Probing Proverbs: Wisdom that leads to life.

Proverbs 10:27-28 
Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.  The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the                                                                        wicked come to nothing.

The Scripture now draws some pretty harsh differences between the destinies of those that love God and those that don’t. This is not to make those that follow God to feel superior; it is a tough love warning to those that are blind to the Truth!

I listen and read many skeptics, many who claim to be Christians, that believe believers that accept the Bible for what it claims to be are naïve and even brainless. So when I teach, I refuse to just read the Scriptures and move on, we must ask the hard questions!

Before we do that though, we do need to be clear about the difference between honest questions and just being quarrelsome. The social network is a showcase for these things. I know three men debating a very “hot” topic in the Church today. I know two of these men and care for them, the other I do not know but it is clear he is passionate on the issue. However, after reading an unending back and forth, which included demeaning comments about the “naivety” of one man because he stands on the Scripture, I find the whole thing, not only a waste of time, but not glorifying to God. 

One man tries to justify it by calling it “healthy debate” but is kidding himself. The reason I state that is because if you are going to debate something there must be a common Truth that you debate from. One man holds to the Scriptures, the other two do not. If you do not accept the Word of God for what it is, than how can you debate where it stands on any issue. One man believes evolution and that the earth was thought to be flat until man discovered it was not…ignoring that Scripture showed the earth to be round 1000 years before Christ. The other man treats the Bible as a good book, but allows other authors and “experience” to alter Truth. It is a complete waste of time to debate if the “Scriptures” take a stand on anything unless everyone involved agrees that the Scriptures are the objective Truth we will use to discuss the issue. If you want to discuss an issue and how all in the world view it, than that makes the Bible just another book, which you can do, but for a believer to spend a lot of time and energy on that is beyond logic to me.

Scripture speaks to this issue:

2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,

Titus 3:9–11 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

If God has called you to be an apologist, then you do need to have a broad knowledge of all views, however, if we are talking a “Christian” apologist, the Scripture will remain the one and only standard for Truth.

So let’s ask the difficult questions from this Proverb:

·      How does fear of the Lord lengthen one’s            life?

·      Why are the years of the wicked cut short?

·      How do the hopes of the godly bring                    happiness?

·      Why do the expectations of the wicked come        to nothing?

The realities of these questions are true, however the timing is always the issue. God operates from the eternal perspective, whereas we try to do that but are firmly planted in the temporal! As far as temporal, living the way God teaches will generally have you live a healthier life, no addictions – this includes food! No sexual diseases, no criminal activity that could cause imprisonment or death, etc.  So our bodies will last longer, in most cases. Happiness is an emotional moment, based on circumstances. When we follow the Scriptures, it teaches us to pursue the quality of life, not the quantity. We look for the applause of One, not fame and 15 minutes in the spotlight. Pursuing inward peace always brings a deeper contentment to life that pursuing the “things” of this world. Obviously, in this temporal world, this is not the case for 100% of the time. Many believers suffer and die young. There is much evil in the world. 

Eternally is a totally different result. 100% of the time, those that belong to God will enter into LIFE eternal! Not “existence” eternal, heaven is not about destination and existence only, it is about the greatest quality of real life ever! The wicked will be separated from the Author of Life, and though they were created to live forever, due to their choices, life will be taken and they will exist separate from God. This is a tragedy. Also 100% of every hope we have in Christ will become sight and we will experience eternal happiness, because our circumstances will be void of sin! All the expectations of the wicked will end when their bodies do! This, again is such a tragedy because there is no need for anyone to experience this, Christ died for all and desires all to enter into salvation and eternal life.

Scripture tells us we need not view the future like those that do not know Him

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

How about you? Will your hope become sight?