PROVERBS 24
Don’t envy sinners verse 1- 2
Be not you envious against EVIL men
neither desire to be with them
for their heart studies destruction
and their lips talk of mischief
Proper building of home verse 3- 6
Through wisdom is an house built
AND by understanding it is established
AND by knowledge shall the chambers be filled
with all precious riches and all pleasant riches
A WISE man is STRONG – YEA
a man of KNOWLEDGE increases strength
For by WISE counsel you shall make your war
AND in multitude of counselors there is safety
Don’t be a mischievous person verse 7- 9
Wisdom is too high for a FOOL
he opens not his mouth in the gate
He that devises to do EVIL shall be called
a mischievous person
The thought of foolishness is SIN
AND the SCORNER is an abomination to men
Use discernment daily verse 10- 12
If you faint in the day of adversity
your strength is small
If you forbear to deliver them that are drawn to death
AND those that are ready to be slain
If you say – Behold we knew it not
Does not HE that ponders the heart consider it?
AND HE that keeps your soul
does not HE know it?
AND shall not HE render to every man
according to his works?
Wisdom brings great expectations verse 13- 14
My son – eat you honey – because it is good
AND the honeycomb – which is sweet to your taste
so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul
when thou hast found it
THEN there shall be a reward
AND your expectation shall not be cut off
Just men have victory verse 15- 16
Lay not wait – O WICKED man
against the dwelling of the RIGHEOUS
spoil not his resting place
for a JUST man falls seven times
AND rises up again
BUT the WICKED shall fall into mischief
Treat enemy well verse 17- 18
Rejoice not when your enemy falls
AND let not your heart be glad when he stumbles
lest the LORD see it – AND it displease HIM
AND HE turn away HIS wrath from him
Remember the reward of righteous verse 19- 20
Fret not yourself because of EVIL men
neither be you envious at the WICKED
for there shall be no reward to the EVIL man
the candle of the WICKED shall be put out
Change is not always good verse 21- 22
My son – FEAR YOU THE LORD AND the king
AND meddle not with them that are given to change
for their calamity shall rise suddenly
AND who knows the ruin of them both?
Don’t complement those who dishonor LORD verse 23- 26
These things also belong to the WISE
It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment
He that says to the WICKED
You are righteous – him shall the people curse
nations shall abhor him
But to them that rebuke him shall be delight
AND a good blessing shall come upon them
every man shall kiss his lips that gives
a right answer
Plan before building verse 27
Prepare your work without
AND make it fit for yourself in the field
AND afterward build your house
Don’t lie verse 28- 29
Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause
AND deceive not with your lips
Say not
I will do so to him as he hath done to me
I will render to the man according to his work
Don’t be lazy verse 30- 34
I went by the field of the SLOTHFUL
AND by the vineyard of the man
VOID of understanding
AND lo – it was all grown over with thorns
AND nettles had covered the face thereof
AND the stone wall thereof was broken down
THEN I saw – AND considered it well
I looked upon it AND received instruction
Yet a little sleep – a little slumber
a little folding of the hands to sleep
So shall your poverty come as one that travels
AND your want as an armed man
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Be not you envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. (7065 “envious” [qana] means be jealous, to get heated, become excited, to be or become painfully desirous of another’s advantages, to be jealous, or to burn with zeal)
DEVOTION: Sometimes genuine believers look at those who are not believers and see all the “fun” they are having or all the “wealth” that they have and wish that they had some of it.
It is easy to look at other people who seem happy and having fun with their money and wish that we could be doing the same. It is all to common for believers to say that they are having fun and we are not.
The truth is that in the short run they might seem like they are having fun but in the end they will spend eternity in hell with the devil and his angels and it will not be the same as those who will spend eternity in heaven with the LORD.
Too often we have short vision rather than long range vision of what the future is going to look like. The short view seems to think that everyone else is having fun while we are serving the LORD with not so much fun and not so much money and thinking life should be better for us.
