Passive or Active

(Pro 7:27 LB)  If you want to find the road to hell, look for her house.

The Living Bible stood out to me this morning.  It always amazes me how casually some people take the concept of Hell.  What is even more unsettling is that some seem to be actively seeking it.  That is what this verse is about.

For some reason I was thinking about Hell a few days ago.  I think I was on the topic of literal versus figurative and the conflicting images of a lake of fire and a dark place came to me.  One of my theories is that God’s curses are passive, not necessarily active.  That means that we face tragedy when He withdraws His protection.  Think about the disasters that might have struck your life if you guardian angel was off on vacation.

So?  Even if the pictures are figuratively, Hell is a place of great misery because the presence of God has been withdrawn.  Mark it as a place to avoid. 

Choices

(Pro 6:25 KJV)  Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

We have all kinds of sayings that are designed to get this point across.   Two that come to mind are “beauty is only skin deep” and “don’t judge a book by its cover”.  This is another one of those truths that we know in our heads but don’t want to believe in our hearts.  We need to transfer the knowledge to our hearts.

We are so easy to deceive.  From spouses to breakfast cereal we are convinced that we have to have certain brands and packaging.  It has been pointed out that the marketing of pet foods is to please the human not the beast.  Part of the problem is awareness.  Part of that problem is not wanting to know.  

So?  Understand that reading the nutritional labels of life has consequences in the body fat of eternity.  It is a decision that only you can make for you. 

Not Agape

(Pro 5:19 KJV)  Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

If you read through Proverbs on a monthly basis you come across this reminder regularly.  We need to keep in mind that God invented human sexuality.  We could have reproduced in many ways.  All you need to do to see the variety is take a class in zoology or even botany.  Picture getting pregnant because a bee landed on you.  God had more in mind for us.

Don’t you like the idea of being “ravished” (exhilarated NASB) (7686)?  My marginal readings say it literally means intoxicated.  It is more subtle than that.  The root of the word is to wander.  It means that you are so excited about each other that you forget where you are or where you are going.

So?  This is not agape love.  It is eros, as in erotic.  It was God’s idea and like all of God’s ideas there is a time and a place.  In this case within marriage.  Enjoy.  That is the word from God, not me. 

Make It Complete

(Pro 4:20 KJV)  My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

I have been listening to some apologists on the internet.  For the most part they are a needed voice.  Each is different and has a different approach but they serve a purpose.  One point that I keep hearing is that we are saved by grace, not works.  That is true.  It is also incomplete.  All through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation you also have an emphasis like you find in this verse.  It is important that we make choices that take us in the right direction.  

God did not send Jesus to earth so He could send more people to Hell.  He also did not send Him to encourage perverted living.  God sent Jesus to pay the price.  We are called to respond in faith but also in obedience.  

So?  Pay attention.  Don’t rest on your laurels or the laurels of Jesus.  Trust but act.  The key point is not what role obedience plays but that you be obedient. 

Not So Obvious

(Pro 3:29 KJV)  Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

It would seem to me that some things are so obvious that they don’t need to be said.  This is one of them.  Who, if they are concerned enough to read the Bible, would go out and look for ways to “devise evil against” (harm NASB) (7463a) a neighbor?  And yet here it is.

Think of other things that we accept as obvious.  Think of the Ten Commandments.  Think of the Golden Rule.  What we forget is that they are obvious because our culture has accepted these Biblical standards as the norm.  Keep in mind that in the days of Proverbs most of the cultural groups around Israel were throwing their first born babies into a furnace.  They considered it normal.

So?   Get into the word to develop your sense of right and wrong.  You are not born with it. 

Dig

(Pro 2:4 KJV)  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

This is a good beginning bit of advice for Bible Study.  The part that reaches out to me today is the idea of looking for “hidden treasures” (4301).  One way in which this term is used involves things that have been stored away in vaults and secret places.  Picture yourself as the heir of a rich aunt and being forced to check every seam, every box, every book cover looking for hidden wealth.  That is the picture we have of finding wisdom.

So?  Start digging.  While it is true that some wealth is on top of the ground the biggest deposits require focused effort.

In Other Words

(Pro 1:2 KJV)  To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

I decided this month to pull my old Living Bible off the shelf and read Proverbs from its perspective.  I like the Living Bible.  I have no use for the New Living Translation, or whatever it is called.  One reason is a lack of pretense.  The Living Bible on its title page declares “Paraphrased”.  It does not make any claim to be a “translation” like so many of the modern opinion translations do.  It is called honesty.

I enjoyed reading verse 2,

(Prov 1:2 LB) He wrote them to teach his people how to live - how to act in every circumstance,

The Bible is not really written as a history book or a theology text.  It is a How To book.  It contains history and theology.  It even contains advice on health, but it is primarily God speaking to His people about how they should live.

So?  Let the Bible speak to you.  It doesn’t hurt to refer to some of the modern loose translations as long as you keep coming back to something like the KJV or NASB to get a more accurate understanding.  On to a new month.