Saturday, November 2, 2013

SIH’s Think On These Things: Proverbs 11:24-29


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

Wisdom’s Great Gain: Liberality: Proverbs 11:24-29
24) There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty.
25) The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
26) He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing [shall be] upon the head of him that selleth [it].
27) He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
29) He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool [shall be] servant to the wise of heart.


EXPOSITION:
When wisdom is applied to our lives, we will find ourselves more concerned about the needs of others and more willing to give of ourselves to meet the needs of those around us.

24) There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty.  25) The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
In the area of liberality, there are two basic attitudes that we can hold:

1.  one attitude is for a person to be willing to give of himself , distributing his possessions, time and efforts to those who are in need of them. 
This attitude leads to his possessions and blessings of the Lord being added to and multiplied .  Those who bless others through their giving:  Will be satisfied and content their accomplishments, possessions and blessings they have received of God; that which they give will come back to them multiplied with added blessings.
“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”   (Ecclesiastes 11:1)
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].”   (Psalms 126:5-6)

2.  the other attitude is one of selfishness, choosing to withhold help from another who is in desperate need. 
This attitude leads to both physical and spiritual lack, losing both material possessions and the blessings of the Lord.
“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.  Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages [to put it] into a bag with holes.”   (Haggai 1:5-6)



26) He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing [shall be] upon the head of him that selleth [it].  27) He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
Not only are our material and spiritual needs at risk, but also our reputation among others is greatly influenced by our attitude:

1.  For the one who refrains from helping others in need… those around him will resent him and speak evil against him.  When their lives are lived to bring harm and loss to others, the others desires for their harm and loss will be brought back upon their own heads.
“Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,  Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?  That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; [yea], and sell the refuse of the wheat?”   (Amos 8:4-6)
“He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch [which] he made.  His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.”   (Psalms 7:15-16)


2.  For those who give to meet others needs… their public reputation will be heightened as they receive wishes of prosperity and blessings.  As they actively, seriously live for the benefit of others, they will acquire delight and acceptance from the people.
“Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and [him that had] none to help him.  The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.”   (Job 29:12-13)


28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.  29) He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool [shall be] servant to the wise of heart.
Four very important motives that influence the level of benevolence of our lives are:
1.  the reliance on material possessions often influence us to ignore the needs of others.  This attitude will bring us to spiritual defeat.  Keep in mind, the riches of the world can IN NO WAY bring true security, joy and peace with God.
2. on the other hand, those who live lives that are aligned with the desires of God will prosper spirituality through  God’s blessings for obedience.
3. one of the greatest motivations to show concern for the needs of others is by giving of ourselves to those whom we love in our own household.  If someone works for the harm of his own house by clinging to his possessions, will find they will still slip away like trying to grab and keep the wind.
4. another great motivation for helping others is found in the eventual spiritual, and perhaps physical, destitution of the foolish. He will be needy and forced look to the wise of heart for help to have his needs met. 

The four great motives affecting liberality towards others is….
1.  The level of reliance on material wealth.
2.  The level of desire for spiritual blessings compared to material possessions.
3.  The level of concern and love for members of our household.
4.  The level of faith in the Word which reveals the future blessings for faithfulness now..

“Lo, [this is] the man [that] made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, [and] strengthened himself in his wickedness.  But I [am] like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.  I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done [it]: and I will wait on thy name; for [it is] good before thy saints.”   (Psalms 52:7-9)

“Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and [that] spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”   (Jeremiah 17:7-8)


SUMMARY:
When we apply God’s Word to our lives (wisdom) we will find our concern and willingness to sacrifice for others increasing.  It is though our displays of love for others that we display the love that Christ has shown to us….

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”   (1 John 4:9-11)


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”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org



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