OVERVIEW: The contrast between good and evil; warnings and instructions about life.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we have constantly and consistently seen, all the way through the 365 Days of Pursuit, that the Bible is filled with practical truths for living. Those truths are especially recognizable in the Book of Proverbs, for it is really nothing more than a collection of God’s complex and diverse statements of what is TRUE about life, compared or contrasted with that which is NOT TRUE. As was suggested in Week 28, Day 4, one of the best ways to get these truths as a functional part of our lives is to read the chapter each day that corresponds with the day’s date. If we would simply add one chapter of Proverbs a day to our regular Bible study each year, do you realize that in the next 20 years, we will have made our way through the Book of Proverbs 240 times?! Before we know it, the contrasts and parallels of God’s truth will become recorded onto the hard drive of our mind, providing us with moment by moment wisdom as the Holy Spirit guides us to walk in the way with the wise. (Pro. 13:20)
Wow! I couldn’t agree more with Solomon in verse one in today’s reading! “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.” (17:1) I’d much rather have my family all intact, living in peace (“quietness”) in a shack with just enough food to get us by, than to live in a fat house, able to eat whatever we jolly well please, but have it all in the midst of strife in our relationships with each other! (See also Pro. 21:9) In the pursuit of the “things on earth” (Col. 3:1–2), many Christians around the world… “GOT what they WANTED, but LOST what they HAD!” We must be careful! We must be wise! There are treasures in life far more valuable and precious than material wealth and monetary gain!
The second half of 17:6 packs such a wallop that I can’t just pass over it, though there’s not enough space in this venue to really nail all of the unbelievable implications of this tremendously powerful truth. Solomon simply says, “The glory of children are their fathers.” Note that Solomon isn’t giving instruction here concerning something we are to teach our children; he is simply stating a fact! The fact is, “The glory of children are their fathers!” What those seven simple words actually reveal to us, is that by God’s divine design, He places into a child’s little heart, even before they are born, a passionate desire to “glorify” the man in their life that they will refer to as their “father”. It’s what some choose to refer to as “Father-Power”. Because of “Father-Power”, more than anything else in our culture, environment, and education; more than the circumstances of our life or our socioeconomic level; even more than our MOTHER(!!!); humanly speaking, nothing has had, or will ever have a more profound influence and impact on who we are, what we are, and what we do, than our fathers! Whether he was present or absent; whether he was living or dead; whether we knew him very well or didn’t know him at all; whether we loved him, hated him, or somewhere “in-betweened” him; whether we admit it or not, the fact is, all of us were greatly affected and deeply impacted by the man in our life that we refer to (or, refuse to refer to!) as our “father”. Whether we are a son or daughter, a mother or a father, and whether we are old or young, the biblical information regarding fathers is something every person needs to understand.
Once again, this venue will not allow for an in-depth analysis, but please allow me to attempt to at least provide a cursory glimpse into this vitally important biblical subject. For some reason, God chose to give to men in their relationship with their children, the same title He reserved for Himself in the relationship He has with His children! That “title,” of course, is “Father”. I stated this in the previous paragraph, but try to get your mind wrapped around the fact, that for some reason, God also chose to design human life in such a way, so that we are all a born into this world with the innate desire put to “glorify” the man in our life we call “Father”. It’s why totally unprovoked, a little boy will say while playing with his friends, “My Dad can ‘beat up’ your Dad.” Or, “My Dad is ‘taller’ than your Dad.” Or, “My Dad is ‘whatever’ than your Dad!” It is that way all over the world! Somewhere along the way you’d think we’d have to ask ourselves, “How do those thoughts even pop into their little minds?” The answer is “Father-Power!” (Pro. 17:6b) I would suggest, that apart from the power of the Godhead, and the power of His Word, “Father-Power” is perhaps “the” most powerful influencing force on human behavior in the universe! God’s intention in building this desire into a child’s heart, is that if a man will be a good steward of this incredible entrustment, by putting on display what the character of our “real Father” in heaven is like, it is an indescribably tremendous positive power for good! Through it, a father can develop such a significant relationship and bond with his children, that as his child grows and matures, he can use his temporal and earthly relationship with his children to connect them in a personal relationship with their real, Heavenly Father, in the intimacy of a relationship and bond with Him that lasts for all of eternity! Hallelujah! What a blessing, and at the same time, what a stewardship!
If, however, a man “breaks” his “Father-Power”, be aware that it doesn’t cause its power to be diminished one iota! It’s just that the power he wields in his child’s life ceases to be a positive power for good, and becomes a tremendously negative power for evil! Apart from God’s grace and mercy, in many cases, broken “Father-Power” will insure that his children will never want to have a part in a relationship with the God who wants us to find Him, and relate to Him, as a father does with his children. This is precisely why God tells us in the New Testament, “And, ye fathers (notice, specifically “fathers,” not “mothers!) provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” When a father “provokes” his child (i.e. breaks his “Father-Power!”), it manifests itself in either a “rebellious wrath” (Eph. 6:4), or a “discouraging anger.” (Col. 3:21) Interestingly enough, we could go to any major city around the world tonight and on one side of the street, find a gang of angry young men, who don’t even know what they’re angry about, just looking for a way to demonstrate their anger. While on the other side of the street, is a man so broken down, he barely has enough fortitude to pick up his feet when he walks, much less, go find a job and become a responsible, mature adult. On both counts, it is just really two opposite reactions to broken “Father-Power!” Contained within God’s monumental declaration in the second half of Proverbs 17:6 concerning the passion He placed in children’s hearts to glorify their fathers, is the powerful, inherent message to fathers: “Make sure you don’t break your ‘Father-Power!'”
Note also that the first half of Proverbs 17:6 is also tremendously powerful. “Children’s children are the crown of old men!” You might have to wear the “crown” of being a grandfather to understand just how powerful those grandchildren are!
If you are prone to have “diarrhea of the mouth”, verse 27 of chapter 17 might be a great verse to memorize. Proverbs 17:27 says: “He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.” This verse has spawned quite a few catch phrases and quips through the years, such as:
- “Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, refuses to give evidence of it.”
- “Silence is a hard argument to refute”
- “He can never speak well who cannot hold his peace.”
- “As a man grows older and wiser, he talks less, but says more.”
Chapter 18 and verse 1 is key. It lets us know that to arrive at wisdom, we must possess a “desire” that is so intense, that we are willing to “separate” ourselves from anything and everything that would interfere with that pursuit! If you are looking for a reason to continue on in our 365 Days of Pursuit (I hope you don’t need a reason!), this verse is a great one! “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.” (18:1)
The “fool” on the other hand (18:2), has only one pursuit: “That his heart may discover itself.” How many “fools” (God’s identification, not mine!) have “LOST” themselves in the midst of trying to “FIND” themselves! The fact is, allowing our “heart” to “discover itself” is an invitation to disaster! We have been instructed to “KEEP our heart with all diligence” (Pro. 4:23), not FIND it! Without that “guardianship” of our hearts, the “issues of life” coming out of it will destroy us! (Pro. 4:23)
Verse 8 of chapter 18 is extremely graphic: “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of them, you understand just how perfect that description is. The talebearer, in effect, is a murderer! He slays a person’s reputation and/or character with a sword that Psalm 57:4 and 64:3 identifies as the tongue. There are many hearts that are bleeding today because they have been stabbed by someone’s tongue. No, we can’t help it happening TO us, but we most certainly can help it happening BY us! Once again, it’s a heart issue. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” As always, the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart! May God help us to “Keep (guard) our heart” today!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As THE KING Who sits on the throne of judgment — Proverbs 20:8. (John 5:22)