He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Proverbs Of Agur: The Justification Of
Evil: Proverbs 30:32-33
32) If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast
thought evil, [lay] thine hand upon
thy mouth.
33) Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing
of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth
strife.
In
this chapter we may have a new author, a man by the name of Agur. Very little is known about this man but, from
the context of our text, it seems as if he is a teacher who is instructing his
two students Ithiel and Ucal.
EXPOSITION:
Agur
now elaborates on a very basic principle to live by: we are to NEVER attempt to
justify sinful thoughts or actions.
32) If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast
thought evil, [lay] thine hand upon
thy mouth.
1. If we have committed acts that ignored God’s
Word by drawing attention and honor to ourselves.
2. If we have wicked motives and plans within us
3. We must force our sinful flesh to be silent
(not attempting to explain away or justify our unlawfulness)
Please
take special note he speaks of what “thou hast DONE” (our actions) and also
what “thou hast THOUGHT” (describing our desires and plots for our actions)
both of these, when sinful, are inexcusable.
This principle does away with three different wicked attitudes that we
see in the world today:
1. The teaching that we are not to be held accountable
for our actions (we are simply a product of our environment and inherited
characteristics). An example of this is that abuse by a parent results in
future abusive behavior by the abused child, therefore the child cannot be held
accountable for the abuse they commit.
2. The teaching that “the end justifies the
means” which says that the performance of evil can be used if it is done with
the motive of reaching an acceptable goal. A very popular example of this is
the idea of “white lies” (ie. lies that are told with good intentions). An example would be telling a child that
Santa exists so that they might have a more enjoyable holiday season.
3. The teaching of “situation ethics” that says
the morality of our actions can only be judged in the context of the situation
in which they are performed. In other
words, in some situations, sin is no longer sin. An example of this is when we use a lie in an
effort to protect ourselves. We have all
heard people say “under the circumstances, I had no choice but to lie”.
“Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” (Romans 3:19)
33) Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing
of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth
strife.
1. Truly, when milk is forcibly stirred and
pressed the end result will always be butter.
2. When the nose is powerfully twisted, it will
begin to bleed
3. in this same way when sin is justified and
pressed into society, the end result is always discord and bitterness.
With
the justification of sin is an act of opposition to the Word, it clearly tells
us that any act of sin is wrong and can never be justified. This rejection of God’s word only works
confusion and discord. It is tantamount
to saying that the Word is untrue, the morals of man trump the morals of the
Word, and results in the eventual departure from the Word by that society.
“And unto man he said,
Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is]
understanding.” (Job 28:28)
SUMMARY:
Folks,
this is EXACTLY what we see in our country today. Because the morals found in God’s Word are
questioned, we can now justify obvious sins and are in the process of rejecting
the Word as a society. May the Lord have
mercy upon those who reject His Word and those who do not take a stand for its
truthfulness.
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
SIH
Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/
SIH
Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/
No comments:
Post a Comment