series in Proverbs - For the Fear of the Lord is Core to Every Act of Faith

                         

For the Fear of the Lord is Core to Every Act of Faith 

Proverbs 9:7-12

Between the two invitations is the wise advice to the man or woman who will fear God and heed the wise words from God through this proverb. Again, it all hinges on the fear of God, for it is our source and foundation of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s will and purpose.

Let’s begin with the terms in the Hebrew, the word used in this proverb for mocker is Lēṣ. In the Hebrew language, the nouns Luts and La’eg are also words translated as mocker or scoffer. Lēṣ is a participle, a form of a verb that describes a person who is arrogant, prideful, and hostile towards the truth and wisdom, using scorn, slander, and sarcasm to deride another. 

As in Solomon’s time and in our world today, the mockers are very prevalent and even in the position of authority and power to their own shame. So let’s read the first portion of the text. “Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.”

Solomon surely met many who mocked his judgments, or policies based on the wisdom and words of God. And as this proverb states it is unfruitful and even foolish to correct or rebuke this person for the hardness of their heart and mind are unwilling and they are unyielding to correction with Godly truth. For as surely as the sun will rise in the east, the mocker will return with an insult usually laced with slander, accusations, scorn, and some form of abuse.

Some people will attempt to correct the mocker only to be possibly man-handled and beaten. A good example of this is the abuse and death of the messengers or prophets sent by God to correct someone who is shamefully or scornfully reacting to the spoken Word of God. (2 Kings 10:1-4) And verse 5, “When David heard what had happened, he sent messengers to tell the men, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.” For they felt deep shame because of their appearance.” (NLT) David’s first response wasn’t to attack the mockers for the insulting response, but to take care of his servants' needs and their care. This situation did explode into a deadly battle, all because of fear, mockery, and scornful actions.

Application - As a boy and a young man, I had plenty of mockers in my life. I was very sick as a child and I was very skinny. In Jr. High, I was always picked on and made fun of because of my size and weight (75 lbs.) Some mocked me with malicious sayings, “If he turned sideways, he would disappear.” Or “He has to put bricks in his pockets or he will blow away.” I learned quickly that I was too small to fight back, so I just walked away when possible, to answer back to the mockers would have been foolish. 

High school wasn’t a lot better, I was less than 98 lbs, and then lost some more weight down to 69 lbs because of sickness. I look like a poster boy for a starvation ad. It wasn’t till after graduation that I began to grow taller and put on weight. But the mockers are always there, I learned to walk away from the insults and jeers. 

Even if you are healthy and vibrant in life, there will be mockers who will use sarcasm or slander to bring you down, and as in the last two lessons Wisdom and Folly are at the fork in the road that you will have to navigate. Listen and follow Wisdom, she will lead in the straight way of God. “I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.” (Prov. 4:11 NIV) 

Eventually the mockers will fall away and the peace and security of God will surround you.  “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:5-7 NIV)

Next, Solomon elucidates the principle response, to correct the wise. So let’s read the last portion of the text. “But correct the wise, and they will love you. Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”

In the midst of this proverb is the essential core to faith as well as the foundational steps and actions needed in order to be wise and use God’s wisdom. 

Solomon begins with the response of both parties, when correction is needed first approach the wise, for they understand the teachableness of a spirit that is yielded to God. The wise react with love (Ahav). They have an affection for Godly wisdom and God’s instruction and teachings. The words of exhortation or admonishment from Godly wisdom makes the situation or activity enlightened with understanding for the building on the righteous foundation of Truth. For the fear of the Lord is core to every act of faith and life of the righteous and wise.

The Wise acknowledge God and His judgments for they lead to the straight path, extended peace and long life. The wise seek God and trust him, out of their love and reverence of Him. The knowledge that they seek is found only in the truth from God and His wisdom.

And in the end, the mocker will suffer the consequence of his or her actions, words, and choices. And the wise to long abundant life.

Application - Again I wasn’t a christian as a boy, and I learned the hard way of foolishness, but as I got older there seemed to be logic and common sense in God’s wisdom. And it wasn’t till I was thirty years old that I yielded to God’s plan and wisdom by believing in His Son Jesus Christ. This was the beginning of the fear of God for me, but it only grew larger and fonder as I followed the straight path God had laid out for me. 

I heard Wisdom’s subtle voice now and the peace and love I received from God protected me and my family from the mockers and from Folly’s hawking and brash voice.

The Fear of the Lord was now my foundation in life, and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit still leads me on the straight path. I received a native American name because of my lifestyle, Straighttalk, and I like it and use it still today. For as a pastor and teacher, it is my duty to teach righteousness and godliness, knowledge and understanding, and I cannot do it without Wisdom from God.

As Solomon said, “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”

As always, I want to conclude by presenting the gospel in the form of the basic principles of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ. For Jesus, God the Son, came into this world to save all who believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you; he is the light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and has given him all authority in heaven and on earth. He will answer you if you truly believe. If you haven't yet asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

First, A: Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a just God, and a change of heart takes place: we change our minds, and God changes our hearts and regenerates us inside and out. Romans 3:10: As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners, so we must be born spiritually to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.) Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death; in other words, our sin means we have been sentenced to death; we have the death penalty hanging over our heads; that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast. Secondly,

B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised him from the dead. This is trusting with all your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is righteous, and with the mouth confession is made and is saved. Third,

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every person who sees lThose who have lived since Adam will kneel andthey confessed with hismouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, Lord of lords, and King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: “As I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God.” Don’t wait, do it now. Romans 10:13 - For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” “O God, I am a sinner. I repent of my sin. I want to turn away from it. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son; I believe that he died on the cross for my sins, that he was buried, and that you raised him from the dead. I have decided to put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting in his shed blood alone as sufficient to save my soul and take me to heaven. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen.”

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please visithttp://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In Your Service Mike Davis

I've reviewed my website on spiritual warfare. Please take a look. Thank you.

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com