It Sure Looks Good

Proverbs 23:31 (KJV) Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

This reminds me of how as a kid I often thought the beer in the commercials looked really good.  It looked like it had a a rich warm taste kind of like cream soda only deeper.  Here it is talking about wine and it can certainly look good on TV.  Then came the day when I actually tasted beer.  I think I was able to control myself and I didn’t spit it in anybody’s face.  It was disgusting.  I wondered how anybody could drink it.  My brother pointed it out to me that I learned to drink coffee, so I guess there is a way in which you can get used to anything.

This is the danger of advertising.  Advertising works because we look around us and take things at the surface level.  I remember looking at the Clickbait about some famous Hollywood star and they commented on how good she looked at her age.  I agree.  She looks good at her age.  It might be more appropriate to say that she had a marvelous make up artist on her payroll.  I would venture a guess that her make up looks good at her age, but she, not so much.

Because we have the word, the eternal truth, the unchanging standard we are able to look at façades and if we really care see what’s underneath.

So?  Don’t be fooled.  Those people laughing in the commercials are actors.  They were hired because they laugh well and have great smiles.  It says nothing about what’s really going on in their life.  Rejoice in the God of your salvation, not in the cleverness of the ad campaign.  

No Trade Imbalance

Proverbs 22:2 (KJV) The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

One of the core values, or principles, of the kingdom of God is that we all stand on level ground in front of the cross.  There is a sense in which none of us is better than anyone else.  This is one of the core things about Christian culture, it gives humans dignity because we have value in the eyes of God.  We are all made by Him.

At the same time, the Bible acknowledges that there are rich and poor.  It acknowledges that there are kings and nobles, as well as workers and slaves.  We should not get into denying that kind of thing.  The point isn’t that there are not people with different abilities in different positions in society, the point is that we are to treat each other with a dignity that you don’t find in other cultures.

So?  You may be a CEO.  I may be flipping hamburgers.  When we meet in Bible study, we salute each other as brothers and move forward together, each one contributing what is unique in the gifts God has given them.  

The Right Focus

Psalm 143:1 (KJV) [[A Psalm of David.]] Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

(Proverbs 21 also read)

Later on in this Psalm, David will be asking for God’s protection, but even more important he will be asking that God would lead him in the paths of righteousness.  He’s not only concerned about his outward being, but also his inward being.

We need to start with these kinds of requests by the insight that he gives us in this first verse.  Our expectation of God answering us is not based on our eloquence, vocabulary or education.  It is based on His faithfulness.

So?  When you pray a prayer of faith, it’s not so much faith that God is going to answer your prayer but faith in His character.  

Spirit Source

Proverbs 20:27 (KJV) The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

As I was reading this, I was wondering how our spirit would illuminate what goes on inside of us.  One clue might be that this spirit is usually translated breath, and so you could think of it as the breath of God that is implanted in us, and then God uses that to examine us.

That still isn’t clear.  God views what goes on in our life, our actions, our attitudes, our general spiritual health based upon the inner spirit that we have.  That inner spirit determines how God judged us more than our actual behavior.  While behavior is important, I wouldn’t want to belittle that, the reason for what we do is even more important.

So?  When seeking God’s touch always make sure that you focus on your heart, your spirit, that inner core of who you are.  Ask, and expect, God to transform that.  

He Started It

Proverbs 19:26 (KJV) He that wasteth his father, [and] chaseth away his  mother, is  a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

It used to be that the trip home from church was the invitation for war in the backseat.  It was always the other person’s fault.  It seems like the kids always felt like there would be nothing that we as adults could do about what they were doing.  One of the great things about getting older and spending time with your kids is they tell you about things you did as a parent that you don’t remember.

Evidently, there was one day when our kids were acting up in the backseat.  Repeated warnings fell on deaf ears.  The kids felt like since we were on the road there was nothing that could really be done.  Evidently I stopped the car in the middle of the road , got out, opened the back door and got serious about discipline.  I didn’t pull off in a parking lot.  There was no place to pull off.  I dealt with it right there in the middle of the street.  My kids still remember that.

When I look at this verse, I wonder if this is about a family where the father never pulled the car over and got out to deal with a problem.  I wonder if it’s the result of a lack of discipline.  Keep in mind that a lack of discipline is a two-way street.  If the parent doesn’t offer it the child doesn’t receive it, the result is disaster.

So?  Whether you are a parent or a grandparent, you still are molding the younger generation.  I will admit that original sin is real.  I understand that people make choices on their own.  We as responsible adults need to help them make those decisions and learn the consequences.  

Questioning Cultural Norms

Proverbs 18:24 (KJV) A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

As I read this this morning in the NASB, I found myself realizing that it is contrary to much popular advice.  I watched some Clickbait recently talking about the five things that caused men to die early.  It was interesting but had a lot of nonsense involved.  I have a suspicion it was generated by AI.  One of their points was that isolation is a major cause of early death in men.  In the course of the discussion they talked about how when you’re younger you have many friends but then when you get older, you might just be down to two involvements.

A note was the two involvement they chose.  First was family and second was yourself.  In some families, I could see how a person in that situation might be very isolated.  In some families, there is no contact, no bonding, in a word no love.  Most of the families I know are interacting enough that no one person would consider himself isolated.  As for the second thing, counting yourself as an involvement is rather strange.  I noted that they left out the church.  They obviously had no sense of contact with God himself.  It was rather a short list.

But my point is that what Proverbs is saying here is there’s a real danger in having too many friends.  That’s counterintuitive in our culture.  We are told we need to get out and relate to people.  I’ve always wondered when popular figures talk about how this person was their good friend and then a few paragraphs later, they’ll talk about someone else who was their good friend.  When you read through everything they have to say it seems like they have more really good friends than it’s possible to spend time with.

So?  Don’t feel like you have to keep up with your friendly local counselors advice about finding new friends.  If you have a few good friends that will probably take up all the extra energy you have.  If you have family, they qualify.  Build your standards on what the Bible says not on psychology advocates.  

Character over Class

Proverbs 17:2 (KJV) A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

One of the characteristics of human society is that we tend to arrange ourselves in a hierarchy.  It may start as a ladder of ability, but eventually because of family ties or personal ambitions it reverts to a class system built on genetics.  This is a subtle reminder that what God is looking for is not people with the right blood, but people with the right attitude.

It always helps to be a son.  You start with one foot up on the climb of the ladder of life.  You have benefits that other people might not have.  The point here though is that God looks at whether we grasp the wisdom available to us and act on it or whether we just rest on our laurels.

The plan that God has for mankind is that the cream will rise to the top.  This of course is in addition to the concept of grace and faith, God is the one who does the saving and the redeeming.  In spite of that basic truth, there is still the idea that God will honor those who honor him.

So?  Get the basic business done.  Make Jesus your Lord and Savior.  And then apply the wisdom that He gives you to live an upright life.  Keep in mind that the church secretary may be higher at
the Lord’s dining table than the pastor son.