-2:
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
(Proverbs 3:3-4) Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: (4) So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
“Favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man”; this sounds almost utopian. Only in the millennium will we finally find the fullness of this harmony. The apostle Paul echoes this principle in the 14th chapter of his letter to the Roman believers. In his letter, Paul points out to the Roman believers the wrongness of their judging ways towards each other. He tells them that everyone serves God with his own conscience and that we should let God do the judging. Nearing the end of his perspective thesis on following the Law of God as given through Moses he says: For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Romans 14:18.
The attitude Paul describes can only be achieved though holding on to the virtues given us in our text: mercy and truth. Mercy is great, but it should never absolve the reality and heavy price of sin. How would God be a right and just God of judgment if He closed His eyes on sin? In the same way, truth is beautiful, but it must never be used in an unmerciful manner; else it becomes a weapon that we hypocritically use against others while we hide our evil self-righteous motives behind it.
Due to our wicked sinful nature, it sounds impossible to do so; but if we wisely balance these two principles, we will be able to juggle pleasing God and man. To help him do so, this wise ‘father’ instruct his son write these principles of mercy and truth upon the tables of his heart. Five hundred years later, through the prophet Jeremiah, God described the messianic era saying, On that day, I will write my law upon their heart. This father knew and understood the concept of salvation.
Even so today, let us allow Jesus to write God’s Law in our hearts, that we may learn to temper truth with mercy; and that in our mercy, we may never obliterate the spirit of God's truth.
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
(Proverbs 3:3-4) Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: (4) So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
“Favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man”; this sounds almost utopian. Only in the millennium will we finally find the fullness of this harmony. The apostle Paul echoes this principle in the 14th chapter of his letter to the Roman believers. In his letter, Paul points out to the Roman believers the wrongness of their judging ways towards each other. He tells them that everyone serves God with his own conscience and that we should let God do the judging. Nearing the end of his perspective thesis on following the Law of God as given through Moses he says: For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Romans 14:18.
The attitude Paul describes can only be achieved though holding on to the virtues given us in our text: mercy and truth. Mercy is great, but it should never absolve the reality and heavy price of sin. How would God be a right and just God of judgment if He closed His eyes on sin? In the same way, truth is beautiful, but it must never be used in an unmerciful manner; else it becomes a weapon that we hypocritically use against others while we hide our evil self-righteous motives behind it.
Due to our wicked sinful nature, it sounds impossible to do so; but if we wisely balance these two principles, we will be able to juggle pleasing God and man. To help him do so, this wise ‘father’ instruct his son write these principles of mercy and truth upon the tables of his heart. Five hundred years later, through the prophet Jeremiah, God described the messianic era saying, On that day, I will write my law upon their heart. This father knew and understood the concept of salvation.
Even so today, let us allow Jesus to write God’s Law in our hearts, that we may learn to temper truth with mercy; and that in our mercy, we may never obliterate the spirit of God's truth.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER
Proverbs 3:1-2 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: (2) For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
The father continues his monologue; a monologue inspired by the divine Father, and given by a father. This father reminds his son to not forget the law (Law: Hebrew- torah, instruction) and the commandments, which are key to a long peaceful life. The promise of a long and peaceful life is attached to the sixth commandment: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12
Along with a deep sense of awe and respect for parents, the Hebrew word for ‘honour’ in this text has a very strong inference to financial support. Oh, how life was different in those days; have we really gotten smarter?
Parents lived in their household, with their children and children’s children until the day of their death. They never had to worry about Medicare nor welfare. Grandparents kept the kids while the parents were at work, so they never had to worry about daycare. They trained the young moms into parenthood. In ancient times in Israel, old age was not seen as an age of useless senility; white hair was compared to a crown in the Bible. People looked at old folks as the wise owls who had a more rational perspective on life and whose counsel was very valuable. Their life was cemented with trial sand errors; they had seen, and even in some cases experienced the pains of vanity.
Parents are usually responsible for giving us life. Any responsible parent knows that when we agree to let God give us children, we agree to a lifelong commitment. It never ends; even when children leave home, we parents continue parenting.
God wanted this relationship to go both ways. Parents and children are meant to care for each other until one or the other die. By putting it in the Ten Commandments, its almost like God knew that children would eventually become selfish and not want to care for their parents anymore. He did not have to talk about parents caring for children because that is innate in them. If parents abandon the child or do not care for it, maybe they do not deserve care from their kids, but if parents do their best all their lives to be all they need to be for their children, they have all the right to claim before God that their children take care of them until they die. If they don’t, if these children frustrate God welfare plan for the honored citizens of His kingdom, God will severely reward them with a short life, full of strife and frustration.