The LORD wants those who are genuine believer to look at the long view instead of the short view that seeks instant gratification. The short view might look better but it is not and the long view of eternity is not going to be good for those who reject the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We have to keep the long view in mind as we wake up each day to serve the LORD with joy and gladness. We need to be celebrating the joy of the LORD each day.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increases strength. (3581 “strength” [kowach] means to be firm, vigor, power, resources, substance or ability)
DEVOTION: Solomon is still making a distinction between those who are righteous and those who are wicked. The wise or righteous fall but the LORD lifts them up again. The wicked fall and they fall into mischief.
Here Solomon is emphasizing the attributes of someone who is righteous. He is strong. He is wise. He has knowledge of the facts that the LORD is in control of the universe. Such a man will want to find out more about the LORD.
He is one that fears the LORD. He is one who wants to gain strength to fight the enemy. His main enemy is the devil. He still fights the enemies of the world and the flesh each day.
Each day there are new temptations facing those who love the LORD. Each day there needs to be fresh oil given to the ones who want to serve the LORD. This means a time of meditation in the Word of God. This means a time of prayer for guidance. This means that at times there will be time for fasting. All these are necessary for increased awareness of the tricks of the enemy.
You have heard it said that “Knowledge is power” and it is true. Solomon is telling his son that a strong man is wise. A strong man is one who also has knowledge. This same strong man increases his resources.
The wisdom and knowledge he is talking about is Biblical or spiritual. Those without Christ do not have this. We need POWER from on high to live our lives here. The Bible informs us that if we lack wisdom, we need to ask of God and HE will give it to us.
The Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to apply the Word of God. We gain power by practicing the Biblical disciplines and applying new things each year. What are we going to apply in our current year? Do the people around us see our growth in the LORD?
CHALLENGE: We need to gain Spiritual muscles each year. Learn how to gain them for yourself and then share with others. Training is always ongoing. Reread verse 10.
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: 16 For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked
shall fall into mischief. (5307 “falleth” [naphal] means collapse, fail, be
ruined, deserted, be cast down, overwhelmed or overthrown.
DEVOTION: Too often we think that once we become a follower of the LORD Jesus Christ that things will go well for us at all times. We sometimes think that if we are in service to the LORD HE will protect us from any problems or bad circumstances. However if we read both the Old and New Testament we see that many individuals who were trying to follow the LORD had bad things happen to them.
There were people in Solomon’s day that enjoyed seeing those who were trying to follow the LORD fail. They even tried to make it happen as often as they could. They would put roadblocks in the way of those who were following the LORD.
Solomon wanted his son to understand that just because he was a wise individual with Biblical wisdom that he would still have failure in his life. He would try things that would not work. He would take jobs that would not work. He would have friends desert him. He could even go through bankruptcy.
There are people in the church today who would like to see their leaders fail. There are people who think that they would make a better leader than those presently in power. These individuals would try to find ways to bring the present leadership down. Many of these individual can even be members of a church but have never really committed their life to the LORD. It is sad but true.
This verse encourages those who are faithful that even when they fail a number of times the LORD is there to help them rise up again. Seven is a number of completion. This means that no matter how many times a follower of Christ fails he can turn to the LORD and HE can restore him.
However, it is not the same for those who are not followers of the LORD. They can fail and stay there. They don’t have the LORD to help them back up on their feet. There is a difference between those who are followers of the LORD and those who are not.
We know that all those who are genuine followers of the LORD will spend eternity in heaven while those who are without Christ will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: Have confidence in the LORD’S ability to turn your failures into blessings. Realize that HE will take care of you through it all. No matter what HE allows in our life, we will win the war. Praise HIS name.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
19, 20 Fret not yourself because of evil men, neither be you envious at
the wicked: for there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. (2734 “Fret” [charah] means to be or become hot, to kindle, angry, displeased, urn, fly into a passion, or distressed.)
