2007-10-05
Good Morning Cherished of God,
I'm led to continue writing about mammon, those material things of our earthly lives, that were once defined as "material possessions, wealth entrusted to others," [a passive expression] and through common usage became, "that in which trust is placed" [an active expression]. The book of Proverbs has had a lot to say about these things, their impact on our lives, and how they should be handled according to God's will.
PR 22: 7, "Poor people are the rich man's slaves. Borrow money and you are the lender's slave." This ancient teaching of Solomon was often discussed on our household, as I was growing up. All too often, there were family members borrowing money from other ones. And that led to trouble. On one occasion of one adult in our family borrowed money from another, leading to a nasty row and refusal to speak to each other for a lengthy time. I made it my business never to get involved in these questionable transactions, and it has paid off with considerable peace-even if it meant paying interest to a bank. And then, I never borrowed money except for a car or house, surely never on smaller things. The best policy is if you can't afford it on your own, then save up before buying it. That gives a person time to think if such a purchase is really that important to them.
PR 22:13, "The lazy man stays at home; he says a lion might get him if he goes outside." The issue of laziness also was a bone of contention in our home. There were four of us children growing up, three older brothers and myself. As teenager, two of my brothers and myself were hard workers; one brother was a lazy as a hound dog asleep in the sun. Happily, this state wasn't to be his life's script, but remember teenagers deal with peer pressure, all kinds of hormones, etc. I remember my father, a military Physician, getting after my lazy brother, sometimes yelling at him at the top of his lungs, to get an after school job to help pay some of his expenses. This boy would eventually do what he was told, but initiative simply wasn't part of his mind set at the time. It wasn't until he got married that his laziness disappeared, replaced by a godly work ethic. As for the "lion that might get him," it was excuses, sometimes amazingly creative. While I relate stories from my childhood, laziness in adults can have devastating effects. Addictions, excuses, refusal to take responsibility for others under one's care, and so on-all these are the work of the evil one. Laziness is one of many reasons for the breakdown of the family unit-surely the greatest tragedy of our society. The individual has to want to get help pulling himself out of these vicious cycles for it to be effective. Praise to God, there is help, good Christian professional help, available.
In JG 14: 1-20, we read the story of Samson and the girl from Timnah. I just can't resist mentioning this aside, when reminded of the lazy man's excuse about meeting a lion. Samson was hardly lazy, but he did meet up with a lion after becoming engaged to this Philistine girl. In ancient Jewish culture, there were customs that had to be carried out between the two families, things such as coming up with a dowry to be paid to the bride's family and giving a 7-day wedding feast, including the young men to be in his wedding party. In Samson, whose name has an inherent meaning of "Like the Sun" and a spiritual connotation, "Strength of Spirit," the Lord worked powerfully. Samson was suddenly empowered with great physical strength by the Lord, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands (6). He was surprised to find a swarm of bees and some honey inside the dead body(8b). At the banquet, he made a bet that these young Philistine men couldn't answer a riddle. JG 14: 14, "Samson said, 'Out of the eater came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.'" After seven days of his wife's nagging Samson to do this, he told her (17). Then, she told the men the meaning of the riddle. When Samson realized this, led by God, he went to Ashkelon were he killed 30 men, stripped them, and gave their fine clothes to the men who had solved the riddle. Angry that his wife had told the meaning of the riddle, Samson gave her over to the man who was to had been the best man at his wedding (19-20). This story has important implications to us, because it foreshadows Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. We must remember that God abhorred marriage between a Jew and a Gentile at that time. Notice the number 30 here? It's the same as the 30 pieces of silver which Judas Iscariot was paid to betray the Lord Jesus. ZECH 11: 12-13 and MT 27: 9-10, which I hope you will read, also connect with this prophetic passage.
Getting back to the issue at hand, God never intended for mankind to be lazy. We are to do our part in supporting ourselves and our families. This was clear from God's pronounced judgment in GN 3: 17, "You [Adam] listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you." Later, in PR 28: 19, God's will is clear again. "A hard-working farmer has plenty to eat. People who waste time will always be poor." The common sense of these proverbs is all too often wasted by people refusing to take them seriously. Earlier, I mentioned the breakdown of the family unit, something I think is our most devastating problem. The reasons for it are many, but we must pay attention to what is happening to our society due to refusal to conform to God's will in the matter of mammon, as a part of it.
PRAYER: O Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne, knowing that You are the only Source of goodness on this earth. We offer You our listening ear, our reverence, and our hope that You won't get so frustrated with our sinning that You bring down Your wrath upon us. PS 85: 12-13, "Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway." Laziness, excuses-rationalization for sin, refusal to conform to Your standards, and lack of willingness to seek You when we must make decisions concerning mammon are at the heart of the problems our society faces. In LK 17: 21b, You told us that "the Kingdom of God is within you," meaning the hearts of the believers. This fact should have a major impact on our lives and the decisions we make. Sadly, our society is holding materially wealthy people as idols, regardless of how that wealth was amassed or how it is being used. And yes Dearest Abba, the values of the Hollywood set hasn't mattered to those who are its fans. Most of its marriages don't last, little consideration on the impact of its children goes on, and the misuse of drugs and alcohol continues. The same may be said of many over-paid sports figures. This is the spirit that is in the world, not the stronger, more powerful Spirit that is in those who are truly faithful believers [1 JN 4: 4]. You have sacrificed Your Son on the cross, so that we can be saved [JN 3: 16]. To us, You have given the Holy Spirit [JN 14: 16-18]. For what more can we ask? No other god has reached down to His creation and invited them to join Him in the work set before Him. We answer that call today and offer You our heartfelt praise and thanks, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, the Holy Spirit has led me to write about God's ideal woman from PR 31. Some of the principles in that important chapter of Proverbs really apply to men too. Our loving Lord reveals Himself mightily in this passage. To be in relationship with anyone, one must have some understanding of that person. For the relationship to last, each party must really care about the other. Otherwise it will fail. Our God, in three Persons, wants a relationship with each of us, one that is not only lasting but is real and personal as well. Good communication is essential. Our amazing God gives us the Scriptures [2 TIM 3: 16-17] and prayer [JER 29: 11-13], so that we can be in constant contact with Him and know His will [RO 12: 2]. He listens to our prayers and answers them [PS 116: 1]. And yes, He deserves all the glory for the goodness that still exists on earth [PS 115: 1]. I bring this up, because the will of God in being stewards of our material wealth makes a huge difference as to how we should use it. Think about the fact that God is able to give us discernment, so that we can tell the difference between a need and a want. He has given us the Holy Spirit, the Driving Force of our conscience, to help us make decisions on controversial matters, including mammon. We are left with a foundational question to answer about our lives: How important to us is following God's will, even when it isn't convenient or easy to do this? We must remember well that He is always there for us [LAM 3: 22-24], and all we have to do is seek His help.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn