2024 – Page 8 – Just Keith Harris

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 15

For the month of October, we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s proverb reminds me of an old Mac Davis song, “It’s Hard to Be Humble”. Check out the chorus, a satire of a prayer:

“Oh, Lord, it’s hard to be humble / When you’re perfect in every way / I can’t wait to look in the mirror / Cause I get better looking each day / To know me is to love me / I must be a [heck] of a man / Oh, Lord, it’s hard to be humble / But I’m doing the best that I can”

Mac Davis was right about one thing, it is hard to be humble, but it’s not difficult because of our perfection. No, it is difficult because we do not want to face our imperfections.

As it has been with so many of the proverbs we have read and those we have covered here in the #DailyWisdomChallenge, there is a contrast here, almost like a seesaw. In Proverbs 15:33, one side of the seesaw is the fear of the LORD learned from His “instruction and wisdom”; on the other is humility — that may or may not produce honor. The seesaw illustration helps us because, as it has been on every playground since its invention, balance is unlikely because one side is invariably heavier than the other.

Talk of “instruction and wisdom” here is likely referencing what needs to be learn to correct one’s way of life. Receiving instruction can be a humbling experience, especially when you get old enough to apply what you have learned. For example, I can remember in my teens and twenties being so frustrated with people, like my parents and some in authority, who could not see how much I knew despite my youth. Growing older and having to put my knowledge to work saw times when I learned the hard way that I did not know as much as I thought, and even in times when I was right, I was too inexperienced and foolish to apply what I knew correctly. This is not to say that everyone with more age always knows more or is wiser. No, unfortunately, foolishness hangs on with a death grip until, well, death. I find it much more humbling to find that some younger have wisdom beyond their years and I learn from their instruction.

The “humility” side of the seesaw gives the opportunity for honor — to gain “fear of the LORD” and bow to His “wisdom and instruction”. Essentially, this is the opportunity to both learn that you have been a fool and have an avenue to either stop being foolish or dive head-long into being a fool. This is a conundrum people have to deal with throughout their whole lives. As bad as I hate it, being humbled — which often means humiliation, comes around time and time again. Choosing to be a fool when confronted with your foolishness is called willful ignorance; it is not actual ignorance (not knowing) but living in a way where you try to fool yourself into not seeing you are a fool. That is a dangerous way to live. Or, you can choose to submit to God and walk in His ways, which is honorable.

Up and down, back and forth, the seesaw goes up and down. Sin and conviction. Correction and being humbled. Fear of God and willful ignorance. But this is real life and not a playground.

Which side will you give weight to: the instruction that comes from the “fear of the LORD” and leads to honor, or foolishness and fighting against humility?

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 14

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s proverb is such a beautiful picture of what what Paul describes as being found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of [our] own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

So often, talk of the righteousness and wickedness fuels complaints about religious people thinking they are better than others or even fuels the self-righteousness of some church folks. I wish I could say this never has applied to me, but as I wrote in the #DailyWisdomChallenge post for Proverb 11, it is too easy to forget we are all sinners — all wicked, as many of the Proverbs say.

If it were not for Jesus saving me, I would have no righteousness to speak of (Romans 3:10); all I would have is my sin and the death that my sin has earned (Romans 6:23). To clarify, I am not a righteous man. My heart is wicked. And, well, not to be a downer, but yours is too. All of us sin and “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He is righteous. He is perfect. He is sinless. The rest of us are not.

There will come a day when I will stand before this righteous, perfect, sinless God and be faced with my wickedness and sin. Everything I have ever done will be evidence of that. Everything I have ever said will make the case for my guilt. The Bible tells us that Satan is the Accuser — one who accuses us day and night “before our God” (Revelation 12:10). He is bringing to God’s attention, and not having to lie despite his great knack for deception, our sin and failures. And, scarier still, none of this is news to God, because He knew all that we would do and all that we would say before the foundation of the world.

For those who have been saved, however, a “guilt offering” has been made on our behalf. Those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection are saved (Romans 10:9), and God places our sin and guilt on Jesus, His sinless Son, in order that we can be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid our sin debt “by cancelling the record…that stood against us with its legal demands” by “nailing it to the cross” — by allowing the sinless Savior to be nailed to the cross that we deserved (Colossians 2:14).

