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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 3:05:42 GMT -6
“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee” (Proverbs 7:1 KJV).
Why does the father go over and over this godly instruction in Proverbs? Because he is “training up” his son for the future day when he won’t be there to act as his guide and tutor: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV).
There will come a day in every person’s life that only memories will suffice when they need a word of advice from a parent. It is our divine duty as parents to see that those memories are Bible rich and not worldly wise. Oh, friend, this is why we must guard our emotions at all times so that our words are not words of anger and frustration, but words laced “alway with grace, seasoned with salt” which will be repeated countless times in tomorrow’s thought life of our children.
No wonder that we live in a world filled with angry men; for growing up all they knew was anger from those whose duty it was to nurture and prepare them for the coming of adulthood, but as anger was all the parent knew, that was all the parent could bestow. Those families that know the Lord and are blessed to be able to name the name of Christ in their home, are doubly blessed to be able to influence the next generation with a legacy of faith.
Proverbs uses a lot of repetition. The Word takes it for granted that we do not remember everything we hear, so it says it over and over again. That’s one way we learn—through repetition, through association, and experience—so he says again, “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.” In 3:8 it says that if we “keep my commandments, and live” (vs. 2), “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (3:8).
Even for a Christian, this is true, for “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13 KJV). Words to the wise is sufficient.
“Bind them upon thy fingers.” A book is bound, and we talk about that being the Bible. “write them upon the table of thine heart. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman” (Proverbs 7:3-4 KJV). In other words, get as close as you can as you would to your own family. “That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words” (Proverbs 7:5 KJV).
Father, impress upon us the importance of guarding our thoughts and our emotions at all times, understanding that the next generation is more likely to remember the wrong things we say. Let us live in such as way that years from now our children will continue to rise and call us blessed, and the instruction that we gave them will, along with the Word of God, be their anchor in this world. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2019 6:39:58 GMT -6
“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” (Proverbs 8:1 KJV).
In chapter 8, we have a picture of a preacher that is wise to sin, and the discourse is on the fact that we ought to listen to the preacher. Not only that, but Christ is personified—in other words, wisdom is given human attributes. Wisdom in the chapter is going to personify Jesus Christ.
How does the Oxford English Dictionary define Personification? “Attribution of personal form, nature, or characteristics; the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, as a rhetorical figure or species of metaphor.”
“Doth not wisdom cry?” Did that young man in chapter 7 die because there was no one to warn him? No, wisdom was crying in the streets. We saw that when we started the book of Proverbs. The young man just wouldn’t listen to wisdom. He listened to wickedness. Do you know what sin is like? Sin is like something that looks good, feels good, tastes good, sounds good—everything’s ‘good’ about it—but then it ends up sour.
“O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart” (Proverbs 8:5 KJV).
Doing it God’s way is just the reverse. It starts out sour—repentance, rebuke, weeping, getting right, then it starts to get good. Then the heart is full of joy, the heart is full of peace, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Ro 5:1). Then you get that Holy Ghost leading, guiding, directing; and you start helping folks to get saved, you go to the right church, you start giving to missionaries. Wow! What started out sour starts turning sweet.
The world doesn’t want anything sour . . . they want it sweet all the way through . . . but there ain’t nothing sweet all the way through. Nothing. Everything in this world starts out sweet and then turns sour or starts out sour and turns out sweet. Is there any fruit that starts out sour and ends up sweet? Well, yea, all fruit when it is ripe. Bananas are horrible when they are green, but give them some time. Let the sun shine on them a while until they turn a golden yellow – and then there is nothing sweeter!
“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” She does. See what God told Isaiah: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa 58:1 KJV). In every age, God has someone preaching for him. In every place, God’s got a witness.
Father, we have learned the bitterness of a life without Christ, and we now know the joy and sweetness of being Your children. And yet, we know that we live in a world that does not love You or Your people, so we may be called upon to suffer for Your Name’s sake. As we grow in grace and in the knowledge of You and Your Word, help us to understand that the “sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2019 6:43:38 GMT -6
“Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars” (Proverbs 9:1 KJV).
We need to turn back to chapter 8 to see what these seven pillars are:
“I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength” (Proverbs 8:12-14 KJV).
Today, we will consider prudence.
Webster’s 1828 says the following about the word.
PRU'DENCE, n. [L. prudentia.] Wisdom applied to practice.
Prudence implies caution in deliberating and consulting on the most suitable means to accomplish valuable purposes, and the exercise of sagacity in discerning and selecting them. Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good. It is sometimes mere caution or circumspection.
Prudence is principally in reference to actions to be done, and due means, order, season and method of doing or not doing.
The first instance of prudence in the book of Proverbs is found in chapter 1:
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood” (Proverbs 1:10-16 KJV).
The first pillar of wisdom is to avoid evil, wicked companions, and builds upon the “consent thou not” of verse 10. The first step toward folly is to follow the crowd and join a flock of bad birds, for birds of a feather will flock together.
How clearly this truth is given by Paul: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners,” or as someone later decided to comment, “a rotten apple spoils the bunch.” A good person running with a bad crowd will not usually improve the crowd, but the crowd will turn the good person into on of themselves.
If you want to be wise, your first pillar is walk with the Lord and His people and avoid the things of the world.
Father, the world promises so much yet gives so little, and it takes away even that but we know that You will provide our needs—especially in the area of companions. Lord, You will even provide our helpmeet if we allow wisdom’s prudence to guide our way. Thank You for establishing us on a solid foundation of faith. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2019 7:14:24 GMT -6
“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death” (Proverbs 10:2 KJV).
