Proverbs

Figuring out the Unknown Unknowns

Dan

It has been my observation while reading The Book of Job, Chapter 28 is a subtle but remarkable chapter about God’s wisdom. When I first reviewed the chapter, I was able to barely discern the message. It took several passes and a look at other writers who had already passed through the chapter to form an opinion. Before I start on chapter 28, we need to amass a few basic ideas on operations from God’s viewpoint.  John Piper said, — “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” The 9,997 are unknown unknowns. God works many unknown operations all around us.

Please indulge me to provide additional insight from my military heritage. Donald Rumsfeld was well known for teaching leaders the three basic categories of battlefield awareness: (A) Stuff we know for sure in detail (known knowns), (B) Stuff we need to learn about (Known unknowns), and (C) Stuff we do not know about and are not trying to discover. (unknown unknowns). With these two tidbits of intel from Piper and Rumsfeld, let us take a brief look at Job 28.

In the chapters that precede Job 28, Job and his friends are engaged in a debate, his friends don’t think anything is unknown. To them Job’s situation is all known knowns. They think they have it all figured out. They think it is a simple case of a personal sin causing his suffering. But from Job’s vantage point, he does not embrace the barrage from his friends, and he knows some righteous people suffer, and some unrighteous people do not seem to suffer. For Job, his situation is a known unknown. More importantly, we know from reading chapter 1 and 2 the actual problem is an unknown unknown; Job and his friends about the conversation were unaware of the conversation between God and Lucifer. But we know. That conversation is documented to help us gain insight into the operations of God, from God’s viewpoint.

Job 1:8 and 2:3 The Lord said to Lucifer, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” The truth was the opposite of what they were saying: Job was suffering because he was so righteous. He’s like the tree that rose above all the others and ended up being struck by lightning as a result. By the time we finish reading chapter 27, Job was weary of the friendly platitudes presented as wisdom. He wanted real wisdom. Look at Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?  Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is this place of understanding?

I believe that God desires us to have knowledge (known knowns) of Elohim and what is expected of us. To be obedient, we first should know the author of the directives and know the directives. Without knowledge, what hope do we have to become willing servants? But there is trouble when we equate knowledge with wisdom. Knowing facts and platitudes is not the same as having wisdom. James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” God blesses us with wisdom so we can glorify Him and deploy the knowledge we have of Him.

We gather Knowledge over time from Scriptures. Wisdom is knowing how to properly use knowledge to serve God. Proverbs 1:7 speaks of both knowledge and wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge … fools despise wisdom and instruction.” To fear (to respect) the Lord is to say — “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Knowledge identifies a snare in our path, wisdom determines how to disarm and avoid the snare.  In my next post we explore how to look for true wisdom.

I choose Jesus.

Do not Fear the Speedbumps

Dan

It was my observation while reading Solomon, He delivers a powerful call for us to embrace the wisdom of God (Ecclesiastes 8). It is difficult to read this chapter and not be affected by the clarity of God’s wisdom, the assurance of his grace, the power of service, and the outcome for evil.

He wrote an overview of God’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes 8:1-5 — Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes their hard appearance. Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence; … Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure [NIV].

The judicious person seeks a wise heart. Finding the wise heart, we move with prudence, looking for the opportunities granted by God’s grace to help others. We use that wise heart to help us understand what needs to be done, when to act, and how to act. We use that wise heart to identify someone who needs help. Consider Mother Theresa’s decision theorem — How did she know who the help next? She just looked forward and noted who was standing in front of her. That person was the person that God has placed in her life, that was the person she helped.

What do we do with the person in front of us? We simply need to ask that person – what can I do to be helpful? God will provide the means to be helpful. Solomon clearly states our heart, properly infused by the Spirit of God, is able to discern both the right time to act and the right thing to do. It is the Father’s mercy that empowers this action, the blood of Jesus that justifies this action, and God’s Spirit that teaches us strategy and tactics. We will know how to prepare and move forward. God’s plan will prevail.

Consider the actions of Ester. We read in Esther 4:12-16 — When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. … I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish [NIV].

A person guided by God’s wisdom knows — be helpful. A simple mantra, but an incredibly powerful watch phrase to live by. We are to love others as Jesus loved us. We are to ‘be helpful’ in a manner driven by Gods love. When we are in the zone, we will be effective and find the right solution. Esther moved with haste and purpose. She was in the zone.  Alas, sometimes we miss the guidepost.

Therefore, we are wise to always respect the king. We must pay attention to what we say and what we do. Proverbs 30:32 says — If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife [NIV]. We are wise not to race out of his sight at the first sign of displeasure with us, or when we are displeased with the outcome of his action.

