Pastor Billington's Blog

Proverbs 10

Verse 1 is a short reminder of what we’ve already been taught. When we pay attention to wisdom it will make our parents glad and keep us out of trouble. Doing what is right is pleasing to God, helpful in life, and one of the ways we keep the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.”

God rewards those who follow Him. Does He always do it supernaturally? No. He can, but Proverbs reminds us that by listening to wisdom and doing what is right we’ll prosper in our lives. Doing evil brings consequences. Doing good brings opposite consequences! And we have an example here. The righteous person will work and not be lazy. As a result, good things will happen. The righteous won’t go hungry and they will be able to make a living. The wicked who won’t work will be poor and starve.

Do you want to build a lasting legacy?  Do you want to be thought well of after you die? Wisdom is the key. Being wise means listening to instruction. In contrast, a fool doesn’t listen, can only spout foolishness, and comes to ruin.

Honesty is always the best policy.” Winking the eye is acting insincerely or being deceptive, and people who behave that way are often caught! We are to be people of integrity rather than people who create trouble and cause ruin.

Verses 9 & 10 also illustrate something about Hebrew poetry, which uses parallelism. When lines convey thoughts that are similar to each other it’s called synonymous parallelism. When lines convey thoughts that are opposite to each other it’s called antithetic parallelism. When lines convey thoughts where the argument is advanced it’s called synthetic parallelism. Verse 9 is an example of antithetic parallelism, and verse 10 is an example of synthetic parallelism.

Speech is a big deal. It shows where your heart is, because what’s inside eventually makes it’s way out. A righteous person will speak good and appropriate things. Their speech will build up instead of tear down. It’s a fountain of life and is filled with grace and forgiveness! A wicked person’s speech will destroy, debilitate, and cause dissension.

Discipline is a part of life. When we do wrong, we get into trouble, and not just with God! Those in authority over us (parents, teachers, employers, police) have the right to discipline us. In fact, that’s one of the reasons that God ordained government.

Verse 15 could mean that the wealthy tend to trust in riches rather than God, but what about the second half of the verse? Although Proverbs is very clear that wealth can lead one away from God, it is not necessarily spiritual to be poor. Both the poor and the rich have to trust God and use what they have wisely. However, wealth can make life easier if you have it.

Life is a process. It’s like being on a road. You can follow the road to get to your destination, or you can take a wrong turn and get lost. Following God and being wise is a lifelong pursuit. Heeding instruction is a good start. It puts you on the way. But you have to keep going.

Hypocrisy and slander are wrong. Smiling and saying nice things to someone’s face when you really hate them or wish them harm is a sin. So is spreading lies or gossiping about someone. Note that gossip isn’t necessarily spreading something that is untrue. Sometimes it’s spreading something simply to tear down someone else or to build yourself up at their expense.

The more you speak, the more likely you are to say something that will get you into trouble. Wise people, righteous people, are careful when they speak. As a result, they say good things. Not so much with the wicked! Since what’s on the inside eventually comes out, when they speak it’s not good!

Teaching wisdom helps others to grow and mature. Fools who don’t listen are in trouble.

Verse 22 could refer to spiritual or physical blessings. When we follow God we are blessed with spiritual riches. But, speaking practically, if we are willing to listen to wisdom’s warning about being lazy, industry will literally bring physical blessing. Either way, there is joy!

Sin is enjoyable, and those who are in its grip will find it pleasant. They are fools. However, discernment and understanding bring a change of perspective. Wisdom is now pleasant instead of wickedness.

Even in their enjoyment of sin, the wicked can recognize that things could go wrong. Going back to a common Proverbs illustration, the person committing adultery understands that getting caught will bring trouble. And, in truth, they are usually found out. In contrast, the righteous can look forward to both the practical and spiritual blessings that come from right behavior.

When we work for someone else, we have a responsibility to work hard!

Although we could look at these verses 27and 28 with a “this world” perspective (doing good will bring a longer and better life), it’s very easy to take a longer view here. The righteous will have joy because of their reward in the hereafter, but the wicked face punishment. All of Matthew 25:31-46 speaks to this, but verse 46 gives us the gist: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Truly, fearing the Lord prolongs life!

The upright run to the Lord and look to Him and His commands to provide guidance and strength. It’s the opposite for evildoers. The way of the Lord is abhorrent to them.

We need to be very careful when we try to apply verses like Proverbs 10:30. There was only one Israel! Following God for them meant that He would make sure that they stayed in the promised land. For us, the safest understanding is to look to our heavenly inheritance. When we are God’s we can’t be moved! We are going to inhabit a heavenly land! But the wicked have been written out of the will.

Thought for the day: Jesus provides a commentary on verse 25 in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 7:24-27 (WEB) “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell—and its fall was great.”

Proverbs 8-9

Wisdom is available to all, but people don’t pay attention. And we are reminded here that wisdom is noble, right, true, righteous, and straight; it is not wicked or crooked.

We’re used to “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” but how about “the fear of the Lord is to hate evil”? And evil is defined as pride, arrogance, and perverted speech. Do we hate those things, or do we engage in them? Wisdom not only defines righteous leadership (from kings, princes, and nobles), it also defines righteous living. And it is available to everyone! If we seek after wisdom, we’ll find it. If we love it, it will direct us. The fruit of wisdom is avoiding trouble, doing right, and obtaining an inheritance that is better than gold or silver.

When we talk about gravity, or laws governing energy, or the science of meteorology, we are really talking about how God made this world and our universe. He made order out of chaos. He used wisdom to bring things into being and to put things in place:

Jeremiah 10:12-13 (WEB) “God has made the earth by his power. He has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, the waters in the heavens roar, and he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain, and brings the wind out of his treasuries.”

Since God uses wisdom, we should too. We need to be alert and eager for wisdom. We need to seek it out. Wisdom in general gives life, since it keeps us from trouble, but Godly wisdom gives abundant and eternal life. Godly wisdom starts when we believe, is manifested in our lives when we obey, and we receive its rewards perpetually and eternally!

There is a house of wisdom and a house of folly. Wisdom’s house is described as having seven pillars. While much has been made of that, the simplest interpretation is probably that wisdom’s house is large and has room for all. Everyone is invited to feast! The decision is yours. Other people can’t make it for you. If you’re wise you’ll be willing to listen to others, even when they correct you. In fact, you’ll welcome it, since it will help you to become even wiser. Foolish people believe the seductive lies of the house of folly and enter in. They don’t want to hear correction and will make fun of those who try to bring it.

Thought for the day: The “fear of the Lord” is mentioned 13x’s in Proverbs. It’s the bedrock of being wise. When we fear, revere, or respect God we’ll be willing to follow His commands.

Psalm 111:10 (WEB) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

Psalm 14-15

The wicked are fools and they try to destroy God’s people. But, in truth, anybody who doesn’t know God or refuses to follow Him is a fool. And that’s the way we all start out in this world. We’re all fools because of our sin.

Romans 3:9-12 (WEB) “What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.’ “

Just as the Israelites realized that their only refuge in the face of such antagonism was God, we also understand that our only protection and salvation in this world is through Jesus. When we believe we have hope! Our future is secure, and we can rejoice. And Psalm 15 is an additional reminder of the importance of Jesus. We can’t live on God’s holy hill or dwell in His sanctuary: we aren’t righteous enough. But Jesus gives us His righteousness when we believe.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (WEB) “For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

When we believe, God’s Spirit sets up residence in us and helps us to live a certain way. We should speak the truth. We shouldn’t slander. We should treat people with respect and kindness. We should abhor evil. We should love God’s people. We should do what we say we will do. We shouldn’t charge exorbitant interest or take money to do something wrong.

Thought for the day: God wants us to live lives of worship, not just display the trappings of worship. We do that by following His commands!

Micah 6:8 (WEB) “He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Psalm 12-13

David describes a world where people continually lie. Where their loyalties are divided. Where they flatter and where they boast. And it’s still true today! What is vile is exalted and the wicked still prowl on every side.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (WEB) “But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding a form of godliness but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.”

In such a world, we need to cry out to God. Lifting our burdens to God gets the poison out. If we allow our feelings to fester and we nurse our hurts and resentments, bitterness and anger take over our souls. But if we call out to God with our doubts and fears and cares and woes, we end up releasing them. Just the act of reaching out to Him reminds us that He is in charge and that He has helped us in the past. When we do that, it enables us to praise and rejoice in Him again.

