Tender Ears Make For Palatable Prayers

“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” (Pr 28:9 AV)

 

This is different from, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Ps 66:18 AV)  This verse simply states if we live in unconfessed sin, the LORD will not regard our pleas.  This makes complete sense.  If we do not live in submission and humility before the King, why should He lend an ear to our concerns?  The proverb above goes one step further.  This is beyond ignoring our prayer.  In the proverb above, the LORD goes beyond ignoring our prayers.  He now considers the prayers of some an abomination.  The word ‘abomination’ is very descriptive.  The best way to describe abomination is the sensation one feels from an odor that causes us to vomit.  One of mine is wet peanut butter.  When there is a knife in the sink with peanut butter on it and it gets wet with water, I gag.  Haven’t a clue why.  It just does.  Baby puke is another.  That is what the idea of an abomination conveys.  Something that would make God gag!  The cause of this violent reaction to the prayers of some is in the first part of the verse.  A person who turns his ear away from the word of God and will not even consider it, his prayers make God sick!  Like we mentioned above, this goes beyond regarding iniquity in our hearts. This is upon what I would like to meditate on this LORD’s day.  Not to excuse unconfessed sin away as though it is not as bad as turning away our ears from God’s voice, but it does give us some hope. 

My child can be at odds with me over disobedience, but that does not mean the lines of communication are permanently shut.  Over the years, I have had the privilege of helping families with children who have gotten themselves messed up with serious sin.  Grace abounds for much of the time.  However, if there comes a time when the child will no longer heed the voice of Mom or Dad, the parent is completely turned off to ever helping that child again.  I have seen resentment settle in the hearts of parents of unrepentant and estranged children.  It is though that child doesn’t even exist.  I have seen homes where parents will remove photos of their children as a way of dealing with their grief and resentment.  They erase that child from their homes and even their memories.  Right or wrong, it is understandable.  As long as that child turns their back on any and all advice or counsel, eventually, the parent will turn their back on that child.  When we look at the prodigal son, Dad never chased him to the swine.  He let him go.  As long as that son wanted to live in riotous living, ignoring the pleas of his father, the father broke off all communication with his son.

 But here is the hope.  As long as we have an ear to hear, even if we fail, the LORD does not consider our prayers an abomination.  This is what I am taking away from the proverb above.  I am a screw-up.  I am a pathetic excuse for a human being.  I have made my share of wicked choices of which I pray for the day I will no longer remember them.  Embarrassment is a constant companion.  Shame and guilt are regular residents in this heart of mine.  I have failed the LORD far more times than can be humanly recorded.  It is a wonder the LORD hasn’t put me, the world, and Himself out of misery and simply ended this life.  When I consider all of which I am guilty, one begins to wonder if the LORD cares about any prayer I have to offer.  The answer is an obvious yes.  Why?  Because the ear has not been turned away.  I may completely fail in efforts to please the LORD.  I may even be rebellious or make provision for the flesh from time to time.  But the Spirit which dwells within me will not allow this sinful heart of mine to turn away the ear.  There are times He does not hear my prayer because I regard iniquity in my heart.  But I know He does not consider my prayer an abomination.  Praise the LORD!

Wondering Loses Respect

“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” (Pr 27:8 AV)

 

The understanding of the word ‘…place…’ is the key to understanding the proverb.  The word means standing, post, office, or station.  The word does not mean a dwelling.  When we think of a bird’s nest, we often think of it as a dwelling.  However, rarely is the nest used for living quarters alone.  A nest is constructed primarily for the purpose of bearing and caring for the young.  The bird may temporarily leave the nest for various reasons.  She may be looking for and gathering food for her young.  She may be off looking for more construction materials to improve the nest.  However, while her young occupy a place in the nest, her life revolves around that nest.  Once the nest is empty of young, she moves on and abandons that nest.  Most birds, anyway.  So, the place of which a man may wander is not his dwelling, but his post.  The comparison between a dame that leaves an occupied nest is made to the individual who leaves his place.  When thinking of a dame who would abandon her chicks, we think of a creature who would have no love nor concern for her young.  She would abandon her post for some other care.  Ethically, we would think the dam had no morals.  This is the understanding here.  Like a dame who would be irresponsible, callous, and selfish to leave her post, so too would the individual who would leave their calling in life.

I have spent many hours in the woods and have seen many things.  I have seen adults care for their young.  I have seen Racoons that bore young and then cared for them.  I have seen plenty of doe care for their fawns.  I have seen Bobcat with kittens in tow.  I have seen male Large Mouth Bass ignore lures as they guard their nests.  I have seen Robins feed their young.  Some squirrels gather nuts buried during the winter to feed to their kits.  I have witnessed Eastern Wild Turkeys fend off intruders and steer them clear of their nests.  Back when I lived in the country, we had a bird build a nest right outside our back door.  She built a nest above a light fixture. There were bird droppings all over the place.  Someone had asked why I didn’t knock down the nest the first time I saw it.  Believe it or not, the Bible tells us we are not to disturb a nest while a dame sits upon it.  We are not to interrupt the dame as she cares for her chicks.  It was fascinating watching the swallow care for her family.  She was overly protective as well.  If we didn’t time it right, she wouldn’t allow us to enter or exit the back door.  We had to wait until she flew off looking for a meal for her young.  She took her job seriously.  One wonders how our perception of her would have changed if she saw us as too much of a threat to care for her young.  We wouldn’t have been all that impressed.  

