"I Didn't See Anything..." *wink*wink*

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Proverbs 10


People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace. - vs. 10 (NLT)


According to the NLT foot note on this verse, this particular translation of this verse is taken from a Greek text rather than Hebrew.  Few translations chose to use this specific wording, which is one reason why I am glad stepped out of my box and chose to look at the NLT each week.  The moment I read this verse I was reminded of an ordeal that my daughter went through in early elementary school.

She came home one day and she wasn't quite herself.  She didn't want to play, wasn't really interested in a snack, and just kinda sat around moping.  Now for my little ball of energy and excitement these non-characteristic behaviors threw up a red flag.  Something was wrong.

The moment I asked her if she was OK, she laid it out there.  It was hard to tell exactly what had happened at first because of the quick talking mixed with loud sobbing, but eventually I pieced the story together.

Early in the day she was in line with her class moving down the hallways.  At one point she had lagged behind and ran to catch up.  Now everyone knows that you are NEVER to run in the hallways, so she knew she was in trouble as soon as she turned the corner and saw her teacher standing there.  But instead of a quick, "You know better than to run in the hall...," the teacher put on a silly face and looked away as if sarcastically saying, "I didn't see anything...did you see anything?" and down the hallway they went back to class.  No big deal.

Wrong. HUGE DEAL - to my daughter at least.  She was worried the entire rest of the day that she had done something wrong and that her teacher knew it and wasn't going to do anything about it.  She began to fear that her teacher would also be in for it for pretending and acting like it never happened. Because after all - everyone knows you NEVER run in the hall.  From that moment she was grieved not only for herself but was carrying the guilt of the fear of getting her teacher into trouble too.

Well I attempted to console her and tell her it wasn't a big deal - but that wasn't enough.  She INSISTED that she needed to apologize to her teacher for the mistake and ask for her forgiveness.  I told her that if she was going to do that then she needed to be able to explain to her why it upset her so much. Then she also insisted she needed to apologize to the school principal since, "she's the one that makes the rules, and I didn't obey them."

How amazingly humble.  

So the next morning we went to school a few minutes early so she could make amends.  Her teacher, of course, was completely shocked that what she had done had caused so much trouble by "winking" at my daughter's disobedience (funny how the woman called Foley in chapter 9 is described as, "ignorant and she does not know it...") - but I personally think SHE aught to have known better.  I'm all for having fun and being silly and friendly with your children/students - but when it comes to right and wrong, it's right or it's wrong.  How does the verse go again? "People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace."  

If she had chosen the wise approach of instructing my child to righteous behavior, my child would have been at peace, rather than distraught over her own foolishness AND that of the teacher.  Carrying guilt for an entire day (especially when you're 7) is the opposite of peace and most certainly feels like trouble.

Our children need our bold reproof to be at peace.  They need to be instructed and guided into righteous behavior because there is a FINE LINE between childish behavior and foolish behavior and if we don't show our children where that line is - it won't even exist in their world and they will grow up to be fools indeed.

Lord, please let us not, "wink at wrong," and cause trouble for our children.  Let us not allow them to do wrong and write it off as "cute" or "funny."  Help us to realize what it is. It is SIN. And if we can not help them to recognize the sin in their life - how will we get them to the point of realizing their need to be free of that sin.  Forgive us when we act foolishly - help us to be wise.  Give us wisdom in abundance to pour out on our children.  Help us to be brave enough to discipline our children, to give them the, "bold reproof," they need that will, "promote peace," not only in their hearts, but in our homes as well.  

Thank you, Father.

Amen

You are Invited - Proverbs 9

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Proverbs 9

Receiving an invitation is always nice. Whether to a fancy dinner party, a child's birthday party, or just a casual night out with friends - it's always nice to be invited.  It's also great to be on the inviting end.  Making plans, prepping for guests to arrive, enjoying the company, and the compliments that follow of how "marvelous" a time everyone had.


