Proverbs is a book FOR THE YOUTH. However, what if you come to know God late in life?
This chapter is for you. What if you are like me and see your past as a history of sad failures? This chapter is for you (or rather, me!)
He starts out admitting that he is operating from a deficit. He has no repository of wisdom, or knowledge of God, either in His works or in His being. He has neglected God all his life and now looks at the "end of the road" having been changed and wonders how to go forward.
As a result, life has "worn him out" and he is weary of living the same tiresome and exhausting stuff. It is crushing to think of life as a series of failures. The desires of others to "help" by telling you "it is not as bad as you are making it sound" is no help... at least not to me. I look back and see nothing but wasted potential. This is why the words of Agur are so precious to me this morning.
FIRST LESSON: v4 GOD IS ALMIGHTY - I find in the morning, the first thing that "sparks" my soul is the remembrance that God has all power. He kept the universe going last night, while I slept. He keeps the stars in place, the atoms from coming apart (see Smalls forces, pretty amazing stuff), The clouds moving and the earth spinning. The sun is shining, the wind moves, the sea teems with life Billions of men suck air into their lungs, work, sleep, eat, have sex, care for children, worry about stuff, and curse the God who makes all this possible. Big thoughts of God are the most important thing one can do to "set the stage" here. He also makes an oblique and offhand reference to the "son"of God. This is not an Old Testament theology on the Trinity, but a tease and an almost "throwaway" reminder of Jesus. That is important to me as it is a reminder to me that all the power, might, control, and majesty of God is directed towards MEN..... including me.... to protect, provide and care for me.....................and ultimately save and rescue me from my own ruin. God is almighty and is invested in using that might to my good.... Worship and humility and reverence and gratitude are the baseplate for approaching the day
SECOND LESSON: v5,6 THE WORD OF GOD IS KEY. I simply cannot live without the bible coursing thru my mind. The source of truth and right thinking about life are the words to that book. Every word of God is true. Don't neglect it and don't "add to it" by silly rules and extrabiblical emendations to try to make it palatable, either to a biblically ignorant church or to a hostile culture. This old man, after reminding himself of WHO God is, reminds himself of the source of truth. It is NOT "within you" nor is it in the silly idolatries of the culture around you. It is, however, rock solid, reliable, and trustworthy. I won't have any problems with "consistency" reading it if I believe that.
THIRD LESSON v 7-9 CONTENTMENT WITH MY STATUS IN LIFE BEFORE GOD BRINGS PEACE. There are dangers in low and high economic and social positions in life. Be content with what God gives (interestingly enough, Hebrews 13 says that "content with what you have" is also the safeguard against sexual sin). Seeing God as the source and provision for what I need, whether social status, wealth, or whatever physical needs and desires I have is THE safeguard against perverting them and making them ugly. It is good in the morning to stop, review the first two lessons above, and then in that context, take up this lesson.
The rest of the chapter is filled with little snippets of observation about authority and impudence, controlling the mouth, desire and what it does to a man, how sexual immorality deadens one's conscience, how pride affect men, how things REALLY get done (little folk banding together), what my evil naturally is going to spawn, and how to react when I have set that ball rolling.
Again, this is a great book for the "regrets" one may have in looking back over my life and seeing so much of it as wasted, pointless and ruined. I have not been a man who has neglected God, and yet I find there are enough horrible examples of foolishness to make me very depressed if I let them. Reciting these three "CORE" lessons to start out and shift my perspective gives me encouragement, hope, bravery, and confident expectation. God has saved me and His sovereign purposes are beyond my ken. He will take even my own failings and turn them into a tool and fulcrum for His glory and my honor and happiness.
It is never too late to make an old fool into a wise man. I look forward to sitting down with a cup of coffee(!) and Agur, and having him lay out this lesson again for me, when this life and its bumpy path is behind us and all is joy. For now, I will just tip my hat to him and say "thanks, you old codge!!!"
This chapter is for you. What if you are like me and see your past as a history of sad failures? This chapter is for you (or rather, me!)
He starts out admitting that he is operating from a deficit. He has no repository of wisdom, or knowledge of God, either in His works or in His being. He has neglected God all his life and now looks at the "end of the road" having been changed and wonders how to go forward.
As a result, life has "worn him out" and he is weary of living the same tiresome and exhausting stuff. It is crushing to think of life as a series of failures. The desires of others to "help" by telling you "it is not as bad as you are making it sound" is no help... at least not to me. I look back and see nothing but wasted potential. This is why the words of Agur are so precious to me this morning.
FIRST LESSON: v4 GOD IS ALMIGHTY - I find in the morning, the first thing that "sparks" my soul is the remembrance that God has all power. He kept the universe going last night, while I slept. He keeps the stars in place, the atoms from coming apart (see Smalls forces, pretty amazing stuff), The clouds moving and the earth spinning. The sun is shining, the wind moves, the sea teems with life Billions of men suck air into their lungs, work, sleep, eat, have sex, care for children, worry about stuff, and curse the God who makes all this possible. Big thoughts of God are the most important thing one can do to "set the stage" here. He also makes an oblique and offhand reference to the "son"of God. This is not an Old Testament theology on the Trinity, but a tease and an almost "throwaway" reminder of Jesus. That is important to me as it is a reminder to me that all the power, might, control, and majesty of God is directed towards MEN..... including me.... to protect, provide and care for me.....................and ultimately save and rescue me from my own ruin. God is almighty and is invested in using that might to my good.... Worship and humility and reverence and gratitude are the baseplate for approaching the day
SECOND LESSON: v5,6 THE WORD OF GOD IS KEY. I simply cannot live without the bible coursing thru my mind. The source of truth and right thinking about life are the words to that book. Every word of God is true. Don't neglect it and don't "add to it" by silly rules and extrabiblical emendations to try to make it palatable, either to a biblically ignorant church or to a hostile culture. This old man, after reminding himself of WHO God is, reminds himself of the source of truth. It is NOT "within you" nor is it in the silly idolatries of the culture around you. It is, however, rock solid, reliable, and trustworthy. I won't have any problems with "consistency" reading it if I believe that.
THIRD LESSON v 7-9 CONTENTMENT WITH MY STATUS IN LIFE BEFORE GOD BRINGS PEACE. There are dangers in low and high economic and social positions in life. Be content with what God gives (interestingly enough, Hebrews 13 says that "content with what you have" is also the safeguard against sexual sin). Seeing God as the source and provision for what I need, whether social status, wealth, or whatever physical needs and desires I have is THE safeguard against perverting them and making them ugly. It is good in the morning to stop, review the first two lessons above, and then in that context, take up this lesson.
The rest of the chapter is filled with little snippets of observation about authority and impudence, controlling the mouth, desire and what it does to a man, how sexual immorality deadens one's conscience, how pride affect men, how things REALLY get done (little folk banding together), what my evil naturally is going to spawn, and how to react when I have set that ball rolling.
Again, this is a great book for the "regrets" one may have in looking back over my life and seeing so much of it as wasted, pointless and ruined. I have not been a man who has neglected God, and yet I find there are enough horrible examples of foolishness to make me very depressed if I let them. Reciting these three "CORE" lessons to start out and shift my perspective gives me encouragement, hope, bravery, and confident expectation. God has saved me and His sovereign purposes are beyond my ken. He will take even my own failings and turn them into a tool and fulcrum for His glory and my honor and happiness.
It is never too late to make an old fool into a wise man. I look forward to sitting down with a cup of coffee(!) and Agur, and having him lay out this lesson again for me, when this life and its bumpy path is behind us and all is joy. For now, I will just tip my hat to him and say "thanks, you old codge!!!"
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