Wildlife teaches us we have a calling and responsibility to those whom the LORD has entrusted us with their care.  We have responsibilities.  We have duties.  We have a calling.  Sometimes we feel woefully inadequate.  We feel we are failing.  We seem to make more errors than sound judgment.  At least that is our perception.  We feel like we are failing the very ones whom we are supposed to be caring for.  So, we get this idea that we and they would be better off if we simply abandon our calling.  Everyone would be better off. Right?  We think perhaps we chose the wrong calling.  We see our limitations as a liability.  We see how much better our young would be if someone else came along.  However, that is not God’s design.  Swallows take care of Swallow chicks.  If the dame abandons the nest, a possum, hawk, or another preditor can devour the young.  To abandon the responsibilities which the LORD has appointed would only result in disdain.  Those who see the quitter quit would have no respect for him.  He has left his post.  He has left his office.  And there sits those who once needed him.  Starving and fending for themselves.  How horrible.

History Is Our Defender

“And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:” (Jud 11:15 AV)

 

Jephthah is a judge for Israel at a time when Ammon went to war with them over disputed territory.  Ammon is coming against Israel thinking Israel took land from both them and the Moabites.  The disputed territory is on the eastern side of Jordan and the Ammonites have every intention of winning this territory for the glory of Ammon.  What follows the verse above is Jephthah’s discourse on the history between Israel, Moab, and Ammon since Israel come from Egypt.  He rehearses details in the intercourse these two nations had with Israel and how the LORD expressly forbade Israel from taking territory held by Moab.  In Jephthah’s discourse, much detail is given and the argument cannot be disputed.  The casual reader may wonder why the LORD felt it necessary to give us all that detail.  The reason is simple.  History is a great teacher and is often the proof for the present.  Jephthah was a student of history and it was because he retained these details the rest of the people of God felt it ethically and morally responsible to defend the land of which they now possessed.

History is an important teacher.  In grade school and high school, I performed rather poorly in the subject of history.  For the most part, history was nothing more than memorizing dates and facts.  There was little effort to tie the present with the past.  It was assumed we would figure it out.  Christian education does a much better job of accomplishing this.  The curriculum is tied to the sovereign works of God and how the events of history reveal God’s plan among mankind.  When I entered the seminary and learned church and Baptist history, it began to click.  History learned in my primary education actually had significance in the light of God’s plan for mankind.  When, where, and how things happened may be interesting.  Why they happened is significantly more important.  When I learned how wars between nations resulted in the furtherance of the gospel, or the establishment of Israel, these things became important.  To my secular educators, these facts may explain some of the political and economic realities of today, but how God used these events for His purposes is infinitely greater.  We are sadly losing our history.  As the mobs continue to erase the history of the western world, we are losing the footprint of God’s plan.  Some of what has been canceled are not the best examples of our world.  Erasing it is not the answer.  Remembering it and learning from it is the answer.  As much as I hate the Jewish internment camps of WWII and the human ovens that still remain, they need to stand if for nothing else but to remind us of how evil mankind can be.  That way, we will never return there.  If it is erased, history is bound to repeat itself.  Even Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians the things written in the Old Testament are for our learning that we might not repeat the same mistakes as our forefathers.

Jephthah knows the facts regarding what went down between Israel and Ammon.  Between Israel and Moab.  When the accusations of thievery were leveled, facts were Jephthah’s defense.  Knowing history is so important.  History defines the present and gives direction for the future.  History gives is a general sense of what God is doing and where things are going.  History may not be pretty.  Sometimes it is downright embarrassing.  But history is also or defense.  No nation is perfect.  We all have our skeletons in the closet.  Conversely, every nation is not as guilty as its enemies desire to claim.  Knowing the facts is our defense.  This has been an odd devotion.  Why this stress on history?  In a more personal application, we can fall victim to the accuser’s wiles.  He can bring up the failure of the past and get our eyes off of the successes of the present.  We can fall down a vortex of despair because we forget the past.  We forget we are not what we once were and God has a way of changing our forgettable past into a present and future which glorifies Him!  History of how God works in the life of the individual in our defense against an enemy who desires to nothing more than to discourage and defeat.

Being Practical Vs Being Afraid

“And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.” (Jud 6:11 AV)

 

Gideon is a mixed bag.  I don’t know exactly what to think of him.  We see him as a cautious man who takes steps of valor, but rather prudently or while mitigating the risk.  Midian was a nation of nomads who regularly raided Israel to steal from them needed crops and the such like.  It would not be advantageous to raid a winepress because the wine would still have to be stored.  Something the Midianites would not be interested in doing.  The thought here was to thresh the wheat in preparation for storage in an area Midan would not be looking for it.  Rather wise.  Then we have the account of Gideon breaking down the altar of Baal his father’s servants erected.  He did so in the middle of the night rather than in front of the very servants he and his father employed.  Some may look at these two events and conclude Gideon is a bit of a coward.  One might conclude Gideon lacked boldness.  This idea might be bolstered by the account of the fleece.  Twice he asked the LORD to verify His voice by a sign.  We would be left with the idea Gideon was a reluctant leader and only acted when forced to.  When he did, he took the safest route.  But we would be wrong.

When Gideon goes into battle against the Midianites, Gideon shows a level of courage not see from many.  Even the LORD calls Gideon a mighty man of valor.  Gideon began with an army of 20,000.  The LORD reduced that number to 600.  Of those six hundred, the LORD further reduced the army to three hundred.  There three hundred would go up against over one hundred and twenty thousand.  You read that right.  Three hundred against one hundred and twenty thousand.  I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t attempt those odds in a million years.  On top of that, their main weapons were lanterns, pots, and trumpets.  The plan was to stand without the camp on an elevated post.  These three hundred would be divided into three camps.  They would space themselves so as to appear a far larger army than they actually were.  At the assigned time, they would all begin to shout.  Then, they would blow the trumpet and break the pot revealing the lanterns.  The Midianite army would have the impression each lantern represented a legion.  They would assume they were outnumbered three to one.  In doing so, they would simply panic and begin to fight, paying no attention to whom they were fighting.  The Bible tells us over one hundred and twenty thousand Midianites fell that day by friendly fire.  What God did with Gideon was not Gideon’s style.  Sort of.  Gideon was not a man of high risk.  But that doesn’t mean he was not a man of great faith or courage.  This plan was consistent with his character in breaking down the altar at night and hiding the threshing of wheat from robbers.  A great step of faith while mitigating the risk.

The point is simple.  Faith does not need to be proven in the most extreme manner possible just to exercise faith.  Again, the LORD testifies of Gideon’s courage.  “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” (Jud 6:12 AV)  Gideon did not refuse to do right.  He simply found a more prudent way of doing it.  Gideon was somewhat of a pragmatist.  Pragmatists can be men of faith, too.  Just because they look for a better way so as to minimize risk does not mean they are unwilling to take a risk.  Or, it does not mean they have little or no faith.  Gideon receives a lot of criticism.  However, in his way, God used him.  The altar of Baal was destroyed and never rebuilt again.  His father defended Gideon in daring Baal to take vengeance and rebuild his own altar.  Perhaps the three hundred were removed sufficiently from the army of the Midianites that if the plan when south, they could high-tail it out of there without losing any lives.  We may look at the fleece and criticize Gideon for the fear we think he was exhibiting.  But what we cannot dispute is 120,000 dead and fourty years of peace which followed.  Pragmatism does have its place.  It does not mean Gideon lacked courage or faith.  Rather, this judge sought the best way to do something so as to accomplish the same ends without paying a cost not needed to pay.

Motivational Interrogation

“And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?” (Jud 2:2 AV)

 

From a God who knows all things, this question is not meant to gain information that He did not have.  This question was designed for one of two reasons.  Or both.  The first was for accountability.  The same with the question posed to Adam and Eve in the garden.  God knows the answer.  He makes those to whom He is posing the question own what they have done.  It is a confrontation to cause those to whom He is interrogating to admit their failures.  Another reason a question like this could be posed is as a motivating influence towards faith or obedience.  This question was likely posed for both reasons.  Israel was told to eradicate those in their inheritance who would not conform to the Jewish law.  They were to approach those in possession of their inheritance and offer peace contingent upon their submission to Jewish rule.  If refused, they were to dispossess them.  After the death of Joshua and those trained under him, Israel laid aside their weapons of warfare and tolerated pagan occupants who still lived in their pagan ways.  This is the cause for the question.  This question was God’s way of telling Israel to go and conquer the land.

To the question above, there really is no good answer.  When Dad asks that question, our usual response is, “I don’t know.”  We answer that question in that way because the real answer is not palatable.  “Because I wanted to.”  Or, “Because I am a naturally wicked person and I chose to.” We look for logical reasons that might lessen the severity of our disobedience.  If we can blame it on someone else; as Adam did, then maybe it won’t be so bad.  If we can blame human frailty, then perhaps it wouldn’t seem so bad.  Dad wanted an explanation.  Even though there would not be a sufficient one that would mitigate punishment, he still wanted us to own what we had done and the reasons behind it.  However, perhaps his motive was a bit different.  In my father’s vernacular, he would have asked this same question a bit differently.  “What in the world were you thinking?”  “Whatever possessed you to think that was a good idea?”  “Are you sick in the head?”  Similar questions would arise.  The intent was not so much to garner and answer as it was to motivate to action.  The question was designed to show the foolishness of our choice and motivate us never to do it again.  To tell you the truth, a question like that was far better than a spanking.  Especially if my father followed up the question by expounding on why it was so dumb, to begin with.  Coupled with an expectation to mature and a belief that we would do so, a confrontation like that generally produced the desired effect.

God does the same.  His interrogations are not for the purpose of gaining information to mete out just punishment.  His interrogations are meant as a life changer.  They are meant to steer us clear of being that foolish again.  The LORD asked the question above of the children of Israel and then followed it with the statement He was not going to solve their problem for them.  He would not remove the pagan nations for them and they were stuck with the trouble their lack of faith or initiative would bring upon them.  The question, along with God’s ambivalence, was meant to hand the problem right back to the nation of Israel to solve themselves.  God would help them if they took initiative.  But He will not help if they do not trust and obey.  We may not like God’s interrogation.  We may become a bit uncomfortable or resent the feelings of shame and guilt that accompany it.  However, the LORD is directing those questions so we might mature.  It may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary.

