July 3
Proverbs 30:1-31:31
As we come to the end of Proverbs, the book which answers the question: what is wisdom?, we can't help but notice how different the wisdom of God is to the wisdom of the world. No matter what the topic this is true. As we look around at the world that we live in it is obvious that the world has abandoned God's wisdom and replaced it with the whatever society deems is right. This is to our peril.
We continue through some of the most contentious elections in our nation's history. Democrats and Republicans take their sides wagging their accusing fingers at the other side, even within the church. Yet the truth is Washington down to our local governments are full of people on both sides of the political aisle who are wicked in God's eyes, who have no appreciation for the ways of God. In Proverbs 29:2, we read, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan." We read in 29:4, the problem which arises when justice is perverted by the taking of bribes, which is widespread throughout government. In 29:27, we read, "An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked." Our problem as a nation is not as much a problem with republican vs. democrat as it is righteous (with God) vs. wicked (not with God). Unfortunately, to our nation’s detriment, the majority on both sides are wicked. We must pray for our officials, and pray that those with a love for God will find themselves in those places. This is our hope (2 Chronicles 7:14, "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.").
As we see society move away from the beautiful picture of the Proverbs 31 vision of the virtuous wife into that of the modern woman, we have also witnessed the spiral downward of society. Though generalizations are dangerous as a whole, society looks down on the woman who chooses to stay at home and raise her children, while elevating those women who work full time and multitask to find time for their children. Again, many women must work for a multitude of reasons. But many women choose to work for fulfillment and to put their families in a better financial situation. We see a generation that resembles our own in Proverbs 30:11-13, "There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation-oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up." We live in a society where children are being raised a lot by society, school, various programs, and by themselves. We should not be surprised at the results.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: