He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
God’s Word Affects: Our Spiritual Warfare (1):
Proverbs 19:24-26
24) A slothful [man]
hideth his hand in [his] bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth
again.
25) Smite a scorner,
and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, [and] he
will understand knowledge.
26) He that wasteth
[his] father, [and] chaseth away [his] mother, [is] a son that causeth shame,
and bringeth reproach.
In
this first part of this text (vs 24-29), the Lord helps us to understand
attitudes and actions that are necessary for success in spiritual warfare…
EXPOSITION:
24) A slothful [man]
hideth his hand in [his] bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth
again.
Diligence
1. A man who is lazy will do all he can to hide
the abilities he possesses. Why will he
do this? So he is not expected work using those abilities
2. A man who is lazy will not even use his
abilities to meet his own needs. He
would rather do without than to do the work that is required to meet those
needs
As
we enter into spiritual warfare, it is not for the lazy, nor the faint of
heart. Diligence and faithfulness are
required attributes. There will be many
struggles during the course of our service for Christ. And yet, after all is said and done, we will
never regret the investment of our time, effort and resources for the cause of
our Lord.
25) Smite a scorner,
and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, [and] he
will understand knowledge.
Learning
From The Discipline of Ourselves and Others
1. The punishment of those who mock God’s Word
is a lesson for those who are easily influenced to take His Word seriously to
avoid the same punishment. This includes
the discipline of those around us, as well as the examples of His discipline
upon others that are found in His Word.
2. For those who are chastened will learn from
that chastening and come to an understanding of the truth.
We
are to learn from the discipline of the Lord in our lives and the lives of
others. In doing this, we will avoid the
future discipline of the Lord for our
own lives.
26) He that wasteth
[his] father, [and] chaseth away [his] mother, [is] a son that causeth shame,
and bringeth reproach.
Respect
and Submission To Authority
1. The person who works to overcome and bring to
ruin those who possess authority over them is like a son that sets out to
destroy his father.
2. The person who drives away those who care for
them and seek to lead them in the right paths are like a son that pushes away a
loving mother who is trying to help them.
One
very important aspect of being a living witness of the Lord is our willingness
to respect, and submit, to those of higher authority. In doing this, we are clearly exhibiting our
Lord’s willingness to totally submit to the will of His Father by giving His life
on the cross.
SUMMARY:
Do
we want to be faithful servants of our Lord?
We can begin our pursuit by recognizing the need for diligence, learning
from the correction God gives to us, those around us, and the accounts found in
His Word, and possessing a willingness to respect ad submit to those who hold
authority over us.
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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