Bragging On Jesus

Proverbs 20:19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. 20 If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

...To slander would include things like digging up dirt on others and making a character assignation against them with malicious gossip. It may even be something way back in the persons past… This slander may be a total misrepresentation of who the person is today… They spew out their words like a mad person kills and destroys with seemingly no guilt and unconcerned about the lives they destroy.

Solomon calls this person a simple babbler… Simple, I suspect because they lack the things that Proverbs tells us over and over to pursue… Things like wisdom, knowledge, prudence, discretion… attributes like fearing the Lord, helping the poor, looking out for the good of others and accountability with money and in relationships… the list goes on and on.

And this babbler is someone who just rattles on and on with nothing worthwhile to say… Its a strange thing that this person can jjibber-jabber on and on almost without breathing and yet never touch on any of the many things that Solomon says are important.

And the thing is… he actually does reveals secrets… But they’re not for helping others or building them up or mending relationships… These secrets are weapons that ruins peoples lives and strains relationships and promotes divorce and splits churches and causes children to never speak to their parents for years… This babbler causes pain and feeds distrust and envy and bitterness and encourages others to hold grudges. Solomon says not to associate with them. Being drawn to them… enjoying their fellowship and admiring their ways… has surly led those who do down the very same path.

Now the person in verse 20 who curses his father or his mother is a similar type of individual. The curses he speaks are also slanderous and much of the time he too reveals secrets about his parents. There could be various underling reasons for this… It may be because he has never come to the point of forgiving them for the wrong that they did to him or to his siblings. It could be their hypocrisy or that they weren’t there when they needed them… Nevertheless, the secrets this person reveals about his parents in their cursing are not for their good. It is not so they might be prayed for or that relationships might be restored. This person is blind to the extent of his own brokenness.

When Solomon says his lamp will be put out in utter darkness. He may have been thinking about the many references to this in the Old Testament.

* Exodus 21:17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

* Deuteronomy 27:16“‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

And in the New:

* Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Of course the implication is that not honoring your parents… even cursing and not wanting good for these who’s family God chose to place you into… will be to your demise. And the sad thing is in cursing them you are in some way blaming God himself.

In closing the thoughts that come to mind are… I should not be a babbler… If I am going to put others down let me put them down on my prayer list and not reveal their secrets in slander. Gossip can consumes us. I know, I have been there. But the truth is that slander is part of the mission satan wants you and I to be on… That is… sharing bad news. Gods mission is sharing the good news… the best news ever, how Jesus took what was due us because of our sin with his death on the Cross and in exchange gives his righteousness to all who delight in him through faith, and as he was raised God will raise us up no longer under the entropy associated with sin.

Father God thank You for this great gift, In Jesus name amen.

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Mouth Full Of Gravel

R Aylor

We’ll take a look at a couple verses today which can be taken separately or even together I believe without changing the meaning… The first is:

Proverbs 20:17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.

In other words when a man uses all kinds of deceitful and underhanded tactics to get what he wants; yes it may be bread like the text indicates… but it could be any kind of gain he obtains. After he gets what he has set his heart on the sweetness soon disappears and is replaced by something he can hardly tolerate. I think I have probably eaten bread before and found a small piece of gravel in it… Even if its one grain a person will try and spit it out… But if it is hot freshly baked bread and it is oh so wonderful smelling and has sweet butter on it… and as a person chews it he finds it to be filled with gravel they will probably break a few teeth… not good! And for for sure it will not settle their stomach or give them nourishment and strength… no true satisfaction can come from it. And, like bread; if he gained money or lands or power by deceit… he will find the sweetness he envisioned was a lie. For one, God did not create our hearts with an ability to find satisfaction in the abundance of things related to mans glory; nor does he allow deceit to bring peace and joy. The end of that path is a mouth full of gravel… That might be another way of saying how sin itself always brings brokenness, death and separation from God forever.

Of course all of Gods words is linked together and its truths never contradict one another. So, even though these proverbs can stand alone they also compliment one another. The same truth in verse 17 can be seen in the next verse about waging war…

18 Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.

How are these similar? Don't wage war for deceitful reasons…. like for gain; which is similar to the man who deceived to gain in verse 17. You see, some kings go to world for gain of riches or land… some even seem to want to take over the world, right? So whether you are king and it is war with a country or if you are a normal person with no particular title and want to make a better living… Dont war with deceit in order to gain wealth… Solomon says plans are established by counsel… and where can we find the best counsel? Gods word of course… and sometimes we find it is expounded to us in guidance from godly brothers and sisters.

You see, Gods word gives us counsel in relation to things of the heart… What are our motivations for making gains in our life? What are the motivations for a king going to war? There are good and bad reasons for both. Good counsel helps guide us so that at the end of the day our mouth is not full of gravel instead of bread.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Pray

Proverbs 20:16 Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.

Today Solomon gives us a lesson on discernment in relation to degrees of trust. Lets begin with the first example:

What if a neighbor comes to you and wants to borrow money for supposedly a needy person who lives in town… and let’s say you do not know this needy person; he’s a stranger to you. This needy person had no assets or security to mortgage to you the lender... in order to receive a loan. So, they had to get a co-signer. That's when your friend… your neighbor, ask for a loan for the man who needs it and Solomon says to take his garment as security.

It’s interesting… ...Here’s what it says in Exodus 22.

Exodus 22:25...

So Solomon says to go ahead and take your neighbors garment (who is not poor) as collateral. Now that's not much of guarantee that he will pay is it?… If the needy person defaults on the loan your friend the co-signer will pay it. But if he defaults also… you may only have a t-shirt to show for the money you loaned… But… it is more likely that the borrower will be held accountable. After all, even though he is a stranger to you he is not a foreigner... You and your neighbor both can locate him easily. Something else I think… you see, the people of Israel had a family type relationship... a special bond. For many their houses were always open for food and shelter to other Israelites. They shared this great history as a Nation in being Gods people. They were as brothers and sisters and not to put extreme burdens on one another with things like big securities and interest... so a t-shirt for collateral was not a heavy burden but still showed that the lender expected accountability; and it also showed his trust and empathy for his neighbor and the needy person.

Now we move to the second half of the verse: ...

Just a note about the word “foreigners”, it can also be translated as “an adulteress”. ...

So, the truths from today's proverb apply to both a foreigner and an adulteress.

What do both a foreigner and adulteress have in common? Neither have shown themselves to be trustworthy. The adulteress has shown that so far she is not and the foreigner has only his word. Maybe all you know is there are no wanted dead or alive pictures of him posted in town… which I would not recommend including in any loan request application form.

In the case of a foreigner or an adulteress, more drastic accountability needs to be in place.

So if the lender has the same garment, how does holding it in pledge strengthen the agreement? Well, it could mean don’t return the garment before sunset… but hold on to it… But after I looked at the Strong's Lexicon and a couple commentaries I believe it is saying to hold your neighbor to a more personal degree of accountability. I think it could mean that the co-signer needs to give some collateral of himself for the lender to hold in pledge depending on how much is borrowed.

In closing… think about how we were foreigners to him… strangers, even adulterous people who had forsaken God and were separated from his fellowship.

He gave of himself in giving his only begotten son that we who were poor and needy might have the greatest treasure in the Universe, unsearchable riches and a full inheritance as his child forever. And the difference is… we cannot pay back this debt, nor should we try… it is impossible to pay back even one cent’s worth of the joy he has given. In fact in Matthew 9:13 Jesus says how it is. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

And although we do not pay back this debt, he changes our heart and sets us in a different direction so that we love following him and growing in him the rest of our life.

​

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 20:14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts. 15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

The 1969 Dodge Charger

R Aylor

First today we are given the example of a person who has gotten himself a good deal on merchandise. Let’s say it was an automobile and his name was Joe. Joe had been browsing for vehicles from his desktop at work… He had even driven through a few car lots and talked to a salesman or two. He was in his late 20’s and just couldn’t find the car that suited him. One day Joe noticed a newspaper advertisement from a farmer who lived out in the country… This dude had a 1969 Dodge Charger in almost mint condition for sale. And so Joe skipped breakfast and hurried out to look at his dream vehicle… The farmer showed Joe all the bells and whistles like the supercharged 426 V-8 Hemi… And everything was amazing … the wheels, transmission, interior; everything.

