Proverbial Post 5; Proverbs 14-15

May the mumbling commence!

Wealth and money are blessings, but it is essential to use it in a godly way.  Proverbs 14-15 speak some to this issue.  Read some words of wisdom on this matter from chapter 14:

            The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

                        But the tent of the upright will flourish. (Verse 11)

Do not seek to build grand mansions – they will eventually be robbed and destroyed.  Instead, live knowing that we are aliens in this land.  Live in tents.  I don’t think this means live in literal tents, but it does mean living within our means with respect to all creation.  Read another verse:

           

            He who despises his neighbor sins,

                        But blessed is he who is kind to the needy. (Verse 21)

Living in tents means saving some money back to be kind to the needy.  Otherwise, we will hoard and fall into sin.  Think this is an anomaly?  Read another verse:

            He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,

                        But whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Verse 31)

It basically comes down to what we most treasure.  Read a verse from Proverbs 15:

            The house of the righteous contains great treasure,

                        But the income of the wicked brings them trouble.  (Verse 6)

Know that the righteous person’s treasure does not equate with a rich retirement with lots of toys and travel and luxuries.  Because the righteous realize the wisdom found in another verse of Proverbs 15:

            Better a little with the fear of the Lord

                        Than great wealth with turmoil. (Verse 16)

The love of money rather than God can only lead to trouble and bribes to look the other way.  Read another wise saying below:

            A greedy man brings trouble on his family,

                        But he who hates bribes will live. (Verse 27)

Either we store up treasures in heaven by living in harmony with everyone and all creation (following the Lord’s command, by the way) or we hoard provisions and knowledge and rain destruction and trouble on our heads and the heads of those closest to us.  The choice is easy; the execution is difficult.

Lord, help us to use our wealth – our money, our possessions, our ideas, and knowledge – in a way that lifts others up and glorifies the Name of our Great Creator.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Proverbial Post 4; Proverbs 11-13

May the mumbling commence!

We are nearly half way through our year of reading the Bible as it happened chronologically!  What a spiritual discipline!  Discipline?!?  That word has such a negative connotations.  It’s no wonder people struggle to maintain a spiritual discipline like Scripture reading or prayer or fasting.

We may look at Proverbs 13:24 and either shiver in fear or race to get our rods – “He who spare the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”  But I wonder…  What rod was Solomon talking about?  Let’s look at today’s reading from Proverbs 11-13 with discipline in mind.  How do these chapters of Proverbs define the wisdom of discipline?  Read some wise sayings from chapter 12:

        Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

                        But he who hates correction is stupid.  (Verse 1)

The rod of discipline is knowledge and correction not a literal wooden rod or tree branch.

        The way of a fool seems right to him,

                        But a wise man listens to advice.  (Verse 15)

Ask yourself this question:  “Are you right?”  I know of few if any people who would answer this question “no.”  But, do NOT be a know-it-all.  Listen to advice.  The rod of discipline is also about being open to advice and changing errant ways.  Let’s move on to Proverbs chapter 13.

        Pride only breeds quarrels,

                        But wisdom is found in those who take advice.  (Verse 10)

Those who do not accept the rod of discipline are on the road to pride and quarrels.  This verse underscores our need to be malleable to the wisdom of Christ.  Take advice!

        He who scorns instruction will pay for it,

                        But he who respects a command is rewarded.  (Verse 13)

The rod of discipline is, once again, related to instruction.  Respect instruction and commands and be rewarded.

        He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame,

                        But whoever heeds correction is honored.  (Verse 18)

Is there any more doubt in our minds what the rod of discipline is?  It is about knowledge through godly correction, instruction, and advice.  And the attitude of heart we need to adopt is respect and openness to change our ways.  As we read Scripture, meditate, and pray, we open ourselves in a respectful way to change through the knowledge, correction, instructions, commands, and advice of God through the Holy Spirit.  And this correction is most efficient in community.  I thank God this day for my Bible reading community!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Proverbial Post 3; Proverbs 9

May the mumbling commence!

Where do we go to find wisdom? Proverbs 9:3 tells us that Lady Wisdom calls out from the highest point of the city.  Where do we go to find folly?  Proverbs 9:14 tells us that Lady Folly also calls out from the highest point of the city.

Do we leave our fortunes to Lady Luck?  That would prove disastrous.  There are always ways of telling the difference.  Look at the contrast in the ways Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly act:

            Wisdom has built her house;

                        She has hewn its seven pillars.

