Sudden Destruction

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,

will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Proverbs 29:1

There is a vast difference between punishment and discipline. Discipline is about making one a better person, about teaching them to learn from their mistakes and do it right the next time. Punishment, on the other hand, is about making one pay for their mistakes. Discipline is for children; punishment is for criminals. Discipline is for for servants; punishment is for unrepentant sinners. Discipline produces a disciple. Punishment produces a prisoner.

God wants us to be children He can disciple so that we become what He desires us to be. His Word shows us what He expects of us, what He desires for us. But He won't ever make us do what He wants us to do. We don't have to be disciples. We can instead choose to reject His Word and rebel against His will, thereby becoming slaves to a cycle of punishment that leads to our destruction.

Perhaps the worst thing we can do is not change under the loving discipline of God. We choose to sin, to transgress God's ways, and then we suffer the consequences of our actions. On top of that, the Holy Spirit within us brings conviction from the Word, and we suffer guilt and condemnation from the Word and from our own hearts. The voice of God tenderly calls us back to Himself, beckoning us to return to Him from a moment of willful wrongdoing. And what do we do? Just as we had a choice when it came to sinning, we have a choice when it comes to changing.

But the one who is oft rebuked and corrected and called to change, and chooses not to change, is promised nothing but sudden destruction. And this kind of destruction is eternal and without remedy. So it's much better to change now under the chastening of the Lord, than to suffer the consequences of stubbornness and stupidity forever.

A Happy Man

Happy is the man who is always reverent,

but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Proverbs 28:14

I want to be happy. I think everyone wants to be happy, and I don't think there is anything wrong with desiring to be happy, or actually being happy. The problem is with the route people take to get happy.

Some people find happiness in pleasure, in recreation, in possessions. Some people find their happiness in their accomplishments or accolades. But the Word of God teaches us that true happiness is found in becoming and being like Jesus Christ. The great Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the beatitudes that read like this: "Blessed is the man..." should really be understood to mean "Happy is the man." Happy is the man who is pure, who is holy, who is hungry for righteousness, who is peace loving and meek. Happiness is about our relationship with God.

Having a reverence (and a healthy fear, as I've come back to all month long) for God is the source of our happiness. Happy is the man who is always reverent, who always honors God, who always lives to please God. Happy is the man whose focus is upon worshiping God and living for God. Happy is that man!

But when we harden our hearts against God, refusing to do what is right and live the way that is right, when we rebel, we bring about our own calamity, and eventually destruction. And we do so under the deception that we will be happier doing what we want to do rather than doing what God wants us to do.

Friend, let me tell you--you will never be happier than when you are doing what God wants you to do.

What I'd Rather

Open rebuke is better

than love carefully concealed.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Proverbs 27:5-6

We all have our preferences. I'd rather have steak than salad. I'd rather have Coke than Pepsi. I'd rather have Dr. Pepper than Pepsi. I'd rather have Sprite or Sierra Mist or 7-Up than Pepsi. I'd rather have sweet than unsweet. I'd rather have it cold than hot. There are a lot of things I'd rather...

I'd rather have someone in my life who loved me, than someone who hated me. I'd rather have someone in my life who was honest with me, than someone who was deceptive. I'd rather have someone in my life who was faithful, than someone who was treacherous.

But there are some people in the world who would rather surround themselves with false friends who will tell them only what they want to hear, who will flatter and praise, who will always agree no matter what the question asked or position taken.

Solomon believed it is better to have someone to rebuke and correct you openly when you need it, than someone who loves you secretly. How much better it is to have someone in your life who is willing to tell you you're wrong when you are, than someone who will just go along with whatever you want to do, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. I might learn from the one who is open and honest, but the one who hides their feelings is of no value or help to me at all.

A friend, a true friend, will confront my sin. A true friend will correct me when I'm wrong and show me a better way. A true friend will be absolutely honest with me, and a true friend will do it in love. And it may hurt to hear it, but at least I'm hearing it from a friend who loves me. A kiss from an enemy can be dishonest and deceitful; just ask Jesus about that kiss from Judas. A kiss can cover for hatred and spite. A kiss can distract from truth. But there's nothing dishonest about correction. And Solomon believed it was better to be wounded by his friends for a moment than to be betrayed by a kiss for nothing.

Searching for Answers

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

but the glory of kings to search out a matter.

Proverbs 25:2

How many times have we heard it said, how many times have we said it ourselves--why didn't God just say so? There are any number of issues--practical, theological, revelational--which are not directly addressed by name in the Scriptures. There are lots of doctrinal beliefs that are not exactly spelled out in black and white in one neat little sentence package.

For instance, nowhere does the Bible say, "Tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost."

Nowhere does the Bible say, "The rapture of the church will happen before the seven years of tribulation God is sending upon the earth."

Nowhere does the Bible say, "God is eternally existent in the persons of Father, Son and Holy Ghost."

In fact, the term rapture is never used in the Bible. Neither are trinity, demon, or millennial reign.

And why do you think that is? Some would point out the fact that since there is no clear-cut doctrinal statement in the Scripture on these and lots of other subjects, we cannot make a solid stand on any of them. However, this is not the tack we should be taking with these issues.

Proverbs 25:2 says that God hides things for us to seek. He put lots of interesting concepts in the Bible, only He spread them out through several books over several hundred or even thousand years, and the reason He did so was so that we would search those concepts out. He wanted us to become familiar with the Word so that we would be able to follow themes from the opening verses of Genesis to the final amen of the Revelation. He wanted us to seek truth in the entirety of Scripture, not just find one simple statement and say, "This is what I believe." He wanted us to base our beliefs on what the full gospel and the whole counsel of His Word!

Thank God for Grace

Let's face it. I'm a messed up man, the son of a messed up man, from a long line of messed up men that goes all the way back to the first messed up man--Adam. I'm far from perfect, but then I've never met anyone who wasn't. We are members of a fallen race, living in a fallen world. Our messed-upness is both the cause and the result of our separation from God, and our continued messed-upness will certainly result in eternal separation from God. I have no hope that I can help myself be any better than I am...

But God in His grace has offered me forgiveness of my sins through Jesus Christ His Son, redemption from destruction and an abundant life in Jesus Christ, and the promise of an eternal inheritance incorruptible preserved in Heaven for me by Jesus Christ.

Without the forgiveness, the grace, and mercy of God, I would be lost and drifting in this life, hopeless and helpless, without purpose or plan, without a future. But now I'm saved; I've been born again. I'm a new creature; old things have passed away, all things have become new! I'm a child of God, bought with a price, His own special possession. I am part of the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, and the holy nation! My slate has been wiped clean; my present is ordered by the Lord; my destiny calls and I press on toward the goal, the upward call that is in Christ Jesus!

The Bible tells me that if I love God, I will keep His commandments. If I love God, I will not sin. But it goes on to say that if I do sin--and boy, do I--I have an advocate with the father who pleads my case. I have a comforter who comes along side to help me when I falter. And I have a friend who sticks closer than a brother; when I fall, He is there to help me get back on my feet and continue on my journey. And when I confess my sins to Him, He is faithful, He is fair, and He will forgive.

Those are just some of the reasons why I love Proverbs 24:16.

A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,

but the wicked shall fall by calamity.

Where am I going?

A man's steps are of the Lord;

How then can a man understand his own way?

Proverbs 20:24

I have often asked the question of Christian people: Would you like for God to send a seven-foot angel with a telegram on the end of a flaming sword that will tell you everything about your life for the next 20 years? And I'm always surprised that there are actually people who will respond in the affirmative! As for me, I'm happy not knowing where I'm going to be, what I'm going to be doing, and who I'm going to be with this time next year. I live my life with a little insight into what I call "the next step", for which I believe God prepares all of us if we are sensitive to His leading.

The Proverbs are full of little statements like this about the sovereign power and order of our God. We plan, but it is God who directs. We try to live righteously, and God orders our steps. And I believe this--I don't have to have coffee and toast every morning with Jesus so that I can know what I need to do that day. There are plenty of things I have to do; lots of things I should do; and many more things that need doing. God gave us wisdom to prioritize our day; so let's prioritize--what must be done, what should be done; what needs to be done. And then add a fourth, what do I want to do? But what I want should always come after I have fulfilled the others, not before.

