An Ox to the Slaughter

Immediately he went after her,

as an ox goes to the slaughter,

Or as a fool to the correction of the slaughter.

Proverbs 7:22

The sinful nature within the believer weaves a rich tapestry of deception and temptation.  Things that seems so clearly wrong and terribly can quickly become frighteningly enticing when we begin listening to the wrong sources and entertaining the arguments of evil.  Proverbs 7 is giving a clear picture of a woman who is tempting a fool to immoral sexual behavior; however, it also gives us a pattern of the way that our sin can drag us away as James wrote about in James 1:14-15:

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 

Our path to destruction begins by entertaining the arguments regardless of the fact that we know them to be in opposition to God’s character.  This is personified in the wanton woman of Proverbs 7.  She uses her volume and her feet (v. 10).  She enticed him with both religious language (v. 14), and personal flattery (v. 15).  She tempts him with sensory pleasures (v. 16-18).  She assures him that they will not be caught…it will be their little secret (v. 19-20).  It is easy to blame the temptress – but it is the man himself who chose to pass by her house at night (vss. 8-9).

Discipline vs Punishment

My Son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

Nor detest His correction;

For whom the Lord loves He corrects,

Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12

It easy to confuse punishment and discipline.  These words are often used interchangeably and yet they have very different meanings.  The point of similarity is that they are both responses to inappropriate or unjust behavior.   The difference is in the goal of the response.  Punishment is related to the idea of justice.  We are looking for a suitable and just punishment to fit the crime.  The Biblical principle of “and eye for an eye” gives us a clear understanding of this principle.  This commandment was given because humanity does not want justice when wronged…we want vengeance.  This commandment limits and defines just punishments as never exceeding the nature and extent of the initial transgression.  Discipline is different.  It is not dealing primarily with justice but with the betterment of the one being disciplined.  Discipline can be negative in terms of unfavorable conditions placed upon a person, but the goal is not that justice be served – the desired result is that the behavior not be repeated.  Discipline can be positive in terms of applying a habit or action that will bring about the best good for the object – such as imposing a bedtime upon a child who needs to sleep whether they feel like it or not.  This is the nature of the Lord’s care of all who are related to Him through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  He disciplines us and corrects us because He loves us.  This may not always be pleasant, but it is always for the very best.

Humble Wisdom

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8

A recent popular song presented us with a conundrum.  The subject of the song was said to be beautiful because she did not know that she was beautiful.  One comedian quipped that if she discovered that she was beautiful then she would cease to be beautiful, at which point she would learn that she was not beautiful and in so doing become beautiful again.  He termed this music “Mobius strip pop.”  Humorous as this joke was it points out a real dilemma in humility and wisdom.  It is the very act of believing that we are wise in and of ourselves that brings pride and foolishness into our hearts.  True wisdom finds humility as its only fertile ground.  We cannot be wise in any real way unless we understand that God and God alone is the only one who possesses all knowledge and the Jesus Christ, alone, is Himself The Exclusive Truth.

Things that Matter

So you may walk in the way of goodness,

And keep to the paths of righteousness.

For the upright will dwell in the land,

And the blameless will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,

And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Proverbs 2:20-22

One of the cruelest lesson my children have had to learn is that of choice.  Whether that is the choice of what dessert they will have or what they will do with the last remaining hour before bed time regret over decisions is a regular part of my children’s lives.  So frequently I hear the words “I’m bored” an hour before bedtime, and “I want to do this one last thing!” the moment the clock tells us that bedtime has arrived.  Yet, no matter how much my children wish to fit one last thing into the day, it cannot be done.  That time has passed and the opportunity to spend that hour is gone.  One of the things that the book of Proverbs teaches us is that our choices and decisions matter.  By the grace of Christ we have the forgiveness of sins and the ability to start fresh each morning, but we are never going to be given the opportunity to go and relive the time we wasted yesterday.  We are never going to be able to unsay hurtful words, only apologize for them.  One of the key subtexts of the book of Proverbs is that our lives and decisions matter.  While Jesus paid the full price for our sin at the cross, He will still allow us to experience the effects of our actions here on earth – for positive or for negative. 

There is always grace for tomorrow, but there is no reliving today.

The Things Remembered

My son, if you receive my words,

And treasure my commands within you,

So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding…

Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,

And find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-2,5

How many song lyrics can you bring  effortlessly to mind?  How many quotes from books, movies or television shows?  Important dates from history?  Statistics and trivia regarding your favorite sports team?  We carry around amazing amounts of information in the supercomputer that God placed carefully between our ears.  We make a choice what information to collect and pursue and what information to forget and avoid.  Often times we value information simply for its own sake (as with a song lyric or a sports fact)  and other times for what that information can do for us.  We will value what we retain.  If it is difficult to read the Bible, or retain and apply the word of God, the question to be asking is not how to do better, but why don’t I value God’s word and wisdom.  This is a question for reflection and prayer.

Wisdom is Calling

Wisdom calls aloud outside;

She raises she raises her voice in the open squares.

She cries out in the chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words…

Proverbs 1:20-21

Advertising is a major portion of modern culture.  It is quite common for more money to spent on advertising than on the production of a product.  Not only that advertising has taken on whole new forms.  From junk mail to email, from billboards to internet banners, there is a never ending stream of advertising that we can see to the point where we almost cease to notice it.  The purpose of advertising is to tell people about a product, increase appetite for that product and then instruct people on how to get the product.  We may often think of wisdom as something being impossible to find.  The cliché for seeking wisdom is to find some hidden wise man on a far away mountain top.  But here we see a different picture.  Wisdom is not hiding she is ADVERTISING!  She is not hidden but available and taking appointments.  The only thing that makes her seem difficult find is that we love our own simplicity and folly more than we value God’s wisdom.  The idea that we must travel to find wisdom is a sales tactic of another saleswoman.  As with all good things God is far more willing to give than we are to ask (James 1:5).

Advent 2: Peace

Christmas can certainly be a time of chaos and busyness.  With gifts to buy, parties to attend, church activities and family activities it can easily start to feel as if a vacation is needed after surviving the Christmas season.  However, celebrating Christmas is a celebration of peace – The Peace of God.  Consider those precious Christmas moments when the soft glow from the lights on the tree illuminates the while snow peacefully falls outside.   In the person of Jesus Christ we see very God made man.  Jesus came to earth for the very specific purpose of providing a peace with God that mankind had no way of creating, earning or maintaining.  Peace with God can only be found through Jesus Christ, because of His death on the cross to pay for the sin which separates us from God.  It is only because we are clothed in His righteousness that we may have peace with the righteous God of love.  Because Jesus dealt with the sin problem we also look forward to a time when His peace will rule on and over the entire earth.  We look to Jesus and see all of the peace we can ever know, and we look forward to seeing His peace manifested upon the earth.