That’s good news!

What’s more is that God did not merely satisfy some legal demand. He did not issue some writ or declaration that can be passed to the accuser who is trying to prosecute us and shame God with our failures. No, the Bible tells us that we have an “advocate” who has taken our case, and his name and credentials are “Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1)! Think of every dramatic courtroom drama you have ever watched or read about, and know that they pale in comparison to the rich finality with which Jesus handles the case of those He has saved. When the accuser taunts and mocks, reminding us of sin and failure, Jesus answers with His own righteousness! He declares that by His blood and sacrifice — and the fact that He died and is now living and interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34) — our sin has been removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and “cast…into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19)!

Before the Accuser can plead his case any further, God smacks the gavel with finality and declares innocent based on the righteousness of Christ!

Proverbs say that fools “mock the guilt offering”. One thing I can surely testify to here today is that I “enjoy” God’s “acceptance” BECAUSE I know how serious my sin is and how eternally grateful I am that He would save a wretch such as me.

How about you?

Do you see Jesus’s death and resurrection as necessary, or do you find it silly and unnecessary?

Do you think you will stand before God and have acceptance through any other means — wealth, prosperity, good works?

Let me plead with you today to look to Jesus to save you!

And, if you have, rejoice in the acceptance that will never be taken away, and do not fear the accuser. He knows “his time is short” and is lashing out in anger, trying to hurt those God has saved and thereby hurt Him (Revelation 12:12). Be encouraged and fear not, because the same proclamation that brings news of the accuser also proclaims God’s victory and Satan’s doom:

“Now the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have CONQUERED him BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10-11)

Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 13

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

We spoke of discipline in the #DailyWisdomChallenge for Proverbs 12, and here it shows up again.

First, let me add a disclaimer that this is not a proverb or post advocating child abuse or the beating of children. God did not mean that in Proverbs 13:24. God is a loving Father who knows what appropriate discipline is for His children — and thereby ours.

Raising children is hard, but it is such a worthwhile thing. I thought I knew what love was until I met Candice; then, I found that my heart had the capacity for more love than I thought possible. Then, I heard Keri’s heartbeat for the first time in the doctor’s office and realized I knew nothing. Then, came Xander and I found yet more room and capacity for love. Add to them my nieces and nephew. I have discovered more love than I knew existed.

If you talk to me for very long or often, my wife and kiddos come up. I write a lot about Candice and our marriage as illustration for various Bible studies, but I try to lay off the kids because, well, the internet and to keep from them thinking their lives are nothing but sermon fodder. My children bring me more joy than I am capable of expressing in words, either spoken or written. Both of them are unique and special. I, of course, am biased. I am their biggest fan (by size only and second only to their mama). They are good kids. And they are bad kids, too.

My kids are not perfect, and I try to live with the understanding that I can never say what they will never do because, like their father, they have the capacity to sin and mess things up. That brings in my least favorite part of parenting: discipline. I hate having to do it. Read that again: HAVING to do it.

I have to discipline them because I want to protect them from dangers outside and inside of them.

I have to discipline them because they need to learn from their mistakes (and ones I have made in the past, too).

I have to discipline them because that is the way God set up parenting in this fallen world. It is the model He gives in the way that He parents us (Hebrews 12:5-8).

Our proverb today says that parents discipline out of love (Proverbs 13:24), and it mirrors the way that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves” (Hebrews 12:6).

I definitely don’t have all of the answers to how to discipline children, and I don’t claim to. What I do know is that the discipline that has to be done is supposed to be borne out of love. If it seems that I am repeating myself, it is because I am. I am repeating for emphasis, and not in a way pointed at others, but as a reminder for myself.

I can remember my daddy telling someone once that he was glad to be in the stage of life when my sister, brother, and I were grown. He said that once the parenting was over, he had gained friends in his children. The person he was talking to asked something, signifying that they thought his comment was odd. What he said after that is what is so poignant for our subject today. Daddy said that he loved spending time with us when we were growing up, but that he loved us too much to try and be our friends when we needed a daddy more than a friend.

