THE RULER

Proverbs 14:15
The simple believeth every word:
But the prudent man looketh well to his going.

We live in the age of information. We live in a time when many make their living through their much talking. They cater to those who, like the Greeks in the Aeropagus, spend their time browsing channels and the Internet constantly in search of a new thing. These people want to see a new show, hear a new sermon, by a new preacher, provoking a new revival. They want a new self-help program with a new idea born of a new concept. Once that novelty has tickled their heart, they fell that they are given what they need and they go on their merry way.

How many go astray? How many loose their way in the fickle glitter of the world? How many hear, see and receive without proving the length, the width and the height of what they are being offered? And most of all: what is the Bureau of Standard by which we measure all idea? What ruler should we use?

Yes my friend; you guessed it. What could be more appropriate for establishing truth and untruth than the Divine utterances of the Holy Book? But here lies our next problem: how can we measure all truth with the Word if we are not familiar with Its measuring system? Coming from Europe, I learned metrics and decimals. Until today I have difficulties with the feet, inches and yard system, but if want to be accurate in my measuring in this land, I must fully familiarize myself with this new system. The same applies to our hearts. Our hearts is God’s land. What comes into it has to be measured by the standards of God’s Word, but to be able to do so, we must have a working knowledge of It from Genesis to Revelation.

Let us not be therefore like the ‘simple’ who believes every word of doctrine, but let us be like the ‘prudent’ who looks well to his going, establishing everything by the standard of the Word of God.

THE WAY OF LIFE

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Therewith we are warned.

I had a theological discussion with a friend the other day.. I felt that my friend lacked important information on the issue at hand, and therefore was impaired in making a full intelligent judgment. When faced with that fact, as if trying to save face, he pulled out of his arsenal the only argument he had left and said, “But I know I am right because I am convinced in my heart about it.”

For millenniums, in spite of biblical evidence proving otherwise, scientists thought that the earth was at the center of the universe. They could prove it by showing the sun circling around it, but hey were wrong. Our new ability to find people’s D.N.A. continually embarrasses our judicial systems as we discover that innocent people have been falsely locked away for life and even sentenced to death. In the zeal of youth, while convinced we are so right, we are often drawn us into words and actions we often regret and have to recant at a more mature time of life. How many times does the Bible tell us the story of God’s people being so wrong, even though at the time they were led by so-called priests and prophets? Even so today, we may have learned something all of our lives, when suddenly it dawns on us that we have been taught lies (Jeremiah 16:19).

Because we are so easily deceived, whether by internal or external forces, we are not at liberty to establish what is right and what is wrong. Because of our sinful state, we are not able to define what is just and what is unjust. Because of our limited scope, we cannot understand righteousness as God understands it. Therefore to help us in our earthly walk, God gave us the Torah which is the parameter by which we establish right and wrong, just and unjust, righteous and sinful. Only the Torah gives us the right elements of judgment.

Oh, that we would return; that we would return to following the Lord; to see justice and righteousness through His eyes.

Someday soon, we will!

WATCH OUT WHAT YOU PRAY FOR

Proverbs 14:14
The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways:
And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

There is old gypsy blessing that says, “May God give you want you want’. King David, then Father of our author wrote that we are gods. Of course, he didn’t mean that we are ‘God’, but he meant that our ability to live by choice instead of by instinct like animals is a godlike faculty. Yet freedom of choice, as wonderful as it is, has its drawbacks. One of them is that it imputes us with the responsibility of our decisions, good and bad.

This proverb leaves us on a sad fatalistic note. One who has a backslider’s heart, like the proverbial prodigal son, will be filled of the perverse things which he enjoys. He will be recompensed with the things which he desires. I personally cannot think of a greatest curse. I saw a short movie recently about a gangster who died in a shoot out with police. After he died he was taken to a place where his every whim received compensation: Women that responded to his every want; food and wine to his fill; casinos where he won every game. He could even fake a bank robbery where he of course, would succeed. In the end he got bored to death with the predictability of it all and desperately wanted to leave, but couldn’t. Our gangster then asked his ‘guardian angel’ guide what in the world gave him a place in heaven instead of the ‘other place’. The guide then answered him, ‘this is the ‘other place’.

On the other hand, a good man, a man whose heart desires the things of God more than things of the world, will also receive compensation from the desires of his heart. But since his heart loves the Father, He will receive the heavenly compensation that only the father can give.

Let us be mindful of what we ask for; we might just get it!

OF JOY AND SORROW

Proverbs 14:13

Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.

