Proverbs 24: 17-18 No gloating!

¹⁷ Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
    when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
¹⁸ or the Lord will see and disapprove
    and turn his wrath away from them. 

OK. I'm going to ask for total honesty here. I hope you are ready. This is directed at me, too.

Have you ever heard that something happened to a person who has been wicked and spiteful toward you? Some trouble that has befallen them? How did you feel? Did you think to yourself, "Well, they got what they deserved."  

Maybe it is someone who has done you a terrible wrong. Did you smile inwardly when you heard of their "fall" or their difficult situation? 
 
Perhaps it is someone who has slandered you so that your church friends and acquaintances are wary of you. They are not sure what to think, in spite of their years of fellowship with you. Maybe this person has treated you badly, and then received an award or promotion that you deserved. How should we react?
In complete honesty, I have to admit that I have been guilty here. In the business world that we operate in, there are some extremely ruthless people, and they have caused us harm in more ways than one.  If we allow our human nature to rule, we will want revenge -- we want them to get their just desserts. If we allow our spiritual nature to rule, however, we will react differently.
I think that is one of the marks of a committed Christian -- a character trait that means we don't seek revenge for wrongs that are done to us.  In the fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus goes way further than that:

⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

As followers of Christ, we need to make certain that we behave graciously in defeat, and benevolently in victory. If we laugh and mock at our "enemy" in distress, are we putting God in a position of defending that person to whom we show contempt, or even hatred? Solomon says we are (v. 18). 
How blessed we are, to have a Father that has not avenged Himself for our sinful ways, and for what we have done to Him! 

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

No one has nailed me or you to a cross, for things we did not do. Who can have done more to us, than we have done to Christ? And yet, God loves the whole world -- saved and unsaved.

We are not supposed to be glad when our enemy falls. We need to have compassion on the unsaved, and on carnal Christians -- lest we prove that we are just the same as them.  In the words of Walt Kelly's icon, Pogo, "we have met the enemy, and he is us."
How about it? What is our attitude like, when our enemy stumbles? Are we cheering -- proving that we are really just the same as them?  Or are we praying for them, as Jesus asked us to do?

I needed this today . . . can someone pass the band-aids so I can take care of my own toes?

Proverbs 24: 15-16 Get up, 'fess up, and clean up!

¹⁵ Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
    do not plunder their dwelling place;
¹⁶ for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. 

How many times have we read Solomon's words, giving us warnings to stay away from the wicked? A bunch, right? This time Solomon seems to be warning the wicked to stay away from the righteous!

I think that Matthew Henry was correct in his assessment of these verses, though. He said that it is not necessarily counsel for the wicked (since we've studied verses that say the wicked won't listen to wise words) as much as it is said to them in defiance -- almost a challenge.  

Hey, you wicked! Stay away from the righteous folks' house. Don't lurk around their dwelling place. Don't think that you'll cause them to stumble and then they will stay down. Nope. They rise again.


This is a great picture of a devoted Christian: the truly just, or righteous, man or woman. Solomon is not talking about a temporary believer, or a "on the edges" disciple --- he's talking about someone who is convinced of his sin, and knows that Christ is the only way he can attain righteousness. 


These "falls" that Solomon mentions . . . they can be tribulation, or affliction, or even sin. Yes, even the righteous can fall into sin. Ecclesiastes 7:20 tells us that "there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not." Here is the important difference: the righteous will get back up --- no wallowing in sin for him. He'll get up, and then 'fess up, and then clean up!

"It is by the power of God, he shall and does rise again sooner or later; not by his own power and strength, but by the strength of the Lord; he rises by renewed repentance, and under the fresh discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy . . . "  (Gill's Exposition of the Bible)

Lord, show us when we sin, so we can ask for your forgiveness, and get up out of it!

Take a Rest!

We've had some pretty intense weeks of study lately, and I wanted to give you a chance to rest. I'd like to encourage you to scroll back through some of our recent posts, and refresh your memory of what we have discussed.
Also refresh yourself with some prayer and thanksgiving times with our Father. Have a blessed weekend, and we'll resume our studies on Monday . . .

Here's the first verse of a lovely old hymn to start your restful time:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Proverbs 24: 13-14

¹³ Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
    honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
¹⁴ Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
    If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
    and your hope will not be cut off. 

Have you ever considered what honey means to bees? In a word, it means hope. Surprised?


Without giving you an entire course on beekeeping, let me just point out a few things here! You may have learned in the past that there is one queen in a bee-hive; there are lots and lots of "drones" and even more "worker bees."  The honeycomb, which bears (and humans) enjoy eating, is actually home and a nursery for "baby" bees . . . the eggs are laid and bees develop in some of those little sections of the comb. As they develop, they are fed a diet that changes as they mature through the stages necessary for them to become productive members of the hive.  First they are fed something called royal jelly, then pollen and honey. 
So, without the honey to feed them, the future generations would not survive, and there would be no hope of the hive continuing on.


There's another way that the honey is hope for the bees --- in the winter time, the bees all stop flying, and congregate in the center of the hive. They gather around the queen, and form what is called a "winter cluster." What are they doing in this cluster?  Shivering.  Really.
Here is another witness to our awesome Creator . . . the bees actually vary their shivering enough to keep the temperature in the center at certain levels: 81 degrees Fahrenheit for the start of winter, and 93 degrees for the time period that the queen begins laying eggs again.  And catch this: the worker bees rotate through the cluster (from the outside to the inside) so that no bee gets too cold! And, what do they eat in order to have the energy to shiver and rotate? You guessed it! Honey!


You can see that without honey, the bees have no hope of survival. So, too, Solomon is telling us that wisdom is like honey . . . it is very pleasant, just as honey is sweet to the taste. It is also our hope for the future -- we may learn from it, and it will keep us. Way back when we first began our study, we read that wisdom will keep us safe, and happy. 
Pro 1:33  but whoever listens to me will live in safety
    and be at ease, without fear of harm.
Not only safe from evil, but from the fear of it, as well. Wisdom's instructions will help us "rest easy."

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue Part 5

¹¹ Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
¹² If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
    does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
    Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? 


The next step in fearless witnessing for our faith is this: don't be afraid to make mistakes. The biggest mistake is not to try at all. The biggest mistake is to have an opportunity to speak a word for Him and then to say nothing.
I know by personal experience that God can still use my witness -- even if I make a mistake. He will bless our obedience, our striving and trying to witness. If that wasn't the case, it would be all about you and me . . . can we save them? Nope.  God can, and when we follow these guidelines and open our mouths, He will fill them!

Now, it certainly helps with confidence and having something to say, if we can "back up" our convictions with verses from His word. I would suggest that you check out some of the verses that Tonya put on the "What is Salvation" page, here at the blog.
Some folks really like the "Romans Road" and find it easier to remember those verses and call them to mind, and I use something similar:
I start with John 3:16 -- God loves all people. 
Next,  Romans 3:23 -- All people everywhere are sinners.
Then, Romans 6:23 -- Sin simply must be paid for.
How? Romans 5:8 -- Jesus paid for your sins.
What must you do? Romans 10:13 -- Trust Jesus as your Savior, and turn from your sins.
God can work wonders, in spite of us!

I posted our verses at the top again today, and I hope this five part study has been of some benefit to you. I know that I learned a great deal, and I'm more convicted than ever that I need to open my mouth and speak -- witness for my faith when I have the opportunity!

I truly believe that if we follow these guidelines, our witness will be gracious, and sweet --- reaching people, instead of erecting barriers.  We need to share our faith, and not hide it "under a basket." In the fifth chapter of Mark, Jesus went all the way over the Sea of Galilee, just to save one man. Surely we can witness to those that are around us and near us, each and every day of our lives! Let's ask God to help us prepare, and then to open our eyes to someone who needs to hear about Him -- and then let's open our mouths!

Proverbs 24: 11-12 Rescue Part 4

We are working our way through a short study on sharing our faith, and the next step we can take is to claim God's promise of His presence as we try to witness for Him:

Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

That wasn't just spoken to the disciples . . . it's for us, too! He has promised to be with us -- on the job, at the store, soothing that baby, talking to that neighbor . . . you'll not be alone as you try to speak a word for Him.

These are verses that reinforce that thought -- He will be with you; He has promised His presence as you go about your day:

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  (Exodus 33:14)

(Romans 8:38-39)  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

As we pray, we can boldly claim that promise, and then be ready to speak . . . where? Check out these verses:
Acts 28:30-31
³⁰ For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. ³¹ He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
Acts 17:17 ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

I hope you will have time today to look up these verses, too:

We can share our faith in our car, as Phillip did in a chariot: Acts 8: 29-35.
We can share our faith in a boat, as Paul did: Acts 27: 22-25.
You may know people who share in prisons, as we see Paul doing, even though he was one of the prisoners: Phil. 1: 12-13

There are no limits as to where we can graciously speak a word for Him!

Rescue - Part 3

We've been looking at steps that we can take, to deal with our fears about witnessing and sharing our faith. Today we'll study two more important ground rules in this process . . .

The second step to deal with our fear is to pray and ask God to take it away.   David says in Psalm
"I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  So often we include in our prayers the words "If it be your will, Lord."  We know that it is His will for  "all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (I Tim 2:4)  So we know He will calm our fears, and help us speak out for Him!

There have been times that I've been afraid. Very afraid. The fact that I have tried to memorize these particular verses has been a blessing --- even if I can't recall all of it, or get it in the right order, I can pull a lot of it out of my wee brain, and His words comfort me:

⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,
    from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 
 (Isaiah 41: 9-10)

Isn't that an awesome passage? God is telling us, "Hey! What's the trouble? I am your all-powerful, all-knowing, holy God, and I called you and said you are my servant!"  This is such an all encompassing thought: He next says that He chose us -- an active process, not a passive one. He saw us and chose us; He drew us to Him. 
Next He states that He has not rejected us. In spite of our sin, our weakness and even our lack of witnessing for Him, He has not set us aside.  He is a God of second chances.
Then the climax of verse 10 --- four awesome things that He promises to us:

• I am with you
• I will strengthen you
• I will help you
• I will uphold you with my right hand

I don't know about you, but I think that those words can comfort and inspire, no matter what our situation. If you don't get excited and pumped up (and grateful) reading those verses, I have to wonder if you are still breathing!

I hope today's study has encouraged you, and that you'll be back tomorrow for more!