As we walk through life, we may miss God’s guidepost and be drawn into a dark path. When this happens, immediately confess the sin and pull back. Do not stand in the sin. Recede to safe ground and then deal with the aftermath. God will light a path. He will love you back to safety. Wisdom and mercy will prevail. In God’s Grace, be helpful to others. Do not fear the speedbump, embrace wisdom.

I choose Jesus.

I have made you a Watchman (Part II)

Dan

It was my observation that Ezekiel was given a profound second nickname, I addressed some of this in the first essay on this subject. In my previous essay (Part I) we examined the instructions on what to do with the rebellious Israelis. In this essay (Part II) we find the second half of the command for the watchman. Let us explore God’s instructions for the righteous under the old covenant.

Ezekiel as the watchman is told to take notice of the things God has said, not just what Ezekiel has said, but the entire counsel of God. This includes Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the other prophets. He was not commissioned to function as a spy but to make simple observations as to the character of the righteous. It is good to assume we should listen first; earn the right to speak through our own actions and behavior; and then find a way to help people change their ways.

Ezekiel 3: 16 -17 says — At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel” [NIV]. Ezekiel 3: 20 -21 says — “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” [NIV]

As a watchman, Ezekiel is compelled to speak out what he has heard. He functions like a newsman on the evening news. He gives forth a warning, an alarm from the heavens, not in his own name, but just like a reporter should. He gives the facts, as he knows them, straight from God (Implied in Isaiah 56:10). The watchman knows the counsel of God from the scriptures and the prophets. Using the wisdom from God, we are warned (see Psalms 19:11). But in this case, Ezekiel is advised to differentiate between the rebellious and the righteous. We presume God will shape the watchman’s message to fit the audience.

Ezekiel was asked to warn people not to neglect their work and quit the service of God (see Psalms 19:11). The best men in the world occasionally need to be warned to return to the proper path. Look at what happened to Ezekiel a little earlier in this chapter (see Ezekiel 3:14). Stuff happens, God intervenes, and stuff gets better (implied in Hebrews 4:1). There are many people who start on the path, they engage in service, but then speedbumps start, and they become discouraged. They don’t become apostates, they don’t deny the existence of God, they don’t deny the ransom. They simply get discouraged and pull back. They become one of the ones Jesus spoke of as the ‘one’. The one he went after (leaving the 99 safe) to bring back into the safe haven with the rest of the flock.

They become careless and remiss in their walk with God, with worship, with scripture reading, with prayer. They become an easy target for the enemy. The restraints are removed and trouble starts. If they resist the call of Jesus to return, then the speedbumps become larger. The goal is repentance.

Ruin is coming their way. But the man of God, no matter how far off the track he is, being warned, internalizing the warning, will withdraw from sin. He will find it down deep inside — the call to return. He will respond to wisdom if he was once wise himself (implied in Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:9, Proverbs 9:12). We must never believe that we are immune from troubles and speedbumps. They are tools of choice used by God to build our strength against sin and character. They often lead to larger tasks. I choose Jesus.

The Bottom of the Glass

Dan

It has been my observation while reading Ecclesiastes that Solomon struggled to find meaning in Life. He had the resources to explore a wide range of avenues looking for wisdom and meaning. In Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 Solomon leaps into the fray with the following observation, “I said to myself ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless. ‘Laughter,’ I said, is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish? I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.” [NIV]

Solomon was struggling, trying to put his finger on the nature of wisdom and the fullness of meaning in his life. He tried pleasure (a form of hedonism) to determine if there was something to be learned. He pursued anything he wanted, any woman, any object, any experience. Nothing was out of bounds for the king. Yet this failed. Both pleasure and laughter were unable to calm the angst in his heart as he searched for peace and meaning in life.

He filled up vessel after vessel with wine, hoping the buzz would dull the angst. As many people do, he looked for wisdom at the bottom of an empty glass. Finding none, he turned to other things, see Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 “I undertook great projects: I built houses … planted vineyards … planted all kinds of fruit trees … made reservoirs … owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem … I amassed silver and gold …. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me …. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” [NIV]

 So, what happened? He had achieved all we could imagine when defining success. He had money, possessions, power, prestige, and pleasure. He had it all, and he had done it all “for himself.” There was a reason he struggled to find purpose. This reason was simple – God was not part of the plan, rather Solomon was busy working on self, building for self, looking for satisfaction of self with little regard to the negative impact on others (effort and taxes of the common folk to build stuff) or benefit to anyone else but himself. 

