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ALERT ALERT!!! If you haven't read Proverbs 24, go back and read it now! It ties in with today's Proverb! If you've already read it, then by all means I wrote a lot today, get busy.
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah.
2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.
3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind!
I understand that there are some things that are meant to be learned, like how the earth rotates around the planet or the fact that the earth is indeed round. But not everything is made to be discovered. That's why we have some people who can't believe in God, because the idea of an all knowing being who has eternal life is irrational to people. I know throughout this whole chapter we've been talking about gaining wisdom and knowledge, but there are some things we need to know, and some things we don't. For example, I don't need to know how God has survived all these years, or why somebody isn't healed yet. Why don't I need to know those things? Because if I needed to know them, God would've revealed those secrets to me. There's a fine line between things on the need-to-know list, and things that are on the not-now list. It's just up to us to listen to God when he wants to reveal something on that need-to-know list, and for us to trust him when we're confused about something on the not-now list.
4 Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.
You know that saying about a diamond in the rough? That can be a representation of us and our walk on earth. Correct me if I'm wrong, my experience in iron ore is limited to movies and video games. When you pick out iron ore, it's got a bunch of dirt and rock still stuck on it right? That can represent us when we just get saved. We're not perfect, there's still a lot of crud we have to get cleaned up. Cleaning off all the dirt can take time, that time can represent or walk with God. But when all the cleaning is done, we're ready to be taken to the silversmith. The silversmith can represent God, and the end of the cleaning can represent when we're ready to reunite with him.
In verse 5, it talks about the king's court. When I think about the king's court, I think about the church. We don't want to admit it, but it's possible for there to be a bad egg in a leadership position. And we don't want to step them down from that leadership position, but are you going to risk the safety of the flock for one bad shepard? Or are you going to protect the sheep, which is your original job? If I were in a high position in the church and I had to let a member go because they were a bad egg, I would first offer counseling, and if they refused, I'd let them take a break from the leadership position. Of course that is just what I would do.
6 Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great.
7 It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something,
8 don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?
When I played basketball or soccer, even if it wasn't a real game we were taught one thing. If you ask for a position, you're not going to get it. Even if it was just a spar game, if I asked for this or that position, I would never get that position. I had to wait until the recognized which position I was best suited for, and they would place me there. The same works for the church and their leaders. If you have a revelation, or something you want to do in the church, be patient for them. In my experience in my church's serve team, it's best to work hard at the job given. I've worked as a door greeter for about a year and a half now, and anytime I do (excusing times when I was ill) I would try to stay the latest I could, and greet everyone I saw as welcoming as I could. I'll admit, I'm not to the point where I can do anything else like offering or the snack bar, but I'm working towards that, and if they recognize me as a hard worker, I might get an upgrade. But if I was rash and asked for a different position when I wasn't ready, I might mess up and humiliate myself in the process. That doesn't help at all.
9 When arguing with your neighbor, don’t betray another person’s secret.
10 Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation.
11 Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.
12 To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.
Not a lot of people like to be told that something they did had flaws. It's like how a mother doesn't want her baby to be called ugly, except a little less extreme. But if you're wise, you'll not only take criticism, but you'll be able to give better constructive criticism. I for one am very picky about art or music videos. I can be very critical when looking at this or that. In fact, looking back at my previous graphics that I did in about five minutes, I'm cringing terribly. But I learned from those graphical failures, and (I hope at least) I'm getting better at making graphics or drawings that are more appealing to the eye. If you have something that you did, that had flaws, and somebody tells you, don't take it as an insult. Even if they mean it as an insult, don't take it that way. If it's true, then accept it and do better next time. That way you can develop better material and as I would say 'level up', as apposed to staying at one level.
13 Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.
14 A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
15 Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.
16 Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!
Now hold on a second. The last chapter we read had this verse, '13 My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. 14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.' So we have one chapter that says to eat honey because it's good, but another that says don't eat too much. And verse 14 is saying that wisdom is like honey. So when you read it a different way it's saying that wisdom is good for the soul, but too much of it will make you sick. That'd sound odd had we not read verses 2 and 3 above. That's a second warning about too much wisdom. When you look back at Genesis, you'll read the story of Adam and Eve, and how they ate from the tree of knowledge. Why was it a sin to eat from the tree of knowledge? Because God said not to, but in that case why did God tell Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge? Because there are some things that we aren't meant to know now.
17 Don’t visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome.
18 Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.
19 Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.
What does that mean? It means that if you put your trust in someone who has proven themselves unreliable, will cripple you. This kinda ties in with verse 5 earlier when we said that if there's a bad egg in the church, get rid of it. Why would you get rid of a bad egg if they still need God? I'm not saying to kick them out of the church, but get them out of a leadership position. The bad egg can cripple your church without knowing it. If someone is proven unreliable, why would you trust them to go and pray for that person? If someone is proven unreliable, why would you trust them to go and speak on offering? What happens if they fail at that job? It'll cripple that service, or that person they were supposed to pray for.
20 Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound.
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
22 You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.
There's something about mercy that just appeals to us all. Say I went and yelled at my pastor for something I didn't agree with. That pastor would be in a position to do two things, give me mercy and ask me what's wrong, or spout out insults as I have to him. If he were to have insulted me back, I'd be left in more trouble than I already was right? But if he were to have shown mercy and asked me what's wrong, it would've been much easier to take care of the real problem and it would've touched me. Now some people turn away an offer of mercy, I mean, people still reject Jesus despite the fact that he died for everyone's sins. But it's still better to show mercy, because of the possibility of helping someone in need.
23 As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!
24 It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
25 Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty.
26 If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.
Not a lot of people think about what giving into the wicked entails. Well, whenever you decide to bully someone because they're not a Christian, that's giving into the wicked. Whenever you shun somebody rather than pray for them because they stink, that's giving into the wicked. Whenever you think of yourself as higher than somebody just because you have a relationship with God and they don't, that's giving into the wicked. A lot of people do terrible things in the name of Jesus. An example would be saying that gays go to hell, or aborting children for God (don't hate the sinner hate the sin). When we get saved we have an opportunity to go out and be a messenger for God. But this becomes difficult when we go against God's laws. People won't believe you're a Christian when you're bullying others or shunning your neighbor. Your outlook and your history as a Christian is what people hold you accountable for. What does that history look like? Does it look like a polluted fountain, or a clear fountain?
27 It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.
And we're back to the honey analogy. So we know that eating too much honey is bad, but why is it bad to seek honors for yourself? Well, when you seek honors for yourself, you're being selfish. God has called us to not be selfish. But the thing about wisdom, is that if you have enough of it, you can easily get prideful in the wisdom you've gained. God revealed to Paul a lot of things, and because he knew so much, he was inflicted with a thorn on his side. No matter how many times Paul prayed, God wouldn't take the thorn away. Why? Because it kept him humble. It kept him from being prideful in the things God showed him.
28 A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.
And that's it for today's Proverb! If you liked this post please give me a thumbs up and if you have a question or a comment please email me at fire.time.rsmith.com. Until tomorrow, God bless, and keep your fire for God, blazing.