He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Earthly Blessings From The Lord: Godly Foresight:
Proverbs 27:12-16
12) A prudent [man] foreseeth
the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
13) Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge
of him for a strange woman.
14) He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the
morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
15) A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman
are alike.
16) Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right
hand, [which] bewrayeth [itself].
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 begin looking at the blessing of foresight…. The ability
to see the results of our actions beforehand…
12) A prudent [man] foreseeth
the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
The
need for Godly foresight…
1. A man who plans ahead, will see harm before
it takes place, and conceal himself from it.
2. Those who are naïve will keep on the same path
and be penalized
If
we are watchful and foresee the results of our actions, we can avoid much harm
by keeping ourselves from those harmful actions. However, if we are naïve to the dangers of
sin and disobedience we will continue in their pursuit and reap punishment for their
actions.
“But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away
with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth
also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. [Seeing] then [that] all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all]
holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting
unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according
to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing
that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace,
without spot, and blameless.” (2 Peter 3:10-14)
13) Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge
of him for a strange woman.
The
use of Godly foresight in our financial dealings…
1. Receive his outer coat for a security for a
person who is unknown to us
2. Receive a security from those who live sinful
lifestyles for they cannot be counted as reliable
Foresight
will allow us to recognize those who cannot be trusted in our business
dealings. Both those who we do know
thoroughly and those who live lifestyles that are sinful should not be trusted
to be honest in their dealings with us.
Therefore, we should take extra precautions to assure we will not be
taken advantage of. In this case, we
should take security for money that is lent to them.
“Be not thou [one] of them
that strike hands, [or] of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast nothing to
pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?” (Proverbs 22:26-27)
14) He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the
morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
The
use of Godly foresight to avoid the abuse of others…
1. A person who speaks well of his “friend” so
that all others hear it
2. If he gets up early in the morning to take
advantage of every possible chance to publically praise him
3. The praised one will consider it a curse
Godly
foresight will allow us to not be affected by flattery, because we will have
the foresight to see that the one who is praising us has ulterior motives of
self-profit.
“And the people gave a
shout, [saying, It is] the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel
of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of
worms, and gave up the ghost.” (Acts 12:22-23)
15) A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman
are alike. 16) Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the
ointment of his right hand, [which]
bewrayeth [itself].
The
use of Godly foresight to choose our relationships wisely…
1. A
systematic, consistent dripping on a day filled with rain is like
2. A person who argues and quarrels which leads
to brawling and contentiousness
3.
A person who tries to restrain or cover
the contentious one is like
4. trying to restrain the blowing wind or
5. trying to restrain the smell of ointment by
holding it in our hand
By
looking ahead with Godly wisdom, we can understand the type of person that we
should be looking for to enter into a Godly, pleasant relationship. We
can also discern the futility of trying to restrain those who are bent on
causing disruption and quarreling.
“The waters wear the
stones: thou washest away the things which grow [out] of the dust of the earth;
and thou destroyest the hope of man.” (Job 14:19)
SUMMARY:
Godly foresight can deliver
us from a multitude of troubles in our earthly life, as well as show us the
results of sin in our lives and the need to tell others of Christ…
“Wherefore we labour, that,
whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done]
in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad. Knowing therefore the
terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I
trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)
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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