Proverbs 29:1-3 NASB
A man who hardens his
neck after much reproof
Will suddenly be
broken beyond remedy.
When the righteous
increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man
rules, people groan.
A man who loves wisdom
makes his father glad,
But he who keeps
company with harlots wastes his wealth.
The Stiff-Necked
There are many people who know the truth, but who do not
live by the truth. They may even be teachers of the Word of God, but they
distort the truth in order to justify themselves and their sinful lifestyles.
Many of these people not only know the truth, and they not only ignore the
truth so that they can go on in their sin, but God has been reproving them for
some time, and yet they still ignore him and his reproofs, and they continue to
go their own way. It is as though they think they are invincible, but they are
not. For, they will reap what they sow, the Bible teaches us (Gal. 6:7-8).
I think this second verse can be true, but it cannot be
true, too, depending on the culture, the times we live in, and the society in
which we dwell, etc. For, I see the opposite of this to be true in our day and
time, at least here in America. The wicked seem to be the ones who are high and
lifted up and who receive the praise and adoration of mankind. While the
righteous seem to be shunned, mocked, criticized, and thought crazy or out of
touch with reality, etc. Even in the church the righteous are often pushed
aside while those who continue on in their sinful lifestyles seem to be lifted
up.
Not all fathers honor wisdom, integrity, honesty and purity,
either. Some fathers have no problems at all if their sons follow after the
lusts of their own flesh, and if they commit adultery against their wives, and
if they are addicted to porn or to going to prostitutes, etc. And, that is most
likely because those fathers are also addicted to following after the lusts of
their own flesh.
It seems a rare find these days to find a man who is truly
walking in purity, in holiness, in truth, and in faithfulness to God and to
spouse. And, I believe that explains a lot as to the spiritual decline of the
church in America, too.
Proverbs 29:5-7 NASB
A man who flatters his
neighbor
Is spreading a net for
his steps.
By transgression an
evil man is ensnared,
But the righteous
sings and rejoices.
The righteous is
concerned for the rights of the poor,
The wicked does not
understand such concern.
Righteous and Wicked
What is the purpose of flattery? People who hand out false
compliments and praise in excess oftentimes do so for their own self-interest,
i.e. they are hoping to gain some advantage over the other person or they hope
to get something from that person. The motives are selfish, usually, and the
praise is insincere. The purpose can be to play upon the vanity of others in
order to manipulate them and to persuade them to do something the flatterer
wants. Or, the purpose can be to try to trap them or to trip them up, as well.
I am not certain that every person who is righteous in God’s
sight, through faith in Jesus Christ, truly is concerned for the rights (needs)
of the poor, though. I am not sure, either, that everyone who is walking
righteously before God gives much thought to the concerns of the poor, unless
they are among the poor themselves. I am also not convinced that every wicked
person cares nothing for the poor, for it appears many people of wealth who
make no claims to faith in Jesus Christ are quite generous in helping others
less fortunate than them.
But, the righteous should care for other people’s needs, and
not just their physical needs, but their spiritual needs, too. And, sometimes
the wicked or the ungodly put Christians to shame by their charitable acts
towards others.
Proverbs 29:9-11 NASB
When a wise man has a
controversy with a foolish man,
The foolish man either
rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
Men of bloodshed hate
the blameless,
But the upright are
concerned for his life.
A fool always loses
his temper,
But a wise man holds
it back.
The Upright are
Concerned
There is righteous anger and there is sinful anger, and
Jesus set the example for us of righteous anger, as did Paul and Stephen, I
believe. For, sometimes strong words are necessary, and it is necessary to
speak them with a certain amount of force, yet while still speaking the truth
in love.
For, some people who are stiff-necked and hard-hearted and
stubborn need to hear the truth said with greater emphasis because of their
stubborn wills and their hard hearts, especially if they are ones who have
resisted God and his rebukes over and over again. For, they need to understand
that God is not going to be patient with them forever, and that he hates their
deceptions, and one day they will be judged for their wrongdoing.
For, the upright in heart, who are following Jesus with
their lives, are concerned for those who are walking this kind of “tightrope,” who
are hoping to not fall off, though their pride will eventually be their
downfall. For the upright know the dangers awaiting the hard-headed and the
stiff-necked, which is why they care about those who think they are invincible.
They even care about those who persecute them without cause, because they want
to see even their persecutors set free from their bondage to sin.
Proverbs 29:25-27 NASB
The fear of man brings
a snare,
But he who trusts in
the Lord will be exalted.
Many seek the ruler’s
favor,
But justice for man
comes from the Lord.
An unjust man is
abominable to the righteous,
And he who is upright
in the way is abominable to the wicked.
He Who is Upright
Yet, for those of us who are walking by faith in Jesus
Christ, according to the Spirit, in purity and holiness, and who are being
persecuted for righteousness’ sake, we should not fear what our persecutors may
do to us or say about us. For fear is the opposite of faith, and fear denies
the deity and the sovereignty of God over our lives. For fear gets us focused
on our circumstances and it gets our eyes off Jesus. So, we need to put our
absolute trust in the Lord, and lay our burdens at his feet and rest in Him.
When we allow fear to take over, we are in danger of putting
our trust in humans and the flesh over and above our trust in God. The children
of Israel in Old Testament times were known for looking to man’s help and the
help of other nations and kings to save them from their enemies while they
ignored God’s commands to them, and while they denied him as their only Savior.
So, we need to be careful that we don’t do the same, for when we do that, we
lack faith in God, and when we do that, we put ourselves at risk because we are
trusting in mere humans who are likely to betray us and fail us.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to hate what he hates
and love what he loves. Yet, so many who profess the name of Jesus appear to
hate what Jesus loves, and love what he hates, because they have bought into
the lies which tell them that they need to be one with the world, and that God
is ok with them continuing in their sinful practices.
Yet, as followers of Jesus, we should not admire and worship
and venerate the wicked and the ungodly while we look down on those and
disapprove of those who have truly surrendered their all to Jesus Christ.
Instead, we should honor and lift up in prayer those saints who are giving
their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ and who are willing to lay it all
down for the sake of the name of Jesus and his gospel message and the salvation
of human souls. For, truly the wicked are offended by the ways of the upright
and they will make it their goal to persecute the righteous and to bring them
down.
Seven
Woes
An Original Work / May 31, 2012
Based
off Matthew 23
Woe to you, teachers of the law;
Hypocrites, you keep men from God.
You refuse to obey the truth,
Nor will you permit others to.
You travel o’er land and sea
To win a single convert to you.
When he becomes one
You make him twice as much
A “son of hell” as you are.
Woe to you, blind guides of mankind.
You distort the words of your God.
By your practices you declare
Your oaths mean nothing, though you swear.
You give a tenth of your spices,
But you neglect justice, mercy.
When you focus your
Time and talents on
What is external, you miss out.
Woe to you, who appear so clean,
When inside you are crass and mean.
You work hard to look so upright,
While you hide all your sins inside.
You deceive yourselves when you think
You would not have done what others
Did to God’s messengers
And prophets of old,
For you will do much the same.
You’re to blame.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that you came
to deliver us from all wickedness and to make us into a pure people for your
praise and glory. Amen!
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