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I Will…

Isaiah 14-18

Well, once again old J. Vernon McGee said something in his commentary on today’s verses that said what I would like to say so much better.  So, once again, I’ll just let him say it.

But first let’s look at the verse in question.

Isaiah 14:12-14

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’

There seems to be some difference of opinion as to whom this two word phrase “Day Star” refers.  Isaiah 14:4 makes it clear that the verses that follow refer to the king of Babylon and so I think it rather obvious that on the most basic level this is who is meant by the appellation “Day Star”.   Now the King James Version doesn’t render this term as “Day Star” but “Lucifer” and, on a deeper level, I can certainly see how that would apply.  I’m going to share with you what J. Vernon said about these verses but my point isn’t to get into a debate about the real target of these verses, but a discussion on the issue of sin.

McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Isaiah 14:2

“Lucifer” is none other than Satan. Lucifer, according to Ezekiel 28, is the highest creature that God ever created. But he was a Judas Iscariot—he turned on God. He set his will over God’s will. In Luke 10:18 the Lord Jesus says, “… I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” In 1 John 3:8 we are told, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” Then in Revelation 12:7–9 we are told, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” This is a picture of this creature Lucifer at the very beginning.

What was the sin of this creature created higher than any other? Well, what is sin in its final analysis? I’m not speaking philosophically, but theologically—what is sin?”

Isaiah 13-14

“These are the five “I wills” of Lucifer. He was setting his will over against the will of God. This is sin in embryo. This is the evolution of evil. There is no evolution of man, but there is an evolution of sin. It began by a creature setting his will against the will of God. As a free moral agent, the creature must be allowed to do this. It is nonsense to talk about a creature who has a free moral will, who can do anything he wants to, but is restricted in his movements in a certain area. Lucifer had a free will.

This is man’s original sin: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). Murder is sin, not just because God says it is, but because it is contrary to the will and character of God. Anything that is contrary to the character and will of God is sin, regardless of what it is. I think that some people can even displease God by going to church.

Imagine little bitty puffed-up creature man, who says to God, “I won’t do what You want me to do. I am going to do it my way.” That is exactly what man is saying today. Well, friend, you are not going to do things your way, because God’s will is going to prevail in the final analysis. Therefore, the prayer of all God’s people should be, “… Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Anything contrary to His will is sin, regardless of what it is.

The sin of Satan was overweening pride. He did not go out and get drunk, and he didn’t steal anything. He went against God’s will. He was created as an angel of light; he was the “son of the morning,” a perfect being. He was given a free moral will—he could choose what he wanted. But he was lifted up—so lifted up by pride that he set his will against the will of God. It wasn’t the purpose of Satan to be different from God; he wanted to be like God. In other words, he wanted to be God. He put his will above the will of God, and any creature who does that puts himself in the place of God.

There are many men like Lucifer today. They put their wills above the will of God and take His place. That is what sin is all about in the human family. There are only two ways: God’s way and man’s way. That is what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when He said, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). My friend, you live in God’s universe today. You breathe His air and enjoy His sunshine. He never sends you a bill for either one or for the life He furnishes. You are His creature. You owe Him a great deal. You are to obey Him.

In his natural state, man is unable to obey God; that is why we have to come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ as lost sinners. Then we are given a new nature. That is what it means to be born again.”

I have said that all sin comes from the same place; self-centeredness.  Self-centeredness makes us the center of the universe, of all creation.  This is God’s place, not ours.  When we struggle with sin we are struggling against our desire to be God.  It really is that simple.  That is why a sinner cannot be in God’s presence.  There is only one God and you are not Him.  If you can’t accept that you cannot have eternity.  It isn’t Gods’ fault it is yours.  Oh, the destruction we wreak in our own lives when we focus on ourselves.  You want to be happy?  Focus on God; there is no other truly satisfying way.

Have a selfless day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Are You Thankful?

Isaiah 10-13

In Chapter 11 of Isaiah we once again hear of God’s promise to provide a Savior.

Isaiah 11:1-5

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.”

There He is – Jesus Christ!  Isaiah tells us that the Messiah is coming!  But look at this:

Isaiah 11:10-11

“In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.”

Did you notice in verse 11 that it says “the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time …”?  Jesus is the “Lion and the Lamb”.  He came the first time as “The Lamb” and will come the second time as the Lion.  The Bible talks about the descendants of Abraham as God’s chosen people.  This refers to his physical descendants but it also refers to his spiritual descendants who are adopted into the family through rebirth in Christ.  As much as I’d like to, it is a bit simplistic to say that His first coming was for the Jew and the second coming for the Gentile.  Remember this?

Matthew 15:22-26

“And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.“  But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

So, Jesus does tell us that He came the first time specifically for Israel but those few verses are not the entire story.  Look at what happens next.

Matthew 15:27-28

“She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”

He came the first time primarily for the physical descendants of Abraham, the Jews, but He also provided for the Gentiles; those who have faith.  The second time He will come to recover the remnant of His people who will include both Jew and Gentile; but only those who are spiritual children of Abraham will be gathered to Him.  It will not be enough to be a physical descendant of Abraham you must be a spiritual child of his as well; you must have Christ.

And here is, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story”.

Isaiah 12:1-6

“You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.  And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

I wonder if you noticed that immediately after stating that God provides salvation these verses go on to say that the thankful, joyful, saved person is to make His deeds known in all the earth.  How often does God have to make these connections for us before we get it?  God says “I saved you – go tell others”, and He says it over and over again.  He even says it here in the Old Testament hundreds of years before that Savior has even come to save.  Are we blind to this truth?  Are we not truly thankful?  How can we be saved and not thankful?  If we are thankful how can we not tell others about Christ?