He learns the hard way that leisure and entertainment are not valuable to anyone including himself if there is no intent or external goal associated with the effort. It is not enough to see a new thing, do a new thing, or experience a new thing; if all we are accomplishing is the receipt of something, then we are left with angst.

Giving is not just a mantra, it is central to the way we are made, the way we think, the way we find meaning in life. When we think of others before self our angst begins to dissipate. When we give to others, our angst begins to dissipate. As a man thinks – a Man is (implied in Proverbs 23:7). As the Father gave to us – we are designed to give to others. After all, we are created in his image. Giving only to self is counterproductive to who we are, why we are, how we are designed to function.

What do we do? Isaiah 43:6-7 says, “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” [NIV]

What do we do? We respond to the call!

I choose Jesus.

Guard your Heart.

Dan

It has been my observation that we are vulnerable to the many variations of Lucifer’s foolishness that will ultimately reduce to a single initiative — Distraction. There are plenty of distractions in this universe to pull our attention away from the things we need to embrace to experience God’s abundant life. David tells us — I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence (Psalms 39:1). Paul says — Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, … as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you (1 Timothy 4:16). Peter says – Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

The ultimate outcome of an abundant life is undistracted worship of the one true living God in appreciation for what he has accomplished in our life. Concerning the worship of God, I have noted that Soloman views worship as a remedy to negate the impact of Lucifers distractions. When we worship and drink in scripture, we are protected by God’s firm assurances that lead us to action – he has our back. ‘Learning how to Learn’ is a vanguard concept that helps us to (1) avoid being deceived by Lucifer’s distractions, (2) avoid having our heart vexed with the disappointments that are hidden in the distractions, and (3) illuminate a path to embracing the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. God will overcome our struggle, he will teach us how to learn his way, he will teach us the truth. We shall win!

If we keep our heart focused, we can maintain the communion we enjoy with the one true living God; but we must be cautious and aware of the troubles that can come our way. We need to identify the path and move towards an authentic undistracted life – live your life in a consistent manner. Think about the same stuff alone that we think about around others. Say the same thing to people that we say directly to God. Do the same things alone that you do in front of others. This notion starts and ends with respect, respect for the things of God, respect for others, respect for self.

Jeremiah said —   Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, … and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, … and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:8-14).

We must pay attention to the messaging we are bombarded with inside the church and outside the church. Be careful of the things you let creep into your heart. Test everything you hear from all sources; align the messaging you are hearing with scripture. If it is not reinforced by God’s word, ignore the messaging. For the messages that are true, let go of the uneasiness, find a way to embrace the truth. God will not refrain from telling the truth, He will unfold truth in a way that we can grab onto, but he is quick to offer mercy to our tender repentant hearts. His eye is on our soul, His eye is on our heart, His eye is on our mind. He is gentle and kind. Yield to Him.

Proverbs tell us — My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:20-23).   

I choose Jesus.

Do not be Hasty!

Dan

It has been my observation while reading Solomon’s thoughtful epistle Ecclesiastes, he recommends we guard our steps when we enter the house of God to worship. Being near to each other in corporate worship helps us to draw from the common expression of adoration towards Elohim by the community of God. On Sunday morning we move about with quiet expectation, we allow the lion within us to sing, but also to listen, we avoid haste and lack of self-control in our heart, guarding and measuring our thoughts before we utter anything to God. Please understand, He is close, not because we are in the House of God, but because He is close 24/7. He hears our thoughts even before we think them, he surrounds us with his presence; Under his protection, we rest and lean into his shelter. We are wise to let him envelop our worship, and then, in that framework, offer up a respectful sacrifice of praise, embracing and expressing the fear of God (massive respect for the formidable nature of God) in our worship.

Solomon writes — Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3).  

Solomon’s focus is to guide us away from the world, by showing us the vanity of human-ness, we find the path to God and to our calling, that we may not walk in the way of the world, but by God’s will, nor depend upon the wealth of the world, but focus on prayer, praise, worship and doing the will of God for others. This is why we linger with the community of God; this is why we listen more and talk less.

Consider the fact that Solomon is nudging us towards the House of God; our place of public worship, created by men and women – at God’s direction. Notice in Ecclesiastes that Solomon reflects with regret on much of his life activities (implied in Ecclesiastes 2:4) claiming they were meaningless. I do not recall Solomon regretting creating God’s House, rather he indirectly reflected on God’s House with pleasure, completing the task his father David had assigned years earlier. This observation is not openly discussed in Solomon’s epistle lest it appear to be a point of pride. I think he did find quiet pleasure in building this focal point for the community to gather and worship the one true living God. Some things do not need to be spoken about in detail to be clear.

