Proverbs 10                                                                                                           

Good morning son,

A “Netti pot” is a marvelous invention. I woke up this morning with my head all stopped up on one side, unable to talk, with a severely irritated throat causing me tremendous pain to swallow.

Then came the “Netti pot.” With a little salt water, and the flow of the water through my nostrils – I start to feel the clearing of my sinuses. After each rinse I blow my nose and see the color of the mucus. To my surprise I start to cough up “gunk.” Instead of just doing one rinse per nostril I decide that I am going to continue to rinse until the mucus is clear. I feel the burning of the salt as it moves through the cavities. In about 7 minutes I am successful. I can breathe. I can talk, and to my surprise – I can swallow without any pain!

Proverbs 10 and Psalm 10 seem to be written for each other, almost like brothers and sisters. I could not help but marvel at the contrast of evil to good, actions to consequences in both. In fact a reading and study of the two provides also a fullness which may be missed in looking at just one.

Proverbs 10:10 leaped off the pages to me:

“Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, but the one who rebukes boldly makes peace.”

And, Psalm 10:5

“His ways (the wicked) are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.”

They leaped off the pages in view of the context of the whole. What do I mean? See Proverbs 10 seems to have direct consequences for each action taken by man. There is no doubt that the consequences for the particular actions will occur. We take encouragement in those promises of God. A man reaps what he sows. If we stop here we will feel so well – but then also so confused. If this is so then why is Psalm 10:5 in the same bible – life giving words from the same God – words also meant to be an encouragement.

Psalm 10:5 embodies what is being done in the first part of Proverbs 10:10. The wicked is haughty or proud. The writer by saying that “your laws are far from him” makes it clear that God's law exists but that he pays no obedience to them. Indeed to him, the wicked, the laws of God is for God's people, for those of you who believe it, not for him. They, the laws, are in a different world, one which would only impact him IF he believed the same. If you are like me, I am sure at some time in your life you wondered, what if I had simply NOT been taught this God stuff?

What if I didn't know about God's perfect design for human sexuality? What if I didn't believe that God is in control of everyone? What if I just removed that little cog of “belief” and simply apply it to something else? And perhaps, if you examine yourself, as I have to also, you will find that in many areas of your life, like me, you have done just that.

God is to be worshiped and praised for his miraculous miracles. Of course. God is to followed in all that “love thy neighbor as thyself” stuff – so I will let them turn in front of me when driving. Of course. But of course there are limits. God does not intend that I REALLY love my enemies, that I REALLY do good to those who wrongfully treat me; who cuss me out, put me down, set me up. That I truly forgive them. God knows that “to err is human but to forgive is divine” ha ha ha AND he KNOWS I am NOT divine. I am no Jesus. And that tithing thing, giving back ten percent of what you make - of of course it applies – well it applied – in old testament times. Why God understands it is a recession.

Indeed, He does, and because He does he said, “bring you all the tithes into the store house, that there may be food in my house (that God may be able to have the resources to do what He does in ministry to the people), and test me, try me, see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there is not room enough for you to hold. [look it up – hint: Malichi - oh and read a little before and behind the passage also – we are robbing God – see we do not OWN anything we are only STEWARDS everything, always have been (see Adam's charge as to creation)]. But GOD, this would take my believing you and ACTING on that belief. And to be quite frank, I think there are more millionaires that are NOT following you than following you . . . and you know . . . well, you know God . . . WELL just look at your word here:

“His ways (the wicked) are ALWAYS prosperous . . . “

Just in case you missed it God I made it bold and in ALL CAPS, YOU said their ways are ALWAYS prosperous I didn't see where you said that about following you in this loving your neighbor, forgiving, and tithing stuff. What exactly will this “opened the windows of heaven look like? Some spiritual blessing right? Something I can not touch and feel, huh? But I should feel good about it. Right?

Unfortunately you can not see my face while writing this. So you can not see the tears rolling down my face. Why? Because I have thought that and more. And to a certain extent the charge I would put forward to God, my indictment of Him and His plan . . . . is true.

Note in Proverbs 10:10 it does not say that the winking of the eye – which should be interpreted as the secret making of evil plans against another and executing them – will not cause strife, pain or division. Indeed the evil plans will do all of that. Huh? God is telling us He is going to allow this?

Yes.

Against me?

Yes.

Okay, maybe I can find some comfort in the other portion of the verse – “but the one who rebukes boldly will make peace.”

Ahhh, now that sounds good. Peace. Ahhh. But wait one minute – peace for who? For the peacemaker? It doesn't say that I will experience the peace only that I will make peace. And even if it is for me, it is after the pain. God, REALLY? This is your plan?

In context my brother. In context you must examine scripture. Look back at Psalms. See it does a great job of telling you of all the power of the wicked up until vs 11 where he proclaims: “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”

Never sees what?

Look at the rest of the Psalm. The rest of the Psalm is a reminder that God does hear His people. It is a call to God to come and to hold the wicked account. It embodies an assurance that God will see and God will hear and God will avenge. And it ends with an affirmation of God, His authority, and His promise:

“The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from HIS land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.”

Whew! This has been quite a ride this morning! See I can see the action and consequences all throughout Proverbs, in context with the temporary, and I do mean TEMPORARY success of the wicked. I can see that there is a plan that God has to prosper us and indeed, it doesn't look like the same as the wicked. God does know what I need? Yes. And will He supply it? Yes He will. We are His children, we are “the sheep of His pasture.” He cares for us. He hears us. And in every area that we fail to choose to believe Him and follow Him the truth of the action vs consequence of Proverbs will be found.

See we may choose to acknowledge the truth of His word or we may not. We may choose to believe in Him or not. We may divide up our belief into neat and tidy boxes of “yes, I do believe that – look at what I do” and “no, this law of God I do not believe - look at what I do not do.” What is completely outside of our control is the consequences of our belief or unbelief and the actions we take or do not take based upon it. God's word is true no matter what we believe or not believe.

Following God's word cleans us up, and makes our lives to function as He intended, much like the Netti pot did for me this morning. However, I would note that when I finished using it I did not walk away with “super human” sinuses. Instead, I had the same sinus cavities I had from birth. The cleaning will be needed again – why? Because I do not live in a world which does not have harmful effects attacking me almost constantly. Is it the Netti pot's fault? Would I have been better off to have never come across that devise? 

Would not coming across it have prevented me from ever having sinus infections? No is the answer to all of the above. 

Just like it is not a belief in God's word that causes my grief, pain or attacks. Just like not having ever been introduced to His Word would not have prevented me from having grief, problems, issues, enemies, and the like in my life. With the Netti pot I did not mask the pain as I would have if I had taken Tylenol or any other pain medication. Instead the use of the Netti Pot took me straight to the cause of the problem, and its clean up. Following the ways of the wicked may temporarily re-leave us of the pain inflicted upon us in the world, but it does not remove the cause. The Word of God does.

May you seek God's Word for each decision you have to make this day. May you recognize the consequences of the your decisions. May you acknowledge His soverignty in and through your obedience to Him today. And may you not loose hope in the temporary victory of the wicked in your life, but hold on to (or like the old saints like to say – “hold fast to” ) the truth of the covenant He has made with you in ultimate victory and success.

This is my prayer for you today,

Love yah,

Dad