2020 May 15 Proverbs 14, Tenth (Envy) of the Ten, TWGA, weekly CTC

Joshua M. Campbell-Elanemy • May 15, 2020

2020 May 15 Proverbs 14, Tenth (Envy) of the Ten, TWGA, weekly CTC

Hello, welcoming you to another post, wishing for you a safe and pleasant day, remaining alert and considerate. Let's continue in Proverbs 14, then reflect on the Tenth Commandment against envy, today's TWGA, and the weekly CTC Corner. As we're ending the Ten Commandments, next time we'll begin considering selected other laws from God through Moses, and their Christian significance.

25 A true witness saves lives, But a deceitful one lies with every breath. 26 There is strong confidence in the fear of Jehovah, And it will be a refuge for his children. 27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. 28 A multitude of people are a king’s majesty, But a ruler without subjects is ruined. 29 The one who is slow to anger has great discernment, But the impatient one displays his foolishness. 30 A calm heart gives life to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones."

Prove 14:25 "Truthful lips will endure forever, but a lying tongue will last for only a moment." says Proverbs 12:19. The testimony of a true witness may more immediately save a life, but also encourages life by honest, truthful speech, and often sharing important truth with others. A deceitful witness, on the other hand, cannot be trusted to speak the truth, or to act in the best interests of others.


"26 There is strong confidence in the fear of Jehovah, And it will be a refuge for his children."

Prove 14:26 The "strong confidence" that comes with the fear of Jehovah is in Jehovah himself, rather than in oneself. As Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a help that is readily found in times of distress." Thus, having this healthy fear of displeasing God, and lovingly teaching it to one's children, will help the children to find this refuge as well.


"27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death."

Prove 14:27 As Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of Jehovah means the hating of bad." By seeing the ill consequences of badness, we may come to hate it, steering clear of "the snares of death," and remaining on the path to endless life. Having such fear moves us to share life-giving truth with others, proving this fear to be a "fountain of life." Regarding God's son, Isaiah 11:1,2 says "A twig will grow out of the stump of Jesʹse, And a sprout from his roots will bear fruit. 2 And the spirit of Jehovah will settle upon him, The spirit of wisdom and of understanding, The spirit of counsel and of mightiness, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah." In this, he sets an example for others, to grow in divine wisdom.


"28 A multitude of people are a king’s majesty, But a ruler without subjects is ruined."

Prove 14:28 Proverbs 29:2 says: "When the righteous are many, the people rejoice, But when the wicked one rules, the people groan." Thus a king does well to pursue true wisdom and righteousness, with the favor and blessing of God, on himself and his people. Turning from righteousness would cause ruin to himself and a poor example to his people, who may thus fall into calamity.


"29 The one who is slow to anger has great discernment, But the impatient one displays his foolishness."

Prove 14:29 To have patience with others, both insight and discernment are shown to prove beneficial. Discernment enables one to judge properly between things, such as right and wrong, true and false, and so on. This makes it possible to have compassionate insight, seeing the real reasons behind someone's speech, actions, and decisions. If someone gets rude to us just after spilling coffee on his new shirt, can we not understand and exercise more patience with the person? Being impatient often results in "foolishness," and does little to help the situation.


"30 A calm heart gives life to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones."

Prove 14:30 One who is patient contributes to calmness of heart, as well as one avoiding the ravages of jealousy. What is jealousy? It is a hatred toward another perhaps over something the person has or honor received, that may cause one to desire to cruelly interfere with their enjoying such things in some way. The scripture says it is "rottenness to the bones," or "to the core." We also read, at James 3:16, "For wherever there are jealousy and contentiousness, there will also be disorder and every vile thing." EVERY "VILE," or EVIL THING! Such jealousy does nothing to benefit humanity in any way. May we reject any such inclination, and rather, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15).

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TEN COMMANDMENTS

Let’s now consider Exodus 20:17: “17 You must not desire your fellow man’s house. You must not desire your fellow man’s wife nor his slave man nor his slave girl nor his bull nor his donkey nor anything that belongs to your fellow man.”