Every human heart knows its own sorrow. It carries within itself the natural melancholy that comes with the knowledge of its separation from its true spiritual home. The nothingness and temporal nature of the joys of this world only add to its secret sorrows grown from infancy on. But oh how men like to hide it; yes especially men.

Even the when the heart indulges in the joys of this life, even in spite of mirth and merriment, sadness makes itself perceptible. It reveals the subconscious nature of joy: a momentary earthly tool to escape the sorrow of the soul until that day, when reunited with its Creator, it will finally experience and own the true joy that it was created to own. The German writer Euchel knowledgeably writes: “No, man is not made for joy. Why weep his eyes when in heart he laughs?”

The Father made us so. He created us unable to experiment the full nature of joy and happiness on this earth so that we would long for home, for Heaven. Just like with the Children of Israel of old, life had to become tough in Egypt for them to desire to return to their land. The twentieth century saw the purchase of the state of Israel by the British right after WWI, but it wasn’t until the tragic events of WWII that the Jewish people decided to return to their Land. It was by the river of Babylon that they hang their harps unable to sing the songs of Zion because of the sorrow that captured their hearts. They knew that their own sins kept them away from their home. Today, melancholy also reigns in our heart because of the knowledge that our own sins keep us away from the Father’s beautiful garden.

The Father has created all things for us freely to enjoy, so let us enjoy life on this earth, but as we do, let us always remember one thing. Let us always remember that we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth. That do not belong to this reality, but that our lives is merely in transit here, waiting for the day when we will enter the true joy of the Father, a joy that is ours by the covenantal blood of Messiah.

We will then experience the fullness of the Sabbath of which we today only get a weekly foreshadow.

HIS WAY/OUR WAY

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

In the very beginning, when God established the foundations of the earth and of the seas; when He established the boundaries of the cosmos, He also established the ways of righteousness. In His magnificent wisdom, the Creator of the universe imbedded the principles wherewith we are to live within the very elements and schedules of His creation; He taught us to live in rhythm and harmony with the world He created for us. According to His command, we are to live a 7-day work week; work 6 days and enjoy a rest in an appointment with Him on the seventh day. We are to start our twenty-four hour schedule at end of the day, our month with the new moon, and our year according to rain and agriculture in the place where He has set His Name. If we remember and follow this schedule, we will work in rhythm and harmony with the Creator of it all, and we would never be lost.

Sad to say, there are always people on earth who claim to know better than God. They are like immature teenagers who think they always know better than their father. Two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar, a sun-worshipper, wanted to change the calendar to honor his god. He proceeded therefore to create the solar calendar upon which our whole world depends today. A few hundred years later, a monk called Gregory, implemented this calendar for the whole Roman Empire.

God’s calendar is ruled by the stars in the cosmos. Imbedded within, we find not only the rhythm of the seasons, but alongside, we find the plan for the redemption od the world. Paul wrote to the disciples in Thessalonica that he did not need to teach them about the time of the coming of the Antichrist nor of the return of Yahoshua because he knew that they were familiar with the calendar that taught them these things. As a result he said: you are not of darkness, but of the light.

Without the light of God’s plan to lead us, we go establish our own form of righteousness in our own calendar and our own feast days. In the end, because we do not walk anymore in step with the Creator who leads us to life eternal, in our blindness, our way becomes the way of death.

May we rediscover the plan of the Almighty by rediscovering His calendar. May we be bold and courageous enough to step out of the ways of blindness leading to death through ignorance, and start walking in God’s life’ rhythm.

TENT OR HOUSE?

Proverbs 14:11
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown:
But the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

It is interesting to see how in this saying, the wicked lives in a firmly founded house, while the righteous lives in a temporary tent (tabernacle = tent). In another one of his proverbs though, Solomon assigns the house to the just, but the term ‘house’ can also refer to ‘lineage’.

Believers should be reminded that this age is not the end. This age is the means to bring us to the end; it procures the process that brings us to our final destination. Our end, our destination, is the restoration of all things: Yeshua, living on earth with us as it was in the Garden of Eden. We should therefore not grow our foundations too deep. Even today’s present volatile geo-political and economic situations should remind us that nothing is certain in this world. We should consider ourselves like righteous Noah who saw his generation come to an end, and like Abraham who considered himself a pilgrim and stranger on this earth.

The wicked on the contrary is pleased with the present world. In his arrogance, he establishes a strong house in it, which he thinks will last forever. He doesn’t mind the confusion, the wickedness, the pollution, the dirt, and the spiritual contamination of all things. He feels right at home in it.

