We have been instructed in the call of wisdom, the evils that would marginalize and keep us from receiving such wisdom, that which is of God. Today we move to trust and honor in Proverbs 3. Let’s break it down into five sections. The first being verses 1-6 concerning exhortations to obedience and faith.

Obedience to God’s commandments, and faith in his instructions to us will provide us with joy and peace, though our days may not be long upon earth, we shall live forever in heaven. Remember there is mercy and truth in God’s word and promises, He will not forsake us! Live up to his instructions, take interest in them…let not your heart be troubled. Seek His guidance in all matters, may our words be pleasant to his ears and our actions pleasing in his sight.In verses 7-12 we are encouraged to be devoted to His will, reverent and righteous in our action toward others. We should never consider ourselves to be greater than others, nor should we seek unto ourselves the wisdom  that comes only from God. The pain and sufferings of this world will be less when He directs our paths; so that our way shall be safe and good, and happy at last.

Moving to Verses 13-20 we are instructed to understand that there is no argument as to the value of wisdom being far greater than any earthly treasures or precious jewels. God’s wisdom must be a part of our every day business, any venture we are willing to be a part of. This type of wisdom can only be obtained through Jesus Christ and can only be found in a strong faith nurtured by prayer. This type of wisdom leads us to the path of peace and makes our walk a pleasant task. Believe in Christ because he will make good on all his promises. What must we do? The answer is found in Verses 21-26… to walk safely in his way we must use discretion and wisdom close at hand, never letting the word depart from us. Our life, here in our earthly being and all that belongs to it, shall be under the protection of God’s providence; the spiritual life, and all its interests, under the protection of his grace, so that we shall be kept from falling into sin or trouble. These last verses  give specific instructions of things to do and certain behavior traits that are signs of the humble believer. Our business is to observe the precepts of Christ, and to copy his example; to do justice, to love mercy, and to beware of covetousness; to be ready for every good work, avoiding needless strife, and bearing evils, if possible, rather than seeking redress by law. The last one here  speaks volumes to the state of a rather growing trend….We have become a Litigious people, unreasonably prone to go to law to settle disputes. Next is a little hard but we must never envy those who prosper even though it might be due to the oppression of others…instead we must as followers of Christ never choose the things they do. There will always be a divine favor shown to the humble believer.

I hope you have enjoyed this short trip into Proverbs and I encourage you visit this very powerful book often for inspiration and wisdom.

Life is Good 

jk

Some things about Proverbs… Teaching by proverbs was an ancient way of teaching. It was the most ancient way among the Greeks. It was a plain and easy way of teaching and did not impair people’s abilities to understand nor challenge their memories.It was a very profitable way of teaching, and served well to inform and inspire. Because times are so uncertain these days we , those of us of The Way…need more than ever the certainty of God’s wisdom and grace. Here in Proverbs 2 we are taught both how to get wisdom and how to use it when we have it. We must not be those who seek and receive, then turn away from what God has provided …knock and the door shall be opened…enter and be strengthened. In that first chapter there were warnings against evil people and wisdom’s crying out to be heard. In this chapter we learn the value of wisdom. 

How might we obtain this wisdom? First we must recognize that the true wisdom of life is of God. Anyone who desires knowledge will today find it through study, experience and in all kinds of various forms in the digital world we now have. So how do we get there, to God’s wisdom? The true wisdom the Christian seeks will be found in the word of God. Proverbs 2:1-2…We must have assurance that the words of God are more than adequate for our wisdom and understanding. We must know that even with all the writings and words that surround us, it is divine revelation, and the true faith built upon it, that will lead us to God’s wisdom in all its fullness.The word of God has always contained commandments and promises and we should welcome them without dispute or murmurings of dissent. The words are like treasures to be stored up…These words must be retained, always on our minds and close to our hearts, keeping them near should we need them to strengthen our faith. We must take every opportunity to hear the word, listening with attention and seriousness. These things we must do to insure we have built our faith on solid ground. Prayer, the unceasing cry for knowledge, knowing that anything less will not prevail. Prayer does not have to be a thing of desperation. Make it a time of simple conversation with God…ask for the knowledge of truth that leads to its sister wisdom. Lift your voices to Heaven where the good and perfect gifts can be found at the foot of the throne. Raise your voice so that it might be heard in Heaven and submit your tongue to the command of Wisdom. Solomon prayed for Wisdom and he obtained it.

There is a practicality in Wisdom. Wisdom protects us from people of corrupt principles, whose profane actions seek to cloud our judgement and instill prejudices against our faith as they seek to strengthen their arguments for sin and Un-Godly behavior. There is the note that Wisdom will protect us from corrupt women…I would rather it read from the sins of bodily lust which pervert God’s will and intent…nuff said. Sin comes in many ways to distract from the path of righteousness. The Wisdom of good men and women can be seen in the way they walk in the faith…See that, emulate it, avoid the walk of a sinful person. We must not only choose our way in general by the good examples of the saints, but must also take directions from them, they are the examples of the road taken  by the Saints of old as well as those of the present. God’s wisdom is not easily found, you must to refer to a former command…seek it with all your heart, mind and being… Let wisdom enter your heart and savor the peace that will keep you from the evils of this world. 

My love of this book grows each time I visit it. In chapter 1 we had an invitation, a warning against evil and read of the call of wisdom. Chapter 2 presented to us the value of wisdom. I am not ready just yet to leave this wonderful book…so next week… Chapter 3…Trusting and Honoring God. Come back and join us in the Pew next week.

Life is Good

jk

Open the Book of Proverbs and in some ways it is like sitting on the front porch with the old folks, grandma and grandpa as they share the lessons of life in a loving voice, devoid of judgement. Consider these points…Solomon is the primary author with others contributing. It was written for all eras to enjoy and meant to be timeless. It has been called the wisdom book, and relates to these days we are living now and those that have gone by. Some of the more famous verses:

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 31:10 A wife of noble character who can find?

    She is worth far more than rubies.

 Jesus Christ, for the most part, delivered his instructions to the people in parables. ( Matthew 13:3,  Proverbs 24:34.)  This   is taken from Coke’s Commentaries.

The best place to start would be at the beginning …Proverbs 1…

There are 33 verses in the first Proverb. We will break it down into  four sections.

 (1-7) Purpose and Theme  

(8-19) Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom 

( 8-19) Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

 ( 20-33) Wisdom’s Rebuke

Solomon was the first of the sacred writers to put his name at the head of his works. Then just as now this is an important fact… persons of sufficient reputation as to knowledge and intent were eagerly sought out for instructions and knowledge. The style of writing here turns toward the parabolically style, short, concise, and makes its point without a long and tiring discourse. Like a parable it is easy to read and pleasing to the ear and as was noted earlier a form used many times by Jesus. Verse two and the next six tell us the author’s perspective in how he wishes to instruct us in the acquiring of wisdom, instruction, understanding and knowledge. First we must possess in our minds an understanding of the wisdom, power, and goodness of God. This is the first step to wisdom; and the second is, to show reverence to parents, both natural and spiritual. As we continue on through the Psalm we note that we are to receive instruction and a need to develop discipline. A question asked most Methodist Pastors to start with is “are you going on to perfection?” The growth of our relationship with God is and should be a continuous journey, taking note of what happens along the way. We must not leave out understanding, which comes with developing a relationship with our God. Consider that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. All religions that lack a fear of God are in vain…piety, religion, the fear of God, are road marks along the way. There is a difference between the laws of man and those of God. Note…one small difference is that God’s law takes care to secure a just reverence to both parents. The old writings of scripture show, that fear prepares the way for the love of justice, which is perfect wisdom.

In this Proverb verses 18-19 warn us against evil companions. I believe, and you may feel differently, that as written here it also can apply to things as well as other people. The things of this life can come to us as gifts or questionable actions, they marginalize wisdom and can lead to our falling away from God. The remaining verses 20-33 alert us to the call of Wisdom. Wisdom is all around us, even in the streets or public places her voice calls out to us… Wisdom does not invite violence will not tolerate injustice. Wisdom invites God, and calls us to the highest good. Solomon decries this excuse of where shall we find this wisdom? Open your eyes and ears look for good examples, then imitate, and profit by them. Let the foolish ways of others teach you what not to do…you will learn nothing of value from a fool. It is only natural that we would ask…how Lord will I know these things? The answer is in verse 23. If you return at my instruction; or, if you turn your face at my correction; “I will make my Spirit flow upon you, as a source or fountain which produceth its water”. This proverb calls us to be mindful of the voice of Wisdom. We are warned that the enticements of this world will lead to our destruction. While it might be repetitive we must avoid the enticements of sinners, and we are told to heed warnings of God. This voice of Wisdom can only be understood when accepted as a divine revelation to us from God.

