He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom’s Opposing Counterparts: Proper Use Of
God’s Blessings: Proverbs 12:9-11
9) [He that is] despised, and
hath a servant, [is] better than he
that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.
10) A righteous [man]
regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked [are] cruel.
11) He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that
followeth vain [persons is] void of
understanding.
In
this section of our study, we are presented with wickedness which is the counterpart
to a wise, righteous lifestyle….
EXPOSITION:
Here
we can see that wickedness is the counterpart to showing appreciation and the
proper use of the three main types of blessings
He has given to us..
9) [He that is] despised, and
hath a servant, [is] better than he
that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.
1. A wise man, although taken lightly or
disrespected by the lost, recognizes the truly important things in life. He will not waste his substance on trying to
impress others. Instead he will use his
substance wisely in God honoring ways, will end up being blessed materially by
God.
This
is compared to:
2. The opposing attitude will cause wasting of a
man’s substance on things that enhance his public appearance and the world’s
attitude about him (jewelry, rich clothing etc etc ). Because he uses his God-given wealth selfishly,
he will not be blessed but will end up needy and lacking the most basic
necessities of life.
Wisdom
recognizes that our physical possessions and wealth are given by God honor and
glorify Him. As they use their
possessions to serve Him they are blessed by Him in return.
“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,
God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing
afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon
his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went
down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that
exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted.” (Luke 18:11-14)
10) A righteous [man]
regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked [are] cruel.
1. A wise man recognizes that animals are given
to him for his use, not his abuse, and, therefore, he recognizes their value,
their purpose and their Godly origin.
This causes them to treat them as other blessings of God, caring for
them properly and using them in ways that please and honor God.
2.
The opposing lifestyle is one of abuse
and misuse of animals while going against God’s guidelines for their use.
Wisdom
recognizes the creation of nature as a blessing from God. It acknowledges it purpose, and man’s
responsibility for its proper care and usage.
Please note below six basic principles concerning man’s role in the care
and use of nature:
1. Nature was given to bring honor to God by
revealing His greatness and to be used in God honoring ways:
“The four and twenty elders
fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for
ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and
for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)
2. Man has the authority to control nature and
use it for his purposes…
“And God blessed them, and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
(Genesis 1:28)
3. Man must
care for nature and work for its continuance…
“And the LORD God took the
man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)
4. Man may
use both vegetation and animals for food…
And God said, Behold, I
have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the
earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to
you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the
earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the
earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and
it was so.” (Genesis 1:28-30)
“And God blessed Noah and
his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the
earth. And the fear of you and
the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of
the air, upon all that moveth [upon] the earth, and upon all the fishes of the
sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green
herb have I given you all things.” (Genesis 9:1-3)
5. Man is to use nature for food with a thankful
spirit and prayer…
“For every creature of God [is] good, and
nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by
the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:5)
6. To prohibit man from using nature to meet his
physical needs is false teaching and a sign of the last days…
“Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, [and
commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. ” (1 Timothy 4:1-4)
11) He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that
followeth vain [persons is] void of understanding.
1. The wise man will be labor for his own bread
and be satisfied with what God has supplied to him. He will thank the Lord for both the supply of
his food and the ability he has been given to obtain it.
2. The opposing attitude is one of laxness, not
content to use their God-given abilities to meet their own needs, but seek to supply
their needs by hunting down those who are cannot give them what they
desire. They do not understand that it
is their own responsibility to supply their physical needs when they are able.
Wisdom appreciates our abilities
and the supply of our physical needs God has given to them and seeks to use
them in the way they were intended. Wisdom
is content with what needs that God supplies, not looking to unlawful acts to
obtain that which their flesh desires.
“A Song of degrees. Blessed [is] every one
that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy [shalt] thou [be],
and [it shall be] well with thee.” (Psalms 128:1-2)
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather
let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may
have to give to him that needeth.” (Ephesians 4:28)
SUMMARY:
The
wise lifestyle will recognize, obtain and use properly the many varied temporal
blessings that come from Almighty God…
The
three basic (many times overlapping) types of these blessings are:
1. wealth, monetary blessings – money, land,
businesses, other possessions
2. natural blessings that are a part of creation
– plants, animals, all of nature
3. blessings given to meet our physical needs – ability
to labor, food, health, companionship etc
All
of these blessings are given to us with the Godly intent to glorify and honor
the Lord. Let us all, out of
appreciation for them, use them to bring praise to His holy name.
May
we all clearly see the differences between living wise, righteous lives and
living a life characterized by wickedness and enmity against God.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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