The strong firmly founded house of the house shall be overthrown. When the day of judgment comes, the arrogant wicked who felt right at home in the filth of this present world will see his world unravel and come apart. Dusk will take him by surprise and the wintry night will encompass and overcome him. But the just, who put his trust in the Father of the heavens, in the One who created and who holds the universe in place, will see his tent flourish and rise over the destruction of the wicked. The sun of a new day will bring him the buds and blossoms of a renewed season of life.

WHO KNOWS THE HEART OF MAN

Proverbs 14:10
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.

This enigmatic proverb actually has a very simple meaning. The saying, “Every one knows where the shoe pinches him”, touches some on its message. Only the heart of man, the element in the center of his individuality, knows what brings bitterness to his soul. He only knows what troubles him, what brings him grief. That is why a ‘stranger’, one who is not ‘us’, cannot fully experience the joy that comes to us when these grieving elements in our life are superceded by the things that bring us joy.

This principle explains the relative properties of joy and happiness. One who has experienced hunger has a deeper appreciation for his daily bread; he is less picky about his food. One who has experienced loneliness is more grateful for the company others; he more easily overlooks their flaws. One who has seen the miseries of the world rejoices more when good news come his way; little joys are more easily found.

This principle is also true of salvation. The clearer we understand our sinful nature, the greater our joy of salvation. The better we understand the final end of our fallen spiritual state, the more we appreciate our redemption. The more, through the personal experience of persecution, we can relate to the sufferings of the Master, the more we appreciate what He has done for us.

A lonely woman recently died as her car crashed into the church of a small town in Western Oregon. She was unknown to most of the town’s people so for most, the story will quickly die as common daily news. A closer look at Linda’s life through the heart and eyes of the very few people who knew her, reveals a kind woman exposing the flaws of our spiritually broken and sick society. This woman was never noticed during her life, but now, in her death, she has made state news. Who was she? What happened? Will anyone ever know? Our appreciation of her earthly contribution in our midst can only come by knowing more about her, but we don’t know much. How many people on this earth, be they teachers, soldiers, firemen, parents, common folks like you and me are overlooked for accurate appreciation, just because we don’t know them?

GRAB HOLD OF THE SACRIFICE

Proverbs 14:9
Fools make a mock at sin:
But among the righteous there is favour.

It is the Hebrew of this verse which reveals its contrast nature. The word used for sin really is actually a word that means the ‘atoning sacrifice for sin’. In the Hebrew there is also a subject change to where it is the ‘atoning sacrifice for sin that mocks the fool’. What we have here is an instance where the sacrifice chides the fool for his carelessness disobedience towards God’s commandments to sacrifice. The commandment exposes the fool as a sinner separated from God. The commandment shows the fool he needs the sacrifice to restore him to his relationship with God. The sacrifice stands there in full view of the fool who is to foolish and proud to reach out to it so he could come again close to the peace of God. The fool is being chided through the confused emptiness of his life while the righteous, one who is straight in his relationship with God, because he cares about the commandments, finds favor meaning, and true purpose.

The sacrifice of Messiah stands near to all us ready to restore us unto the Father. But we first must let the commandment convict us as sinners. It is the Torah, the instruction erroneously called in English ‘the Law’, which teaches us the knowledge of sin and therefore reveals to us we are sinners. Through this Instruction we are meant to discover that we need the sacrifice of the ‘Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world’ to erase these sins from us so we can again find peace in the arms of the Almighty Father.

Let us stop the scoffing right now. Let us grab hold of the atoning blood of Messiah for a whole guilt and sin offering. Then we will, as the elders did at Mt Horeb, seat at the millennial bridal banquet table of the Prince of Peace for the most grandiose of peace offering feast. The we will, in the presence of the Son, find final peace for our souls.

LET US NOT BE IGNORANT

Proverbs 14:8
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way:
But the folly of fools is deceit.

How easy it is to passively walk our life. How tempting it is to let status quo, habits, fads and flows lead our step without any understanding of our ways. After all, aren’t we supposed to walk in consensus? ‘This is the way people have believed for hundreds of years, they certainly cannot be wrong. Forget trying to dig deeper into the roots in order to uncover the true foundation of faith. Let us just continue drifting with the flow asking no question for the conscience.’

The problem with that is that we are not made as the animals who walk by instinct. The great Creator of the universe has seen fit to give us a mind and a soul so that we can walk by choice. To properly walk by choice, we must intelligently understand our way, otherwise, we can easily be deceived by smooth-tongued teachers.

It is the responsibility of each one of us to understand our faith, the things we believe and why we believe them. I was told about God’s care for me when I was 11. I received Yahoshua as my Messiah when I was 17. For a long time I learned all that others had to offer me until one day, when I was 40, I decided that I wanted to know why I believed the way I did. This research took me straight back to Mt Sinai and to the first Jewish Messianic church of first century C.E. It is there, in the Pentecost Sinaitic connection that I discovered the roots of my faith and that I understood what I believed and most essentially why.

This is wisdom beloved: to understand our way.

The folly of fool is deceit in the passivity of voluntary ignorance.

CHOOSING FRIENDS

Proverbs 14:7

Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

The concept of excluding those who do not reflect our values from our midst is not as unpopular as the one that defines: ‘lips of knowledge’.

In our present context, ‘lips of knowledge’ refers solely to a practical and applied knowledge of the Word. Practical and applied, because whereas it is foolish enough not know the Word, it is utter foolishness to know it and not do it.

The reasons for ‘going’ from the presence of the ‘foolish man’, from the man who either does not know the Word, or knows it but doesn’t practice it, are given us in the following proverbs, let it therefore now suffice to say that wisdom demands that we do not enter intimate dependant fellowship with such people.

The application of such in this day and age certainly does have the potential of leaving us lonely, but lonely is good. Lonely brings depth as we are one on one in the presence of God. Lonely takes us away from the games we play in the presence of others and close to God as we are faced with the reality of our true self.

If anything can teach wisdom, that does.

Of course, this proverb also has to be balanced with other proverbs who tell us to utter wise words to the ‘fool’ so maybe he would repent from his foolish ways. What we are told here is not to enter intimate fellowship with such. In the old days, potential friends had to be brought home for approval.

Do we bring our friends to the Father for His approval?

LIVE CLOSE TO THE SOURCE

Proverbs 14:6
A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not:
But knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.

Life has a tendency to make us cynical. It is difficult today to believe in purity, truth, love, justice and integrity. It is much easier to become cynical and doubt all the good we see and could imagine. That is why it is of the utmost importance that we stay close to the Master in our heart, mind and Spirit.

Knowledge is easy to him that understands because he lives close to the source. Scorners do not live close to the Master. They actually doubt His presence; mock the pure goals He tries to accomplish; they laugh at His attempts to restoration of the world; they are distant to him. Because of their ‘distance’ between them and Him, they cannot find the wisdom that could bring virtue to their lives.

On the other hand, those who live close to Him have no difficulty in finding wisdom. How do we live close to Him? Ancient Jewish sages used to disciple their students. Elijah did it when he met Elishah. Prospective Torah student would often renounce all other worldly ambition in order to live close to their Rabbi; they even became part of the Rabbi’s family. We see this dynamic illustrated in the New Testament. Paul claims to have begotten the community of believers in Corinth. John calls the assembly of believers his ‘children’. This is what He referred to when Yahoshua said that those who follow and obey God’s commandments are his mother and brethren (notice he did not say ‘father’). He was defining His relationship with his followers, not that with His relatives. He was bringing his disciples to His close family circle, not distancing himself from His family in favor of His disciples. That would have been anti-contextual.

And what do we learn from that? If wisdom is to be found easily, we have to live close to the Master; to live close to the Master and be a part of His family of disciples, we have to obey God’s commandments.

There is no big secret: water, pure water, is found by living close to the source.

LYING BY INCONSISTANCY

Proverbs 14:5
A faithful witness will not lie:
But a false witness will utter lies.

The Hebrew word for witness is ‘add’: to repeat.

The faithful witness is not necessarily an eloquent preacher, an intelligent expounder or a smooth lips teacher. The witness doesn’t technically have to explain the message nor, as in the case of Balaam’s donkey, doesn’t have to understand it. The job of the witness is to repeat; to repeat what he has heard, to repeat what he has seen. All the witness has to do is to repeat what he has heard and what he has seen with integrity; without adding, without embellishment; just to repeat.

As witnesses of the El Shaddai, we on earth repeat and concur the Words of the Father with our mouths, but most importantly with our lives. People will understand the love of the Father much more by our action than by our wise rhetoric. It is important therefore that the ‘walk’ matches the ‘talk’. If the ‘walk’ is inconsistent with the ‘talk’, we find ourselves uttering lies and our lot will be thrown with that with that of false witnesses who lead people astray from the father. We will be like the parents who try to teach their children to be wise with their time and money, while they themselves indulge in shallow, foolish expensive activities.

