Proverbs 10:6-10 Thanks for the memories!

Blessings crown the head of the righteous,

    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.   

The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,

    but the name of the wicked will rot.   

The wise in heart accept commands,

    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.   

The man of integrity walks securely,

    but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.   

He who winks maliciously causes grief,

    and a chattering fool comes to ruin. (vs.6-10)

There is so much to think about in these five verses, but the second one, verse 7, especially speaks to me this morning. Those who are righteous leave a legacy of sweet memories. A dear co-worker, Cynthia, who joins us here every morning, lost her precious father last week after a long struggle with cancer. Cynthia was very close to her dad, and is finding comfort in her memories of special times with him. Her whole family was with him as he stepped into eternity. They knew he was immediately with Jesus, and so the pain was tempered with the assurance that they will see him again. Even though, like all parents, her father was not a perfect man, he left her with the blessing of sweet memories.

I did not know my paternal grandmother well. I rarely saw her growing up, and she died when I was 11 years old. However, she was such a godly woman, and my memories of her are of a very peaceful and sweet woman. She loved the LORD with all of her heart, and she faithfully prayed for her family members to come to Him. Memories (the few I have) of Grammy Frost are a blessing. She left a legacy of prayer that continues to bless our family today, down to her great, great-grandchildren.

I want my children and grandchildren to remember that I lived by faith, trusting God in all circumstances. That will only happen if I actually live that out before them! They need to see and hear me demonstrate my dependence upon God to meet my every need, to strengthen me when I’m weak. I have to allow Him to transform me from the inside out and I need to be authentic before them.

I’m watching my sister, Jodi, doing that right now. She recently found out that, after her second stem-cell infusion, her multiple myeloma is rearing its ugly head again. For the past two years, all of us who love her have been stunned, but amazed to watch her face and struggle through the sudden loss of her youngest son, Justin, while fighting cancer. She has been in and out of the hospital through two summers, constantly battling illness with her weakened immune system, all while trying to deal with overwhelming grief. Yet, Jodi has been strengthened internally. She has a peace and a joy that cannot be shaken. Even though she is down to her junior high school weight, she is a powerful witness to the faithfulness of God.

There is so much more in the other verses, but today I’m thinking about the blessing of a righteous life.  If you have a story to share about someone who is living out a righteous life before you right now or the memory of a lost one who left blessed memories for you, leave a comment for us. And, would you join me in praying for Cynthia and her family, especially her mother, Mary, as they adjust to life without Cynthia’s father? And would you please continue to pray for my dear sister and her precious husband, Ed? Pray for healing, strengthening, and protection for them. Please pray, specifically, that her body would continue to fight and win the victory over this enemy, cancer. To God be the glory!
 

Proverbs 10:1-5 Lots of "buts!"

In this chapter of Proverbs, Solomon begins to get very practical. Each saying at first glance seems like the strip you find in a fortune cookie - only these are inspired by God to lead us to a life lived out in wisdom. Each proverb stands alone, but there are repeated themes found among them. These are filled with “buts,” as Solomon uses contrasting images to compare the wise and foolish, the wealthy and poor, the industrious and the lazy, the righteous and the wicked.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I can already feel my warning alert going off in my head: “Don’t judge! Don’t judge!” The minute we read about “those” who are lazy or foolish, let’s make a pledge to hold the mirror up to ourselves first! Then let’s remember that we are who we are by the grace of God. Now, let’s dig in!

A wise son brings joy to his father,

    but a foolish son grief to his mother.  

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

    but righteousness delivers from death.  

The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry

    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.  

 Lazy hands make a man poor,

    but diligent hands bring wealth.  

 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,

    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. (Proverbs 10:1-5)

Jesus told us to seek first righteousness - not earthly treasures. Heavenly treasures are the only ones that last and satisfy. Throughout this chapter Solomon will show us what the righteous man looks like and how he is blessed by God. Now, remember that Paul assures us in Romans 3 that there are NONE righteous in God’s eyes. We are only declared righteous because of the work Christ did on the cross. Our righteousness comes through faith in Christ (Romans 3:22-24). So, when we look at these verses about the righteous in Proverbs, remember that these are those who are seeking their righteousness from God. These are the ones who submit themselves to His wisdom and His instruction and who wholly rely on Him for transformation.

Solomon will continually slam the lazy. In verse 5 he refers to those who sleep during the harvest as disgraceful sons. He’s not just speaking about literal crops here. Jon Courson reminds us that Jesus told us that the spiritual harvest is continual (John 4:35). There are people all around us who need to hear the good news about Jesus. A large part of our work as Christians is to tell them! Let’s not sleep during the harvest!