The father continues his monologue; a monologue inspired by the divine Father, and given by a father. This father reminds his son to not forget the law (Law: Hebrew- torah, instruction) and the commandments, which are key to a long peaceful life. The promise of a long and peaceful life is attached to the sixth commandment: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12
Along with a deep sense of awe and respect for parents, the Hebrew word for ‘honour’ in this text has a very strong inference to financial support. Oh, how life was different in those days; have we really gotten smarter?
Parents lived in their household, with their children and children’s children until the day of their death. They never had to worry about Medicare nor welfare. Grandparents kept the kids while the parents were at work, so they never had to worry about daycare. They trained the young moms into parenthood. In ancient times in Israel, old age was not seen as an age of useless senility; white hair was compared to a crown in the Bible. People looked at old folks as the wise owls who had a more rational perspective on life and whose counsel was very valuable. Their life was cemented with trial sand errors; they had seen, and even in some cases experienced the pains of vanity.
Parents are usually responsible for giving us life. Any responsible parent knows that when we agree to let God give us children, we agree to a lifelong commitment. It never ends; even when children leave home, we parents continue parenting.
God wanted this relationship to go both ways. Parents and children are meant to care for each other until one or the other die. By putting it in the Ten Commandments, its almost like God knew that children would eventually become selfish and not want to care for their parents anymore. He did not have to talk about parents caring for children because that is innate in them. If parents abandon the child or do not care for it, maybe they do not deserve care from their kids, but if parents do their best all their lives to be all they need to be for their children, they have all the right to claim before God that their children take care of them until they die. If they don’t, if these children frustrate God welfare plan for the honored citizens of His kingdom, God will severely reward them with a short life, full of strife and frustration.
Friday, October 19, 2007
GOD OWNS THE LAND OF ISRAEL
Proverbs 2:21-22 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. (22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Halleluiah. This statement should be part of the ‘roadmap’ to peace in the Middle East. There is no point in trying to plan something if we don’t do it in accordance to God’s plan.
We need to remember the context and the linguistics of this verse. The word ‘land’ and ‘earth’ in Hebrew are one and the same: ‘aretz’, and it refers to the Land of Israel. We also need to remember that the person speaking is a Jewish king, speaking to a Jewish nation to whom the greatest of all of God’s blessings was the forever possession of the Land of Canaan. In those days, here was no greatest desire for a Jewish old man than to die and be buried in the land of his fathers. This promise has been given to them, but with conditions.
The Bible refers to the Land of Israel as His land. So God has the ultimate prerogative to decide who lives in it, who doesn’t. He also decides how people live in His land. It is like when we rent a house or apartment; we have to live within the boundaries allowed us in the contract or, we risk getting kicked out by the landlord. God He brought people to His land before, but they broke the conditions of the contract, so they got kicked out. They can and will return, but the conditions have not changed.
It is the upright who will eventually dwell in the land. It is the perfect that will remain in it. Who is upright but one whose way is straight within the ways of the instructions of God? Who is perfect but one who has been perfected through the Savior Yashuah, the Messiah? But the wicked who twists God’s instructions (Wicked: one who is ‘twisted’ as we twist the ‘wick’ in a candle) to fit his own ways and beliefs; the ones who transgress the instructions of God, shall be cut off from it. God will never allow them to live in His land.
In the promise of the return of the Jewish people to the old land of Israel, is imbedded the promise of their salvation and discovering of the Messiah who for so long has tried to reach them. So when we obey the injunction to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’, let us pray that the people of Jerusalem find their Savior, Yashuah h’amashiah’ Sar Shalom, Jesus Christ the Prince of peace, without whom there will never be peace not only in the M. East, but anywhere on the earth.
Halleluiah. This statement should be part of the ‘roadmap’ to peace in the Middle East. There is no point in trying to plan something if we don’t do it in accordance to God’s plan.
We need to remember the context and the linguistics of this verse. The word ‘land’ and ‘earth’ in Hebrew are one and the same: ‘aretz’, and it refers to the Land of Israel. We also need to remember that the person speaking is a Jewish king, speaking to a Jewish nation to whom the greatest of all of God’s blessings was the forever possession of the Land of Canaan. In those days, here was no greatest desire for a Jewish old man than to die and be buried in the land of his fathers. This promise has been given to them, but with conditions.
The Bible refers to the Land of Israel as His land. So God has the ultimate prerogative to decide who lives in it, who doesn’t. He also decides how people live in His land. It is like when we rent a house or apartment; we have to live within the boundaries allowed us in the contract or, we risk getting kicked out by the landlord. God He brought people to His land before, but they broke the conditions of the contract, so they got kicked out. They can and will return, but the conditions have not changed.
It is the upright who will eventually dwell in the land. It is the perfect that will remain in it. Who is upright but one whose way is straight within the ways of the instructions of God? Who is perfect but one who has been perfected through the Savior Yashuah, the Messiah? But the wicked who twists God’s instructions (Wicked: one who is ‘twisted’ as we twist the ‘wick’ in a candle) to fit his own ways and beliefs; the ones who transgress the instructions of God, shall be cut off from it. God will never allow them to live in His land.
