Sunday Worship Good Morning!!! Let your worship show forth your devotional love and heart felt gratitude… He is worthy! /
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The human spirit ILLUMINATES the soul
Chapter 20 contains much that is practical.
⦁ Drawing the counsel out of your heart through wisdom and prudence.
⦁ Encouragement to press through difficult situations in view of a future harvest.
⦁ That ending a quarrel is honorable.
⦁ That too much drink mocks the drinker and leads them off the right path.
⦁ That no amount of self improvement can erase your past – for that one needs a Savior.
⦁ That age is no cloak for vice. That even a child is known by what they do – no exceptions!
⦁ That dishonesty and deception are hated by God and therefore by those who are truly righteous.
⦁ That speaking against those in authority (esp. one’s father and mother) will place them in deep spiritual darkness!
⦁ To lay hold of an inheritance before the appropriate time will not go unpunished.
But perhaps the greatest proverb is in the title of this message. It teaches us of our tri-part being. That we ARE a spirit which was breathed out the mouth of God, that we possess an inward soul by which we think, desire and feel and that we live in a temporal, physical body. As such, God so created our true selves – our spirit – in such a was a to provide an inner compass for our souls. It is in fact the voice of our conscience, which was initially created by God. Though it can be darkened through rejection of Him and His word, it can still be influenced again by His Spirit through grace to the humble.
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Face to Face
Today’s message was all about entering into and seeking out times of intimate communion with God. These times of communion will always result in Jesus being further revealed to us. This in turn deeps both our reverence and love for Him. The results, if ongoing and regular will produce hearts of happy obedience to Him and a business in regard to kingdom work.
Seeking God. Seeking His face. Face to face and even calling up the name of the Lord are ways the scriptures refer to drawing near to God, in order to have Him revealed to us. This is often done in times of genuine distress, but CAN be done ANYTIME!
We have this promise from Him, that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us in return. That if we seek, we will find. If we knock, the door will be opened to us and if we ask we will receive.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.”
And when Jesus had words for the lukewarm church of Laodicea, Jesus took it upon Himself to do the knocking with the promise that if anyone will open the door and LET HIM IN, He would come in to them and eat supper, the principal social meal which denoting intimacy and friendship. So it is no stretching of the text to say that this is an invitation to face-to-face intimacy with our Lord, Savior & Friend!
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A contentious wife is like a continual dripping!
This chapter seems largely focused upon relationships, wealth, poverty and the acquisition of wisdom and knowledge.
There are four passages which stand out from the rest and for different reasons.
Verse 7 is perhaps the most complex proverb in the entire book, at least in terms of structure. Out of 375 proverbs, all but this one are two line proverbs – this one consists of three lines. At least in the original Hebrew. When it was translated into the Greek Septuagint they somehow managed to convert the same thought into a 3 two line proverb. In the end, we sided with a translation which largely agrees with the NIV.
Verse 11 says good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. It would be hard indeed to receive more solid life advice!
Verse 19 which talks about men who cannot control their wrath and that punishment is not far off. The second line however, offers piece of advice which is almost satirical in delivery in that it says, “if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again! – sage advice!
Finally is verse 22 which almost seems as if Solomon is pulling back the cover on a truth that once it is read seems so obvious, but which I think rarely occurs to us – “What is desire in man is steadfast love (or faithfulness)…”
In all, this chapter seems almost lack luster if read through without real attention, but there are gems which are buried in plain sight.
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Purposeful Intimacy
This morning we began taking a deeper dive into the way God designed us to experience closeness in relationships.
Relationships that last long enough, tend to grow more mechanical and utilitarian over time. While there is certainly some comfort and safety to be found in the familiarity of such relationships, it also can be a breeding ground for discontent. But there are things God has “baked into” the human experience that can maintain not only the relationship, but its passionate drive as well.
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