And when God wants to interrupt our schedule, we need to let Him. We need to listen to His voice, the guiding of the Spirit, and we need to obey. But I trust that God is the one ordering my steps, and I know I may never understand everything, so I don't even try. I simply trust the One Who Does.

A Life of Fear

The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and he who has it will abide in satisfaction;

He will not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 19:23

Here it is again--the fear of the Lord. Having it is good for you; it leads to blessing, wisdom, and life. Not having it turns you into a fool going to your own destruction. As I've said before, it is healthy to fear the Lord, to have a reverence, respect, and regard for His Word and His will, for His very person. Having it leads to life.

Remember that Jesus said of Himself, "I am the door. By me if any man enter in, he shall be safe; he shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes not but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you might have life, and life more abundantly!" In fact, nearly ever statement Jesus made about Himself had to do with life. He said, "I am the bread of life. I am the water of life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the light of life. I am the resurrection and the life." As the vine, He is the source of our life as well. Jesus is life, and fearing Him leads to it!

Not only does it lead to life, but fearing the Lord leads to being satisfied in life. When we please the Lord with our fearful walk, we reap the benefits of His pleasure. I'll tell you the truth; I'd alot rather live in His blessing than in His wrath. Those who have no fear of the Lord do whatever they want with no regard for righteousness, no regard for conscience, no regard for the prompting, appealing call of the Holy Ghost. They go on their way to destruction. But for those who have found the Lord and fear Him as they should, there is a satisfied life that surrounds them, and that awaits all who would come into it!

Creatures of Community

God never intended for us to be isolated individuals; we were created for community. In the beginning, we were made by God to be like God so that we could have fellowship and communion with God. Shortly after the beginning, God saw that it was no good for man to be alone, so He created woman and blessed them to be together forever, becoming one flesh and filling the earth with others like them, who would in turn be like Him. We were made to be together, and yet the malady of our day is loneliness.

Solomon had something to say about isolation and community in Proverbs 18.

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;

he rages against all wise judgment. (v. 1)

It is not good for man to be alone. First of all, if we are only listening to ourselves, we develop a very narrow perspective on life and the pursuits of living. Our worldview is as small the sphere that is our world. If we don't hear other voices, we may never know that some with gifts and talents different from our own may have something beneficial to contribute to our lives. If we don't share our heart in community, we may never discover that some of our ideas aren't so good, or that some of our actions would best be left undone. We need the perspective of community, but one who remains individualistic and isolationist seeks only his own good and rages against any wisdom except his own.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,

and obtains favor from the Lord. (v. 22)

It is not good for man to be alone. God made woman to be the comparable and equal partner to man in all things. Woman and man, they complement each other, they fit together, they two can become one in body, mind, soul and strength, one in heart. So when a man finds the woman who wants to be his comparable and equal partner in all things, when he allows his wife be his comparable and equal partner in all things, he obtains the favor and blessings of the Lord. It's not about each man finding just any woman, it's about the right man finding the right woman, and thereby finding God's favor.

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (v. 24)

It is not good for man to be alone. But if someone wants companions and fellowship, they must first be companionable. If someone wants friends, they must themselves be friendly. When we isolate ourselves and concentrate on feelings of loneliness, our tendency is often to withdraw ever further from community, draw even further away from other people. Instead, God wants us to make an effort toward other people. And in spite of the old adage "blood is thicker than water", there is nothing better in this world than a friend on whom you can depend!

We are creatures of community, and that's how God wants us to be.

Living by the Word

He who despises the word will be destroyed,

but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

Proverbs 13:13

I live according to a Christian and Biblical worldview. That means that my life is governed solely by the principles of God's Word, and it's a good way to live.

There are a lot of different ideas in the world about how a person should live, how they should conduct themselves, how they should believe. Some have a live and let live mentality; others, a live and let's kill. I am neither. While I believe in each individual's right to make their own choices to determine the kind of life they are going to live, and I have no intention of infringing on those rights, I also intend to exercise my right--nay, my responsibility--to tell them what the Bible has to say about our life and our choices. If someone doesn't want to accept my worldview, it doesn't make me hate them or want to dispose of them; that's their choice.

