Lone Mark 1 kayaker (surf ski), near Morro Rock harbor entrance, Morro Bay, CA (Photo credit: mikebaird)

The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. (Proverbs 10:27)

How can the fear of the Lord make a person live longer? The answer lies in this: When someone fears the Lord he will be careful to obey the Lord’s commandments. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and wisdom helps us to discern what’s best for us. What’s best for us is to trust God implicitly for He created us and knows us inside and out.

He also knows the future. When making important decisions we can only make projections as to what the future may hold. God has no need for projections. He knows the end from the beginning. Besides, He has also proven Himself to be fully trustworthy.

God’s commandments are not to restrict us and imprison us, but to set us free to have life and life in abundance. Obedience to God adds length and value to life. Our days may not be perfect, but every day of our life is special and contributes towards the ultimate goal: Living in God’s presence forever.

However, we need to discern what obedience to God is. Many are obedient to man-made ideas that have been passed off as commands from God. (see Mark 7). The church leaders of Jesus’ time were notorious for doing this and this leads people astray because although they believe they are obeying God by following man-made rules, they may in fact be disobeying Him.

‘Their worship is a farce,  for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Mark 7:7-13

Thankfully, God didn’t leave us over to the whimsical dangers of distorted teachers and their teachings. He gave us His written Word to guide us. As road users, we understand that the traffic rules are there for our own safety. Generally people accept and respect these rules without resistance. The same applies to the Lord’s “rules” for us. It is for our own safety and those who live by them will lengthen their life and add to the quality of their lives.

These words also have an eternal application. We know that this life is temporary and we all will leave it behind some day. No one escapes death. But those who fear the Lord and trust in His salvation offered in Christ Jesus will receive eternal life. They have crossed over from the road to death to the road to life.

In contrast, the years of the wicked are cut short because of their own choice to deliberately disobey the Lord’s commandments. They ignore the “instruction manual” and live according to their own rules. For many, their emotions (though fickle and unpredictable), rule their decision-making processes. No one else tells them what to do. But just like ignoring the instruction manual of an appliance is sure to cause that appliance have a shorter functional lifespan, so the one who makes a choice to ignore God will also decreases the years of his life –in this life and the next.

This proverb does not mean that all who die young have themselves to blame for their demise. It is, like all the other proverbs, a guide to living life wisely and not a guarantee of escaping death. None of us will escape death. Some have been given more years than others, but this does not mean that those who live longer have necessarily feared God and taken hold of His commandments. This is but a guideline to a good life when it has been granted us.

Moreover, it also alludes to our eternal destination: Life forevermore or death where we are hurled into utter darkness separated from this loving God of the Universe for all eternity.

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The Euphrates River (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If one looks at what went down the night Babylon was destroyed, it starts making good sense to follow the advice of the Word of God. We are warned continually and patiently. We are told that friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God. We are warned not to follow the ways of this world since it is passing away. We are encouraged not to become despondent when we see the wicked prosper. There are many warnings. And God repeats them throughout His word, because we need constant reminding.

Since Babylon is often seen as a symbol of the world system, one could look at the historical fall of Babylon and get a glimpse of what it will be like when the Lord finally puts an end to this corrupted world system. Jesus told us its end will not be very different from what it was like in the days of Noah. People will marry and party and suddenly, it will be all over. Perhaps we could never possibly imagine what it will be like and we may not know everything for certain. But one thing is certain. The world system is destined for an inevitable tremendous and final fall. And if we don’t want to be part of that fall, we would be wise to do some introspection and ask ourselves if we have our eyes fixed on things above or things on earth. Is our hope in a kingdom that cannot be shaken?

We may catch ourselves trying to fit in with the world. We may desire to be with the “in” crowd. But here again, we see a warning to come out of Babylon. In the verse above we have two very distinct pictures which paint opposing situations. On the one hand we have the enemy having fun at lavish dinner party. On the other hand we see a command to get ready for war. This depicts the astonishment with which they faced the contrast from partying to getting ready for war. The attack on Babylon was sudden and the officers were obviously not prepared. The shields were usually oiled to prevent the leather from becoming hard and prone to cracking. The oil made the shield shiny, protected the leather against moisture and helped to ward off strikes by the opponents’ sharp arrows. They were feasting the one moment and the next they had to come to their senses and get ready to defend themselves.