When I look at Keri and Xander (and Sophie, Krislyn, Penelope, Caleb, Sunday, and Mae), my heart swells with love that I cannot describe. I love to spend time with them. I love to hear their jokes and their dreams and their complaints and whatever they want to tell me. I am so glad when they talk to me because I know it will not always be the case. As they grow, I will not always be a favorite person. When correction is needed, I am not what they want. But, Lord willing, I will have the Spirit-filled courage to be who they need. Then, when they are all grown up, I can rejoice in what the Lord has done in them and who He has made them to be.

In the meantime, the tough love of discipline is worth it because they are worth it.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 12

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s verse immediately brings a quote by fictional character Dwight Shrute. In an episode of The Office, Dwight was responding to the the faux documentary crew asking what the best advice his boss, Michael Scott, had ever given him. Here’s his response:

“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.”

While that is quippy and meant to be funny, it fits well with Proverbs 12:1.

I had to read this verse twice, which led me to choose this for the 12th installation in the #DailyWisdomChallenge. After having the above quote come to mind, I asked myself who in their right mind “loves discipline”? Well, this is why we are seeking wisdom from God in this challenge – to get in the right mind and thereby set our minds on things that are above rather than on the things of this world and the false or anti-wisdom that comes with it (Colossians 3:2).

My views on discipline have changed drastically over the years. As a kid, I hated it. I genuinely hated everything about getting in trouble. The older I got, the more the discipline and correction changed. The things that did not embed in me through quick punishment required longer punishment. There were lengthy conversations and explanations of why right was right and the dangers of the wrong. When I thought I knew better (and was “stupid” by hating my parents’ “reproof”), the discipline hurt all the more as I got to see my parents disappointed in me, knowing that I was supposed to know better.

As I got older and began working with kids – whether it be at church or my time spent tutoring at the Reedy Acres campus of the Baptist Children’s Village, my views on discipline changed. There were times that “reproof” needed to happen, and I found myself on the side of doling out discipline. All my thoughts of wanting to try my parents’ side of discipline quickly evaporated as I learned that it was not at all enjoyable to work and repeat “reproof” often enough for it to have the opportunity to sink in.

Now, I have kids of my own and classrooms full of kiddos at work. Discipline is part of it. It is a responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly. But it is necessary as it is how we learn.

Who in their right mind “loves discipline”, then? Well, the man or woman who has received discipline and grown from it. This, of course, fits with the parental and teacherly discipline I spoke of above, but it fits even better when we look at the grace and love our heavenly Father shows us when He bears with us and disciplines us. Read that again: the discipline of the Father is a gift of grace borne out of His love for us.

In Hebrews 12, we see a beautiful picture of how to interpret proverbs like ours today. The writer quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 in Hebrews 12:5-6:

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.”

It is easier to love discipline when you know what it is to be loved by the Father. It is easier to love the tough-love He gives from time to time when we realize that in so doing He is “treating [us] as sons” (Hebrews 12:7).

If you are struggling with this, you are not alone. But, if you’ll forgive one more fictional character quote, Forrest Gump’s mother spoke true when she taught him, “Stupid is as stupid does.” In the case of Proverbs 12:1, stupid is hating reproof and learning nothing. God graciously offers the opportunity to repent and learn from Him.

May we learn to love His discipline more than we desire to do what we want to do!

May we learn that it comes from His love and lean into His discipline rather than kicking against it!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 11

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Proverbs 11:7 is kind of blunt and honest and relates back to what was written about Proverbs 10:27-29 yesterday.

So often, there is a temptation for “church folks” (notice I did not say saved folks or those who have put their faith/trust/belief in Jesus) to want to take passages like this and point to those they know to be “wicked” at the expense of seeing their own sin. I have fallen into this sad state of affairs too many times over the years, and as bad as I hate to say it, I will again. In those times, it does not take long for the Holy Spirit to convict me by reminding me of the grievous sin in my own life. Sometimes, it will be past sins that He has already forgiven, but often, it will be sin that I currently am needing to repent of and ask Him to forgive.