But what we all need to understand is that each of us must ultimately face God with the decisions we have made and reap our eternal judgment--punishment or reward; it's our choice.

And this verse brings us upon the concept of fear again, this time the fear of God's commandments and God's words. Disobedience to the word of God meant destruction. At the time this Proverb was written, the penalty for being caught in transgression of God's word was death. If you steal, you die. You kill, you die. You commit adultery, you die. You lie, you die. Worship a false god, you die. Worship an idol of any kind, you die. Blaspheme God, you die. Work on the Sabbath, you die. Dishonor your parents, you die. And finally, covet something in your heart, you die. The commandment was something to be feared, honored and respected.

Today, the penalty is the same, only it is not measured out instantly or immediately. The punishment for our sin, if we remain in an unrepentant state, awaits us in eternity. But if we have feared the commandment of the Lord, we will be rewarded!

Hey Stupid!

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,

but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 12:1

I have joked that I'm a wealth of useless information. For instance--armadillos have leprosy, Emily Morgan was helping Santa Anna with his siesta, and the Melungeons are a mixed race people group from the mountains of western Virginia and the Carolinas. But I'd also like to think I know lots of useful stuff, too. The fact is, I like learning, because I like to know. And I always want to be right.

Instruction doesn't bother me, and I've found that there is always room in my life for more. Just this week, a Pastor friend took me to the Word and showed me something new that just might revolutionize my thinking on a certain matter. Now finding something new in the Bible shouldn't be all that unique--but what he showed me was something I had read, studied, and taught others many times over without ever seeing what was REALLY being said. So thank you, Ed. I learned something this week, even while I was trying to teach others.

But with instruction comes correction, which most people don't like. I don't like being told I'm wrong; probably because it happens so seldom that I forget it's possible (a little humor here). I don't even like being proven wrong, because I try so hard to be right. But when the correction comes, I have a choice. I can either change so that I become right, or I can insist on continuing to be wrong.

He who chooses the latter, the Bible says, is just stupid.

More Fear

The fear of the LORD prolongs days,

but the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Proverbs 10:27

Up to this point, Proverbs has been laying a foundation about wisdom, perhaps the main lessons Solomon wanted his son to learn. But moving into Chapter 10, we find the familiar pattern of Proverbial couplets--something about the righteous, something about the wicked, and so on and so forth. This verse is one of several like it, but I focused in on it because if went right along with my thoughts over the last few days about the fear of the Lord.

If the Bible can make any other point clearer, I don't know what it is. God is good for you. God is good for your health, your happiness, your family, your finances, your relationships, your profession. In every area of life, things are made multitudinous times better by the blessing of God.

Fearing God will prolong your life; sin will shorten it. If that concept is a little vague, think about it this way. People who aren't Christians have no convictions about what they do to their bodies, even though they know what they do may harm them. Habits like smoking, drinking and doing drugs are not habits normally associated with a Christian lifestyle. Sex outside the blessing of marriage can be just as dangerous, what with all the diseases and jealous lovers out there. Criminals running afoul of the law could be shot; if they go to prison, they could be shanked; if they cross their own, they could get the shaft in a mortal kind of way.

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, holy living increases your chances of survival!

So You Want to be Smart

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

I think education needs to have a high priority in everybody's life; I'm just not sure that we are going about it the right way. I mean think about it.

We send our kindergartners to school and Teacher reads them the classic literary work about Jimmy's two mommies or Lisa's two daddies. Soon they're being introduced to really intelligent concepts like our ancestral ascent from the bottom of the primordial soup as amoeba which evolved into monkeys which evolved into us--never mind that there are still monkeys! They're bombarded with all sorts of atheistic, anti-Christ, anarchist propaganda that usually goes against any kind of common sense parenting. Then they're given prophylactics and little pink pills and encouraged to go experiment, and if the experiment produces undesirable results, a secret trip to the local PP can fix your little red wagon and no one ever needs to know.