DEVOTION: When we look at what is happening here in America it seems that we could easily become angry at some of the decisions that are being made in our country that are against the Word of God.
Here we find Solomon warning his son not to be distressed because it seems that wicked people are winning all the decisions in his world. He was teaching his son and we need to learn as well that the LORD is still on the throne and HE knew before the foundation of the world what was going to happen.
Some of us wonder at times what God allows these things to happen. Why HE wants us to learn from what is happening. How we are to react to what is happening. What we should say about what is happening.
God wants us to understand that HE wants us to bring glory to HIS name by our reaction to those who believe differently than us regarding the issues that come up. We need to be able to explain our position Biblically and do it in a loving manner that might help those who disagree with us that we can love them in spite of their beliefs.
It is not easy to do. It takes a lot of patience. Some will just make fun of us and we need to expect that. We also need to be prepared for these reactions to Biblical truth.
The world has very little if any tolerance for Biblical teaching and we need to be tolerant of their belief system even when it comes for the enemy of all believers. The devil and his angels know that they are going to be judged in the future and they want to disrupt us to the point of anger but we need to not allow them to win any battle we face.
Only in the power of the Holy Spirit can we answer those who ask us what we believe is truth. We might be laughed at or put in jail for our beliefs but we have to accept it as the will of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Today believers are tested just like the believers of the past. We need to stand up for truth no matter what this world can do to us. We have to do it lovingly. We need to realize we win in the end!!!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Renders to every man according to his works verse 12
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 18, 21
Wrath verse 18
Fear the LORD verse 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Man verse 1, 5, 9, 12,
16, 20, 26,
29, 30, 34
Son verse 13, 21
Wicked man verse 15, 19, 20, 24
Enemy verse 17
Evil men verse 19, 20
King verse 21
Nations verse 24
Neighbor verse 28
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Envious verse 1, 19
Evil verse 1, 8, 19, 20
Desire to be with evil men verse 1
Studying destruction verse 2
Talk of mischief verse 2
Fool verse 7
Mischievous person verse 8, 16
Foolishness verse 9
Sin (thoughts of foolishness) verse 9
Scorner verse 9
Abomination verse 9
Strength is small verse 10
Lay in wait verse 15
Wicked verse 15, 16, 19,
20, 24
Spoiling the righteous verse 15
Rejoicing over fall of enemy verse 17
Glad over enemies stumbling verse 17
Fretting verse 19
Meddling verse 21
Calamity verse 22
Respect of person (prejudice) verse 23
Witness against neighbor wrongfully verse 28
Deceive verse 28
Slothful verse 30, 33, 34
Void of understanding verse 30
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Wisdom verse 3, 7, 14
Understanding verse 3
Knowledge of wisdom verse 4, 5, 14
Wise verse 5, 6, 23
Counsel verse 6
Expectations verse 14
Righteous verse 15, 24
Just verse 16
Rejoice not when your enemy falls verse 17
Fear the LORD verse 21
Good blessing to those who rebuke wicked verse 25
Good blessing verse 25
Right answer verse 26
Render to a man according to his work verse 29
Receive instruction verse 32
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Solomon verse 1- 34
Day of adversity – don’t faint
Fret not because of evil men
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Death verse 11
Slain verse 11
No reward for evil men verse 20
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QUOTES regarding passage
24:15–16. The 27th saying. Sayings 27–29 are warnings (Do not) like sayings 1–4, 6–11, 14, 18–19. Verses 15–16 warn that it is futile for the wicked to attempt to destroy the righteous and his possessions. Because of God’s protection the righteous person recovers from robberies and attacks but the wicked who instigate such schemes (cf. vv. 2, 8) find that they are the ones who suffer (cf. 1:18–19). Examples of this kind of judicial boomeranging are seen in Daniel 3 and 6. (Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 958). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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24:15, 16 seven times. This stands for “often” or “many” (see 26:16; Job 5:19). The plots of the wicked against the righteous, though partially and temporarily successful, shall not be ultimately successful; while the wicked will fall under God’s eternal judgment and find no help or deliverance. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Pr 24:15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 15. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous, &c.] The church of God, which is the righteous man’s dwelling-place, and where he desires and delights to dwell; or his own dwelling-house; it may be rendered, at the dwelling of the righteous; lay not wait at his door to observe who goes in and out, and what is done there; and to watch for his halting, and take notice of his infirmities, slips, and falls, and improve them to his disadvantage; and so the Vulgate Latin version, and lay not wait and seek ungodliness in the house of the righteous; or lay not wait there for him, as Saul set men to watch the house of David to kill him, 1 Sam. 19:11 or to take an opportunity and get into it and plunder it, as follows. Spoil not his resting-place; by pulling it down, or stripping it of its furniture; by robbing him of the substance in it, and thus disturbing his rest, and destroying the place of it; or the place where he lies down as a sheep in its fold, or as the shepherd in his cottage, of which the words in the text are used; and so denote that as the righteous man is like a sheep, harmless and innocent, those that lay in wait for him and spoil him are no other than wolves.
Ver. 16. For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again, &c.] This is to be understood of a truly just man; not of one that is only outwardly and seemingly so, or of temporary believers and nominal professors; but of such who are thoroughly convinced of their own unrighteousness, and believe in Christ for righteousness, and have it applied and imputed to them; as well as have principles of grace and righteousness implanted in them, and live righteously in this evil world; these often fall either into troubles or into sins, and indeed into both, and the one is the cause of the other; and both senses may be retained: the former seems more agreeable to the context, and runs thus, lay not wait to a just man’s dwelling to do him any hurt; for though he should be insnared, and stumble, and fall into distress and calamity, yet he will rise again out of it, and so all attempts upon him are vain and fruitless; many are the righteous man’s afflictions he falls into, but the Lord delivers out of all; he delivers him in six troubles, and even in seven, Psal. 34:19; Job 5:19 or in many, one after another; he rises out of them all; he comes out of great tribulations, and at last safely enters the kingdom of heaven; and therefore, it is to no purpose to lie in wait for him: and this sense is strengthened by the words following, rejoice not when thine enemy falleth; but the latter sense of falling into sin has been anciently received, and not to be rejected; and which generally precedes and is the cause of falling into trouble. A just man, though he does not fall from his righteousness, which is an everlasting one, nor from the grace of God; yet he may fall into temptation, and by it he may fall into sin, as every just man does; for there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not, Eccl. 7:20 and that frequently, even every day; and therefore stands every day in need of fresh application of pardoning grace, for which he is directed to pray daily; and he may be left to fall foully into very gross sins, as David, Peter, and others; but not totally and finally, so as to perish; being on the heart of God, in the hands of Christ, on him the foundation, united to him, and kept by the power of God, he shall and does rise again sooner or later; not by his own power and strength, but by the strength of the Lord; he rises by renewed repentance, and under the fresh discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy to heal his backslidings. But the wicked shall fall into mischief; or evil; into the evil of sin, and there lie and wallow in it, as the swine in the mire, and never rise out of it; and into the evil of punishment, into hell itself, from whence there will be no deliverance; and oftentimes they fall into mischief in this world, into trouble and distress, into poverty and want, in which they live and die, and never recover out of it; to which agrees what follows. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, pp. 494–495). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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“Wicked” people (the noun is plural here, but singular in v. 15) are made to stumble (“fall” in v. 16 translates two different Hebrew words; the second, kāshal describes stumbling over an obstacle or being tripped up; 4:12, 19; see noun form at 16:18) and never get up. “Calamity” (Hebrew rā˓āh, evil or disaster) hits them as divine judgment and lays them low once and for all. (Hubbard, D. A., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1989). Vol. 15: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 15 : Proverbs. The Preacher’s Commentary series (384). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)