All the wealth in the world that you could get by wickedness wouldn’t profit you anything. Take these guys that pull off the biggest heists in history, and soon after got caught. What did it profit them? A few more decades in prison? One guy was caught within a day, and the other guy was hunted like an animal until they got him also. The only thing they have to show for it is maybe a paragraph in Guinness Book of World Records . . . the biggest heist in history. I can guarantee you that that is not much consolation for a guy spending his life in jail.
“What does it profit for a man to gain the whole world and lose his very soul?” How long is eternity compared to the 60-70 years we spend down here? And even in that span, you can’t really enjoy this time with wealth got the wrong way. There are too many testimonies of men that gained their riches the wrong way. Most of us are aware of the Kennedy family and the horrible things that followed them. Read the book, “Intrepid” which tells of the things that the communist Joe Kennedy did to harm both England and the United States, probably worse than all the Panzer tanks and the Luftwaffe put together. Joe Kennedy was our ambassador to England, and that rascal . . . while England was fighting for their lives, he was telling America that they should not get involved. If England would have fallen, the whole country would have been wrapped up in Hitler’s hands. Even with England eventually on our side, it still took us four years to get on the mainland to defeat the Reich. And then, Joe made his riches from bootleg whiskey, and it cost him three of his sons tragically. He trained all of his sons to be president. His first son died in World War II. He was flying a bomb. He flipped the switch to arm it, but it blew up before he could get to the door. His next son, we know, was killed by an assassin in Dallas, and another was shot during the primaries. His last son was a drunkard that caused the death of a young woman in a car he was driving drunk, and eventually died of brain cancer. The curse of the Kennedy family was real.
“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,” it doesn’t no matter how much the world may tell you that stolen waters are sweeter, it’s a blind alley and a dead-end street. Many saved later in life can speak from experience. So many times, they walked down those streets, and those alleys, and listened to the world say that we could find pleasure, and we could find happiness—but there was never any fulfillment in those things. A man could sit in a bar amongst hundreds of people and still be as lonely as any person out in the pacific on an island by themselves. The world promises, but it can’t deliver.
“. . . righteousness delivereth from death,” All the riches in the world can’t deliver you from death, but righteousness can. We are going to live forever. Paul died a pauper, the only thing he asked for before his death was the parchments. That was all he had in this world. This issue is not how are you going to live, but how are you going to die? Paul had treasures laid up in store for him in heaven. How about you?
Father, we have traded the world for all the riches of heaven, we have opened up an account with the bank of heaven and are laying by in store. All that we have to give to You was given to us by Your hand. Make us good stewards of all we possess, but in reality, we only possess what is Yours already. Teach us, Lord, daily that we can never outgive you. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 8:46:29 GMT -6
“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight” (Proverbs 11:1 KJV).
Now, in the physical sense, it is talking about weights and measures and telling us to be honest in business dealings and that sort of thing.
“A just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work” (Proverbs 16:11 KJV).
Here the concept is stated a bit more clearly in the relation of carefully weighing a product, in other words, it is all the right weight. When the bag says one pound, it contains one pound. When a retailer would weigh out an item for a customer—some people were shady and were shaving the scale a bit so that when the customer thought he was getting two pounds, it was short an ounce or two. Obviously then the proprietor is making money and cheating his customer. What Christian does not realize that they owe their employer eight hours of work for eight hours of pay. You may have a great spoken witness for the Lord, but your unspoken witness is generally the thing that the lost are going to listen to before they ever hear your word for the Lord. Paul wrote: “Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17).
The Bible therefore says that a balance that is not really true is an abomination. It is just a matter of being right. God just hates a person that cheats people. It’s stealing, it’s lying, it’s deceitful. It’s usually done by people that are very proud and self-righteous and believes that they deserve it. And that they need it more than anybody else needs it. I mean, I have to take care of my kids and if I can cheat you out of a buck, well, I’m just better than you. It’s really just thinking more of yourself than you think about anyone else. God hates that and it’s nothing more than satanic pride.
Father, remind us daily that the world is watching us and that in order for our witness to be effective, they must have a sense of our trustworthiness. Convict us of the truth that we must “Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” We love you Lord and ever desire Your approval. Amen.
Father, we thank You for the Word which is a lamp in a very dark world, and a light which removes all darkness and guides us through the night. We thank You for not simply saving us and then leaving us to fend for ourselves, but that You instruct us moment by moment as we walk with You, to keep us from falling and provides safety to us and our loved ones. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2019 8:36:46 GMT -6
“A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved” (Proverbs 12:3 KJV).
“The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand” (Proverbs 12:7 KJV), and “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation” (Proverbs 10:25 KJV).
This was very true of Saul and his children, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23 KJV). Saul acted wickedly on a number of occasions because of his iniquitous heart. His presumptuous sacrifice resulted in his being told that his kingdom would taken and given to another. He was judged as unfit to rule in God’s name, but generally this would not happen until his death. Saul continued to rebel and reject God’s authority, but as he kept sinning in the face of God’s patience he ultimately was to die before his time. His house was not established due to his personal wickedness.
Yet, the target of the king’s wrath, David, had his house established by obedience: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16 KJV). The kingdom of David is rooted forever with Israel’s history. As long as there was a kingdom in Jerusalem, there was a son of David to sit upon the throne. Twenty direct descendants of David sat on the throne. Ultimately, David’s throne will be an eternal throne with the Messiah Himself, a son of David, presiding.
Wickedness may prosper for the moment but not forever. We were all wicked in our natural estate before we were saved, but because of the righteousness of Another, we are blessed to stand on an everlasting foundation. Indeed, blessed are they that are “in Christ!”