The setting of the tables is an allusion to their misguided confidence and how relaxed they had become because life was good and carefree in Babylon. The fact that the officers had to be called to action is an indication of their complacency and erroneous security. They figured that they were secure behind the high walls of Babylon and they did not bother to prepare for a possible attack and had to be called to get their weapons of defense ready.

Many historians agree that the Babylonians were attacked on a night they were enjoying a great feast. The Greek historian Xenophon writes,

“But Cyrus, when he heard that there was going to be a great feast in Babylon in which all the Babylonians would drink and revel through the night, on that night, as soon as it began to grow dark, taking many people, opened the dams into the river.”

Semiramis and her successors made the dykes that confined the waters of the Euphrates to one channel, making an uninhabitable county inhabitable. By allowing the water of the Euphrates once again to run across the country, Cyrus made it possible for his army to enter Babylon beneath its wall in the channel of the river. Xenophon records that Cyrus thereafter instructed his soldiers to go against the Babylonians since many of them were asleep by then; many of them were drunk and altogether unfit for battle.

It is thought that Cyrus and his men, aware of the festive atmosphere in Babylon, imitated the sounds of drunken party-goers until they surrounded the royal palace in the city centre. The king of Babylon heard the noise and assuming it was the sound of a drunken mob, ordered the palace gates to be opened so that they could investigate what’s going on. At that moment, Cyrus’ army rushed in and launched their attack. Cyrus didn’t attack the enemy from the peripheries, but went straight for the jugular. He starts his onslaught with the king inside his own palace. And so the unfathomable has happened. Babylon has fallen!

Today there may be countries, political leaders and rulers who appear to be unconquerable and great. But history tells us a different story. History shows us that many great nations had come and gone. Many impregnable countries and invincible leaders had been defeated and others rose in their place.

This serves as encouragement for those who feel hopeless when they look at the way things are going along in this world system. Corruption, greed, selfish ambition and hunger for power seem to be the winners. Those who attempt to fix things in honest and selfless ways are soon sidelined. But God is not turning a blind eye to these events. At exactly the right time He will put an end to it all. In the meantime, we are called to let our lights shine, to do good and live selfless lives as Jesus did so that we may be found working in our Master’s field when our Master returns.

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Helderberg Nature Reserve.Cape Town. South Africa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)

This state of blessedness is all the work of the Lord.  It is not about our good behavior, or our church attendance or our status in life. It is a gift of God so that no man may boast. Referring to the above words written by David, Paul writes to the Romans:

David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works (Romans 4:6)

When God shows a person mercy, His Holy Spirit enters that person’s heart and sanctifies him so that he becomes intensely aware of his sinful condition and his need for forgiveness. He comes to the Lord with a repentant heart seeking to be forgiven and that is precisely what he receives. Blessed is a person whose transgressions are forgiven, because sacrifice and offering the Lord did not require. He seeks a contrite heart. A heart humbled by his own sinfulness. That is the kind of person the Lord will never turn away.

What mercy and grace and kindness is bestowed on us that the God of this universe would forgive a man and no longer count his sins against him! Could we ever fully fathom the limitless love shown in this action? The beauty of all this work by the Holy Spirit is that a person touched by God’s grace will abhor sin and will desire what is pleasing to the Lord. Deceit will have to make way for honesty and faithfulness. All this is the work of God because He is the one who creates in us a pure heart and renews an upright spirit in us. He takes away our heart of stone and creates in us a heart of flesh –a heart on which He writes His laws so that we desire to obey Him.

How is all this possible? Because there is a Man who took upon Himself the punishment we deserved for our sins. He made the perfect sacrifice for sin. He is the perfect sacrifice for sin. And now, because He remained obedient to His Father even to the point of death, He overcame death and lives forever more. So, this is God’s offering for all mankind. All who believe in Christ Jesus will be acquitted of all guilt and will be seen as blameless in the sight of God. Their sins have been paid for and God will not exact another payment. “Where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.” Hebrews 10:18. He paid for our sins once and for all. When you believe this message, God no longer counts your sin against you.

This does not mean we continue to sin because we are shown grace. Grace has the exact opposite effect on the heart. We desire to please God, not trample on His precious gift. No longer do we obey Him because we have to and because we are filled with dread. We obey Him because we are thankful for His mercy and because we love Him.

