Proverbs 5:6

“She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.”

One of the saddest things in life is ignorance. Even sadder is a seared conscience which is, in effect, a ignorance of morality. Solomon talks about the adulteress here, a woman whose conduct is so depraved that she doesn’t even know (any longer) that what she is doing is wrong. She has so long chosen not to walk the path of life that when her ways wander into sin, she doesn’t even know it.

Sin can become so familiar, so comfortable, that, after awhile, we don’t even give it a second thought. That is a dangerous place for a Christian. When we get to the point that we have ignored the Spirit’s voice so much that we no longer hear, we are in great jeapardy.

Paul warned us about this in 1 Timothy:

“For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths” (4:3-4 NRSV).

Paul isn’t talking to nonbelievers here, but to us, to Christians. There is a time when we are at risk for turning away from the truth, from turning away from the path of life. And, if we do it enough, in the end, we will not even be aware that we are doing it. It will be so comfortable to us.

Yesterday, at school, I was talking to some of my students and talked about the word “conscience.” Most of them had no idea what I was talking about. It’s so sad because our conscience is very important! It is the barometer which tells us whether or not we are following the right path; it is the inner sense that seeks for the Spirit in all things.

Paul writes:

“By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:19b NRSV).

It is possible, as a Christian, to ignore or even reject our conscience. But why would we? It is like an internal traffic light that tells us whether or not we are headed in the right direction. Is it green that we can continue down this path? Or red that we should stop? Or yellow that we should take a second look, a second consideration?

The more we “keep straight to the path of life,” the more we cultivate our conscience, the more we become in tuned to it. Our walk with the Lord becomes more familiar, more comfortable, more easily discerned. However, when we fail to keep to that path, the voice of our conscience becomes more difficult for us to hear. We aren’t used to listening and so often ignore it. Scripture often calls this a hard heart. And our hearts can become so hardened that we come to the point where we don’t even know right from wrong, obedience from sin. If we are to not be, as Paul said, “shipwrecked in the faith,” then we need to begin today to listen to our conscience.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 5:1-6

“My child, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
so that you may hold on to prudence,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
For the lips of a loose woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol.
She does not keep straight to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.” NRSV

You can’t turn on the TV anymore but that you don’t see an advertisement for something that is sexually-related. The ones I think I hate the most are from the online dating services, the ones where you can find your “soul mate” just by signing up on their website. One of the articles I read about online dating said that it’s possible that up to half of the people who sign up on online dating services are married.

It seems that many in America are looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, that few are content with their life the way it is right now. I wonder how many of those married folks on online dating services also claim to be Christians?

Sexual promiscuity, whether with our bodies or in our minds, is a real problem. We are barraged from all sides by advertisements and entertainment that exudes sex. It seems that you can’t sell a beer or a swimsuit or a pencil without the commercial having some kind of sexual connotation.

Is that how God intended sex to be used?

Even in Solomon’s day, the lure for the forbidden, unknown sexual experience was a problem. The first few chapters of Proverbs, while containing other lessons, focuses on the problems of being enticed by prostitution and adultery. Certainly, the lure of a “better partner” can be extremely tempting, particularly if we attribute the problems in our lives to those around us rather than to us!

“For the lips . . . drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil . . .”

Brad Paisley sings a great song: “I’m So Much Cooler Online.” The fact is that dating someone new can help us hide the fact that there are quirks in our personality that make us difficult to live with. When we meet someone new, particularly when we can hide our faults behind the anonymity of the Internet, it seems to fix all those things with which we struggle in those more familiar relationships. We can truly be that cooler, more popular and attractive person in an Internet relationship, whether the relationship be on a dating service, in a chat room, by email. Adultery always seems better because it is limited in scope; it doesn’t deal with the day-to-day realities faced in building a marriage and a family.

But the fact is, adultery leads to death. Plain and simple. It is based on a lie and lies are the tools of the enemy. “Her feet go down to death.” In the end, adultery (whether physical or emotional) will leave you alone in your sin. There is no hope for those who want to build their house on the sand, as attractive as it might be.

As Christians, whether we are married or single, we need to be on constant watch to guard our hearts. For me, it goes back to Philippians 4:7 again:

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NRSV).

The “peace of God,” or shalom, is that state of being right with God. In other words, it’s walking with Him, walking with Him, being in constant prayer, in constant communication with Him. That’s what will guard our hearts. If we are looking to Him for what we need, for what we should do, then we won’t take that first step to flirt with someone we meet online, to “just take a look” at that porn site, to just investigate what all the hooplah is about on that dating service. If we are keeping our eyes on Him and trusting Him to provide our every need, there won’t even be the temptation (when we are depressed or lonely or bored) to look somewhere else. He will always be all we ever need.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 4:24-27

“Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Keep straight the path of your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.” NRSV

How much are we willing to compromise? Oh, I think I would be the first to protest and say that I never compromise, but that would be a lie, a compromise in itself. For when I want to win, to be right, to be in control, I’m more than willing to compromise. Unconsciously, I think I see it as some kind of trade-off. I guess it is. A trade of my righteousness for my desire.

Bad idea.

For the fact is, crooked speech isn’t always obvious. Deviousness isn’t always easy to see. When I put aside the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—and pick up a cause like a standard, I embrace crookedness and deviousness. I put myself in place of God Who is ever more concerned about each soul than He is who wins some kind of cultural or social war. The fact is, He wins each and every time because, over the long haul, God gets everything His way. Period. And when I’m willing to believe, somehow, that the end justifies the means, I lose. It’s that simple.

I visited a website this weekend that purports to be Christian. I say “purports” because many of the discussion boards are filled with anger, with rage, with insults, with demeaning talk. I don’t see patience there or kindness or gentleness or self-control. Rather I see people willing to embrace crooked speech, people willing to say just about anything if it means they “win” the argument. It seems to me it’s something like winning the battle but losing the war. How often do we embrace behavior that we know, in an isolated situation is wrong, in order to try to promote a cause we believe to be right?

“Turn your foot away from evil.”

It’s pretty straight forward. There doesn’t seem to be any room to compromise, even if the end in sight seems to justify what we are doing now. But the fact is, how is what we do in these situations any different from what Satan does?

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a NRSV).

Wolves aren’t classified by their “wolf-ness” but rather by their “fruits” (same word as that used in Galatians 5). By all other appearances they look like the sheep.

Ouch! Am I sometimes a wolf?

I think that I need to ask myself what’s important. Is it important that I exude the fruit of the Spirit or is it important that I advance the cause of Christ? What’s important to Him? The fact is, there isn’t anywhere that we are commanded to convince the world of the rightness of Christianity, only that we are to preach the gospel and to love each other as Christ loves us. I think that we get so obsessed with trying to prove our own position right, we forget that the war’s already been won.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 4:20-23

“My child, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.” NRSV

“Keep your heart with all vigilance . . .”

There is a sense in scripture that the heart is the seat of the truth about who we are. We may sometimes behave as if we are someone or something else, but what is in our heart is who we truly are. The Lord Jesus said: “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart . . ." (Matthew 15:18a NRSV). Paul taught: “But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart . . .” (Romans 6:17a NRSV).

There is a connection between our heart, our thoughts, and our behavior:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 NRSV).

“For from within, out of a person’s heart, come forth wicked thoughts . . .” (Mark 7:21 JNT).

The point being that there is a point, prior to sin, where we can prevent ourselves from being enticed by temptation, where we can guard against the urge to disobey God’s Word. The proverb says to “keep your heart with all vigilance.” How do we do that? I think that the answer lies in a passage in Philippians:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:4-7 NRSV).

I think that Paul is describing a lifestyle here, one that is based upon peace. But this peace isn’t the absence of conflict. Rather it is presence of God. Peace, or “shalom,” is the idea that we are at peace with God and is based upon the fact that we are forgiven, that our sins have been atoned for:

From A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans:

“Paul understands ‘peace’ as being the direct result of ‘justification.’ Since justification is God's free gift of righteousness of man, even when he does not acknowledge, honor or give thanks to God, peace corresponds to righteousness in the sense of reconciliation. . . . The biblical ‘peace-offering’ was a general offering, not peculiar to the service of the Day of Atonement, but peace-offerings also importantly accompanied the people's renewal of the covenant. The purpose of all the sacrifices was to make atonement (lit. ‘to make peace’) between man and God. ‘Peace’ as ‘righteousness’ therefore relates to the reconciliation (at-one-ment)” (p. 179-180, Joseph Shulam and Hilary Cornu).

If we understand this, then, our peace comes from being right with God, and everything else flows from that. When we confess our sins and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:9), we then are at peace with God because we have been reconciled to Him. Everything else in the Philippians passage flows from this: joy, gentleness, trust, prayer, thanksgiving. And it is these things which guard our hearts.

I think that, as contemporary believers, we have forgotten the power in confession. Our society is so focused on self-esteem. I’ve been in churches where old hymns of the faith have been discarded because they talk about humans in less than flattering terms:

Alas, and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?” (“At the Cross,” Watts & Hudson)

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!” (“Amazing Grace,” Newton)

I’ve known people who have changed John Newton’s words to “someone like me” rather than sing “wretch.”

“Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind—
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find—
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” (“Just As I Am,” Elliott & Bradbury)

And yet, if we are not these things—if we are not wretched and sinful and blind and needy—then why do we go to the Throne? Why do we need God’s grace and love and provision? The first step in receiving is to understand what we lack. The first step in forgiveness is to understand that we are sinners. Are we greatly valued and valuable? Yes! But not from anything with us, but only because of the love of the Father Who sent the Son to die for us. Our value comes not from within us, but from within Him! And we desperately need to be reconciled to God the Father through the blood of our Lord Jesus.

Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts. We begin guarding by understanding the process of peace, by understanding that it is only through confessing our sins that we are reconciled to Him, have peace with Him. The peace of God which guards our hearts is the peace appropriated through confession, through receiving forgiveness. Only then can we implement that other steps of being joyful, acting with gentleness, trusting God, praying constantly, being thankful. And then our hearts are guarded with vigilance.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 4:18-19

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what they stumble over.”

I think that self-awareness and self-discernment are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because when we are open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, He brings awareness and discernment into our lives, shining His holy light on that which we need to see.

“. . . they do not know what they stumble over.”

Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t know why my life is the way it is?” (Have you ever said or thought that yourself?) We used to work in an assistance ministry. People would come in for help with food, clothing, and furniture. Often, they seemed confused (and then angry about their confusion) because they couldn’t understand why their lives were the way they were. They blamed fate, society, those around them on their circumstances. Many wanted more and more and more and yet that wasn’t enough.

I remember one young mom. She had three children (different dads; no husband in the home). She was destitute and needed food, diapers, assistance with her utilities. And yet, when we dropped off the things to her home (she didn’t have a car), we found full cable hook-up, a big screen TV, cigarettes, liquor. She had no idea why her life was such that her children were starving. And yet, she was spending the money she did have like there was no tomorrow. There was a real lack of objectivity, of self-awareness, of discernment. She didn’t realize (couldn’t realize? wouldn’t realize?) that her very choices were the reasons for her circumstances.

“ . . . they do not know what they stumble over.”

Is this me? I think so sometimes. There are sinful habits with which I struggle, and yet, if I am brutally honest with myself, I will admit that I haven’t yet taken these habits to the Throne and surrendered them there. There is a “way of wicked[ness]” within me that remains still. I stumble around in the deep darkness, feeling helpless and not knowing what I’m stumbling over. I haven’t yet allowed the light of the Spirit into that corner of my life.

I need to do that.

The encouragement for me comes in the first phrase: “which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” In other words, the path of the righteous—my path—is a process, a journey. It isn’t a one-time-thank-you-ma’am experience. It is somewhere I must walk, one foot at a time, heading toward that Light which is my Savior. My goal must be to face the Light and take that one step today.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 4:14-17

“Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.”

I think that most believers wouldn’t not consider themselves in any manner wicked. I mean, one doesn’t choose to follow Christ or to go to church due to their desire to be evil or mean or wicked. We choose God because we want to reject those things, but often they remain in our lives to haunt us. Old habits, they say, die hard.

Ain’t that the truth?

Whether it’s a hair-quick temper or a gossipy mouth or a jealous spirit, most of us struggle with some habitual problem.

Habit.

Wikipedia (not my favorite reference, but good in a pinch) defines habit this way: “an acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically.” There are many things we do as a habit, do without thinking: brushing our teeth, walking, chewing, putting on a jacket, kissing. There are other things we do that can spark the desire to do something. This is called the antecedent event, the situation which triggers, in our minds, the desire to do something.

In my classroom, there is a telephone. There are also usually 20-40 rather hyperactive and inattentive students. So, I made a decision that, unless I was sitting at my desk doing paperwork, I wouldn’t answer my telephone but would rather allow the calls to go to voice mail. Well, I have to tell you that my students (who are the children of the cell phone age) just go nuts because I won’t answer the phone. The ringing is an antecedent event for them, the urge to answer the phone so strong.

If we look at many of the habitual sins in our lives, we may find that there are antecedent events which trigger the desire for the behavior. I think this is what the writer of Proverbs was eluding to when he wrote: “Do not enter the path of the wicked.” In other words, don’t even start there, avoid that antecedent event and you will avoid walking there.

I think about entering like opening a door and walking through. The door is there. We don’t have to open it. We can even walk by and ignore it. But it’s like going through a house that you want to buy. Even if you don’t like the house and know you aren’t going to buy it, there is that insatiable curiosity to find out what’s behind the closed door. And while we know what’s behind the door of that sinful, habitual behavior, there still is that compelling desire to go there.

Notice what this passage says: “Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.” Three admonitions to just not go there. I think that it’s important, as Christians, that we become self-aware enough to know what situations are the opening door to sin and to choose to avoid them.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:30-35

“Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.
Do not envy the violent
and do not choose any of their ways;
for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.
The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.” NRSV

Most people I know are aware that I work in an elementary school. We live in a rather rural city which has a preponderance of low income families. Unfortunately, we also have a very large number of blended families. Many of our students don’t live with both of their parents; often children are actually bounced back and forth between two homes, even though the parents may live only a few minutes away from each other. And because these parents’ lives are already on overload, the parents often expect their children to take on adult responsibilities and commitments.

