Skip the Bananas

(Psa 118:6 KJV)  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

(Proverbs 24 also read)

The answer to the question is, “Quite a lot.”  That is not the point.  Of course we can be robbed, oppressed and persecuted.  Every time I miss a green light or come to a detour I feel like someone has it in for me.  What the Psalmist is saying is look beyond the immediate.

I know I can have problems.  I also know that God will provide a way out.  I know that there is a bigger picture that I may not see.  It is like going to an art museum to see a famous painting and being forced to look at some kind of modern art like a banana taped to the wall as you walk to the exhibit down the hall.  It may be that not making that green light will keep you from being crushed by an eighteen wheeler that will capsize down the road.

So?  Live in trust and expectation.  God has your back.  And, of course, your front and sides also. 

He Has Your Back

Psalm 63:7 (KJV) Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

Another place talks about sheltering under God’s wings.  This is a bit of a different picture, at least for me today.

When I read this I asked myself when we would be under this shadow and came up with the idea of a young bird out learning the ropes and having the adult flying above.  The purpose would be to shelter me from an attack in that direction.  As a novice I might forget to check that direction.  I would be a sitting duck.  The parent protects the young from the foolishness of immaturity.

In the same way we can count on God to be taking care of the things that would not even occur to us.  What would those things be?  If I knew I might not need the shelter.

So?  Develop awareness but while you are working on it trust that the Lord is hovering in the areas that you are not even sensing.  

Being Middle Class

Proverbs 30:8 (KJV) Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Historically there have always been two classes that dominated civilizations.  You had the top, what we might call the one percent.  They had wealth and luxury that was obscene.  At the other end you had the unwashed masses.  Most of these were either slaves or peasants with the rights of a slave.  There was little in between.

Solomon is calling to be a part of the middle class.  This is a bit amusing coming from him.  It was rather expensive taking care of all those wives and concubines but his heart was in the right place, at least when he wrote this.

The point for us is that the concept of a middle class is spiritually strong.  Christian civilization has developed the idea that it is possible to live with enough food and shelter to be comfortable.  Of course there is also the idea of hard work but the ideal is to be someone who can stand on their own two feet.

So?  Are you middle class?  Rejoice.  You are just where Solomon wishes he could have been.  

Walls Are Good

Proverbs 25:28 (KJV) He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

In politics we have a lot of chatter about walls and borders.  People who live in gated communities seem to think that walls are a bad thing.  That one I can’t figure out except that there are many people who can’t put two clearly related facts together if it goes against what they believe.  Witness the divisions in theology.

Here walls are a good thing.  I think that the description is not of a city that is dysfunctional, just a city that has it first line of protection removed.  In the same way we may be able to live a normal life in many ways but not have the protection of God around us.  We might get along well until the barbarians arrive. 

So?  Make sure that the spiritual and moral walls are solid around you and yours.  It will keep much destruction at arms length and give time to call out the guard.  

Odd in Adversity

Psalm 112:7 (KJV) He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

Here the author is talking about the righteous man. There is a lot that goes before this verse but this seems appropriate for today. We are deluged with information and opinions that spell doom and gloom. We wonder where the economy is going and if the fiber of our society is totally frayed and unraveling. These are real concerns and we need to live with our eyes open, but…

As we fear the Lord, that tamps down the fear of other things. Does this verse promise that evil tidings will never come? No. It tells us how we are to respond. Raise your eyebrows when you hear things. Lock your doors. Buy some extra toilet paper if that is a need. Take the evil tidings as information to consider as you plan your day but not a reason to panic.

So? There are repeated statements about how God will care for His people. What we overlook is that His people is not a general statement for the majority but a promise for the remnant. Make sure you are one of the faithful and trust in His word.

Accept It

Psalm 75:7 (KJV) But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

(Proverbs 23 also read)

Not being a Hebrew scholar I wonder if there is something I am missing when it says “God is the judge.”  I say that because when I look at my software it tells me that “judge” is a verb.  My translation then would say, “God judges”.  It doesn’t really make any difference to me but is more accurate.

When people quote “judge not” they usually mean it in the negative sense but you will notice that here it can go either way.  Think of it as God making decisions that need to be made.  We must also make decisions.  Hopefully we make them on the same basis as God.

What are God’s criteria?  Some we can know.  His promises of blessing are confined to the faithful.  His condemnation is reserved for those who are rebellious or even just agnostic in their obedience.  There are also depths that we cannot plumb.  Just ask Job about that.

So?  God judges but He is faithful.  That should give us confidence as we face the coming day. 

Two Escapes

Psalm 59:2 (KJV) Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

David is obviously concerned about people who are out to get his head.  He calls upon the Lord to save him.  What was interesting to me was not that he called upon the Lord, but that there seem to be two avenues that he was suggesting.  The first one is the one that we might tend to want to see, especially in times like today.  The second is when he calls upon God to destroy his enemies. That comes later in the chapter.  Not so here.

Here he’s calling for deliverance.  That takes different forms.  One is to help him to escape, just to get away, to get out of their reach.  The other is to simply batten down the hatches and keep him safe where he is.

So?  God has His eye on us.  There are times when He will simply beat down those who attack us.  There are times when He will lead us beside the still waters.  There are also times when He will simply be the fortress that keeps us safe in the midst of it all.  Keep trusting.  

More Angels

Psalm 34:7 (KJV) The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

(Proverbs 27 also read)

I’ve been aware of angels and how they are sometimes sent to guard over us.

Psalm 91:11 (KJV) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

This is also quoted in Luke. This verse seems even stronger than that.

I like the idea. This verse has them setting up a camp around us.  How good is that?

So?  Rejoice in God’s Providence.  

Unvexed Bones

Psalm 6:2 (KJV) Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

(Proverbs 4 also read)

I sat this morning crying out to God.  What is the problem?  That’s a good question.  And the answer is that I seem to have vexed my bones or you might say I have bones that are vexed.  I’m not sure what that meant in the original, but I like the word image.

Many times the real problem is not that He has turned against us or that things are hopeless.  It’s simply a matter of our bones getting vexed. where is often an attitude problem which is seated somewhere in our mind or our soul and keeps us from the joy of the Lord.

That’s me this morning.  That’s happened so often God just kind of slapped me up side the head and said, “Get on with it boy.”

So?  I am going to get on with it.  I’m going to remind myself that God is still on the throne and that my minor inconvenience is exactly that.  A glorious stairway to me if I will just open my eyes, set my pity pot aside and move forward with confidence.  

Right Face

Proverbs 29:26 (KJV) Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.

One of the disadvantages of living in a republic, and believing that we have freedom of speech is that we tend to express our concerns to the government and think they’re going to do something about it.  That works more here than it does say in Soviet Russia, but it doesn’t work the way we want it to.

I wouldn’t say don’t keep trying to go through channels, but I would say, as this verse seems to say, is that the justice that we want in the form of proper judgment is ultimately going to come from God and not from our local officials.  They may be the ones who will actually sign the papers, but it will be God demanding the signature.

So?  Seek what God wants.  Share with him your concerns. Do what you can on a human level. Ultimately trust him.  

Unexpected

Psalms 46:6 (KJV) The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

(Proverbs 24 also read)

One of the bits of advice that we get at different times is, “Be careful what you ask for.”  We see a little bit of that in this verse.  The author or his nation are being threatened by evil people.  He wants to be delivered.  That’s mainly what he wants, to be delivered.  When God responds, he doesn’t answer the need the way the victim feels is necessary.  He tends to go at times what we would consider overboard.  It would’ve been enough if he had made the armies of the enemy fall on their face.  Instead, God melts the Earth . We kind of get the result we want, but with much more power than we had planned on.

Make allowance for figurative language.  Make allowance for poetic expression.  Make whatever adjustments you want to make to bring this down to where you can understand it.  God moves.  God has the ability to do whatever it takes to get His will.

So?  Make sure that you are on God’s side.  He’s not going to melt the Earth just because you’re having a bad day, but He might do things you don’t expect to bring about His will.  

A Good Reminder

Proverbs 1:33 (KJV) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

When I read promises like this, I find that it is a stabilizing reminder.  We need to be constantly reminded that God is watching over us, and that we are in His hand.