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Ver. 16.—A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again. The fall may be taken of sin or of calamity. Preachers, ancient and modern, have made much use of this text in the first sense, expatiating how a good man may fall into venial or more serious sins, but he never loses his love of God, and rises from his fall by repentance on every occasion. We also often find the words in die, “a day,” added, which indeed occur in some manuscripts, but are not in the original. But the verb naphal seems not to be used in the sense of “falling” morally; and the meaning here is that the just man frequently falls into trouble,—he is not secure against worldly cares and losses, or the insidious attacks of the man mentioned in ver. 15; but he never loses his trust in God or attends by fretfulness and impatience, and always God’s providence watches over him and delivers him out of all his afflictions. “Seven times” means merely often, that number being used to express plurality or completeness (see on ch. 6:31; 26:16; and comp. Gen. 4:24; Job 5:19 (which is like our passage); and Matt. 18:22). The expectation which the sinner conceived when he saw the good man distressed, that he might seize the opportunity and use it to his own benefit, is woefully disappointed. In contrast with the recovery and reestablishment of the righteous, when the wicked suffer calamity there is no recuperation for them. The wicked shall fall into mischief; Revised Version better, are overthrown by calamity (comp. ch. 14:32, and note there). Septuagint, “But the ungodly shall be weak in evils.” (The Pulpit Commentary: Proverbs. 2004 (H. D. M. Spence-Jones, Ed.) (460). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
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The wicked rejoice in iniquity, and are glad at the calamities of the righteous. But though the just man stumble frequently, he shall be lifted up again, for “God is able to make him stand.” The sevenfold fall may refer, I judge, either to what are commonly called misfortunes, or to moral lapses brought on through unwatchfulness; for, let the saint of God become careless, and he is as weak as other men. But where grace has wrought in the soul, there will be recovery; while, as for the mere empty professor, he will return like a dog to his vomit, or like a sow to her wallowing in the mire, thus becoming overwhelmed with evil. Contrast Peter with Judas (Matt. 26:75; 27:3–5). Compare Psa. 34:18–22. (Ironside, H. A. (1908). Notes on the Book of Proverbs (336–337). Neptune, N. J.: Loizeaux Bros.)
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24:15, 16 seven times. This stands for “often” or “many” (see 26:16; Job 5:19). The plots of the wicked against the righteous, though partially and temporarily successful, shall not be ultimately successful; while the wicked will fall under God’s eternal judgment and find no help or deliverance. (MacArthur, J. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible : New American Standard Bible. (Pr 24:15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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16. falleth] not into sin, for the Heb. word is never used of moral lapse, but into trouble or calamity. You will “lay wait against” him and “spoil” him (v. 15) to no purpose. You may cause him many “falls” by your machinations, but he will rise superior to them all. “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand” (Ps. 37:24. Comp. Ps. 34:19). Whereas “the wicked,” among whom thou art thus numbering thyself (v. 15), shall fall into mischief; or rather, shall not merely fall to rise again, but are overthrown by calamity (R.V.). By a single calamity, it may be (in contrast to the sevenfold recovery of the righteous) they are utterly crushed. (Perowne, T. T. (1899). The Proverbs with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (153). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Rahab shelters two spies and helps them escape from the city of Jericho.
INSIGHT
God will meet any person, any time, any place. There are few people who seem to be further from the Lord than a harlot. Yet, in the course of her everyday life, Rahab finds herself keeping a divine appointment with two strangers in need and, in the process, meets with God.