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21 KJV).
Father, it is wonderful to know that whatever ill may occur in our life, no matter how ill our fortunes may turn, we rest on Your unshakable Word of truth and that our old account of sin was settled long ago at Calvary. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2019 8:23:29 GMT -6
“A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke” (Proverbs 13:1 KJV).
In Chapter 13, the contrast between righteousness and wickedness continues. Again, Proverbs is highly repetitive—people get worn out with it—but it is necessary. When is the refrain going to change? When we do!
Now, a scorner hears rebuke, but he doesn’t hear it. The example of this in the nation of Israel, as we see in the book of Acts, where God starts out offering them the Kingdom—but they reject it. All throughout the book of Acts they are offered salvation. Some receive it, most reject it. And over and over again, they hear—but they don’t hear. So, when Solomon says a wise son heareth . . . they all hear . . . but the wise son does something with what they hear—and a scorner doesn’t. A scorner ridicules it. To scorn is to look down the nose at something. Some people just think they have it all figured out and they don’t need any more help.
Teenagers are often notorious for this. They come to an age where they just think they have new light that mom and dad never received and come to start thinking they are smarter than their parents (until they grow up and find they have kids of their own).
The problem is really the heart, not the ear. Your mouth is affected by your heart, your eyes are affected by your heart. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (Joh 3:36 KJV). People can “see” a church, they “see” Christians, they “see” a Bible—but they never see “life.” “Except a man be born again, he shall not “see” the kingdom of God.” They never “see” it with understanding. The same with ears. They “hear” words, they “hear” but a scorner will not yield to it or accept it.
“And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Act 28:25-27 KJV).
They hear but they don’t understand. So, when he says, “A wise son heareth his father's instruction,” he not only hears it, but he understands it, and he tries to do the best he can to apply it to his life. This is a wise son. If you want to know if you have a wise son, or not, how much attention to they pay to you and to Bible instruction. I realize they aren’t going to listen to you every minute, on every issue—but I guarantee you—if they have some wisdom, and you have dealt with them honestly and openly, they’ll listen. “but a scorner heareth not rebuke.”
Abel listened. He listened to his dad. He went and got a lamb to offer before God. Cain was a scorner. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.” You know, if a man won’t listen to his parents, he won’t listen to God either.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 6:56:50 GMT -6
“The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy” (Proverbs 14:10 KJV).
When grief strikes a man, he alone must walk through that lonely valley. At a time like that, his closest friends can do little more than Job's companions to make him feel better. The simple truth is that no one understands what he is going through except the man that is going through it.
Paul tells us that it is true that we that are saved know sorrow and grief, but praise God, "we sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13). In the case of our dear loved ones that have gone on before us to their heavenly home, we are more than confident that we will see them again soon. As one man recently said about the death of his wife, "I've parted with my better half for a little while."
All of us go through periods when we feel all alone and think nobody seems to care. The problems seem so heavy and we wish that we just had somebody who could help us through the fog that we face.
But we have another assurance, and that is that our Saviour understands exactly what we are going through for He is a "man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). Even more, David wrote: “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways” (Psalms 139:1-3 KJV).
The following is related of D. L. Moody:
“We were holding a cottage prayer-meeting in a lodging house,” says a minister of Nottinghamshire, England, “when a young man lodging there came in to the meeting in a funseeking manner. We sang, prayed and read a chapter out of God’s Word, and then the young man asked if we would sing a hymn for him. He chose ‘I’ve found a Friend, oh, such a Friend.’
“When we had sung one verse he began to shed tears, and I am glad to say that he gave his heart to God through the singing of that beautiful hymn. The next morning, he left the place, but before leaving he wrote me a letter, of which I give these extracts: ‘I asked you to sing that hymn because it was a favorite of my darling sister, who is waiting for me in heaven. I have now promised to meet her there. By God’s help, if we do not meet again on earth, I promise to meet you in heaven. You will always think of me when you sing, “I’ve Found a Friend.” Show this letter to my two other friends.’”
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 7:30:15 GMT -6
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight” (Proverbs 15:8 KJV).
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,” is one of the more important verses not only in Proverbs, but in all of Scripture. It destroys every religion known to man. Religion is sinful man’s vain attempt to appease a thrice holy God, while Christianity is God’s willingness to leave His estate and become a man in order to offer man a free gift of eternal life, all without money, and without price.
There is no ceremonial offering or duty that a lost man can bring to God that will be acceptable to Him, in fact, they are accursed, because they seek to replace the finished Work of His Son with the unfinished efforts of the works of man. “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13 KJV).
The sad state of unredeemed man is that he believes that he can accomplish what only the sinless Lamb of God Who was crucified without spot and without blemish as the only absolute perfect sacrifice that God can even look upon. Man thinks that his imperfect efforts will be considered as a substitute for Jesus Christ. This cannot be. Man’s attempt will forever be incomplete, because only a perfect standard of righteousness will suffice.
What will God accept? “. . . but the prayer of the upright is his delight,” or, in other words, a cry to God of, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). To cry out to God is an open admission that there is nothing whatsoever a sinner can do but ask that God give Him that which only He can give. Often, when leading another to Christ, we lead them in a prayer that basically says, “Lord, I need You. I open the door of my heart and ask you come inside. I know that I am a sinner and that the wages of sin is death, but I also believe that You died and rose again to save me and give me eternal life. Make me what you would have me to be.”