 Wisdom, Truth, and Justice, they live in the hearts and minds of those who hear God cry out to his people through the voice of “Lady Wisdom”.

Life is Good 

jk

The church I attend has started a new sermon series, “Road Trip.”  It is vacation time and many of us will soon take our own road trip. Gas may be high, with food prices going up every day but Americans are creatures of habit. There were many road trips taken by Jesus and the disciples and in the early days of the church the apostles, most notable Saul…Remember the road to Damascus and after that road trip experience we came to know him as Paul. There were two others who met Jesus on a road… Emmaus was a small town not far from Jerusalem and it was on that road that two men met the resurrected Jesus. People normally walked everywhere. Some did have a beast of burden to ease their journey and that me reminds of another road trip of note. Joseph traveled to Jerusalem from Nazareth with Mary the soon to be mother of Jesus riding on a donkey. Today I fall back on a phrase I have heard often…it is not so much about the journey, it is what happens Along The Way. There are three such episodes in the NT that come to my mind; the first being in Matthew Chapter 10: 1-15. I encourage you to read these verses, but for our purposes today…

Matthew 10:1

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.

Mark 3:13-15 is the next scriptural note of a road trip…

Mark 3:13-15  He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, 15 and to have authority to cast out demons.  

The third one would be from Luke Chapter 6:12-13… 

Luke 6:12-13

Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles….

The situation here is a bit different in interpretation, the other two callings are followed in scripture by a mission statement… We find in these verses in Luke a broader picture of what is taking place. From the writings of Jeremy Myers we find this interesting note… Jesus is praying for the choices he must make but also for the healing of the people and the teaching of the people that must be done. Consider this as written by Jeremy Myers in his article of  A Few Good Men. NOTE I am inserting it here as written:

In Luke 6, Jesus is faced with this sort of decision. He has come to earth to show and teach people what God is like and have an everlasting relationship with God. He only has three years of ministry, and by Luke 6, almost half of that is gone. He knows and realizes that one of the things he must do is pass on the essential truths of why He came to a few people who then in turn pass it on to others after He is gone. For over a year, He has been gaining hundreds of followers, but He knows that most of them haven’t a clue about who He really is, or why He truly came. So He must choose out a few to teach and train so that they might continue to minister to others when He goes back to heaven. The eternal weight of the world is on His shoulders, and He must choose a few good men to pass that heavy weight to their shoulders.

So it is that we read in Matthew and Mark, in both instances for the mission Jesus gave the twelve disciples authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. In Luke the opinion is that this was the initial election of the Twelve Apostles, a different meaning can be assigned to these verses in Luke. We must not be misled from the context of these verses…the intent of our Lord in calling these disciples forward was to prepare them to go forth, tell the story, heal the sick and toss out demons in the name of God. But there is still another road trip that has a huge role to fill in this study and it is also, in Luke Chapter 10 verses 1-12.

The Mission of the Seventy

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 

One point to be made here. In Matthew 10:1-42 and Luke 9:1-6 there is a difference in the instructions given to the Twelve and the Seventy. The main difference is that Jesus had told the Twelve that they were to preach in Galilee, avoiding Gentiles areas and Samaria, but the 70 were given no such restriction. Do you foresee a time when you might be sent out on a mission of service? Is there a road trip of such in your future? The church today is being attacked from many directions and is in need of the faithful to go forth and tell the story, prepare the way for His return. Keep these 10 points in mind. I am sharing with you from one of my favorite sites…gotquestions.com . 

The first thing you have got to do is…

1. Go (Luke 10:3). This is foundational.
2. Be wary (Luke 10:3). you will be surrounded by danger.

3)    Live by faith (Luke 10:4)

4)    Be focused (Luke 10:4) 

5)    Extend your blessing (Luke 10:5–6). Bless those that give you comfort.

6) Be content (Luke 10:7). The 70 were told not to seek better accommodations; they were to stay in the home that first received them.