Then there are those not-so-welcome invitations.  The ones that lead to those awkward occasions that you'd really just rather do without but feel obligated to attend (like extended family dinners on your spouses side... oh, come on, you know that sounds nicer than saying you hate to visit the in-laws). Then there are the invitations that we should decline - those that invite you to partake in something that could corrupt your values, that could taint your reputation, that might make others think less (or more) of you than they should - but we still find ourselves being obligated (or should I say tempted) to attend.


Solomon paints us a picture in Chapter 9 of two very different hostesses. One, who is Wisdom, has invited many to a feast in her home.  She sends out servants to call in everyone they see.  She invites those near and far - and she specifically invites those who are in need of her gifts. She has prepared choice food and drink from her own hands that will nourish all those who partake and while at her party she encourages them to accept the gift that she has for them so they can improve their lives once they return home.  


Then there is the second, who is Foley.  Foley goes to no length to seek out special guests, she just hollers from her balcony at anyone that might be passing by hoping to entice them to join her in her ways.  One by one they enter and she deceives them with food and drink she has stolen from who knows where.  She lies telling her victims that it is just as good or better than what her neighbor, Wisdom, has to offer.  But once they partake, and join in Foley's party, they find there is no happy return or blessing to be had, only death.


We must be able to decipher between the invitations that Foley brings which certainly will lead to our own demise and those that Wisdom offers us. For,

"Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer."   - vs. 11-12

Don't be an ignorant passer-by that is lured in by Foley and her wickedness. Rather, accept Wisdom's invitation. For the, "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." - vs. 10. Seek out Wisdom.  Seek out God.  You must know Him to know Wisdom.  Accept the invitation to the feast and your life will be blessed.  Reject it and you will die.


Chapter 9 Survival Skills:
This chapter tells us how to DISCERN between the invitations of Wisdom and Foley.  Choose Wisdom for Life and Foley for Death.

What Does She Look Like? - Proverbs 8

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Proverbs 8

Before a man makes any type of investment in a woman he is interested in what she looks like.  Does she look healthy?  Does she look happy?  Does she look like someone I want wake up with for the rest of my life?  Does she look like she will love and respect me? Every woman is beautiful, because God created her to be.  Chapter 8 gives us a picture of what Wisdom looks like, how she acts and where she came from. According to vs. 22-31 God also created the beauty that is wisdom itself.  She says,

“The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began. I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters. Before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born - before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil. I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans. I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth. I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations, I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence. And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!"

Wisdom, The Architect - Prov. 8:30

These verses were the most interesting to me.  Some say that Solomon is giving us a picture of Christ and His role in creation.  I might be inclined to think that other than I believe that Jesus IS God and was NOT created by God because He has always been part of the Great I AM, the Alpha & Omega, the First and the Last from everlasting to everlasting.

What I do think Solomon is doing here is personifying the specific characteristic of God that is His Wisdom.  This poetic retelling of the creation story is told from the perspective of God's Wisdom and how God created the world consulting his trusty "architect" so that each molecule would be set with Wisdom as its binder.  

If we personified one of God's other attributes, such as Truth, into this passage it might read something like this, with Truth saying, "The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else...I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans, I was the transit by which he leveled it...I was his constant assurance, trusting always in His presence. And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!"

Truth, just like Wisdom, is a part of who God is.  God could not have created the world without them because he could not have created the world without all of himself - including Jesus and the Spirit.

So I encourage you to re-read chapter 8 considering how each lyric that creatively describes Wisdom is in fact painting a picture of God Himself.  So what does Wisdom look like?  She looks like the Everlasting, Creator God. Now who wouldn't want to wake up with that each morning?

Chapter 8 Survival Skills:
This entire chapter is outlining what wisdom looks like.  When we know what we are looking for it is easy to DISCERN what it is we are NOT looking for.

Be a Story Teller - Proverbs 7

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Proverbs 7

Solomon is an amazing story teller.  Here in chapter 7 he tells a story to his sons.  A story of a man's demise.  He is sharing from his own personal storehouse of experiences to teach his child a valuable truth.