When we talk about the “wicked” here in Proverbs, this ain’t that. This is not me defining wickedness or pointing out the way that wicked people live. This is written plainly in God’s written Word and illuminated by His Spirit. He defines wicked, and only He can make one righteous (Romans 3:10, 23; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Proverbs 11:7 speaks of the reality of sin and death for people who do not trust in Jesus for salvation. If one does not trust in Jesus/have faith in Him to save and give eternal life, the only hope to be had is what is in this world. As David wrote in Psalm 20:7, some “trust in chariots” and some “in horses”, meaning that some put their trust in possessions, status, or even military or national strength and identity. When you die, all of those eartly hopes die, too. That’s part of what is pictured in the hope that comes from God in the rest of Psalm 20:7-8: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” When all else falls and this world — or we first — passes away, we can stand on the hope that comes from God, the living hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).

This verse reminds me of an illustration I heard a preacher give many years ago.

There was a man who was rich beyond measure. Late in life, he was saved, but one struggle, one temptation, he still dealt with was trusting in his money instead of trusting fully in Jesus. As it happened, his health began to dwindle, drawing him nearer to the Lord because all of the money he had and all of the doctors and medical treatments and trials he could afford were offering no relief. It was clear that he was going to die.

In the days leading up to his death, he had his lawyer come and he drew out his will. Large portions of his wealth were to go to his children and family, but he also divided it up so that the earthly kingdom of wealth he had built up would go to advance God’s Kingdom. He allotted a small amount of money for a funeral so that he would leave this world with only his trust in the Lord. Well, only his trust in the Lord and two gold bricks just in case there was a need for currency when he got to heaven.

He died and found himself in heaven. He was amazed when he got there and was making his way as quickly as he could through the gate made out of a giant pearl and along the street made of gold to see Jesus. As he walked, though, he noticed people pointing and staring at him. He couldn’t make out their whispers to one another and was confused and a little disheartened. He finally made his way to Jesus, falling at His feet. When Jesus lifted him up, the man asked him why folks had been pointing and talking about him as he walked in.

Jesus told the man that they were asking why he had his pockets filled with gravel.

That is a quippy story that makes a joke of how insignificant earthly riches are to the lavish wealth and trappings of heaven — especially how all of it pales in comparison to Jesus, but there is a kernel of truth in the story that points us back to Proverbs 11:7. Just as surely as earthly hope dies when we die, so does our wealth. Everything we earn goes to someone or something once we die.

If that is all we hope in, we will go to stand before the LORD hoping that the gravel we have filled out pockets and lives with will buy us eternal life. Let me tell you some good news: Jesus has already paid for eternal life by His blood for all who put their trust in Him (John 3:16)!

The only question is in whether you will put your hope with Him rather on fickle, fleeting, perishable hopes here on earth instead.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 10

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Today’s passage, like yesterday’s, gives us two contrasting groups. In Proverbs 9:8, we looked at the scoffers and the wise. Today, we have a comparison of the righteous and the wicked.

We need to make an important distinction here so that I can make sure we are on the same page: “none is righteous, no not one” (Psalm 14:3, 53:3; Romans 3:10). Any discussion of the righteous and the wicked needs the understanding — almost like a disclaimer — that none of us are righteous outside of “faith in Christ”, “the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).

Sometimes we get sideways on this and talk about righteous as if we are inherently good. The Bible makes it clear that all of us are sinners (Romans 3:23). The sin that plagues our lives cannot be blamed solely on outside forces, either; our temptations often come from within when we are “lured and enticed by [our] own desire” (James 1:14). So, any appeal of an us v. them argument on this puts our “us” on the side of the wicked — and makes it an us v. HIM (Jesus Christ the Righteous — 1 John 2:1)!

The only way we can be made righteous is to trust in Jesus. I love the clarity of 2 Corinthians 5:21 on this subject. We’ll break it down phrase by phrase to help us get it (or as I tell my school kiddos, to pick up what I’m laying down).

For our sake. Jesus offers salvation because we need it. We are sinners, as we have seen above, and He is the only Savior. Sometimes we are offended when confronted with this truth, but it is good news — the God who stands holy and righteous offers an opportunity to be saved by grace through faith in His Son Jesus rather than having to receive His wrath reserved for sin.

He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin. We deserve the wrath of God because He is the righteous and perfect Creator, and we have gone against His standard. This is not a popular view point. But, here’s the good news: Jesus becoming sin for us means that He willingly took the wrath of God for those He saves! Jesus, the only sinless One — God’s righteous standard in human flesh, pays the sin debt of those who trust in Him by grace through faith by the price of His own blood (Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24).

So that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God. The only way for us — sinners or “wicked” “evildoers” as Proverbs 10:27-29 puts it — to be righteous before God is to have Jesus’s righteous covering our sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us a glimpse of this great exchange between Jesus and those He saves where He takes their sin and exchanges it for His righteousness. 1 John 2:1-2 gives the picture a little clearer: Jesus Christ the righteous is our advocate and stands before God as our atoning sacrifice, His blood paying for our sin and covering us with His righteousness.

That’s good news! It’s tough and raw and infinitely unfair, but it is a picture of God’s love for His people in Jesus. It’s a picture of grace. It’s a picture of mercy. It’s a picture of Proverbs 10:27-29.

Biblical wisdom is knowing that we can do nothing to prolong our life and being well-aquainted with the reality of the wages of our sin being death (Romans 6:23). The hope of those who fear the LORD is Jesus, and from Him and the life He gives there is joy (Proverbs 10:28); any expectation other than what we can have in Jesus perishes when we do.

And, don’t miss this, Jesus came to seek and save the lost — to give His life as a ransom for the wicked, for people like me who confess Him as LORD and believe in Him. That’s good news for me and all who put their faith in Him. That news represents the “stronghold” I have in Him — not that I am “blameless” but that He is, but that news represents “destruction to evildoers” who do not put their faith in Him (Proverbs 10:29).

What about you? Where do you stand in the great exchange? Has Jesus taken your sin and counted you blameless, or are you banking on your own righteousness?

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 9

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Our verse today presents us with two scenarios that involve reproving – or correcting – someone. One goes well, and the other, well, doesn’t.

The first category we see in Proverbs 9:8 is the “scoffer”. This word is most often translated as “scoffer” (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 1:22, 9:7, 13:1, 14:6, 15:12, 19:25, 19:29, 21:11, 21:24, 22:10, 24:9; Isaiah 29:20), but it is also translated as “mocker” (Proverbs 20:1) and “scorners” (Proverbs 3:34). Even though “scoffer” is an English word, it is not one that is used often, so we need a little help (along with what “mocker” and “scorners” gives us) understanding what exactly a scoffer is and does. This is someone who makes rude or mocking comments loudly, someone who treats people with contempt or calls people out rudely because of dislike or hatred.^[1]

The second category is the “wise man”. And since we are studying taking the #DailyWisdomChallenge by seeking God’s wisdom through the Proverbs, this is the one we should imitate in our lives – the way God intends for us to live according to His wisdom.

The whole section of Proverbs 9:7-12 deals with these two people. When a “scoffer” is corrected, he or she abuses the one trying to help them (Proverbs 9:7) and bear the consequences of the sin alone – those same sins that someone who loved them tried to help them correct (Proverbs 8:12). The “wise ” gets wiser when corrected and increases in his or her knowledge of the Lord (Proverbs 9:9, also Colossians 1:9). This wise person’s wisdom and knowledge is rooted in the “fear of the LORD” and learns and gains “insight” from “the knowledge of the Holy One” (Proverbs 9:10). The willful ignorance of the scoffer is rooted in his or her desire to do and say what they want as a means of satisfying their own wicked desires. One comes from God and serves Him; the other comes from wicked hearts and serves themselves.

The reason I picked Proverbs 9:8 specifically is the difference in the responses to the correction given. The important thing to remember is that correction is a good thing – when done correct, when done biblically. We are supposed to “speak the truth in love” to brothers and sisters in Christ (Ephesians 4:15) and put away “falsehood” by letting each of us “speak the truth with [our] neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). It is part of Jesus’s intentions for His body gathering together; we should “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). And, as Proverbs 9:8 tells us, the wise person who fears the LORD will love you for it. This doesn’t mean the correction is enjoyable, but it means that the person filled with the wisdom of the LORD and His Spirit will appreciate that someone cared enough about them to protect them from their sin.