Our culture tells us that in order to be successful and make lots of money, we need to be a rock star or football star or porn star...OR we need to pursue higher education. And what does higher education give us? A Bachelor of Science, otherwise known as BS. Not satisfied with a four year degree that takes no less than five years to earn? That's okay, because next you can get an MS, or More of the Same BS. Still not ready to enter the work force and put those papers to work? Get a PHD, where it's Piled Higher and Deeper! Or as one friend of mine puts it--you spend four years learning a little bit about everything, then you do a Master's Degree to learn more and more about less and less, and finally you get a PHD after which you know everything about nothing.

I have nothing against education, and I have nothing against pursuing higher degrees. Perhaps one day I'll earn something more than my 98.6 degrees. But it has been my observation that a lot of people are educated far beyond their intelligence, or at least their capacity to function rationally in the real world. Getting an education has become a god in our pantheon of cultural universalism, to be pursued at all costs to the forsaking of all other constructive pursuits, and then when we get our education, we either don't know what to do with it, or we're overqualified for any job we might want to get.

Some people think that an education, a degree, and letters after their name are actually what is important in life. But what so many people, educated and not, often fail to understand is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Getting to know the Lord is true understanding. Want to know the meaning of it all? Know the one who made it all mean something.

Hating Evil

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;

Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

Proverbs 8:13

There it is again--the fear of the Lord. Fear does mean terror, and the reality of coming face to face with Almighty God ought to strike terror in the hearts of those who don't know Him. Fear also means being in awe, which ought to be the attitude of Christians when coming into His presence. Fear is reverence and respect, something that is often lacking in the casual Christianity of today. We feel free to be familiar with God, as if he is our buddy coming over for snacks and football. But seldom do we really exercise the healthy fear of him that we should have.

It's not that I have anything to be afraid of, really. I mean, even though He is a God of justice and judgment, He is also a God of fairness and forgiveness. He may be a God of wrath, but He is also a God of love, and in wrath He remembers mercy. As long as I keep my life altared before Him, penitent and humble, I have everything to be in awe of and nothing to be afraid of.

But now the wise king tells us that the fear of the Lord means to hate evil. We who fear the Lord are to hate what God hates, and He's already told us what He hates--pride, dishonesty, violence, evil, wickedness, discord. These are the things that God hates, and Solomon reiterates them again here. So I ask myself this question: Do I hate what God hates?

Do I hate pride and arrogance, or do I find myself thinking just a little more highly of myself than I ought?

Do I hate the evil way, or do I find myself tempted to walk just a little too closely to that line, wondering what it would be like to cross over for just a moment?

Do I hate the perverse mouth, or do I handle the truth a little too lightly and color my language with words God would not approve?

If I really feared God, and I really hated the things that God hates, I wouldn't be doing them. Of course, the NT shows us the reverse side of the fear factor--He is a God to fear, but He is also a God to love. But that liberating love holds us to the same high standard as legalistic fear. If you love me, Jesus said, keep my commandments. And John said, If you love God, you do not sin.

I need to hate what God hates, but even more, I need to love the Lord!

Wild Women

I don't have a specific verse to reference, but rather the 7th Chapter of Proverbs. Solomon is said to have written the Proverbs at the pinnacle of his kingship, after he had been established as the wisest, richest, and most powerful king Israel ever had. His son Rehoboam, who succeeded him, was probably in his late teens or early twenties, and this was the great collection of his father's wisdom and life lessons, written just for him.

It's interesting to me that Solomon had so much to say about the right kind of woman his son should look for, especially considering that Solomon had 700 wives, 300 concubines, and virgins without number in his harem. He spends lots of time telling his son about the right kind of woman to look for, and a fair amount of time telling him what not to look for.

And the kind of woman he wanted his son to definitely avoid was the immoral kind, the seductress who flatters with her words, enticing men into her house and into her bed. Her clothes are suggestive, her heart is crafty, and her ways are loud and rebellious. She doesn't like to stay home, but would rather be out roaming around. She's free with her affection, and enticing with her speech, and though she is persuasive and complimenting, going with her means going to your death.

I'd say each and every one of those characteristics are red flags to the godly man looking for a good woman.

