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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2019 6:44:04 GMT -6
“Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things” (Proverbs 28:5).
The last four chapters in Proverbs put the readers to the fire, so to speak, that is, they “heap on the coals.” In no other section, with the possible exception of 5-7 and 12-16, do we see more “hard sayings” put over. Now, if one really thinks about it, there probably isn’t any section of Scripture that is harsher than Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees in John 8.
“Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (John 8:42-47).
Of course the National Council of Churches and preachers such as Joel Olsteen say that we can’t talk to people like this because we are to accept everyone just as they are because, “Gosh, God is love.” Solomon spoke somewhat to this, “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:5-6). In fact, one can almost visualize Paul’s tears as he wrote this: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16). And not to be missed is the fact that Jesus wept sorely over the people that were rejecting the truth of their need of repentance: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes” (Luke 19:41-42).
The wicked do not understand why they are wicked. They are only doing those things which seem natural to them. Everyone is doing it, so why shouldn’t they have their cut of the pie? And that is the problem with the sinner—he is comparing himself with others just like himself instead of looking unto Him that lived a perfect life and died as a perfect substitute for sinful man. Men measure a straight line by the use of a ruler. In fact, the word “canon” is used to describe those books recognized as inspired of God. Literally, it means (a) a straight rod or bar; (b) a measuring rule as a ruler used by masons and carpenters; then (c) a rule or standard for testing straightness.
Those that are students of the Word of God, that judge themselves against the straight and narrow, “understand all things.” The crooked man walks a crooked path because he uses a crooked standard for his own sense of righteousness, but they that “seek the Lord” walk according to the narrow rule and compare their deeds against the absolute righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they, by the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, adjust their walk accordingly.
Judge yourself by God’s standard, and not your own, and you also will “understand all things.”
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 7:20:51 GMT -6
“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).
“He, that being often reproved . . .” if a man will ‘turn” at that reproof, God won’t harden His heart, He will soften it. Take Cornelius, he was soft to God’s dealing. Or Paul. Paul was adamantly against the Christians in Acts chapter 9, in verse 5-6, when the Lord appears to him there—and the light from heaven knocks him down— “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
“it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks,” that is, the pricks of the conscience on the heart, the pricks of the Holy Spirit against the heart. They are thrust upon a man’s heart to see if it will respond, if that heart will take truth. If it won’t take truth, if it won’t receive truth—then God hardens it. It if will take truth, then God deals more and more with it and reveals more and more to it. Until eventually the Gospel is sent to that individual who has turned or repented of his sin and gets saved.
“He, that being often reproved . . .” is a great message to the lost. Do we even realize how many times Americans hear the gospel over a lifetime? How many times they have had opportunities to get right with God? How many times they have been reproved of their sin? And haven’t done anything about it? It is like less than 10% of people that get saved after the age of 50. It’s about 90% at the age of 10-12. By the time a man gets to be 50-60 (some younger) their hearts are so hardened over the years that he won’t respond well to the pricking of the heart.
“He, that being often reproved . . .” over time he “hardeneth his neck,” and so as the heart has hardened, they become a stiff-necked people, and here is the problem-- “shall suddenly be destroyed” --he says, well, “Maybe tomorrow, or next week, or sometime I’ll do this or that with ‘religion’” Well, the rich man in Luke 12 had made all his plans without God, and God cut him off suddenly, “and that without remedy.” There is no remedy to hell, once a man is in, he is in and there is no way out. The rich man in Luke 16 was looking at an eternity without even a drop of water to cool his tongue.
The surgeon general likes to warn people that smoking cigarettes is a leading cause of death, but here Solomon is saying that unrepentant sin is the leading cause of death—suddenly—and without remedy.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2019 6:30:36 GMT -6
“The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal” (Proverbs 30:1 KJV).
Now we don’t know who Ithiel and Ucal are, we really nothing next to nothing about this gang of three. Whoever they are, they have some pretty good things to say. The KEY of this chapter 30 is the word prophecy. There are probably more things on prophecy in chapter 30 than any of the other 30 chapters of Proverbs. We’ll see some applications to future events as we go through the chapter. Antichrist is found in the chapter in numerous places.
Not only that, but prophecy itself is more than just truth-saying or future forecasting: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Peter 1:20-21 KJV).
There is a sense in which all Scripture, and that is what we are talking about here, Peter says we “have a more sure word of prophecy,” talking about the Bible, “whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.” There is a sense in which every verse in your Bible is prophecy.