The scoffer in Proverbs 9:8 is a whole different scenario. They won’t love you for correcting them. They will hate you. In the context of Proverbs 9:7-12, the scoffer does not appear to be a brother or sister (or neighbor in that sense). This reminds me of something we say often at Christ Community. We do not try to teach people how to act but rather preach the gospel and point people to Jesus (who by His Spirit changes people’s lives after He saves them). If we teach people how to act, they may act saved, fooling themselves and others into thinking they are safe from the wrath of God due their sin. So, rather than heaping condemnation on a “scoffer” who will stand before Jesus and making him or her hate you, point them to Jesus – the God who saves and loves them, and let Him change their lives!

^[1]The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 8

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Proverbs 8:10-11 makes me think of King Solomon — the writer of the bulk of Proverbs — and his life.

In 1 Kings 3, the Bible records a unique encounter between Solomon and the LORD. Solomon “loved the LORD” and went to the high places to make offerings for the people himself (1 Kings 3:1). He went to Gibeon to sacrifice regularly, but on this particular occasion, God came to him in a dream at Gibeon and gave Solomon an opportunity that would tempt so many of us to respond selfishly: “Ask what I shall give you” (1 Kings 3:5).

Solomon could have asked for anything — money, fame, literally whatever his heart desires. But here’s what Solomon said:

“You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:6-9)

Instead of asking for a gift from the LORD that would serve himself or advance his own desires or agendas, Solomon asked the LORD to give him the wisdom he needed to lead God’s people well — wisdom in fact, we are benefiting from in this #DailyWisdomChallenge journey through the Proverbs.

Look at the way the LORD responded to Solomon’s request:

“Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” (1 Kings 3:11-14)

Solomon desired the wisdom of the LORD more than silver or choice gold or jewels, and the LORD granted that request.

What do you desire?

Where does God’s Word — the knowledge and wisdom He gives in it and through it — rank compared to lavish riches? Or do you consider His Word a treasury in and of itself?

The good news is that the treasury of God’s wisdom is open and available to us if we will but read and meditate on it!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 6

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

This #DailyWisdomChallenge is tough. As I said in the writing for Proverbs 5, it is meant to be. But this one hit me right square in my mind and heart.

I had intended on helping you understand how we should not be a part of things that God hates. And at least as I means of giving clarity and “the sense” of the passage to help people understand the reading (Nehemiah 8:8), I will.

God hates “haughty eyes” (Proverbs 6:17) — eyes lifted up in arrogance. This is not so much the eyes but rather the way that thinking you are above or better than someone is an attitude of the heart, an attitude of self-righteousness.

God hates “a lying tongue” (Proverbs 6:17) — mouths telling lies and bearing false witness rather than speaking the truth. Again, this is representative of the heart rather than one’s tongue and shows a refusal to acknowledge right and wrong but instead rearrange the truth into what suits and/or benefits you the most.

God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17) — the extinguishing of a human life, especially one innocent of any guilt or crime, without cause. This is murder and is rooted in the hands of the guilty and the violence and hate in their hearts.

God hates “a heart that devises wicked plans” (Proverbs 6:18) — coming up with whatever evil their wicked hearts can desire or devise. This is the root of these things that God says He hates. It shows the fruit of what is in the heart being planned more than merely impulse.

God hates “feet that make haste to run to evil” (Proverbs 6:18) — doing wrong and sinning enthusiastically. There is a contrast here that shows a desire to do the wrong one wants to do quickly rather than rushing to do good.

God hates “a false witness who breathes out lies” (Proverbs 6:19) — the second mention of lying in this list with specific difference. The lying mentioned above is generic whereas this one is specifically tearing someone down with lies, injuring their character and reputation. This shows a regard for what one wants themselves and a willingness to treat others and their lives and/or reputations as expendable.

God hates “one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:19) — one who purposefully divides brothers and creates animosity where there was unity.

