Morning Light – October 12th, 2016: The Glad Heart of God

Morning Light – October 12th, 2016
Today: [Proverbs 10] The Glad Heart of God. In Proverbs 10 we find the first of many proceeding chapters containing unrelated wisdom sayings. Each saying presents the path of foolishness and the path of wisdom. Then the results are examined and the encouragement given to the reader to choose the path of wisdom. As verse 1 says, a wise son makes a glad Father. This speaks to us of our relationship to Father God. As we make decisions based on wisdom, discernment and the leadership of the Holy Spirit our lives are improved and our relationship with God deepened.
[Pro 10:1-32 KJV] 1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son [is] the heaviness of his mother. 2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. 3 The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked. 4 He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 He that gathereth in summer [is] a wise son: [but] he that sleepeth in harvest [is] a son that causeth shame. 6 Blessings [are] upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. 7 The memory of the just [is] blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. 8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall. 9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. 10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
This chapter in Proverbs through 25th chapter each contain loose collections of sayings not particularly related one to another but presented as a grouping of miscellaneous wisdom on a multitude of topics. Through Prov. 22:16 these sayings total 375 individual proverbs in number each presenting basically the way of folly and the way of wisdom and the results of either choice.
When verse 1 states that a wise son makes a glad father we can apply this not only to natural families but also to the family of God. 1 Cor. 1:30 states that Christ is our wisdom. We are the sons of God by virtue of the new birth. A wise son in the kingdom is a believer who is Christ-like in their character. A wise, or Christ-like believer makes glad the heart of God. God is not altruistically aloof from us like a benign, cosmic dictator. He is affected by our station in life and the choices we make. His desire is that we make those choices that reflect the heart of Christ.
A foolish son the verse says is the heaviness of his mother. The word foolish here means “to be depressed, to grieve…” Where the believer is concerned who is our mother? Gal. 4:6 speaks of the church who is the spiritual mother of every believer. A foolish believer is a grief to church. An example of this is the member of the Corinthian church who chose to live in an openly incestuous relationship with his father’s wife (or his step mother). This grievous situation was the prompting for the writing of the book of 2 Corinthians.
Another example would be Ananias and Sapphira. The church was participating as a community in sharing their resources and meeting the needs of others and Ananias and Sapphira conducted themselves with dishonesty in the process. They paid with their lives. One could debate whether God by an act of His will struck them down before Peter. The verses describing this in Acts 5:5,10 reads that they fell down dead at Peter’s feet. They got in the way of something that God was doing. They set themselves in opposition against something God was doing by making a foolish and selfish decision. Many people suffer in different ways because we don’t always keep in mind that we are dealing with sacred and holy things in the body of Christ. It isn’t that God is waiting to drop judgment down on someone – but if you step out in front of something that God is doing it can be like stepping out in front of a speeding car. The results however unintended are nonetheless tragic.
11 The mouth of a righteous [man is] a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. 12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. 13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod [is] for the back of him that is void of understanding. 14 Wise [men] lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish [is] near destruction. 15 The rich man’s wealth [is] his strong city: the destruction of the poor [is] their poverty. 16 The labour of the righteous [tendeth] to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. 17 He [is in] the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth. 18 He that hideth hatred [with] lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, [is] a fool. 19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips [is] wise. 20 The tongue of the just [is as] choice silver: the heart of the wicked [is] little worth. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
The chapter makes repeated reference to the righteous man. Who is the righteous man? Is our righteousness based on our own works, or the religious character of our lifestyle? Righteousness in the New Testament perspective is not something that is earned – but rather something that is imputed to us in Christ. Christ is our wisdom. We may fall short. We may not live up to the character of Christ at all times but God deals with us according to our faith in Christ not our religious performance or lack thereof. Does this mean then that it doesn’t matter what we do – that God will bless us regardless? The first thing that God blesses us with is the ability to come out of foolishness, selfishness and wickedness. If we frustrate the grace of God in this area, it is unlikely we will receive the grace of God in the area of blessing and answered prayer. Every answered prayer comes wrapped up in the presence and personality of God Himself. You cannot accept the gift and reject or rebuff the giver. We know we have received the gift when we yield to the giver. Many people expect God to bless them but they are making choices in their persons that distance themselves in their relationship with God.
Often people feel distant from God. They struggle in certain situations and feel abandoned and left out. They cry out “where is God in all of this” that they are going through. This is a great question to ask. In seeking an honest answer we must first address what Isaiah spoke concerning this problem:
[Isa 59:2 KJV] 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
If there is a perception of a wall between you and God or if you feel that your prayers are going unanswered that is not intended to be the normal situation in the life of a believer. Verse 16 of our chapter says that the labor of the righteous tendeth to life. In other words a believer should consistently see things going well, coming up on blessing, walking in favor in all things. If that is not your consistent experience there can be many factors but the first question is are your living in sin? Are you resisting the Holy Spirit? God is not hiding His face from you but your sins can hide His face from you that you will not hear. If we are going to have any sincerity or honesty in our walk with God we cannot first and foremost blame this on God we must look at ourselves.
22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. 23 [It is] as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom. 24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. 25 As the whirlwind passeth, so [is] the wicked no [more]: but the righteous [is] an everlasting foundation. 26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so [is] the sluggard to them that send him. 27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. 28 The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. 29 The way of the LORD [is] strength to the upright: but destruction [shall be] to the workers of iniquity. 30 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth. 31 The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked [speaketh] frowardness.
Verse 22 speaks of different kinds of blessings. There is the blessing that God gives and the blessing that doesn’t come from God. Many people have experienced sudden blessing and in the end wound up in heartbreak and difficult situations much worse than before. David spoke of this in Psalm 106:15
[Psa 106:15 KJV] 15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
Be careful what you ask for. John 15:7 says ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. Theologians and scholars in their mock authority add to this scripture an implied “if”. They say that you can pray to God for things but He will only give them if you deserve them or if He determines that you actually need them. Mark 11:24 disputes this in the teachings of Jesus. In Mark the verse states that we can ask whatever we desire and it will be given to us. There are times we can ask God for things that He covenantally binds Himself to give to us. A good example of this is Peter. In Mark 14:28 Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water, asked a question there is only one answer to: “Lord if it is you – bid me come …” There is no indication that Jesus was inviting Peter to walk on the water. As a result, as with Peter so with us – we often get in over our heads. Be careful not to ask questions of God that there is only one answer to. “Lord if you love me – tell my boyfriend to propose to me…” or “Lord if you love me, let my loan application go through…” These are recipes for difficult times. Let your fear of God be not that God will NOT answer but that He will and your faith will be built up tremendously and you will find yourself in a whole different kind of walk with God than you may have ever experienced.