In the promise of the return of the Jewish people to the old land of Israel, is imbedded the promise of their salvation and discovering of the Messiah who for so long has tried to reach them. So when we obey the injunction to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’, let us pray that the people of Jerusalem find their Savior, Yashuah h’amashiah’ Sar Shalom, Jesus Christ the Prince of peace, without whom there will never be peace not only in the M. East, but anywhere on the earth.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
WHO IS RIGHTEOUS
Proverbs 2:20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
CONTINUITY NOTE:
The present sentence started at the beginning or Proverbs 2 with:
‘My son if thou wilt receive my words . . .’
‘Then shalt thou understand the . . .’
‘For the Lord giveth wisdom . . . ‘
‘To deliver then from the evil man . . .’
To deliver thee from the strange woman . . .’
The Word of God is our instructor. Not only it helps us walk in the path of good men, but it also helps us preserve the paths of righteousness.
Day after day the world changes; as new laws are voted, they change the landscape of our moral horizon. Every once in awhile it behooves us to stand back and look at our work of ruling this planet. Are we walking the way of good men? Are we preserving the paths of the righteous? Who were good men? Not even Jesus wanted to be called ‘good’, but God has often complimented people and called them ‘just’ or ‘righteous’.
Abel was called ‘just’. Abraham was granted righteousness from God. Noah was said to be a man righteous in his own generation. David pleased God in everything except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. These are beautiful titles given by God to mortal sinner people; to people just like you and I. What made them ‘just’, or ‘righteous’?
By faith Abel offered a sacrifice that extremely pleased God. By faith Noah obeyed God in starting to build a ship (a hundred years long project) to warn a generation of a deluge in place where it had never rained before. By faith Abraham left his comfort zone. He put himself under complete divine dependance. And when he was childless at almost one hundred years old, he believed God who told him he will have children as numerous as the stars of the sky. It seems that what pleased God was not an adherence to a legalistic religious system that promoted ‘goodness. We see in these examples people who were willing to follow God even common sense and opposition from the world.
Do we walk in the path of Noah in our generation? Do we preserve the way of Abraham? If not, why?
The answer is obvious. This proverb teaches us that if we incline ourselves to the wise teachings of God, we will understand and be given the wisdom to do so and avoid the household of the odd couple: the evil man and the strange woman.
Let us today seriously return to the ways of the Word; forsake the erroneous teachings of man’s religions and rather incline our hearts to the teachings of the pure Word of God.
CONTINUITY NOTE:
The present sentence started at the beginning or Proverbs 2 with:
‘My son if thou wilt receive my words . . .’
‘Then shalt thou understand the . . .’
‘For the Lord giveth wisdom . . . ‘
‘To deliver then from the evil man . . .’
To deliver thee from the strange woman . . .’
The Word of God is our instructor. Not only it helps us walk in the path of good men, but it also helps us preserve the paths of righteousness.
Day after day the world changes; as new laws are voted, they change the landscape of our moral horizon. Every once in awhile it behooves us to stand back and look at our work of ruling this planet. Are we walking the way of good men? Are we preserving the paths of the righteous? Who were good men? Not even Jesus wanted to be called ‘good’, but God has often complimented people and called them ‘just’ or ‘righteous’.
Abel was called ‘just’. Abraham was granted righteousness from God. Noah was said to be a man righteous in his own generation. David pleased God in everything except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. These are beautiful titles given by God to mortal sinner people; to people just like you and I. What made them ‘just’, or ‘righteous’?
By faith Abel offered a sacrifice that extremely pleased God. By faith Noah obeyed God in starting to build a ship (a hundred years long project) to warn a generation of a deluge in place where it had never rained before. By faith Abraham left his comfort zone. He put himself under complete divine dependance. And when he was childless at almost one hundred years old, he believed God who told him he will have children as numerous as the stars of the sky. It seems that what pleased God was not an adherence to a legalistic religious system that promoted ‘goodness. We see in these examples people who were willing to follow God even common sense and opposition from the world.
Do we walk in the path of Noah in our generation? Do we preserve the way of Abraham? If not, why?
The answer is obvious. This proverb teaches us that if we incline ourselves to the wise teachings of God, we will understand and be given the wisdom to do so and avoid the household of the odd couple: the evil man and the strange woman.
Let us today seriously return to the ways of the Word; forsake the erroneous teachings of man’s religions and rather incline our hearts to the teachings of the pure Word of God.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
THE LURE OF LOOK-ALIKE DOCTRINE
CONTINUITY NOTE:
The present sentence started at the beginning or Proverbs 2 with:
‘My son if thou wilt receive my words . . .’