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Various pâtés (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Matthew 15:1-20

The self-righteous church leaders of Jesus’ day inadvertently presented Him with golden opportunities to correct distorted thinking. In this portion, Jesus discusses how important it is to focus on what’s truly important to God.We are prone to looking at outward things and use it as yardsticks to measure others.

Jesus wants to shift our focus. Not everyone who followed Jesus wanted to learn from Jesus. Some followed Him to see if they can find fault in Him. The church leaders of His time were some of His most loyal followers –but for the wrong reasons. Since they looked and looked and couldn’t find any fault in Him, they started to zoom in on His disciples. It was not long before they found what they were looking for. “Why do your disciples break the traditions of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

The disciples were, according to them, breaking an important church rule, but were they breaking God’s rules? Apparently not. This is clear in Jesus’ response to their question. Their question was about the rules of the elders (church leaders). Jesus’ response was about the rules of God: “And why do you break the commands of God for the sake of your tradition?” Jesus points out their hypocrisy.

“But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites!”

They were teaching people that they must give money to “God” and neglect helping people. In this instance Jesus referred in particular to the command to honour your parents. It is against God’s laws to “give to God” and neglect the people closest to you who needs your assistance.

It appears the leaders never had God in mind when enforcing their rules; they had themselves in mind. Perhaps, by convincing people they are giving to God, they got to pocket the money and live lavish lifestyles while the people who gave could, in some cases, hardly afford to buy food. “The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people:“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;the plunder from the poor is in your houses.” (Isaiah 3:14).

Whatever they gather in this life, they gather not by hard work, but by plundering the poor among His people. They nullify the word of God for the sake of their church and their selfish desires. We show our love for God by helping people (see Hebrews 6:10), not hierarchic institutions which are more concerned about advancing themselves than they are about advancing the Gospel and helping the needy.

Jesus shows them that Isaiah predicted their hypocrisy when he said that people like them are hypocrites who honour God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. Their so-called worship of God is in vain because they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.

Jesus expertly puts things in perspective for His listeners. These leaders were so focused on the outside that they neglected the most important part –the heart. God is not looking at what you put into your mouth. He is looking at what comes outof your mouth. In other words, your speech, not your diet, reveals what lives in your heart and God looks at the heart. The externals don’t tell us much about the heart and if we measure someone by their dietary habits, clothing, status, etc., we’re missing what’s really important to God.

Are the things that matter to us in line with what matters to God? If not, is it important to us to find out what’s really important to God? There is this danger that we could become so caught up in advancing a church group and its leaders that we never really take the time to find out what’s truly important to God. Our love for God should compel us to learn about what matters to Him and to focus our energies instead on those things.

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Lush Grass Ahead Coming down from the wilderness near the stream in the lee of Bryn Du, and the grass is much greener from now on. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. (Proverbs 10:25)

Throughout the Bible, there are many promises for the righteous. One that stands out for me is the promise in Psalm 1:

In Jeremiah 17 there is a similar promise:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

The righteous are not uprooted by their circumstances. They are standing on an everlasting foundation. The righteous will stand firm forever.  Jesus sums up all these promises when He explains:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

When we receive the righteousness of Christ by faith in Him, we are standing on this Rock. With this righteousness comes a desire to please God in all that we do, think or say. We desire to walk as Jesus did. We desire to practice daily what He taught us. “Everyone who  hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…” Jesus is referring to His teachings before then, which includes His instructions for life in His Sermon on the Mount. The difference comes not only in the hearing, but in the “putting into practice.”

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom [the Law of Love and Grace], and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25)

Jesus said He is the Way to the Father. The way Jesus lived is the way that will take us to the Father. Therefore, if we desire to be with the Father, it makes sense to closely study the way Jesus lived and to take His teachings seriously and practice living them out in everyday living. Jesus lived a selfless life and He promised those who are prepared to live His way that they will find their life –not lose it.

Once we let go of our own way and our own ideas and our selfish desires to get on top at all costs, we are on the Way and we can be assured that our circumstances will not uproot us. On the contrary, having received the righteousness of Christ, we will stand firm forever –in this life and the next.

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Euphrates (Photo credit: Hovic)

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 21:1

Since we are living in this world we are always at risk of following  its ways. Cleverly designed strategies to coerce people into believing and doing certain things may be attractive and we may be inclined to follow suit –even introduce it into the way we share the Gospel. But God wants us to understand that the World and its ways are marked for destruction and He repeats that warning several times in Scripture.

