The Only Hope One Needs

“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.” (Pr 14:32 AV)

This is the point!  The ‘…driven away…’ means eternally driven from the presence of God.  He is driven away in such a way as to result in eternal misery.  This is not just separation.  This is eternal torment as a result of a life of unrepentant wickedness.  Because he is driven away, he has no hope in his death.  Death is seen as something unpleasant and to be avoided at all costs.  Life is the best he will ever have it because death is eternally horrific.  Conversely, those who have had their accounts settled by the blood of Christ see hope in death.  Death is a welcomed thing.  Not that the righteous purposely hasten to it.  But, he sees death as freedom.  Freedom from the wickedness of his own sin.  Paid for by Christ and liberated from by death!

God is good.  All the time.  He has blessed us in this life with blessings which abound.  Family, church, purpose, etc.  They are all given as gifts from God.  Even though life is often good with a few trials sprinkled here and there, it still cannot be compared with eternity.  The righteous have hope in death.  That is because the warfare we are asked to battle is more overwhelming than we like to admit.  The spiritual warfare to overcome or three adversaries is more than can humanly be undertaken.  The flesh, world, and devil are adversaries beyond compare.  They sap the life out of any saint who wishes to live for the LORD.  We don’t have a bad life.  We have a really blessed life.  The warfare is from what we need hope.  The battle to overcome that which drags us back down is what we need hope from.

Last fall, I blew out a calf muscle climbing out of a ravine.  About twenty feet from the top, I was down on all fours and couldn’t for the life of me understand how I would get out.  It felt like someone has shot me in the back of the leg.  I could put no wait on it.  A formidable task to say the least.  That hill was my enemy!  It was sure a pretty spot though.  Nature to me has always been amazingly wondrous. That didn’t change my predicament.  As I studied several possibilities, the LORD gave me insight that I hadn’t had before.  A way out became increasingly clear.  One foot at a time, He provided a tree here, a sapling there, a grapevine dangling from a tree, and so on until we finally crested the rim.  Seeing that rim was the hope of salvation.  Seeing the end was the hope I had in the present.  I don’t know how anyone can live their life without the hope of eternity is the near distant future!  If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, please, for your own sake, repent of your sin and trust Christ!  Grab the hope that many today share!

Influence from All Sides

“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.” (Pr 12:26 AV)

This is a difficult proverb in the sense of trying to identify who is who.  The righteous is the righteous dweller.  The neighbor is he which the righteous neighbor is trying to influence.  The wicked are those who are also trying to influence the neighbor.  The ‘them’ is the righteous and the neighbor.  This proverb is about guarding against negative influence while trying to be an influence oneself. 

When I worked in the pizzeria, years ago, the LORD gave me opportunity to witness to a lot of co-workers.  I was by no means a perfect person.  I had made a lot of mistakes both before I was saved, and recently afterwards.  Mistakes that were generally known.  But, the LORD had saved me, and in the process granted me His sanctifying righteousness.  In a practical way, there was much work to do in my practical righteousness.  This gave the adversary much opportunity to undermine the efforts to witness to the lost.  I remember one such adversary.  He deliberately followed my conversation with a potential convert with facts of the past and present which would undermine credibility.  There was another incident when I had gotten very close to influencing a young lady with a decision for Christ and a co-worker mocked the gospel, invited her out to a bar after work, and continued to mock at the bar.  The way of the wicked is not only directed towards the potential convert.  It is directed towards the righteous.  Many times, the adversary would tempt me, and vary rarely succeed in, falling away so that short-term credibility was hindered in sharing the gospel. 

The Devil does not want the saint to be successful in influencing the lost to salvation.  He will try to seduce the righteous and the wicked.  Keeping our eyes open and our knees bent in prayer is the only safeguard against a relentless attack.  If I had to do it all over again, in my youth I would have prayed more and taken more seriously the spiritual warfare that beleaguers the saint who attempts to serve the LORD.  I would have looked at soul-winning and influencing the wicked as a way of life rather than a project to complete.  This would have produced a discipline which I did not have back then.  Watch, for the Devil is waiting to devour!