“How much?” Joe asked. The farmer said “$38,000…” And he told Joe quite a personal story of how it was restored. Joe looked the car over… and as he did he frowned when he looked under the chassis and shook his head slightly as he wiped a smudge of oil from the engine… Joe acted as though he didn’t fit in the seats well and faked some difficulty in getting out. Finally he kicked the tires and said he didn’t want to spend that much for a vehicle with 35,000 miles on it. And over 50 years old. Joe started to leave and then turned back and ask the farmer if he would take $15,000 cash today… The farmer needed the money but he did not take the offer… Instead he countered and Joe countered …until Joe made his final offer. He said “Sir, I know you have put a lot into this vehicle and personally what it means to you… And since you have told me you the reason you want to sell is because you need the money, I want to help you... for your sake, here’s what I’ll do”. When it was all said and done Joe got his dream car for $18,000.

The same day Joe began telling and showing all his friends the great deal he had made on this 1969 Dodge Charger that is surly worth over 60 grand! He made it his profile picture on social media…

In our text today Solomon tells us about this buyer who bears a false impression to the buyer and then brags to others of the amazing deal he made. Through his deception Joe increased in wealth and instead of repenting he did the opposite… He bragged to others.

The final verse in todays passage says: 15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

When set side by side, the monetary gain Joe made through his deception and the lips of knowledge that speak of things right and true and honest and loving… all things godly.. There is no good comparison… The jewel of speaking honestly with truth in love is better than all kinds of costly stones including gold.

You know the thing about Jesus… the Word made flesh… The greatest treasure in the Universe worth leaving all to have… We never say “bad, bad” but only “good, good”… and he gives us himself freely… without money or price. No works… only His mercy. Grace through faith. Jesus lived a perfect life, died in our place for our sin and defeated death that we might be a new creation with his righteousness and accepted by God.

Proverbs In 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 20:13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

Love Not, Love What?

R Aylor

I think the first word in this proverb is the key to the root of its meaning. In fact, it’s a key to the outcome of many things including life itself.

What we love sets the track for our day every day… It helps us put in order our to do lists for a particular day or the plans we make for our week. If we ponder what we love… For example: I like metal detecting, playing guitar, visiting with friends, studying Gods word, eating… which I need for health and energy to do the rest, I like money a lot… It even helps support my metal detecting, purchasing guitars… and of course you need money to eat… I like going to church and fellowshipping with believers and hearing Gods word. So then, how would I order my to do list? If my priorities were in line with God it might go something like this:

1 - Study Gods word every morning

2 - Play guitar every morning

3 - Go to work to make money to support what I love

4 - Eat 2-3 times a day

5 - Fellowship with family and friends daily

6 - Go metal detecting on Saturdays

7 - Go to church to community worship every Sunday and Small groups Sunday evenings.

Of course thats a very small chunk out of our life. We must prioritize a whole lot more that affects many more people than our own self.

Of all the things we pursue in life, Solomon says sleep is not something we should love. Of course when you’re extra tired… there is a context for loving sleep I think… I don’t believe thats what Solomon is saying. Dont chase after the kind of sleep that is kin to laziness. Dont desire to sleep your life away as a way to hide from the trials of the world. Dont write it as a goal in your high school year book.

Solomon says open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. In the previous verse we read how God has made the seeing eye and hearing ear… We dont utilize either of these things when we sleep. God did not create us to have a passion for sleeping. Its a gift from God and its necessary for our bodies and it shows us our need to depend on God because of our frailty but our mission in life is not to sleep.

There is a saying that “A ship is not meant for the harbor, but for the wide open sea.”

Ships were meant to carry people and merchandise through storms and wind and turbulent and tumultuous waves across vast oceans… That has always been their mission. They were not created to sit at dock… I think most things age and decay more quickly when they just sit idle not doing what they were made for and that includes human beings.

Before we come to Christ we are sleeping spiritually. Like todays text says: “open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread”.

