Vida4U – Wisdom’s Cry
Proverbs 3:3-4; 9-12 (Part 6: The Understanding of Wisdom)
“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:
Bind them about thy neck;
Write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and
man.”
“Honor the Lord with thy substance,
And with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
And thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;
Neither be weary of his correction:
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth;
Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;”
I liken a Christian, who is undisciplined, to a horse that has not been broken. Its
strength is useful for nothing other than for its own purposes—much like
Samson, who was a man gifted with supernatural strength, but his strength was
ruled by his passions, not by his love for the Lord. Samson loved himself first and
foremost. One of the statements I hear from believers when life gets difficult is,
“Why is God doing this to me or why is He letting this happen?” I feel like saying,
“Well, why not? Are you exempt from struggle, pain, and hardship? Do you not
see or read the news?” It is not the absence of pain or trial that marks the
believer, but it is the peace he demonstrates through it because God is in the
midst—like Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego. They would not deny their faith
and worship the statue of the conceited King Nebuchadnezzar. Because of their
commitment to God, they were thrown into an oven that was made so hot that
those who threw them in were killed by the sheer heat of it. Yet in their midst
walked the Lord, “There is one that looks like the Son of God (Daniel 3:25).”
They would rather die than deny their Lord. They didn’t say, “God, why me?”
Where is the heart that says, “I chose Christ as He has chosen me. I am
willing to suffer the consequences of this decision. The consequences are
mine. I will own them.”
This, then, is what is meant to not “despise the chastening of the Lord.” Despise,
“Maas,” means to reject, to abhor, and to refuse, much like the horse that refuses
the rider and bridle—much like Samson, who wasted his life when he was called
for a much higher purpose. And so are we, and chastening “Masar” is the road. It
means instruction and teaching, orally and/or via the rod. I have embraced these
verses from my youth, “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: (Proverbs 6:23),” and “Take
fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.”
(Proverbs 4:13) These, among others, have been my teachers and instructors.
My dad loved me, and for that I will always be grateful, but ever since my
younger brother died when I was eight years old, his heart turned away from
God. Therefore, God became my spiritual Dad, the Holy Spirit became my
teacher, and the scriptures became my instructions and, at times, the rod of
correction. Armor was put upon armor until the trials and struggles in life became
like boot camp to me—they only made me stronger.
“Neither be weary of his correction:”
Weariness is an indication of weakness. Weakness is an indication of needing to
spend more time alone with the Lord—like a car running on fumes. For what
does the Word promise, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) This verse is one
of the most famous verses we have. It is written onto plaques and cards of
encouragement, as well as cards of bereavement, but is it ever truly believed or
lived out? Where is the truth of this verse being lived out? Where is the
saint that says, “Father I am weak for the journey ahead; therefore, I will
not leave Your Presence till I receive strength from on High?” This is Your
promise to me, and I seek its fulfillment. Make good on Your Word. Being
tenacious is a quality I don’t see. It’s not in our society, and unfortunately it is not
in the church either. The Promise Land was given to Israel from God, from east
to west and from north to south, according to the boundaries God set. It was
theirs for the taking. However, there was only one small problem. There were
giants in the land, and the eyes of fear and doubt saw themselves as
“grasshoppers.”
“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched
unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone
to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the
people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants:
and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their
sight.” (Numbers 13:32&34)
And how did fear affect the people? It is no different than how it affects us.
“And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron:
and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in
the land of Egypt! Or would God we had died in this wilderness!” (Numbers
14:2).
This was the report of ten out of twelve men. Yet the other two saw the same
giants and walked the same land; yet, their report was completely different.
Why?
“And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were
of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: (a sign of utter grief and
shock). And they spoke unto all the company of the children of Israel,
saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding
good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and
give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye
against the Lord; neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread
for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear
them not.” They are bread for us? What kind of statement is this? It is the
statement from a heart that has been tried in the fire and knows the faithfulness
of his/her God. What if we said to our fears and trials, “You are but bread for me.
From you I grow stronger, more tenacious.” Wrestle from the very storm that
seeks to defeat you and take its strength for thyself. Make it captive to
faith. Is this not what is meant, “And they shall mount up on eagle wings.” How
does the eagle mount? It turns into the wing, and the very force of the storm is
what it uses to soar. Caught in its huge wings that His maker has provided, the
force of the storm is tamed and used for its good. Our wings are our faith in a
God that is bigger than any trial or fear that would come against us. Joshua and
Caleb demonstrated this faith. The trail only demonstrated the depth of their trust
in God. Each difficulty introduces the man or woman to themselves and whether
they are made of steel or clay. Would to God that steel be our frame.
When fear is large, God is small. When God is large, fear is small. A Big God
equals small trials, regardless of the trial, and “big trials” mean a small God. We
can say whatever we want, but our emotions reveal the truth of whether we are
trusting in the Lord or not, and if we are not and want too, what does the Word
say, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
(Romans 10:17) The choice is ours. Make time to be with God and see how
your life will return back to order, or allow circumstances and trial to
dictate your life and you will find that it will never end. You’ll never have
order or time to be with God.
The Lord rebuked Jeremiah, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they
have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the
land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt
thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” (Jer.12:5) Jeremiah was complaining
about the unfairness in life, and this was God’s response to him. It was basically,
“Suck it up, trust me, and go about being a prophet and speaking my words. The
details and the unfairness are for me to deal with.”
Father God,
Thank you for this study. It is strong, and it shows me my weaknesses and my
need to trust you more. May I learn to see each difficulty as an opportunity for
training and to deepen my dependence and walk with You. Earthly fathers are
faulty. You are absolutely without fault and You love me dearly. Help me to know
that love, and to trust YOU deeply. Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur