Living in Reality

(Pro 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.

One of the great advantages that Christians have is that we see the reality of life.  One reality is that we will die and know it.  We also have no fear of it.  

Another reality is that life is not a game.  It is serious.  It has consequences.

Another reality is that we are able to discern many of the traps of life.  Even if we don’t see the traps, God has given us a road map.  If we follow the map we will be kept clear of the waiting disasters.

So?  Rejoice.  You have all the advantages.  Follow the map. 

Still the Same

(Pro 6:16 KJV)  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

When I read Proverbs I can’t help but relate what I read to the world around me.  Usually each verse or couplet stands alone but here you have a passage a bit longer in order to get the seven things that kindle God’s wrath.  As I read through them I had visions of our national leaders:  Arrogance, lies, murder, evil plans, mischief, divisiveness.  It is quite a list and so modern.  Some things never change.

That should give us hope.  We are to pray for our leaders.  I would hope that much of that would be to call down God’s justice upon them.  Understand that God already has His eye on them.  If you don’t believe it, read through the list and recognize that these actions are an “abomination” (8441) to the God of the universe.  I would not want to be in their shoes.

So?  Don’t lose hope.  Also, don’t forget that the real target for this is the reader.  That is you and me.  We need to keep these things in our mind as we go through our day. 

Ready or Not, Here I Come

(Pro 5:12 KJV)  And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

As a parent, a grandparent and a once-upon-a-time teacher I have seen a lot of rejection.  Children can be defiant and hostile to your wisdom.  It happens.  Don’t get that confused with not being ready to learn.  There are actually measurable qualities in the minds of children that decide whether they are ready to learn.  It is true in the physical world.  I did not learn to ride a bike until I was half way through elementary school.  I was out of college and in seminary before it dawned on me what give-and-go meant in basketball.  Suddenly it all made sense.  The same can be true in spiritual matters.  

They are always ready to learn obedience.  “Because I said so” is often the only fall-back that works.  Don’t be afraid to use it.

So?  We often talk about doing an attitude check on ourselves.  Perhaps it is a good idea to apply it to the learners in our lives.  Are they having a hard time because they refuse or because they are not yet capable? 

Providence and Physics

(Pro 4:22 KJV)  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

We have a tendency to separate the metaphysical and the physical.  This book is about wisdom.  We think of wisdom as great thoughts and principles, situated in ivory towers, examined at our leisure.  That is all true and yet nothing could be farther from the truth.  Wisdom is not reserved for introspective examination.  It is meant to be applied.  This verse points that out.

Wisdom is for the whole “flesh” (body NASB) (1320).  It delivers results.  The results are generally summed up as “health” (4832).  Sometimes the results are pure providence.  Sometimes it is simply physics.  Either way it is still results.  Remember that Providence designed physics.

So?  Many people fit exercise into their daily schedule.  It isn’t just because they like exercise.  They also like the results.  Schedule some worship time seeking wisdom.  It pays dividends. 

The Problem with Giving Good Advice

(Pro 3:22 KJV)  So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

I think that Solomon would have benefitted by reading his own writings.  If you know anything about the life of Solomon, he did not finish well.  The start was powerful.  God met him and he responded with humility.  God promised him much but he was not able to handle it.  Instead of being leery of pagan wives he jumped into polygamy with both feet.  In the end, the women won.  Satan won.  Solomon turned his back on the Lord and embraced the evils of his pagan spouses.

So?  It isn’t enough to be able to quote Bible verses.  Evidently it wasn’t even enough to write Bible verses.  The promises are real.  Make sure that your heart is in tune and your ears are cleaned out. 

The Joy of Offerings

(Psa 20:3 KJV)  Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

(Proverbs 2 also read)

Here we have David thinking back to the many times he has offered “offerings" (meal offerings NASB) (4503) and the sacrifice of “burnt sacrifice" (burnt offerings NASB) (5930a).  This is strange to us and it should be.  We live in the age after Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross.  In the OT “atonement” is a common word for being made right with God.  The NT has words such as “justification”, “regeneration”, “adoption”.  We might meditate on the glory of the cross and the forgiveness it offers.  David would have the same awe at what was symbolized in the offering of grain or the slaughter of an animal.  

So?  Take some time to “remember” (2142).  Make it a part of your daily worship, meditation, study or however you describe it.  Join David in rejoicing what God has done for you. 

From Beginning to End

(Psa 16:2 NAS77) I said to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good besides Thee."

(Proverbs 1 also read, note the above quote is not KJV)

One of the common teaching to all branches of Christianity is original sin.  Various words are used to describe it but the idea is that when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, that sin was transferred to all mankind afterward.  In fact it polluted all of creation.

Of course the answer to that is Jesus but David did not know about Calvary.  In spite of that he understood that it was only through the grace of God that any good could be in his life.  That is one of the universal truths from Genesis to Revelation.  Don’t get distracted by people who want to divide the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament.  Such things as grace and faith are clear all the way through.

One of the ways in which you can identify pseudo-Christian “churches” is on this issue.  The first of course is the deity of Christ but the acceptance that mankind is born in sin is also commonly rejected.

So?  It is possible to live a righteous life.  You can’t do it on your own but with the cleansing of the blood, the filling of the Spirit and a desire to belong to Jesus, you can do it.