I believe we must think about this, brothers.  Do we really believe what we say we believe?  If so, how does it show?  One of my greatest fears is that at my funeral some who knew me will be surprised to learn I was a Christian.  I want people to know I am a Christian, not because I told them I was a Christian but because they could tell I was a Christian.  For that to happen I must shine the light of Christ in this dark and dying world while I have breath.  They will know we are Christians by His love that shines through us.  Feeding the lost is good.  Clothing the lost is good.  Housing the lost is good.  But what they are dying for is Christ.  By all means do the other but never neglect the Gospel.

Have a thankful day brothers!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Here Am I!  Send Me!

Isaiah 6-9

There is so much on which I would like to comment today but there just isn’t time.  I again found my heart soaring as I read passages about God’s Holiness, about Isaiah’s faithfulness, and about our coming Savior and King.  For example:

Isaiah 6:8

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

That one simple verse, composed of three simple sentences, is devastating to me.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are asking “who will go for us?”  Isaiah said “Here am I! Send me.”  You do know that God asks that question every day don’t you?  Do you know He is looking right at you and me when He asks it? Did you notice that Isaiah did not ask “to do what?”  He didn’t ask if he could do it after he finished something else.  He didn’t barter about the particulars.  He simply said “Here am I!  Send me.”

Isaiah reminds me of Abram when God told him to rise and go to a place He would show him.  In other words “get up and get going; I’ll show you where you are going after you show me your faithfulness”.  Ah, the words “trust and obey” come crashing into my brain.  That is at the heart of faith.  This is not to suggest that the brain is turned off, but at the end of the day, when things just don’t make sense, when we don’t have all the answers we would like, we must simply trust and obey.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Here it is!  People get ready!  Jesus is coming!  Soon we’ll be going home!!!  Here, 700 years before it came to pass Isaiah tells us that God is coming to earth in human form.  Immanuel means “God with us.”  He was that then and He is still that today.  Christ resides within me.  He is still Immanuel.

Why do we need Him?  Because we walk in the darkness of our own sin.

Isaiah 9:2

“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.”

I remember flipping channels the other day and I paused for a moment on one of the Harry Potter movies that have been playing a lot lately.  It was a scene where Harry and another fellow lay on the ground in a wood next to a small pond.  Dark, ghost like, shadows swirled overhead, coming closer and closer.  As they passed over the bodies they seem to suck the life from both individuals.  Just when it seemed like all was lost, a pinpoint of light from the other side of the pond burst forth.  It was an intense, brilliant light that quickly blossomed to the point of blotting out the screen.  The dark shadowy creatures were shattered in an instant.  Nothing could withstand the light.  That’s like us isn’t it?  Weren’t we being sucked dry of life by our sins?  Were not our sins draining us of life?  It was the light of Christ that broke through the darkness that surrounded us, obliterated our sins, and saved us from death; restoring our souls.

Isaiah 9:6-7

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Praise God!  Praise God!! Praise God!!!  May glory, and power, and honor, and praise be forever His!!!  He saved you.  He cleansed you and now He is asking whom shall I send?  I hope he hears you say “Here am I!  Send me!”

May you have an obedient day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

What Kind Of Grapes Do You Bear?

Isaiah 2-5

I was reading in one of the commentaries that there are interesting parallels between the Book of Isaiah and the Bible as a whole.  The Bible has 66 Books and Isaiah has 66 chapters.  The first 39 books of the Bible are the Old Testament and there are 39 chapters that cover Law and the government of God.  The New Testament is made up of 27 books and Isaiah has 27 books covering grace and salvation of God.  I’ll be checking on the accuracy of this comparison as I read this book I suspect.

Anyway, I have to keep reminding myself of what I have intended to do with this blog from day one.  As I read I get excited and I want to study and comment on everything.  While this would be good for me, I know none of you would care to sit through that let alone have time to do so even if you were so inclined.  Of course, there are many fine commentaries written by great Bible scholars that have already done the work and far better than I could ever dream.  No, my intention from the beginning was to take what God laid on my heart and write about it.  As much as I would like to delve into the history and prophecy of this wonderful book I must accept my role and proceed.

As I read Isaiah today I found my emotions wafting a bit from joy to dread.  As I considered the dread, however, it faded away to deep concern for the lost.  You see, as Isaiah tells us of the blessings to come for those who are His, my heart is filled with joy and expectation.  As I read about the agony to come for those who are not His, the dread began to rise.  As I thought about the cause of my dread, however, it fled, for I am a child of the Living God and have nothing to fear.  The agonies that lay ahead for the lost are not for me.  My heart remains heavy, however, for the lost.  I am safe but they are condemned.

A horrible image came to my mind as I thought about the lost described in today’s reading.  I know friends, family, and co-workers who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  In my mind I saw that day when I will stand with Christ in a robe washed white by His blood. I looked across the great divide toward those whose robes were filthy and I saw the faces of those who were my friends, who were my family, who were my co-workers.  They looked me in the eye and with great anguish in their voice they cried out “Why did you not care enough to warn me?”

I shudder to think of it.  I realize the reality will be different.  There will be no innocent people on the other side.  They all will have been given every opportunity to be saved.  Still, that is God’s business.  My business is the job He gave me.  He loved me enough to die for me.  He took my punishment so I would not have to fear the great divide.  Having saved me He has not asked me to die for Him but to live for Him.  He has instructed me to make disciples of others, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.  He has commanded the same of you.