Isaiah 21 is a prophecy about the destruction of Babylon and since Babylon represents more than a mere geographical location in the Bible, and is symbolic of everything sinful and haughty, this warning is still applicable to us today. Through this prophecy God assures His people that their enemy will be utterly destroyed and they will be delivered from bondage.

The prophecy starts by referring to the Desert by the Sea, believed to be a reference to Babylon. God repeatedly predicted its fall, assuring His people that His words will be fulfilled even though Babylon may rise to great heights of prosperity. Some of His people believed Babylon to be beneficial to them and others have allowed the ways of Babylon to infiltrate their lives –from worship to work. But this place is marked for destruction and God wants His people to wake up. He repeatedly speaks through His prophets to prevent them from blindly following the ways of the world without seriously considering the impact on their lives.

God predicted Babylon’s fall before it became great and impressive. God then repeats this prediction through His prophets as many times as He deemed it necessary. He does not want His people to become overawed by its rise to power and He wants to prevent His people from despairing when they become its captives. The destruction Babylon is also a confirmation that, throughout history, God brings down the haughty and arrogant.

Babylon (also called Akkad) means “gate of the gods” and is linked to Babel which means confused. Babylon is therefore associated with the confusion that comes with ungodliness. It was the capital of Babylonia and is located in modern day Iraq.

A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea

Babylon is called the “Desert by the Sea” is because it was a flat, almost uninhabitable place covered by the water of the Euphrates. This was the case until Semiramis (queen of Assyria) built artificial banks that confined the waters of the Euphrates. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are also Hanging Gardens of Semiramis.

The name “sea” or “yâm” is often used to describe a large river (e.g. the Nile or Euphrates). This is a prediction that the land will become a desert and in a spiritual sense may mean that those who go there looking for salvation will find none. Babylon was a marsh and became habitable by being drained by canals. The reference to “sea” can also be found in the writings of Herodotus who wrote that before Semiramis confined the waters of the Euphrates the whole country was overflowed like a sea.

Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland

The “whirlwinds” are storms which originate in the south and came to Babylon from Arabia. These winds were known to be violent enough to tear away tents. The whirlwinds symbolically indicate how rapid the destruction will be. It will be violent, rapid, unstoppable and sudden.

An invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror

The “invader” is Cyrus who will come upon Babylon rapidly, suddenly, violently and with irresistible force and power. A “land of terror” refers to the soldiers trained in these parts who were acquainted with mountainous and nearly impassable rugged terrain. This resulted in soldiers who were tenacious and formidable. They were well prepared to flatten any obstacle in their way.

This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. (Isaiah 45:1-3)

God doesn’t want His people to place their confidence in what appears to be powerful in this world. He didn’t want them to place their trust in a system that is destined for destruction. Babylon, the gate of the gods (idolatry) and the place of confusion brought about by godless living, is marked for destruction. It represents a world system that may appear to promise prosperity, but will in the end be destroyed.

All that remains of the original important city of Babylon today is a mound of broken mud-brick buildings and debris in the fertile Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:  “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. (Revelation 18:4-5)

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,“God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” (James 4:4-6)

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

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Dancing for Joy Dancing waves at Ingoldmells. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:11-12

These are evidently the words of a person whose life was not devoid of heartache. David was a man well acquainted with the pains of life, but he also knew the joys that can follow the pain. His tears were not only wiped away; his tears were replaced by dancing. The word translated as “wailing” is the Hebrew word, “mispêd” which is an allusion to more than just shedding a few tears. It refers to a long, drawn out period of mourning in which uncountable tears are shed. David was in this state, but now his wailing turns to dancing.

The darkness lifted and in response his heart burst forth in singing praises to God. He couldn’t keep the joy that filled his heart to himself. He acknowledges the One who brought this turnaround in his state of mind. It is to God that he sings praises. The previous verses of this psalm reflected the heart of a person who was in deep distress. He called out to God and God heard his prayers. This is his response to the answer He received from God.

