Sin Is Like Calories

(Proverbs 7:23 KJV)  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

You probably will get away with it.  A little lie may go undiscovered.  Lust can be hidden.  Cheating when it isn’t expected is rarely discovered.  Sin can be very private.  But sin is like that extra stop for a bag of chips on the way home.  Sin, like calories, will not be denied.

What we tend to push from our mind is that God will know.  As Christians that is one of our operating constraints.  We know that God will know.  Sin is never hidden forever. 

That is also one of the marks of a Christian culture.  We internalize morality because we know that God knows the heart.  In pagan cultures the only real sin is to get caught.  Look around you.  More and more our country is moving toward just a fear of getting caught.

So?  We are called to be salt.  We are called to conform to the inner law of God that has been written in our hearts.  We are called to be different.  Will it guarantee revival in our nation?  No.  But revival won’t come without it. 

The Irate Husband

(Proverbs 6:35 KJV)  He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

We are sinners.  That is a given.

(Romans 3:23 KJV)  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

This verse is talking about how we can wrong people and they may refuse to forgive or even accept compensation.  Often people will not forgive us because they don’t know if we are sincere.  It is hard to forgive a compulsive liar when they lie to you.

God will forgive.  He knows if we are sincere.  The catch is that you cannot buy God off.  God does not do “ransom” (3724a).  There is a similarity in the rage of God against our sin and the anger of a man wronged in adultery.  Like the husband, God cannot be bought off.

Unlike the husband, God loves us enough to provide a way out.  When Jesus died on the cross He paid a price with his blood that pays the price for our sin.  We can trust in His death for our salvation and be forgiven.

God can do this because He can see our heart and know if we are sincere.

So?  If you have already “plead the blood,” rejoice.  If you have not then picture an irate husband out there looking for you.  And he knows where you live.

Do As I Do. Do As I Say

(Proverbs 5:2 KJV)  That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

Today I read this verse more in its context than before.  That made me “regard” (observe NASB) (8104) it in a different light.  It is very easy in Proverbs to get in the habit of thinking every verse stands alone.  Solomon has just finished telling his son to pay attention and listen to what he is sharing.  This word is to reinforce that listening by calling on his son to watch.

On one side that is a reminder that we can benefit by watching others who demonstrate godly wisdom.  See how they respond.  Try to understand how they prepare themselves.  It might help also if we would read biographies of people who have walked the walk.  Jesus modeled this as He washed the feet of the disciples.

(John 13:15 KJV)  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

On the other side this is a call for us to live as examples.  After we have given our admonitions it is time for us to live it.  Some people who are quiet will skip the lectures and go straight to the daily demonstration.  Paul had no inhibitions about stating this.

(Philippians 3:17 KJV)  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

So?  Watch others.  Live like others are watching you.  Few of us are forest rangers living in a tower in the middle of the forest watching for fires. 

There Was a Crooked Man Who Had a Crooked Tongue...

(Proverbs 4:24 KJV)  Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

I start my study each day in the NASB.  When I checked the KJV I saw that “deceitful” (6143) was translated with “froward” (6143).  I just happened to check my Hebrew tools and it said this word was only used twice in the Old Testament.  That didn’t seem right so I looked a little deeper.  It turns out that there are several words translated “froward.”  Some are related, some are not but they all go back in one way or another to “twisted” or “crooked.”

The target of this verse is honesty in speech.  It does not use the word “lie.”  It uses the idea of being crooked as a synonym.  We can be so clever in how we speak that we can claim we have not lied but we have so twisted the use of the language that we have deliberately deceived.  This is not acceptable in the eyes of God.

So?  Be known as one who speaks directly and with clarity.  It may make people uncomfortable   It may get you in trouble.  It also may help you get into heaven.

Happy or Blessed?

(Proverbs 3:13 KJV)  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

The vocabulary of the KJV is always good for a wake up.  The KJV has “happy” (835) while the NASB has “blessed.”  In usage across the Bible both translations use both terms interchangeably.  I don’t think most of us do that.  For me, happy is a feeling, a state of mind.  Blessed is an actual condition.  I can be one without the other. 

I often use the term “happy fool” to designate young people who are irresponsible and immature but not mean spirited.  I don’t think I would ever call anyone a “blessed fool.” 

Wisdom will bless us.  It might even make us happy.  On the other hand the “understanding” (8394) that comes from wise insight might be troubling.

So?  I would rather know than live in ignorance.  I consider that a blessing. 

The Ear Bone Connected to the Heart Bone...

(Proverbs 2:2 KJV)  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Notice what seems to be a two step process for growing in wisdom.  It involves an ear that pays attention and a heart that implements.  We must listen and take in.  Part of that would be screening your sources.  It might be better to listen to an Alistair Begg sermon than a Comedy Central download, at least if you are after wisdom.  Part is dealing with what you have gathered.  Think.  Meditate.  Pray.  Discuss.  Above all, desire to understand.

Both are required.  If you don’t gather knowledge you don’t have a foundation or standards.  Picture trying to make a recipe if you didn’t have any knowledge of spices.  You then must do something with the knowledge you have gathered.  Omelets don’t make themselves you know.

So?  We have a tendency to get into neutral or on the wrong path.  Check your what and why for the day and make the necessary adjustments. 

Simply Cynical

(Proverbs 1:22 KJV)  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

The KJV uses the same root, simple, for the “naive” (6612a) and “simplicity” (6612b) of the NASB.  The difference in the Hebrew is that one is a noun and the other an adjective.  The Hebrew word for “simplicity” (6612b) must have a different meaning than the one the Richard Foster uses when he praises it in his book on simplicity. 

The concern is about people who always accept things at the surface level.  The simple person never looks beyond the superficial presentation.  We have had presidents who were this way.  They lacked discernment into human character.  It is not just for the lowly.  This is what Jesus was trying to get across.

(Matthew 10:16 KJV)  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

A bit of cynicism can be healthy when it comes to questioning what goes on in our world.  In reality it is being realistic even when people call you negative.

So?  All is not sweetness and light.  Sin is rampant.  We need to be alert, mature and discerning.  If we, God’s servants, are not alert, who will be?