Look in I Corinthians chapter 14, and you’ll notice that prophecy deals with telling the truth and teaching. Now, if we really understand that, we’ll understand why it is called ‘prophetic.’ You see, if someone teaches you something, and you learn it, what does that do? That guides you into the future. Even though we apply a present truth to a present situation, that will change your future. And if you reject it, that will change your future. Whether you receive it, or reject it, that will have an effect upon your future. So, in that sense, all Scripture is prophetic because it deals with our future, as to what we will do with the Word of God.
“But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (I Corinthians 14:3 KJV).
“to edification,” that is to teach.
“and exhortation,” that is to exhort to get out and do something, because you need to get going while you have the time
“and comfort,” the Scriptures comfort us—knowing what is coming up, giving us assurance—those things comfort us.
So, prophecy is more than just talking about the Antichrist, and talking about the second coming, because prophecy also deals with the present here and now.
In Proverbs 31, when King Lemuel steps up to the platform his prophetic statements are all statements that deal with the present situation—how to have a good wife by staying away from bad women and wine; how to run a good government; and where and how to find that good wife—the characteristics of a virtuous woman—the perfect woman. Those deal with the here now, not the ten-toed federation of the end time one-world government.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2019 7:24:05 GMT -6
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (Proverbs 1:1).
The Book of Proverbs has 31 chapters, 915 verses, 15,043 words, if you are interested in that information.
This is all the maxims, epigrams, proverbs, and homilies of the ancients condensed into one book. Really, if you searched out much of Plato, Socrates, Euripides, the Greek philosophers, the Greek writers: What they got, they got from this man. They got it from Solomon. And some of them had the honesty to mention that. Some of them didn’t. Some of them want you to think it was original material, but it wasn’t. All they got, they got from this man, Solomon.
Proverbs lays down the emphatic principle of dualism. Liberalism and false religion will try to do away with dualism. Dualism—right and wrong, heaven and hell—things like that. Proverbs is strong on a dualistic outlook. Absolute opposites.
“The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Proverbs 3:35 KJV).
Apostate religion, ungodly religion, false religion does not like to admit dualism. Some religions attempt to do away with dualism—how do they do that? Well, they do away with the Bible definition of sin, and they call some sins mortal sins and some venial sins. So that is trying to temper sin. To try to do away with hell and invent purgatory, to try to do away with the absolute opposite of heaven. Every heretic has to eventually do the same thing with his doctrine, because he only has the flesh to work with—and “all flesh is grass.” It’s all the same, all religions are basically the same.
There is two ways to deal with the awfulness of sin.
1. Experience. They say that that is the best teacher, but it is certainly the hardest teacher. 2. Hearken to wisdom.
Two ways to learn the awfulness of sin.
Now, as wise as this man was—smart as he was, experienced as he was, rich as he was—there was probably never a man alive that was ever smarter, or richer, than Solomon; and yet the Bible said about Jesus Christ, “a greater than Solomon is here.”
Now this Book will give you “wisdom” on how to deal with the real problems. You realize that most Americans don’t have really big problems. Psychiatrists and psychologists say that most of the problems in America are imaginary, and they are soap opera problems. Soap opera problems are (if you ever watch soap operas, which I wouldn’t recommend for anybody to watch) imaginary. Soap opera writers have produced plays and situations where two women are vying against one another, and they are always picking at each other over some little issue—and that is always the big issue in the play. It’s usually always two women, one getting mad about what one said about the other and then they blow it up clear out of proportion. And that has become the way of life in America. Americans blow everything way out of proportion. Nine times out of ten, the problems are no way as big as they really are.
You think you got problems, you ought to live in Afghanistan. In America, you have to go to a funeral home to see death. But in some countries, it is laying right out in the streets. It’s all together different, we live in a candy-coated world.
Wisdom will show you how to deal with real problems.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2019 7:36:57 GMT -6
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding” (Proverbs 2:1-3 KJV).
James tells us to “receive the word with meekness” (James 1:21). Receive the Bible as the Word of God, and not as the words of men (I Thessalonians 2:13). You have to do that, you have to have faith that it is the Word of God, or it will not have any power. He says, “incline, thine ear unto wisdom, and hide my commandments,” like David says in Psalm 119:11, “Hide them in your heart.” Memorize them, meditate on them so that you “incline,” that is, “to lean in, to listen.”
“But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward” (Jeremiah 7:24 KJV).
“Incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding,” apply what you’ve learned, go to work at it.