Friends, may we not be found guilty of working against the father and His will to establish righteousness on earth as it is in Heaven.

May the language of our daily ‘conversation,’ be in sync with the rhetoric of our wise proclamations.

May we not be found guilty of lying by inconsistency.

HE CARES FOR THOSE WHO BEAR THE BURDEN

Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean:
But much increase is by the strength of the ox.

The Father has ordained that we should work on the earth. He actually has commanded us to work the earth to make it fruitful. It is our duty to subject creation to our will to bring us all we need; not all we want, but all we need.

Abundant harvests and increase are even sometimes indications of His blessing.

To do the hard work of farming, our Father has given us help, mainly the strength of the ox, but no energy is free. If the farmer refuses to properly feed his ox, eventually the beast will become weak and die. At the least he will not work to his complete abilities. The increase of the farmer is dependant on the health and well being of his ox.

Today, especially in western cultures, less and less of us are farmers. We create business-like companies where people are the ‘oxen’. People are the strength of the company. In India, we used to tell prosperous Sikh factory owners that if they provided more sanitary conditions to their Hindu workers, such as clean water, clean food and a clean work area, his workers would not be sick so often, that they would be healthier and therefore produce more. Thailand prides itself to have never been invaded by a western foreign power, and that they have always kept the communists at bay. The present King, Rama IX, is like a father to his people. He uses his position to travel all over the poor areas of the country to help people develop their resources and better their lives.

As a result, people in Thailand deeply love, respect and obey their king.

The principle also works here. A worker whose needs are not met will not be as functional as one whose needs are met; not only his needs but also those of his family. It is contrary to God’s way of doing things when C.E.O.’s pocket multi-million dollars profits, but their workers struggle to get health insurance. If the worker is well tended to by his boss, like the ox, he will put in the effort just out of love and gratefulness.

Let us make sure to properly reward those who work for us, be it man or beast, and doing so, serve and worship Him in the purest sense of the words:

by obeying His Words.

‘PEH’ THE MOUTH

Proverbs 14:3
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride:
But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

James, the New Testament apostle, compares the tongue to a bridle leading a horse. He also compares it to a small rudder that can change the direction of a vast ship. He must have known about this proverb from King Solomon.

The tongue certainly leads a person in the direction in which it speaks. If we were fully aware of this fact, we would be careful to speak less and listen more. Maybe this is the reason why we have one mouth and two ears: we should do twice as much listening as we intent to speak.

It is impossible that we set ourselves to hear the Voice of the Father without getting humbled; as we listen to Him, we are then protected from the sin of pride. A teacher and speaker to the Body of Messiah should spend as much time as, if not twice the time to listen to the Father as he intends to speak. This will keep him from the snares of the foolishness of pride that will lead not only himself, but others astray. The concept of foolishness in the Bible refers to one who is ignorant of, oblivious to, spiteful of, and careless to obey the Word.

Foolishness therefore is certainly rooted in pride.

The mouth is not just a part of the body; it is a concept. The Hebrew word for mouth is ‘peh’: ‘orifice’. Things go in and out of an orifice. This is why Yahoshua said that from what goes ‘out’ of our mouth, we defile our body, inferring thus that something goes in every time we speak. It is actually a scary thought. Every time we open our mouth, we stand to defile our body; anything can come in even as we thoughtlessly chatter.

What is then the concept of the lips of the wise that shall ‘keep’ (the Hebrew word is ‘guard’, ‘defend’) them? Maybe to keep their mouth closed and only open it when spoken ‘through’, and even then, with prudence and prayerfulness.

ATTITUDE; ATTITUDE; ATTITUDE

Proverbs 14:2
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD:
But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

When we digress from walking in our uprightness, when we are less than He expects of us; when we stray from the straight and narrow to the right and to the left; we show spite for the Almighty and His ways and we deface Him in the heart of others.

There are some of us who are called to lead. We are called to lead as teachers, pastors, leaders or worship leaders. One cannot lead the flock into an upright walk unless he knows the way. One cannot know the way unless he’s walked it before. A leader who has properly walked and investigated the way has located pitfalls. He is therefore able to warn others by his words, but mostly, people will follow his footsteps. They will walk where he walks; they will follow his example. That is why a novice, one who is still prey to the pitfalls of pride and arrogance attached to any type of office, should never be given a position of leadership. His attitude will misrepresent that of the Great Shepherd and thereby deface Him in the sight of the people. Moses himself did not get away with it.