 7) Receive your due (Luke 10:7). The laborer is worthy of his wages (cf. 1 Timothy 5:17–18). Doing evangelistic work is indeed work and is worthy of compensation.

8)  Be flexible (Luke 10:7–8). 

9) Heal the sick (Luke 10:9)

10) Proclaim the kingdom (Luke 10:9). 

We do not know the names of the Seventy, but the fact is that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10:20).  Let’s be realistic about today’s church world. We don’t knock on doors anymore, the digital world gives us the ability to reach many but… there is nothing more meaningful than a personal touch accompanied by a kind word. Imagine the miles they walked and the dangers these early Saints faced and as the Lord said to them…the harvest is great. Consider this, we will harvest what we sow. So, spread the word. Is there a road trip in you future? Consider this, Along The Way, share the story of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Life is Good

jk

The number of Biblical laws, 613 is rather ambiguous and there is no verse in the Bible that says this number is correct. In our search for these we are directed to the first five books of the Bible. The first five books of the Bible are known by Jewish people as the Torah, which in English means “the law.” So …the other point of view would be that these 613 commands, the most famous of which are the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. There is no agreement between Jews or Christians that the number 613 is the number given by God through Moses. Where did this number come from?  We start with the Talmud…

1. Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara which is a rabbinical commentary on the Mishnah, forming the second part of the Talmud.

B)  There are two versions of the Talmud: the Babylonian Talmud (which dates from the 5th century ad but includes earlier material) and the earlier Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud.

 I have discovered that there are many theories as to how this particular number came into being. So I kept digging and it was worth the time. I will again post at the end of this blog the URL for a massive work…The 613 by Archie Rand.  “ The 613 refers to the 613 Jewish commandments (mitzvoth in Hebrew) extracted from the Old Testament. This immense work by Archie Rand includes one painting for each one of the 613 mitzvoth.” Mitzvoth being a a precept or commandment or a good deed done from religious duty. All of these Laws, Commandments…can and has added to a great deal of debate, confusion and adds fuel to those who would profane them and use them as a distraction to mislead God’s people. I can assure you as a Layman the more I search for what is God’s Law, which is in reality the way God wishes us to live, the more I want to know. To me it is not a laundry list of must dos’, it soon comes down to a matter of what is in our hearts…and our hearts often rule our minds. Scripture tells us God knows what is on our minds and in our hearts. Consider this…keep things simple, Theology for a layman can become a series of trails ending in another rabbit hole. What is it that God wants of us? 

Micah 6:8  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Looking to Jesus we might because of Matthew 5:17 become confused… “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” To keep it simple read Matthew 5:17-20. There is so much here in this chapter, there is not enough time and space to do it justice at this time. In the time of Jesus and Paul there were thousands of legalistic rules and regulations, ( those made by the Pharisees) many just petty and somehow they came to be literally matters of life, death and eternal destiny. The truth is that both Jesus and Paul broke them repeatedly and condemned them. So the Law being our focus this week what then did Jesus mean by the law? We know what he said in Matthew, some say take that to mean He came to bring out the real meaning of the law. All that scribal and oral law left one thing unsaid. One great principle which the scribes and the Pharisees had been unable to understand. That in all things people must seek God’s will but they would not find it in their man-made hordes of rules and regulations. The blood of Jesus on the cross freed us from all of that. Jesus was asked once which commandment of the Law was the greatest.  

 Matthew 22:37–39

37 And he said to him,  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And  a second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

 God gave the Law to define sin and demonstrate our need for a Savior. Jesus is the only one who has perfectly obeyed the Law. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He fulfilled all of God’s righteous commands (Matthew 5:17–18). Be sure if time allows to read some of those 613 laws, go to the link at the bottom. I will close today with a simple view of a very long and complicated process of Biblical Law / God’s Law. 

“With the coming of Christ, God has established a new covenant with mankind (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, Hebrews 8:8-13, 9:11-15). Jesus and His apostles gave us a radically new understanding of the true intent of the Old Testament Law; they brought a new era of the rule of love for all people and spiritual truth instead of rule by law (Luke 10:25-28, John 13:34-35, Ephesians 2:14-18).”

 http://www.christianbiblereference.org

Life is Good

jk

613 Link

https://www.jmu.edu/dukehallgallery/exhibitions-past-2018-2019/the-613-mitzvot.shtml