Yesterday, I took my first, second, and third grade music students on a field trip. It’s an annual event and one that we had excessively “advertised” for the entire semester. Yet, there were still children who didn’t get to go because their parents hadn’t taken the responsibility to sign the permission slip. It makes me sad for the children. And my usually response is to bag on the parents to other staff members.

I shouldn’t be doing that. First off, I don’t know the situation. Perhaps, if I were there, I would be as absent-minded and seemingly inconsiderate as they are. Secondly, the Lord loves those parents—even if they are being foolish—as much as He loves me. To speak meanly of someone else seems to me to be as violent as hitting them, and I’m admonished not to be violent, not to choose those ways.

The fact is, if I were brutally honest (which is how I need to be with myself), I would admit that at least part of my anger and frustration at these parents is that they are breaking up my chorus on a performance day. I had two kids with speaking parts who weren’t there because their parents didn’t sign the permission slips. Not at all charitable of me. (At least this year I knew enough not to let my anger be expressed in front of the children.) Yes, it also angers me that people are inconsiderate of their children who have no control over the situation. But, I also get angry because things don’t go the way I expect them to go.

I need to learn to be more loving, more forgiving.

There is a comparison in this passage between the scornful and the humble. The dictionary defines “scorn” as the “open dislike and disrespect often mixed with indignation.” Well, why do I get indignant? Most often because someone has stepped on my toes, ruined my plans, made me change what I wanted to do. It seems that scorn is a lot about what I want and not at all about loving, giving, ministering to those around me.

On the other hand, the dictionary defines “humble” as “not arrogant or assertive.” In other words, it seems to be a comparison—scornful and humble—between someone who wants/demands their own way and someone who is willing to let others have their way.

If scornful is wanting your own way, then God says (my very loose paraphrase) that if we demand our own way, ultimately, He will get His way regardless of what we want. In other words, He wins.

Well, yeah. That seems like something I should obviously know. And yet, how often do I try to fight against God? (Isn’t that absurd? Like I could win?)

I see being humble as being willing to be God-centered. And God is people-centered. So ultimately, my humility should bring me to the place where I’m willing for others to have their way (again and again and again) and trust God to take care of me, rather than trying to get what I need (or want) and focusing on that.

The promises in this for the believer who trusts Him are amazing:
• The upright are in His confidence
• He blesses the abode of the righteous
• To the humble He shows favor
• The wise will inherit honor

I wonder why I spend so much time trying to get for me when He has already promised that, when I trust Him, He will do it for me?

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:27-30

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it’—when you have it with you.
Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.
Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.” NRSV

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:14-17 NRSV).

Since we, as Christians, have the ability to do good through the power of the Holy Spirit, we should at least try to do good as much as we are able. It grieves me to see Christians, including myself, being as self-centered as possible because somehow we think we deserve it. Christianity, at its core, is about doing good for others and trusting God to take care of us.

Sometimes I don’t trust God enough to be good to others. I think that I need to hoard for myself because then I won’t have enough.

What’s interesting, though, about these proverbs is that there are qualifiers. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He said: “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you” (Matthew 7:6 NRSV). I do think, though, we need to be careful in our judgement of whether or not a person is qualified to receive our help. Better to give and be wrong than not to give at all.

• Do not withhold good when it is in your power to do it.

Have you ever been too tired? too busy? too preoccupied? I have.

Two days ago I was sidelined by a doctor for a recurring foot problem. How do I stop and allow this to heal when I have so much going on? (And still more looming at me!) And yet, there is the same question: How can I stop and help someone when I’m late for work, late for an appointment, just late, period? How can I have resources to give when I’m already overextended? I know that I tend to use all I have (time included) and not necessarily for good. Rather, I seem to be preoccupied about getting for me and not nearly enough about finding out what God wants me to do.

• Do not say “Go, and come again,” when you have it with you.

I save . . . wrongly. I don’t save as I should and I save when I shouldn’t. The fact is, as a Christian, I should be generous to a fault. After all, who is providing for me? Me? Or God? And if I truly believe that God is providing for me, don’t I have enough with some to spare?

“He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on’” (Mark 12:41-44 NRSV).

I’ve often wondered what happened after this. This account is like a movie where you want to know what happened to the characters after the last credit. What happened to this widow? Did Jesus tell the disciples to go feed her? Did God multiply her resources like He did for the widow during Elijah’s time? Or did He take her home to Heaven where there is no more want?

The fact is, the ever-after ending in the life of every believer is that, ultimately, we will be in heaven, completely and absolutely provided for forever. So why do we worry and fuss so much about what we have or don’t have now? Yes, we need to be responsible, but we don’t need to be obsessed. Does someone else need something more than us and we have it? Then why aren’t we willing to freely give it?