All believers are called to leadership. From the instant we confess in any shape of form to be representatives of The Almighty, we put ourselves in a position of leadership towards the unbelievers. They will judge every one of our steps in attempts to either prove or disprove our statement of faith. Great eloquent and talented words and performances can do much, but when accompanied with a wrong attitude of pride and arrogance, they become as vomit in a plate on top of a tasty dish; inedible.

If we are meant to know better, we also become responsible before God.

May we take this responsibility seriously. As leaders, may we represent The Almighty in a way He would have us do. May we walk in our uprightness, which is Yahoshua, and be accurate representations of His Image to both believers and unbelievers.

WIVES: THE GLUE OF A HOUSEHOLD.

Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman buildeth her house:
But the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

The depth of this saying is found in its cultural and etymological roots. The ancients qualified a wife/mother as the root and foundation of the house. Isn’t the unity of a household more dependent on the mother than on the father? A wise mother can, if her husband be dead or neglectful of his duty, always keep the house together; but if the house-wife has neither understanding nor good-will for her calling, then the best will of the house-father will still find it very difficult to prevent the dissolution or separation of the household. The mother always tries to get everybody to come back to the ‘nest’. She is at rest when she knows her brood is together in one place. The Hebrew word for mother, (eemah), literally means glue. Hebrew women used to take the remaining parts of animals, such as hooves and hides, and boil them in water. A thick substance would then float to the top of the water to be collected and used as glue. This was the word for ’mother’, the’ glue’ of a household. Yet, if that woman is not wise, she will have the total opposite effect.

As the Bride of Messiah, we also function as ‘mothers’. Teachers of the Body have the responsibility to ‘glue’ the body together in unity. This is actually one of the on-going missions of messiah, to re-unite together as one the greater House of Israel. It is sad when teachers, preachers and expositors of the Divine Word of the Almighty, like foolish women, use knowledge to draw people after themselves, and that, at the cost of the greater unity of the overall Body. This shows how little knowledge and understanding of the purposes of God they really have.

May we, those who have been given the responsibility of teaching His Words by the Almighty El-Shaddai, be like Moses of old, and do so in the spirit of bringing all the families and tribes of Israel behind the Lord Tsavaot , the Lord of hosts. Let us rally the troops behind one standard, one faith, one doctrine, one immersion in water, that we may all receive together as one body the reward allotted to those who follow Him in integrity and sincerity.

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

Proverbs 13:25
The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul:
But the belly of the wicked shall want.

There are a couple of ways we can expound on this proverb from our wise King Solomon. First we can relate it to our daily life. The righteous, because he is righteous, does not have an inordinate appetite. He has learned to be content with whatever the Father has chosen to give him. He receives it with thanks and is satisfied to his sufficiency with what he receives. The wicked on the other hand is a glutton and is insatiable. He is selfish, self-centered, narcissist and always wants more. He doesn’t need more, but he wants more.

He also believes that he deserves more than others.

The other way to look at this proverb is the eschatological way. Notice how the first clause is in the present tense, and the second clause in the future. In our world today, the righteous often suffers want and persecution, while the wicked seem to enjoy all the pleasures life has to offer. The day is coming for a reversal of fortune.

Today, the righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul by exercising restraint and thankfulness. He does this while the wicked indulges himself in gluttony and wanton waste. It shall not always be so. A time is coming when the belly of the wicked, who has received his pleasure here on earth, will want. It will suffer the pangs of hunger and the discomfort the righteous has suffered through the ages.

It can be a temptation for a believer who owns a business to want to use the same crooked methods as their ungodly successful counter-parts do. But we cannot fix our eyes on today’s outcome. We must fix our eyes on the outcomes of eternity, when the Father righteously rewards humanity. At that time, the righteous will be recompensed for his integrity with the satisfaction of his main desire: to be in the presence of the Father; while the wicked will reap the fruits of his ungodliness and hunger for the Kingdom.

FATHERLY DISCIPLINE

Proverbs 13:24
He that spareth his rod hateth his son:
But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

The word for “betimes’ in the Hebrew text is ‘in his youth’.

Many of us can certainly agree that a child needs to be regularly and appropriately chastised in his youth if he is to grow into a responsible and mature human being. The problem is that for that to happen, his parents have to be intimately involved in his life. Many teenagers today claim independence when they haven’t really earned it. Independence can be only granted once a child pays his own bills; until then he is a dependant and has to live under the ‘golden rule’:he that has the gold, makes the rule (pun intended).