‘Then shalt thou understand the . . .’
‘For the Lord giveth wisdom . . . ‘
‘To deliver then from the evil man . . .’
To deliver thee from the strange woman . . .’
Proverbs 2:18-19 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. (19) None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
Let us hereby stand warned. The ‘strange woman’ always has the latest of lures to attract God’s children into her bosom. Like those used against Eve in the Garden of Eden, these lures are imbedded in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. The reason they are lures is because the enemy is a professional fisherman. As he who uses look-alike shiny fish to lure its prey out of the water, so the enemy uses look-alike shiny doctrine to lure God’s children out of the pure waters of the Word.
The only way to make the difference between look-alike and true doctrine is to do just like the apostles did: to judge it by the never-changing Word of God in a concept consistent with both Testaments of the Bible.
This warning given to us here in this statement is very serious. The ‘death’ referred to as the inclination of the house of the ‘strange woman’ is actually the Hebrew word ‘rapha’, relating to Hades the invisible world. Just as one who swims in a cesspool would have to undergo serious cleansing and purifying in order to be clean again, we cannot return from the house of the strange woman’ without death to self and regeneration. There is no reformation from it.
The enemy wants confuse us. He has dirtied the waters of God’s Word with man’s philosophy and vain teachings.. It behooves us to now be serious about our studying of the Word. We need to do it by the sole inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way to make sure that we are not lured into the house of the ‘strange woman’, and to our death.
The present sentence started at the beginning or Proverbs 2 with:
‘My son if thou wilt receive my words . . .’
‘Then shalt thou understand the . . .’
‘For the Lord giveth wisdom . . . ‘
‘To deliver then from the evil man . . .’
To deliver thee from the strange woman . . .’
Proverbs 2:18-19 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. (19) None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
Let us hereby stand warned. The ‘strange woman’ always has the latest of lures to attract God’s children into her bosom. Like those used against Eve in the Garden of Eden, these lures are imbedded in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. The reason they are lures is because the enemy is a professional fisherman. As he who uses look-alike shiny fish to lure its prey out of the water, so the enemy uses look-alike shiny doctrine to lure God’s children out of the pure waters of the Word.
The only way to make the difference between look-alike and true doctrine is to do just like the apostles did: to judge it by the never-changing Word of God in a concept consistent with both Testaments of the Bible.
This warning given to us here in this statement is very serious. The ‘death’ referred to as the inclination of the house of the ‘strange woman’ is actually the Hebrew word ‘rapha’, relating to Hades the invisible world. Just as one who swims in a cesspool would have to undergo serious cleansing and purifying in order to be clean again, we cannot return from the house of the strange woman’ without death to self and regeneration. There is no reformation from it.
The enemy wants confuse us. He has dirtied the waters of God’s Word with man’s philosophy and vain teachings.. It behooves us to now be serious about our studying of the Word. We need to do it by the sole inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way to make sure that we are not lured into the house of the ‘strange woman’, and to our death.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
THE STRANGE WOMAN
CONTINUITY NOTE:
The present sentence started with:
‘My son if thou wilt receive my words . . .’
‘Then shalt thou understand the . . .’
‘For the Lord giveth wisdom . . . ‘
‘To deliver then from the evil man . . . ‘
Proverbs 2:16-17 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; (17) Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Hebrew biblical rhetoric, especially in the book of Proverbs works by twos. The expression of two antagonist statements teaches a complete principle. That is why every positive element in the Scriptures has an antithesis somewhere.
The previous verses taught us the character of the evil man. The evil man is not the antithesis of the strange woman; they are both evil. The evil man is the antithesis of the ‘good Man”: the Messiah.
The “strange woman is the antithesis’ of the virtuous woman (Proverbs 31): the Church. The powers of both Heaven and Hell vie for the control of the souls of man. As the forces of God seek to bring people to the freedom of Messiah, the enemy’s desire is to enslave the world to his perversions. God uses his ‘virtuous woman’ to do His work. The devil uses the ‘strange woman’, also called Babylon, to do his.
Again, the idea is not to pin an identity to the ‘strange woman’. Hebrew biblical literature cares little about the ‘who’s’. Above the identity of the ‘strange woman’, what we need to define is its character, and someone’s character is not defined by his rhetoric, but by his actions.
In this passage, our text tells us the most important elements by which to recognize if someone is trustworthy or not. We are told that this ‘strange woman’ flatters. Flattering has an element of insincerity in it; of false praise, of trying to please in order to gain affection. Flattering is also the sister of lying.
This ‘strange woman’ also forsakes her early commitments to the Lord. She used to belong to Him, but she made a conscious choice to depart from following her Lord, so now, she forgets the covenant, the marriage contract of her God. In essence, the ‘strange woman’ is like one who says, ‘I used to follow the Lord, but I got smart: now I am enlightened. Come and be smart with me, and we can create our own set of values, even our own religion separated from the Bible. You and I can be like God now.’ Does that sound familiar?