I was in my classroom the other day, using one of my “signature” purple mechanical pencils. This particular pencil had been a bit expensive (more than a dollar), so I had been careful to put it away in the drawer after each day. One of my students saw it and said, “Oh, I like that pencil. Can I have it?” I immediately gave it to her. She was astonished. “You are giving me your pencil? Oh, I’ll pay you for it.” And she proceeded to pull out a five dollar bill. She couldn’t understand when I was willing simply to give it to her.

I teach children whose parents are unwilling to give to them, but make them “pay” for almost everything they get. (On the other hand, I also have other children in my class whose parents give them everything and more. And that’s equally unhealthy.)

The point being, as Christians, shouldn’t we be willing to give, knowing Who our Source is?

• Do not plan harm against your neighbor

You know, like family, you don’t really get to choose your neighbors. People buy or rent homes without getting permission from the neighborhood. So you might have someone living next to or near you that, simply put, you don’t like. And yet, the Bible tells us plainly not to plan harm. That means even emotional harm. We should, as Christians, be the first to welcome, the first there in time of distress or pain, the first to rejoice when something wonderful happens.

We don’t exactly live in a “perfect” neighborhood. There are two homes with multiple families (where there shouldn’t be), a couple with mental and emotional problems, and a family whose daughter regularly uses drugs. Not exactly the kind of neighborhood that heps property values. And yet, what a place for ministry, for reaching out!

As Christians, our goal should be to do no harm, to bring benefit to those around us.

• Do not quarrel when no harm has been done.

While I do believe there are instances of true emotional abuse, I also believe that we are often too easily offended. One of the things I tell my students is that if what someone says is true, then you shouldn’t be upset, because it’s true. And if it isn’t true, then their saying it doesn’t make it true so then you have no reason to be upset.

As a society we used to define harm as “irreparable” harm meaning it wouldn’t grow back or heal or be easily replaced. Now, it seems like we tend to look for any reason to claim that someone has harmed us so that we can benefit from it. When did we stop forgiving and start holding grudges? When did we stop looking out for others and start focusing on ourselves?

Are there instances of true abuse? Absolutely! I see that in my students almost everyday. But are there many more instances of simply being human, with the need to forgive, forget and go on? I’m convinced of it.

I think if we had a longer view of life, we would be more willing to forgive. I mean, if we are truly spending eternity in heaven and this life is simply a hiccup, then where should our priorities be? Are we better off if we forgive and go on, rather than stewing in our own pain and bitterness? Absolutely!

Ultimately as Christians, we need to ask ourselves who we are and why we are who we are. Who are we serving? Ourselves? Or the Lord? Over the long haul, I think the best epitaph would be “She loved others better than herself.” Maybe someday I’ll learn how to be that person. I just have to keep trying.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:21-26

“My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
If you sit down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.” NRSV

I belong to one of those Internet survey groups. Every now and then, they send along a survey about spending habits or communication or something. One of the recurring questions (for some reason) is whether or not I think that the Internet provides too much information to people.

I’m beginning to think so.

There is, I think, an innate desire to live in order and harmony. And while some people seem to like the stir the pot, I think that their “order” is that kind of fomented harried life. There is this desire to arrange things around us to our liking. If nothing else, most of us live with expectations . . . expectations of how things should work out, expectations of how people should behave, even expectations about what we should find as we travel life’s road. Maslow, a famous psychologist, developed these expectations into a hierarchy of basic needs which is accepted by many today as being true about human nature. When a need is lacking or challenged, the focus goes to that need. Anxiety and worry are created.

The Lord, having created us, knew that we would focus on the circumstances around us, rather than on His ability and willingness to care for us. This passage reminds us that we don’t need to focus on what worries us, but focus instead upon the Lord. I know that, for myself, I tend to be a control freak. Not so much out of a need to make everyone do things my way, but because I keep myself so busy and so obligated that I really can’t deal with a wrench in the gears. I need to learn how to let go and let God. Yes, it is important to be a woman of my word, to do what I promise to do. But it’s not so important that I trod over everyone around me in the attempt.

I like the words in this passage: “Do not be afraid of sudden panic.” Notice that it doesn’t say that we won’t be panicked. But rather, that we shouldn’t be afraid of that feeling. Rather than acting on it, we need to go to the Lord. We have the Lord to be our confidence, in Whom we can put our trust.

He is trustworthy.

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NRSV).

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:13-18

“Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.” NRSV

I have some friends who made a horrible choice last year. He, a principal, she, a teacher. They fell in love. Unfortunately, they were married . . . and not to each other. It was further complicated by the fact that she was a pastor’s wife; he was the pastor’s friend. Fortunately, both families are still intact, living in other cities, trying to repair the damage.

We talking about it yesterday, another friend and I. How it is so easy to get caught up in the passions and emotions of the moment, only to find that it’s become almost impossible to extricate yourself, to find that the foment of the situation is ruling your choices, rather than your own sense of what is right, of what is good.