“. . . criest after knowledge,” is getting into prayer. It’s like in James 5 where we are told to pray for wisdom. This is how God separates the adults from the children. He wants to see how bad we really want something. The Lord doesn’t give things easily. Salvation comes easy, it wasn’t easy for God to buy it, but it comes easy for us to have it. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom 10:13, KJV). “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom 10:9).
But it’s not easy to live the Christian life. The Christian life is hard, it’s difficult. And it’s not easy to have victory over the flesh—it’s not easy to overcome sin and habits—It’s hard! How do we do it? Well, we listen, we apply, and we pray. And sometimes we have to cry. There was a time when the apostles had a demon-possessed individual to deal with, and they couldn’t cast out the devil. And then Jesus came along and cast it out. The disciples asked him why they couldn’t do it. He said, “This kind cometh not out except by prayer and fasting.”
Sometimes when you pray about a thing and you haven’t got an answer, you just have to get serious. You have to show God that you really want it.
There is another story teaching about the woman that goes to the unjust judge and requires something of him. And because of her importunity [she just bugged him to death] he said, “Lady, I’m so sick of looking at you, you can have it!” I guess in some worldly, earthly sense, God just gets sick and tired of us constantly coming to Him and asking for things. I realize that we are not supposed to use ‘vain repetition,’ but that’s talking about how the heathen pray with beads and baubles and all that business, that’s not talking about going to God consistently and praying for the soul of someone to get saved, or for a child to be raised in the fear and admonition of the Lord. God, in a sense, should get tired of you constantly coming and saying, “Here I am again, Lord.” There was a guy, they say, that prayed so much that when he started his prayer he would say, “It’s me, Lord.” “It’s me again, Lord.” That’s the way it ought to be with us.
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2019 7:36:55 GMT -6
“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments” (Proverbs 3:1 KJV).
One thing we notice about the Book of Proverbs is its repetition. That is the way we teach people. People are taught by association, repetition, and experience. It is said that experience is the best teacher, but to keep repeating something teaches thoroughly and quickly. The more you repeat something the quicker it sinks in. The more a child hears a truth, the quicker it becomes a part of them. The Book of Proverbs is a Book of instruction, and it says many of the same things over and over again.
Wisdom is the theme of chapter 3, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom” (vs. 13), “for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold” (vs. 14), “she is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (vs. 15). That’s quite a verse there, when you think of all the things you could want. “Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” (vs. 16-17).
James tells us that there are two kinds of wisdom: earthly wisdom and godly wisdom. “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13 KJV).
If a man has the right kind of wisdom, he’ll have the right kind of works. Earlier, James said that if we have the right kind of faith, we’ll have the right kind of works. People say they are educated, well, let’s see it. What people do speaks louder than what they say. Show us out of your good works, you good conversation, your meekness of wisdom. James then says, “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not [that’s not the right kind of wisdom, it’s amazing what folks glory in], and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual [connected with the flesh, carnal], devilish [satanic wisdom, filled with pride]. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:14-16 KJV).
You can’t rest in that kind of situation. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21). Where worldly wisdom and satanic wisdom is involved, there is no peace—only contention, only strife, there’s always hatred, there’s always variance. The treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I was not planted from God’s wisdom, but man’s, and it set up Germany for World War II and twenty million more people died.
On the other hand . . .
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure [right, clean, holy, undefiled, righteous], then peaceable [the reason nations will never know peace is because their wisdom is worldly and sensual, partial and one-sided], gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3:14-18 KJV).
The most important thing is wisdom that gives you purity and righteousness, and then you’ll have peace in your own heart. You’ll have peace in your family, there will be peace in your church, there will be peace in your town, there will be peace in your country. There will be no peace in their world until there is righteousness. There can’t be. It doesn’t matter how many treaties are signed—they won’t last.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2019 8:01:49 GMT -6
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22 KJV).
“ My son, attend to my words; incline,” he said earlier that the house of the wicked woman “inclineth unto death,” and that is if a man doesn’t “incline thine ear unto my sayings.” We see a command: “Let them not depart from thine eyes,” keep a Bible in front of you, read it daily. “. . . keep them in the midst of thine heart,” make it real to you. Not just rote memory but make them a part of your very being. So, God let me apply the Scriptures, let me learn them, let me see how they work in my life. Use them in my life. Let me get those promises down on security, and comfort, and joy, and trial, and trouble, and tribulation. And we see two promises: “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
Old Testament health: “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26 KJV).