So our first mission is to wake up to the truth of why Jesus is awesome… why he is the greatest treasure there is… why he is a reason to have great joy… and follow after Him. Thats mission uno… number one. Like Jesus said to Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:19 …“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

I think it was right here that their eyes were open to see Jesus as the one worth dropping everything for and following after. Did you notice Jesus told them their instant real time mission and their future mission in one sentence? First “follow me” and then I will make you fishers of men”.

It’s the same for us, first we see the Glory of God in Jesus… or why he is good news for us… and we delight in him… our eyes are open to this…

Then we share his glory with others….

And though our second mission begins… our first mission of seeing and following still continues... in that we keep seeing more and more of the glory of God in Jesus and we keep sharing more and more of what we have seen and delighted in.

Pray

Proverbs 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.

This is an interesting verse to me. Why would Solomon state the obvious? I don’t know but it does get one to thinking. My brother likes to state the obvious… it gets on my nerves sometimes. Sometimes he says things like ” You know, if the temperature drops and the moisture in the air increases it will snow tonight”. I’m sure he does it on purpose… and its ok… sometimes I kind of enjoy that part of his sense of humor… really!

I looked back over some verses in this chapter and Im just not sure if he’s specifically linking this to any of them. So, let’s just think about it as a stand alone proverb.

Yes! First we see this truth in a physical human being. God is Creator. The LORD made the hearing ear and the seeing eye…For most of us that is obvious. But that begs the question: who has made the blind eye and the deaf ear? Actually the Bible tells us.

You may be acquainted with the story of Moses and how God told him to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Well, Moses was not a good speaker. Heres what he said to God. Exodus 4:10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

Its true… God is sovereign to give us sight or create us as blind…

But we also see this same sovereignty of God spiritually when God makes us a new Creation in Christ Jesus. He is the one who gives us eyes to see his glory.

2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus talks about both spiritual blindness and spiritual sight beginning in Matthew 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

So in closing its true that as Solomon said the LORD makes the seeing eye and hearing ear alike… and in retrospect maybe this does go along with other verses we have seen in this chapter… God gave us eyes and ears and we are responsible to God for what we look at and what we see and how we use these amazing gifts God has given us. It applies to the ways of children in Proverbs 20:11 and to those who take advantage of others in the previous devotion and… well I can see the correlation now all the way to verse one.

I’ll close with a passage from Ephesians 1 which talks about how we might even as believers continue to have the eyes of our heart enlightened to see more of Gods glory. I hope you all have a great day in the Lord. God bless!

Ephesians 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Proverbs In 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 20:11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

Watching Your Child Make Themselves Known

R Aylor

Oh, our children… how precious a gift… how disruptive to our life… And the thing is… they are all born with differences… in looks yes except for identical twins… but also differences in personalities… They are sooo unique! Dissimilar in strengths and weaknesses… not only in the physical but mental traits as well and how they think things through… not better or worse but different. The imprint of these characteristics and attributes can play a major role in what our children will be suited for in life as well as the kinds of things they will enjoy or detest.

So those things are important… and yet they may change depending on how they are brought up and what they associate themselves with in life… This can be a good thing or a horrible thing.

Something else to add into the equation: We are all born broken into a broken world. What does that bring to the makeup of our life? Well, we are born with a bent towards sin… And more specific, we are born with varied predispositions that are stronger than others. Certain things begin to pull at our children’s heart strings and for watching parents who ask the Lord for discerning eyes they can see.

Some traits from our brokenness you may notice in your child at an early age could include a learning disability associated with the physical body or they may have difficulty with social skills. Hyperactivity is another. We are born with many physical brokennesses which always have some potential to pull us towards sin in some way. Some physical problems can be overcome by physical things like doctors and medicines but others require the great physician.

Some things a parent can watch for in their child early on are things like patterns of lying or bullying. A screamer… a stealer… a hitter… or one who harms themselves. Watch for an early pulls towards sexuality to the opposite or same gender. Watch for a child who always runs away and hides from conflict. I think some of these things hit children across the board but the longer any of them are a routine… or pattern it is more likely that piece of brokenness will hard set itself deep within them.