This principle can define individuals, churches and even countries. The question now is for us to find where does this ‘strange woman’ influence our lives and again, the answer to that question is found within our heart, when we receive God’s word and wisdom with sincerity of heart.
The present sentence started with:
‘My son if thou wilt receive my words . . .’
‘Then shalt thou understand the . . .’
‘For the Lord giveth wisdom . . . ‘
‘To deliver then from the evil man . . . ‘
Proverbs 2:16-17 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; (17) Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Hebrew biblical rhetoric, especially in the book of Proverbs works by twos. The expression of two antagonist statements teaches a complete principle. That is why every positive element in the Scriptures has an antithesis somewhere.
The previous verses taught us the character of the evil man. The evil man is not the antithesis of the strange woman; they are both evil. The evil man is the antithesis of the ‘good Man”: the Messiah.
The “strange woman is the antithesis’ of the virtuous woman (Proverbs 31): the Church. The powers of both Heaven and Hell vie for the control of the souls of man. As the forces of God seek to bring people to the freedom of Messiah, the enemy’s desire is to enslave the world to his perversions. God uses his ‘virtuous woman’ to do His work. The devil uses the ‘strange woman’, also called Babylon, to do his.
Again, the idea is not to pin an identity to the ‘strange woman’. Hebrew biblical literature cares little about the ‘who’s’. Above the identity of the ‘strange woman’, what we need to define is its character, and someone’s character is not defined by his rhetoric, but by his actions.
In this passage, our text tells us the most important elements by which to recognize if someone is trustworthy or not. We are told that this ‘strange woman’ flatters. Flattering has an element of insincerity in it; of false praise, of trying to please in order to gain affection. Flattering is also the sister of lying.
This ‘strange woman’ also forsakes her early commitments to the Lord. She used to belong to Him, but she made a conscious choice to depart from following her Lord, so now, she forgets the covenant, the marriage contract of her God. In essence, the ‘strange woman’ is like one who says, ‘I used to follow the Lord, but I got smart: now I am enlightened. Come and be smart with me, and we can create our own set of values, even our own religion separated from the Bible. You and I can be like God now.’ Does that sound familiar?
This principle can define individuals, churches and even countries. The question now is for us to find where does this ‘strange woman’ influence our lives and again, the answer to that question is found within our heart, when we receive God’s word and wisdom with sincerity of heart.
Monday, October 15, 2007
THE CHARACTER OF EVIL
Proverbs 2:13-15 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; (14) Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; (15) Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
Let’s continue the divinely inspired monologue of proverbs 2. We are now given an education on the character of the evil man speaking froward things the wisdom of God is supposed to protect us from. We are given a very specific description of him. Does the text refer us to the end time antichrist; or is it about the wicked in every generation? The Word of God is multi-dimensional therefore it applies to both. John, the emissary told us though two thousand years ago, that even then, the world was already filled with antichrists.
Let us dissect the text so we know and understand the character of the person in this targeted description.
We are told it is someone who leaves the paths of uprightness; this infers that he was once in it. He leaves the paths of uprightness to walk the ways of darkness. If God is Light, and Jesus is the Light of the world, this person has drawn away from God, especially in the person of Messiah. It is a person who rejoices in doing evil. The word evil is associated with hurt, harm, wretchedness, mischief and wrong. The character of the person we are speaking about rejoices in such behaviors as those mentioned above. He also delights in the ‘frowardness’ of the wicked. Fro-ward is the opposite of toward. Toward is going towards God, fro-ward is moving away from God. This person loves those who draw away from God; those who walk in crooked backsliding paths.
God has children on this earth who reflect him, His character and His love. The devil also has an ilk of followers who reflect his backsliding evil loving character. By leading our lives within the confines of the wisdom of the Word of God, we are safe from those who through secular lures and human philosophy draw away from God. This makes the Word a place of refuge. The question is: do we allow the Wisdom of the Word of God to lead our lives, and even to have a say in how we choose our friends?
Let’s continue the divinely inspired monologue of proverbs 2. We are now given an education on the character of the evil man speaking froward things the wisdom of God is supposed to protect us from. We are given a very specific description of him. Does the text refer us to the end time antichrist; or is it about the wicked in every generation? The Word of God is multi-dimensional therefore it applies to both. John, the emissary told us though two thousand years ago, that even then, the world was already filled with antichrists.
Let us dissect the text so we know and understand the character of the person in this targeted description.
