Says Who

(Proverbs 30:1 KJV) The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

It would seem that Proverbs is not the entirely the work of Solomon. This is a minor point but it is an important reminder to us. Most people who believe think that Solomon was the author of Proverbs. For most of it, he was. But there are parts that he did not write. As the old Roy Rogers and Dale Evans song says, “How do I know? The Bible tells me so.” You will notice the same problem if you look at chapter 31.

If you did not know it before, know it now: Part of Proverbs was not written by Solomon. Why is this important? Much of what “the Bible says” it actually doesn’t say. Don’t take anyone’s word for it (including mine). Read it for yourself. Listen to sermons with your Bible and mind open. People died to bring you this book in understandable English. Make sure they did not die in vain. A recent book on this worth a read is:

Farris, Michael. From Tyndale to Madison. Nashville: B. & H. Publishers Group, 2007.

Repetition

As I look over posts I am reminded of how often we seem to have repetition of topics. I am sure that part of that, at least in posting, is a reflection of topics that I notice. We all have drums that we beat and harmonies that we like. I try not to harp on my pet themes, but am blind to my own foibles.

Another reason is that certain topics come up again and again. The Bible was put together to reflect what God wanted to say, not to achieve some literary idea of balance. If we see repeated reference to liars, it is because they offend God and He wants to remind us. If Proverbs talks a lot about wisdom, it is because we need to know about wisdom.

When you get to the letters of Paul, remember that the letters are written in response to issues and problems in the early church. Next time you start looking for a perfect church, remember that even Paul could not start one. If the early church had been perfect we would not have received much of the New Testament.

I trust the since the Holy Spirit was the real author of the Bible, it will say what I need to hear when I need to hear it. That is why a passage can come alive at a certain time in our lives. Have you had the experience of looking at a verse you underlined or a comment you wrote in the margin and wondered "Why?" At the time it was burning in you, now you are on another page. That is one of the glories of the word. It is alive and able to meet us where we are.

Read the word. Read the word. Read the word.

It Can Be Too Late

(Pro 29:1 KJV) He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

This verse is a two edged sword. The first edge teaches the patience of God. God is giving people multiplied chances to repent. We are not unable to listen to the things of God. Even if they will not admit it, people are aware of right and wrong. The unbeliever “hardeneth” (7185) his heart deliberately.

Pharaoh hardened his heart and then God continued to harden it. God seems to respond to the desire of our hearts in ways that we don’t expect.

Hebrews 6:4 speaks of the impossibility of renewing your faith. The key here is the idea of being "reproved" (8433b), not just a casual rejection of correction. The NASB adds the word “much”. “Reproof” (8433b) seems to have the idea of argument. I get the idea that this refers to a person who has been reasoned with for a period of time and refuses to listen or change.

Judgment will come “suddenly” (6621). The hardened man will be “broken” (7665).

The frightening part is when we are broken “without" (beyond NASB) (369) “remedy” (4832). This could be taken in the same way as Jesus’ answer to the question of how anyone can be saved if rich men are condemned. Several places the Bible says that God does not listen to the prayers of unbelievers. It is express different ways and in both Old and New Testaments. The warning is again that God does not play games. He is patient. He is merciful. But there will come a point where it will be too late to call upon that patience and mercy.

Holy Boldness

(Pro 28:1 KJV) The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Many live in a state of denial. Some are believers some are not. There are two types of people that exist. We must face it: “Wicked” (7563) people exist. It is unpopular to admit the existence of evil, but it is real. If your child has attended a public school he has been indoctrinated in the goodness of man. People are not evil, just misunderstood. The problems can all be solved if we can deal with the social issues involved, but sin is a concept for the superstitious people who believe in God. Too many people in the church agree with this.

Fear and suspicion are the foundation for the wicked. They “flee” (5127) when no one is “pursuing” (7291). What must it be like to live in fear all the time? This person is looking over their shoulder constantly. Someone once said, “You can’t cheat an honest man.” Or maybe it said it is hard to cheat him. The point is that honest people don’t comprise on business deals because they are willing to take unfair advantage. Take for instance the internet scams that have been going around. Someone claims they can get you a lot of money that you know you have no right to have. All it requires is some seed money on your part. The “victim” sends the money and that is the end of it. Their lack of honesty cost them.

But the emphasis of this verse is the person who is always looking over their shoulder. They are aware of all the laws they have violated. They know the lies they have told. They know the gossip they have spread. They live in constant fear that someone will find them out. What a way to live.

