Well this post has been a long time coming! It's been a busy two weeks for me...how about you? I know it seems every time I sat down to do this something came up so now I have a quiet moment at home to get this done. Ahhh.
The last week of June the class read Proverbs 1-4 and we had discussion after the various sections found within these Proverbs. The main theme I noticed in these four chapters is that of commands and blessings (the use of "if" and "then" statements were frequent). As you hear the parent or teacher urging the child/student in these chapters to "do this, not that" and "reap a blessing when you follow this command", we can begin to see the pictures of God the Father as well as Jesus the Shepherd.
There is Wisdom (in the person of a woman, interestingly enough) who calls out to anyone and everyone to hear her voice and heed her words so that we may find knowledge and thus gain understanding. As God alone is the one who gives wisdom (He is the author of wisdom) the "fear of the Lord" becomes the beginning of wisdom, which then grants knowledge. This isn't just head knowledge about Scripture. In James we read that the demons know of God and tremble (2:19). No! Wisdom is the knowledge AND understanding as a result of the fear of the Lord with regard to a reverent personal relationship (see prior post). Wisdom provides protection of the upright through spiritual discernment that no one can gain without their heart in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a spirit that is now indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Wisdom offers many blessings for those who listen; however, for those who refuse, they will remain in their foolishness and ignorance. In turn, the naive ones, scorners and fools will not find wisdom and will have consequences to endure for the evil they seek and/or fall into due to their rejection of Wisdom's pleas.
In addition to responding to Wisdom, we are to learn to rely on and trust God. We are to go to Him with big AND small concerns. I know as women, we tend to be self-reliant. We need to be God-reliant. That's something as Christians we must work on and learn. Some of my favorite verses from these four chapters are Proverbs 3:5-7. It speaks of learning that God-trust and not relying on your own strength. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5b). This passage also highlights the reward that comes from trusting the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding in v.8.
God desires to bless His children! He not only shows His love by blessing but also by disciplining. That's the uncomfortable part! We want the love and blessings but not the correction that's often needed to keep us on the right path and out of danger that we may not see. One of the examples I shared was that of the shepherd. In the New Testament, the Bible often uses the analogy of the Shepherd (Jesus) and the sheep (believers). Even in the Old Testament this is especially evident in Psalm 23. Think about sheep...they are not the brightest creature created. They tend to be a little dumb. They'll wander into rushing water not thinking twice about how they will lose their footing and how their wool will absorb that water, quickly take them under to be drowned. They don't think about moving around a hole or not stepping on a rock, thus hurting themselves. They're just a bit dense in the noggin. That's why the Shepherd is needed!
The Shepherd is the one who walks the path and fields BEFORE the sheep to ensure they is nothing they will stumble upon or fall into. That is called "making the path straight" and He in turn "directs the path" (Prv. 3:6b) of the sheep. He seeks to lead the sheep to and beside "still waters" (Ps. 23:2b) so they don't lose their footing or fall into rivers of rushing water. He uses his shepherd's staff for defense as well as offense. The crook being used to pull a sheep from a ravine or water, the rod being used to beat off wolves or bears. This is what the psalmist (known to be David, who was a shepherd) meant by "thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" (Ps. 23: 4c). When necessary the rod was also used for correction on the sheep. If a young sheep were to wander too frequently, the shepherd would break the leg of the lamb, place the injured creature on his shoulders for the days/weeks it would take the leg to heal. This was done so that the lamb would learn to trust the shepherd by feeling/hearing his heartbeat and learning his scent while upon his shoulders. The sheep know their shepherd by sound and smell more than sight. They learn to trust based on the work the shepherd does. We too can see Jesus' work evidenced on Calvary and in turn should trust Him implicitly! Sometimes we must be disciplined to get there. In fact, most of us have probably experienced God's discipline multiple times. I know I have! We can be dense, like sheep, hence the analogy. God knows what He's doing...LET HIM!
Finally, we learned of the security we have in Wisdom. There are warnings of temptations in v.14-17 that we should heed. We are even given the instructions on HOW to resist/avoid temptations in v. 24-27. To me that clearly parallels Eph. 6:10-18. Since sin easily enters our heart and mind via our body (eyes, ears, hands, feet--what we say/do, where we go, etc.), we need to carefully guard those areas! When you reflect upon what the "armor of God" protects, it is exactly those same areas of our body! The helmet of salvation (mind and head, eyes, ears), the breastplate of righteousness (heart), the sword of the Spirit (God's Word--the only defensive weapon by the way), the shield of faith (hands), the belt of truth (loins/lust) and the shoes of the gospel of peace (feet). Of course, as v.18 says, we need to cover this all (ourselves) in prayer so that we can stand in our evil world. So remember to pray God's armor upon yourself daily! Stay in His Word, seek His will and seek Wisdom. It is the most important thing! (Prv. 4:7)
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