Every sin starts in your heart, and your character and speech reflect your heart. You can only pretend to be different than your heart for a short time, for it will quickly regain control and dictate your actions. Others know your heart by your words and choices.
David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). What a description! This should be your life goal. How? David guarded his heart by careful self-examination, confession, prayer, friends, singing, etc. (Psalm 4:4; 9:1; 15:2; 17:3; 19:8,12,14; 24:4; 26:2; 27:3,8,14; 28:7; 32:11; 34;18; 37:31; 51:10,17; 57:7; 61:2; 62:8,10; 66:18; 77:6; 84:2; 86:11-12; 101:2-5; 108:1; 111:1; 112:7-8; 119:11,32,36,63,111; 139:23-24; 131:1; 141:4-5).
And that is generally true today. You live right, have a clean life, and you’ll usually come out with a healthy life. Of course, Christians have one thing going against them: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12). We do have the Devil working against us, and God may give him permission to touch our bodies. You may live right and still die of a heart attack. He may give him permission to give you heart trouble all your life or give you some disease.
Chances are if a man lives in a country where there is a lot of physical persecution he probably won’t have as much sickness, but since we have very little real persecution in America, about the only way the Devil can get at us is through physical sickness. The Devil is going to get at you one way or the other. He got to Job in a number of ways: friends, family, and health.
“Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 7:24:07 GMT -6
“My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding” (Proverbs 5:1 KJV).
In chapter 5, Solomon begins in the first five verses, contrasting wisdom and wickedness.
The Bible shows why most people will turn to wickedness rather than wisdom. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 KJV).
Why do most people get caught up in wickedness? Solomon will show us:
What is easier for us to do? Voice our own opinion, or listen to someone else’s? It’s easier to tell everyone what you know. It takes a bit of humility, and patience, and character to listen. It’s harder for the flesh to listen to instruction. The flesh doesn’t like to be told what to do. You take a little kid. “Don’t do that!” That kid doesn’t want to hear that. It just irritates him! It grits on him, you know. Well, that’s the way we are. We don’t like anyone pointing their finger at us and telling us what to do. That’s the problem in America today, everyone wants their rights! Don’t tell me what to do! Don’t tell me where I can go and don’t tell me what I can do. Well, the more “rights” we have, the less “freedom” we have.
Solomon said, first of all, “bow thine ear.” Bow, humble yourself, bow down to wisdom. That takes humility. That is not a trait of the flesh. The flesh just doesn’t come with built in humility. Some people have been out of the will of the Lord for so long, they don’t know right from wrong, up from down, front from back, some of them don’t even know if they are saved. You ask some of them, why don’t you go to church anymore? “Well,” they say, “they are arrogant, I am humble.”
Humility is difficult to the flesh, it is bitterness.
“That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge” (Proverbs 5:2 KJV). Is the result of verse 1, “My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding.” The first part of that is bitter, its’ hard; but the second half is sweet.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2019 6:58:53 GMT -6
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8 KJV).
“. . . thou sluggard,” you got yourself a problem. You got yourself into something. Maybe you got into debt, maybe you are in a situation where you own the debt of somebody else because you co-signed for them, a family member or close friend. Honestly, I don’t know why little kids want to grow up. If they had any brains, they would stay little kids all their lives. Because when little kids grow up, they have all the problems that mommy and daddy have.
You could apply it in a number of ways, but in this case, it is a man that has responsibility he doesn’t really want. He is surety for something. He either has to supply the money for a loan, or he has to back up another person, or he’s got his own loan to take care. This is for people that have loans and are having trouble making the payments. So, he says, now if you want to know how to get yourselves out of this, go to the ant.
The one thing you don’t do is sit down and worry about it. That will not do anybody any good. That will actually cause more harm than good. Worry has never paid any bills, and it has never solved any problems. It’s amazing how much time people give to reveling in something that just doesn’t do any good.
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise,” is an illustration. She is not waiting and hoping for a hand out. A lot of people get into debt and they immediately start looking for some kind of government program to help them out. That is not what the ant does. The ant just goes to work. I know sometimes it seems like the hole you got yourself dug into doesn’t have any way out—the ant carries 5-6 times its weight. It’s amazing what we can carry if we will just get busy. People have become so dependent upon welfare and the government that they just don’t think they can do. And really, that is exactly what government is saying when it spends upwards of a trillion dollars or more annually on welfare. They are saying that they have to take care of the people because they can’t take care of themselves.