We are told it is someone who leaves the paths of uprightness; this infers that he was once in it. He leaves the paths of uprightness to walk the ways of darkness. If God is Light, and Jesus is the Light of the world, this person has drawn away from God, especially in the person of Messiah. It is a person who rejoices in doing evil. The word evil is associated with hurt, harm, wretchedness, mischief and wrong. The character of the person we are speaking about rejoices in such behaviors as those mentioned above. He also delights in the ‘frowardness’ of the wicked. Fro-ward is the opposite of toward. Toward is going towards God, fro-ward is moving away from God. This person loves those who draw away from God; those who walk in crooked backsliding paths.
God has children on this earth who reflect him, His character and His love. The devil also has an ilk of followers who reflect his backsliding evil loving character. By leading our lives within the confines of the wisdom of the Word of God, we are safe from those who through secular lures and human philosophy draw away from God. This makes the Word a place of refuge. The question is: do we allow the Wisdom of the Word of God to lead our lives, and even to have a say in how we choose our friends?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
THE SIMPLE WAY
Proverbs 2:9-12 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. (10) When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; (11) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: (12) To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
We are still expounding on what will our lives be like if we follow the advice given us in verses 1 through 4 of this second list of proverbs by King Solomon.
Counseling is a multi-million dollars industry. From the secular to the religious and passing through the esoteric, we find counselors of all types, kinds, colors and shapes. What does this tell us? It tells us that people are lost. It tells us that people have lost their compass. Worst of all, it also tells us that some people are profiteering from this state of affairs.
How did this situation occur? Did God put us here without a compass to find our way? Were we marooned on this planet, left to fend for ourselves doing the best we can? That would be terrible.
On the contrary, God has put all the parameters in place to show us the way to live successfully on earth. It is all written in His Book. The problem is that people have adulterated the book so it sounds confusing now, but really, it is simple. We have this promise that if we incline ourselves to the instruction book just like it says, neither veering to the right nor to the left, we will understand righteousness and judgment. It is told to us that then, wisdom (meaning to have respect for God and His ways) will enter our hearts, and knowledge (the knowledge of God) will be pleasant to us. If we live in such a way, we also have the promise that prudence will keep us, and that understand (of good and evil) will protect us. Then we will be delivered from those who would lead us astray from the godly heavenly path, those who make our lives miserable and cause us to need counseling.
Oh, that we would live in the simple ways of the Lord; that we would simply desire His Words and His ways. It will happen someday, I know it, when all things will be restored.
We are still expounding on what will our lives be like if we follow the advice given us in verses 1 through 4 of this second list of proverbs by King Solomon.
Counseling is a multi-million dollars industry. From the secular to the religious and passing through the esoteric, we find counselors of all types, kinds, colors and shapes. What does this tell us? It tells us that people are lost. It tells us that people have lost their compass. Worst of all, it also tells us that some people are profiteering from this state of affairs.
How did this situation occur? Did God put us here without a compass to find our way? Were we marooned on this planet, left to fend for ourselves doing the best we can? That would be terrible.
On the contrary, God has put all the parameters in place to show us the way to live successfully on earth. It is all written in His Book. The problem is that people have adulterated the book so it sounds confusing now, but really, it is simple. We have this promise that if we incline ourselves to the instruction book just like it says, neither veering to the right nor to the left, we will understand righteousness and judgment. It is told to us that then, wisdom (meaning to have respect for God and His ways) will enter our hearts, and knowledge (the knowledge of God) will be pleasant to us. If we live in such a way, we also have the promise that prudence will keep us, and that understand (of good and evil) will protect us. Then we will be delivered from those who would lead us astray from the godly heavenly path, those who make our lives miserable and cause us to need counseling.
Oh, that we would live in the simple ways of the Lord; that we would simply desire His Words and His ways. It will happen someday, I know it, when all things will be restored.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
HE PRESERVES JUDGMENT
Proverbs 2:8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
A literal translation would say: To watch over the paths of right-ruling, and the way of His kind ones He guards.
To stand for justice and integrity in this day and age seems like a loosing battle. Anyone who tries to do it on his own fights a loosing battle. Here we have the promise that God, that through the giving of His Words of wisdom, He watches over those who, without question or pause will be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.
When we discover the truth of God’s Word, it always has the same effect: it takes us out of the lie. When we hear the truth of God in our hearts, we become like Noah who left his evil generation. We become like Abraham who left Ur not even knowing where he was going. We become like Moses who despised the riches of Egypt. We also become like Paul who left the pharisaic lies when he found his Messiah.
Even today, when we finally find the path of God in our hearts, it requires a forsaking of the old, and an embracing of the new. It is pointless to try to compromise one to keep the other, because lies cannot stand the truth, and darkness flees at the sight of light.
Finding the truth and right judgment of God always leads to problematic situations in our lives, but here is His promise given to us if we follow the path of His judgments:
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
A literal translation would say: To watch over the paths of right-ruling, and the way of His kind ones He guards.
