2019 Jan 04 Proverbs 4, Psalms, Matthew 4
2019 Jan 04 Proverbs 4, Psalms, Matthew 4
Hello, wishing you a fine day! Let's pick up in Proverbs 4, verses 14-19:
"14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil men. 15 Shun it, do not take it; Turn away from it, and pass it by. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they do what is bad. They are robbed of sleep unless they cause someone’s downfall. 17 They feed themselves with the bread of wickedness, And they drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light That grows brighter and brighter until full daylight. 19 The way of the wicked is like the darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble."
Prove 4:14-16 The wise counsel here is to shun, or "turn away from" the path or the way of evil ones. We should never be envious of what they seem to have, or so-called benefits they seem to gain by their evil practices. They are robbed of sleep unless they do bad, or cause someone's downfall. Are they motivated by true love? Do the have the reward and blessing of God? In no way. So what is their future? As Asaph realized in Psalm 73:18,19, "Surely you place them on slippery ground. You make them fall to their ruin. 19 How suddenly they are devastated! How sudden is their finish as they come to a terrible end!" May we follow the path leading to eternal life, in true peace and happiness, and help others find and remain on this path!
Prove 4:17 What may have turned them to the way of evil to begin with was what they were feeding their minds on spiritually--much exists in the way of "the bread of wickedness" and the "wine of violence." There is much entertainment making evil practices seem to bring happiness, or at least a temporary pleasure. Such promoted ideas are usually a boldface lie, hiding the resulting headaches, heartaches, troubles, turmoil, sorrow, pain and grief caused by such practices. God knows the way of true happiness for all humans, the way that not only brings us and others pleasure and true happiness, but that leaves no scars, nor leaves us battered spiritually. Proverbs 10:22 says "It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, and He adds no pain with it." And James reminds us, at James 1:16,17: "Do not be misled, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, coming down from the Father of the celestial lights, who does not vary or change like the shifting shadows." Man often tries to run ahead of God, stealing gifts from God just a little while before God was going to give it. We often just need to learn a little patience, appreciation, and self-control, things we can pray to God for, to be thankful for what we have now, and prepare or ready ourselves for the future gifts God will bring us at the right time, when we're truly ready for it.
Prove 4:18 Righteous ones are drawn to the truth of God, letting it lead them to the true path going toward eternal life. May all Christians be willing to discard any belief that is found to be out of harmony with God's reliable word, even if Bible translators believed it, and made it seem to be true in their translation! Some truths may be harder to decipher, but we want to be shrewd and on guard against believing a lie. Proverbs 14:15 says "The naive person believes every word, But the shrewd one ponders each step." May we be very careful before accepting anything into our belief system that might not be entirely true, even if a minister may believe it and seem to use scripture to justify his belief. The scriptures may be taken out of context, or even (though rarely) be translated unfaithfully. More insight into the scriptures may be needed to clarify truth, but the truth is in harmony with the entire Bible, so almost invariably the truth can be discerned by comparison of other scriptures discussing the same subject. If unsure, let's pray and wait on God for further clarification.
Prove 4:19 Those acting wickedly do not have the light of God's word to guide their path. They stumble and fall, experiencing trouble, pain, and grief, and often not knowing why their path is not leading them to the happiness they thought they were finding. May we cling to our loving God, who can bring us to the true happiness we're seeking, leading us to experience it even more fully in His new world of righteousness and peace, and eternal life.
Psalm 76 (Book 3, 4th psalm) shows the vanity of relying upon mere human power, failing to look to God. Notice verses 5-9: "5 The courageous of heart have been plundered. They have fallen asleep; The warriors were all helpless. 6 From your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the charioteer and the horse have fallen fast asleep. 7 You alone are awe-inspiring. Who can withstand your intense anger? 8 From heaven you pronounced judgment; The earth was afraid and was silent 9 When God rose up to execute judgment, To save all the meek of the earth." Wrongdoers should ponder God's greatness and awe-inspiring power, perhaps looking up at the stars on a dark night. Isaiah 40:26 exhorts: "“Lift up your eyes to heaven and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who brings out their army by number; He calls them all by name. Because of his vast dynamic energy and his awe-inspiring power, Not one of them is missing." May we be humbled by such powerful works of God, and repent of any error, turning to Him for forgiveness of past error, willing to meekly listen and learn from Him the way to eternal life in true happiness.
Matthew 4:8-10 is the last of the three temptations that Satan unsuccessfully used against Jesus. It reads, adding verse 11: "Again the Devil took him along to an unusually high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”11 Then the Devil left him, and look! angels came and began to minister to him." Why should Jesus hurry to receive any rulership over the earth, before God's appointed time for him to have such? Doing so would have meant receiving it from the primary opposer of God, the Devil. Jesus found his happiness in serving God, and exalting His name, teaching others to worship Him properly. Jesus would eventually receive from God authority over the earth, in God's due time, as King of God's Kingdom, overseeing the restoration of true worship earthwide. Jesus utterly refused to satisfy Satan's desire for the worship that is rightfully only due Jehovah God. And he refused to "run ahead" of God to receive something before he was truly ready for it. May we exalt the name and worship of God as did Jesus, following his example of faithfulness. And may we likewise wait faithfully and patiently for God's due time for us to receive any gifts and blessings from Him, readying ourselves for such, so that we're prepared to experience them with proper appreciation for them.


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