I think that we often (very often) take the short view of things. We make choices for the “now” rather than considering what is best over the long haul.

We are very short-sighted.

Jesus addressed this very issue in Luke:

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God’” (12:13-21 NRSV).

“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

How often are we motivated by how much money we will make? Or the kind of house in which we will live? Or the newness of our car? Or the extravagance of our vacation? Or the style of our clothing? And yet, the fact is, we could likely make do (and happily so) with much less than we have.

I’m constantly astounded by how television shapes our culture and our own expectations. Like many, I enjoy watching HGTV. But it astonishes me that now we need to have homes with granite countertops when Formica did our moms just fine (and the new Formica is wonderful!), with three and four car garages (and we still can’t park our cars in them), with this and that and whatever. As if stuff mattered. As if stuff could make us happy.

This passage in Proverbs is interesting because it uses financial analogies:

“Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.”

Her income is better than silver.
Her revenue better than gold.

Wisdom produces in our lives. There is a result. If we are to believe scripture (and I do), an ongoing produce. And it’s one that’s better than silver, better than gold. Why? Because, I believe, it is eternal.

The fact is, there are things upon which we can spend our lives that are better than accumulating stuff. We can become more like Christ. We can become more dependent upon the Father. We can become more loving and giving and gracious and forgiving.

In the end, it’s not how much stuff we’ve accumulated that matters. In the end, it’s how many lives we touched, how many people we served through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the end, it’s how much we loved Jesus and did His will. That’s where true riches lie.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:11-12

“My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of His reproof,
for the Lord reproves the one He loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.” NRSV

There is an age-long discussion, even between the dearest of saints on whether or not God punishes His children. Included in that discussion is the idea that God might cause us to suffer if it is for our good. Or conversely, we suffer because of our own choices and God merely allows the consequences of our own actions to teach us.

I believe that God does use the suffering in the world—suffering which exists as a result of sin (ours or others)—to teach us, to mold us, to move us into His perfect will.

Joseph is a perfect example.

Joseph was the favored son of Isaac. His brothers, enraged by his preferred place in the family, threw him into a well and then sold him into slavery in Egypt, far away from his home and his culture. There, Joseph worked his best and lived an exemplary life. Only to be wrongly accused of rape and thrown into prison for an unknown number of years. In prison, Joseph determined to continue to do his best and was promoted to the prison scribe. Finally, he was freed—not because he wasn’t found guilty—but because God gave him supernatural knowledge that was needed by the Pharaoh. So Joseph, a former shepherd, former slave, a convicted rapist, and a foreigner, was raised to the position equivalent to Prime Minister in a culture where foreigners, shepherds, and slaves were disdained, lived out his life in ease . . . and very likely complete solitary.

Until his family came to Egypt.

Obviously, Joseph did nothing outwardly to warrant such a life. And yet, if we study Joseph, we see, in the beginning, a young man who has become arrogant and conceited because of his special place of love and his special prophetic abilities. The end of the story, however, is a far different picture. Joseph, now older but with the power to exert revenge on his mean brothers, says this:

“Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good . . .” (Genesis 50:20 NRSV).

Joseph was able to look beyond what had happened to him. The events of his life changed him . . . through the Lord’s discipline.

Revelation 3:19: “I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent” (NRSV).

We all know that there are many things in our lives which need changing. Even if we are outwardly living a life that is “Christian,” our motivations are such that we need to still learn patience, love, humility. The Christian who stops learning, who stops aggressively looking at their own life, is the Christian who is heading down the wide path, something none of us want to do. We are either learning to excel in obedience or we are practicing sin. There is no middle ground. And the Lord is eager, in His love for us, to help us learn obedience and this through His discipline (His teaching). Unfortunately, I’m sometimes like that stubborn mule. It takes a good whack to get me to pay attention.

I’m glad that the Lord doesn’t give up on me nor lets me go my own way of rebellion, but rather thinks of me constantly and wants to bring good into my life, not the good as I define it, but the good of being a shalom-peace with Him:

“You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you” (Psalm 40:5a NRSV)

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:9-10

“Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.” NRSV

The Pharisees had developed the practice of the tithe and had it down to a science. So much so that they tithed even spices. And while Jesus commended them for their diligence, He faulted them for refusing to understand the essence of God’s Law . . . that people are more important than practices (Matthew 23:23). These days, I believe that some in the Church have tried to convolute the idea of tithing into some kind of contractual arrangement with God: that if they tithe, then God is required to materially prosper them.