The kind of risks Rahab takes will not be taken without a searching heart. In her own way, she takes a step of faith; God meets her. Her reward is not only eternal life, but also the honor of being included in the messianic lineage. Wherever you are in your life, God will meet you there. (Quiet Walk)
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UNDERSTANDING MIRACLES
Great is the mystery of godliness. 1 Timothy 3:16
If what the Bible says about Jesus Christ is right and true, then of necessity it is something that transcends human intellect and reason. “Quite right,” you say. “I cannot understand miracles.” Of course, you cannot; no one can understand a miracle. It would cease to be a miracle if you could. “I cannot grasp the supernatural.” Most certainly you cannot. There never has been a man who could understand the doctrine of the Incarnation. I think of the Incarnation, and I take my stand on the side of the apostle Paul who said, “Great is the mystery of godliness.” My mind is too small to understand it; my intellect cannot span the infinities and the immensities and the eternities. My little pygmy reason and logic are not big enough to see or to take in such a conception as the self-emptying and the humiliation of the Son of God.
I do not claim to understand it; who could understand an idea such as the Virgin Birth? It is beyond understanding; it is beyond reason. Who can understand the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, unmixed, remaining separate, unmingled and yet both there, still only one person? We cannot understand the doctrine of the Trinity —the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we should never try to do so.
The claim of the Gospel is that it is in a realm that is beyond human reason and understanding. It is a revelation, a statement that comes to us, an announcement; it is the gift of God. That is why instead of reasoning around and around in circles and trying to span and grasp the infinite and the everlasting, I say, go to Him!
A Thought to Ponder
If what the Bible says about Jesus Christ is right and true, then of necessity it is something that transcends human intellect and reason.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 19-20, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd—Jones)
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The Trinity in Salvation
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14)
There are a number of significant references to the work of all three Persons of the Trinity in the great work of salvation. Note the implicit reference to the Trinity in our text: “The blood of Christ…through the eternal Spirit offered…to God.” There is also a beautiful Trinitarian implication in Ephesians 2:18: “For through [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
The promise of Christ to send the Holy Spirit is a high point of the gospel of John. “I will pray the Father,” said the Lord Jesus, “and he shall give you another Comforter” (Greek parakletos, meaning “one called alongside”), “that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26).
It seems very clear from such Scriptures that all three—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—are each distinct persons. Yet that the three together are one God is also clear from the fact that they are identified by name as One. Converts are to be baptized “in the name [note the singular—one name] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). Note also the benediction formula. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14). What we cannot fully understand in our minds of this wonderful triune Godhead, we can understand and believe with our hearts.
(HMM, The Trinity in Salvation – The Institute for Creation Research)
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Father of Lies
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
Victor slowly became addicted to pornography. Many of his friends looked at porn, and he fell into it too. But now he understands how wrong it was—he sinned against God—and it crushed his wife. He’s vowed to put safeguards in his life so he’ll never look at it again. Yet he fears it’s too late. Can his marriage be saved? Will he ever be free and fully forgiven?
Our enemy, the devil, presents temptation as if it’s no big deal. Everyone’s doing it. What’s the harm? But the moment we catch on to his scheme, he switches gears. It’s too late! You’ve gone too far! You’re hopeless now!
The enemy will say whatever it takes to destroy us as we engage in spiritual warfare. Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
If the devil is a liar, then we should never listen to him. Not when he says our sin is no big deal, and not when he says we’re beyond hope. May Jesus help us dismiss the evil one’s words and listen to Him instead. We rest our hearts on His promise: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (vv. 31–32). (By Mike Wittmer, Our Daily Bread)
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Philemon 1
Paul urges Philemon to have mercy on his runaway slave, Onesimus, who has become a Christian.
INSIGHT
If anyone is a servant of Christ, he cannot be a tyrant to men. Jesus taught forgiveness, compassion, and gentlenessÑnot harshness, anger, and retribution. Paul urges Philemon to forgive, receive, and restore his runaway slave, Onesimus, as a brother in Christ, now that he has become a Christian. The fact that this letter has been preserved indicates PhilemonÕs favorable response. Although we do not have slaves today, our employees, co-workers, associates, and neighbors deserve respect from us. Service to Christ requires a forgiving spirit.
