He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Pitfalls In The Lord’s Service: Self-Centeredness:
Proverbs 20:4-9
4) The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and
[have] nothing.
5) Counsel in the heart of man [is
like] deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6) Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful
man who can find?
7) The just [man] walketh in
his integrity: his children [are]
blessed after him.
8) A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all
evil with his eyes.
9) Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
In
this chapter, Solomon reminds us of many different pitfalls that can ensnare a
Christian in his service of Christ….
EXPOSITION:
Self-centeredness,
another hindrance to a Godly walk…
4) The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and
[have] nothing.
Self-centeredness
in meeting our physical needs:
1. The lazy will not plow because it is
uncomfortable for them to be out in the cold weather.
2. Because of their unwillingness to grow their
own food, they must beg for their food when others are reaping what they have
sown and they end up impoverished.
Those
who are lazy, selfish, and uncaring will not give of themselves to meet their
own responsibilities and needs. Because of their unwillingness to meet their
own needs, they find themselves relying on others and they end up poverty
stricken.
“Then he which had received
the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man,
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went
and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast [that is] thine. His lord answered and said
unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I
sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and
[then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent
from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents.”
(Matthew 25:24-28)
5) Counsel in the heart of man [is
like] deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Self-centeredness
hinders seeking Godly advice:
1. When a man sincerely desires advice, because
there are many opinions on any matter, makes finding the correct, wise advice hard
to find, much like a swimmer searching for an object in very deep waters.
2. A man who possess Godly understanding will be
able to sort through all the advice and discern the proper course of action.
Great
care and self-sacrifice must be exercised in seeking the advice of others. Many have never experienced the issue at
question, many will give advice based on a variety of sources (the Bible, man’s
wisdom, false religions etc etc ).
Therefore Godly discretion must be exercised and choosing the Godly path
to take.
“The words of a man's mouth
[are as] deep waters, [and] the wellspring of wisdom [as] a flowing brook.” (Proverbs 18:4)
6) Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful
man who can find?
Self-centeredness
in self-exaltation:
1. Most men are motivated by pride. This is shown by them clearly pointing out
their own acts of kindness, which will enhance their appearance in the eyes of
others.
2. However, it is much more difficult to find a
humble man. This man can be recognized by when he is a submissive servant who
is faithful to the responsibilities he has been given. In doing so, he is bringing honor to his
master while allowing his obedience to remain in the background.
Many
times being a faithful servant involves allowing the credit for our labors to
be given to those to whom we serve.
Serving from prideful motives is a perversion of true, Godly ministering
and will result in loss of rewards and favor in the eyes of the Lord.
“I am become a fool in
glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for
in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.” (2 Corinthians 12:11)
7) The just [man] walketh in
his integrity: his children [are]
blessed after him.
Results
of the refraining from self-centeredness in our lives and the lives of our
children:
1. The man who is living in alignment with God’s
laws will live an upright, lawful lifestyle.
2. The children of this man will be blessed
through his actions.
The
man whose life is lived in pleasing the Lord will be a blessing to his children
in two ways:
a. as children living under his roof, they will
be the second hand recipients of the blessing he receives from the Lord.
b.
as adults who have learned from his example and live upright lives as well,
they will be the personal recipients of the blessings of the Almighty.
“And they shall be my
people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one
heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and
of their children after them:” (Jeremiah 32:38-39)
8) A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all
evil with his eyes.
Results
of the refraining from self-centeredness by those who are in authority:
Those
who rule over others should hold a hatred of evil that is so strong that, just
through their looks, others will see the need to flee from evil to retain a
relationship with them.
Those
who possess authority over others, should exercise that authority to discourage
sinfulness and encourage morality. Their
action should make their intolerance of evil so plain, that their associates
can see it clearly in their face. Their
hatred towards sin should be so great, it is not an option for personal or
political gain as they, and their associates, rule over their nation.
“Mine eyes [shall be] upon
the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a
perfect way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit
shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my
sight.” (Psalms 101:6-7)
9) Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
The
ultimate mark of self-centeredness is the attitude held concerning personal
sin:
Who
is able to proclaim that he has made his desires and being totally cleansed
from disobedience to the Lord?
A
person who either denies the existence of sin in their life, or takes credit
for the abstinence of personal sin shows themselves to be deceived and
prideful.
“For [there is] not a just
man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
SUMMARY:
We
have seen several areas of Godly living that is hindered greatly by the
existence of a self-centered attitude in our lives…
1. Those who are lazy, selfish, and uncaring
will not give of themselves to meet their own responsibilities and needs.
2. Great care and self-sacrifice must be
exercised in seeking the advice of others. Unselfish,
Godly discretion must be exercised and choosing the Godly path to take.
3. Serving from prideful motives is a perversion
of true, Godly ministering and will result in loss of rewards and favor in the
eyes of the Lord.
4. The man whose life is lived in pleasing the
Lord will be a blessing to his children, through the receipt of household
blessings and presentation of a Godly example for their learning.
5. Those who possess authority over others,
should exercise that authority to discourage sinfulness and encourage
morality.
6. A person who either denies the existence of
sin in their life, or takes credit for the abstinence of personal sin shows
themselves to be deceived and prideful.
Are
we keeping our eyes on our Lord and His will for us, or are we keeping our eyes
on ourselves, hindering our walk with 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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