When David was anxious or confused, he went into the sanctuary of God. David wrote — If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood (Psalms 73:15-17).

We read in Proverbs – Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way (Proverbs 19:2). We should render our approach to the one true living God with a quiet pause, take time to compose our heart, avoiding carelessness and haste with our feet. During worship preparation we should harness our thoughts from roving and wandering from the task; for when we worship the one true living God – our sacrifice should be an all-encompassing effort. Some think this level of worship embodies the request from God for Moses and Joshua to put off their shoes (Exodus 3:2-6, Joshua 5:13-15) as a sign of subjection and reverence. I suggest you keep your feet clean (Exodus 30:17-21).

The Deeper Truth is — our sacrifice should not be the sacrifice of fools, that we bring our passive attention, lame thoughts, and careless words (implied Proverbs 15:7-9). We should not bring second best to the table, we should not revel in the sign, ceremony, and performance, without embracing the sense and full meaning of it, for that would be the sacrifice of fools not the sacrifice of praise.

You all know I am a musician; I have spent considerable time on worship teams; I have struggled with this. But, in the end, God accepts our meager offerings. He knows we are broken people who bring a ‘less than perfect worship’ to his alter. If our heart is in the right place, God’s mercy washes over all our failure and brings the true worship to surface. We are blessed to have permission to enter into the temple. Embrace it. Humble yourself and worship the one true living God…

I choose Jesus.

Do Not Be Hasty

Dan

It has been my observation while reading Solomon’s thoughtful epistle Ecclesiastes, he recommends we guard our steps when we enter the house of God to worship. Being near to each other in corporate worship helps us to draw from the common expression of adoration towards Elohim by the community of God. On Sunday morning we move about with quiet expectation, we allow the lion within us to sing, but also to listen, we avoid haste and lack of self-control in our heart, guarding and measuring our thoughts before we utter anything to God. Please understand, He is close, not because we are in the House of God, but because He is close 24/7. He hears our thoughts even before we think them, he surrounds us with his presence; Under his protection, we rest and lean into his shelter. We are wise to let him envelop our worship, and then, in that framework, offer up a respectful sacrifice of praise, embracing and expressing the fear of God (massive respect for the formidable nature of God) in our worship.

Solomon writes — Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3).  

Solomon’s focus is to guide us away from the world, by showing us the vanity of human-ness, we find the path to God and to our calling, that we may not walk in the way of the world, but by God’s will, nor depend upon the wealth of the world, but focus on prayer, praise, worship and doing the will of God for others. This is why we linger with the community of God; this is why we listen more and talk less.

Consider the fact that Solomon is nudging us towards the House of God; our place of public worship, created by men and women – at God’s direction. Notice in Ecclesiastes that Solomon reflects with regret on much of his life activities (implied in Ecclesiastes 2:4) claiming they were meaningless. I do not recall Solomon regretting creating God’s House, rather he indirectly reflected on God’s House with pleasure, completing the task his father David had assigned years earlier. This observation is not openly discussed in Solomon’s epistle lest it appear to be a point of pride. I think he did find quiet pleasure in building this focal point for the community to gather and worship the one true living God. Some things do not need to be spoken about in detail to be clear.

When David was anxious or confused, he went into the sanctuary of God. David wrote — If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood (Psalms 73:15-17).

We read in Proverbs – Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way (Proverbs 19:2). We should render our approach to the one true living God with a quiet pause, take time to compose our heart, avoiding carelessness and haste with our feet. During worship preparation we should harness our thoughts from roving and wandering from the task; for when we worship the one true living God – our sacrifice should be an all-encompassing effort. Some think this level of worship embodies the request from God for Moses and Joshua to put off their shoes (Exodus 3:2-6, Joshua 5:13-15) as a sign of subjection and reverence. I suggest you keep your feet clean (Exodus 30:17-21).

The Deeper Truth is — our sacrifice should not be the sacrifice of fools, that we bring our passive attention, lame thoughts, and careless words (implied Proverbs 15:7-9). We should not bring second best to the table, we should not revel in the sign, ceremony, and performance, without embracing the sense and full meaning of it, for that would be the sacrifice of fools not the sacrifice of praise.

You all know I am a musician; I have spent considerable time on worship teams; I have struggled with this. But, in the end, God accepts our meager offerings. He knows we are broken people who bring a ‘less than perfect worship’ to his alter. If our heart is in the right place, God’s mercy washes over all our failure and brings the true worship to surface. We are blessed to have permission to enter into the temple. Embrace it. Humble yourself and worship the one true living God…

I choose Jesus.