Proverbial Wisdom – 6:12-19

Here is a description of worthless and wicked people: They are constant liars, signaling their true intentions to their friends by making signs with their eyes and feet and fingers.  Their perverted hearts plot evil. They stir up trouble constantly.  But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken beyond all hope of healing.

There are six things the Lord hates--no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers.

Proverbs 6:12-19 (NLT)

Wow, this is a tough bible study. While it’s always fun to hear about God’s promises of blessings, it is never fun to hear about the consequences of sin. But let’s face it; if we do not accept Jesus Christ as both our LORD and Savior, then we may qualify as these worthless and wicked people who will be broken and destroyed.

Lord, help us to understand Your ways and may we always surrender our hearts, minds and souls to Your merciful refining fire. Amen.

It is important to know what God considers worthless and wicked. Then if we discover any of these behaviors slipping into our own lives, immediately we can stop, bow down, and repent. In addition, we should check the behaviors of our closest friends and make sure that none of them qualifies as worthless and wicked. “My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!” (Proverbs 1:10).

Close friendships with worthless and wicked people can contaminate our Christian walk. We are set apart for our Lord and we are not to partner with the wicked world. Therefore, we must be careful whom we allow into our innermost circle of friends.

God says that worthless and wicked people constantly lie; they plan evil and they do evil. “How terrible it will be for you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry out any of the wicked schemes you have power to accomplish. When you want a certain piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone's house, you take it by fraud and violence. No one's family or inheritance is safe with you around!  But this is what the Lord says: ‘I will reward your evil with evil; you won't be able to escape! After I am through with you, none of you will ever again walk proudly in the streets’" (Micah 2:1-3, NLT).

All I can say is that the end of the wicked will not be well! Let’s be wise and allow our fear of the Lord guide our tongues, our thoughts, and our actions. We must refuse all evil!

Now, let’s move on to look at the seven things that the Lord despises: haughty eyes, lies, murdering hands, evil plots, people who do wrong, false witnesses, and those who sow discord. Six of these things God hates and seven He despises. Thus, a life characterized by these behaviors will be a life that will face a terrible end.

One of the things that God hates is “hands that kill the innocent.”  This is a controversial topic in our world today.

Think about a few things. Do the hands that kill the innocent include ladies who have abortions? What about the doctors who perform the abortions, do they qualify as hands that kill the innocent? Could this even include the ones who decided that it was legal to kill innocent fetuses?  Maybe, it includes all the people who assist the doctors in performing abortions. What will we do if our government attempts to override our right to live by our Christian faith? That time is getting closer.

Not only must we refuse to do evil, but we should also hate evil. We, as holy children of God, must become so close to God that we love what is holy and we hate what is evil. Yes, I did say hate.

Too many times, we are tempted to put on a smug robe of self-righteousness. We may say that we are so much like God that we love everything. But that kind of statement only proves that we are not like God. If we were truly like Him, we would hate some things, and this lesson identifies some of those things that we should hate.

“You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else” (Psalm 45:7).

We are to love what is right, but hate what is wrong. David, a man after God’s own heart understood this and he said, “I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride” (Psalm 101:3-5).

We made it through this lesson, maybe with a few cuts and bruises; nevertheless, we should be a bit wiser. We don’t have to be imprisoned by these types of wicked behaviors, because God has provided a way that we can be free. Moreover, if we wish to have eternal life in heaven with the Lord, we must be freed.

Have you been set free?

My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! ‘I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted.

Isaiah 66:2-3 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1. God considers some things worthless and wicked.

2. God hates and despises hands that kill the innocent.

3. There are things that we should love and things that we should hate.

Proverbial Wisdom – 3:7-12

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Proverb 3:7-12 (KJV)

Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ—once again I am late, and this time I have no excuse. The wonderful outdoors beckoned me and I simply did not resist. I cleaned up the flowerbeds, I put out some gorgeous fall decorations, and shame on me, I let my weekly blog be late. Reds, oranges, and browns…I love the fall colors!

So let’s jump right into this week’s lesson, which will be broken down into three sections. The first section is verses 7 and 8, the second section is verses 9 and 10, and the last section is verses 11 and 12.

Our first section contains three warnings. We should not to be wise in our own eyes, we should fear the Lord, and we should turn from all evil. If we are wise in our own eyes, we hold a conceited, inflated view of ourselves, and consequently, we may not admit or learn from our mistakes. And as we have already discovered in Part 1 of our journey through Proverbs, it is a foolish, rebellious man who refuses to learn.

Paul directs us in Romans 12:16 to, “Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!” (NLT). There you go…news flash…you don’t know it all.

But don’t feel bad…I don’t know it all either. All of us have a lot more to learn; therefore, we need to stay humble and teachable.