To stand for justice and integrity in this day and age seems like a loosing battle. Anyone who tries to do it on his own fights a loosing battle. Here we have the promise that God, that through the giving of His Words of wisdom, He watches over those who, without question or pause will be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.
When we discover the truth of God’s Word, it always has the same effect: it takes us out of the lie. When we hear the truth of God in our hearts, we become like Noah who left his evil generation. We become like Abraham who left Ur not even knowing where he was going. We become like Moses who despised the riches of Egypt. We also become like Paul who left the pharisaic lies when he found his Messiah.
Even today, when we finally find the path of God in our hearts, it requires a forsaking of the old, and an embracing of the new. It is pointless to try to compromise one to keep the other, because lies cannot stand the truth, and darkness flees at the sight of light.
Finding the truth and right judgment of God always leads to problematic situations in our lives, but here is His promise given to us if we follow the path of His judgments:
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
Friday, October 12, 2007
FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR Hebrews 11.1
Proverbs 2:7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
I would like to draw the reader’s attention to the words ‘sound wisdom’. In this text, the Hebrew does not use the usual word h’ah’ama’ as it did in the previous verse; it uses: ‘tooshyah” and implies tangible substance.
The ‘wisdom’ implied in this verse is not mental, intellectual nor theological; these things have already been promised in the verses before. What is implied here is a wisdom that provides substance for safety and protection; that is why this ‘sound wisdom’ (emphasis on ‘sound’) becomes a ‘buckler’ to those who walk with God.
The faith of our ancients in Old Testament times was not a faith where everything was spiritualized to the point that whether you saw it or not, your prayers were answered, because they were answered ‘in the spirit’. It was the Greek influence on the Church that brought this concept of over-spiritualizing religion. The faith of the ancient Hebrews was one of tangible substance; power and prophecy had to be proven by the senses. Paul even referred to this principle when he said: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God.1 Corinthians 2:4,5.
I feel that one of the reasons we spiritualize what is meant to be substantial is to excuse our lack of faith. We cannot see the tangible fruits of our prayers so we spiritualize them; and we certainly don’t want to ask why because we are afraid of the answers. For example, if God substantially protects the righteous, why are the Christians in Darfour getting slaughtered without help?
We need to return to the simple faith God gave us. We need to go back to the belief that God will do it because He said so; to a faith that is so simple even a child can understand it, see it and profess it. As Paul also said, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8
I would like to draw the reader’s attention to the words ‘sound wisdom’. In this text, the Hebrew does not use the usual word h’ah’ama’ as it did in the previous verse; it uses: ‘tooshyah” and implies tangible substance.
The ‘wisdom’ implied in this verse is not mental, intellectual nor theological; these things have already been promised in the verses before. What is implied here is a wisdom that provides substance for safety and protection; that is why this ‘sound wisdom’ (emphasis on ‘sound’) becomes a ‘buckler’ to those who walk with God.
The faith of our ancients in Old Testament times was not a faith where everything was spiritualized to the point that whether you saw it or not, your prayers were answered, because they were answered ‘in the spirit’. It was the Greek influence on the Church that brought this concept of over-spiritualizing religion. The faith of the ancient Hebrews was one of tangible substance; power and prophecy had to be proven by the senses. Paul even referred to this principle when he said: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God.1 Corinthians 2:4,5.
I feel that one of the reasons we spiritualize what is meant to be substantial is to excuse our lack of faith. We cannot see the tangible fruits of our prayers so we spiritualize them; and we certainly don’t want to ask why because we are afraid of the answers. For example, if God substantially protects the righteous, why are the Christians in Darfour getting slaughtered without help?
We need to return to the simple faith God gave us. We need to go back to the belief that God will do it because He said so; to a faith that is so simple even a child can understand it, see it and profess it. As Paul also said, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8
Thursday, October 11, 2007
TO KNOW THE WORD OR, BEING KNOWN OF THE WORD?
Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Many in this generation are called wise. Many also look to the philosophical writings of ancient civilizations in hopes of finding some secrets that will help them with today’s struggles. But who is the wise? Who is the one whom we can rely upon? How can man, in his own admission of weakness and helplessness, be the one to determine the diagnosis, and much less the prescription to heal his social woes? The Bible is clear: can anyone who does not confess the Lord in one form or another be thought as wise?
Wisdom comes by practicing and personally experiencing the Word from God’s mouth within ourselves. Wisdom does not come by mere mental cognition of the Word; just knowing it. The bride may very well love the bridegroom. She may desire to give her life to him. She may agree with everything he stands for and look forward to be one flesh with him for eternity; but until she actually moves in with him and yields herself to his embrace; until the covenant is sealed in blood in the bed of love, she has not experienced being one with the bridegroom; she is not Mrs. so and so. She also is not heir to his ‘kingdom’, so to speak.