“Which having no guide [nobody to lead her], overseer [nobody to check on her], or ruler [nobody to demand work from her],” in our individual lives no one is there to tell us what to do. We have to realize that it is up to you if you are going to make it.
“Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest,” she stores her provisions to meet the needs when they come so that she doesn’t have to beg. Most of the time when we take out needless loans, we are simply begging because we did not prepare for the coming needs.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2019 7:36:29 GMT -6
“And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house” (Proverbs 7:10-11 KJV).
This is one of the sad things about our American culture. A lot of American ladies are not really harlots, but they dress like it, and when you advertise it—expose it—you might as well be ready to sell it. When you walk by one of the chic women’s store, don’t they have a big window where they display what they are trying to sell? If you don’t want to sell it, don’t display it. Is that unreasonable? Is that illogical? It might just be that some of these young ladies need to sit down with their brother or your dad and just kind of ask them about life and see if they can’t enlighten you a little bit. Some of these young women are no better off than the young man who is a simpleton walking up and down the wrong street. It’s a terrible thing indeed when two simpletons of the opposite sex meet, one looking for a harlot and the other dressing like one. It’s got the recipe for disaster.
The sad reality is that most Americans learn about sex in the back alley. Men complain that they can’t find a good girl, but they refuse to go to the places where they might find one, like a good, sound Bible-believing New Testament church. But, if they don’t get cleaned up spiritually and morally, they are not going to find a good, wise girl there either. Girls with high moral standards are not interested in the first fool that comes along.
“. . . and subtil of heart,” someone else is subtil. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1 KJV). Rightly does our Lord tell the lost crowd that “they are of their father the devil.” Like father, like son; or like father, like daughter. She is subtil, she is full of subtilty, like the woman in Revelation, the harlot.
She is “loud, and stubborn,” very boisterous, outgoing, stubborn, which 1 Samuel says is “worse than the sin of witchcraft.” “. . . her feet abide not in her house,” she’s a busybody, not faithful, an infidel. She is unfaithful to her husband, if she is married, and she is unfaithful to her God.
Ladies, Peter gives the Bible definition of a godly woman:
“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement” (I Peter 3:1-6).
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2019 6:14:22 GMT -6
“She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors” (Proverbs 8:2-3 KJV).
Now here, wisdom is likened to the right woman. There is more than one woman in this story. The woman that is sinful and leads to hell is personified as a woman, and yet righteousness is also personified as a woman. There are those believers that are part of the church that are trying to spare people—to warn people—even in Israel there is a remnant that is trying to do right.
There are five places where this woman stands.
First, “She standeth in the top of high places.” Well, that is where the heathen practice their religion.
“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people” (Numbers 22:41 KJV).
You know who was standing in the high places, trying to warn the people not to serve and worship Baal? Elijah was up there. He was up there crying aloud for God, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1Kings 18:21).
She is standing on top of the high places—there is always somebody preaching about what is wrong.
Secondly, “by the way in the places of the paths.” This is like a crossroads, or where two paths meet or come together. Usually that is a very busy place, where there is likely to be an audience. You could get into street preaching here and going out where the multitudes are.
Thirdly, “at the gates.” Like the gates of the city, a place of multitudes. Jerusalem had twelve gates, like the Zion gate, the dung gate where they took out the refuse and tossed it into Gehenna, Herod’s gate, the Damascus gate, New gate, Joppa gate . . . those are some of the gates. Those are the places of concourse, where people are coming and going—so wisdom is out there in the street, out there trying to hail people and trying to keep people from going the wrong way. It doesn’t do any good to get in the closet to preach, you get in the closet to pray. If you are going to preach, or witness, get out there where there is somebody to hear it and be encouraged by it.
Fourth, “at the entry of the city.”
Fifth, “at the coming in at the doors.” The gates are locked at night, and multitudes are standing outside waiting for them to open in the morning.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2019 7:39:10 GMT -6
“Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars” (Proverbs 9:1 KJV).
Chapter nine is a shorter chapter, and it gets into two things. It contrasts two women. Two women, two houses, two ways, and two results. Of course, there is a good and a bad all the way through it. A good woman, a good house, a good way, and a good result. And conversely, there is a bad woman, a bad house, a bad way, and a bad result. The world, which claims not to be religious, is very religious. It uses wisdom that God calls sensuous and devilish. So, what you really see is a contrast between Christ and Antichrist. Chapter 9 has 18 verses, which is three sixes. In verse 13, the foolish woman shows up. The good woman in this chapter is Christ, or the church, while the bad woman is Mystery Babylon of Revelation chapter 17 which is the seat or vehicle of old number 13 himself, which is the devil of Revelation. The Bible tells us that he sits upon the woman.
In the Old Testament, it would be Israel through her synagogue and temple, in the New Testament it would be the church. Jesus said that He would build His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. You want wisdom—you’ll have to get in the church. You not only need to get into the Body of Christ, but you also need to be in the local, New Testament church which God has set up with pastors and teachers in order to edify you and to perfect you, according to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11. Without that, there will be no real wisdom.
You may claim to be smart, but First Corinthians says, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” The way to wisdom is to become a fool. Realize that we do not know anything, but that God knows everything—so we go to Him.
See, there is one woman. “Wisdom hath builded HER house.” Wisdom is shown in the personification of a woman. Well, Christ is one with His bride. Christ’s bride is female—we are His bride—so, we are one with Him. “SHE hath hewn out her seven pillars.” Now, I don’t know specifically what those seven pillars are, but there are all kinds of ‘seven things’ in the Bible that the church stands on.
“And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
There are seven spirits in Isaiah 11 verse 2. And those spirits are all connected with the Spirit of God. One of them IS the Spirit of God, and I guarantee you—if you are in the right house, God’s house—there is going to be something connected with the Spirit of God and those seven spirits: Instruction, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, and fear. Revelation 5 calls them the seven eyes of God. The church is built on those seven spirits.
Now that house is based on those things.
The Tabernacle had fourteen pillars—the number of deliverance. Seven is the number of divine completeness.
Now, wisdom has built her house. You can make it Israel as the house, the church as the house, the home as a house. Wise parents will build a house on seven pillars.
Now, one thing about it, a pillar is something strong. They hold something up, keep it from falling. And that pictures something very strong. Those old antebellum houses down south had all those pillars across the front. That was to depict strength, endurance, and quality. And so that is what the indication here it.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 6:10:02 GMT -6
“The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead” (Proverbs 11:8 KJV).
“The righteous is delivered out of trouble,” IS delivered. Right now! It’s there, we are not waiting for it, we have already been delivered.
“. . . and the wicked cometh in his stead,” that simply means that where the wicked attempts to bring the righteous into trouble and tries to bring wrath upon the head of the good man, God reverses the whole thing and they end up being the ones to suffer. The Lord works it out, He makes the wicked a substitute. The wicked comes into trouble in his stead, in his place, as a substitute.
Consider the sin of Achan back in Joshua. God told Joshua that someone had committed a great sin so that His wrath has fallen upon the people. They lost their first (and only) battle at Ai, so that Israel could not stand before their enemies. In other words, the righteous were falling. God told Joshua how to handle the situation, and when he handled it, the wicked Achan was put in the place of the righteous and suffered their judgment.
It is a substitutionary thing—it is a type (or picture) of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ became unrighteous in our place: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21 KJV). Jesus died in our place.
When Jesus Christ dies in our place, how does He die? He is the sinless Son of God, but when He dies, He dies with all of our sins upon Him. He dies as a sin-bearer. Jesus said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15 KJV).
He takes our place, that we might be made righteous through Him. He bears our sin, and we bear his righteousness.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 10:24:36 GMT -6
Oops, I posted tomorrows today, so I'll have to post today's tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2019 7:58:35 GMT -6
“The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh forwardness” (Proverbs 10:31-32 KJV).
In some of those Moslem countries they cut hands off for stealing. It is certainly a very effective deterrent to crime. This will also be one of the forms of punishment during the Millennium: “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30 KJV).
It would appear that a man, rather than go to hell, would rather pluck out his eyes or cut out his tongue.
“The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,” that is the textbook definition of discretion right there. They don’t use wicked, vulgar language. They know what is acceptable to God and they know what is right. They know how to talk.
“. . . but the mouth of the wicked speaketh forwardness.”
In this world today you can go into a hardware store or some business and run into a grown man cussing up a stream with all kinds of foul words, and young children in hearing distance. Some of the laws of our country are dearly missed. Used to be a man could be arrested for having a filthy mouth in public.
Criminals and lost people had more discretion fifty years ago, sadly, then many Christians do today. Fifty years ago, no man—no matter how wicked he was—would talk filthy in front of a woman or children. That is not only a complete lack of discretion but a total absence of any self-worth on the part of the individual.
