You Don’t Need Their Help

(Proverbs 10:29 KJV)  The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Who are these “workers (6466) of iniquity (205)”?  I did a search for the exact phrase and came up with five hits.  The one that gave me the most context for insight was in Isaiah,

(Isaiah 31:2 KJV)  Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.

The “He” of this verse is God.  The leaders of Israel have appealed to Egypt to bail them out of a crisis instead of trusting and obeying the Lord.  In His wisdom, God is going to “bring evil” and it will be targeted not only toward the deviant leaders of Israel but towards those help.  The helpers, Egypt, are the “workers of iniquity.

We will always be able to find people who will help us rebel against God.  In the church we have had leaders who are concerned about being acceptable to the world.  They claim that their desire is to remove barriers that might keep people away from Jesus.  In reality they are covering up who Jesus is.  Jesus wants disciples, not seekers of the latest cool.

So?  Look inward for the values that shape us.  The latest polls and the opinions of social workers may be of interest but they are more entertainment than health food. 

Two for the Price of One

(Proverbs 22:15 KJV)  Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

This is a twofer verse.  You get to reject two common beliefs of our pagan culture in one swoop.  That is to be expected when you read and apply the Bible.  What God has to say causes a real jarring of teeth in the secular world.  First the Bible teaches that children are foolish.  Second it teaches that physical punishment is not evil.  That is enough to send the trend setters of our world screaming down the aisle. 

Unfortunately it also causes many in the church to start looking for excuses.  Too many who attend church on a regular basis live in a world that rejects what the church should be teaching.  It is much easier to adjust our beliefs to the expectations of our neighbors than to be salt.  Most are familiar with this verse. 

(Romans 12:2 KJV)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

J.B. Philips has a paraphrase of the New Testament.  I generally avoid paraphrases but he wrapped this one around my head in such a way that I keep coming back to it.  This is from memory but I remember his putting it,

“Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”

So?  We are being squeezed.  We are being pushed and pulled.  We need to be alert to the pressure and refuse to compromise. 

Wave Offerings

(Proverbs 7:17 KJV)  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

This verse is about making sin and rebellion acceptable.  There is a bit of hypocrisy that is hidden in the Hebrew.  It may have been obvious to people of that day.  The word for “sprinkled” (5130) is the word for the waving motion used by the priest in certain types of sacrifices in the temple.  You may have heard the term “wave offering.”  This is the “wave” in “wave offering.” 

The couple referred to in this passage are acting like they have sanctified their sin by going through some ritual.  Often we see people doing this.  We make all kinds of excuses for our sin.  At one point we fool ourselves by saying things like, “God will understand.”  At another we tell ourselves, “God would never expect that of me.”  Sometimes we go social and say things like, “It’s for the children.”  How many crimes have been committed “for the children.”  How many sins have been committed by people who think God is blind or stupid?

So?  Many of your actions are in your control.  You choose to sin or not.  Be reminded what the words of the Christmas Carol say, “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.”  You may have slept through the sermon but remember that God wrote the book. 

A Sinful Diversity

(Proverbs 20:10 KJV)  Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.

Although this appeared a concrete, literal example, I couldn’t help but feel that the condemnation of “divers" (differing NASB) (68/374) has some figurative applications also.  Then I notice that the Hebrew does not clearly have this word.  What goes on here?  If you have a reference Bible, look at the marginal notes.  In the Hebrew this is literally “a stone and a stone”.

Ancient grocery stores weighed their organic veggies with a balance type scale.  You would put what you were buying on one side and add weights on the other to find out how much you were getting.  This would determine the price.  Some dishonest merchants had different sets of weights.  One might be honest.  One might be for buying.  One might be for selling.  Some merchants would use whichever gave them the most profit and would cheat the customer.

This is a statement about business ethics.  The basic idea is to give fair value.  Failure to do so is “abominable” (8441).  It is interesting the list of things that are abominable to the Lord.

So?  You aren’t a green grocer?  I guess the question is, “Do you give fair value in your life?”  Followers of Jesus are called to walk to a righteous path.  Cheating is not righteous, it is sinful.  Glorify God, even when you don’t think you will get caught.

Offering, a Bribe?

(Proverbs 29:4 KJV)  The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

When I first went through Proverbs, our nation has just allowed congress to bail out the large banks of the country.  If you follow the money you can see easily that this is a clear case of “bribes” (8641) given to corrupt politicians, representing the “king” (4428), and corrupt business leaders.  All they can see is the short term increase in their wealth and power.  If they see the damage they are doing to the country and liberty, they don’t care.  They think their position will shield them from the consequences.  They are probably right.

We are not politicians, or at least I assume none of us are.  None of us in one swoop can damage the entire country by one action.  Yet, this is a Biblical truth and applies to us.  How?  Any time we allow personal gain to harm others we are part of this problem.  It comes down to the word “bribes”  (8641), KJV has “gifts.”  I assumed this was the word that is used interchangeably with “gifts”.  I could not have been more wrong.  This is actually the word for offerings.  In the definition it specifically says “for sacred uses.”  Let me quote a familiar verse:

(Malachi 3:8 KJV) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Our word here is “offerings.”  This is saying to us that any time we misuse what we should be giving to God, we are damaging the “stability of the land.”

We contribute in our own little ways.  Each decision effects us and a few others.  When enough people compromise then you have what the nuclear scientists would call “critical mass.”  In physics you have an explosion.  In society you have genuine harm.  If the critical mass reaches the right level you have God moving to chastise a nation.

So?  Are you faithful in your giving to God?  Some people freak-out at the concept of tithing.  In the Bible, the tithe is the beginning platform, not the ultimate goal.  What about your spiritual gifts?  Are you using them for the glory of God?  For many of us the issue is bigger than money.  Think, pray, meditate, act.