FINDING TRUE PEACE, UNSELFISH LOVE. As we’ve been considering, can we really say that any of the Ten Commandments are not important, or of value to mankind? Can we not see how even the Tenth one can significantly help the development of true peace, unselfish love, and happiness between humans? Also other commands of the Mosaic Law, which in their entirety Jesus kept perfectly, promoted such things among Israel. We should be able to make connections to Jesus’ own words and commands to his followers, which are binding upon all who would be true Christians today. Let’s back up, though, and take this one commandment step by step:

CHART OWN PROGRESS, AVOIDING ENVY. “You must not desire your fellow man’s house.” This reference to a man’s “house” was likely all-encompassing, including, not only the literal building materials, but the man’s “home” with his accumulated possessions, spouse, children, animals, land, etc. We should not be jealous of the man, or envious of what he may have worked hard to obtain, gather, and accumulate over many years of effort, using God-given gifts and acquired wisdom, skills, and training to do so. Every man should have enough unselfish love and compassion so as to be happy for what others have, while seeking God’s blessing on one’s own efforts to establish a home for himself. God’s word encourages this, while discouraging comparisons with others and their accomplishments. For instance, Romans 12:15 says “15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” We should, with empathy, be genuinely happy for those who have found a measure of happiness themselves, although God’s Kingdom will surely bring this in much fuller measure for all obedient mankind. Also, regarding unhealthy comparisons, notice the words of Galatians 6:4: “4 But let each one examine his own actions, and then he will have cause for rejoicing in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person.” We each have opportunity to be happy with our own individual progress in life, whether in our own personal activities, or in business pursuits, or in other areas. We should perhaps chart our own progress, comparing what we’re doing now with what we did last week, last month, or last year at this same time. Then we can appreciate our own progress and development, and be happy with this. Notice these words in the Amplified Version: “4 But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.” Such a view discourages unhealthy comparisons with others as well as insidious jealousy, which God’s word outright condemns.

AVOIDING JEALOUSY. For instance, Proverbs 14:30 says “30 A calm heart gives life to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones.” Or, as the saying goes, “rotten to the core.” Clearly, jealousy can permeate the entire body of a person, ruining their spirituality and any associated happiness. James adds this, in James 3:15,16: “15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above; it is earthly, animalistic, demonic. 16 For wherever there are jealousy and contentiousness, there will also be disorder and every vile thing.” Do we need “every vile thing” in our life? May we utterly reject jealousy and even “contentiousness,” or the tendency to want to fight others, to claim superiority over them. Would we not rather be humble, reliant upon God for our success, and gain and maintain true unselfish love in our life and dealings with others? This is the course of eternal life.

NOR HIS WIFE. Therefore, may we not desire what rightfully belongs to our fellowman, including his “wife.” How near and dear to a man’s heart is his rightful spouse. God himself brought the first man and woman together. Jesus quoted this from Genesis, when asked about divorce, saying, at Matthew 19:5,6: “5...‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? 6 So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together, let no man put apart.” God is the Originator of the marriage and family arrangement, which has had His blessing for millenniums. Yes, while there is provision for divorce in cases of serious “fornication” against one’s mate, normally who should dare to rip apart a person’s body in half, by trying to steal the heart of his or her spouse, the two becoming “one flesh?” This would not be God’s doing, and therefore should be universally recognized as a violation of what is holy before God!

RIGHT DESIRES, LOOKING TO GOD. Neither should we desire the “slave” or workers of a man, perhaps in his business, nor his animals, or any other provision that serves to feed his family. Nor should we desire “anything that belongs to your fellowman.” Clearly this commandment gets to the root cause of the harmful thinking patterns of envy and jealousy, as well as practices such as stealing. If we all merely look to God to satisfy our right desires, we may avoid much sin and have better dealings with others. James 1:14,15 says “14 But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death.” May we regularly analyze ourselves, including our desires, to ensure they are in harmony with God’s delightful will for mankind. May we be appreciative of the fine gifts God has given us in life, and be happy with what others have been given as well, compassionately rejoicing with them. Thus, may we come to see the benefits of considering God’s laws to both Israel and true Christians today, finding parallels in the way we are to treat one another in harmony with true love, justice, and peace.
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THRICE WEEKLY GOLDEN APPLES (TWGA)

ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RAPID TESTING. A major story in the news this week is the gradual re-opening of the economy, and it's potential effect on the lives of people, or more specifically, the coronavirus death-toll, without there being adequate testing or a vaccine. About the same time, the FDA has approved it's first SALIVA TEST for COVID-19, albeit still requiring a lab analysis, and being slated only for emergency use. Yet a saliva test holds tremendous potential as a MAJOR SOLUTION to the testing problem. Saliva testing can reveal not only whether someone has had the virus, but also whether their immune system has recovered and they are no longer in a strongly contagious condition--essentially able to return to life, even though still taking the normal precautions--social distancing, face masks, and hand-washing, for instance. I believe products and patents exist for these tests, and that there are already rapid-tests or on-the-spot tests that are saliva-based. Such tests allow health-care workers to be at much less risk, are much less intrusive than other tests, and do not require several-day lab turnarounds or cause lab backlogs. Let the labs be free to take care of other health issues, even unusual coronavirus conditions. We need RAPID SALIVA TESTING, even if performed by authorized personnel, to give us the answers we need to re-open the economy more fully as desired. How can we reopen fully without any adequate testing methods or thoroughness, and no vaccine? Doing that would just be inviting disaster. Mere wishful thinking will not prevent any deaths that could otherwise be avoided. Placing emphasis on effective saliva tests, getting these manufactured abundantly as needed, as testing that is extremely cost-effective, costing as little as 20 cents per test, and having those needing these tests receive them for an efficiently planned rollout in each locality, would make possible the kind of lasting, safer and more secure economic recovery that many are hoping for.

CREATIVE TEMPORARY MEASURES. Also, such methods as curb-side pickup from retail establishments, which means purchasing items from stores with a phone call or online, and knowing the items will be ready for pickup by the time agreed, may allow current workers to return, and businesses to get moving again, before a full re-opening is possible.

GOOD VACCINES. Also, while hard work continues on a vaccine solution, might this be a good time to correct a serious flaw with current vaccinations going forward? There is evidence that many vaccines really do continue to use "outdated" ingredients such as mercury--this formula may have gotten us by decades ago, but there is no proof that this is really needed for the vaccine to do its job, and there is proof that it can do harm to a real percentage of individuals, young and old. Granted, some still deny this claim. But if we can agree to forgive the past mistakes in this regard, at least in most cases, so as not to harm healthcare with flurries of lawsuits, and accept a genuine effort to right this wrong, removing unnecessary and unwanted ingredients from our vaccines , so that they may perform as they should, with much fewer side effects, how much appreciation we may have for this lifesaving tool of medicine, which can allow the body's own effective immune responses to protect us from serious harm. We can happily pay fairly for vaccines that we can have confidence are not a threat to the health and happiness of our children and ourselves!

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COME TO CONSENSUS CORNER

Week 10: ISSUE AFTER ISSUE ADDRESSED BY GOD’S KINGDOM: PROPER VIEW OF LAW

Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of Jehovah, And he reads His law in an undertone day and night.”

Joshua 1:8 “This book of the Law should not depart from your mouth, and you must read it in an undertone day and night, in order to observe carefully all that is written in it; for then your way will be successful and then you will act wisely.”

Jeremiah 31:33 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I will write it. And I will become their God, and they will become my people.”


NEED FOR LAW. The need for some code of law became apparent with time in man’s history. Before the advent of such laws, humans, closer to the perfection originally present in our first parents, Adam and Eve, generally lived by their consciences. Likely, discussions of right and wrong actions were among the conversations our first parents had with their children. It was possibly even before a law code existed that Joseph fled from having an adulterous affair with his Egyptian owner’s wife, saying “How could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?” In the oral history handed down, he knew God had brought the first man and woman together in marriage, and at this, God’s word says: “That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). Thus respect for the covenant of marriage was engendered early on, especially among God-fearing persons.

AN EARLY CODE. One early law code was the code of Hammurabi. This was before the time of Moses. Hammurabi’s code laid down some 282 laws, having been written upon stone pillars within the kingdom of Babylon, so everyone would know the law. Hammurabi is known as the sixth king of Babylon, and is believed to have ruled between 1792 BCE and 1750 BCE. Hammurabi evidently did not write these laws, but brought together and organized existing laws. It became the standard of judgment throughout his empire. Of course, there were some similarities and differences when comparing his law to that of God’s law through Moses. Both codes stated, for instance, that kidnapping a child would bring the death penalty.*

WHY SEVERE PENALTIES? Why do such laws of man and even God, even today, have severe punishments associated with certain wrong actions? If everyone is aware of the law code, and know how severe the penalty would be for a specific harmful, criminal act, this should serve as a powerful deterrent from engaging in such conduct, thus enabling a peaceful existence to be maintained in society. Just as violating a law of physics, such as gravity, you know could mean your death, so serious moral laws should never be violated either. God reveals at 2Peter 3:9 that He “...is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” Thus, He wants everyone to understand and respect His laws, which promote genuine peace and happiness among society. Hammurabi’s code even included death for robbery, while God’s law through Moses generally only required returning the item stolen, if possible, and added compensation, totaling up to four or even seven times the amount, depending on what it was. Thus, God’s law was more reasonable in this case, while the penalty still serves to deter the crime. Also, God’s law promoted fairness and equality, whereas Hammurabi’s law considered a crime less serious if it was committed by one with higher social status. More than a crime against man, God’s law made it clear that crimes such as robbery were also being committed against God—who loves His human creation, and wants the peace and happiness of all. They thus were sins against God, requiring forgiveness by Him.