People have a total disregard for material, for property, for people, nothing counts any more—nothing is valuable any more.
“The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,” so they tell people how to get saved—they tell them the truth.
“. . . but the mouth of the wicked speaketh forwardness,” bad counsel, crooked speech, speaking lies. “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit” (Matthew 7:17 KJV). Even when they don’t want to, they still do. They speak forwardness, they can’t do anything but that. The heart is not right, the attitude is not right, so no matter what they say—no matter what their motive might be, he is an unsaved man and he cannot please God.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2019 5:25:47 GMT -6
“The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit” (Proverbs 12:5 KJV).
Here is the classic passage on all this:
“I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings” (Psalms 77:1-12 KJV). “my soul refused to be comforted,” do you ever get like that? People try to help you, but just nothing will help.
“I call to remembrance my song in the night,” there was a time when I did have joy—consider those first days right after we were first saved and we were so close to the Lord, but time erodes our fellowship. As soon as a man is saved, he’ll never be as close to God again in this life. He begins to backslide immediately. If you ever had cataracts and remember opening your eyes and viewing the world right after the bandages were removed—you can get some idea of what a special time it was as you saw the world in a whole new clarity that you did not know before.
“Will the Lord cast off for ever?” You know He won’t. He said He’ll never leave or forsake you. Sooner or later God is going to work it out.
“will he be favourable no more?” You know He will. You do right, you’ll find favor.
“Is his mercy clean gone for ever?” You know, it feels like that sometimes. David is here communing with his heart. He is thinking things through. The Devil is saying, “He’s gone now! You’ve really messed up this time. There’s no repentance left for you.” The Devil will talk you into all kinds of things if you listen to him.
“doth his promise fail for evermore?” You say, “Lord, how does this thing work together for good? You can’t see it working for good right now, but it is. It is.
“Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?” I mean, “Lord, how much more am I going to have to endure? When are You going to lean off of me?
But David had the answer.
“This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”
Forget the situation you are in, and consider what the Lord has done, and will do. That is how to bring thoughts into captivity. Best way to control thoughts is not to be thinking about what God isn’t doing, but what He has done in the past and what He will surely do in the future, for you. You are saved, going to heaven, He has given you a Bible. You’ve seen Him work in your life and others, and you know that He isn’t through working.
Selah! Or just pause and think on that!
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2019 7:10:44 GMT -6
“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” (Proverbs 13:24).
“Betimes” is a word that basically means, “as needed.” Now, no kid wants to feel the rod, but the Word surely tells us that they need it from time to time to direct them. There are a number of passages in the Book of Proverbs that deal with child training and child discipline. This verse is one of the best of the bunch. The rod in view here is the same as the shepherd’s rod of Psalm 23, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
The error most people make is they believe the rod is all about pain and punishment, but David wrote that they were for comfort, they help to establish boundaries in a young person’s life. Good, godly boundaries give a sense of security. A young boy in a fenced in yard has complete freedom to go anywhere and do anything within the bounds of that fence. He may live on a busy thoroughfare with cars speeding back and forth, but within those walls he need not fear what is taking place on the roadway.
One of the best tools a parent can use with his child is the shepherd’s rod, a half-inch or three-quarter inch dowel pin. As long as it is wielded in love, and not in baseless anger, God heartily approves and even commands it. Our purpose is to mold the clay, and not to break the spirit. There used to be an old poem which read, “You can get your lick with a hickory stick.”
The world has been conditioned to think that corporal punishment is abusive and hateful. Now, it can be, if punishment is administered in anger. When a parent is angry, it is easy to go overboard and do more damage than good. In those instances, criminal charges are to be expected. Parent, when you decide it is necessary to use corporal punishment, get away by yourself for a few moments and spend some time with God and calm down your emotions. Only when you know that you are under control should you proceed. Always pray first by yourself, and then with your child—and make sure that you both understand that it is for the good and not some act of brutality.
We need to love our children to the extent that we are willing to do whatever is necessary to do whatever we can to see that our children grow up to be respectful of authority and grow up on the right side of the law.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2019 6:55:21 GMT -6
“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands” (Proverbs 14:1 KJV).
Evil and good is contrasted in the Proverbs. Since Proverbs 10 it has been setting two things alongside—making contrast—that is what a proverb is.
“Every wise woman buildeth her house.” A wise woman uses her hands to build her house—hands of care, hands of compassion, hands of concern—doing good works, good deeds. When we get to Proverbs 31 we will study more about the virtuous woman, or the good woman. Of course, the Bible says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Ps 127:1). So, obviously, the wise woman builds her house upon the Lord.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Mat 7:24-25 KJV).