Remember I said how we are not bound to all the dispositions we were born with? We become like the things that we soak up from our associations… What we hear and the examples we see. It doesn’t always soak in… But if the child does not veil the good associations out it will. So good parents can fight against the brokenness by teaching the truth of Gods word like how Jesus is eternally more satisfying than the perversions of sin… He is the greatest treasure in the Universe.

The truth is that seeing the beauty of Jesus is what transforms us first as a new creation and then seeing more of his beauty continues the transformation progress.

2nd Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

So yes, we are not bound to our brokenness.

And do we as parents hold any responsibility? Of course we do. As our children make themselves known by their acts… whether good or bad as our text indicates… We show them the good truth in Gods word of how he fixes our brokenness.

Pray

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 20:8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? 10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

The Day Of Winnowing

R Aylor

Today… let’s start with the last verse and work our way backwards. God hates all kinds of false weights and measurements. What does unequal weights and unequal measures mean? Well in biblical times, merchants weighed out herbs and grain to sell to their customers… or, like today they cut measured yards of material to sell for making clothes... But some used weights or a measuring stick that were less than the standard in order to cheat others... this kind of action is detestable to the Lord.

But if you think about it… false weights and measures extend further than things related to merchants greedy for money.

Too many times people like you and I proclaim ourselves to others as measuring up much higher and greater than we are.

Is it possible that this may be even a greater abomination to the Lord than the other? And even worse to proclaim this false sense of righteousness to God like the Pharisee in Luke 18.

Jesus is speaking beginning in verse 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ...

Next moving backwards… verse 9 says:

9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

You know, these words of Solomon go perfectly right along with the words of Paul:

Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands;

no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” … 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Then in verse 8 of today’s passage Solomon says:

8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.

So to winnow is to separate or find out… to see through to the truth of the matter.

How does this relate to the other verses we read concerning our our self righteousness and sin? This verse talks about a king sitting in judgment. I was thinking how an experienced Judge who has seen, oh maybe thousands of cases over their career… they gain much experience. They can look at a person as they make their case or as they respond to questions… watching both the one who makes the accusation and the defendant. Their body language with facial expressions including how and when they squirm. They know the tells a person normally gives when a they lie and when they tell the truth. Maybe a person will look away or down when they lie… They may scratch their nose or grip their hand on the stand. A good experienced judge can put this all together and have a good idea of what the truth is. I expect a wise king such as Solomon was experienced in this also.

And then how much more sure it will be on Judgment Day when we stand before God and he looks at us… He will winnow all evil with his eyes with absoluteness. Even now… we cannot hide one single thing from him. He sees all.

But you know a strange thing happens when God gives us eyes to see him… when we see how he is beautiful… how he is our only hope… how he is good news for our wickedness… how his righteous can only be received as a gift… a gift of mercy by delighting in Jesus and seeing him as our greatest treasure over everything the world offers.

And in seeing him as glorious we cannot help realizing our own sinfulness, and we realize that sin is not all it was promised to be… It is a false measure… a false weight… It is a fake, a phony, a lie… instead of good it brings us sorrow and discontentment and death. So as our eyes are open to see Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe we turn from sin and walk toward Jesus the rest of our life. Sure we sin… but we repent as we grow in the Lord and keep walking toward him from now on.

Pray

Proverbs In 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 20:7 The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!

Blessed Children

R Aylor

Integrity; doing whats right… not caving to temptation of sin like greed or hate… brings with it a good name but rebellious children can ruin that name quickly. Those who see will likely question the ability of the parent to teach and raise their children and so the wayward children are associated with the parent from then on. But the thing is... this righteous parent… this person keeps on keeping on and continues to walk in integrity. They keep loving and teaching their children what is true. They don’t side with their children on what is right to gain their loyalty. They keep setting good examples with their life. They keep their word...they love others... they help the needy, they don’t gossip, they work hard, study and love God and his word...