Isaiah 5:1-2

“Let me sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and he looked for it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.”

Isaiah 5 begins with an allegory of Israel, God’s chosen people, as a vineyard.  As Christians we are God’s chosen people as well, and I see a message in this allegory for you and me today.  You are Christ’s vineyard and He has indeed planted you on a very fertile hill.  He has cleared you of your stones, your sin, and He has planted within you with His Holy Spirit.  He is looking to you to yield grapes.  Will He find those grapes He planted in you or will He find those worthless wild grapes?

Isaiah 5:3-4

“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?”

Christ died on the cross for you.  He washed you of your sins.  He planted His Holy Spirit within you and wrote your name in the Book of Life.  What more is there to do for you that He has not already done?  What more is needed to produce good fruit in you?  Are you yielding the grapes your Master intended or are you yielding grapes of wrath?

Brothers, if you have accepted Christ, you have nothing to fear.  If you have accepted Christ, He is building in you a desire to bear a bountiful harvest by sharing the Gospel with a lost and dying world.  I am not motivated to do what my Savior has asked of me out of fear; my place in heaven is secured.  I am motivated to do what my Savior has asked of me out of love.  Love for my Savior and love for those whom He loves; my friends, my family, my co-workers and all the rest.  How about you?

May your day bear beautiful, luscious grapes!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Hope For America

Song of Solomon 5 – Isaiah 1

Well, we have gone through the Song of Solomon in two days and I have got to tell you that to make sense of this book I think we would need two months!  I’ve been reading the commentaries and even if we just look at this book as a story about Godly marital love there is still a lot of explaining to do.  I cannot do this book justice in this format.  So, of necessity, not wishing to slight the Song of Solomon in the least, but unable to do it justice, I will move on to Isaiah.

Isaiah is the first of 17 prophetic books, not because it was written first but because it is the most comprehensive in content.  Isaiah lived around 700 B.C. and prophesied to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  The Northern Kingdom had fallen to the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C. and things weren’t looking to good for Judah as well.  Juda was in political and spiritual decline and it was in this atmosphere that Isaiah rose to urge God’s people to return to Him, trust in Him, and obey Him.  He urged them to look to God for salvation.

Below are a few comments and an outline from:

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“Some have suggested that the book has two themes, one for chapters 1-39 and another for chapters 40-66. Judgment seems to be the emphasis in the first part, and salvation and comfort are prominent in the second. Since Isaiah followed the theology of Deuteronomy (punishment must come for failure to live according to the Mosaic Covenant before a time of blessing can come), the two parts of Isaiah can be reconciled. Chapters 1-39 point out the nation’s problem of sin which must be rectified before a proper relationship with the covenant God can be restored. Judgment, emphasized in chapters 1-39, is the purifying force that leads to the forgiveness and pardoning of sins emphasized in chapters 40-66 (cf. 27:9). Ultimately redemption for Israel must come from the “ideal Servant,” the Messiah, who will accomplish what the servant-nation cannot do. This accounts for the so-called “Servant Songs” in the second major division of Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12).

But chapters 40-66 emphasize more than redemption from sin. Those chapters go beyond that to speak of a change in the cosmos, of the Lord’s restoration of His created order. In chapters 1-39 judgment on sin is stressed; in chapters 40-66 atonement for that sin and the resulting change in people and the world system are discussed. Judgment, then, must come before blessing can follow.”