Now, those words are not set in stone and different words are often used, but the fact is that the Lord, who looks upon man’s heart, sees the repentance taking place and has already saved that man, baptized, and circumcised him spiritually before he even opens his mouth.
If you are not sure where you will spend eternity after you die, please understand that going to a church cannot save you, or the waters of a baptistry; neither can performing good works, or even religious duties, but only the shed Blood of Jesus Christ can make you a child of God. God is ever ready to hear the prayer of the upright [repentant] sinner and that is His delight!
Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expenses. Only grace can do for you, the undeserving sinner, what you cannot do for yourself. Come to Christ and be saved.
Father, we pray that some will see these words and come to You for eternal life right now this instant, and not put it off for even one more minute. To delay is to say no to Your love for them, and only a single heartbeat separates them from an eternity without hope. Give them the assurance that they “that believe on the name of the Son of God; may know that [they] have eternal life, and that [they] may believe on the name of the Son of God” (I John 5:13 KJV). Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2019 5:37:12 GMT -6
“The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31 KJV).
One of the provisions of Moses’ law was that the old saints were to be honored: ““Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:32 KJV). In that environment, it was only those that had a right relationship with God that lived well into their senior years. So, it was not difficult to bestow honor and respect to the old. In our culture, we generally give honor to those that have earned it.
Some commentators are quick to remind us that the word “if” in 16:31 is italicized, meaning that it was supplied by the translators to bring clarification to the meaning; so, they reason, we can either leave it or remove it—but that we’d be better to remove it. However, honest observation reveals that not all gray-haired old men are worthy of the respect of the seasoned servant of God. Many men may indeed have the hoary head but not the testimony that he pleased God with his life.
In one church that I know of is a 90-year-old man by the name of Bill. Many an occasion would find this dear old saint of God at the church doing the tasks that would wear out a young man. If a blizzard hit the night before, he would be there on Sunday morning before the sun came out shoveling the walks—else they would not be done. He is not a preacher, or even a Sunday school teacher—but he is part of the foundation of that local church. His absence will one day be missed dearly.
“The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head” (Proverbs 20:29 KJV).
Strong, young men are a blessing to any situation, but they are often still rough around the edges. They are known to make rash decisions lacking the element of experience in their lives which comes from years of faithfully walking with the Lord and becoming established in maturity. Now, take a man, “if” he has walked with the Lord for 50, 60, 70 years, he has much to teach a young man. Sadly, young men already “know it all” before they come to the place where they realize that they actually know very little after all. How many white-haired old saints of God are ignored by the younger men. They are a fountain of knowledge, are they not?
How many men in the Old Testament, as well as in the New, read of the hoary-headed man with his crown of glory and think, “If only that were me.” But one thing the OT reader didn’t have that we often in the NT take for granted is that the mysteries of the Old are revealed by the writings of Paul. One of these is God’s purposes in foreknowledge and election. It is a shame that election and predestination cannot be discussed, but that they must be enjoined with a disclaimer that they are not speaking of an evil, capricious God that would elect some men to glory and others to reprobation. Nothing could be further from the truth, and a viler heresy may not be known other than the false gospel of works.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:3-4 KJV).
No, we have not been “chosen” to be saved over others, but we are “chosen” to “be holy and without blame before him in love.” What our fellow man sees in us, and what God will ultimately see in us are two distinct matters.
Father, help us that are older to become the right kind of examples for younger Christians. We know that it is our responsibility to be faithful and live the kind of life that encourages others, but we still pray for grace in our daily lives and strength to overcome in every trial we face. Lord, open doors which might allow us to provide godly and wise counsel to the young. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2019 8:35:44 GMT -6
“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife” (Proverbs 17:1 KJV).
The “fool” is mentioned nine times in this chapter, more than in any other place. Verse one is another one of those axioms of life (12:4, 14:1, 15:17, 21:9, 19). Now there is a life of peace for you! It is better to have nothing, or little of nothing, and yet have peace than a life of strife—fighting, fussing, and feuding—that’s the way some folks homes are. “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house” (Proverbs 21:9 KJV). You’re better off to have a good marriage and have nothing, then to have one of these big houses with all the big payments, and all the big trouble over finances, and all the trouble they get into to have all that mess.
“Better is a dry morsel,” now you know what that is? That’s a hunk of hard bread with no bread and nothing to drink. But that is better than a “house full of sacrifices.” Now, a Jew wanted a house full of sacrifices. That’s all the animals he ever needed. I don’t know if you want to raise cattle or not, Abraham did, Lot had them. Imagine having all the meat you could ever want, all the choicest meats, with plenty to sacrifice and plenty to eat. But what good is all that junk if you can’t enjoy life? That’s all Solomon is saying. What good is all that stuff if you don’t really enjoy it. Obviously, this is talking about a rich Jewish home with animals and meal. Not only talking about sacrifices, in the sense of animals, but there were sacrifices like the meal offering where they offer all sorts of grains. It’s more than having animals, it’s having more than you could want and more. The Pharisees had all that stuff and when they cast in their offerings, they gave from their abundance. But they didn’t have quietness therewith.
The Christian home can have peace and maybe a true prosperity if God is obeyed. There is only one way to have peace in the home. You have to steadfastly go by God’s principles in the home.
“Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord” (Ephesians 5:21). It is not just the woman being a slave. The father is to submit himself to the children in the sense of “time,” in the sense of a parent’s “love,” and in the sense of what they “need.” The husband ought to submit to his wife, “dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife” (I Peter 3:7). Some men don’t know the first thing about a woman, and they could care less; and when they get home, she is his wife—and she is supposed to do the cleaning and the cooking, and that’s it. There’s more to it than that, man! A wife is a human being, they have feelings, they have emotions, they have desires, they have needs, they have potential, and they have limits! And most husbands are very good at finding those limits, to their own hurt.