Mutual Respect and Unity of Purpose

“And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.” (Jos 22:31 AV)

 

Joshua is closing out his ministry with the nation of Israel.  For the most part, they have conquered the lands promised to them by God through Abraham.  The two and a half tribes that settled on the east side of Jordan are released from further obligation to help the rest of the nation settle their lands.  They return to their inheritance and upon returning, build an altar on the east side of the river Jordan.  This altar has the appearance of an altar that might be used to offer sacrifice on it.  This caused great consternation on the part of the other tribes.  They had gathered themselves together, ready to make war with the two and a half tribes.  The priests with tribal representatives met with the elders of the two and a half tribes to warn them of the problem with that altar.  There was only one legitimate altar and that altar was in the tabernacle.  If they offered upon this new altar, they feared God would bring judgment upon the entire nation.  When put to account, these two and a half tribes explained the purpose of the altar was as a witness against the rest of the nation that if they were to disenfranchise the tribes on the eastern side of Jordan, they would then use the altar.  As long as the way to the tabernacle was open, the altar would remain unused.  In essence, that altar was the means by which both sides kept the other accountable.

This reminds me of the memorial Jacob and Laban constructed at Mizpeh.  That memorial was a reminder to both sides they were to act in benevolence and kindness towards one another even though they could not co-exist with one another.  It also reminds me of the parting of Paul and Barnabas over John Mark.  Neither was wrong.  Both were right.  They had a difference of purpose.  Not a difference of opinion.  The same was true of the two and a half tribes compared to the others.  They had a difference of purpose.  Their purpose was to be the first line of defense against an enemy and to raise cattle in lush pastures.  Neither side was wrong.  Jacob was the father of a nation.  His purpose was different than Laban’s.  Each had their own calling and purposed their own purpose.  There is no harm no wrong here.  In all three cases, there were clear lines of demarcation.  But there was also an understanding of mutual cooperation and shared goals or purposes.  The two and a half tribes may have had a different purpose than the rest of the nation, but they were still part of that nation and in their purpose, contributed to an overall purpose for the whole.  Jacob may have been the father of Israel, but Laban was a father of a Gentile nation.  Both nations have the purpose of glorifying God.  Yet their individual purposes varied.  Paul and Barnabas is our best example.  Paul was called to be a missionary and he could not have a co-worker who quit easily.  Barnabas was a pastor and his heart was in mentoring.  Both had the same overall purpose of the gospel.

The elders sent to the two and a half tribes looked on that altar and the purpose for it and concluded this to be a sign that God was among them.  When they realized the purpose for this altar was not an indication of disrespect or rebellion, these elders rejoiced.  They saw the altar for what it was.  It was an indication of mutual respect and an understanding of differing priorities among God’s people.  The overall goal was not being abandoned.  Rather, the altar affirmed it.  And understanding between the leadership of the nation that they were unified even though they had different, and sometimes conflicting, priorities.  As long as they both respected the altar; both altars; they were good.   Ed (that was what they named the altar) was a standing memorial between the tribes of Israel to respect one another, to not limit access to the promises of God to which all were entitled, and to understand they have separate responsibilities that contributed to the whole; each being of equal value.

Brilliant Plan

“And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.” (Jos 18:8 AV)

 

The method Joshua devised to survey and divide up the remaining land had to be of the LORD.  It was brilliant.  I imagine as the seven remaining tribes considered the land yet before them, self-interest crept in.  The remaining land had to be surveyed to establish natural borders.  Then these seven parcels could be doled out to the seven remaining tribes yet without inheritance.  Naturally, they would prefer one parcel over another or larger portions over less.  Joshua had to devise means to survey and divide the land as the LORD would have it and still keep the unity among the tribes.  So, the first step in his plan was for each tribe to assign three men to the survey team.  That would include the five tribes who already had their inheritance.  These five tribes would have absolutely no self-interest in the borders of the seven remaining tribes.  They could emotionally detach themselves from the process and give an honest survey.  Next, the men were sent out as a team.  All thirty-six, working together, to survey the land.  That way, there could be no allegiances formed that would benefit one dispossessed tribe over another.  Most importantly, Joshua told these men before they left the inheritance would be chosen by lot.  This means names would be drawn and assigned as the LORD dictated.  Human reasoning would not play a part in the inheritance each tribe would receive.  Brilliant.  This three-step plan assured the unity of the nation while doing God’s work.

I have to confess, I don’t know exactly how the LORD wishes to apply this truth today.  Reading and thinking through the process of Joshua’s plan, I was struck at how masterful it was.  There was more than one objective here.  The plan was not solely about dividing the remaining land to the seven tribes yet without an inheritance.  There were multiple objectives here.  First and foremost was to keep the unity among the brethren.  If the plan did not end with the nation unified, then even if the seven tribes had their land, the nation would have been at odds.  There was also the objective of keeping the five tribes who had their inheritance as part of the nation as a whole.  Unity is more than mere agreement.  It is striving towards the same goal.  Moses warned the two and a half tribes that settled on the east side of the Jordan if they did not help the rest of the nation settle their lands, there would be a division in the nation that would never heal.  This plan of Joshua’s was a brilliant one.  Assigning inheritance was the easy part.  That could have been done in human reasoning alone.  Larger tribes would receive larger allotments.  Allotments could be considered based on tribal purposes like industry or abilities.  There could have been a logical way to accomplish that which needed to be done.  Rather, Joshua devised means by which the mean kept one another honest and allowed God to determine the final outcome.

I don’t know exactly how to apply this other than to say the wisdom of leaders is often underappreciated and misunderstood.  We may find a much more logical way of accomplishing the same task, however, we cannot see the entire picture.  We may be able to read topographical maps and plan out the most logical of all borders that would guarantee security, water, and the ability to take care of one’s relatives.  Perhaps we can see how best to evenly distribute resources like lumber, tillable land, or water rights.  But what we lack is the ability to see the unseen.  Like unity, spirit, calling, cohesiveness, purpose, abilities, etc.  A good leader is not obsessed with the simple and pragmatic.  He understands there is much more involved that most cannot see.  He understands there are greater considerations than how many acres one tribe receives over another.  Most challenges are not that simple.  Joshua shows us how a three-step plan solved more problems than was initially seen.  The LORD gave him the wisdom to devise the means by which the nation could go forward, united as a whole, and behind God’s plan.

Undisciplined Speech Brings Problems

“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” (Pr 21:23 AV)

 

What an appropriate verse for a preacher on a Sunday!  For someone who is called to a calling that requires verbal communication, this verse is especially important.  I have learned many things.  One of those things is when your calling or occupation requires public communication, the audience often hangs on every word and the gift of communication is essential.  To be able to express exactly what the LORD has laid on one’s heart without messing it up is a task larger than most can comprehend.  Every detail and every nuance of speech is examined under the most illuminating of microscopes and often the speaker finds himself in trouble because of a misspeak.  Perhaps he forgot context and made a statement, that in his own mind, was established in a certain context, yet because that context was never expounded, was taken differently by discerning ears.  Perhaps there was a certain level of familiarity with the topic at hand that was expected of the hearers which actually didn’t exist.  What the speaker says is understood differently than intended.  Or, perhaps a bias or cultural distinction is assumed that is not present.  There can be a misunderstanding.

Being a Yankee and serving in the south was a great education on communication for me.  I learned a lot.  But what I learned most was how much I didn’t know.  If you ever need to be taught in the art of communication, spend a decade or more in the classical south.  Listening will teach a world of discipline and the appropriateness of speech like no other experience.  Having said that, I can say this.  When I took that pastorate, I stressed my style of communication was vastly different than what they were used to.  For instance, when a Yankee says something, he means exactly what he says and no other.  He is not inferring anything.  What he says is the inference.  He is blunt and open.  When he is done, there need be no more words.  In the south, not so much.  This caused some trouble for me.  I often found myself needlessly offending my audience.  I had to learn to keep my mouth and tongue lest I cause trouble upon me.  And that I did quite frequently.  I remember saying that it wouldn’t take long before I unknowingly offended everyone.  Not on purpose, mind you.  Rather, because I lacked the right discipline to keep myself out of trouble.  The mouth and tongue are often the cause of our own troubles.  It isn’t someone else.  It is what we say.  Or don’t say.  We heap trouble upon ourselves and blame others when in reality it was the use of our own tongue that caused it.

The word ‘…keepeth…’ does not mean to keep the mouth closed.  Rather, the word means to build a hedge about; to guard; to protect, or to attend to.  In other words, Solomon is not instructing his son to be silent.  Rather, he is instructing his son to discipline the tongue so the words he speaks do not come back on him and cause him trouble.  Our emotional society believes to express oneself verbally is the answer to solving problems.  To blurt out what we think or how we feel on the impulse of emotion is totally acceptable.  It is like we are living in a sport’s stadium where we feel we can yell out anything that makes us feel better, be it good or bad.  Solomon is instructing us to do just the opposite.  Think of the hedge.  It is built to keep things both in and out.  There is space.  But the hedge is a barrier of discouragement.  Before I say anything, the words and thoughts which I intend to speak should be given the hedge of time to meditate upon the appropriateness of the words I am about to utter.  Do I really want them to go beyond the hedge where I no longer have control over them?  That is the question.  Do I really want my thoughts and feelings out there where others can consider them in the context of their own understanding and misunderstand what it was I was trying to say?  That hedge of time is a buffer that keeps me from the trouble that will most assuredly come if there is no discipline of speech.  We have trouble because we bring it upon ourselves.  I have trouble because I don’t stop and think about what I am about to say before I say it.

Limited View Requires God's Guidance

“Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” (Pr 20:24 AV)

 

The understanding of this verse is simply enough.  This verse speaks to the sovereign plan of God for our lives and His manner in working that plan out.  Specifically, this verse speaks to the future planning of a man and his struggle is trying to figure the choices of the present which will guarantee a planned future.  The assumption is we are a captain of our own destiny.  This is not true.  We are only as free as the LORD allows.  Our freedom is constrained within the binderies in which the LORD has placed us.  We do not have complete freedom to do as we dream or think.  The other side of this truth is the application we see above.  That is, we cannot understand completely our own way and need the guidance of the LORD to figure that out.