            She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;

                        She has also set her table.

            She has sent out her maids, and she calls

                        From the highest point in the city.  (Prov. 9:1-3)

            The woman Folly is loud;

                        She is undisciplined and without knowledge.

            She sits at the door of her house,

                        On a seat at the highest point of the city,

            Calling out to those who pass by,

                        Who go straight on their way.  (Prov. 9:13-15)

Lady Wisdom busies herself with industrious actions.  She has built and hewn her house.  She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine.  She has set her table and sent her maids to find guests.  On the other hand, Lady Folly leisurely sits at the door of her house…

And there is a difference in the messages that each uses to entice people to come.  Read them below:

            “Come, eat my food

                        And drink the wine I have mixed.

            Leave your simple ways and you will live;

                        Walk in the way of understanding.” (Prov. 9:5-6)

            “Let all who are simple come in here!”

                        She says to those who lack judgment.

            “Stolen water is sweet;

                        Food eaten in secret is delicious.” (Prov. 9:16-17)

If you cannot tell, the former is Lady Wisdom and the latter is Lady Folly.  Lady Wisdom offers her own food, while Lady Folly offers food in secret (stolen food?).  Lady Wisdom offers wine she had mixed, while Lady Folly offers stolen water.  Lady Wisdom implores the simple to leave behind their simple ways and live, while Lady Folly encourages the simple to wallow in their ways.

If advice seems to easy, then it is probably Lady Folly speaking,  IF advice is difficult and life-changing, it is probably Lady Wisdom speaking.  So, seek not the easy path – it leads to destruction.  Seek, instead, the more difficult path and embrace the quality and quantity of life that the Lord has for you.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Proverbial Post 2; Proverbs 5-7

A brief note:  I have been missing for a few days because my computer crashed.  I am now back on-line and will be posting the days that I hand-wrote then typed...


May the mumbling commence!

All that glitters is not gold.  All that is sugar-coated is not sweet.  In Proverbs 5-7, our wise father teaches mainly upon the theme of avoiding adultery.  Read from chapter five verses three to four:

            
            For the lips of the adulteress drip honey,

and her speech is smoother than oil;

            But in the end she is bitter as gall,

sharp as a double-edged sword.

Remove the sugar coating and taste the bitter gall.  Read between the lines of her speech and reveal the double-edged sword.  An adulteress (and an adulterer) may promise a life saturated with love, but the path leads to death.  Lust cannot masquerade as love for too long.  Living this way soon leads to death.  And remember, when the Scriptures speak about adultery, they speak of more than that which happens between a man and a woman.  Adultery is linked to idol worship – wandering from God.

What tools do we have at our disposal to avoid such a deadly trap?  We have discipline, correction, and instruction from our trusted Teacher (Jesus the Christ).  May I not spurn these gifts ar I will reap utter ruin (Prov. 5:11-14).

I have another tool to avoid adultery.  It is loving and caring for “the wife of my youth” and the family we have begun.  To love and care for my wife and son means helping to provide for them.

           
            Go to the ant, you sluggard;

consider its ways and be wise!

            It has no commander,

no overseer or ruler,

            Yet is stores its provisions in summer

and gathers its food at harvest. (Prov. 6:6-8)

Another tool to ward off adultery is paying attention to things the Lord hates:

            Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes,

            Feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies,

            And a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Prov. 6:17-19)

Eyes – be careful what you watch.  Jesus said a lustful look at another is adultery!  Adultery leads to lies, wicked schemes, and dissension among brothers.  All of these things make the top ten list of things that the Lord despises.

Instead, let us bind ourselves to the commands of the Lord.  If we do, these commands will guide our walk, grant us peaceful nights of rest, and instruct us about our day before we rise out of bed.  (Prov. 6:22)

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Proverbial Post 1; Prov 2-4

May the mumbling commence!

From now until June sixth, we will be immersing ourselves into the book of Proverbs.  Let us mine carefully for wisdom.  Let us drink deeply from the life-giving and life-enhancing stream.  As Proverbs 2:4 says, “Look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure.”  Read this description of Lady Wisdom from Proverbs 3:13-18 –

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

            the man who gains understanding, 

for she is more profitable than silver

            and yields better returns than gold. 

She is more precious than rubies;

            nothing you desire can compare with her. 