Now, when it comes to the direction of the home and the final authority, the man is the head of the home and the wife needs to be in subjection—and the children need to be in obedience to the man and the wife. And that is the principle for peace. But if there is a 50/50 marriage (not a 100/100) there will be no peace, and all kinds of trouble.
Father give us the kind of homes that both please You and bring joy, peace, and happiness to us. Remind us that we are likened to oxen plowing together in the field, and that the farmer uses blinders to force the animals to look forward only and not to their partner which results in them fighting and nipping at one another. Help us keep our eye on the true prize, keep our eyes stayed on You. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2019 8:57:42 GMT -6
“A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes” (Proverbs 18:6 KJV).
“A word fitly spoken,” this is not. This fellow’s words are unfit, unappreciated, and unwelcome. He is more of the “busybody in other men’s matters” spoken of by Peter. How, in fact, do we know we are in the presence of a fool? By that fool’s lips, or the words that come out of his mouth. Proverbs tells us in the previous chapter, "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding" (Proverbs 17:28 KJV).
The contentious fool can not stay silent. He must throw in his so-called two cents at every occasion, often entering into another’s discussion uninvited. A fool’s lips show that he is a fool. He says the wrong thing or speaks at the wrong time, or he says what he does in the wrong place or to the wrong person. He is like a child who does not know these wise details of speech. Consequently, he gets himself into trouble with others, and his superiors correct him severely for it. Yet, he goes on, as Paul might suggest, “professing themselves to be wise.”
Now, a wise man may and does at times get drawn into a discussion or a quarrel against his will, but a fool can’t wait to hop in even when he could and certainly should avoid it and will often regret it when it is too late. He exposes himself to correction, and at times ends up with a bloody lip.
“He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears” (Proverbs 26:17 KJV).
Shimei’s mouth was his own destruction, and Adonijah, who spoke against his own leader, looked to the destruction of another but ultimately the destruction was their own. And what of Haman that chose to speak against the people of the queen, even devising a plan to destroy the entire nation, yet he himself hung from the very gallows he had built for his enemy, Mordecai. The Word surely gives us ample evidence of the fool, does it not?
A problem today is a gross misunderstanding of so-called free speech. No one has the right to say anything they wish. All men have the responsibility to only say those things that please God and profit men. But now with the flick of a finger, emails or texts or tweets send arrogant words, haughty speech, and disrespectful retorts all over the place.
A wise man will read, re-read, and then read again his comments on an online message board--and quite often, if he is wise indeed, will push the delete button rather than the send button. One the thought is posted it can be deleted, but at what cost to the reputation of the sender.
A fool prefers talking to listening, especially if he is corrected. He would rather argue and contradict than humble himself to instruction. Lacking respect for authority and others, he speaks when he ought to be silent. His froward speech leads to confrontations, and his inappropriate remarks beg for someone to give him stripes on his back with a rod.
Doctrinal arguments have the danger of turning into that which is most displeasing to the God of order. Due to the anonymity of most sites, a person might entertain the notion that he can say what he wishes and get away with it. Friend, you know it and God knows it. Don't be foolish enough to believe that you will get away with it.
Father, guard my tongue and my emotions so that I do not feel that I must win every argument. Remind me that we are Your ambassador and Your spokesperson. Help us to avoid any foolish word that might bring discredit upon our faith. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 6:44:45 GMT -6
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27 KJV).
The first verse that comes to mind as I consider 19:27 was written by Paul: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8 KJV).
Inasmuch as the meaning of the word “spoil” means to “carry off as plunder,” know without a doubt that every false teacher and all worldly wisdom seeks to carry you off, body, soul, and mind. They would rob you of your very salvation if it were possible, but they are content to destroy your testimony. The word “philosophy” speaks of a “love of wisdom,” but it is the wisdom that comes from below—now above—it is not the wisdom embodied in Jesus Christ, but that which is spawned in the depths of hell.
Philosophy is also known as a “search for the truth”, but that is folly for man is “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:7 KJV). Pilate could not find truth, though Truth was standing in front of him.
“But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20-21 KJV).
In this world, there are but two sources of instruction. Two, and only two. The first and foremost is that which God’s Word brings. The Captain of our Salvation assures us that this, in fact, true: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17 KJV). Paul rejoices in his converts because of their acceptance of the Word: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (I Thessalonians 2:13 KJV).
God’s Word will accomplish that which the world’s wisdom can never do: “. . .receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21 KJV).
Obviously, the other source of instruction is the world. Now, as unpopular as this thought might seem to most of the world’s “feel good” Christianity, it is still a fact that “. . . all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:16 KJV). All of the world’s media: newspapers, television, radio, and even university professors are filtered through the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2 KJV). God is not in the business of maintaining the daily horoscopes.
The bottom line is there are only two sources of information: One is truth, the other is a lie. The One is God and the other is Satan.
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 7:51:23 GMT -6
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1 KJV).
“Wine is a mocker,” some folks mock God, but there are things that we do that mocks us, showing how foolish we can be. “strong drink is raging,” to rage is to become imbalanced, a mad man. Many believers drank heavily before they were saved, and by God’s grace they were able to have victory over it. From unfortunate experience, they know what alcohol can do in their lives. In many instances, they are still reaping the results of a previous drunken lifestyle.