One of the greatest inventions is the GPS navigator.  When they first came out, I got myself one and navigated almost everywhere with it.  Over time, phones replaced the Garmins.  Google Maps or Waze became more reliable and up to date than the older GPS navigation stand-alone devices.  There is no subscription needed and real-time conditions can be had.  In Google maps, one can even overlay different maps like topographical maps or satellite images.  I have one son who loves to navigate that way.  He will go to street view and a satellite view.  Can’t figure that one out.  I need the map so I have much more time to prepare for a change of course.  My father-in-law likes to zoom way out.  He likes to see as much of the route as he can.  But he is a living compass.  He never gets lost and has a sixth sense of direction.  One thing about this technology is it can never give you a complete picture of the entire trip.  Waze gives details for which I am grateful.  A car on the shoulder, obstructions in my lane, or potholes coming up.  What it cannot do is tell me everything that will happen along my trip all at once.  It lacks information that might change.  Therefore, I may see a general direction in which I will travel, but my GPS is not all-knowing nor can it determine the conditions in which I will travel.  All it can do is offer information and suggestions for choices.

Conversely, our God is a God who knows the future right down to every detail.  He also has a plan for our lives right down to every choice.  We cannot understand the path of our lives much like we cannot anticipate every turn in the road.  Driving the hills of the Appalachians, Smokeys, or Blue Ridge, no matter how much we know ahead of time, each curve has with it new information which we didn’t have before.  We cannot completely and fully know our path because we have not gone that way before.  The point of the Proverb is to point out the obvious for the purpose of discipling the heart to trust God.  Faith is that practice which we are required to exercise for the pleasure of God.  It is that discipline which angels cannot enjoy.  Faith means we admit we don’t know what we don’t know and trust the LORD to guide us through life in the way He has determined for it to go.  The LORD knows what He is doing.  He has known from eternity.  What Solomon is saying to his son is, “you may think you know where you are going or what you will be doing, but it is all of the LORD.”  So, we better get used to the ride and stop thinking we determine the outcome far more than we do.  God is always in control and we need His hand in order to navigate through the hills and valley of life in the way which pleases Him most.

Get Up

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?” (Jos 7:10 AV)

This question from the LORD comes at the heels of Joshua’s prayer over a lost battle.  The men of Israel were told to go up to Ai and take it.  After sending spies, they counseled Joshua to send only a few thousand.  When the battle raged, Israel fled and thirty-six men lost their lives.  That is three from each tribe.  Among a nation of several million, this seems insignificant.  What Joshua was lamenting was not the loss of thirty-six men.  Rather, he was lamenting the fact Israel fled.  Joshua was afraid the other nations around them would hear Israel fled from such a small battle they would believe Israel to be cowards.  If all the nations banded together because they thought Israel cowards, then Israel would have a war on their hands they might not be able to win.  What Joshua did not know was the cause of the cowardice.  Achan, a man of the tribe of Judah, robbed God when Jericho was taken.  He kept back precious metals for himself rather than give them to God for the service of the tabernacle.  This was why Israel was cursed when they ascended to Ai.  It is the question posed to Joshua which we want to consider this morning.

This reminds me of a young person, perhaps a toddler, who is frustrated or carrying on because he believes he cannot do something that Mom or Dad knows he can.  We have wonderful grandchildren.  I had the privilege of getting to know little Jude recently.  He is a wonderful little young man with a genuine personable spirit.  He makes connections with people quickly.  My daughter-in-law sent a precious video the other day.  It was of little Jude trying to learn how to crawl.  Mom was on the other side of the room capturing this momentous occasion to share with her extended family.  Little Jude would not get up on his knees.  Jude belly-crawled with his hands, dragging his legs behind him.  One of those legs was tucked into the other.  Then he got up on one knee with the other still tucked under.  The poor child looked like a wounded soldier trying to crawl back to the line with an injured leg.  All the time he was crying a fussing.  How dare Mommy drop him on the floor and abandon him to crawl ten feet to her side!  He was fussing about something which he himself could solve.  He simply didn’t know it.  He learned all he had to do was to scoot.  He still hasn’t learned to get up on all fours.  I have a sneaking suspicion little Jude will learn to walk before he ever learns to crawl on all fours.

The question posed to Joshua was much the same.  Why are you carrying on about the cowardice of Israel when you should be finding out why it happened?  That is God’s point here.  Joshua responded in a purely emotional expression when he should have sought the LORD’s guidance as to why they could not take a town with a minimal force.  The LORD chastises Joshua, not for the act of praying, but for how he prayed.  There are times we go to the LORD and lay our heart out when the more prudent thing is to get up from prayer and figure it out.  We go to the LORD in emotional turmoil when all we had to do is stop, think it over, ask the LORD for enlightenment, and solve the issue.  We are expected to grow up.  That includes our prayer life.  It is one thing to pour out our hearts when we need to.  The LORD will not turn back that prayer.  But if, in the process, we offer nor expect and resolution, then pouring our hearts out is only an act of making ourselves feel better.  The LORD has broad shoulders.  That is for sure.  But He is not our personal destresser to be used for emotional comfort when fixing the problem would take care of it.  He is not our shrink who will listen to our emotional problems to send us out the door with nothing rectified.  This is using God instead of following God.  So, our out your heart. But do so with the intent of finding wisdom in overcoming, not with the intent of simply making ourselves feel better.