My daughter asks me to tell her stories from time to time.  And she doesn't want ANY story - she wants a story about me.  She wants to hear the stories of my life.  She desires to understand who her mother is and I'm pretty sure it's because she wants to be just like me.  


In reality, I hope she turns out a lot better than I did.  Isn't that what we all want for our kids?  We want them to be happier, healthier and wealthier than we are. But what about spiritual prowess - do we desire that our children's spiritual journey would begin at the point where ours will end?  I DO!


But I realize that ineveitably I will in some small or large way - screw it up.  I will forget, leave out or totally miss something that is essential for her spiritual life.  And somewhere along the way she will indeed come to terms with how screwed up my life actually was.  But yet - I want her to understand it.


I want her to know where I struggled.  I want her to understand why I live my life the way I do - even if It means telling her some hard things.  It means I must humble myself, break down the exterior of my heart and let her in.  I must SHARE my life with her in order to TEACH her how to be better.  


I think that Solomon was so passionate about his sons' defense against the immoral woman because he probably struggled with the very same temptation.  He may not have been visiting prostitutes left and right, but by the end of his life he even embraced other gods because of his love for the immoral, foreign women in his own household.  But by pleading with his sons to avoid the same traps, I think he was doing his best to help them to break the cycle - to NOT follow in his footsteps where he struggled.


So I pray that when the day does come when my daughter finds out I'm a complete nut-job, she will have the grace to forgive me for screwing up her life because she will at least understand WHY I am the way I am through the stories I told her and the lessons she learned from them.


And in that - she would also recognize that the Great I AM has all the healing she will need if she will yield her life to him and accept his love and salvation. Cuz heaven knows, with me as her mom, she's gonna need it.


Chapter 7 Survival Skills:
This entire chapter is TRAINING his sons to use SELF DEFENSE against the immoral woman. What do we need to TRAIN our children to AVOID using the lessons from our own lives?

Changing the Message

So, today our family visited a friend's church.  A contemporary, very relevant, up and coming congregation that is roughly in our area.  From the first step inside these people have got it together!  We were welcomed and guided around the building.  We knew exactly where to go and what to do for our kids and ourselves.  That was a rare blessing indeed.  We visited with the minister before services, filled out our welcome card, picked up our gift from the welcome center and sat down.

The music was to our liking even if we didn't know any of the songs. The communion service was well done and everything seemed easy to "get into."  Then the sermon began.  Wow.  We heard a very impassioned sermon on making the right choices - specifically the choice to accept Jesus and how by NOT accepting Him we are rejecting Him.  All good, bold and powerful words.  

Then came another passionate plea, "Parents, Parents!"  

Ooo, I'm shifting in my seat! 

"Parents, Please!"  

Is he's gonna do it? He's actually going to do it...

"Parents it is so important that your children believe and serve God." 

Ok, Here it comes!  Is he really going to do it? 

"So get them here!" 

WHAT?!

"Bring them to Sunday School, Bring them to Jr. Worship (or whatever they called it)"

NO - It can't be...

"Sign them up for church camp..."

No. He didn't...

That was just it...he didn't. 

My heart sank into the deep pit that was my stomach.  What? That's your only solution, "Parents, bring your kids to us and we will teach them about Jesus?"  What about telling parents that GOD SAYS it is THEIR JOB to teach their children about Jesus!  Then the parents decide that yes, Sunday School, Jr. Worship, and Church Camp are all GOOD things that will HELP ME, but are certainly not the be-all-and-end-all of my child's faith training.  What a let down.  I must admit that for about three minutes after that I heard nothing. Nothing but my brain starting to worry for these people.  These poor people who have it all together and yet have it all confused.