The English teacher part of me wants to show you how most of those — the first five, specifically — are examples of metonymy, which means the parts represent the whole. The eyes, tongue, hands, heart, and feet represent the whole person, indicating that the sin is not merely the byproduct of bodily functions but the body carrying out our sin. But the last two are not metonymy. They are the whole. A “false witness” and “one who sows discord” are sins that define the person.

It was at this point that I intended to wrap the writing by saying that we need to make sure that we are not about or doing the things that God says He hates but rather to be about spreading His gospel and thereby His love. And that is definitely true. What I did not intend was to be caught up in desiring to do some of the things God hates myself on the very day of the reading.

I won’t go into detail, but I was reminded yesterday how easy it is to get caught up in anger or aggravation and decide on a course of action that feels right. In that flash of anger, I could hear the Holy Spirit reminding me of the six things that God hates, namely the seventh that is an abomination to Him. I could see clearly how I was willing to devise a wicked plan that would sow discord. God stopped me. His Word stopped me. His Spirit stopped me.

I am thankful God humbled me before I showed myself to be a fool. This wisdom does God’s work within us.

That’s good news.

Lord, help me to hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Help me to remember who You are growing me to be and to be about what You told me to do rather than what I want to do. Thank you for letting me see that I was about to do something You hate, and show my brothers and sisters that, too. Amen.

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 7

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Proverbs 7 begins with the imagery of a father speaking to his son. It is a beautiful picture of God the Father speaking to His children about His purpose in giving wisdom in His word, specifically in the proverbs. This advice is given in five different phrases.

The first advises keeping God’s “words” and treasuring up His “commandments”. This calls back to the language of Proverbs 2:1 that tells the son that if he received his father’s words and treasures his father’s commandments (and listens to them and understands them), then he “will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5). God does not repeat things in His Word accidently like we do when we forget. No, God is reiterating this and repeating for emphasis that we may listen to His words, keeping them in our hearts and treasuring them, recognizing their eternal value and present-day importance.

The second advises to “keep [the father’s] commandments and live”. This is not a means of earning God’s favor or working for His eternal life. No, this is God the Father reminding His children that He knows best. We saw how the adulterous woman’s anti-wisdom is an example of not keeping God’s commandments in Proverbs 5. Her “feet go down to death”, and “her steps follow the path to Sheol” (Proverbs 5:5). God’s commandments lay out paths that lead to life, and following in that Way exhibits the life He has put within those He saves.

The third advises to “keep [the father’s] teaching as the apple of your eye”. This is wisdom I have to ask God to guard my heart with. Many believers fall into the trap of preferring our favorite popular teachers (whether writers or preachers) and trusting them without checking God’s teaching in His Word. We will fly to their writings or broadcasts like moths to a flame. It is the teaching of God’s Word that is to be our favorite, and this is a good reminder that believers have God Himself as a teacher — His Spirit surely being closer than any page or podcast — who will be truest to His Word (John 14:26, 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13). That phrase “apple of your eye” means the choicest fruit that draws our attention and whets our appetites. May God’s Word and His teaching be our favorite with His Spirit being our go-to teacher.

The fourth and fifth work together: “bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart”. We need to keep God’s Word on our minds, and that takes effort. I got a text from my friend Keisha showing how she had written the memory verse from the 10:00a Bible Study at Christ Community written on her bathroom mirror. I remember one particular time of intense persecution in a previous ministry assignment when my wife Candice had taken a dry-erase marker and written Scripture on the glass doors and some of the windows, reminding me that I belonged to Christ and those who came to the house to attack that we were in the care of God Almighty. We need to keep the Word so much in our focus that it might as well be strings tied to our fingers to jog our memories, but the image is much more powerful because writing on the tablets of our hearts is God’s work.

The new covenant Jesus ushered in tells us that God will put His law in our minds and write it on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10). That’s good news! It is good news because we don’t have to be sons resting on how well we can obey. No, we get to be sons and daughters of God who are adopted into His family and filled with His Spirit who gives the strength to listen and obey and moves our hearts — those same hearts on which He wrote His commandments — to follow Him!