Friday, May 16, 2014

SIH’s Think On These Things: Proverbs 29:9-11


He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)

The Effects Of  Foolishness: Anxiety: Proverbs 29:9-11
9) [If] a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, [there is] no rest.
10) The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
11) A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise [man] keepeth it in till afterwards.

In this chapter, Solomon examines the effects of foolishness on the lives of the foolish and those who are around them….

EXPOSITION:
In this devotion, we will look at one of the great effects of foolishness… anxiety…

9) [If] a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, [there is] no rest.
Anxiety will come upon those who attempt to warn the foolish apart from God’s intervention…
1.  If a person who applies the Word to his life states his case with a fool
2.  whether the foolish man shakes in anger, or laughs in mockery, there is no peace to the wise

A foolish man, by nature (apart from the Lord’s intervention), will reject the message of the wise every time.  That rejection will take the form of either anger, or mockery.  In either case, the Word is rejected and distress will come upon the wise. 

This helps to emphasize the ABSOLUTE necessity of the Lord‘s intervention in the life of the wise and foolish alike.  Before we attempt to witness to those who live lives of foolishness, we need to seek the Lord’s intervention in two areas:
a. The Lord’s enabling grace to the wise, opening the right opportunity to share the truth with the fool, and giving him the words to speak, and the ability to live a Godly lifestyle as he witnesses to the fool.
b. The Lord’s intervening grace preparing the heart of the fool to receive His Word and then to apply it and bring the fool to salvation.

The wise must to be in prayer for the above BEFORE witnessing to the fool, otherwise they are only making problems for themselves and the fool.


10) The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
Anxiety comes upon the just as they fall into the disfavor of the fool….
1.  The fool, motivated by animosity, desire the blood of the wise to be shed.
2.  The just, however, desire the salvation of the fool’s soul.

This is the centerpiece that clearly displays a major difference between the wise and the foolish… 
a.  The wise only desire for good to come upon the fool, and they show this by actively seeking the salvation of their soul. 
b.  On the other hand, the foolish of a person is on display when they hate those who follow the Lord and His Word.   Their lifestyle shows their hatred as they actively seek to shed the blood of the wise man.


11) A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise [man] keepeth it in till afterwards.
The fool causes anxiety in the hearts of others by misspoken words…
1.  The foolish man publically expresses all of his thoughts
2.  A wise man holds his thoughts to himself until a later time.

The foolish man proclaims his thoughts publically without consideration for their effect on others.  A wise man keeps his thoughts to himself and considers their effects on others before he reveals them to others.   


SUMMARY:
The fool, his actions and his words, will cause anxiety in the lives of those seeking to help them.  Why is this? Because the nature of the fool is to reject that which they desperately need while working to attain that which will bring harm to themselves.

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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