A FRESH START: Life Lessons

Read Proverbs 4:10-27.

The home is the classroom of life and parents have been designated by God as the instructors. Grandparents are to reinforce those truths and the church is to offer encouragement, enablement of parents through equipping and resourcing, then, supplement the discipleship process. Solomon shows three targets of this instruction.

Show the PATH TO TAKE.  “Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. ... Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.” (v.10-11, 14‬). Our children must be steered in the right direction. We must show them the way of wisdom in the pattern we show and the principles we share. It is vital that we do more than tell them what to do, but explain why they ought, so when they must make decisions later, they will know the path to take.

Explain the PEOPLE TO AVOID.  “Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.” (v.14‬). The children’s peers will have a tremendous influence on them.  We must help them identify the characteristics of people who will bring destructive influences into their lives. Our more developed spiritual radar needs to help us keep them safe from such.  There is to be careful guidance to help them care for sinners in loving them without conforming to sin by joining them.

Reinforce the PURPOSE TO EMBRACE. “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” (v.23‬). More than the conduct of a child, their heart is what we are to aim for. If we help them embrace God’s purposes in their heart, then they will choose God’s path for their feet. Failing to win their heart means we will lead them to be: moral hypocrites, who outwardly are religious, yet inwardly are self-righteous or eventual rebels, that as soon as they escape parental supervision run in the direction of their sinful heart.

“Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.” (v.26-27‬). Are we hitting the target?

WHICH WAY?

Yogi Berra said, “When you come to the fork of the road, take it.”  Good idea.  But, which way?  Some will follow their own inclination. Others will yield to popular opinion. The wise submit to God’s revelation.

1.  MY DECISION WILL BE MEASURED BY GOD’S EVALUATION. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.” (Prov.21:2). Our choice is important. Decisions determine destinations. The way that seems right may in reality be the wrong way. Let the Spirit of God direct you according to the Word of God.  This is our GPS. 

2. MY SPIRITUAL CONDITION WILL AFFECT MY DECISION. “The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure, his work is right.” (Prov.21:8). Guilt will often lead us into the fog. We want to conceal our shameful conduct and so hide in darkness.  The result is that we stumble along in the wrong way, for we cannot see the right way. The way of clarity is for the pure.  They do not mind the light of truth shining brightly on them—there is nothing to hide.  Why would God show us more until we are willing to do what we already know?  

3. THE WRONG WAY IS DEADLY.   “A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead.” (Prov.21:16). God’s way is the way of life, and following man’s way is the way of death. God’s revelation to Adam and Eve provided the light of life. Instead, they deliberately disobeyed—heeding the voice of the serpent and bringing death upon themselves and their offspring.

4. THE RIGHT WAY PROVIDES FIRM FOOTING.  “A wicked man hardens his face, But as for the upright, he establishes his way.” (Prov.21:29). The wicked man can be fully assured he knows best.  He sets his face like flint. He stiffens his neck as steel. He straightens his back like a fence post. And he walks on rotten boards that will soon break. The upright man does not mind swimming against the current of the culture or walking into the wind of prevailing philosophy. Despite the difficulty of walking in God’s way, his feet are on firm footing.

Which way will you choose?  Your way, man’s way, or God’s way?

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people.  So David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”  ‎(2 Samuel 24:10)

Webster’s Dictionary has this definition:

Butterfly effect

noun:  a property of chaotic systems (as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system.

The theory says that as a butterfly flaps its wings in South America, small ripples are made in the atmosphere that build over time and space, so that by the time they reach Texas they are powerful winds that spawn a tornado.  While I am not necessarily advocating that theory, it is a fact that a seemingly small action can end in significant repercussions.  That is what we observe in 2 Samuel 24.

David was a shepherd, a soldier, a singer, a sovereign—and also, a sinner.  He was a man after God’s own heart, but after all still a man.  With all his wonderful traits, there were yet wicked tendencies.  He had all the frailties common to the flesh—this human condition set in a fallen world.  He stood tall, but stumbled too.  The good news is that after each fall, he got back up and continued his walk with God.  That did not mean, however, that God’s forgiveness removed all the temporal effects of his sin.  The apparently insignificant transgression recorded here—like the butterfly effect—made a profound difference in 70,000 lives.

For an unknown reason, the Scripture tells us that God was angry with the nation and would move to judge them.  In His sovereignty, He permitted Satan to tempt King David to conduct a census of the army.  We know this from the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21:1.

We may wonder why David desired such a census and what was wrong with it.  It would seem he was motivated by carnal reasoning—seeking to lean on the size of his army, rather than look to the strength of his God.  Pride was at the root of this thinking, and that is a devilish thing God despises.  In our text, we do not find David seeking God’s will in prayer or searching God’s Word for guidance.  It was a fleshly decision driven by worldly desires, and the butterfly effect was unleashed.