We also need to admit that the “righteous” (6662) exist. This is harder for some than admitting the existence of evil. This is a problem in the church. I have heard about our righteousness being as rags until I want to scream. Actually I believe it is “righteousnesses”.

(Isa 64:6 KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The quote refers to the games that we play not to the ability of God to do what He says He will do. Read the verse again. It assumes that the righteous exist. Don’t you want to be one of them? Or would you rather hide behind a theology that ignores what the Bible says?

Being “righteous” (6662) makes us “bold” (982). What could be more threatening than coming into the presence of the Most High God? One force overcomes the other. How about a physical example. On the surface of the earth we are traveling about 1,000 miles an hour because of the rotation of the planet. If you were on the end of a rope swinging this fast you would feel the centrifugal force trying to throw you into space. You feel nothing. Why? Because the attraction of the mass of the earth, gravity, cancels out the other force. We walk on the surface with boldness. God’s power allows us to walk with boldness amidst the forces of evil.

Don't Toot Your Own Horn

(Pro 27:2 KJV) Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

Everyone likes “praise” (1984b) when it is genuine, sincere and deserved. When we do it about ourselves it is translated “boasting.” We are not to toot our own horn.

This speaks a lot about how our lives should be lived. When is the last time someone spontaniously said something good about you? Think of all the quiet things we can do that may go unnoticed. My wife never seems to notice when I put dishes she has left on the counter in the dishwasher. My neighbors have never mentioned the times I have brought in their trash cans from the street. No one notices when I turn my stereo down so they won’t be bothered. God sees our actions and knows our motives. On occasion He will have someone give us a bit of encourgement. Live so that you deserve it.

A Good Word for Rods

(Pro 26:3 KJV) A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

I don’t think there is any significance in the three tools of control. It is not a hierarchy. That is not the point. I am not a horse person but I have read that horses can be trained in such a way that you don’t need a whip. That does not mean that some don’t. I have never heard of a donkey that would cooperate. Fools are all around us and don’t seem to respond to the subtle forms of leadership. The point is that many people in our population need force to control them.

In our modern thinking about equality, this does not sit well. We do not want to admit that “fools” (3864) exist. We do not want to admit that some people should be treated different simply because of who they are. I think the message is that fools need someone to control them and it can’t be done with finesse.

There is also a repeated Biblical standard that says physical punishment is acceptable. This does not mean abuse or torture, but it does mean inflicting unpleasant force. Perhaps if we had not abandoned this idea we would not see so much violence in our world.

Purging Your In Crowd

(Proverbs 25:5 KJV) Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

What could the parallel be for us to the court of a king? This is a concept that we are not familiar with. Royalty would hold court. It was one of their time consuming duties. It probably started when kingdoms were small enough for the king to handle much of the work done by judges and juries in our culture. Eventually it became a stylized activity. Picture a huge room with the king sitting on the fanciest of thrones. He is dressed up in all his formal attire. The entire room is full of ladies and gentlement who were courtiers. Their main function was to stand around and look good. Hidden under that was a seeking for favors from the king or trying to influence what he did.

Imagine if the president would spend half of his day sitting on a throne at one end of a huge room with all the cabinet, senators, lobbyists, foreign ambassadors and relatives mingling in front of him. They would do little but gossip and try to get the president's attention during this time. Some business would be done but most of it would be political maneuvering.

How does this relate to our everyday lives? We don’t have masses of people standing around trying to get our attention. At least I don’t.

But we all have areas in which we exert some influence. We have family, friends, co-workers. Some of these people would be classified as “wicked” (7563). We cannot always control that. We have family members that leave much to be desired. We attend churches that are full of the carnal and the pagan. Our choices in work environment are sometimes very limited.

How are we to “take away” (1898) the “wicked” (7563)?

If we want our “throne” (3678), which could be our family or church, to be “established” (3559), we need to take action.

At home this would start with how we raise our children. You can home school your children or at least be very involved in what happens in school. When they get older do we allow them to develop into sluggards or expect them to get out and get a job? Adult children should not be allowed to stay and home and live off their parents. You can avoid family gatherings that are not to the glory of God.

At church we tend to fall under the world's view of what a church should be like. The world quotes “Judge not...” and we go along. After all, it is in the Bible. Consider these words of Paul:

I Cornithians 5:9-11 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. (NASB)

These words are also in the Bible. This could be interpreted as cleaning the church roles, purging the church board, removing Sunday School teachers, and the list could go on. It gives a whole new meaning to “seeker friendly.”

At work it might mean changing jobs or asking for a transfer. If you are younger it might mean changing your career goals.

The list is only limited by our refusal to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and our desire to be established in “righteousness” (6664).