At the same time I tend to look at these as general assurances of protection, not specific guarantees that my 401(k) will not be devalued.  Security.  Safety.  Prosperity.  The repulsion of evil from our lives.  And since these are relative concepts, I can remember the time when I was down to being a month behind on my rent and nothing but a can of soup on the shelf.  I would not exactly consider that a time of celebration, but God saw me through.

So?  Trust.  Continue to live in joy.  God has our back.  He also has your front and sides and above us and below us.  Things are crazy in our world.  Things are calm in the heart of God.  

Say Cheese

Proverbs 31:25 (KJV) Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

When you hear the news does it drive you to despair?  When you think of your children or grandchildren and what’s ahead of them, do you spend a lot of time in worry?  Will you have enough for retirement?  Will the tires last another six months?  Life is so full of things to worry about.

I sympathize.  I do my share of worrying.  I tell myself I shouldn’t, but I do it anyway.  What alleviates the concern ,though, is my trust in Almighty God.  I love the term Providence. It reminds me that God is in charge and it helps me to look back and focus on all the blessings that encompass my life.

So?  With that in mind, I can look to the future and I can rejoice.  Trust God.  Live with enthusiasm.  Rejoice.  

Cultural Erosion

Psalms 9:5 (KJV) Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

(Proverbs 5 also read)

When I first read this, I started thinking about the pyramids of Egypt, the gates of Babylon, the aqueducts of Rome, and I wondered how this was applied.  Then I did what we should always do when I read things in the Bible, I started thinking about the context.

If you go back to the beginning of this Psalm, you’ll find that it’s written by David.  If you know much about David’s history he was constantly fighting wars against the “nations” around him.  I would literally guess that most of them you have never heard of outside the Bible.  Even in the Bible, when you read the names on a list of enemies of God, you ask yourself, “Who is that?”  How many are names for cities we have no historical reference for outside of the Bible?  The list is long.  If you think about it and do any reading, you’ll even find that mention of David is just about nonexistent outside the Bible.

So?  Yes, these nations have been forgotten.  Some may be dug up because the Bible references and we may learn something about them but for all intents and purposes they are gone.  God’s promises, and his threats, are very real.  Keep that in mind today as you decide what your priorities are.  

Defensive Strategies

Psalms 140:5 (KJV) The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.

(Proverbs 26 also read)

How does God protect us from those who mean us evil?  Think of the words of the 23rd Psalm, “but deliver us from evil”.  There it could be interpreted as the evil one.  Either way, we are surrounded by forces that would drag us down.  Some are just the natural results of a creation that has been polluted by sin, and others are simply demonic.

Here we have a couple of suggestions.  It doesn’t come through very well in the KJV, but there are a couple of thoughts here.  First of all the idea that maybe God can guide us down paths where they won’t be waiting for us.  Very possible.  The weak spot in this is our reluctance to listen and pay attention.  Just think of all the problems we could miss with a little bit more wisdom in our decisions.

Another idea here is that God would somehow shield us from their traps.  That is the word “gins” in the KJV.  In the old English “gins” meant engines or elaborate schemes.  Maybe you could think of it as God transforming us into greased pigs.  I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that activity where a bunch of kids will chase a greased pig.  Greasy pigs are very hard to get a hold of.  So are people that are covered by the blanket of the Holy Spirit.

So?  David’s prayer should be yours, that God would shelter you and shield you from all of the evil gins of Satan and his minions.  

Suspended Curse

Proverbs 17:13 (KJV) Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

As I read this verse this morning, it started my mind down the rabbit trail of divided homes.  I think we all know situations were either the husband or the wife is a believer, and the other isn’t.  Sometimes that works relatively harmoniously, but occasionally you get a situation where a husband will be openly antagonistic towards his believing wife.  I think of one couple that we knew years ago where he absolutely forbid her even to go to church.  She chose to submit his authority.

How does this work out when you have this kind of conflict going on in a home?  Will evil predominate?  My thought went to another scripture,

1 Corinthians 7:14 (KJV) For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

So? Somehow, and ways that I don’t often see, God has promised to have His hand on the family that has a believer in it. 

