Proverbs 1:26–31 So I will laugh when you are in trouble!
I will mock you when disaster overtakes you— 27 when calamity
overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and
anguish and distress overwhelm you. 28 “When they cry for help, I
will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. 29
For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. 30 They rejected my advice and paid no
attention when I corrected them. 31 Therefore, they must eat the
bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.
Wow! Harsh yea? Perhaps though, we need to get the point! Truth
is truth–it’s
not personal–it’s truth! In our pride we ignore God and His wisdom - even
mocking it. Counting on Him and His guidance whenever we feel like it. Like God
is our dog, waiting on us! However, when reality hits, God and His wisdom
stands firm; truth is right and remains right even when we are suffering the
outcome of OUR actions. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the Sow & Reap
principle is hearing wisdom continue to tell us what the right way was as we go
through the pain of our wrong decision. It’s so painful because we have to swallow
our pride.
True discipline is never a desire of a loving parent, but if
that parent is loving, then sometimes it is necessary. I find it interesting in
a Book that has thousands of passages, the vast majority describing God’s
desire to bless us, show His love, grace and mercy to us, skeptics find the
verses that show God drawing a boundary and making His point the hard way!
Interestingly, they never include the context that places the reason for the
discipline on us, as we rebel and fight God. Nowhere in Scripture do you find
God being hard on those that submit – no He extends grace after grace!
Also, notice the definition woven into this Proverb:
“For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord”
What a great definition of Wisdom! Here is a formula to
memorize! “Knowledge” + “the fear of the Lord” = Wisdom! Knowledge is data; it is the
raw material of facts that anyone can take in. How can we then take those facts
and apply them properly? Many people have facts that either make no impact on
them or even lead them the wrong way; just look at the false teachers of today.
They know enough Scripture to use it for their own gain; yet do not understand
at all what it means. That is because the Owner of wisdom is God. He alone
knows the Truth and instructs how to apply data in a way that leads to Truth.
God is gracious and extends wisdom even to those that do not ask. However,
those that fear Him do not discover wisdom just once in a while, instead they
travel the path of life in Truth and walk in wisdom.
This is what makes wrong decisions so hard to go through,
knowing you had the Source to go to that has the right answer, and for whatever
reasons you did not. To add insult to injury, you now have to swallow and
digest your decision. It is bitter and makes you want to choke!
When I was a young child and had to eat something I knew would
taste terrible, I found the best way was to swallow it whole! Just get it over
with. Hopefully, we will not make bad decisions, but if we do, it is better to
just humbly admit to the Lord, repent, and remain faithful ALL the way through
the situation. Get it over with and be honest with the Lord; take responsibility
and seek His mercy, He might give it. Remember what King David said when He was
being chastised by the Lord:
2 Samuel 12:22 He
said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who
knows, the Lord may be gracious to
me, that the child may live.’
Only God knows when He has decided to not extend grace. It is
foolish to assume the worse and not go to the one Person in the universe that
has consistently shown that He extends mercy and grace over and over! He may
extend only enough grace to allow you to swallow the chastisement, which might
just be the way that He teaches you NOT to eat the same food again!
Lord keep our ears and heart open to Your wisdom! Father, lead
us to fear You, for when we do, all the knowledge we have becomes useful for
living!
“The so what?”
Have you ever been spanked by the Lord? What did you do? If anything, what
would you do differently? Knowing that humility is the opposite of what our
flesh likes, what is the most effective way to remain humble? Have you ever
been to proud or crushed to turn to God? Why? What do you have to lose by
turning to God?