OUTLINE

I.        The Retribution of God (chaps. 1-39)

A.       The Lord’s indictment of the nation (chaps. 1-6)

1.       The heading for the book (1:1)

2.       The Lord’s lawsuit against the nation (1:2-31)

3.       An affirmation of restoration (2:1-5)

4.       The present condition and future consequences (2:6-4:1)

5.       The holy survivors (4:2-6)

6.       The worthless vineyard (5:1-7)

7.       An indictment on sin (5:8-30)

8.       Isaiah’s commission (chap. 6)

B.       Prophecies of deliverance (chaps. 7-12)

1.       The birth of Immanuel (chap. 7)

2.       The coming Deliverer (8:1-9:7)

3.       Exile for the Northern Kingdom (9:8-10:4)

4.       Assyria’s fall and the great  kingdom’s rise (10:5-12:6)

C.       Judgment on the nations (chaps. 13-23)

1.       Babylon (13:1-14:27)

2.       Philistia (14:28-32)

3.       Moab (chaps. 15-16)

4.       Damascus (17:1-11)

5.       The land of whirring wings (17:12-18:7)

6.       Egypt (chaps. 19-20)

7.       The desert (21:1-10)

8.       Edom (21:11-12)

9.       Arabia (21:13-17)

10.     Jerusalem (chap. 22)

11.     Tyre (chap. 23)

D.       Punishment and kingdom blessing (chaps. 24-27)

1.       A time of judgment (chap. 24)

2.       A time of blessing in the kingdom (chaps. 25-27)

E.       The woes (chaps. 28-33)

1.       Woe to Ephraim and Judah (chap. 28)

2.       Woe to Jerusalem (chap. 29)

3.       Woe to the obstinate children (chap. 30)

4.       Woe to the Egyptian alliance (chaps. 31-32)

5.       Woe to the destroyers (chap. 33)

F.       Vengeance and blessing (chaps. 34-35)

1.       The Lord’s day of vengeance (chap. 34)

2.       The Lord’s day of blessing (chap. 35)

G.       Historical interlude: Judah to be in captivity (chaps. 36-39)

1.       God’s superiority to Assyria (chaps. 36-37)

2.       Judah’s captivity in Babylon (chaps. 38-39)

II.       The Restoration by God (chaps. 40-66)

A.       Deliverance of God’s People (chaps. 40-48)

1.       The majesty of God (chap. 40)

2.       A challenge to the nations (chap. 41)

3.       The individual Servant contrasted with the servant nation (chap. 42)

4.       A promise to regather the unworthy servant (43:1-44:5)

5.       The Lord’s uniqueness as the only God (44:6-45:25)

6.       The Lord’s superiority over Babylon (chaps. 46-47)

7.       An exhortation for Israel (chap. 48)

B.       Restoration by the Suffering Servant (chaps. 49-57)

1.       The Servant to be rejected (chaps. 49-50)

2.       The remnant to be exalted (51:1-52:12)

3.       The Servant to be exalted (52:13-53:12)

4.       Salvation to come from the Servant (chaps. 54-57)

C.       Restoration realized and completed (chaps. 58-66)

1.       The restoration to come by God’s initiative (chaps. 58-60)

2.       The coming of the Messiah and the coming of the Father (61:1-63:6)

3.       The nation’s prayer and the Lord’s response (63:7-65:25)

4.       The Lord’s fulfillment of His promises (chap. 66)”

As I read this first chapter of Isaiah I felt I was reading the entire case stating our need for a savior.  I also found myself thinking of our nation.   Billy Graham once said “If God doesn’t punish America He will owe Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.”

Isaiah 1:21-236

“How the faithful city
has become a whore,
she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her,
but now murderers.
Your silver has become dross,
your best wine mixed with water.
Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe
and runs after gifts.
They do not bring justice to the fatherless,
and the widow’s cause does not come to them.”

I’m afraid I see my country that way; once faithful, now full of greed.  Our “princes”, or politicians, are rebels and companions of thieves.  God speaks of judgment for sinful ways.  He also speaks of the fact that He will wash our sins away if we are willing and obedient.

Isaiah 1:18-19

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;”

This is the hope we have in Jesus Christ.  I believe this hope is available for our nation as well.  A nation is made up of people.  The deplorable moral state of our nation exists because of the lostness of our countrymen.  How do you change a nation?  You change it one heart at a time.  I found this verse particularly apropos.

Isaiah 1:9

“If the Lord of hosts
had not left us a few survivors,
we should have been like Sodom,
and become like Gomorrah.”

The Lord of hosts has left America a few survivors; a remnant, you and me.  America does not have to be like Sodom and Gomorrah.  If a few good men will stand in the gap, if they will share their faith with the lost, if they will be faithful and obedient to the will of God, then this nation will be changed.  What an awesome responsibility God has given us.  By sharing our faith we can be part of God’s saving grace.  We can be part of changing hearts and changing this nation.  The solution to the problems of this nation will not be found in political parties and programs but in Jesus Christ.

I’m looking forward to reading through this book as it has a lot to tell us about the Messiah and His saving grace!

May you have a day that offers you the chance to share Jesus with others!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Sex, Love, and Marriage

Ecclesiastes 11 – Song of Solomon 4

Well guys, we’ve arrived at the Song of Solomon.  I thought Ecclesiastes was challenging but the Song of Solomon has given me fits.  There are a lot of theories about why this book is in the Bible and what it means.  There are a lot of scholars who see this book as some kind of allegory for God and Israel, or for Christ and the believer or church.  Some think it is some kind of play with two or three actors.  I’m going to share with you some of what “The Bible Knowledge Commentary” has to say about the Song of Solomon.

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“The Song of Songs (called the Song of Solomon in some Bible versions, e.g., kjv, nasb) is perhaps the most difficult and mysterious book in the entire Bible. A cursory glance at the Song’s history of interpretation reveals a diversity of opinion unequaled in the study of any other biblical work. The Song has been interpreted as: (a) an allegory, (b) an extended type, (c) a drama involving either two or three main characters, (d) a collection of Syrian wedding songs (a view held by E. Renan, J. Wetzstein, Umberto Cassuto, and others) in which the groom played the role of a king and the bride played the role of a queen, (e) a collection of pagan fertility cult liturgies (held by Theophile Meek), and (f) an anthology of disconnected songs extolling human love (held by Robert Gordis).

Viewed as an allegory, the details of the book are intended to convey hidden spiritual meanings, with little or no importance attached to the normal meanings of words. Jewish tradition (the Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Targum) viewed the book as an allegorical picture of the love of God for Israel. Church leaders, including Hyppolytus, Origen, Jerome, Athanasius, Augustine, and Bernard of Clairvaux, have viewed the book as an allegory of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. Origen, for example, wrote that the beloved’s reference to her being dark (Song 1:5-6) means the church is ugly with sin, but that her loveliness (1:5) refers to spiritual beauty after conversion. Others said the cooing of the doves (2:12) speaks of the preaching of the apostles, and some have suggested that 5:1 refers to the Lord’s Supper. These examples show that the allegorical approach is subjective with no way to verify that any of the interpretations are correct. The Song of Songs nowhere gives an interpreter the suggestion that it should be understood as an allegory.”

I think that last sentence is important.  “The Song of Songs nowhere gives an interpreter the suggestion that it should be understood as an allegory.”  The Bible is full of allegory but I think it tends to be fairly clear when allegory is being used.  Perhaps I am wrong about that but I find it hard to believe that an entire book of the Bible is some kind of allegory with no way for us to know for sure.  While I believe the Bible can be understood on many different levels, we should never ignore the most obvious and basic meaning of the text.  The Song of Solomon is about the beauty of marital love.