OTHER PURPOSES OF LAW. We’ve seen that laws can be set as a deterrent from bad actions. But laws can also promote and accentuate good practices and standards. It can be used to set certain payments for government, legal and business services, for instance. It can outline fair practices between entities, whether governmental, commercial, or personal. It can outline a path to help various peoples overcome some disappointing or failing circumstances, to regain their peace, security, prosperity, freedom and/or happiness after some disaster or unfortunate occurrence(s). Laws can thus be used for much good, and contribute to the above-mentioned conditions that human hearts long to experience and maintain. And contrary to the notion that laws are only restrictive, in truth law can even protect various freedoms that promote such happiness among humanity. God’s word reveals that “where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom!” (2Cori 3:17). And James speaks of God’s law as a “perfect law that belongs to freedom.” He writes: “But the one who peers into the perfect law that belongs to freedom and continues in it has become, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; and he will be happy in what he does.” (James 1:25). Thus, God’s law can promote wise and good conduct, and help those who adhere to it act with greater wisdom, and find greater happiness. Psalm 19:7-8 says: “7 The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring strength. The reminder of Jehovah is trustworthy, making the inexperienced one wise. 8 The orders from Jehovah are righteous, causing the heart to rejoice; The commandment of Jehovah is clean, making the eyes shine [“enlightening the eyes”, AMP].” Therefore, God’s commands support truth and true worship in a way that enables obedient ones to find wisdom and joy, to see more clearly where they are on the path of life, and where they are going.

WHAT OF THE RANSOM? Therefore, the ransom of Christ, while a merciful gift of God, does not do away with law, but rather establishes it. It is having faith, or deep trust, in that merciful provision for forgiveness that enables ones to gradually grow to greater adherence to the law of God. With a deep faith in God and His word and law, we are moved to respond to God’s love by loving Him in return. And 1John 5:3 explains: “3 For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome.” Thus by such faith in God’s love, seeing God’s law as a way to know how to love Him in return, true righteousness is made possible, even a complete obedience of the heart of a person. This was not always understood. Some Jews felt that their own circumcision of the flesh itself gave them divine favor. Romans 3:23-24, 29-31 says: “23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus...29 Or is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of people of the nations? Yes, also of people of the nations. 30 Since God is one, he will declare circumcised people righteous as a result of faith and uncircumcised people righteous by means of their faith. 31 Do we, then, abolish law by means of our faith? Not at all! On the contrary, we uphold law.” Likewise, for true Christians, baptism itself is not an automatic sign of divine favor, but it is a “request made to God for a good conscience.” (1Peter 3:21). Holding a good conscience, that is eagerly trained by God’s word, with an obedient and loyal heart, brings divine approval, not as something we earn, but as a free gift, by God’s kindness, through the ransom of Christ.

CONCLUSION

FAITH IN GOD AND HIS LAW. Jesus when on earth taught many principles of divine truth, that aid one to understand God and His ways better, so as to WANT to live by them. Christ’s teachings help us to address our loyalty and faithfulness to God in a heartfelt way, becoming obedient from the heart to God’s standards and laws, promoting true peace, righteousness, and happiness. May we therefore come to delight in the law of God, as others throughout history, and look forward to God’s favored blessings and rewards. This requires faith, or deep trust, in Him, as explained at Hebrews 11:6: “6 Moreover, without faith it is impossible to please God well, for whoever approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” God’s Kingdom will thus help people to comprehend God’s law in a way that they can understand and live by it, seeing it’s wisdom and value in their life. Perhaps books will be published, with the aim of addressing a certain aspect or topic of God’s law, revealing insight into how it functions to contribute to earth-wide or even universal peace, security, prosperity, freedom, and happiness. They can be written with warmth and understanding, in “plain English” so-to-speak, in a way that may bring delight and satisfaction. May we continue learning of God’s perfect law, that we may live by it, respecting His law and His Son’s teachings, thus honoring our loving God and Father, Jehovah, as the rightful Sovereign of the Universe.


* WORLD HISTORY for Christian Schools, 1984 ed. pp. 24-25


Find Life and See

Between Winchester, Virginia, and hopefully, Washington D.C., having confidence that our thankful trust in God will not fail to inspire us to the peace He has purposed via His Kingdom!  

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