In order for parents to be intimately involved in their child’s life, the child has to be home and educated by the parents. Sad to say, today’s western society makes it very difficult. Parents feel that they each need a job to keep up, so they send their children to public school. As a result, children receive their educated from an ungodly system and they derive their values from their peers, which becomes a case of the ‘blind leading the blind.’ To top it all, after a long week of hard work, parents want to relax. Ass a result, the child spends most of his time watching TV, playing cyber-games, listening to his music, on the phone or visiting friends. He is really only physically home, and his parents only correct him when he gets in their way. Our next generation will be interesting, to say the least.

Our statement needs also be understood on a corporate level. Jews, and our author is a Jew, always referred themselves as children of God. Paul reinforces the idea by mentioning that those believers grafted into the Covenant of Israel are adopted, and also become children of God. Throughout history, Israel has certainly received its share of correcting for its sins; it is probably ready now to receive again the favor of the Father. Paul explained his troubled ministry to timothy saying that, all those who live in a godly fashion in the Messiah shall receive tribulations. Trials and tribulations are God’s intolerable compliments. They are the marks in our flesh that make us sons and not bastards.

Let us not therefore despise the discipline of the Father. Let us not loathe His reproof. For whom the Father loves He reproves, as a Father the son whom He delights in.

RICHMAN; POORMAN

Proverbs 13:23
Much food is in the tillage of the poor:
But there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

This proverb, whose style can leave us perplexed, teaches us one of the cardinal dynamics of finances. Though seemingly different than Proverbs 13:22, its text reaches out to the same conclusions.

Someone told me once that days are like suitcases. Each day has the same amount of hours, but some can put more in it than others. It is the same with finances. When I was doing social world in India, people in Europe would send us support. Not having much money, we had to make do with what we had, so we used to tell our sponsors that we can ‘squeeze’ the dollar till the eagle screamed.

I presently run a gleaning ministry. I collect close-dated and non-shelveable food items from a big grocery store as well as from a meat company, and distribute them to low-income families. There is nothing wrong with these products except that maybe their shelf life is short, or that their box is slightly damaged. The sad part is that if I wouldn’t take these items, they would be tossed in the garbage. According to the dynamics of industrial marketing, it takes more time and money to sort though, in someway use and remarket these things than it does to throw them away.

The poor, because he has to make do with what he has, is more saving and resourceful. He is also less picky; therefore whatever he has seems to yield much more than the rich who is more wasteful. The rich on the other hand, destroys what is still good because of his lack of judgment, justice and appreciation. In the end, like in the parable of the talents, the Messiah will judge us, not by the amount we have, but by our faithfulness towards what had been given us. Some people also are poor because even though poor, they have a ‘champagne’ taste and behavior towards material things that cannot be supported on a ‘beer budget’. Ever though poor, they are wasteful and picky.

Another way to read this statement is: While the (industrious and God-fearing) poor man is richly nourished from the piece of ground which he cultivates, many a one who has incomparably more than he, comes by his unrighteousness down to a beggarly state, or even lower.

Let us not be guilty of waste because of a lack of judgment towards what the Almighty gives us in His goodness.

A SURE INHERITANCE

Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children:
And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

When read in the Greek mind that dominates current western theological and philosophical perspective, this verse can easily be interpreted to endorse what is called today the Prosperity Doctrine. Again, we need to remind ourselves that we are reading a text written possibly about 3000 years ago by a person with a Semitic philosophy and an Hebrew mind. To contextually understand the spirit of this statement, we also need to remember that in the mind of the Semitic Hebrew, Scripture was not mainly a manual of healthy godly living. In the mind of those who were given charge of the Oracles of God, Scripture represented God Himself; a semantic description of His persona; a revelation of the integrity of His character which assured us that he would fulfill His promises towards us.

Whereas God can bless the ‘good man’ with wealth, wealth doesn’t determine that a person is ‘good’ and blessed by the Almighty. Also, many a wicked rich person is able to pass on their inheritance to their children. This verse therefore cannot be telling us about an equation between wealth and goodness. Rather, as we ponder on this Scripture, we are given reassurance of the promises, the One who Yahoshua called the only Good One, the Father, made to us.

Not only His chosen children will inherit, but also will their fruit in the nations. Our Father owns everything, and through the mouth of Yahoshua He said that the meek shall inherit the earth, concurring the second clause of our text today that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

This verse is messianic. In it, Solomon saw the Messianic age of rewards, retribution and restoration. So no matter how wicked the world may become; regardless of the poverty we may suffer at times here; we can look to our Almighty father and rest assured of the full inheritance of which we already have the earnests in Yahoshua. We are assured, like King Solomon was at the beginning of his reign, that if we desire Him first, the Almighty Father will put everything in our hands.

“JUSTICE DEMANDS ANOTHER LIFE”

Proverbs 13:21
Evil pursueth sinners:
But to the righteous good shall be repayed.

The Hebraic contrast nature of Proverbs reveals the wisdom behind this statement.

As evil pursues the sinner, of he who does not walk the path of El Shaddai, so goodness pursues the righteous, he that is a faithful follower of the Master.

My wife quoted me a secular proverb the other day. It said,

‘Justice demands another life’;

I do not remember its author, but this statement is so true. Even non-believer can see that too many things go wrong in this life; too many things are left hanging and unrepaid. If we believe at least in the principle of justice, justice demands that we live another life, in order to reset the slate.

Believers know that they will live another life; it is their hope. They know that this next life, this rebirth, this resurrection, is the restoration of all things. Wrongs will be made right and all tears wiped from their eyes.

But what about sinners?

The prophet Daniel saw the end of all things and said,

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Some, will resurrect to everlasting life: the restoration of man’s former edenic state; while some, will resurrect to everlasting shame and contempt: the repayment. We see now how evil pursues the sinner, and how the righteous good shall be repaid.

Let us be part of the latter, not the former.

DESIRES VS TEMPTATIONS

Proverbs 13:19
The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul:
But it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

From the beginnings of time desire is what has caused mankind to go astray from God. Yes, the desire accomplished brings such peace, satisfaction, rest in the soul. It also feeds that inner wicked feeling of entitlement that is so common today in western society.

The Father wants to please us his children. It is written that no goodness He will refuse to them that love him. He loves to accomplish the deep desire of our hearts just to see our faces light up the pleasure he procures us with His mighty goodness.

It all goes fine and well when our desires are towards Him in the respect and keeping of His Instruction; but most of the time, our sinful natures bends our lusts towards what the heavenly Father, in His great love, wisdom and faithfulness wants us to refrain from.

By subjecting ourselves to the Father’s Instruction, we learn to differentiate between healthy desires and sinful lusts. But only living close to and in love with Him makes us want to essentially please Him, and keeps us away from us the pull of temptation towards sinful lusts. The fools, which is one who has no respect for the Father’s Instruction, has no power to want to depart from evil, so it is an abomination for him to restrain his wicked appetites.

“Abba, Father:"

"I want to pray the prayer Your Son taught us to pray when He visited us on earth. ‘Give us this day our daily bread’, ‘ lead us not into temptation’, and ‘deliver us from evil’. Help us also to make the difference. The evil one (cursed be his name) often tricks us by promoting to us things that seem godly, healthy and wise. Help us, by a thorough intelligent understanding of your Words of Instruction not to fall for his wicked devices.

In the Name of Yahoshua Hamashiach,

I pray.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.”

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

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

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

“1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.”

REVIVAL?

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

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

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

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

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

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

A DESERT JOURNEY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May we not be guilty of this.

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

FAVOR FOR FERVOR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

COME TO THE WATERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOD WAS SERIOUS WHEN HE SAID IT

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

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

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

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

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

SUCK AT THE BREASTS OF GOD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRUE WEALTH OR VANISHING DREAM?

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

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

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

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

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

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

A WORD TO THE WISE

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

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

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

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

KEEP THE CANDLES OF THE LIGHT

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

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

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

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

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

May our lives always be so.

THE RANSOM

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRUTH VS PRETENCE

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

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

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

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

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

RIGHTEOUS GIVING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOVE AND HATE

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

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

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

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

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

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

TO BE READY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE WISDOM OF SILENCE

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

Wisdom demands ponderance of thoughts and quietness of spirit.

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

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

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

They drown the world with words to their own sinking.

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

WORKS FROM WORDS

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

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

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

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

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

THE WISE SON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He did so because He is wise, and

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

LIFE OR DEATH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EATING WITH GOD

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

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

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

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

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

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

I will dwell in the house of Yahweh for ever.

Anything else is a bi-product.

JUDGES OF TOMORROW

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHY WORRY?

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

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

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

So why worry?’

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

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

HERE AND NOW FOR THERE AND THEN

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

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

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

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

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

THE FOOL AND THE WISE

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

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

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

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

LACK OF FAITH AND LYING

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

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

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

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