Wisdom Shouts In The Street

            The Old Testament book of Proverbs is a collection of writings designed to encourage wisdom among its readers (1:1-7).  The opening illustration pictures a parent cautioning a son to remember the instruction he has been given when he is tempted to follow the sinful enticements that will inevitably come his way (1:8-19).  The world can be a dangerous place -- especially for those who lack wisdom.  If you are, or have been, the parent of children who were at the age of venturing out on their own, perhaps you can relate to these kinds of concerns.

           Starting with verse 20 of the first chapter, the writer personifies wisdom as a woman crying out in warning to those foolish enough to ignore her (1:20-25).  Several other unflattering terms are used to describe those who pay no attention to wisdom: naive ones, simple-minded, scoffers.  Every effort is made to reach out to them, but it was no use.  Wisdom is offered but it was refused, no one paid attention to it, it was neglected and unwanted.

           God forces His wisdom on no one.  But be aware that there are consequences that come with rejecting it.  Rejecting wisdom will inevitably lead to being mocked by the very thing that would have been so valuable to you (1:26-27).  Rejecting wisdom can cut you off from help at a later point (1:28-29).  Rejecting wisdom means that we will receive our just desserts from the foolish path we have chosen (1:30-31).  Rejecting wisdom will bring about our ultimate destruction (1:32).

           Proverbs 1 ends with a note of hope.  In contrast to those who reject wisdom, there is hope for those who receive it.  “But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil” (1:33).  It’s tough enough to survive in our world without rejecting the help God offers through His wisdom.  None of us are wise enough to make it on our own.  We need all the help we can get.

God loves you!

Mike

The Danger of Blessings

            “Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

            The book of Deuteronomy records words of exhortation and warning from Moses to the people of God as they prepare to finally enter the land of promise.  It had been an arduous journey from Egypt to the border of Canaan.  A trip that normally would have only taken perhaps a few weeks had lasted 40 years due to the rebellion and disobedience of the Israelites.  All of the adult males, from age 20 and up, who had left Egypt had died, except for Joshua and Caleb.  Hunger, thirst, fiery serpents, challenges to leadership, grumbling -- and yet, with God’s help, they had finally made it.  After all of the dangers of the wilderness, a land flowing with milk and honey looked pretty good.

            But as the text above affirms, there was also a danger associated with blessings.  Moses warned the people that the “good times'' can be as dangerous as the “bad times.”  At least the struggles in the wilderness clearly reminded the Israelites of their need for God’s help.  Times of prosperity do exactly the opposite.  “Good times” can cause us to think we can get along without God -- forget Him if you will.  Sadly, that is just what happened with the people of God.  They drifted into idolatry, forgetting the God who delivered them through the “bad times.”

            Thank God for His blessings, but be careful not to let the blessings lead you away from Him.  It’s happened before -- it can happen again.

 

God loves you!

Mike