Series in Proverbs - Discretion?

 

Discretion?

Proverbs 11:22-31 (NLT)

The operation of discernment and discretion in the life of men and women has long been an issue in many societies. Solomon undoubtedly had seen the indiscretion of mankind and the lack of discernment in everyday actions, whether in the financial, physical, or the spiritual. 

So let’s use godly discernment into the unfolding of this proverb; disclosing the discretions and indiscretions exposed by Solomon. Let’s read the first portion of the text, “A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment. Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need.”

Solomon who seemed to have had a fetish for beautiful women for he likened the ostentatious nature of apparel and attractiveness, to the unclean and defiled pigs wearing gold jewelry. He had wives from many countries and they each dressed in what they determined was attractive, from jewelry to makeup, perfume, scented oils and aloes and lotions. And this was just his household. 

Then Solomon diverts to finances and judgments or rewards. He, being one of the wealthiest men on the earth, had seen the indiscretions that money brought upon the soul of a man. He knew the value of investment and diversifying, and slothfulness. “Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.” “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land…Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.” (Ecc. 10:18-19; 11:1-2, 6 NIV) 

The expectation of the sower and reaper was in their diligence and discretions. The generous prospered and the hoarder bore the curse upon themselves, their families, and all that they owned. The act of discernment and diligence determined the refreshing of the soul and body, and the love of God and of their neighbors. 

Application - I wouldn't know where to start with the ostentatious (the vulgar and pretentious display to attract and impress) apparel worn today by just about every generation. God is very specific to our attitudes and how we present ourselves. “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come…Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (1 Tim. 2:9-10; Prov. 31:25,30)

Modesty in our lifestyle as well in our clothing is God’s order for His church. 

Second, the indiscretion used in our finances and physical duties affects our spiritual life. It is wise to be cautious and astute in our investments and in our expenditures. It is honorable to save and to give generously, as well the frugal and tight-fisted as well as stingy will think they are prudent in their lives, but God desired to give us wealth not to be used on ourselves only but to be used for His will and purpose. Jesus’ words “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt:31-33 ESV)

And remember we don’t give in order to receive back an increase for our selfishness, but with a heart of generosity towards others. And we don’t give by announcing our giving to all in order to be elevated in our pride and in the sight of others. I have seen too many times people, leaders in churches, waving their money or the large offering; when Jesus told us to do it quietly and secretly. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that you may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:2-4 ESV)

In our wealth, let us use the wisdom of God’s word and use His resources for His glory not our own, for truly God who sees all that we do will reward us, not because of wealthy giving but because of our heart. “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Luke 21:1-4 NLT) 

It is a modern metaphor of this verse, the rich shook their money bags as they superciliously wanted others to see them, versus the poor woman who sheepishly dropped her coins in the box so as to not draw attention to herself.  

Let us use discretion and modesty in all that we do.

Next, Solomon knew the vanity of wealth and its snare to the soul. So let’s read the last portion of the text. “If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you! Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring. Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise. The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends. If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?”

God in His goodness gave the gift of discernment, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to Solomon because he asked, for God gave him the true treasures of Heaven. But God also gave him the wealth of the earth. And in recourse, Solomon shared His heavenly gifts and knowledge with anyone who would listen and hear the proverbs, and gave of his earthly wealth to the widow, orphan and poor as God had told many to do through the Law and the  prophets. (Deut. 24:19-22 ESV)

He knew that searching and giving for good was the searching and giving that pleased God and bore God’s favor, mercy, and His compassion. It rested upon Him. 

But searching for evil also brought knowledge and also a curse. For it was in His giving of himself to whatever his heart desired, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.” (Ecc. 2:10 NIV) that he found God’s disapproval and his anger and the curse from Deut. 28:15, “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you”

Solomon had seen the foolish, the lazy, the hoarder, and those who lacked discretion and discernment. But to be blessed by God, it all came back to obedience to God and the applying of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, insight and instruction. The wise flourished and found favor with God, the foolish found trouble, bondage, and the chasing of the wind.

Solomon closes this proverb with a question to all who will listen and seek God. “ If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?”

Application - It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to analyze that the falls and failures of mankind stem from the roots of our hearts and souls. From the very beginning, man was told to be discerning about good and evil, the tree in the garden. But man listened to the wrong voice and chose to follow the indiscretions of the mind and the heart allured in temptations. It is still true today, we search for what the mind and heart desires. If we search for good we will obey God’s Word and follow in His ways; but if we desire evil, this too is a matter of the mind and heart, just as Cain heard from God,  “The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.” (Gen. 4:6-7 ESV)

Now you have to ask yourself, what am I searching for, and why is it so important? Am I searching for God’s favor or the world’s? And in this earthly search, there is always the draw string of the money purse attached. The pleasures and treasures of this world have a price tag attached, and its alluring voice says trust me. But as Jesus said in the beatitudes,  “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:31-34 NIV)

It all comes down to the heart and who do we trust in, God or money, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matt. 6:24 NIV) For we will be the servant to one or the other. And in this love affair, it affects our families and others around us. The foolish may flourish for a short time (the prodigal son) but come to ruin or the godly who tends the soil, preparing it and planting seeds that will bring a great harvest even to eternal life, and those near them will learn and be rewarded by the diligence, discretion, and discernment of the godly.  for they will see and willingly trust God in their own lives. 

To answer the question posed by Solomon, “If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners? The evidence is forthcoming. We are all given the resources and talents in our humanness, but it is in the implementation in who we will trust: will it be in the fleetingness of wealth and worldly gain, or God, in the humility of an obedient heart and a discerning mind and spirit of discretion. Joshua was faced with a similar decision, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Jos. 24:15 NIV)

  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

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