I don’t want to be counted among the lazy. I know no one would accuse me of being slothful if they could follow me around all day, but I’m talking about a hesitancy to be brave enough to reach out to those all around me who don’t know the LORD. Surely we should begin each day asking God to help us demonstrate the gospel in our lives, that we would reflect His character, His love, and His grace. { I can tell you that the kids in my classroom would appreciate seeing more of those traits in me!! } Then, we should ask for opportunities and the boldness to share!

In previewing the next few verses, I can tell you I’m especially excited about one of them! Check back tomorrow! In the meantime, as we go through these verses, I hope you will let me know what gems you find in the Proverbs!  

Proverbs 9:13-18 No place to party!

In contrast to Wisdom, Solomon describes the woman, Folly:

The woman Folly is loud;

    she is undisciplined and without knowledge.  
She sits at the door of her house,

    on a seat at the highest point of the city,  
calling out to those who pass by,

    who go straight on their way.  
“Let all who are simple come in here!”

    she says to those who lack judgment. (Proverbs 9:13-16)

At first glance it seems there is not much of a difference in their approaches. Folly’s invitation to come is identical to that of Wisdom. However, Solomon describes her as “loud.” She is vying for attention and she knows how to get it! So she turns up the volume! She is “undisciplined,” unlike Wisdom who has spent a great deal of time in preparing her house for company. Wisdom’s appeal is straightforward and direct:

 “Come, eat my food

    and drink the wine I have mixed. 
Leave your simple ways and you will live;

    walk in the way of understanding.” (vs. 5-6)

But Folly tempts with a promise of pleasurable adventure:

“Stolen water is sweet;

    food eaten in secret is delicious!” (vs. 17)

Call Folly for a good time! She knows how to party! Really? The biggest contrast between these two women is in the aftermath of their gatherings. Wisdom promises you will come away from your time with her enriched: 

For through me your days will be many,

    and years will be added to your life. (v.11)

However, no matter how much great food, no matter how much fun you have with Folly, you will end up with worse than a hangover:

But little do they know that the dead are there,

    that her guests are in the depths of the grave. (vs. 18)

Folly’s ways seem attractive to the fool, to those who want an easier path. No need for discipline. No need for study. No need for change. Keep on keepin’ on! But her party leads to death - “to the depths of the grave!”

People, Wisdom requires discipline. It is not easy to receive her instruction, her rebukes, and correction. But those who desire to be wise will listen to her invitation. Solomon has spent nearly a third of this book encouraging us to choose Wisdom over Folly. He has been exhorting us to pay attention to what is coming in the rest of this book. Are we ready to listen? Next week we will begin chapter 10 and find treasure! Can’t wait!  

Proverbs 9:1-12 No need to RSVP - just come!

Chapter 9 of Proverbs, Solomon’s final exhortation to gain wisdom, ends with two invitations: one from Wisdom and one from Folly. He paints the picture of Wisdom having prepared her home for guests, setting the table and calling out to all:

“Let all who are simple come in here!”

    she says to those who lack judgment. 
“Come, eat my food

    and drink the wine I have mixed.  
Leave your simple ways and you will live;

    walk in the way of understanding.” (Proverbs 9:4-6)

Notice that this is an invitation to those who know their weaknesses. The “capable and self-sufficient” need not come to this party! Wisdom invites the simple of the world - those of us who have failed to figure it out on our own but long to understand! Those who respond to correction, rebuking, and instruction are the ones who may eat at this banquet:

“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;

    whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. 
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;

    rebuke a wise man and he will love you. 
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;

    teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” (vbs. 7-9)

Jon Courson speaks of this chapter as an invitation to enroll in the college of wisdom. He warns those who think to enroll that they need to know that they will be required to take the course on criticism. He writes, “Author Norman Vincent Peale said that the trouble with us is that we would rather be destroyed by compliments than saved by criticism. Most people would rather hears compliments than the instruction and wisdom of criticism.” (Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Old Testament, Volume 2, P. 201)

This is a recurring theme in the Proverbs. Years ago I had been studying the Proverbs for a few weeks, and it seemed that every time I came to a verse that spoke to the need to be open to instruction, it was as if the LORD had highlighted those verses in my Bible. So, one day as I was speaking critically of someone to my husband (who normally would have been on board with my opinion), he turned to me and said, “Who are you to judge?” Wow! It was like a slap across the face! But, because I had been studying the Proverbs, I immediately knew that his words were not his own, but directly from the LORD. It was a rebuke from God, and I immediately admitted that Don’s words were true and deserved, so I apologized!