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 

Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

            those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

Better returns than gold!  Long life!  Riches and honor!  Lady Wisdom cultivates all these things.  But, that’s not all!  Lady Wisdom also cultivates peace.  Why wouldn’t we seek her with all our being?  So, what can we learn from Lady Wisdom today?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5a).  Do not trust is your own figuring.  Acknowledge the Lord, and He will keep you on the straight and narrow path (Proverbs 3:5b-6).

Honor the Lord with your wealth (Proverbs 3:9a).  Give the firstfruits of your labor to the Lord.  You cannot out give God (Proverbs 3:9b-10).

Accept the Lord’s discipline (Proverbs 3:11).  Accept it “because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. (Proverbs 3:12)”

If we can learn to do these things, then we will benefit greatly.  We will be able to rightfully wear the descriptors found in Proverbs 2:7-8 –

He holds victory in store for the upright,

            he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 

for he guards the course of the just

            and protects the way of his faithful ones.  

When we walk this walk, we will help create community by using our power to act on the behalf of others.  Read Proverbs 3:27-28 –

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,

            when it is in your power to act. 

Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" –

            when you now have it with you.

Yes, the light of our actions will shine a light that grows ever brighter like the first gleam of dawn until it shines like the noonday sun (Proverbs 4:18).  And these actions are built on the attitude of our hearts, the words of our mouths, and the focus of our eyes.  Let us keep our eyes on the prize!  Let us seek to be “Little Christs” everywhere we go.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 

Put away perversity from your mouth;

            keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 

Let your eyes look straight ahead,

            fix your gaze directly before you. (Proverbs 4:23-25)

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Sitting at the Feet of the Only Wise One; 2 Chron 9

May the mumbling commence!

There is nothing like sitting and learning at the feet of the wise.  At one time, Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and neglected for a time to fulfill her role in society.  When her sister Martha complained, Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen what was best and that would not be taken from her.  Well, today’s reading from the chronological Bible tells of another woman who traveled a great distance to sit at the feet of another wise man.  The Queen of Sheba traveled to sit at the feet of King Solomon.  I marvel at what she learned.  Read from 2 Chronicles 9:5-8 –

She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.  But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.  How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!  Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness."  

Indeed, seeing is believing.  How wonderful it must have been for the Queen of Sheba to have her high hopes exceeded!  High hopes being exceeded is the way of God.  The Lord will grant us promises far beyond our dreams and imaginings.  Our expectations are not even half the reality of the Lord’s love, mercy, grace, and care for us.

So I ask myself (and you ask yourself) – Am I happy?  The Queen of Sheba would think it a crime if we were not.  Let us learn to be happy in the Lord.  Our hopes, too, will be exceeded.

Look at what the Queen of Sheba learned about the Lord through her interactions with King Solomon.  She learned that the throne of Israel belonged first and foremost to the Lord.  (This seemingly slight pronoun change from the 1 Kings’ witness speaks volumes.)  She learned that the love of God made it possible for Solomon to obtain so much wisdom.  And she learned that this wisdom and the throne of Israel were granted to Solomon for a purpose – to maintain justice and righteousness.  With information comes great power.  Wisdom takes root in information when information is used to establish and maintain justice and righteousness.

I find wisdom in the uses that King Solomon put the algumwood he received.  Read the parenthetical comment from 2 Chronicles 9:10-11 –

(The men of Hiram and the men of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones.  The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)

Algumwood was used to make steps for the temple of the Lord, and algumwood was used to make harps and lyres for the musicians.  How do we mount up to the presence of the Lord?  We mount up through the steps of music.  Indeed, nothing like them had been seen (or heard) in Judah nor has anything been seen (or heard) since.  Think about it.  When the right hymn is chosen for the right situation, we are taken directly into the Lord’s presence.  Think of the chills and anticipation you have felt in worship.  I am convinced that when music and worship dovetail together well we get a tiny foretaste of what heaven will be like – less than half of the awesome reality I am sure.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Dwell in Our Midst Part II; Ps 132, 2 Chron 7

May the mumbling commence!

The invitation for the Lord to come and dwell in the Temple is found in other places.  Read from Psalm 132:7-8 –

"Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us worship at his footstool - 

arise, O Lord, and come to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might. 

May your priests be clothed with righteousness;

may your saints sing for joy."