Stay In The House

“And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.” (Jos 2:19 AV)

 

Rahab and her family were given very specific instructions.  When Israel invaded Jericho, they were to remain within her house.  If anyone ventured out during the invasion, they were subject to death.  This would have been very difficult.  Rahab’s house was hard upon the wall.  As we know, when the army of Israel compassed the city of Jericho, on the seventh day, the walls came down.  That would mean the only structure hard upon the wall that stood was Rahab’s house.  I can only imagine what it would have been like held up in that house as one witnessed everything around you collapse and fall flat to the ground.  I would have been terrified.  Upon looking at the walls crumbling and the army invading, I might be tempted to sneak out some why and escape the calamity before my eyes.  Yet, as long as they stayed in the security of the house which God provided, they were safe.  No harm would come to them. 

I was watching the weather channel recently and they were broadcasting another special on tornados.  They seem to love tornados.  They were interviewing those who survived the storm.  I cannot remember which storm it was, but I do recall the one they were highlighting I knew well.  They showed footage of the town after it had been hit.  They told of an aged mother and father who were tragically lost to the storm.  The mother was sucked up into the vortex.  The father survived, but upon hearing the news his wife’s body had been found, died of a heart attack.  This same family had an adult son who owned and operated Mel’s Diner.  Yes, that is a real place.  He spoke of the total destruction of the restaurant.  It was very close to his parent's home.  This fella spoke of their plan to escape the storm’s ravage.  He, the employees, and the clientele all receded into the walk-in cooler.  Brilliant!  There isn’t a storm ever seen that can lift one of those units securely fastened to the structure off its anchor into the air.  A photo was shown of the aftermath of Mel’s Diner.  There was nothing left except for that walk-in cooler.  One can only imagine what it might have been like listening to the raging storm outside and the constant striking of debris on the walls of that cooler.  They must have felt like sitting ducks.  But staying put is what saved their lives no matter how much uncertainty was going on around them.  Keeping still in the safety of that cooler was the best plan.

We tend to escape situations that require a great deal of faith.  I learned a great lesson a few days back.  Those decisions that require great faith are often life-changing and self-defining.  Trusting God when the world around you seems to be out of control takes a great deal of faith.  With Rahab, it was a once-in-a-lifetime choice.  It wasn’t the type of choice that had to be made every day.  This was a big one!  This was a blind one!  She had her reasons.  She explained those reasons to the two spies.  They had heard what God and done to Egypt and knew God had given Israel the land.  That was the reason and logic behind her faith.  However, when the walls began to crumble and the house began to shake, she had to question the wisdom of remaining in the land, to begin with.  Knowing God would conquer the city, why not flee well in advance.  God told them to stay put and they would be fine.  This is the message for this morning.  Stay put and trust God.  It is always better in the center of God’s will than trying to solve our problems on our own.

Watch What Comes Up

“They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.” (De 32:17 AV)

 

Moses is rehearsing in the ears of Israel their propensity to follow after false gods.  The devils and gods whom they knew not are the ones they learned of while captive in Egypt.  The ten plagues of Egypt were ten plagues designed to attack the false gods which Egypt and Israel followed.  Once God proved Himself the only one and true God, Israel abandoned the gods of Egypt.  At least for a while.  While in the wilderness, Israel once again took up a false god.  While Moses was forty days and nights on the mountain with God, Aaron and the people fashioned a golden calf to which they offered sacrifice.  The golden calf was not a new one.  This calf was a carryover from Egypt.  God dealt with them harshly over this.  One would think if a nation saw the hand of God in Egypt and then paid the price for idolatry, they would abandon any future worship of idols.  But they did not.  The book of Judges shows us just how habitually the children of Israel went after gods.  Many of them were new.

One of the frustrations of life I had to get over is the idea of perfect circumstances after problem-solving.  For instance, when I worked at the factory, one would think one could get to a level where basics didn’t have to be re-taught.  We could fill our shift with trained workers and we would never again have to hire new ones and start all over.  Or, working with equipment, you would think that once all the problems were solved, you could run a full eight hours without any stoppage.  If we fixed a temperature problem, then it was solved.  If we fixed a trimming problem, done.  If we addressed a waste disposal issue, that was over.  We would hope that if we had problems, we would have them early and over with.  But working at the factory is like life.  When you whack a mole, another will pop up in its place.  This is life.  At the factory, the worst was having a change over from running one product to another with enough time to get the line back up running just before your shift ending.  If there was a changeover, your hope was either earlier in the day, or about an hour before the end of your shift.  Otherwise, it is a lot of work when quitting time is rolling around.  But new problems arise.  They have to be solved.  They have to be conquered.  Then production resumes.

Israel is a picture of the saint as they come to salvation and grow within.  We have this misunderstanding when we come to salvation, all the monsters will be slain.  We think overcoming very obvious and dramatic sin will mean complete victory to our home-going.  Not so.  The old man is still with us.  He is still vibrant.  He is still there.  We have to contend with it.  We often think that at salvation, we have overcome the worst of the worst.  Again, not so.  My mentor told our early discipleship class the real battle over sin had just begun.  We may have gotten rid of the cursing, bad music, and evil choices, but he warned those were the easy ones.  And he was right.  We didn’t realize then what I know now.  When we gain victory over one god, another is waiting in the wings to take its place.  We cannot rest on our laurels.  We need to be ever diligent to overcome whatever gods may pop up.  Like whack-a-mole, there will be new ones which we need to take the hammer of the word of God to and knock them back in the ground where they belong.  Not until our home-going will we be totally free of all temptations.  Until then, watch and pray lest you fall into temptation.

A Praise

“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.” (Pr 16:17 AV)

 

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Pr 16:25 AV)

 

Just a brief testimony and opportunity to praise the LORD.  Today, we sit in the great state of Tennessee.  We are visiting my son and his family.  The LORD just blessed him with a wonderful church as his first senior Pastorate.  What a blessing to see what the LORD has done with him and how the LORD will no doubt use him in the future.  The grandkids were great!  Titus turned five and is the perfect young man.  Jude is a smiling machine.  He loves the attention of men more than women so he took a shinning to his Pawpa.  All this wonderful family time did, however, have a dark cloud looming over.  We traveled at the absolute worst time of the year.  February usually has with it severe weather.  And this was no exception.  We traveled during a one-in-a-lifetime series of storms.  We were delayed by a day getting there and while we were there, an ice and snowstorm blanketed the south.  We had to travel back the day after the storm because another was arriving in the same area the next day.  If we do not get out today, we may be stuck in Tennessee for at least another week.

There were two ways home.  I could either go west through Tennessee and up through Kentucky and Illinois.  My thinking was if I headed directly west, I would spend less time in storm-affected areas.  If I went north, I had to pass over Daniel Boone National Forrest.  At the end of that park is a four-mile-long hill.  This is where the ice hit.  My thinking again told me this was unsafe.  I didn’t relish a four-mile free fall.  Not knowing the condition of I40 through Tennessee and never having driven it before was another consideration.  It was far more rural and if we had an accident, it was highly unlikely emergency personnel could get to us quickly.  So, I was in a quandary.  The wise thing seemed to be to go west and get around the storm-affected areas.  So, I decided to pray and seek God's wisdom.  This is where the two verses above become relative.

The first told me the highway, or the higher way is the way the righteous go.  I took this to mean God wanted me to go through the mountains of the Daniel Boone Forrest.  I fought that a bit until the Spirit spoke to me in the second verse.  If I choose to follow my wisdom and go west, then there was death waiting for me.  Don’t need to tell me anymore.  I began to watch google maps for accidents and closers.  It appeared I75 through the Forrest was getting shut down.  At least north of it.  I began to doubt the Spirit’s leading.  We left the hotel and went to say goodbye to the kids.  When I looked again, I75 was clear.  To make a long story short, I obeyed the LORD and we sailed through all the way home at the speed limit.  There were no accidents and no delays.  PRAISE THE LORD.  It pays to listen to and obey the LORD!  One never knows what disasters can be avoided by listening and following.

Self-loathing And The Pit of Ignorance

“He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.” (Pr 15:32 AV)

 

There are several ways to look that that first phrase above.  We could look at the truth that despising instruction is an act of self-loathing.  Or, as we will this morning, a person who rejects instruction may have at the root a self-loathing problem.  A person with a self-loathing issue sees more value in self-destructive behavior than they do self-sustaining behavior.  They see more advantage in destroying what they hate; that is themselves; than they do in protecting what they hate.  You read that right.  The problem is not our opinion of ourselves.  We should have a low opinion of ourselves.  There is a difference between having a really low opinion of ourselves and self-loathing.  When we see ourselves for what we truly are, we see the lack of value we bring to God and others.  However, we do understand that with Christ as our Savior and the work of the Holy Spirit, there is value in the life God has graciously given.  Self-loathing sees no value and the pride of heart believes it is the responsibility of self to destroy self that in some way, that destruction might have value.  The soul that refuses instruction is purposely trying to destroy self for the purpose of some kind of assessment of anything of any worth.

Volunteering in the health industry, I have come across many patients who give up hope.  They do not see any value in their lives even if there is plenty.  Their health care professionals encourage them to stick to whatever regimen is suggested for an improved quality of life.  Perhaps they have family or friends worth living for.  Maybe they have responsibilities in the community, church, or circle of influence which would sorely miss them if they passed away.  Yet, they cannot see any value in their present circumstances.  My job as a chaplain was to help them see what they could not see.  To give them a reason to undergo suggested treatment.  My job was to help them see that every life, no matter the circumstances, has value.  This is a difficult task given circumstances that others think are impossible.  It is at this point the patient will begin a self-evaluation and determine if their life has any value.  If they think it does not, regardless of the truth of the matter, they will refuse instruction.  They hate the circumstances of their lives.  There were also those patients who were addicted to drugs.  This is a curse and a scourge on our land!  The trap that an addict goes down is a never-ending spiral of pleasure, guilt, self-loathing, and ending in pleasure to cover it all.  He or she feels guilty and ashamed, but the answer too often is not forgiveness and freedom.  It is more of the same.

The Spirit spoke to me this morning and asked me to consider if some of our behavior isn’t so much as natural human frailty to go after sin.  But rather, the idea that we know we are worthless outside of Christ and because of that, we see no point in trying.  We see far too much of our failures and not enough of the Spirit’s work on our lives.  We only see condemnation and hardly see commendation.  We condemn ourselves more than we praise God for what He has done.  Because of that, we refuse further instruction thinking there is no point.  This is a dangerous path.  This is a path that only ends one way.  It ends in the self-fulfilling prophecy of worthlessness and despair.  The cure is to remember we are the workmanship of God in Christ Jesus and He doesn’t make junk!  He had redeemed us and His work will continue far into eternity.  It would be better if we didn’t work against Him in that which He is trying to accomplish and start the process of praising God for all that He has done.