The Nelson Study Bible commentary says:

The promises in these verses describe general patterns, not rules that have no exceptions. These are the results that often follow a full commitment to God. The command to honor God with wealth and to give to Him from the firstfruits of all income is a part of what it means to worship God. In God’s covenant with Israel, fullness of barns and vats was God’s blessing, a part of God’s covenant promise. Yet these verses should not be taken as a formula for getting rich. They speak of what righteous people can reasonably expect in life, not what God promises to return on investments. (Radmacher, E. D. 1997. The Nelson study Bible : New King James Version. Includes index. (Pr 3:7). T. Nelson Publishers: Nashville).

So, when we reduce tithing to some kind of contract, I think we miss the point.

There is something special about this passage and it’s more than simply about tithing. It’s about the attitude we have about God and what we are willing to give to Him.

Of course, we all know that God doesn’t need anything from us. He is Creator and owns everything (including what we don’t want to give). It’s sort of like being a landlord. The landlord owns the house we live in. We may feel we have the “right” to keep him out of the house (and may even have a contract support our “right”), but the fact is, the house is his and nothing we do can change that. We don’t own it. He does.

Well, it’s the same with God. And the only reason He doesn’t simply take everything is because of His love for us. I think that’s important to remember. The very cells of our bodies, the very breaths we take, the very thoughts we think He owns! He allows us to participate in an interactive relationship with Him because of His love for us and His plan for our lives.

And part of having this relationship is understanding that we can’t be stingy if we want to have a relationship with God. He wasn’t. He gave His very best: His Son. The Lord sacrificed everything for us, gave everything for us, continues to give His all for us. He yearns for us to give back with that same kind of generosity, love, abandon.

It’s more than simply writing a check to a church organization. It’s about a lifestyle that wants to love as the Lord Jesus loves, that wants to give because that’s what He does, that wants to reach out because people are more important than stuff:

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’”(Matthew 25:34-40 NRSV).

I think that often we think of our church contributions as something that we do in order to get something in return. We give to keep our church organization running or to keep our pastor there (and we like his/her preaching) or to maintain the programming that we like (youth groups, children’s programs, monthly Bunco games). When, in fact, giving (or tithing) is much more about being like Christ than anything else. As trivialized as “What Would Jesus Do?” has become, the original message is still clear: Are we willing to live with the same kind of self-abandon and sacrifice that the Lord Jesus lived with when He walked the earth, even to the point of taking up our crosses, taking on His yoke? When we honor the Lord with our substance (our possessions, including our time, our efforts, and our own bodies), we are learning how to love Him in the same way (though never in the same degree) as He loves us.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:5-8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.” NRSV

We live in the mountains. Correction. We live on top of the mountain. And the only way down (to the city, to shopping, to see friends) is on one of three very curvy roads. One of the roads I like better than the others because the curves are minimized (only seven miles) and the remainder of the drive is fairly straight. The fact is, driving curves is exhausting and (if you’re like me) nauseating.

It makes me realize the true difference between having a “straight path” and a path that isn’t straight. Life throws curves, and these curves are emotionally, mentally, and often even physically exhausting. I know that I often wear myself out trying to straighten out the curves myself instead of relying on the Father to straighten them out for me.

Two things really hit me:

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart
• In all your ways acknowledge Him

With me and the Lord, there is no part time, no part time, no “sort of.” It’s either all . . . or nothing. My trust extends to acknowledging Him. This word (for “acknowledge”), yada', is an interesting word. Vine’s (excerpted) says:

Essentially yada’ means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing. . . . Somewhat characteristically the heart plays an important role in knowing” (Vine, W. E. 1996. Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words. T. Nelson: Nashville). Again, for me, acknowledging God is more than intellectual assent; it has to do with actually putting my money where my mouth is. Stepping out into the darkness and trusting Him to be Who He has revealed Himself to be, trusting Him to be trust to the promises in His Word.

We don’t trust the bridge very much if we don’t walk across it. Similarly we can talk about trusting God all day long, but if we don’t step out in obedience to Him (when obedience makes absolutely no sense at all), then our trust is minor at best.

There are interesting comparisons on this passage:

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart
• In all your ways acknowledge Him
• Fear the Lord

As compared to . . .

• Do not rely on your own insight
• Do not be wise in your own eyes
• Turn away from evil

I think that the writer is giving a very practical example of what it means to trust God as compared to trusting ourselves. Ultimately, trusting ourselves (instead of God) is doing evil . . . and we are commanded to turn away from that.

And like most things that God tells us, there are rewards for obedience:

• He will make straight your paths
• It will be a healing for your flesh
• [It will be] a refreshment for your body

Ultimately, the things for which we seek—peace, quiet, contentment, happiness, health, welfare—are found through trust in God and obedience to His commandments.

My prayer for everyone today? A straight path.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 3:1-5

“My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you.
Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
in the sight of God and of people.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.” NRSV

How do we keep His commands? How are we loyal and faithful to Him? The writer gives us a number of characteristics of the believer who accomplishes this, but ends with: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight.”