As the Lord chooses to dwell in the Temple, priests are clothed with righteousness and saints sing for joy.  So much for the wisdom of laughing with the sinners rather than crying with the saints!  In the presence of the Lord, the saints sing for joy.  And Psalm 132 continues to note that the Lord did so choose the Temple as a dwelling place for His name.  Read verses thirteen to sixteen:

For the Lord has chosen Zion,

he has desired it for his dwelling: 

"This is my resting place for ever and ever;

here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it –   

I will bless her with abundant provisions;

her poor will I satisfy with food. 

 I will clothe her priests with salvation,

and her saints will ever sing for joy.

The Lord has spoken and chosen His Temple.  And the Lord has promised abundant provisions to His people – not that they should live in the lap of luxury but so that the poor will be satisfied with food.  Salvation and righteousness are connected – the Lord dresses his priests in both.  And, again, the saints join in joyful song.

Lest we forget, let’s remember where the true dwelling of the Lord is – in us, you and me.  Read the words of the Lord to Solomon from 2 Chronicles 7:17-22 –

"As for you, if you walk before me as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.' 

But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.  And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?'   People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them – that is why he brought all this disaster on them.'" 

We build the true Temple for the Lord when we act in accordance to the commands of the Lord.  Yes, it happens when we are individually obedient, but the strength of the Temple is increased when we can be obedient corporately.  It means that each of us will need to surrender some of our rights (as the dominate culture we live in defines them) for the betterment of the church and obedience to the call of the Holy Spirit.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out  

Dwell in Our Midst; 2 Chronicles 6-7

May the mumbling commence!

A recurring refrain in Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple is that the heavens are the dwelling place for God (2 Chronicles 6:21, 30, 33, 39).  This refrain builds up to the end of the chapter and culminates in the sung invitation for the Name of the Lord to dwell in the temple.  This invitation is recorded only in 2 Chronicles – not in 1 Kings.  It is another example of the attention to detail so that rightful worship can be restored among the returning exiles.    Read the invitation below from 2 Chronicles 6: 41-42 –

“Now arise, O Lord God, and come to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

May your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation,

may your saints rejoice in your goodness. 

O Lord God, do not reject your anointed one.

Remember the great love promised to David your servant."   

Yes, O Lord, come to dwell among your people.  Though we no longer have the Ark of the Covenant, we still crave your presence.  Clothe us with your salvation so that we may rejoice before all creation of your goodness.  We, too, want you to remember your promises.  We desire the stamp of your approval on our efforts to praise you – just like the stamp that you gave Solomon at the beginning of 2 Chronicles 7.  Read verses one to three below:

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.  The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.  When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever."

Fire from heaven came down and consumed the sacrifices of Solomon.  This stamp of approval inspired worshipful awe from all the people.  The refrain that the priests had started in 2 Chronicles 5 that we read yesterday is repeated by all people.  May it be so with us!  Let us proclaim that God is good, all the time.  His love endures forever.

And let us extend this love to those foreign to us, just as Solomon prayed in the dedication of the temple.  Read from 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 –

As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm – when he comes and prays toward this temple,  then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

Even those foreign to Israel were included in Solomon’s prayer for the temple dedication.  Those foreign to us also have access to the same God, so let’s welcome them.

Enough mumbling for today…

Peace Out

God is Good; His Love Endures Forever; 1 Kings 8, 2 Chron 5

May the mumbling commence!

There is nothing like knowing that the Lord has accepted your labor of love.  Both the 1 Kings witness and the 2 Chronicles witness of the completion of the Temple echo the blessing that Israel received at the completion of the Tabernacle during their days of wilderness wanderings.  Let’s compare these two witnesses and see the attention to detail that the Chronicler has incorporated to help redefine worship for the returning exiles.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. 

The priests then brought the ark of the Lord's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.  The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles.  These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.  There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. 

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord.  And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.  (1 Kings 8:3-11)

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests, who were Levites, carried them up; and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. 

The priests then brought the ark of the Lord's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.  The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles.  These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.  There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. 

The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.  All the Levites who were musicians – Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives – stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.  The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever."

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.  (2 Chronicles 5:4-14)  

All of the Purple in the 2 Chronicles passage are additions.  After consecrating themselves, the Levitical musicians dressed in their finest linens.  They joined the pleasing sounds of instruments and voices in song.  They sang of the Lord – “He is good, his love endures forever.”  It was in the midst of this worship and praising that the glory of the Lord descended upon the Temple.  The priests could not perform their duties.  Silence reigned.  Let us give God our best.  Let us stand in awed silence before the majesty of our Lord.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out