It Is Okay to Ask

(Psa 94:3 KJV)  LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

(Proverbs 7 also read)

Be honest.  You have asked this same question, haven’t you?  This phrase shows up fifteen times in Psalms, by far the most frequent book that it is found.  It seems to have been a favorite question of David and the other authors of the Psalms.

That makes it an acceptable question.  We get tired.  We are frustrated.  Surrender seems to be on the menu.  We ask.  God has His own way of answering.  Ultimately the answer is in His hands.  How long?  As long as it takes to develop us spiritually and to fulfill all the other irons that God has in the fire.

So?  This is part of living by faith.  It is asking.  It is trusting.  The two go well together. 

Go for the Light

(Pro 6:23 KJV)  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

If you get feverish at the word “commandment” (4687) [mitsvah] try to relax a little.  A couple of verses earlier it tells us this is his father’s commandment.  Technically we are not being called to the law but in a round-about way we are.  You see, the father probably got his standards from the written law and is passing them on to his son.  Does that mean that we are not held accountable to our parents if they follow the Bible?  Does grace set us free from that?  I doubt it.

The real question is do you want the “light” (216) that is being offered.  If your main concern is your own personal fulfillment instead of the glory of God then you have a bigger problem than grace verses law.  You might want to ask yourself if you are really saved.  Whether you get hung up on obedience and righteousness or deny they are necessary, the evidence of your life is still considered.

So?  Accept God’s gift of salvation.  Trust in Jesus.  Obey your elders.  Go for the light. 

Waxing Poetic

(Psa 98:8 KJV)  Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

(Provers 5 also read)

Isn’t poetry wonderful?  Actually, I don’t like it too much but some people swear by it.  This is an example of poetic license.  One of the things some people have trouble with is the figurative language used in the Bible.  Most are familiar with simile and hyperbole.  This is anthropomorphism.  There is a long list of the possibilities somewhere but I am long past grammar lessons.  Most of us don’t believe rivers have hands or that mountains can carry a tune.  Read the Bible with your mind turned on.

One of the weaknesses of poetic license is that it is limited by the human imagination.  In reality there is no way that we can approach expressing the glory of God.  Yet we try and I think it is possible to please Him.

So?  He loves us.  He rejoices in our expressions of love.  If I showed you some of the “artwork” of my grandchildren you would think someone spilled there dinner on the paper but to me it is glorious.  He considers the source.  Give your best. 

The Bible Is Controversial

(Pro 4:4 KJV)  He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

In this verse we are given three controversial directions.  There are three verbs that Solomon is firing at us and they fly in the face of much modern teaching.  That teaching is based on truth but rapidly descends to the level of “traditions of the elders”.  

What are the three verbs?  First, “hold fast” (8551).  Second, “keep” (8104).  Then you have the results of the first two, “live” (2421a).  

What is the “tradition of the elders”?  It is a talking point of closet Calvinists that anyone who believes that we are to live obedient and righteous lives are pushing a “works based salvation.”  There is a way of thinking that has you earning your way into heaven.  The Pharisees and their oral traditions were on that road.  The problem is that the Bible teaches that we are to be obedient and live righteous lives.  If you read past selected proof texts from Paul you can’t avoid it.

So?  Base your salvation on the Grace of God and faith in the saving blood of Jesus.  Then keep reading and realize that we are to hang in there and keep at it.  The result is life. 

My Law

(Pro 3:1 KJV)  My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

A focal point of my thinking and inquiry for the past year has been this concept of Torah (8451), which is “law” in the KJV or “teaching” in the NASB.  I am still puzzled by the difference between the apostle Paul who is a walking indictment of the law and the view of David and Solomon, which is very positive.  Here we have a middle ground.  The word is used but the law is that of the father, or author of Proverbs.  

Much of Proverbs and Psalms is generic praise for the law.  You often need to search to find out just what the laws are that are being touted.  In this chapter you have to get down to verse 5 before any specifics are mentioned.

The “my” tempers this in regard to Paul.  Solomon is not presenting a plan of salvation.  He is giving directions on how to live a productive life.

So?  We are saved by the power of God which we label as grace.  There is a transformation that takes place which we cannot earn or work ourselves.  Then we get down to the directions and advice of books like Proverbs.  Now is a good time to initiate the sequence by trusting in Jesus and to begin applying it as you walk the walk. 

In the Spotlight

(Pro 2:7-8 KJV)  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.  He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

It is still early in the year and there is a lot of concern about the direction the nation and the world are going.  The future does not instill a lot of confidence if you look at our leadership and read the headlines.  The gurus tend to be forecasting doom.  Such may be the case in a general sense but we do not live in a general sense.  We live in a specific sense.  There is the picture of living in a bubble, not because it is fragile but because it is not subject to what is outside.

These two verses offer us hope.  It is not a ray of hope.  It is a high lumen spotlight of hope.  God knows who His people are and He goes before us.  

So?  Could things fall apart and could we have social chaos?  Yes, we could.  In the midst of that we are to walk in hope and trust.  God not only has our back but our front and all sides.  Face the future with assurance. 

Tune In

(Pro 1:4 KJV)  To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

This offers a word of hope for all of us even when we don’t know we need it.  Few of us would think of ourselves as “naive” (6612a) (NASB) or “simple” (KJV).  We might be aware of our lack of knowledge and that we are a bit inexperienced, but being simple does not seem like a complement.  It isn’t.  We are.  The first step toward healing is to realize I am sick.

So?  Embrace the awareness of simplicity.  This is one of the reasons we keep studying the word.  This is why we can keep learning even though we have been reading the bible for decades.  There are great depths to be delved into and it won’t happen if we don’t go looking.