Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Proverbs 25: 1-3 Too much

These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
    to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
    so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.


The common man of Solomon's era was far removed from the court of the king. From the moment that he awoke before the sunrise, till the time that he fell onto his pallet to sleep again, there was very little similarity in the lives of these men.
The common man lived in a small, bare house, or even a tent -- if he was a hard worker, he might have some creature comforts and some furniture. If he was a shepherd, his home was whatever field his sheep were grazing in; if he was a farmer, his home was probably constructed of mud bricks, covered in plaster. His wife would have made mats for the floor, and possibly curtains to function as doors. Windows were closed with shutters at night, when the oil lamp would be lit to furnish a little light.
Compare this to the life of the king -- he was surrounded by opulent materials of the time: cedar, ivory, gold and jewels. The rooms he lived in, the furniture he used, even his utensils for eating and drinking were sumptuous compared to that of the common laborer or farmer. And the palace glittered with light in the evenings -- as much light as the king desired.
How about their activities? One was concerned with working to provide food and clothing for his family, and the other was concerned with affairs of state and governing the land. 
I think that if you put the two men in a room together, it would have been fairly difficult for the "everyday guy" to understand much of the things that the king had to say . . . 
So it is with us, and our Father.  Although we can study His word and learn more of Him, we cannot hope to fully comprehend all that there is to know about our God.  
In Exodus 33, Moses pleads with God to ensure that He will abide with them, to be certain that they do not have to move forward without His presence.  He even asks to see His glory, and God shields Moses from the full effects of that life-altering experience. It's just too much for mortal man.

Sometimes we may question why God allows something to happen. Why He moves and causes something to occur. Our tiny minds cannot hope to understand our all-knowing, all-powerful Father.

In the book of Isaiah (Is 55:8-9), God tells us:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. 
But this same God, whom we praise with choruses such as "our God is an awesome God," is a loving Father on whom we can (and should) depend . . . This truly is an awe-inspiring thought!
Check this out:
Even to your old age and gray hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4
His thoughts are higher. His ways are sometimes unsearchable. This majestic, all-powerful God spoke the universe into existence. But He cares for us now and forever.  If that doesn't make us fall on our knees in gratitude, I'm not sure what will do it! 

Thank you, Lord!

2 comments:

  1. I know that I don't really comprehend how awesome and majestic our God really is. And I don't praise Him enough for just being God.

    When I'm tempted to wonder why something happens, I remind myself that HE IS GOD and He can do whatever He wants. He doesn't mind my asking why, but I have no right to judge Him in my simple, earthly, human way.

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  2. thanks for those last verses from Isaiah. I need to put those up on my refrigerator.
    I remembering reading that verse when I was younger but now it really hits home with my gray hair and the things that come with being older. Things do come against us and when we get older things come that are unexpected but He is good and it is comforting to know He has my back.

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