Any boy of 12 or 13, and maybe even younger these days, can tell you about sex.  Far too many grown men have no understanding of true, God-ordained, marital love.  Every living creature has sex.  If you believe the humanist, we are no better than animals.  I could not disagree more.  The union of man and wife is a spiritual matter; we are to become one flesh.  Marriage is of such a spiritual make-up that it is itself used in the Bible as an allegory for Christ and the church.  When we look at the opposite sex as simply a receptacle for our sexual desires, we are no better than animals; but that is not what God intended.  He did not create women to be your receptacle.  He created women to be a partner to man; one man, one woman to become one flesh.

Why are we to become one flesh?  Brothers, it is my contention that we are not complete without a wife.  I realize I’m going out on a limb with that statement and I stand ready to hear opposing views but here is why I believe that.  When God formed man out of the dust, in His own image, and breathed life into him (something He did not do with the other creatures He created, by the way) man was one complete being.  Let me repeat myself; this complete being was made in the image of God.  Realizing that it was not good for man to be alone, He brought various animals forward to be man’s companion.  None were suitable.

At this point God put this original man to sleep and divided him.  Woman was taken out of man.  The image of God was split.  A man is not complete, in terms of the image of God, without a woman.  When we view women as objects, we are not only demeaning them, we are demeaning ourselves.  We are also rejecting the sumptuous banquet that is marital love for the scrapes under the table that are animal sex.  Let me continue the commentary from “The Bible Knowledge Commentary”.

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“The purpose of the book is to extol human love and marriage. Though at first this seems strange, on reflection it is not surprising for God to have included in the biblical canon a book endorsing the beauty and purity of marital love. God created man and woman (Gen. 1:27; 2:20-23) and established and sanctioned marriage (Gen. 2:24). Since the world views sex so sordidly and perverts and exploits it so persistently and since so many marriages are crumbling because of lack of love, commitment, and devotion, it is advantageous to have a book in the Bible that gives God’s endorsement of marital love as wholesome and pure.”

OUTLINE

I.        The Superscription (1:1)

II.       The Courtship (1:2-3:5)

A.       Introduction: The expressions of longing, insecurity, and praise (1:2-11)

1.       The theme of longing (1:2-4)

2.       The theme of insecurity (1:5-8)

3.       The theme of praise (1:9-11)

B.       The growth of love and its intensity (1:12-3:5)

1.       Mutual praise (1:12-2:6)

2.       The refrain (2:7)

3.       A visit to the country (2:8-17)

4.       The beloved’s fear of losing her lover (3:1-4)

5.       The refrain (3:5)

III.      The Wedding (3:6-5:1)

A.       The wedding procession (3:6-11)

B.       The wedding night (4:1-5:1)

1.       The beauty of the beloved (4:1-7)

2.       The king’s request (4:8)

3.       The king’s praise of his bride’s love (4:9-11)

4.       The king’s praise of his bride’s purity (4:12-15)

5.       The consummation of the marriage (4:16-5:1)

IV.      The Maturation of the Marriage (5:2-8:4)

A.       Indifference and its resolution (5:2-6:13)

1.       The problem: The wife’s indifference and the husband’s absence (5:2-8)

2.       The attractiveness of the lover (5:9-16)

3.       The lover in his garden (6:1-3)

4.       The reconciliation: The lover’s praise of his beloved (6:4-13)

B.       Praise of the beloved and her love (7:1-10)

1.       The beloved’s charms (7:1-6)

2.       The lover’s desire (7:7-9)

3.       The refrain of mutual possession (7:10)

C.       An invitation from the beloved (7:11-13)

D.       The beloved’s desire for a greater intimacy (8:1-4)

V.       The Conclusion: The Nature and Power of Love (8:5-7)

A.       A picture of love (8:5)

B.       An explanation of love (8:6-7)

VI.      The Epilogue: How Love Began (8:8-14)

Brothers, as we consider this book let us consider our wives, our partners, our help-meets.  Let us put sex in its rightful place.  It is a glorious blessing from God when it is viewed and enjoyed as God intended.  It is sin when we do otherwise.  God has much to teach us.  I pray we will learn our lesson well!

May your thoughts today be on the blessing of your wife!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Empty and Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 7-10

I keep thinking of Job as I read Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes.  With all that happened to Job you can kind of understand his being down and even fatalistic at times.  Job’s children were destroyed, his house was destroyed, and all that he had was taken from him.  Solomon, however, had everything a man could want; I mean everything.  He was the wealthiest man in the world.  He was the most famous man in the world.  He had a harem of women to meet every sexual desire.  He was king of a nation favored by God.  His every wish was the command of all the people.  The best wine and food the land had to offer was set on his table.  With all of this you would think Solomon would be the happiest man on earth.

Now we all know that money can’t buy happiness but I don’t think we live as if we believe it.  That would be another case of having knowledge but not wisdom.  Solomon, the man who had everything, wrote a fatalistic book.  As I’ve already said, the lesson here is not what Solomon says, which is often wrong, but the fact that life is empty and meaningless without right relationship with God.  I’m sorry to keep harping on that but when are we going to get that through our self-centered brains?