On a High

Proverbs 18:10 (KJV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

This is a beautiful, poetic verse.  It throws a canopy of warmth and security over my mind and my soul.  But as I contemplate on it, I ask myself just what does this mean?  How can a name make me safe?

First of all, consider, the name of the Lord. There are three different names that come to me across the length of the Bible.

Yahweh, used here meaning I Am
Emmanuel, meaning God with us
Jesus, meaning Savior

Put that together, and we are running into an awareness and a reminder that the God who is has come to be with us, and to save us.

And then take that word safe.  Many translations, make that “uplift”.  The word has a root meaning of high, being lifted high.  So when we come to the name of the Lord and contemplate who He is, and what His name promises, it lifts us high and gives us a different perspective on the world around us.

So?  Perspective is very important.  If you’re in the middle of a maze, it’s hard to know which way to turn.  If you are above the maze, you can trace out the proper direction without even moving and if you have both perspectives you can safely weave your way through . Life is a maze.  God is a high tower.  He will give us the direction we need. 

Herding Cats

(Luk 2:4 KJV)  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

(Proverbs 24 also read)

I would imagine that this was very inconvenient for Mary and Joseph, but it was necessary.  The Messianic prophecies said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  David and Mary were living in Nazareth.  The demands of God imposed on their life.  They may not have understood but they obeyed.

Have you ever had the experience of being inconvenienced by something God demanded of you?  You may have later found out why.  You may never know until after the resurrection but then it will be a question of whether you remember to ask.

So?  God does not make life difficult just to see us squirm.  He has a reason and keep in mind how many cats He has to herd to get where we are going. 

Break the Eggs

Psalms 88:14 (KJV) LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?

(Proverbs 19 also read)

This might qualify as the most depressing passage of scripture in the entire Bible. The author is going through great difficulty.  He is suffering.  He feels totally abandoned.  He calls upon God again and again.

Is God listening?  I think he asked that question earlier.  Is God going to answer?  To be honest, I don’t think so.  I see in this entire Psalm there is one thing that is missing.  There is one ingredient that does not show up.  He mentions God’s love and kindness.  He mentions great things about God, but he leaves out the key ingredient.

Have you heard the proverb that you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.  I think we could apply that here and say that you can’t expect answers to prayer without repentance.  Maybe I’m being too harsh.  I see this in the number of the Psalms.  The writers cry out to God, as if it’s a problem with God.  At the same time, they never admit sin in their own lives.

So?  There are several places where the Bible points out God does not answer the prayer of sinners, the unrepentant.  We’re not saying that you have to get all your act gather.  I’m not claiming that you have to be perfect.  What I am saying is that God is expecting you with confession of sin, and an attitude of repentance.

Why Not?

(Mat 3:9 KJV)  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

(Proverbs 8 also read)

Jesus himself says God the Father can do things which makes no sense to us.  I mean you could make creatures and call them children of Abraham, but you would also need to have a family tree.  They would need to be traced all the way back to Abraham to look genuine.

God could do this.  Jesus says so.  A question that occurred to me as I was thinking about the power of God, and how He worked in history was, “Why didn’t He?”

Think of all the things that God could have done just by proclamation.  Did Jesus really have to put up with the thick skulls of the disciples as He tried to pound His truth into their heads and hearts?  Did Israel really need to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years?  For that matter, did He really need to create the world in seven days?  Why not one day?  Why not instantaneously?

It seems to me that God works through processes.  He called Abraham.  Eventually He established the covenant.  He could have done that from the beginning.  He didn’t.  And the whole purpose of calling Abraham was to create the people that would give the historical background needed with the coming of the perfect Lamb of God.

So?  We tend to think that God is going to work overnight miracles.  He has.  People will testify to it, and we have a record of it.  But He tends to work more in a long process of development.  Note that the higher animals such as human beings take years and years to develop.  A turtle can break out of its shell and head for the sea immediately.  It takes a baby weeks to realize that that thing waving front of his face is his hand.  Be patient.  Let God do it his way.