“. . . wine is a mocker.” Wine makes fools out of otherwise intelligent men. People just don’t know how close they are to death whenever they are messing around with that stuff. People die as a result of free-for-all bar fights. On occasion, a drunk will be thrown out of a bar, and then go home and get a gun and go back to the bar. In one heartbeat a man can step into eternity either for heaven or hell. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
These new Bible versions are not very hard on liquor.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (RSV). In other words, they are saying it is the wine that leads you astray. That is, if you can handle it, you are all right, but if you can’t you are not wise. It’s okay to drink a little bit. No! wine is a mocker. It’ll make a fool out of you whatever you do with it or how it leads you.
In the ASV it changes I Timothy 3:2 from “Not given to wine,” to “not addicted to wine,” the RSV says, “no drunkard.” You know, if you get to the place where you are staying at the city mission it’s been bad for you, but “moderate” drinking is all right. Every guy that ever end up in a city mission started out as a moderate drinker. These new Bibles, they always tend to just sugarcoat everything.
There are a number of verses that deal with drinking in the Scriptures. The Bible is not silent when it comes to liquor. (Habakkuk 2:12-14; Proverbs 23:29-35, 31:4; Leviticus 10:9: Deuteronomy 29:19; 1 Sam 1:15-16; Isaiah 28:7; Luke 12:45. Proverbs 23:29-35 is the best passage in the Bible on drinking. You can’t talk about liquor and not read this passage. It says so much that is just so obviously true of anybody that has ever been involved with drinking. The writer of Proverbs knew people inside and out.
Christian, be thankful to God that He has delivered you from a sin that once overwhelmed you. If any need proof of what God can do in a man’s life, just look at a man that was once a drunkard who is now a faithful saint. It is one of the best responses to, “Can you prove that God exists?”
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:17-20 KJV).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2019 7:33:45 GMT -6
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3 KJV).
There are all kinds of people in the world: some who are both righteous and religious (the godly); some who seek to be righteous but are not religious (the moralist); some who are not careful about righteousness but do try to be religious (the hypocrite); and some who are neither righteous nor religious (the out-and-out wicked). This verse is dealing with the third-listed group above (the hypocrite). Bible History is not barren for examples of this but one that stands out is Israel’s first king, Saul. When Saul disobeyed the Lord’s direct command, the prophet Samuel goes to confront Saul in his sin. Rather than owning up to his sin, Saul tries to justify his actions.
“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (1 Samuel 15:14-15 KJV).
The hypocrite makes excuses for his disobedience. Rather than owning his sin and asking for forgiveness, in pride he follows the footsteps of Adam and argues that his sin is not that big of a deal. He points the finger at everyone else rather than pointing it at himself.
Saul started out with a bright future. He was the first King of Israel. His anointing was cause for great celebration. Yet due to his sin and refusal to repent, the Lord would leave Saul and reject him as King.
“Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Samuel 15:19-23 KJV).
Saul’s was the wrong kind of obedience. His was what we would call pragmatic, or let the end justify the means. God does not approve of that, and that is why churches today are seeking the world’s methods for growing churches, rather than staying faithful to the Word of God, calling sins sin and proclaiming the Blood of Jesus Christ as man’s only hope for salvation.
David had the right kind of obedience, and when he committed a gross sin, he did not seek to excuse it, or cover it up, or proclaim his rights as king. He prayed:
“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:16-17 KJV).
Father, fill our heart daily with the truth of Your Word and keep it forward in our minds and hearts constantly that to be obedient to You is better than our sacrifices. Help us to avoid those sacrifices which are wood, hay, and stubble that we will not be ashamed when we stand before You. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2019 7:25:04 GMT -6
“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28 KJV).
“Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless” (Proverbs 23:10 KJV).
As the proper inheritance of one’s property was determined by the landmarks, they were not to be altered by another. The old, or original one was to remain. But some were not content with following the rules, so they would take them away by force or theft: “Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof” (Job 24:2 KJV).
The story of Ahab and Jezebel seizing Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21) surely represents a flagrant disregard for this law.
“Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it” (Deuteronomy 19:14 KJV).
From the royal palace in Samaria Ahab and his court would often commute to Jezreel twenty-five miles to the north where the king also had a palace. Near his Jezreel palace was a plot of ground, a vineyard, possessed by a man named Naboth which Ahab dearly coveted (21:1). The king negotiated with Naboth for this property, offering to exchange vineyards with him, or pay him in silver whichever he desired. This vineyard was not required for the public welfare, but to satisfy a purely selfish personal whim (21:2).
Naboth, however, was a devout worshiper of the Lord, and he would not violate the Law of Moses by selling his family inheritance to one outside the family (21:3). To pious Israelites, it was a religious duty as well as an obligation to family and tribe to preserve the inheritance. Rebuffed by this devout man, Ahab returned to the palace to give vent to childish grief. Sullen and angry he pouted in his private chamber, refusing to partake of food (21:4).
The status of Naboth as a freeman was bound up with his possession of his ancestral land. To have accepted the offer of Ahab would have made him and his family royal dependents.
Jezebel, noting the absence of the king from the banqueting chamber, went to Ahab’s room to inquire as to the reason for his loss of appetite (21:5). He told his wife how Naboth had refused to sell his vineyard, but he did not mention the reason which Naboth assigned to his refusal (21:6). Probably he realized that Jezebel would have no understanding of the Israelite laws of family inheritance. The queen did not inquire as to the reasons for Naboth’s refusal to dispose of his property. She could not understand why her husband was so upset over the incident. After all, he was the king, was he not? So Jezebel urged her husband to leave the matter in her hands (21:7).
Through stealth and treachery, she had Naboth falsely accused and murdered so that she could take possession of the land and give it to her husband Ahab.
“Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:17 KJV).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2019 4:22:45 GMT -6
“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (Proverbs 23:29-35 KJV).
“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow?” For some of these men, just everything goes wrong. They lose their jobs, they can’t keep a job, they have trouble with the family, with the relatives, they have physical problems, diseases. “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow?” “. . . who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause?” I’ve known them to fall out of cars, fall in front of cars, fall in the gutter, fall asleep in a snow bank. Well, they say, he probably won’t freeze. No, he won’t freeze, he’s got so much alcohol in him that he can’t freeze, but he’ll just get into so much other trouble that a sober man won’t get into, “wounds without cause,” I mean, there isn’t any cause to it—just foolishness. “. . . who hath redness of eyes?” Yea, they get like that. Who? “They that tarry long at the wine,” and some say well, it’s okay if you just drink moderately, but the problem is that once you start drinking moderately you will do excessively eventually. You see, the moderate drinker is okay as long as circumstances in life aren’t too bad. Once things get heavy, and he runs into big problems, like losing a loved one, his wife gets sick, or he loses his job—then he’s likely to spend a long time at it to wash it out of his mind and cover it up. And if he is already used to drinking, he’ll get sucked into it really quick. There are people in missions that used to be colonels in the military, lawyers, people that had station in life and a good living. But somewhere in life their social drinking took a turn because something bad happened in their life and lost something dear to them; job, promotion, loved one, whatever—and their drinking increased to the point where it took everything away from them. It gets to the point where it gets a hold of them and they can’t do without it. It becomes their master.
You take the average fellow that’s drinking out here—he can drink and still go to work, he can drink and still pay bills and meet responsibilities—he is still functioning somewhat normally. But, every time there is a problem, or a battle of some sort, it becomes easier to drown it with liquor, to the point where they can no longer win any battles and the alcohol has taken over. Then they become what is known as a “lush,” or a person that can’t win any battles. Every time there is a problem, they now turn to liquor. They can no longer handle stress—it handles them.
“They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.” There’re your mixed drinks. “Look not,” there’s the lust of the eyes, “Look not thou upon the wine,” you see, it doesn’t say “don’t drink wine,” it says, “don’t even look at it.” Some of that stuff looks pretty enticing. You ever walk down the liquor aisle in your grocery store? I have yet to see liquor in an ugly, unattractive bottle. They are all made to look fancy and enticing. And it seems like whenever they want to sell liquor, they put some French guy’s name on it. I wonder why that is? I guess that’s supposed to add style and class when all it really does is add $20 to the price of the bottle (nothing to the quality). Well, that’s how they sell stuff.
“. . . when it giveth his colour in the cup,” that’s how they get you to look at it. That’s the problem with TV. Back when it was radio, they could talk about it, but you couldn’t see it. Now you can see all those bubbles and all that refreshing-looking scenery behind it. All kinds of pictures in order to present that thing to you in a good light. The message is you need it, you must have it, and you can’t do without it. It’s hard to do that with radio. “. . . when it moveth itself aright,” that’s fermentation.
“At the last,” or at the end of the fermentation process. At the first it is called “new wine” or pure grape juice (when speaking of wine), but after it ferments (in essence, spoils) it is an intoxicating beverage. “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all” (Isa 65:8 KJV). New wine is fresh out of the cluster. “At the last,” it is fermented. There’s a difference between old wine and new wine.
“At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder,” we see its connection with the Devil. That is why they call it “spirits.” Some call it “devil juice,” in the old days some called it “coffin varnish.” They would ask, “Do you smoke coffin nails and drink coffin varnish?”
“Thine eyes shall behold strange women,” that’s the Old Testament term for the modern term, “street walker.” A slang term some use today is “strange.” That is what they call illicit sex. “. . . thine heart shall utter perverse things,” you get deep enough into it and you’ll experience the dry tremors (D.T.’s) and see all sorts of things. Everything and anything. What is fun about a room spinning around and around, and getting sick, and suffering through a headache?
“Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,” that’s where you get so drunk you are afraid to go to sleep afraid that you’ll vomit all over yourself and perhaps even drown in it, just “three sheets to the wind.” “Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast,” it’s one thing when you are down in the boat, but when you are up in the mast—everything is swinging.
When Solomon wrote this, he knew what a drunken man goes through—probably from personal experience. He experimented, he says, with everything “under the sun.” That would certainly include drunkenness. “They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1 KJV).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2019 8:12:00 GMT -6
“Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (Proverbs 24:15-16 KJV).
There are some in this world that have no greater purpose than to make shipwreck the life of a young believer. The wicked are described as lying in wait for the righteous, seeking his ruination. “The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him” (Psalms 37:32 KJV).
Who qualifies for the title “wicked man” used here? Every persecutor of the righteous would be included in what is said here. So, this passage is not speaking of the highwayman hiding in the brush awaiting a man to rob, but the reprobate seeking to ensnare a child of God. An “angel of light,” a “false prophet,” an evil, evil person. Paul spoke of these, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32 KJV).
There goal is the utter destruction of the believer, but they are ignorant of one very crucial fact, and that is: “a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” What a promise! What an assurance! Yes, the tempting angel of the Devil may indeed succeed in tripping up a saint, but that saint has access to God’s continuing mercy:
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23 KJV).
The thing that the lost can not understand is the presence of God’s mercy. It is just as available to them as it is to the ones they seek to overthrow—but their darkened mind and soul cannot conceive, do not desire it, and utterly abhor it. Their great pleasure is the world, sin, and the destruction of God’s people.