Once again let me share with you the words of J. Vernon McGee:

McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Solomon…

“has made experiments in everything under the sun to see if any of it would bring satisfaction and enjoyment to him. He tried science, the study of the natural laws of the universe, which made some contribution but did not satisfy him. Then he went into the study of philosophy and psychology. They didn’t satisfy. He went the limit on pleasure and materialism. He tried fatalism, which is such a popular philosophy of life today. He tried egoism, living for self. Then he tried religion—no religion can satisfy, because only Christ can satisfy the heart. Wealth was another thing which Solomon tried. He was the wealthiest man in the world, but he found that wealth did not bring satisfaction in and of itself.

Now we will see him try the last experiment: morality. Today we would call him a “do-gooder.” I would say that this is the place to which the majority of the people in America are moving. (I think the majority would still be classified as do-gooders.) They are going down the middle of the road on the freeway of life. This group can be described as the Babbitts, doing business in the Big City, under a neon sign, living out in suburbia, in a sedate, secluded, exclusive neighborhood, and taking it easy. Their children go to the best schools. They move with the best crowds. They go to the best church, the richest church in the neighborhood, the one with the tallest steeple, the loudest chimes, and the most educated preacher, who knows everything that man can possibly know, except the Bible (of course, if he did know and preach the Bible, he would lose his job). This is the kind of do-good society Solomon now tries.

… My friend, seeking satisfaction in life by just trying to be a do-gooder is living like a vegetable, not a man! Yet this is the lifestyle of the majority in modern America. They will go to the burlesque show on Saturday night and to church on Sunday morning! What hypocrisy! We have seen our youth rebelling against this type of living. There are two thousand of them over on the island of Hawaii. I had the privilege of ministering to some of them, and quite a few turned to Christ. They have tried everything else. But why didn’t they find Christ in their homes in which their parents were church members? They saw that there was something radically missing in their homes and in their churches. They have seen the hypocrisy, the emptiness of the life of the moralist, the do-gooder.

I believe it is easier to reach a godless atheist than a hypocritical churchgoer. The godless atheist may respond when he hears the gospel for the first time, but the hypocritical churchgoer has heard the gospel again and again and has become hardened to it. That is the real tragedy.”

Brothers, do we live as we believe or do we live like the world, like Solomon, pursuing elusive joy in empty and meaningless worldly pleasures?  Let’s get our priorities right.  Let’s focus first on our relationship with Christ, the joy will follow!

Have a purposeful day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

The Secret Of A Joyful Life

Ecclesiastes 3-6

I don’t know about you, but as I read Solomon’s words I envision an extremely depressed man.  He is spouting a morose, fatalistic view point.  I want to give a warning here that you need to be careful in what you take away from what he says.  Solomon has wandered away from God.  He has married foreign women and they have pulled him away from right relationship with God with their foreign gods.  In the mean time, he has been hailed across the known world for his wisdom in ruling his people.  He has wealth beyond belief.  He has a palace full of wives and concubines.  He has wealth, power, and fame; everything the secular world has to offer and you can hear in his words the emptiness of his life.  Considering all with which God has blessed him, why is he so down?

He is down because life has no meaning without a right relationship with God.  Notice that Solomon acknowledges God’s existence, sovereignty, and even the need to show Him proper respect but none of this means that he is in right relationship with God.  In one of my posts on Proverbs I wrote about the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  Knowledge is the possession of information.  Wisdom is the right use of that information.  For example, if I know that to be healthy I need to exercise and eat right then I have knowledge.  If I actually exercise and eat right I have wisdom.  In what “Solomon the Wise” writes in Ecclesiastes we discover that he is lacking in both knowledge and wisdom.

I found the following set of verses particularly instructive.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.  For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.”

In verse 20 Solomon says “…because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart”.  Now I have had joy in my heart and I have got to tell you that there is no joy like that which comes from being in right relationship with God.  It is an incredible thing!  Joy just radiates from you.  Everything just seems to be coming up roses and others notice the joy in you; they are drawn to it.  This joy is indeed a gift from God as is everything you are, have, and see.  Solomon is correct that God can fill your heart with this kind of joy but he is incorrect to suggest that it comes from taking pleasure in worldly things.

Appropriate pleasure in worldly things only comes when one is in right relationship with God.  The over arching message Solomon communicates in Ecclesiastes is that the best the world has to offer is emptiness and yet he says you should take pleasure in that emptiness.  How can you take pleasure in something you know does not bring pleasure?  You can’t.  The pleasure in life comes from God. It is in right relationship with God that one can truly enjoy His creation and all that He has provided.

Solomon is experiencing the same disease that permeates our world today.  People have no sense of purpose.  Their existence seems empty and meaningless.  They try to fill the hole in their lives with eating, drinking, the pursuit of wealth and sex, and any number of meaningless pursuits.  You cannot fill a God sized hole with meaningless stuff.  Enjoying your life, having a sense of contentment and purpose, are a by-product of right relationship with God.  The problem is the world tries to get the by-product rather than the “main-product”.  Solomon’s solution to the emptiness of life is no solution at all.

You want to be happy?  Praise God, trust and obey Him, read your Bible every day, pray every day, make the focus of your life right relationship with Him and as Christ told us, “all these things will be added to you”.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The secret of a joyful life is no secret, it has been known since God first breathed life into Adam.  The secret to a joyful life is a right relationship with God.