And what does Wisdom say about our heeding her rebukes?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  
For through me your days will be many,

    and years will be added to your life. 
If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
 
    if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.” (vs. 10-12) 

The college of Wisdom is a tough school! Reading God’s Word and looking at yourself through its lens is painful! But if we will look intently into the mirror it holds up to us, and will trust God to work in us and make those choices necessary to make the changes, we will be transformed more and more into His image. We will graduate with honors, hearing, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Sign me up!
  

Proverbs 8: Choose Wisdom!

Lately I haven’t been feeling like myself. Usually I’m very upbeat, energetic, and excited about life. My sisters think I’m somewhat of a Pollyanna! But this year has been one of the most difficult for me, and I find myself exhausted, physically and emotionally. On many mornings it has been a real struggle to sit myself down in front of the computer to get into and write about God’s Word. I haven’t really felt like it! Even though I treasure God’s Word, it has been a real battle with my will every morning. I’ve sometimes just gritted my teeth and said, “Okay, LORD, you know I don’t want to be here, so you are going to need to really help me this morning!”

I’m so thankful that God taught me early on in my walk with Him that I cannot go by my feelings, but only by the truth of His Word. My pastor reminded us this past Sunday, “The truest thing about you is what God says is true!” Regardless of how I’m feeling, God is ALWAYS with me and working on my behalf. When I’m feeling unlovable, His Word reminds me that He loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me, so that I could be with Him for eternity. His Word assures me that He is deeply involved in every aspect of my life - He even counts the very heads on my head.

So when voices are calling me away, when feelings distract me or overwhelm me, I need to pay particular attention to His voice, the voice of Wisdom, that Solomon promises is calling out to me:

“To you, O men, I call out;

    I raise my voice to all mankind.  
You who are simple, gain prudence;

    you who are foolish, gain understanding.  
Listen, for I have worthy things to say;

    I open my lips to speak what is right.  
My mouth speaks what is true... (Proverbs 8:4-7a)

Even simple people like me can gain understanding and wisdom, and be able to discern what is really true if we will just listen!

Choose my instruction instead of silver,

    knowledge rather than choice gold,  
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,

    and nothing you desire can compare with her... 
 With me are riches and honor,

    enduring wealth and prosperity.  
My fruit is better than fine gold;

    what I yield surpasses choice silver.  
I walk in the way of righteousness,

    along the paths of justice,  
bestowing wealth on those who love me

    and making their treasuries full. (vs. 10-11, 18-21)

There is a choice laid out before me every morning. I can choose to listen to my feelings and set aside God’s Word, or I can choose the only thing that will really satisfy me and encourage me, and I can dig into it’s riches. I want my treasury to be full to overflowing. And that’s the life that God promises me, if I will only choose it! It’s why I continue to meet Him in the morning - even when I don’t feel like it! Can you identify??
  

Proverbs 7 So what's with adultery?

Before we move into this next chapter of Proverbs, I just want to update you on my former student, Jacob. Good news! His latest PET scan was negative for the cancer, and he is officially in remission from the Hodgkin’s! He has been through so many rounds of chemo since September, so this is amazing news. He will begin radiation in a few weeks, and will hopefully be able to go back to his freshman year in high school before long! Please pray for continued protection and that his body would respond well to the radiation. Pray that he will feel strengthened and that he will feel the joy of the Lord! Pray that he will be able to now patiently wait as his body builds resistance so that he can return to school. Thanks for your faithful prayers!

Today we are reading through Proverbs 7. Again, Solomon warns the reader to hold on tight to God’s Wisdom - to make it your closest companion and sister - and to flee from the adulteress. He paints the picture of a senseless young man wandering through the neighborhood of this woman who was just waiting to tempt him. I’m going to look at Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase from The Message:

As I stood at the window of my house

    looking out through the shutters,

Watching the mindless crowd stroll by,

    I spotted a young man without any sense

Arriving at the corner of the street where she lived,

    then turning up the path to her house.

It was dusk, the evening coming on,

    the darkness thickening into night.

Just then, a woman met him—

    she’d been lying in wait for him, dressed to seduce him. (Proverbs 7:6-12) 


Why is Solomon spending so much time on the topic of adultery? Many of us would say that we can’t imagine that being a problem with us. Why can’t Solomon seem to move off of this subject? First of all, the minute we convince ourselves that some particular sin would NEVER be our problem, we have a problem! That kind of arrogant pride is the beginning of just such a fall! NONE of us is immune from any kind of temptation, and we must always be humbly on guard against Satan’s tricks! And adultery is the ultimate form of unfaithfulness. Anything that leads us from complete devotion to God is adultery in God’s eyes. Israel was constantly being compared to an adulteress by the prophets of the Old Testament for her unfaithfulness to God. Solomon had first-hand experience with it, so he knows what he’s talking about! 

