Family Business

(Proverbs 7:4 KJV)  Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

Are you comfortable with the teaching of the Bible?  I never had a “sister” (269).  My wife tells me that is why I don’t understand women but I am not sure I have met a man who does and many of them have sisters.  Let’s just say that I have a greater deficiency in understanding women.  Having a daughter has helped some. 

I have watched my children though.  My daughter is probably my son’s best “friend” (4129).  They have had their share of fights and knocked heads over the years but it has served to bring them closer, not drive them apart.  The word should be that way with us.  We may not be comfortable with something we read.  I certainly don’t like the concept of Hell and eternal damnation.  I struggle with it.  I try to understand it in a way that would not happen if it were just a casual acquaintance.  In the end it brings me the “understanding” (998) I need.

So?  Wrestle with truth and it will become you friend.  God does not want us on causal terms with Him or His teaching. 

Justice Is Not Soft

(Proverbs 6:31 KJV)  But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

Whatever happened to forgiveness?  Isn’t that supposed to be the standard for God’s people?  That is a good question and one that needs to be answered as we interact with society.  Jesus explains why it is important to forgive.

(Matthew 6:15 KJV)  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

That does not seem like it is optional yet as Paul tells us the role of government is to punish.

(Romans 13:4 KJV)  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

I think it points out what our attitude is to be in spite of the requirements of action.  Payment of debts is a requirement for stable society.  It is not an excuse for a personal vendetta.  We may punish criminals but not for vengeance.  Thus the death penalty is supported by scripture while we are told not to hate or mistreat our enemies.

So?  No one ever said life would be easy.  Our minds must be engaged as much as our souls. 

A la Sinatra or Solomon

(Proverbs 5:11 KJV)  And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

This expression of despair does not take place in a vacuum.  It is not the expected result of a long life.  It is what you can expect from an old person who has lived a long life void of wisdom and righteousness.  It is describing how you will feel when you look back at all the knowledge and guidance that was offered and ignored.  Often the directions given to us don’t make sense at the time but when we look back we can see the value.  By then it is too late.

One of the stereotypes of old people is that they are all organ recitals and woe.  We have heard about people stuck in nursing homes and left to mumble to themselves.  It happens.  I have seen them.  I always wonder if these are the people who dumped their kids in day care and never made it to the baseball game.  I wonder if they invested their life guided by wisdom or did it a la Sinatra, “I did it my way.”  There are others that have family around them and light up the room.

So?  You may have plenty of time and figure you don’t need to worry about it.  Wrong.  Now is the time to start whether you are closer to the end like me or just starting out. 

Some Choice

(Proverbs 4:27 KJV)  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

I often laugh when people tell me I have a choice.  You have been there.  Someone in authority asks you which do yo prefer.  Usually the alternatives are both bad.  My answer is, “You are asking me if I want to be shot or hung.”  That is bad enough when a change is forced on you at work but it is the seed of destruction when it chops away at our integrity or moral condition. 

One example might be staying in a motel with some kind of cable access.  You have 30 channels to choose from.  None of them are worth watching.  You tend to forget that you have the additional choice of reading a book.  The book might also keep you from watching something that would damage your sensitivity to spiritual things.

So?  In those cases we need to avoid the choices forced on us.  At work we might have no way that is good but in our culture we need to take the third route, the one that avoids “evil” (7451b).  Remember the promise,

(1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV)  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Got Enough Lip Gloss?

(Proverbs 3:9 KJV)  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

Why do we give tithes and offerings to God?  It certainly isn’t because He needs the money.  I would imagine the God who said, “Let there be light” could also say, “Let there be twenty dollar bills in sequential numbering and well used” and it would happen.  Yet we are called to “honor” (3513) Him in this way.

What does it mean to “honor” (3513)?  This is the same word used in regard to parents.

(Exodus 20:12 KJV)  Honour (3513) thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

As I looked at the definitions and their different uses a common theme was used in each:  To be heavy.  Make God heavy in your life.  Recognize that He is the great force and mass of your existence.  By giving we acknowledge that He is our first priority.

So?  I am always amazed at students who don’t have a pencil or pen but they have an endless supply of gum, lip gloss and lotion.  Are we doing the same thing as we claim to follow Jesus? 

Then

(Proverbs 2:9 KJV)  Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

So many of the promises of God are conditional.  We follow the guidelines, “then” (227) we get the results.  One of the traps for Christians is a glorification of grace and the omniscience of God to the point that our response and choices are really nice but not necessary.  Here we are talking about wisdom not salvation, but the principle and perversion of it are the same.

Could God just make us wise?  Yes.  Does He?  Not usually.  I am sure that there are people who have the gift of wisdom and catch on quicker than the rest of us but the gift without the fear is a questionable condition.  I am not sure it is possible.  Keep in mind that asking “Could God do _______,” does not mean that He will.  Possibility does not mean probability.  Probability does not mean predestined.

So?  Lean on grace.  Trust in grace.  While you do it, sharpen your skills through obedience and discipline.  It is an investment that will pay off. 

Righteous Justice

(Proverbs 1:3 KJV)  To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

As I compare the NASB and KJV I see one major difference in the translations.  Where the KJV has “justice” (6664) the NASB has “righteousness”.  What is strange to me is that the KJV usually translates this Hebrew word as “righteousness”.  Both translate it “justice”.  Go figure.  To us the two words have different meanings but it would seem that in God’s economy righteousness and justice are tied together. 

That would mean that both are tried to eternal truths.  The reason they are linked to wisdom is because you cannot have moral behavior or a just society without being tied to the values of God.

So?  Don’t cringe and think that Christians are trying to live by medieval, Western ideas that are out of date.  The nonsense that our culture is pushing is not new either.  Satan has been pushing the humanistic approach to personal and social behavior since the Garden of Eden.  Resist.  Learn.  Live in righteousness and justice.