If you build your house on the rock (the rock speaks of Jesus), then when the storms of life assail your house and your character, it’ll stand, while He goes on to say, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Mat 7:26-27 KJV).
We are seeing in America the fall of household, after household, after household—simply because they are built worldly psychology, worldly thoughts and opinions—and they will not stand, cannot stand the test of time. When troubles come, there is no basis on which to defend against the storms of life. As a result, the house falls in ruin.
Of course, our bodies are a house. Many try to build them on worldly things, and the junk of this world, and the husks of this world, and those houses will fall on disrepair. One day that house will fall into a grave with no assurance of salvation, and no assurance of reward. Yes, even Christians, the Bible tells us, will “suffer loss.”
“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” She does that by evil works. In verse 11 we read, “The house of the wicked shall be overthrown.” That’s just the promise. You get the same thing in the contrast between the good man and the bad man in Psalm 1:1-6. A good woman does that also. She spends time in the Word of God, spends time with the children—teaching them the Bible and telling them Bible stories. The foolish woman is out there working trying to make extra money to buy curtains and meaningless knick-knacks, while her children are being raised by someone else. That’s just foolish!
In general, a woman ought to be at home, taking care of the home, be a keeper at home, and a keeper of the home, and she’ll build a house. There will be a house there, and a home there, and not just a structure. Thank God for those mothers that wait until her children are grown up before she seeks to work outside the home. She has a big enough job with her children. Don’t let a stranger raise them.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2019 6:13:02 GMT -6
“The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility” (Proverbs 15:33).
“The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,” this takes us right back up to verse 31, “The ear that heareth the reproof of life.” “The fear of the Lord,” what God will do if you don’t live right “is the instruction of wisdom.”
“. . . and before honour is humility.”
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).
The way up is not up, the way up is down. Go down, and God will bring you up. Before Christ was honored, He humbled Himself. Before we will be honored, we must humble ourselves.
Joseph was put in Potiphar’s prison, the three Hebrew children were cast into the furnace, Daniel was put in the den of lions. They were all humbled, and then they were exalted. They were humbled, they were made slaves, and then God honored them, and He exalted them.
“Before honor is humility.”
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:6-10).
Some people are more interested in reigning now, and being lifted up now, than they are of being humble. God is never going to honor you in any area of life for Him, whether it be the ministry or business, until you have been broken. God only uses people that He has broken, and He breaks our will in order to mold our will after His own will. That is the only way He can do it.
God is not interested in fixing used things, He is only interested in starting all over again with our will and our life. And that means to be broken and remade. It should be the prayer of our heart that, “God, I’ve made a mess out of it, now You take over!”
“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jeremiah 18:4).
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2019 6:45:33 GMT -6
“The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4).
This is one of the texts that the Calvinists just love. The Calvinist will say, “See there, God made the wicked so that could destroy them.” Well, if all we had for a Bible was Proverbs 16:4 then we would have to have to agree with the Calvinists, and we would probably all be Calvinists as well, but the problem is that there is a verse 6.
Verse 6 says, “by mercy and truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”
It is by mercy and truth, not by the predestination of God, man comes to the Gospel. By mercy and truth, if a man will fall upon the mercy of God and accept the truth: “He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21).
Calvinism isn’t the problem, the problem is: “That light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:19-20).
The solution is that if a man wants to do right and wants the truth, God will save him, and won’t destroy him.
“. . . and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil,” a man can escape the evil. He is not predestinated to the day of evil. If he ends up in the day of evil, that is because that is what he wanted, and God made him for it.
Now, there are some men in the Bible that God hardened and made them more evil in a sense by hardening them. But why? Because they rejected the truth. They did not want the truth. And they did not want anything to do with God or His mercy. Pharaoh was one of them. It wasn’t that God made him like that, it was Pharaoh’s own will, and because he willed in his heart not to obey God, God hardened his heart even more.
God did the same thing to Ahab. Ahab didn’t want the truth. Ahab didn’t want to do right. Ahab was not interested in God’s mercy or His truth, so in First Kings 22 God sent Ahab a lying spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets to deceive him to send him into the battle which would kill him. God made him for the evil day.
Again, why did God harden these men? Because they would not submit to God when God first began to deal with them. Later in verse 9 we will see that a “man’s heart deviseth his way.”
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