Lust Hurts. True Love Doesn't

“For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” (Pr 7:26-27 AV)

Today, fornication and adultery are so common it is not a shock anymore.  Not only in the world.  Also, in the church.  It shocks me how many people who profess the name of Christ live in sin.  It doesn’t get dealt with in our churches.  People turn a blind eye to it.  What is even worse is when professing saints encourage it.  “I know they aren’t married, but at least they settled down and love each other.”  “Finally, she found someone who will treat her right.  So what if they aren’t married.”  “He’s been so lonely since his wife left him and he’s trying to raise those kids.  It’s nice to see he found someone that will care for him and his kids.  I know that living together our of wedlock is sin, but the LORD understands.”  The excuses are countless.  “He is married to a really evil woman!  I don’t blame him if he found someone else that will treat him with respect.” “That guy is a creep.  Her husband never showed any affection.  She has the right to be happy.  Besides, he’s probably stepping out on her too.”

I have heard them all.  What the book of Proverbs tells us is those involved is sins of immorality are heading down a path of total destruction.  It could even cost them their eternal soul!  Not that one can lose their salvation.  David did not.  But of those who are lost, those in the midst of unrepentant immorality are often the hardest to win.  They will not allow their sexual sin to be a source of conviction.  They will not confront their sin of immorality, repent of it, and turn to Christ.  They would rather go to hell then to repent of their wickedness.

The world portrays sexual promiscuity as no big deal.  As something natural.  Something that should not be inhibited.  But the truth of the matter is, outside of perhaps substance abuse, spiritually speaking, sexual sin is the most captivating, controlling, and destructive of all sin.  Once entered into, it is very difficult to escape.  But escape one must!  Or there is ruin in the future.

Look Before You Leap

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” (Pr 4:26 AV)

Note here that Solomon instructs his son to ponder not the feet, but the path of the feet.  What direction he is going as well as from whence he came.  Not like going down a set of stairs; one step at a time.  Rather, like walking along in the woods with a destination in mind.  Where we chose to place our foot should be thought through before a step is taken.  Seeking the safest and most productive way based on objective before the journey begins is the wisest course of action.  Looking before one steps is always good advice.

One of the styles of deer hunting my father-in-law taught me was still hunting.  This style of hunting is the method of hunting from the ground, walking through the woods, stalking your game.  To me, it is the most successful and fun way of bagging a deer with a firearm.  It keeps you warm, too.  When still hunting, it is far more complicated than what one might think.  Often, one must divert from the well worn beaten path and traverse thinker woods.  That is where the deer are bedded down, hiding from their predators.  The technique involves matching the cadence of a large animal going through the woods.  It means one must look well enough ahead so one doesn’t step on sticks or limbs that will snap.  One must look ahead to avoid thickets, downed trees that must be hurdled, or ravines that must be traversed.  It means choosing the quietest path yet one that is not too well traveled.  In snake country, one must be very aware of snake dens or where poisonous vipers might lurk.  Flat and slick rocks are voided.  Low-laying limbs are to circumvented.  Each step must be planned and often hundreds of steps beforehand.  This is the idea of the proverb above.

Wisdom is the understanding of long-term consequences.  It sees things well enough in advance to make plans that will mitigate possible hazards.  It’s thinking ahead so that mistakes are not made.  It is looking at the end of choices and not the immediate results.  This wisdom takes discipline of heart and mind.  It takes experience.  It takes maturity. It takes discipline.  It is wisdom we need.

A Defining Moment

“Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” (Ps 147:1 AV)

The word ‘… comely…’ means appropriate.  But that definition does not adequately describe what this word means.  It doesn’t mean appropriate as a tux for the groom. It means more than that. Not just practically or socially appropriate.  It means the perfect finishing touch on something that would otherwise not seem worthy.  Like that special musical piece at the wedding that defines the moment.  When bride and groom are holding hands just before the declaration, the soloist sings a melody that perfectly describes the nature of thus young couple’s relationship.  That one moment, event, decoration, adornment, that is the small, but centerpiece of all that surrounds it.  In any other setting, it would be out of place.  It would have no meaning.  This is what praise should be to the saint.  Without it, the saint has little luster.  Little significance in the world which he finds himself.