The righteous will have many trials, but he will prevail through the special help of God. Notice these interesting verses: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all” (Psalms 34:19 KJV); “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand” (Psalms 37:24 KJV); “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8 KJV); “He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee” (Job 5:19 KJV).
In other words, as our expressions go, “you can’t keep a good man down;” he may be “down”, but he isn’t “out”. But notice that when the wicked fall, he is not promised to come back, for he has no personal God to whom to look for restoration.
Yes, the wicked shall fall into mischief; or "evil"; into the evil of sin, and there lie and wallow in it, as the swine in the mire, and never rise out of it; and into the evil of punishment, into hell itself, from whence there will be no deliverance; and oftentimes they fall into mischief in this world, into trouble and distress, into poverty and want, in which they live and die, and never recover out of it; to which agrees what follows. And their only joyful memory throughout eternity will be that they may some Christian to stumble.
Father, we that know You as our Father are grateful for the “hedge of protection” that You have placed around us. Keep us near the Cross, O Lord, keep us close to the cleansing Blood of Your Son so that, indeed, Your mercies may be renewed to us day after day. We thank You for the angel of the Lord that encamps around us and delivers us. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2019 7:27:15 GMT -6
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11 KJV).
Can you visualize apples of gold in a painting or sculpture of silver? As in a silver basket or bowl? What a beautiful combination of color and images! So are words well spoken!
As the next verse shows, Solomon again used a simile to praise and encourage good speech, though there he used “as” to show the simile. Still using gold, he compared it to fine jewelry. You should easily get the lesson of learning good speech.
A “word fitly spoken” would be the right thing said at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, in the right way, and for the right purpose. For something to be right, everything about it must be right. “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2 KJV).
“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23 KJV).
I can’t imagine why, but the Bible correctors have a field day with this verse: Consider, “Most writers contend that “apples” from the Hebrew word “tappuach” was not our apple but possibly the orange, or more probably the apricot. Tristram (writing in “Land of Israel”) says, “I have no hesitation in expressing my conviction that the apricot alone is the ‘apple’ of Scripture . . . Everywhere the apricot is common; perhaps it is, with the single exception of the fig, the most abundant fruit of the country.” And God’s people said, “So what?” My Bible says apple, I’ll go with apple. Oh yes, and there are some that contend that Eve didn’t really eat an apple, maybe a banana. Whatever! The fact is that she sinned, Adam sinned, and plunged the whole world into the wages of sin. Genesis 1-6 is no myth, and folks believe that to their own destruction.
“The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things” (Proverbs 15:28 KJV).
One misconception is that our verse is speaking only of bright, uplifting words that make people smile and feel good. Nope, a fitly spoken word is a word of truth and the truth sometimes is painful. To tell a man that he is a lost, hell-bound sinner may not be considered happy talk, but then, neither is a doctor informing his patient that he has an aggressive form of a disease which will take his life unless he makes drastic changes in his life. In both cases, the result of telling someone the truth may well be the best news that person has ever heard. I am so glad that someone presented me with the Gospel, and though it was quite a bitter pill to swallow at the beginning—it is sweetness to my soul.
Three things are needed to have a word fitly spoken:
1. It must be a wise word. It must fit the context of the situation. Not all verses will be appropriate for all occasions. It is probably not a good use of Romans 8:28 to tell a grieving widow, “All things work together for good!” It may be true, but not timely. 2. It must be delicate. Again, it may be true doctrinally, but it is not wise to walk up to a stranger and say, “Hey, you need to get saved or you can go to hell.” The same truth may be communicated but with different words. 3. It must be true. We must never, knowingly or unknowingly, substitute our opinion for God’s eternal Word.
Don’t look for words fitly spoken by the false feel good TV evangelists like Joel Olsteen. A lie will never fit. If you want to hear words fitly spoken, attend a Bible-believing local New Testament church on a regular basis.
Father, let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in You sight. Amen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2019 6:56:54 GMT -6
“As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool” (Proverbs 26:1 KJV).
Vss. 1-12 deal with the fool. Only in verse two does the fool not show up, but he is clearly seen in the rest. Verses 13-16 it is the sluggard, the slothful man. Verses 17-28 showcase troublemakers and talebearers (or gossips). The sluggard and the fool are dealt with a lot in Proverbs.
“As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,” now, those two things just don’t fit the season, “so honour is not seemly for a fool.”
Why do men mistreat their wives? Is it not because they fail to honor them? This is because much is lacking in their makeup. From a child they have not been taught to maintain good manners. They have been allowed such freedom in their lives as to practically raise themselves out in the streets. They have learned how to relate to others, especially women, out in the back alleys and bars. They have learned only to respect those that are stronger than them, so quite naturally, they will look down with contempt upon a weaker vessel. The combination of a poor set of values and a poor upbringing have produced one which is unable to render honor to whom honor is due. Ladies, such a one is a bad choice for marriage.
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (I Peter 3:7 KJV).
“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her” (Proverbs 31:28 KJV).
A fool can neither receive honor, nor give honor, because he has no honor, and he lives in a world of his own making as out of balance “as snow in summer, and as rain in harvest.”
The richest blessings lose their value when unsuitably bestowed. Snow covers the earth in winter; protecting the seed from the killing cold. But in summer, it is out of season. Rain in its season is a fruitful blessing for it makes the crops to grow. But in harvest it is an interruption to the farmer's work, and often a public calamity. God showed His displeasure with Israel by punishing them with a rainy harvest.
“Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel” (1 Samuel 12:17-18 KJV).
“The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Proverbs 3:35 KJV).
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