Our reverential fear of God should help keep us humble and teachable. Throughout the Bible, we are told to fear the Lord and to obey His commands. When we fear the Lord and obey His commands, we turn away from evil—we simply want no part in it. In fact, Exodus 20:20 tells us that the fear of the Lord can keep us from sinning.

Without sin, often we can increase the length of our life and the quality of our days. We decrease our daily stress because instead of worrying, we trust and lean on God. Further, we avoid sinful activities that can lead to sickness and death; such as cirrhosis of the liver, sexually transmitted diseases, and illegal drug overdoses. As a result, many times our spiritual condition can have a profound impact on our physical condition.

Our second section tells us to honor God with the first fruits of our increase. Everything that we have, our health, our jobs, our possessions, and our money, are gifts from God. It all came from His favor within our lives, and ultimately, it all belongs to Him. We are just stewards of His money; and as such, we should not squander it on our lustful desires. Why steal from God?  “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God…” (Exodus 23:19).

When we are good stewards of God’s money in our tithes and offerings, God continues to bless us. He will meet our needs, financially, physically, and spiritually. He always deserves our first and our best of everything…not our leftovers.

“’Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!’” (Malachi 3:10, NLT).

Our last section for this week, deals with discipline. We are passing through a classroom of life, and hopefully, we are learning and improving as we go along. Nevertheless, we make mistakes and sometimes we refuse to recognize or learn from our mistakes. Consequently, God may have to discipline us. Matthew Henry says in his Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible, “…for we may be sure that a God of unspotted purity does us no wrong and that a God of infinite goodness means us no hurt.”

Since God is without sin, everything that He does is for our own benefit. He teaches us to avoid sin and He leads us towards His righteousness. If we refuse to learn the easy way, through listening to His Spirit and learning from His Word, He will teach us the hard way…through discipline. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

In this life, you may face discipline in the form of various trials and persecutions. While you are being disciplined, humbly surrender yourself to God. Submit to His refining fire because He is working to remove all the impurities within you—He wants to shine you up so that He can see His own reflection when He looks at you. Let God shine you up so that you can reflect Him.

And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, “My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.”

Hebrews 12:5-6 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1. Fear of the Lord can keep you from sinning.

2. Your spiritual condition can have a profound impact on your physical condition.

3. God disciplines those He loves.

The Privilege of Prayer

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)

The other evening after I had just gotten in bed and had fluffed my pillow, I felt in my spirit that I needed to get back up. God was calling me to get down on my knees and pray. At first, I said to myself, “I just got in bed so I will pray while I am laying here.” But that was not what I was supposed to do. I knew in my heart that I was to get up and kneel down in prayer. So reluctantly, I got out of bed.

Now since my bed is tall and I am short, it isn’t a small feat for me to get in and out of bed. I have to slide down off the bed and then I have to climb up to get back in. But nevertheless, I got up. However, I didn’t do it with a happy heart— I approached it as if I was doing a chore.

But do you know what happened?

As soon as I began kneeling down, my heart changed. Instead of thinking that, “I’ve got to pray,” I thought that, “I get to pray.” Through that simple act of obedience, God made me realize how truly blessed I am. I have the opportunity to kneel before my God.

Not everyone can freely kneel before God. Some people may have physical limitations that prevent them from kneeling. Then there are people in countries outside of the United States who may have government restrictions that require them to kneel secretly in prayer. But I don’t have any limitations or restrictions. Anytime I want, I can kneel and pray…I have both the ability and the freedom. That is a blessing! That is a privilege!

Once I was down on my knees, God opened my eyes to the privilege of prayer. Unfortunately, it is a privilege that I often take for granted. God, the Creator and Giver of life, savors my prayers. That was a humbling thought, which brought tears to my eyes. But at the same time, I was ashamed of my initial thoughts of staying in bed. Therefore, I repented.

How could I have ever considered staying in bed when God was calling me? A soft bed does not even compare to God loving me and wanting to hear from me. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12, KJV).

For a while as I was kneeling in prayer, all I could do was praise God’s name. His Spirit came over me and I felt so blessed that I had the opportunity to pray. That is a precious privilege that I never want to take for granted again. “Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalms 141:1-2, KJV).

Do you know how special you are? You can bow down before the Creator of this world. God loves you, He cares about you, and He listens to you. In fact, the Bible says that when God’s children pray, their prayers are like a sweet-smelling incense, “…and they held gold bowls filled with incense—the prayers of God's people” (Revelation 5:8, NLT).

God made a way that you can personally talk to Him through prayer. It is a wonderful freedom but it came at a tremendous price. Jesus paid that price. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom…” (Matthew 27:50-51, KJV ).

How do you feel about praying—is it a chore or is it a privilege?

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:19-22 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  God loves you and He hears you when you pray.

2.  Praying is a privilege, not a chore.

3.  Your privilege to pray came at a tremendous cost.