In this particular passage, the adulteress is brazen when she meets the young man:

She threw her arms around him and kissed him,

    boldly took his arm and said,

“I’ve got all the makings for a feast—

    today I made my offerings, my vows are all paid,

So now I’ve come to find you,

    hoping to catch sight of your face—and here you are!

I’ve spread fresh, clean sheets on my bed,

    colorful imported linens.

My bed is aromatic with spices

    and exotic fragrances.

Come, let’s make love all night,

    spend the night in ecstatic lovemaking!

My husband’s not home; he’s away on business,

    and he won’t be back for a month.” (vs. 13-20)

Look at how she makes a pretense of religiosity! She has just come from making her offerings and has paid all her vows! But instead of sharing her spiritual life with her husband, she’s using it as a lure to this young man. It is a good warning to us that even in the midst of Christian fellowship we can find temptation! There’s a reason churches have women’s Bible studies separate from men’s. The intimacy that comes from sharing God’s Word and His work in our lives can be a place of temptation. The friendship that starts over a Bible study can lead to something more. Solomon’s advise? Don’t even get started in that kind of relationship! 

So, friends, listen to me,

    take these words of mine most seriously.

Don’t fool around with a woman like that;

    don’t even stroll through her neighborhood.

Countless victims come under her spell;

    she’s the death of many a poor man.

She runs a halfway house to hell,

    fits you out with a shroud and a coffin. (vs.24-27)

In the next study, we will see Wisdom again personified as a different kind of woman, the kind of company we should be keeping.  

Proverbs 6:16-19 God HATES that!

There are six things the Lord hates,

    seven that are detestable to him:
          haughty eyes,

        a lying tongue,

        hands that shed innocent blood,
        a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
        a false witness who pours out lies

        and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

One of the things that I notice as we read through the Proverbs is how easy it is to apply the verses to other people rather than to ourselves. Whether thinking about people who hoard or are lazy, don’t we tend to shake our heads as we think of “those” who do such things? We fall so quickly into judging others rather than seeing our own sin. So, as we read verses that begin with “There are six things the Lord hates...,” we are already primed to also hate these things and “those people” who do them - and we cannot imagine how these verses would apply to us personally!

I’ve been thinking about these verses since yesterday, and the Lord showed me a couple of amazing things while I was preparing to tackle them. First, I noticed that it does NOT start out “The Lord hates people who do these things...” It isn’t until the last lines that it becomes that personalized. The other verses are talking about detached body parts: eyes that are proud or haughty; tongues that lie; hands that kill; hearts that plot; and feet that run to evil. It isn’t until the end that it says God hates the person who lies and stirs up dissension.

 God is love, and it’s hard to think of Him hating anything! But these attitudes and actions come straight from the pit of hell. They come from the father of lies whose goal is to kill, steal, and destroy. Satan LOVES each of these things that God hates. And he uses even the most godly people to be instruments of these hateful actions. Remember Jesus rebuking Peter with a “Get the behind me, Satan!” when Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from going to the cross?

We may decry “those people” who are prideful, “those” who lie, gossip and discourage, “those” who manipulate to get their way, “those” who create dissension, but we have to admit that sometimes “they” is “us!” We can be unwittingly used by Satan, and then, sometimes, it’s almost as if we raise our hands and shout to Satan, “Send me! I’ll discourage the heck out of that guy!”

How do we avoid being part of what God hates? First by humbly admitting our need to depend on His strength, not our own - and then ASKING Him for that strength. The Bible reminds us over and over to guard our hearts. Jesus said that out of the HEART the mouth speaks. In Jeremiah we are told, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:5) The Holy Spirit is the One who can change our hearts. We need to offer them up for change, be open to change as we study God’s Word, and actively seek to DO what God’s Word tells us!

We might even begin with that whole judgmental attitude thing. Repent of it! Then extend GRACE to others. I read the most amazing article the other day which speaks to the idea that Christians eat their own! We can be so harsh and gleefully jump on those who have fallen. I’m begging you to also read this article. It defines GRACE acted out. The title is “Going to Hell With Ted Haggard.” Now, doesn’t that make you want to read it? Do it, then let me know what you think!