Parents, Parents, PLEASE! Train your children in righteousness.  Teach them - in your home - about God and his plan of redemption.  SHOW your children - in your home - how to Love Him and to serve Him. And yes, take your children to church, put them in the kids programming and even sign them up for church camp so that what YOU teach them can be reinforced.  Connect with the church to help you do your job, but don't depend on the church to do it for you.

Parents...parents...please...

And, churches...please...please change your message.  The faith of the next generation depends not on how awesome your kids programming is, but on how effectively the parents impress the commands of the Lord on their own children. Empower parents, encourage parents, and equip parents to teach their children at home and you will save not only this generation, but many to come.

Lessons for Daily Life Indeed! - Proverbs 6

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Proverbs 6


Life Lessons from Chapter 6:
1. Free yourself from other people's debt
2. Don't be lazy - Work Hard!
3. Know what wickedness looks like.
4. Obey your parents and follow their instructions.
5. Don't be stupid - Keep it in your toga.


All of these seem pretty straight forward except maybe for number three. What does wickedness look like?  We must be able to discern that which we must avoid if we intend to survive on this quest.  Because we all know - wickedness can look just as appetizing (or even more so) than righteousness.  So let's look at vs. 12-19:

What are worthless and wicked people like?

They are constant liars, signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble. But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

There are six things the Lord hates - no, seven things he detests:

haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies,

a person who sows discord in a family.

First off (spoiler alert: rant ahead) - lying makes you a worthless, wicked person so CUT IT OUT.  No one likes to be lied to and if you are a liar I bet you HATE it when people lie to you, so just STOP IT. And if you can't (because you have told so many that you don't even know the truth anymore) BE CAREFUL what you say and CHOOSE to make it right when you do lie.  Make telling the truth your new habit and things will go a lot better for you and everyone around you.  Believe me, making the effort will not go unnoticed. Avoid the inevitable, instantaneous destruction that will break you beyond all hope of healing (v.15). TELL THE TRUTH.

Whew...Now that that's over...

Solomon also outlines the following thing that the Lord detests - which of these do you need to clean out of your life?  Believe me - I'm asking the same question of myself as I am typing this.

Haughty Eyes - Are you proud, do you judge with your eyes? Do you disrespect others with your expression?

A Lying Tongue - Well, I've already addressed this one...

Hands that Kill the Innocent - Murder/Neglect to Defend

Heart that Plots Evil - Do you wish for the demise of others?  Are you constantly scheming to get what you want?  Are you...Manipulative?

Feet that Race to do Wrong - Do you have a rebellious heart?  Do you struggle with submitting to authority?  Are you always on the look out for revenge?

False Witness Who Pours Out Lies - This is slightly different than a lying tongue.  I believe this means gossiping.  A gossip is a false witness because either they are not a first hand witness or they distort the information to make themselves look good (or someone else to look bad). Rumors - do you tell or even LISTEN to rumors?

Person Who Sows Discord in a Family - WOW. You mean God detests it when a wife disrespects her husband, or when a husband is not loving toward his wife?  He actually detests it when relationships between parent and child are wounded and never reconciled?  YES. Yes He does.  Families, after all, are the building blocks of His kingdom.  Set aside your pride.  Admit you have been wrong and seek forgiveness from your family.

Again, these are hard words.  No one likes to be told they are a sinner - don't we know it already?  But this is where we have to pull through the thorns and briars of our mistakes into the neatly manicured paths of righteousness.  Yes, each stick and thorn is painful to remove - but we must rid our lives of wickedness to be free from the devil's grasp.

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Lord, Thank you.  Thank you for showing us what wickedness looks like.  Help us to avoid it at all costs.  Thank you for giving us the remedy for our own selfishness - the blood of Jesus.  Thank you for still seeing me as precious even when my actions are detestable to you. You amaze me. Help me to be more like you.

AB


Chapter 6 Survival Skills:
Discernment - vs. 6-19
Self Defense - vs. 1-5
Offensive Maneuvers - 25-35
Training - all of chapter 6 is addressed to the next generation, 20-24