He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Wisdom of The Lord: Man’s Inheritance:
Proverbs 17:1-3
1) Better [is] a dry
morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices [with]
strife.
2) A wise servant
shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the
inheritance among the brethren.
3) The fining pot
[is] for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
The
Lord, through the pen of Solomon, now continues His instruction on the way of
Wisdom. In this section of Scripture, He
compares wisdom and foolishness in three different types of inheritances:
family life, earthly blessings and eternal blessings…
Why
can we consider earthly blessings from the Lord as one aspect of the
inheritance He gives to us? An
inheritance implies something that is received that is:
1.
normally, given out of a heart of love
2.
always given based upon the death of the giver.
All
of our blessings from the Lord come motivated by His love to us. No matter how faithful and obedient we may be
to Him, we do not deserve ANY of His blessings.
The channel of every blessing from the Lord is His death on the cross and
an act of grace.
EXPOSITION:
1) Better [is] a dry
morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices [with]
strife.
The
Lord takes a look at our family life as an inheritance that is determined by
our desires and actions….
1. It is far better to be content with a small,
broken, dry piece of bread when it is accompanied by peace, harmony and
contentment in the home life than…
2. to be enriched with multiple edible animals
that can make up a very pleasant well-rounded diet but is accompanied by an
argumentative, discontented home life.
A
calm, peaceful happy home life brings far greater satisfaction and value than
pleasantries that satisfy our flesh have no lasting spiritual value.
“Better [is] a dinner of
herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” (Proverbs 15:17)
“A Song of degrees of
David. Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together
in unity!” (Psalms 133:1)
2) A wise servant
shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the
inheritance among the brethren.
The
Lord takes a look at rewards for faithful service as a part of our earthly and
eternal inheritance…
1. A wise servant is characterized as being
faithful to the responsibilities he is given.
Because of his wisdom, he is chosen by his master to exercise authority
and watch care over a child that is shamefully disobedient.
2. Due to his faithfulness, he will be exalted
to equal position with the biological children and receive an equal share of
the father’s inheritance to them.
Faithfulness
in service results in the blessings of promotion and rewards for their
faithfulness, resulting in an equal standing with the children of the
master. This can apply to physical
blessings from their earthly master, as well as, eternal blessings and rewards
from their Heavenly Master.
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the
goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would
have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also
ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed [is] that servant,
whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you,
That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth
his coming; And shall begin to smite
[his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant
shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is
not aware of, And shall cut him asunder,
and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
(Matthew 24:42-51)
3) The fining pot
[is] for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
The
Lord finishes His teachings on the inheritance that comes to a man, by
explaining a often forgotten criteria, that determines the amount and type of
inheritance that is received… the motives found in a man’s heart.
1. In this earthly life, we find a wonderful
example of testing that is used to reveal value. It is the purification of precious
metals. Just as fire will bring out the
pure uncontaminated metal, so too….
2. The Lord can thoroughly examine the heart
(desires, motives and thoughts) of a man.
These criteria are used by the Lord to determine the blessings for faithfulness
we will receive on earth and throughout eternity.
It
is very important to note, that the motivations behind the actions of man are
used in determining God’s blessings of inheritance to man. If we are simply
“going through the motions” in our service for Christ, we are missing the mark
He has set for us by living hypocritical lives.
“O bless our God, ye
people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in
life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.” (Psalms 66:8-10)
“[Ye] hypocrites, well did
Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh
unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart
is far from me. But in vain they do
worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the
multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into
the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth
a man.”
(Matthew 15:7-11)
SUMMARY:
A
few of the criteria that our inheritance of blessings is determined is:
1. setting Godly priorities in life by
understanding the true value of our life pursuits.
2. faithfulness to the responsibilities that we
are given.
3. actions that proceed from Godly motives and
desires.
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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