Proverbs 14:9-14
Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above.
In reference to the work of ministry, I often find myself seeking the most practical and pragmatic way to resolve problematic issues. I look for solutions and remedies that are logical and make sense. The challenge with my approach is that the Word of God sounds like foolishness to the flesh. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not intuitive or comprehensible to the flesh. And even I have to admit, it takes a gigantic leap of faith to accept there’s a being we can neither, see, touch, taste, smell or hear with our natural senses. But those of us that have taken that leap have discovered a God that’s impossible not to love, serve and obey. Yet, even with that, we find there’s always a struggle for us to separate the urges of the flesh from the leading of the Spirit. And that’s exactly what we find as we review our text this morning. We find ourselves confronted with the age old challenges of living holy before the Lord in difficult of times without the benefit of His physical presence leading and guiding us.
So, before we even begin, let’s establish the parameters of our relationship with the Almighty. God is a Spirit, and we can only interact with Him spiritually. We are incapable of discovering Him. He must reveal himself to us. And even in doing so, we are still without the facilities and capabilities to grasp the totality of who He is. Now, the reason this is so important is that it helps us come to grip with the fact we can’t figure out why God is, who God is, or why He does what we does. As the phrase attributed to Tennyson in his 1854 poem recites, ‘ours is not to reason why, our is but to do or die’.
For the purpose of our discussion, let’s break the Old Testament into three (3) distinct parts. In the Bible we find guidance in the books of law, prophecy and wisdom. Proverbs is one of the 3 wisdom books. The books of law establish irrefutable rules and unwavering regulations. There’s no wiggle room in the law. There’s also no relationship, grace or mercy. Either you adhere to the law or your are guilty, and subject to the appropriate punishment. In the case of God’s law, the wages of sin is death…but thanks be to God there is a way out through Jesus Christ.
But first let’s look at prophecy. When we find ourselves out of step with the law, we are further warned, chided, and lovingly admonished through the prophetic voices of God. God sends messengers and ambassadors to more emphatically express the ire of the Lord to his people before sending judgement. Prophecy certainly demonstrates the forgiving nature of the Lord, but places the hearers in precarious positions, sometimes still not knowing exactly what next to do.
And that brings us to wisdom. Not the wisdom of humanity, but God given wisdom. Further study of the Old Testament books of wisdom informs us that the wisdom spoken of in the ancient past doesn’t comport to our self indulgent descriptions for today. Biblical wisdom starts (and ends) with the reverent fear of the Lord. It’s not about rules and regulations. It’s not about knowledge and education. But godly wisdom is gauged and measured by the intent of the heart.
Dearest Child of God, love in its purest form cannot be legislated. Wisdom in its simplest expression, is mute. It’s doesn’t talk, it acts. It flows with the Spirit, and is known for its works, not words. The Proverb writer was correct. There is a way that seems right to a man…but God doesn’t work like that.
God Bless
