He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Earthly Blessings From The Lord: Godly
Desires: Proverbs 27:7-11
7) The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every
bitter thing is sweet.
8) As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place.
9) Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
10) Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go
into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: [for] better [is] a
neighbour [that is] near than a
brother far off.
11) My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that
reproacheth me.
In
this chapter, Solomon directs our attention to several different earthly
blessings that given to us by our gracious Lord…
EXPOSITION:
In
this devotion, we will be looking at the blessing of Godly desires...
7) The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every
bitter thing is sweet.
Godly
desires help us to seek out what is beneficial and refuse that which is harmful…
1. When our life is entirely satisfied and
wanting nothing even the nourishment of honey is rejected
2. When our life is in desperate need the bitter,
irritating, harmful things are enjoyed greatly
Our
flesh’s desires are based upon immediate gratification, therefore it will reject
what is good for it, if it does not currently desire it. Likewise, it will partake of that which is
harmful, if it is driven by hunger. This
is why it is imperative that we seek to possess Godly desires in our
lives. To desire the things of the Lord
is to desire that which is for our long term good and to reject that which is
harmful to our lives.
“Can that which is
unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there [any] taste in the white of an
egg? The things [that] my soul
refused to touch [are] as my sorrowful meat.” (Job 6:6-7)
8) As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place.
Godly
desires help keep us on track in our life which is dedicated to the service of
Christ…
1. As a young bird flies away from its nest,
going from tree to tree and branch to branch so too is
2. a man that turns from his chosen life goals
and calling.
As
young bird that leaves its nest (its place of protection and nourishment) and
flies to places that are filled with danger and lack; so too, a man who follows
his fleshly desires and departs from his service to Christ. It is only through the possession of Godly
desires which overrule the desires of our flesh can we remain on track in our
service to our Lord.
“Let every man abide in the
same calling wherein he was called.” (1 Corinthians 7:20)
9) Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
Godly
desires help us to appreciate that which is helpful to us spiritually…
1. Oil for healing and incense brings health and
satisfaction to our fleshly desires
2. Likewise the graciousness shown to us by the encouragement
for our spirit from our friends
Just
like our physical senses finds joy and pleasure in sweet smells and medicines
that aid in healing; when our desires are Godly, we will find joy and pleasure
in the encouraging, spiritually strengthening words of our friends.
“And David saw that Saul
was come out to seek his life: and David [was] in the wilderness of Ziph in a
wood. And Jonathan Saul's son
arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said unto him, Fear
not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king
over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father
knoweth. And they two made a
covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his
house.” (1 Samuel 23:15-18)
10) Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go
into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: [for] better [is] a
neighbour [that is] near than a
brother far off.
Godly
desires help us to appreciate those who love and choose to stand with us in
times of need…
1. Your own associates and those of your father
do not loosen the bond of commitment between you and them.
2. Do not travel to your family member’s
dwelling in the time of ruin.
3. More beneficial is a fellow-citizen that is
closer to you than a family member that is farther away
We
should cultivate and cherish the friendships of our fathers and ourselves. They are very beneficial to us when we are
faced with the catastrophes of life. In
these cases, our friends are of more benefit to us than our family
members. How can this be? Many times our friends (who are emotionally
closer to us) can be trusted in a greater way that a family member who is (estranged
from us) is only helping us due to “obligation” not because they are choosing
to do so.
It
is far better to receive help from those who are dedicated and loving to us
than to receive help begrudgingly from those who are obligated to us due to family
relationships.
“A man [that hath] friends
must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a
brother.”
(Proverbs 18:24)
11) My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that
reproacheth me.
Godly
desires help keep us on track in our life which is dedicated to the service of
Christ…
1.
The one I love and am concerned about… apply God’s Word to your life
2.
… it will fulfill my desires and cause me to shout for joy
3.
… that I can properly respond to those who criticize me.
Solomon
is writing these Proverbs out of a heart of love, desiring his pupils to grow
in grace and knowledge of the Lord and a lifestyle of service to Him. When the readers apply the Word of God to
their lives it: fulfills his desires for us; gives him great joy; and, it allows
him to justify and defend his ministry in the face of those who find fault with
him.
“VAU. Let thy mercies come
also unto me, O LORD, [even] thy salvation, according to thy word. So shall I have wherewith
to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word. And take not the word of
truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. So shall I keep thy law
continually for ever and ever.” (Psalms 119:41-44)
SUMMARY:
Godly desires can help us
in many areas of our lives…. how do we attain Godly desires? By God’s grace through a renewal of our minds…
“But ye have not so learned
Christ; If so be that ye have
heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning
the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new
man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:20-24)
May
we all possess Godly wisdom and live our lives for Him.
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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