We are not talking of the manufactured praise promoted by the emotionally manipulative using the world’s standards of music and praise.  What we discover in this psalm is described as pleasant.  This means delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable.  Not rousing or repetitive.  Praise is like the song of a bird in the quietness of a freshly dewed forest.  A sweet sound of clear distinction.  A reflection of the handwork of God in the miracle of that which bears the song.  This praise is a habit of life.  Not something that is motivated by good times.  It is not a response to good circumstance, but rather, the nature of the creature whom God created.

When we speak of praise on the lips of the saints, it is comely for the saint to praise the LORD regardless of the circumstances.  It is appropriate.  It is that which adds that last bit of something to his life which defines who the LORD is to him.  It is the one thing above all else that others will notice.  Thankfulness, praise, joy, etc for who and what God is tends to misdirect those who observe him from him to the LORD.  It is comely!  It is lovely!  It should be second nature.

Never Out of Mind

“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” (Ps 139:17-18 AV)

Imagine the fill reality of that truth.  If one could count all the thoughts which the LORD has directly toward him, it would be more than all the sand of the world.  There isn’t a calculator large enough; a computer with enough power; or, enough paper in the world to record how many grains of sand there are in the world.  We know that it is a finite number.  But practically speaking, it may as well be infinite.

We have a hard time conceiving of someone thinking of another to this extent. I love my wife dearly.  She is my best friend.  She is the most important person in my life and will always will be.  She is such a part of me that I cannot imagine one day without her.  She is an amazing person.  And I am glad she is all mine.  I think of her a lot.  But I would be lying if I said she is all that I think about.  There are times other thoughts enter the mind.  Thoughts of other areas of life.  Like when I am reading my bible or studying for a sermon, Lisa may not be on my mind.  When there are things to do for the LORD, she may not be in the forefront of my mind.  When the crosshairs are resting on a trophy buck, Lisa may not be the primary thought I am having.  However, the vast majority of my thoughts are towards her!

When it comes to the LORD and His thoughts towards us – towards you – they are infinite.  There is never a time when He is no thinking of us – of you – personally and individually.  God, who is infinite in thought, can think of all things at once.  He does not need to think linear.  He is not limited to one thought at one time.  He can think of each of us as though we are the only one in existence.  He can think of each of us individually and the center of His thoughts.  In other words, there is never a time when the LORD is not thinking of you!  How amazing is that?

Remember the Good Times in the Midst of Bad Ones

“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.” (Ps 137:5 AV)

The context is a psalm of remembrance while dwelling under captivity to Babylon.  The writer tells us that their captives require songs of mirth with Israel and Jerusalem as its theme.  He finds this difficult because he misses Jerusalem so much. A song of lamentation would be easier.  A song of mirth, not so much.  What he is afraid of is the circumstances of their sin would rob them of tender memories of Jerusalem.  In turn, they would forget how to play the music of joy with home as its theme.  He is worried that if he forgets the blessings of Jerusalem while under the hand of God’s correction, he will forget how much of a joy it can be to walk with God in obedience.

We can become so overwhelmed with trials of life or correction from God that we forget what it is like to walk in the light of God.  We forget what it is like to walk in spiritual health.  When that happens, we resign to our circumstances and lose the joy of the LORD.  Forgetting the joy of the LORD is our Psalmists deepest fear.  One of the ways to retain it is to remember.  Remember the day of your salvation.  Remember the days of re-dedication.  Remember the days of joyful service.  Remember the days of confession and reconciliation.  Remember those special days of meditation upon God’s word when He spoke to You so clearly and dearly.  Remember those days of great preaching services.  Remember those days of deep prayer when it seemed the universe didn’t exist and more and it was just you and the LORD.  Remember the days of your spiritual youth when everything was a wonder.  Remember those days of miraculous answers to prayer.  Remember the tender mercies of God.

When we look upon our lives, they are marked with difficult times.  Some of those difficult times were self-inflicted.  God has to deal with those choices, otherwise, He would not love us.  It is in those times when we have to remember our Jerusalem.  We have to recall all those times when we did please the LORD and He blessed us for it.  Those times are far more frequent.  Those time are the sustaining times.  Remember!