We only trust when we throw ourselves upon that thing, without any safety net. If we see a bridge, we can talk about it all we want, but we only trust it when we go across. We trust what we surrender our life to.

It’s interesting that the writer compares trusting the Lord with not relying on our own insight. The fact is, does something have to make sense to us first? Or can we simply trust the Lord and know that, based on His character, we are safe? I think that sometimes our sin (I know this is true in my case) is caused by the fact that I simply don’t trust God to fully protect me in a situation. I’m not talking about the kind of foolishness that just jumps and says, “God will protect me.” I’m talking about walking in the Spirit in opposition to common sense when we know this is what the Lord wants us to do . . . giving our last dime to someone in greater need, graciously bowing out of a promotion because we know the other person needs it more than we do, giving up an argument in love rather than hurting someone’s faith.

The foundation for all of this isn’t blind, childish faith, but rather the kind of mature faith that comes from knowing God’s commands. The writer tells us to:

• Bind them around your neck
• Write them on the tablet of your heart

For me, these are two descriptions about the outward and inward person. A binding around my neck is an outward sign (like a necklace) and the tablet of my heart is an inward sign (like my emotions). God’s commands should direct both the outward and inward “me.” And in all things, I should be loyal and faithful to His commands.

The Lord promises good things to those who are faithful to His Word:

• length of days and years of life
• abundant welfare
• favor and good repute with others
• favor and good repute with God

Does that mean that I will live to be a hundred years old? No. I think rather it is the foreshadowing of the promise of eternal life and all the abundance that goes with it. Personally, I don’t want to live forever . . . here. But I’m looking forward to living forever . . . there, with Him.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 2:20-22

Therefore walk in the way of the good,
and keep to the paths of the just.
For the upright will abide in the land,
and the innocent will remain in it;
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it. NRSV

There are two ways to walk and only two ways: the way of the good or the way of the wicked. Our Lord Jesus talks about this in Matthew:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NRSV).

Just using these two passages (and there are others), we can see that the Lord has given us signposts or characteristics of the way we should walk:

• the way of the good
• the path of the just
• there are few who find it

I think that one of the things that has weakened us as Christians (certainly in America, if not in other places) has been our willingness to try to create a moral neutrality. In other words, we have decided that there are choices, behaviors, decisions that are neither good or bad. They are morally neutral. And if we choose these things, we aren’t sinning. The thing is, the Bible doesn’t ever talk about moral neutrality. In scripture, we either are good or we are wicked. We either enter through the narrow gate or walk the wide road. We either obey God or we rebel against Him. There is no middle ground.

I think that one of the reasons (and this is only one) that we can tried to create this “new” way of living (because it was not always so in the Christian Church) is because we want to reject the ideologies and traditions of our elders. Now, I’m not saying that everything our parents (and grandparents) did was right; they made plenty of mistakes. But the fact is, the Holy Spirit did raise up those who went before us who we can use as examples for our lives:

“ . . . that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:9 NRSV).

Paul talks about this over and over again. “Imitate me,” he says (1 Co. 4:16, 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thes. 1:6; 2 Thes. 3:7, 9).

Matthew Henry agrees: “We must not only choose our way in general by the good examples of the saints, but must also take directions from them in the choice of our particular paths; observe the track, and go forth by the footsteps of the flock” (Henry, M. 1996, c1991. Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Pr 2:10). Hendrickson: Peabody).

In other words, for those of us (like me) who have more difficulty learning something unless we see it in a practical way, God has provided examples through saints who went on before. I need only look for those examples and imitate them.

And there is an amazing promise contained in this scripture. “For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it” (v. 21). While the original writer likely meant the Promised Land, for all believers, the Promised Land is heaven. Hebrews 11 tells us:

“Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect” (v. 39-40 NRSV). Our Hope is our inheritance in Heaven, kept for us by the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 1:4). A place where everything is perfect and where we will live in perfect harmony with the Father and with each other. It is a prize worth reaching for.

Ultimately, we are called to imitate Christ, to become more and more like Him through the power of the Holy Spirit and through our willingness to submit our wills to Him. For me, it comes down a very practical application: Am I willing to change my “I want’s” to “I should’s”? It’s easy in our society to become entrenched with “I want this” or “I want that.” We have so much, are so blessed in earthly resources that actually very little is withheld from us. And yet, we often struggle with our walk with the Lord. Likely because we aren’t forced to trust Him for the basic needs of life.

At present, America is feeling a financial crunch dealing with the depressed housing market and the rising gasoline prices. All of us are having to adjust our lifestyles to accommodate these problems. And yet, most of us still eat well and live well. We have more blessings than we can even begin to number! There is going to be a tendency, during this time, to become less generous and more fearful. As Christians, we have the opportunity to trust the Lord, even when times get tough. For me, that is one part of the narrow way. I am excited about what the Lord is going to teach me about trusting Him!

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).