Saturday, July 22, 2006

Proverbs 22:4,17-21


Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.

Proverbs 22:17-21 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; (18) For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, (19) So that your trust may be in the LORD; I have instructed you today, even you. (20) Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, (21) That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?

As one humbles himself in fearful and awesome reverence before the God of the universe, so the riches of knowing God will come. The Word of God reveals to us the benevolant and loving character of the Father. As we respect what the Word teaches, that the Father knows what is best, that He wants to do the best for us and others, and as we put our trust in Him, we will have the riches of knowing that all our needs for self are taken care of. We will know that we no longer have to worry about what we need, but instead can focus on listening to the voice of the Spirit and doing that which pleases Him. When we have put aside what we want, when we "die to the old man" of our fleshly desires, then we can truly experience the oneness with God that He created us for! In this relationship with the Father is life and honor and riches. More precsisely, only in this relationship can true life be found. Life is not only freedom from death, but freedom to love and be loved by our Savior who gave up His life for us.

The writer of the Proverb, inspired by the Spirit of God, says that he writes so that we may be made to know the certainty of the truth of the knowledge of God and our relationship with Him, so that those who are sent to us to know about true life will find a well-spring of life to drink from, that they will find not only the truth and an example of it, but one who can lead them to drink from the Everlasting Fountain, God Himself. God desires us to know Him so that we might have life and that we might have life to give. This is the path of Christ, this is the Way as Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life through which all men may come to the Father.

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