Wicked or Wise?
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of all wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." --Prov. 9:7-10
Each morning we have a Risk Assessment Meeting at 0700 (7:00 am for you non-military types.) One of the things that I get to do is share a brief 2-3 minute thought for the day. I have to keep it somewhat "God-neutral" in order not to offend the faiths of the Soldiers present, but I can always speak for myself. The verse above is what I shared this morning, minus the part in bold.
As I looked at this verse, I thought, "How do I know if someone is a mocker or a wise person? Wicked or righteous? This is important because I need to know how to speak to them if they are present." As I mulled this over, I realized that it's not important to know which a person is before you tell them because they will reveal themselves after you teach them.
Have you ever known someone who knew everything? Do you remember what it's like trying to teach that person something? Hard, isn't it? Probably a mocker. Likewise, I have had some people that I considered to be much wiser than me who have asked my opinion on a number of different issues and I felt as though they were actually learning something from me. The first guy is a mocker; the second a wise person.
How we fit into this verse depends on how we react to correction. I have made my fair share of mistakes in my 15 months of active duty. More importantly, I have learned from each and every one of them. Each time is a chance for me to learn what "right looks like" and I appreciate each one. I didn't necessarily enjoy each one, but I do appreciate each one. I hope that this attitude makes me wise and not a fool. Even in the bad things of life, there are lessons to be learned and "we know that God works all things for the good of those who love Him." (Rom. 8:28)
This morning, I had to leave off the the 10th verse, but I don't have to do that here. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of all wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Many people like to change the word "respect" for "fear." Not having my original text in front of me, I can't comment on that. But, I can comment on why some would want to do this. We have lost the transcendence of God.
Recently I was at a pastor's conference and sat at the feet of one of my professors from Seminary, Dr. Jeff Gibbs. He was one of my favorites. He commented on the fear of the Lord by referencing a worship song that is popular right now, we even sang it at camp.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see you.
I want to see you.
His response to this request was simply, "No, we don't." He then recounted the reactions of many Biblical characters when they were saw God face-to-face: Moses had to be protected from the presence of God, Isaiah thought he was dead, and John fell down as though dead. When faced with the awesome power of the presence of a Being that can tolerate no sin, these men were terrified. When in the presence of the Almighty Creator of the Universe, these men were afraid.
Yet, we want a cuddly God, a kind Jesus, a life-enhancing Spirit. These are things we can respect...without the fear that Moses, Isaiah, and John experienced. Now, I'm not saying that we should be so afraid of God that we we think He'll strike us down if we do just one little thing wrong. But, I am saying that we need to remember that this kind Jesus was also one who walked on water, turned water to wine, and cast demons out of people. This cuddly God has more power than we can comprehend and we need to be afraid of that because in that fear, we find wisdom.
Each morning we have a Risk Assessment Meeting at 0700 (7:00 am for you non-military types.) One of the things that I get to do is share a brief 2-3 minute thought for the day. I have to keep it somewhat "God-neutral" in order not to offend the faiths of the Soldiers present, but I can always speak for myself. The verse above is what I shared this morning, minus the part in bold.
As I looked at this verse, I thought, "How do I know if someone is a mocker or a wise person? Wicked or righteous? This is important because I need to know how to speak to them if they are present." As I mulled this over, I realized that it's not important to know which a person is before you tell them because they will reveal themselves after you teach them.
Have you ever known someone who knew everything? Do you remember what it's like trying to teach that person something? Hard, isn't it? Probably a mocker. Likewise, I have had some people that I considered to be much wiser than me who have asked my opinion on a number of different issues and I felt as though they were actually learning something from me. The first guy is a mocker; the second a wise person.
How we fit into this verse depends on how we react to correction. I have made my fair share of mistakes in my 15 months of active duty. More importantly, I have learned from each and every one of them. Each time is a chance for me to learn what "right looks like" and I appreciate each one. I didn't necessarily enjoy each one, but I do appreciate each one. I hope that this attitude makes me wise and not a fool. Even in the bad things of life, there are lessons to be learned and "we know that God works all things for the good of those who love Him." (Rom. 8:28)
This morning, I had to leave off the the 10th verse, but I don't have to do that here. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of all wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Many people like to change the word "respect" for "fear." Not having my original text in front of me, I can't comment on that. But, I can comment on why some would want to do this. We have lost the transcendence of God.
Recently I was at a pastor's conference and sat at the feet of one of my professors from Seminary, Dr. Jeff Gibbs. He was one of my favorites. He commented on the fear of the Lord by referencing a worship song that is popular right now, we even sang it at camp.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see you.
I want to see you.
His response to this request was simply, "No, we don't." He then recounted the reactions of many Biblical characters when they were saw God face-to-face: Moses had to be protected from the presence of God, Isaiah thought he was dead, and John fell down as though dead. When faced with the awesome power of the presence of a Being that can tolerate no sin, these men were terrified. When in the presence of the Almighty Creator of the Universe, these men were afraid.
Yet, we want a cuddly God, a kind Jesus, a life-enhancing Spirit. These are things we can respect...without the fear that Moses, Isaiah, and John experienced. Now, I'm not saying that we should be so afraid of God that we we think He'll strike us down if we do just one little thing wrong. But, I am saying that we need to remember that this kind Jesus was also one who walked on water, turned water to wine, and cast demons out of people. This cuddly God has more power than we can comprehend and we need to be afraid of that because in that fear, we find wisdom.
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