PRAYER
Thank and praise the Lord that what He requires of us is something we are able to give Him:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain. . . .
We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness,
In the midst of Your temple.
According to Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness (Psalm 48:1, 9-10).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).
The Lord encourages us to come to Him with our concerns and desires. As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
spiritual victory over temptation,
opportunities to serve the Lord,
whatever else is on your heart.
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore (Psalm 121:7-8). (QuietWalk)
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THE APOSTOLIC WITNESS
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:14-16
The apostolic witness is most important. What is it? John, in effect is putting it like this: “The important thing is to know God. But how can I know God? ‘No man hath seen God at any time.’ But we have seen and do testify that Jesus is the Son of God.” That is the statement.
Notice how he puts it. He had not had a vision. What then? Thank God, “we have seen.” He said it all in his introduction: “That which…we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life….That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,” said John. No man has seen God, but we have seen Jesus, and Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (See John 14:9).
In other words, the apostolic vision on which my faith is grounded is this: It is a belief in that which the apostles tell us they saw, and the explanation of their understanding of what they saw is found in the four Gospels. The statements in the Gospels are not simply objective statements; they are statements plus interpretation, and at long last modern man has come back to see that. They used to contrast John with Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They said that John preached, but that Matthew, Mark, and Luke just gave the facts. But they now have to admit that what all four wrote was facts plus interpretation. Like John, the men who wrote the first three Gospels believed and understood that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They saw and testified; in other words, they saw, and they expounded.
A Thought to Ponder
The explanation of the apostles’ understanding of what they saw is found in the four Gospels.
(From The Love of God, p. 125 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Son of Thankfulness (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research) ____________________________________________________________ Recently, a colleague noted how a growing number of conservative-minded people he encountered on social media, some of them Christians, were refusing to believe stories about Russian atrocities in Ukraine. Some even reject that the invasion was an unjustified war of aggression by Russia. When he asked the reason for their doubt, it was simply because those stories were reported in the “mainstream media,” which has done nothing but lie to us for years. I share suspicion for certain sources. Most reporters for the major networks and news outlets have forgotten the difference between journalism and opinion writing. And, of course, their biases tend to lean in the same direction. Christian conservatives rarely get a fair shake on self-described neutral outlets, such as CNN or The Washington Post, let alone overtly progressive outlets such as Vox or MSNBC. However, when our suspicion about truth-telling becomes suspicion that there isn’t truth, we’ve become postmodernists. Christian writer Samuel James calls this bad habit “negative epistemology.” This is the idea that we don’t need to figure out what’s true, we only need to believe the opposite of whatever our political enemies say. Of course, this is only part of the overall and pervasive collapse of trust throughout American society, specifically trust in institutions. We are rightly concerned about misinformation, the frequently shifting landscape of rationale for dealing with COVID-19 and claims about election fraud. But beneath all of these specific examples is a cultural landscape that treats truth and truth claims as nothing more than power plays. This isn’t a new idea. During the confirmation hearings for current Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, concern was raised over a speech she had given at UC Berkeley. In it, she stated that “to judge is an exercise in power.” The same idea leads activists to dismiss opponents by pointing out the color of their skin instead of addressing their argument. We see it every time cancel culture comes for a speaker or author on a college campus who says something that doesn’t support their team. In other words, behind the collapse of trust in American society is a collapse of truth, the very possibility of truth. For more than a century now, academics have been preaching this kind of extreme skepticism, suggesting that all truth claims are really impositions of power. This belief was at the heart of a worldview known as “postmodernism,” initially conceived by mid-20th century French philosophers and most fully expressed in late-20th century pop culture. Today, Eminem and Nirvana are considered “classics,” but the fact that so much of our culture is reduced to political power plays and so many people decide what’s true by asking who believes the opposite only proves that, to some extent, we are all postmodernists, now. (Break Point) _______________________________________________________
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