He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Pitfalls In The Lord’s Service: Unnecessary
Conflict: Proverbs 20:1-3
1) Wine [is] a mocker, strong
drink [is] raging: and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise.
2) The fear of a king [is] as
the roaring of a lion: [whoso]
provoketh him to anger sinneth [against]
his own soul.
3) [It is] an honour for a
man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
In
this chapter Solomon reminds us of many different pitfalls that can ensnare a
Christian in his service of Christ….
EXPOSITION:
The
first obstacle Solomon mentions for us is the pitfall of causing unnecessary conflict
with others…
1) Wine [is] a mocker, strong
drink [is] raging: and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise.
1. Alcoholic beverages, when partaken in excess
(to drunkenness), will cause others to mock and dishonor the drinker.
2. Also drunkenness will cause the drinker to lose
their inhibitions and, in many cases, exhibit extreme anger that would be
controlled during times of sobriety.
3. A person who has been deceived into thinking
that drunkenness is not harmful to their service and testimony for Christ is
lacking the knowledge that God has given to us in His Word.
The
Bible gives absolutely no excuse for drunkenness. It is clear in its declaration of the harm,
mayhem and in many cases conflict that it can cause.
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord [is]. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord; Giving thanks always for
all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one
to another in the fear of God.” (Ephesians 5:17-21)
2) The fear of a king [is] as
the roaring of a lion: [whoso]
provoketh him to anger sinneth [against]
his own soul.
1. The terror that comes upon the subjects of a
king, whose wrath is out of control, is very much like the fear that is felt by
those attacked by a hungry lion.
2. Any of the king’s subjects who foolish stir
up his wrath is only hurting his own physical wellbeing.
Not
only are we to avoid stirring up anger within ourselves, but we are to also
seek to avoid stirring up the anger in others as well. Especially keeping peace with those who hold authority
over us is very important. The only
Biblical excuse for opposing higher authorities is in the event they are
attempting to persuade us to go against the will of God.
“If the spirit of the ruler
rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great
offences.” (Ecclesiastes 10:4)
3) [It is] an honour for a
man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
1. It brings the praise of God and man when we
bring an end to wars and fighting with others, seeking peace.
2. Although we can do all within our means to
keep peace, we have to remember there will always be those without this
knowledge, who will try to interfere with our pursuits and stir up
trouble.
We
can see that striving for peace will be of benefit to us in this world and the
world to come. Also, we can see the need
for us to take responsibility for our actions and then trust the Lord to take
care of the circumstances around us that we cannot control.
“And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
SUMMARY:
What
are some major factors in a Christian entering into conflict with others?
1. drunkenness
2. rebellion against authority
3. the meddling of others in our lives
The
first two, drunkenness and rebellion, are issues of sin in the Christian’s life
that needs to be dealt with. When it
involves the meddling of others, we need to seek the Lord’s grace and enabling
power to control ourselves and live graciously, while waiting on Him to deal with
that which is out of our control
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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