Have a joyful day brothers!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

A Wise Fool

Proverbs 31 – Ecclesiastes 2

Well, we finished Proverbs today and started Ecclesiastes.  I really enjoyed Proverbs and intend to spend some more time in them on my own.  I think I could take one verse a day and find great profit in pondering the truth there-in.  I think it is fascinating that Proverbs ends with a discussion on the makings of an excellent wife.  I know many of us have an excellent wife while others are still searching.  I also know there are some who read this description and think their wife doesn’t measure up.  If you are thinking along that line I’d like to turn the question around on you.  When your wife reads in the scriptures what makes an excellent husband would she feel you measure up?

Fellas, we can’t control how others act or think or speak; we can only control ourselves.  The problem with griping that our wife doesn’t measure up to the biblical standard is that the same can be said of us.  Instead of focusing on the speck in our wife’s eye maybe we should be looking at the plank in our own.  As the spiritual head of our home it is incumbent on us to live a godly life.  It is by our faithful example that our family will be led.

I remember a story of a brother in Christ who was married to an unbeliever.  I’m not sure if he married her after he was already a believer or not but regardless his wife was antagonistic toward his faith.  She ridiculed him, berated him, and put him down.  The demands of his employment and marital situation left him little time to read his Bible.  His response was to make time.  He got up every morning at 3am to read his Bible.  I’m saying every morning!  He was faithful.

His wife noticed.  One morning, while he sat reading his Bible she came down stairs and spoke to him.  She told him that she couldn’t understand how he could be so consistent in his faith in the face of all that she threw at him.  He never rose to the bait she kept throwing out.  He never failed to get up to read his Bible.  His behavior led her to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was something to his faith after all.  She asked him to tell her about it.

Now I know most of us are married to Christian women; what a blessing!  I’m also sure that if we focused on how they are supposed to be we would find fault.  As I’ve said, however, if they look at you they will find fault as well.  You can do nothing directly about their faults but you can do everything about your own.  By doing so you may just provide the leadership they need to address theirs.

Now, about Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote this book along with Proverbs and the Song of Solomon.  As J. Vernon McGee says, Proverbs is the wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiastes is the foolishness of Solomon.  He says that Ecclesiastes is “the dramatic autobiography of his life when he was away from God.”  Remember that Solomon was eventually led away from God by his intermarriage with foreign women and the influence of their foreign gods.

I’m going to provide the outline of this book followed by Dr. McGee’s commentary on the book.  Ecclesiastes is a very different kind of book from the others in the Bible and I think it important for us to understand that before we get too far into it.

McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Outline

I. Problem Stated: “All is Vanity,” Chapter 1:1–3

II.  Experiment Made, Chapters 1:4–12:12
(Seeking Satisfaction in the following:)

A.  Science, Chapter 1:4–11

B.  Wisdom and Philosophy, Chapter 1:12–18

C.  Pleasure, Chapter 2:1–11

D.  Materialism (Living for the “Now”), Chapter \2:12–26

E.   Fatalism, Chapter 3:1–15

F.   Egotism, Chapters 3:16–4:16

G.  Religion, Chapter 5:1–8

H.  Wealth, Chapters 5:9–6:12

I.    Morality, Chapters 7:1–12:12

III.  Result of Experiment, Chapter 12:13–14

“To correctly understand any book of the Bible, it is important to know the purpose for which it was written. We need to back off and get a perspective of the book. We need to put down the telescope on the Word of God before we pick up the microscope. The necessity for this is more evident here than in many of the other books of the Bible.

This is human philosophy apart from God, which must always reach the conclusions that this book reaches. We need to understand this about Ecclesiastes, because there are many statements which contradict certain other statements of Scripture.

Actually, it almost frightens us to know that this book has been the favorite of atheists, and they have quoted from it profusely. Voltaire is an example. Today we find the cynic and the critic are apt to quote from this book. And it is quite interesting to note the number of cults that use passages from this book out of context and give them an entirely wrong meaning.

Man has tried to be happy without God; it is being tried every day by millions of people. This book shows the absurdity of the attempt. Solomon was the wisest of men, and he had a wisdom that was God-given. He tried every field of endeavor and pleasure that was known to man, and his conclusion was that all is vanity. The word vanity means “empty, purposeless.” Satisfaction in life can never be attained in this manner.

God showed Job, a righteous man, that he was a sinner in God’s sight. In Ecclesiastes God showed Solomon, the wisest man, that he was a fool in God’s sight. This is a book from which a great many professors, Ph.D.s and Th. D. s, and preachers could learn a great lesson. In spite of all their wisdom, in spite of all attempts at being intellectual, unregenerate men in the sight of God are fools. That, my friend, is something that is hard to swallow for those who put an emphasis upon their I. Q. and the amount of knowledge and information that they have accumulated.

In Ecclesiastes we learn that without Christ we cannot be satisfied—even if we possess the whole world and all the things that men consider necessary to make their hearts content. The world cannot satisfy the heart, because the heart is too large for the object. In the Song of Solomon we will learn that if we turn from the world and set our affections on Christ, we cannot fathom the infinite preciousness of His love; the Object is too large for the heart.

The key word is “vanity,” which occurs thirty-seven times. The key phrase is “under the sun,” which occurs twenty-nine times. Another phrase which recurs is “I said in mine heart.” In other words, this book contains the cogitations of man’s heart. These are conclusions which men have reached through their own intelligence, their own experiments. Although Solomon’s conclusions are not inspired, the Scripture that tells us about them is inspired. This is the reason for the explanatory: “I said in mine heart,” “under the sun,” and “vanity.”

