Web Theologian

27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.
28 The hope of the righteous brings joy,
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

The Psalms say, man is but a breath…momentary, light, and gone.  Waking up to the power God has over all of life is hard initially but with it can come great freedom, and a greater enjoyment of life.  I am not my own, for I cannot control even the smallest things in life, I am completely dependent upon my heavenly Father.  This is in direct contrast to how I shape and organize my life, I thirst for control.  Control of my job, my wife, my kids, even my God.  When I hit the patch of ice and I realize my lack, I fear not just the situation, but the God who is worthy of fear and who is in control…even on the ice.  Which leads to life, the wicked don’t get it.

The stress in my life I bring fully on myself.  Yesterday as I sat in church I realized God has taken care of my coming and going…which means he has set up everything in between there to.  So then I take all that he has provided and decide to worry about that which he has not yet provided, because at least that must be up to me.  There is a difference in hope for what God can do, and worry and stress on my shoulders to accomplish it myself.  So today perhaps for a short breath I am going to hope and let God give me joy.  His work is wonderful, even the heartaches in my life are the places where he reaches me.

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.

Uncomfortable and frustrating.  The person can be nice, fun to be around, the life of the party, and even “creative” but if they don’t get things done it is a pain.  One of the most simple rules I have learned in sales is only promise what you can do…then do it.  Whether it is a card or call or just asking a question do it.

23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever.

The joke is on you, fool.  Reminds me of Bottle Rocket, a film by Wes Anderson, described to me as Dumb and Dumber but without stupid humor.  And by the way that was not meant as a slight toward Dumb and Dumber.  The fool thinks he has it dialed in, like everything is coming up Milhouse but the joke is God doesn’t let it continue.  This is both for the good of the world and for the fool as well.  God does not leave us where we are at, we either sink deeper into our mess as he binds us to it or he rescues us from the muck and mire.

For the man of understanding, it feels good to act wise.  One small example of this happened a few months ago.  I had a meeting at work that suddenly changed everything for me, I was completely disoriented.  At the same time I had just purchased a house, and was going through a major remodel of it before we moved in.  Fear and confusion entered my heart especially when it came down to how I would provide for my family.  The evening that it hit the fan, I sat down with a spreadsheet and laid out our budget.  It was at that point I realized I had not over extended our family financially, that the decisions we had made were wise.  I was ecstatic and able to face the fearful task of what was ahead of me at work.

24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

We get that which controls us.  The wicked are controlled by their fear, they know things are not as they are supposed to be because they are directly at the center of causing it.  The know karma is real, so they are controlled by what is going on in their own head which is fear.  But the righteous, those desiring godliness, goodness, self control, peace, and above all LOVE.  This doesn’t imply that you have it nailed down and act as godly as a Buddha, but rather the desire of your heart is for righteousness.  King David said that he delights in the law of God, because it is the world we are made for where love rules.

25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever.

The past two weeks on This American Life there have been stories around the tornado’s, one regarding prom the other about rumors that were plaguing a town after one of the storms.  In both stories there were statements about how the tornado’s appeared to act in deeply personal ways.  The Proverb is saying a similar thing.  Whether it is actual storms or the metaphorical storms we walk through in life, God establishes the righteous forever.  That is not to say our houses don’t get knocked down or that we don’t get killed.  One friend says, “God gives cancer to a believer every time he does to an unbeliever to show that there is a difference.” I get his point.  Being “established forever” may mean you are a storm survivor having to lead rebuilding efforts.  Yes, this can be victorious but it also can be sobering.  The promise of it all is He’s not letting us go.

22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.

Could Proverbs means something other than money when it talks about rich?  Yes, probably the only other thing included when it says rich other then monetary wealth is progeny.  Shocking isn’t it.  Though the God of the universe blessing should come with means.  Though as we all know in the words of PiDiddy, “Mo money, mo problems.”  Those who are wealthy in our society have to work even harder to maintain that wealth, look at the silliness Donald Trump has to go through:)

In God’s work riches come without all then hang ups.  There aren’t the sleepless nights and unending labor that keeps us from our families.  Rather joy is a part of the riches that are given.