Life is characterized by highs and lows. We may desire to live a life that is not marked by pain, but as we have learnt on this journey, pain is as much a part of it as joy is. The good news for those who trust in God is that they never need to feel alone. We can call out to God in prayer. He hears our cries and answers us, even when we can barely whisper a prayer. He is God Almighty and has the power to change the most hopeless situations into occasions for joy and dancing. How hard is it to stand still when your heart is overflowing with joy!

David unashamedly expressed his joy by way of dancing and singing. He understood that this joy that now fills his heart is because of the mercy of God who turned his darkness into light. We can always know that no matter what we have to endure, there is joy that awaits us, if only we cling to God and cry out to Him, fully trusting that He will answer our prayers. No situation ever needs to be hopeless when we have the God of this universe on our side!

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Flowers of Israel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Matthew 26:57-68

Jesus is arrested and brought before the chief leader –Caiaphas who was surrounded by his supportive subordinates. Jesus, on the other hand, had just been deserted by all His friends. Peter followed Jesus, but  at a safe distance –just close enough to follow the proceedings.

The church leaders were looking for “false evidence” against Jesus. Note that they weren’t looking for evidence, but for false evidence. They knew that any truthful evidence would mean they will have to let Jesus go. For a long time, they tried to gather evidence against Him and failed. They then reverted to gathering false evidence in order to have Jesus killed.

The entire hearing was a farce. It was evidently a conspiracy and an unfair trial. Ironically, they had a problem coming up with false evidence too. Many false witnesses came forward but their testimony wasn’t weighty enough to indict Jesus. Their testimonies contradicted each other. That’s always the case when we revert to lies. The stories never line up.

Finally two came forward with the same story. They used Jesus’ own words against Him and said He claimed that He would break down the temple and rebuild it in three days. They twisted His word. When He said He would destroy “this temple” He was referring to His own body (see John 2:19). The misrepresentation of the truth was agreeable to the leaders (see Mark 14:59). Their purposes had become more important to them than the truth.

The chief leader stood up wanting to hear from Jesus now. What has He got to say about these accusations? Up to this point Jesus remained silent throughout the hearing; not once did He try to defend Himself. “Are you not going to answer?” But Jesus remained silent.

The High Priest pulls out his trump card –one he knew would evoke a response from Jesus. He charged Jesus under oath of the living God and asked Him to tell them if He is the Christ. If Jesus said yes, they would charge Him with blasphemy. They got what they wanted. Jesus says yes. He is the Christ and adds that He is the Son of Man and He claims that they will all see Him sitting on the right hand of the Mighty One and that He will return on the clouds of heaven.

What more did they need? Although what Jesus said was true, they were beside themselves. He had made Himself equal to God! The High Priest shouts, “Blasphemy!” and in dramatic fashion tears his clothes as if Jesus was the sinner and he the innocent. He rejects the need for any further witnesses but asks the view of his supporters. Did they dare disagree? They answer, “He is worthy of death!”

They got what they tried so hard to achieve for so long. All their careful plotting the past three years has now reached its cruel climax. Initially they thought they would probably need an army to arrest Him in secret, but it went down a little easier than they thought. And now Jesus declared Himself guilty with His own words.

At that point their hatred had the opportunity to be released to its full extent. They spit in His face and struck Him with their fists. Others slapped Him. They then blindfolded Him and mocked Him saying, “Prophecy to us, Christ. Who hit you?” The truth is that Jesus was never guilty of anything and completely undeserving of such horrifying treatment.

When I look at these events, I feel as if it was me doing this to Him because I know He suffered all this humiliation and pain for my sake; for my sins. For all eternity I will praise Him for His sacrifice. He is worthy of all our praise!

Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! (Revelation 7:12)

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Photograph of the walk to salt river mouth. In South Africa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Proverbs 10:23

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

Proverbs describes many characteristics of a fool. Here we have another one: A fool is someone who will delight in evil schemes intended to harm another. That’s where he finds his pleasure. Doing the right thing is boring. He needs something exciting. Sadly, harming others is exciting to him.

The fool is then contrasted with the person of understanding. This is the kind of person who will find delight in wisdom. When he reads something that gives him insight into the wisdom of God, he will derive great pleasure from it. The words will be like music to his ears and he may find himself thinking about  it over and over in his heart. He is hungry to grasp the depth of the understanding of those words. And once he has a grip on it, his desire is to apply it to his life –for wisdom is the ability to correctly apply good advice to situations in life.

Just knowing something is not good enough. My dog knows when it’s time for her morning walk. This does not make her wise. She just knows it. But wisdom is having the ability to apply what we know to the correct situations at the correct time. Sometimes when we know something, we may blurt it out in the wrong situation and then that knowledge may do more harm than good.

Paul said that knowledge puffs one up but the love builds one up. Wisdom knows when to apply our knowledge in such a way that it will build up and not break down. This is the wisdom that a person of understanding delights in. Solomon also wrote that words spoken at the right time are like apples of gold in settings of silver. In other words, timely words (and actions) are priceless jewels.

Jesus had the wisdom to say the right things at exactly the right time and that kind of wisdom is available to all those who have placed their trust in Him. Christ has become for us the wisdom of God. In Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. IN Christ is the key. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

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Stelae from the Tiya, Ethiopia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 18

This prophecy is believed to refer to Ethiopia. My aim was to find the relevance of these words for us today and to look at the life lessons that can be learnt. I saw seven life lessons in Isaiah 18 which I am sharing in this post:

1. Many great and formidable nations who today leave others in awe of their power, may tomorrow be nothing before God’s judgments. Very quickly they can become easy prey to their enemies and even despicable in the sight of other nations. Leaders who are greedy to enrich themselves and who are hungry for power will, in their selfish pursuits, often get involved in contentions with other countries and this very greed is often the result of their downfall. As a nation, God’s people too find themselves trampled on by the powerful of this world. But those who persecute them will soon find that these people are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed (see 2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
2. God always gives advanced notice when He is about to do something great. Here we see the entire world is commanded to take notice of what He is about to do: “All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.” Everyone is invited to witness the actions of the Creator of this universe. He invites them to come over to His side and tells them that when these words become a reality, there will be no mistaking that it has happened by His powerful hand. It will not go down silently. It’s hard to miss the sounding of a trumpet.
3. Sometimes we may get the impression that God is a disinterested spectator to the affairs of this world. But this is not the case. It never was and never will be. He is known to appear in season at the perfect time to comfort His people and confuse His enemies. Although ungodly men have much to say, God will also have His say and we know that His word is eternal. His word shall never pass away. It may appear as if God has distanced Himself from the way this world is governed by corrupt leaders, but God’s watchful eye does not miss a thing and His mind is never in an agitated state as if He has lost control. In the midst of all the storms of this world, God remains King over the flood. The psalmists often asked God to wake up from His sleeping, because when things get tough, that is how it may appear to us from a human point of view. But we know that He who watches over His people never slumbers nor sleeps. He remains their Keeper from this time forth forever more. Neither is God ever taken by surprise by events in this world. He knows the end from the beginning. He also knows precisely what He will do and the exact time He will do it.
4. God will continually take care of His people. He is their hiding place and He is their refuge. He will guide them with His eye. There is no need to fear because God is faithful. He is not here today and gone tomorrow. He is not a man that He should lie. Even though it appears to us at times as if He has abandoned us, we can always trust His heart when we can’t trace His hand. The plans He has towards His people are plans to prosper them and not to harm them –to give them a hope and a future. He is their Shepherd and they shall never be in want of anything needful. His will towards them is good, perfect and pleasing. He will not give His children a snake when they asked for a piece of bread. He restores their soul when they grow tired of this journey through life. No matter the intensity of the storm, God is always bigger and more powerful. Those that wait upon the Lord shall run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. They will rise up on wings like eagles. Whatever our needs may be, God will supply in His perfect time.
5. God will deal with His enemies. Just when they think they have the upper hand over His people He will swiftly cause their plans to come to nothing and ultimately they will be completely destroyed.
6. God is worthy of our praise. The fact that He is worthy of praise will be even more evident when He has accomplished all He had in mind for this world and when people repent and turn to Him. Even among the nations that endured God’s judgments there will be those who turn to their God in faith and this will result in indescribable praise and exaltation of the Lord Almighty. They may have appeared worthless in the eyes of others, but He will become their Saviour too. They will be an acceptable offering to the Lord, because He doesn’t judge by outward appearances –He looks at the heart. He doesn’t look at status, and education and any other external attribute which may be praised by men.
7. Those that trample on others will be trampled on themselves. God will honour His people although they may be despised by the who’s who of this world. He is the lifter of their heads. He will restore the fortunes of His people and those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

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