Can God Hate?

These six things the LORD hates,

yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

a proud look,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that are swift in running to evil,

a false witness who speaks lies,

and one who sows discord among brethren.

Proverbs 6:16-19

My dad must have preached at least a thousand sermons in my hearing through the years, but there are few that I can truly remember. It would probably put a strain on my memory to recall even a handful of the messages he delivered, but this one I remember well. It may have been my favorite of his sermons of all time, probably because he preached it multiple times when the need arose. And the other thing I remember is that it never failed to make somebody mad...usually the sower of discord among brethren.

It wasn't necessarily his preaching against sin that made people mad; everyone agrees that sin is bad, in principle. Pride is bad. Lying is bad. Murder is bad. Scheming and evil are bad. Stirring up trouble is bad. No, those things we could almost always agree on. What always got peoples' dander up was the word associated with God in this verse--the word hate. It's there, in black print on the page of my Bible--the same Bible that says God is love and God so loved the world that. But here it says God hates something. Actually, it says God hates someone.

A look. The tongue, hands, heart and feet. Those are things that belong to a person. But the false witness and the sower of discord--those are actually people. And God hates them.

It was hard for people to reconcile their faith in a loving God with a Scripture that says God hated them if they lied about somebody or stirred up trouble among somebodies. And yet it does say that. Hate is a stronger word than dislikes. It doesn't merely indicate God's displeasure. It invokes God's wrath and necessitates His action. And it's not just about sin...this doesn't say God hates sin. It says God hates the one who is committing it.

So what do we do with that? I'd suggest humility, honesty, kindness, purity, righteousness, honesty again, and love. I think those are things God can love about us, and then we won't have to worry about that thing that makes us uncomfortable about God.

Live Long and Prosper

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

and the years of your life will be many.

Proverbs 4:10

Nobody wants to die young. Nobody ever thinks they will die young. And truth be told, nobody wants to die old, either. Nobody wants to die. In fact, some people cling to life with a death grip, forgive the pun.

I've watched people go through torturous medical procedures and treatments, constantly taking pills and having surgeries and undergoing experiments, in an attempt to have just a few more miserable years of existence on this world that is passing away. If you had nothing else to look forward to after you die, then I might understand your unwillingness to let go of this life just yet. But for those who are believers in the Son of God as savior, it really makes me wonder if people really believe in heaven and that they are going there.

Now, I'll admit that I'm not particularly fond of dying...then again, I've never tried it. I don't intend to load up on the bus and go now, but when my time comes, I'm pretty certain that I will want to cross quickly over that chilly river into the eternal presence of God. You won't find me lingering on the banks when Jesus calls me home; I'll be ready to wade in deep and swim the wide waters to that happy golden shore. That's where my heart is, my home. That's where I know I will always belong.

In the meantime, I have found the secret to a long and happy life, and it doesn't include the words diet or exercise. I suppose those things might contribute to a body fit for optimal use in this life, but the true secret to a long, healthy and happy life is not to be found in fruit and bran. It is found in knowing the Lord, in obeying His commands, and in receiving the wisdom that He wants to impart to you through His word.

Health and Strength

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

and strength to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8

Here it is again--this concept of fearing the Lord, and what such healthy fear produces in our lives. God is not a mean God, but we must understand that He is just. He is not arbitrary in His decisions or commandments, rather He is deliberate in following His own eternal plan, and everything He does has eternal purpose and reason. Fearing Him--giving Him honor and reverence and respect and love--is the best thing we can ever do for ourselves.

Sometimes our own image of ourselves gets a little big in our own eyes. As I joked with a friend just tonight--People who think they know everything really annoy those of us who do. When we start thinking that we are the ones who know it all and that no one else can add to us, when we start thinking that we are the only ones who are right and everyone else is wrong, when we start thinking that we always know best and everybody had better fall in line and follow our lead, that's when we really need to take a step back and ask ourselves, who am I really, and what do I really know?

