7 Be not wise in thine own
eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy
navel, and marrow to thy bones. 9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and
with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be
filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 11 My
son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his
correction: 12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father
the son in whom he delighteth. (Prov 3:7-12)
No one gains a deep understanding of God's Word by simply picking up the Bible
and reading it from cover to cover. The Bible is not a novel, or a single work
of law; nor is it a single Book of Religion. It is a complete course on morals,
religion, science, nature, agriculture, and diet. But even more than these, the
Holy bible is a book about life and how we must live our lives to the greatest
joy and profit. We can in no wise absorb all of its beauty and meaning by
simply reading it straight through. Every word, every phrase, every sentence,
and every paragraph must be meditated upon as if they were orders used by the
Commander on the battlefield. Every jot and tittle carries so much weight that
lives depend upon our complete understanding. As the prophet Isaiah has
said: Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand
doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For
precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon
line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10) Certainly,
there is no shame in the consumption of the milk of the Word. If we omit the
milk of God's Word, we may as well forego the meat of it for we shall never be
able to digest it. But the milk comes with the early acceptance of the
provisions of Salvation and Grace. We have not mastered our course and studies
at the first approach to Christ. We must follow in His footsteps, as did the
disciples, in order to continually grow in knowledge and wisdom. Someone, like
Andrew, must have introduced us to Christ, and then taught us of all they knew
of Him – the healings, the miracles, the compassion, etc. But after this, we
must have a profound hunger to know more. If we are not growing, we are dying.
So do we ever learn ALL that is made available to us of truth in the Bible? Not
at all! Many great truths are couched in mystery with purpose. As we grow and
are able to comprehend, the Holy Ghost will reveal some of those gems of truth
that others may miss. But there are always greater mysteries yet to be
revealed, either in this life, or the life to come.
The first verse of today's text is a powerhouse of wisdom: 7. Be
not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
If intellectual conceit is vain, spiritual conceit is far worse than vain. It
bars our mind from knowing of our continual depravity without Christ. I have
never known a truly wealthy man who felt compelled to boast of his wealth. It
will be obvious to his neighbors that he is wealthy. I have never known a
devout Christian who has felt compelled to boast of their prayer and fasting.
Our piety and devotion will be known through our perseverance in love and good
works to others. That which is worthy of being treasured in Heaven is a matter
between the Christian and His Lord. Neither the Pastor, nor others, need know
the level of giving by members of the parish to preclude a favoritism based on
filthy lucre. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a
stranger, and not thine own lips. (Prov 27:2). A truly good parish
priest cannot boast of his own Godly sermons, but his parishioners will always
afford the best commendation of those sermons to others. The very beginning of
wisdom is having a "fear of the Lord." What does a fear of the Lord
have to do with departing from evil? When we at first realize that God truly
exists, that He is all-powerful, that He holds our very lives in His Hand
moment-by-moment, we will know that such a Divine Person must be feared above
every other being in the world. The Lord is righteous and just – simply the
complete opposite of evil. He will brood no evil in His Majestic Presence. So,
if we draw near the King of Kings, we must draw away from evil. (see also
Romans 12:16)
The next three verses reveal how we are profited in our fear and honor of the
Lord our God. 1) First, we are made healthy in our inward being by our fear of
the Lord. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
bones. Our inward being is made stronger (navel) and our
outward form (bones) shall give us stature. 2) We are enriched with whatsoever
gain is profitable to us. 9 Honour the Lord with thy substance,
and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be
filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Do you remember how the Bible describes `why we love Christ?' We love
him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) The love of God prompts
reciprocation in our hearts. Please remember that your mother loved a screaming
and self-centered baby long before that baby loved its mother. All good things
come from God. He gave us life and liberty. He gives health and nutrition,
clothing and lodging. Should we not reciprocate with that same measure of love?
Should we not return our tithes and offerings to a gracious God through our
giving at church as well as to our fellow man? The liberal soul
shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
(Prov 11:25) Every kindness shown to others is one more golden coin laid on
deposit in our heavenly bank.
The seeming prosperity of the wicked has doubtless escaped your observation.
They are not bound by rules of honesty, morality, or propriety in business or
politics. Whatever deceitful means gains an advantage is their means of choice.
While the Godly person is limited by rules of righteousness and cannot bend to
deceitful habits. But such prosperity of the wicked is an illusion. Their
hearts are full of the disease of greed and chicanery. Their sleep is not
pleasant but continually interrupted with unspeakable fears and unrest. 11 My
son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in
whom he delighteth. The Lord does not chasten the wicked, but
rather judges them in their sins. When a good man or woman undertakes a good
work, it seems that the dogs of hell are unleashed to stop it. That is a normal
expectation from an enemy of righteousness. But when a Godly man or woman
becomes more obsessed with the work of doing good than in the reason of it, God
may bring chastisement on that person in order to correct their compass of
conscience. Just as a loving parent corrects his child for their own good, so
does God correct us in varied ways for our own benefit. If, like a child
playing in the busy thoroughfare, we get into paths and places we should not
be, God will chastise for our own safety. Instead of moping about (my
mother's favorite charge against me) resentfully, or sullen up at every word of
correction, the Christian soul should be joyed by the correction knowing that
all of God's correction brings benefits. Do we have the faith to be happy about
correction? Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore
despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty (Job
5:17)