Let us intimately let the Words of the Bridegroom enter our soul. Let us eat them without even feeling that we have to try them, taste them, and analyze them. Let us just swallow them in full knowledge that they are good and will give us the wisdom we need, as well as knowledge and understanding. We can just eat them at face value; they will not hurt us. They will only take us out of this world. They will take us out of the philosophical and mental madness of this generation. They will take us to a place of peace and quiet where we will enjoy Him forever. What a prospect.
Many in this generation are called wise. Many also look to the philosophical writings of ancient civilizations in hopes of finding some secrets that will help them with today’s struggles. But who is the wise? Who is the one whom we can rely upon? How can man, in his own admission of weakness and helplessness, be the one to determine the diagnosis, and much less the prescription to heal his social woes? The Bible is clear: can anyone who does not confess the Lord in one form or another be thought as wise?
Wisdom comes by practicing and personally experiencing the Word from God’s mouth within ourselves. Wisdom does not come by mere mental cognition of the Word; just knowing it. The bride may very well love the bridegroom. She may desire to give her life to him. She may agree with everything he stands for and look forward to be one flesh with him for eternity; but until she actually moves in with him and yields herself to his embrace; until the covenant is sealed in blood in the bed of love, she has not experienced being one with the bridegroom; she is not Mrs. so and so. She also is not heir to his ‘kingdom’, so to speak.
Let us intimately let the Words of the Bridegroom enter our soul. Let us eat them without even feeling that we have to try them, taste them, and analyze them. Let us just swallow them in full knowledge that they are good and will give us the wisdom we need, as well as knowledge and understanding. We can just eat them at face value; they will not hurt us. They will only take us out of this world. They will take us out of the philosophical and mental madness of this generation. They will take us to a place of peace and quiet where we will enjoy Him forever. What a prospect.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS
Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; (2) So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; (3) Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; (4) If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; (5) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
Is the adage, ‘Ignorance is bliss’ true?
If we were ignorant of responsibilities, we could cruise through life with seemingly not a care. But God doesn’t absolve us for ignorance, so when this life is over we are judged by what we know, and by what we should have cared to know.
In this age of information overload, knowledge is at our fingertips, and yet, we read God’s Word as if it were a fiction novel. If we realized that the Bible contained the simple solution to all the socio-politico-economic problems of the earth, maybe we would care to research and understand it more.
Why should we not want to understand the Word? Why do we read it without researching it for ourselves? Why do we not seek to understand it fully and without the shadow of a doubt? Why do we not ask the hard questions? Or worse, why do we satisfy ourselves and hide behind the seemingly absolving hypocritical statement, “we were not made to understand’? Why do we not cry after knowledge; lift up our voice for understanding; seek her as silver; and search for her as for hid treasures? Are we afraid of the answers?
Yes, with knowledge comes responsibility. With knowledge comes the responsibility of obedience. With knowledge the excuses are gone in our eyes and we have to do something about what we know. So we find all the excuses possible for not knowing. Some of the favorites are, “There are so many Bible translations . . .” “Every Church has a different doctrine . . . “, I read the Bible and I did not understand . . . “, I went to Church and I saw . . . “,. We use these easily pre-made excuses in order to absolve ourselves from the responsibility of knowing the Word of God. Thus we excuse our ignorance and absolve ourselves in our own spirit. Will God excuse us?
Is the adage, ‘Ignorance is bliss’ true?
If we were ignorant of responsibilities, we could cruise through life with seemingly not a care. But God doesn’t absolve us for ignorance, so when this life is over we are judged by what we know, and by what we should have cared to know.
In this age of information overload, knowledge is at our fingertips, and yet, we read God’s Word as if it were a fiction novel. If we realized that the Bible contained the simple solution to all the socio-politico-economic problems of the earth, maybe we would care to research and understand it more.
Why should we not want to understand the Word? Why do we read it without researching it for ourselves? Why do we not seek to understand it fully and without the shadow of a doubt? Why do we not ask the hard questions? Or worse, why do we satisfy ourselves and hide behind the seemingly absolving hypocritical statement, “we were not made to understand’? Why do we not cry after knowledge; lift up our voice for understanding; seek her as silver; and search for her as for hid treasures? Are we afraid of the answers?
Yes, with knowledge comes responsibility. With knowledge comes the responsibility of obedience. With knowledge the excuses are gone in our eyes and we have to do something about what we know. So we find all the excuses possible for not knowing. Some of the favorites are, “There are so many Bible translations . . .” “Every Church has a different doctrine . . . “, I read the Bible and I did not understand . . . “, I went to Church and I saw . . . “,. We use these easily pre-made excuses in order to absolve ourselves from the responsibility of knowing the Word of God. Thus we excuse our ignorance and absolve ourselves in our own spirit. Will God excuse us?
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