That's why Solomon writes here, Don't be wise in your own eyes. Paul would say it this way: Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. Take heed when you think you stand, for then you fall. The Bible is replete with warnings that our trust should never be in ourselves, because we fail and are prone to failure. We are going to make mistakes, we are going to mess things up, because we are not perfect. We are not all knowing, all powerful. We are not God.

Instead of trusting ourselves, we need to trust in the Lord--we need to fear the Lord, and those who fear the Lord depart from evil. When we fear the Lord, we choose not to displease Him or dishonor Him or discredit Him in anyway. When we fear the Lord we choose not to yield to temptation. When we fear the Lord, we choose not to sin. And that choice, based in the fear of the Lord, brings life and health and strength and peace to our lives!

If...Then

My son, if...

Proverbs 2:1

Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (later Solomon will also say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom). But Proverbs 2:1-5 tells us that seeking wisdom, knowledge and understanding lead to understanding the fear of the Lord. It almost sounds like a conundrum, a Catch-22 if you will. Fear leads to Knowledge leads to Fear and Knowledge.

But we must understand that it's not an endless and unnavigable circle. Fearing the Lord will make us want to know Him. Knowing the Lord will make us want to fear Him, not in terms of being scared of Him, but of being reverent toward Him. But both take effort on our part. So what does the Wise King tell us to do?

Receive what he has to say. Treasure it. Listen for it. Apply ourselves to it. Cry out for it. Ask for it. Seek it. Search for it. All are actions of our own will. And if we do these things, we will begin to understand about fearing God. The more I know Him, the more I respect Him. The more I respect Him, the more I listen to Him. The more I listen to Him, the more I understand about Him. The more I understand Him, the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the more I want to know about Him. And this cycle, reproduced over and over again continually in our hearts, is what leads to us becoming what He wants us to be.

But we also need to understand that true wisdom and knowledge come from the Lord. We can read books and sit in lectures and learn lessons and excel in the academics of God. But what we really need to learn we can only learn from an intimate, personal relationship with Him. And from that relationship comes the things we really need in our lives.

If You Want to be Wise

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

I may have mentioned this here before, but I love the Book of Proverbs written mostly by Solomon and contained among other wisdom literature in our Bible. For at least twenty years now I have tried to read from the Proverbs daily. In doing so, one can go through the Proverbs once a month as there are 31 chapters and 30 or 31 days all but one month. So when I look to the Proverbs on any certain date, I turn to the corresponding Proverb and try to gain some wisdom for my day from the inspiration of God.

Proverbs 1 never fails to grab me where I live, because it tells me why I need to read it, what I get if I read it, and what I need to do when I have read. Throughout Proverbs, there is a key thought expressed repeatedly, but done so for the first time here: If you want wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, you start by fearing the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is not something we hear a lot about anymore. Many times we would rather picture God as the benevolent bearded grandfather loving us from a plush recliner in his den rather than the Almighty seated on the Great White Throne in Heaven. I don't know why, but I always imagine that throne as a massive block construct of stone. We want to hear about the love of God, but not His laws; about the compassion of God, but not His commandments; about the care of God for our needs, but not His conviction of our sins. We want the likable God, not the fearful One.

But as God, He is one to be feared. Reverently feared. Honored above all else. Held in highest esteem and deepest regard. Respected. Obeyed. Praised without reservation. Served without regret. Followed without retreat. We need a healthy understanding that He is the One who gives us light and breath, and He can take both away by the power and authority of His own will. We need the realization that He once washed the planet clean in a flood of water that destroyed all but eight human inhabitants and their animal cargo on the Ark. He once rained fire and brimstone down on a valley of sinful cities and opened up the earth to swallow 25,000 complainers. One day, his anger and wrath will be poured out on the earth and its inhabitants for their continual rebellion and rejection of His love, but He also makes covenant with those who responded to His call, providing the means of salvation and the way to eternal life, and blessing all who receive with the riches of heaven.

The Proverbs of Solomon were written for us:

• to know wisdom and instruction
• to perceive the words of understanding
• to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment and equity
• to give the simple ones prudence
• to give the young ones knowledge and discretion
• to give understanding of proverbs, mysteries, wise words and riddles.

But without the fear of the Lord in our hearts, all the wisdom in the world will never do us any good.