Thought for the day: What can we cling to in this world? Who can we turn to? Who can we trust? Who can we depend on? God! He promises to hear, to save, to protect and to preserve. We can be sure that He will because His promises are perfect and true!

Psalm 19:7 (WEB) “Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple.”

Psalm 10-11

Psalm 10 is a psalm of lament. A lament is a cry to God for help. A frequent refrain in laments is “why?” Why is it taking God so long to intervene? Why isn’t God acting right now? Why isn’t God punishing the wicked? Why isn’t God helping the righteous? Why aren’t the wicked concerned about judgment? Where Psalm 9 was concerned more about an outside threat, here the concern seems to be threats from closer to home. Not an invading army, but perhaps an unjust judge. An evil neighbor. The ungodly rich. And the Psalmist recognizes that there is a false sense of security that comes when you get away with evil. But it’s a false sense! Revelation reminds us that evil doesn’t win, even though it’s so prevalent. A part of this passage is used in the New Testament to teach that the natural state of anyone who doesn’t have a relationship with God is evil. People aren’t drawn to do good!

Romans 3:10-18 (WEB) “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one. Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of vipers is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace, they haven’t known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ “

In the face of such evil, the plight of the persecuted righteous should cause them to call out to God. And they should be assured that He will hear. He is omniscient and sees all. He will take up the cause of the oppressed and judge the unrighteous. God will heal His land, because He is King forever and ever. He is righteous in all His judgments, both in this life and the next. We can trust Him and take refuge in Him, because He is our foundation!

Thought for the day: We’re reminded in Psalm 11 that one day faith will become sight!

Revelation 22:1-5 (WEB) “He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.”

Leviticus 27

Leviticus 27 is not really a way to get out of your vow to the Lord. It’s a reminder to not make hasty vows that you can’t or have no intention of honoring. There is cost and sometimes a penalty that must be paid.

Much has been made about tithing, but there is something here that isn’t often talked about. The temple dealt in commodities that could be used immediately. If you brought money instead of grain, that was inconvenient, because it would have to be turned into a commodity. So a “tithe” of money instead of grain became 12%!

Thought for the day: Jesus warns us about the misuse of vows and the importance of truthfulness:

Matthew 5:33-37 (WEB) ” ‘Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, “You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,” but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black. But let your “Yes’” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No.” Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.’ “

Leviticus 26

Here we see a further explanation of the purpose of discipline: it’s corrective (Leviticus 26:40-42). God will continue to bring calamity on His people until they understand that they need to return to Him. God uses discipline in our lives the same way (Hebrews 12:5-9), but His words to Israel remind us that, once we know Him, we are His forever. We should never forget that.

Leviticus 26:44-45 (WEB) “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.”’

Thought for the day: Obedience should be a natural result of our walk with God.

1 John 2:3-4 (WEB) “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. One who says, ‘I know him,’ and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him.”

Leviticus 25

We know agriculturally how important it is for the land to rest. Today the same principle is done through crop rotation. It’s amazing how much of the law was practical! And if it’s practical regarding things like discharges, mold, crops and the like, we can assume that the moral laws are practical as well.

The year of Jubilee brought redemption for both property and people. It emphasized the fact that the land was God’s (Leviticus 25:23) and also points forward to the freedom we have through Jesus Christ. We’ve been forgiven of our debts and set free from slavery to sin, all because Jesus is our Jubilee!

Thought for the day: Jesus even pointed to His ministry as the fulfillment of the year of Jubilee!

Luke 4:16-21 (WEB) “He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, ‘Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ “

Leviticus 24

We can easily see Jesus as the “light of the world” and the “bread of life,” represented by the lamps and the bread in the temple. We also see here an instance of blasphemy and the corresponding punishment. Why include it here? It serves as instruction for how to handle such situations in the future. There is an emphasis on appropriate punishment, as well as the importance of treating everyone the same: “You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Yahweh your God.”

Thought for the day: Blasphemy is being irreverent towards God, His name, His attributes, or His works. It’s still wrong today, but the penalty isn’t the same! It seems that intentionally avoiding and excluding from fellowship is the preferred method of dealing with those who badmouth the God they say they serve.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 (WEB) “which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they might be taught not to blaspheme.”