Too often a leader may think he is not accountable to anyone.  He gets too big for his britches.  In this case, David’s head had swollen larger than his crown.  The horrible consequences were the deaths of 70,000 of his soldiers.  David thought he could trust the numbers he could put on the battlefield and God showed him that those numbers could be quickly diminished.  David found out that even if no man held him accountable, he was accountable to God.  He may have been the king, but God is the King of kings.

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story.  David found God to be holy and just—a God who judges sin—but more, a God who forgives and pardons.  If God were not merciful, there would be no hope for any of us.  The promise is that if we confess, He forgives.  This story reminds us that we cannot presume upon the grace of God—our wrong choices can have bad consequences—yet, neither must we despair of the grace of God—He does forgive.

DYING TOO SOON

So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.  (1 Samuel 31:6) 

We have heard this: “You won’t die before your time.”  From heaven’s side, that is true in that God is sovereign.  He is the Lord of life, death, and eternity.  God sets the boundaries of our existence and decrees the day of our end.  He is all-knowing and cannot be mistaken.  Yet, from the human side, we can lengthen or shorten our days according to our willingness to walk in God’s will.  There is no fatalism, where we say, “Whatever will be, will be.”  Should I take unneeded risk, I can abbreviate my days.  If I engage in unhealthy activity, I can shorten my lifespan.  By disobedience, I can commit the sin unto death (see 1 John 5:16-17).  Likewise, there have been those who have lived beyond what appeared to be the end.  King Hezekiah experienced an extension of life—insofar as he knew—though certainly not a surprise to God what He would do in response to the monarch’s prayer (read 2 Kings 20:1-11).  Fifteen years were “added” to his life. 

Saul and his sons died too soon.  Their life on earth was cut short in judgment.  The king had given himself to disobedience of God’s law, yielded himself to demonism in seeking a witch, and descended into death at the end of that downward spiral.  He dragged his family—particularly his faithful son, Jonathan—into that blackness with him.  Jonathan was too young to die, with too much potential squandered.  Many a brave soldier died on the battlefield that day because of the folly of their leader.  No man is an island.  We do not live—and sin—in isolation.  There is a ripple effect when we fall.  Like a stone plunges into the water, and the ripples begin to extend in ever-widening circles outward, we do not understand how far-reaching the effects of our decisions—for good or bad—may be. 

Such was the decision of General George Armstrong Custer, when the acclaimed Civil War hero, led his troops to Little Big Horn.  In his vanity, the golden-haired soldier, would fall along with his men at the hands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, under the direction of Crazy Horse and others.  Several of the soldiers killed were Custer’s kin, including two brothers and a nephew.  Their bodies were mutilated. 

Thousands of years before, King Saul has his “Little Big Horn.”  The Israeli forces were routed, Saul was mortally wounded, and lest he be tortured by the Philistines, he falls on his own sword and dies.  It is a shameful end to a squandered existence. 

There is a sober warning for us all.  You can start strong and finish in shame.  The late President of Moody Bible Institute, William Culbertson, was known to pray, “Lord, help us to end well.”  The great British preacher of yesteryear, F.B. Meyer, stated, “I don’t want my life to end in a swamp.”  The Apostle Paul disciplined himself lest he be disqualified and come to an untimely demise (1 Cor.9:27).  That way he was able to testify at the close of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  (2 Tim.4:7-8)  Let us make that our goal!

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH JESUS?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

It is a timeless question—as relevant today as when first spoken 2000 years ago.  Jesus was on trial for His life and the Roman governor asks the crowd, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”  (Matt.27:22)  How will you answer?  Your response will be the difference between heaven and hell.  In our text, we see three possible responses.

There is the SELF-CENTERED RESPONSE of Herod.  “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matt.2:3)  “And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.’”  (v.8)  “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”  (v.12)  Herod was concerned with taking care of himself.  He wanted to preserve his position if it meant slaughtering babies.  He shook his fist in the face of God.  Many do today.  Herod represents all who show hostility to Christ.  It is a war against God that cannot be won.

There can be a SELF-RIGHTEOUS RESPONSE like the Scribes.  “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”’ ” (Matt.2:4-6)  These were the religious elite who should have been seeking the Messiah, but it is evident they were not.  The self-righteous sense no need of a Savior.  Their heads were filled with Scriptural prophecies, but their hearts were empty of spiritual passion.  Unlike Herod’s hostility, these exhibited apathy.  That response makes one just as hell-bound as haters of God.  Jesus would warn that if we are not with Him, we are against Him.

We need to show a SINCERE SEEKER RESPONSE like the Magi.  “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”  (Matt.2:1-2) “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  (v.10-11)  Think of how far they came, and the cost of their gifts.  They were drawn by God and came to worship.  They would find Christ—nothing else would satisfy.  That is the response that brings salvation.

What are you going to do with Jesus?