For me this proverb is extremely clear, that is what makes it so shocking.  It exposes how broken our world is and flies in the face of all our expectations.

Check out the other post I wrote about money from Proverbs if you are interested:

https://thewebtheologian.com/2010/08/16/proverbs-1015-benefits-of-wealth/

16 The wage of the righteous leads to life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

You get what you put into it, generally.  This is one of those passages that is difficult for someone like me that sees every breath we have as an act of grace of God in our lives.  Also I know that there is nothing I can do to earn God’s favor, that is why grace is central to all existence.  But here we have a different look at life.  This passage is not talking about earning salvation, rather that when you live well generally it leads to life.

In our hearts we know this is true.  I’ve grown up in a spiritual tradition that does a great job of reminding folks what horrible sinful worms there are and that we are in need of a Savior.  Though that is not the full story, the world has been created in such a way that righteousness pays out…at least it should be that way.  When I do good for another person they should not spit in my eye.  When I go out and work hard for my living, I should not be told I’m not going to get paid.  It is a basic tenant of farming, you reap what you sow.  Other traditions call it karma…whatever you are comfortable it is reality.

A teachable heart is what puts you on this path.  This perhaps is a growing challenging for everyone, as we grow older it is expected that we will have answers, we get hired because we have acquired knowledge and skill.  Often these become a hindrance to our receiving instruction.  A good friend of mine who is older than dirt often says, “Only 50% of what I say is correct, the problem is I don’t know which 50%.”  That is the humble attitude that will prevent us from leading other astray.

So I see these teachings related in this way.  I have been called to live in righteousness that leads to life, a part of this is leading.  Now because I am not complete in all that God has intended for me, even with the best of intentions…which I generally do have…I can be wrong.  Therefore when I am wrong it is okay, take instruction and reproof.  Let these not be discouragement in your life but know it they will help put you on the right path so that the best of intentions (the changed heart that God has given you for His things) will line up with wise actions (knowledge of how the world works and how to best act in it).

Just finished L’abri by Edith Schaeffer, a book that recalls the first years of L’abri a community in Switzerland dedicated to the serious academic study of arts and theology by true seekers. In Chapter 18: English L’Abri is born, Deirdre makes a powerful point from Biblical Theology that struck me regarding worship:

‘”Look, Linette,” I had said, “Here’s a very simple line drawing I often make on a scrap of paper, from beginning to end:’

(really hope this little graphic worked, couldn’t find it displayed anywhere online)
…”They (Cain and Able), were told immediately of One who would be coming, someone who would be born of a woman who would have victory over the ‘serpent’ or Satan. WE also know that they knew something of coming to God with a lamb, used as a sacrifice. Abel brought a lamb…All through the Old Testament communication and worship took place with a lamb being presented. Noah worshipped with a lamb, Abraham brought the lamb, Moses told the children of Israel to prepare the lamb at the time of the passover.” Of course Jesus is also referred to as the Lamb of God.

Now what struck me was this, that the first murder happened directly after worship. Is it any surprise that there is still so much chaos and glory surround our worship today? Able and Cain’s conflict spurred out of a worship dispute. I also know now that a desire for worship in spirit and truth is a good one, and should drive us in decisions related to church.

Last December I was at Dreamforce, Saleforce.com’s developer conference in San Francisco. In addition to all of the new technology being launch, the business contacts, one of the biggest attractions were the keynote speakers and sessions. In addition to President Bill Clinton, who’s talk was amazing, Stevie Wonder was the headliner musician.

I was struck with Stevie Wonder’s constant talk about love. His love for others and the love that had been shown toward him. After the conference I was left with a commitment to not just show my love for others but verbalize it the way Stevie Wonder so beautifully did.

This morning I was at SPU Business Breakfast and heard Tavis Smiley speak. He spoke about how love has been an important and powerful part of discourse in the United States and among influential leaders around the work. The most clear example he spoke of for me was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tavis was talking about the American education system, and I agree we need people who love children involved with fixing the problem or we will never get where we need to be. Love is powerful, God is love, these are some profound thoughts that are shaping me and who I am to be as I engage the world.