And the thing is… A righteous person leaves blessings for their children and grandchildren and even great grandchildren. They may leave a house or money… sure, but it could be something much greater than that. Their children and grandchildren and more carry memories of their legacy of integrity. My mother, now 82 has shared stories of love for her grandmother who loved Jesus and they shared a wonderful bond in the Lord… And my mother shared her grandmothers legacy of faith with me. That is the greatest of all blessings we can pass to our children and their children down the line.

In closing, todays text makes me think of the promise God made to Abraham that came through faith and not works.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Abraham was a righteous man… a man of integrity through faith and not works… although his faith wrought good works time and time again as he grew in the Lord.

You know, there is a little song I used to sing that went something like: Father Abraham had many sons and I am one of them. And the truth is we are his offspring or his children spiritually by faith… just as he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness so it is with us. The common faith in Jesus which my great grandmother shared with my mother and she shared with me is the same faith father Abraham had. As our text says: blessed are his children after him.

Pray

the offspring of the woman from Genesis who would come to set things right after Adam and Eves… and even our sin… this is the good news for all those who would believe God and hope in the Messiah. The promise was made throughout history to Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob,, David, Solomon, Hezekiah and so many more… The good news was seen played out in the real lives of some as a foreshadowing of his coming. It was proclaimed by the Prophets over and over throughout the ages. God has wanted to bless his children by faith all along. Jesus said how he desires mercy and not sacrifice. What a great gift.

Proverbs 20:5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. 6 Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

Deep Water

R Aylor

How do you know what’s in a person... no, not what they had for breakfast... but whats in a persons soul and character?

Solomon gives us a prime example of how to gauge another person. Don’t get me wrong, the bible teaches us not to judge others… and yet another place it tells us to judge others. So there is undeniably a context for doing both. We make judgments of who we want our pastor to be and what church our family attends based on things like whether they preach the truth of Gods word. In fact it is Gods word that is the basis for our judgments in life… It should be. But these are not final judgments on people… only God can do that… We cannot know a persons heart… We are limited to our knowledge of these things. And sadly much of the time we make judgments based on a look someone gives us or a word spoken in haste or some other thing while we only have a microcosm of a percentage of knowledge… Many times we make judgements solely from gossip we hear.

In order to judge in the context God wants we must know Gods word and let it guide us or else we will judge others just like the world does.

Solomon tells us how mans heart is like deep water and he says there are many who state that their love is sure and trustworthy... he does not tell us the context of that love... maybe to his spouse or his child.

...

How can we see down into the deep waters of the purposes of a persons heart. Solomon then asks the question: ...but a faithful man who can find?

I think thats a big part of the answer. We can only trust someone who is steadfast and faithful. Of course the problem is… that is none of us. We all fall very short of that. We fail God and others and even ourselves at least according to the results that last exercise program we started. And I think it’s the degrees in our steadfastness that makes our judgments more complex and difficult to traverse. Degrees in faithfulness to others can be seen in believers and atheists alike and these are the waters of judgement we have to navigate in relationships. I believe Solomon helps us with that pointing us to look a a persons faithfulness. I like to think of it like this; a persons faith is always verified by their faithfulness. Some degree of faithfulness always accompanies faith. However, good works are not true faithfulness unless they are motivated by faith. So one can have works without faith but not faith without works.

Ok, well… at the end of the day Solomon's question remains… a faithful man who can find… There has only been one, even Jesus Christ Gods only Son. Therefore we must conclude that when he says his love towards us is steadfast, we can trust him.

Hebrews 4:15 speaking of Jesus: …who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

In Exodus 33:18 Moses ask God to show him his glory and the next day in chapter 34:6 - The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, ... abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

We are sinners; but not Jesus. He is the only one who has been faithful to his Father in heaven and he has been faithful to his word and to us and we have good reason to put our faith in him and grow more and more in our faithfulness to him.

Romans 6:23

He was paid the wages of our sin with his death on the Cross and for all who delight in him he imputes his righteousness giving us fellowship with God and making us accepted by him.

He rose from the grave and we are given that same power that raised him to be victorious over sin in this life as we walk with him along with amazing peace and joy.

And as he was raised incorruptible we too will be raised no more subject to the consequences of sin like sickness, pain, sorrow, depression… and death… all gone and we will be with him forever.