…This is not a book without rhyme or reason—not just a bunch of verses stuck together. It begins with the problem stated: All is vanity in this world. Then we will find that experiments are made. Solomon will seek satisfaction through many different avenues, in many different fields. He will try science, the laws of nature, wisdom and philosophy, pleasure and materialism, as well as living for the “now.” He will explore fatalism, egotism, religion, wealth, and morality. Then in the final verses of the book he will give us the result of his experiments.

Keep in mind that the conclusions in each experiment are human, not God’s truth. This is man under the sun.

Do not misunderstand what is meant by “inspiration” when we say that the Bible is inspired by God. Inspiration guarantees the accuracy of the words of Scripture, not always the thought that is expressed. The context should be considered, and attention paid to the person who made the statement and under what circumstances the statement was made. For example, in the betrayal of Christ by Judas, the record of the event is inspired, but the act of Judas was not God-inspired; it was satanic. Also the statements that Solomon makes, while he is searching for satisfaction apart from God, are not always in accord with God’s thoughts. Inspiration guarantees that what Solomon said has been accurately recorded in Scripture.”

Let us not be fools my friends.  Let us learn wisdom from Solomon’s foolishness!

Have a faithful day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Doing Right

Proverbs 28-30

Boy, there are so many proverbs I’d like to comment on today!  It doesn’t look like I’m going to stay on just one but let’s see how it goes.  I was reminded of the world of politics today as I read the following proverb.

Proverbs 28:5

“Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.”

We hear so much out of Washington about “justice”; that this, that, or the other is unfair and must be redressed by legislation that punishes one group to the benefit of another.  Now I don’t wish to paint with too wide a brush here but I worry that we don’t have enough people “who see the Lord” in elected office.  I am sure there are some but it’s getting pretty hard to identify them.  All we see any more are backroom deals for special interests that feed the personal interests of our elected officials.  They tell us they are going to “take care of us”, “make things fair”, “solve our problems”, all the while they are doing anything but and lining their pockets along the way.

I have got to tell you that the last thing I want is a bunch of lying, self-seeking, good for nothing politicians and bureaucratic nincompoops taking care of me or solving my problems.  They know nothing about me and I believe I am far more capable of taking care of me than they are.  More importantly, these folks don’t “understand justice”.  Man is unjust because he seeks after himself.  To be just one must seek after God and we have far too little of that in our society today.  Those who seek God understand justice completely which is why there is no justice coming out of Washington.

Proverbs 28:9

“If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.”

Have you ever heard the saying “There are no atheists in fox holes”?  I know a man who claims that there is no such thing as God.  I also know that he has confessed that in his darkest hour he has been known to pray to God for help.  The Bible in general, and Proverbs specifically, tell us that one who rejects God’s Word is a fool.  Can you really reject God’s Word and then expect Him to hear your prayers in a favorable light?  After 9/11 there were people rushing into church and praying.  People that hadn’t been to church in years, who only prayed when they wanted something, suddenly started calling on the Lord.

Such momentary outbreaks of piety show that they have turned their ear from hearing the law.  They do not understand the context in which God answers prayer.  To them, God is simply the Great Blessing Bestower in the sky just waiting to serve up whatever you request the moment you are ready to put Him to work.  My friends, if that is your approach to prayer understand that your prayers are an abomination.  They aren’t simply ignored, they are an abomination.  Do you know the definition of that word?  An abomination is a “cause of abhorrence and disgust”.  I had to look up “abhorrence” as well which means “a feeling of repugnance or loathing”.  Whoa!  God views the prayers of those who turn their ear away from His law with repugnance, loathing, and disgust!  Praying from such a place is not just a waste time it evokes a pretty strong negative reaction from God!  It is heartbreaking to see the futile flailing of the lost.  They have no hope unless they reject themselves and accept Christ.

Proverbs 28:13

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

This stood out to me because we so often forget that there is more to accepting Christ than simply accepting His sacrifice.  We must not only confess our sins but “forsake” our sins to obtain mercy.  Just so we are clear, forsake means to “give up, renounce, leave all together, abandon”.  We must do all of that with our sin to gain mercy, forgiveness, eternal life.  How many have walked the aisle, prayed for forgiveness, been baptized and yet have not abandoned their sin?  As Christ said there will be those in the last days who call on the name of the Lord to whom He will say “I do not know you.”

Luke 13:24-28

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’  Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’  But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’”

Proverbs 28:26

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

Just yesterday I was trying to explain to my daughter the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  We covered this very topic a few days ago in this blog.  One can have all the knowledge in the world and be a fool.  Knowledge is simply information; it is not of value in and of itself.  I’m reminded of Dave Ramsey saying that money is no different from a brick; it can be used for good or bad, to break a window or build a hospital.  This is true of knowledge.  Wisdom is the rightful use of knowledge.  If I don’t know that I should eat right and exercise, well I don’t have knowledge or wisdom.  If I know that I should eat right and exercise but don’t, I simply do not have wisdom.

There are those who know a lot and think they know more than they do.  They can be very intelligent people but intelligence and knowledge are not wisdom.  The Bible is clear, if you have all the knowledge and intelligence in the world but do not walk in the way of the Lord you have not wisdom; you are not wise.  If you wish to be delivered be wise and walk in Christ!

Proverbs 29:1-2

“He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

How do you respond to correction?  Do you shoot the messenger that says you are not doing right?  God will reprove you.  He will send people and circumstances to correct you.  If you willfully oppose His correction you will be broken beyond healing.  Pharaoh comes to mind.

Finally, I look at our nation and I hear the people groan; the wicked rule.  If we want to see a revived and joyful nation then we must start calling each other, as well as the lost, to righteousness.  It is the only way.

Have a righteous day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!