Knowing God - The Lord Hates Covetousness

Psalms 10:3

For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,

and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

The Lord Hates Coveting

The Lord absolutely loathes the covetous.  When the people He has made become not only discontent with what He has given them but looking at what He has given someone else, it repulses Him.  God is a God who loves to see His people enjoy what they have.  He loves us being godly with contentment and being thankful for what we have.  He has said He will never leave us nor forsake us, so if we really believe; our gratefulness will show. If we become people who always want more, we might very well be in bad standing with the Lord.

Knowing God - God Favors Us

Psalm 5:12

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;

with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

God Favors Us

God’s favor protects us.  This favor is called grace in the New Testament.  It means that we are his favored ones.  We are His favorites.   Just like the Lord chose the nation of Israel to be a special people to Him and show those who did not know Him that He was real and powerful, those of us who are in Christ are now partakers with Abraham in that favor.  Here we learn that this favor actually surrounds us like a shield.  This shield will protect us from behind, beside and before.  Knowing God loves us and is blessed with us because of the righteousness of Christ being put upon us, will protect us from haunting reminders of who we used to be, help us walk in the joy of acceptance today and will lead us into the lives He has for us tomorrow.  His grace will work mightily through us and protect us from our adversaries.

Proverbs - Don't Envy Evil Men

Proverbs 24:1-2

Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

We are told not to envy evil men nor should we desire to be with them.  Proverbs was written primarily for the young man in order to give him discretion as he goes on with life’s choices.  Young people often want to hang out with those who are ‘cool’ according to this world’s standards.  Maybe the kids at school that look good and yet talk nasty seem to be popular and confident.  Our children need to know that they should not envy them or desire to be with them.  We are told why we shouldn’t in this verse.  Evil people have hearts that are studying destruction.  They don’t always know that.   They think they are coming up with fun plans and adventurous pursuits.  The end of these things results in destruction.  Relationships can be destroyed.  Trust can be destroyed.  Even lives can be destroyed.  Have you warned your children to stay away from other children who talk of mischief and make plans to do things that the Lord says are wrong?  Do you ever desire to be around other women who speak of things they ought not?  A wise woman is cautious with her admiration and she loves those who fear the Lord.

Knowing God - The Lord Defends Those Who Trust Him

Psalm 5:11

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:

 let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

The Lord Defends Those Who Trust Him

God defends those who trust in Him.  When we place our trust in God we will find ourselves in a very safe place.  It is like running into a fortress in the midst of the battle.  Rather than trying to fight everything, run into the Lord and be safe.  His very presence will be your shield and He will surround you.  If someone is coming against you with accusations and judgments, He will defend you.  If situations are presenting themselves to you in an intimidating way, He will defend you.  We need someone to defend us.  That is our God’s nature.  Let us focus on trusting in Him and then we will find ourselves with the best Defense we could ever ask for.

Proverbs/Drinking and its Effects

Proverbs 23:29-35

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

This is a very descriptive text about drinking.  It starts out letting us know what accompanies those who think drinking is fun.  They will have woe, sorrow, contentions, babbling, wounds without cause and redness of eyes.  This accompanies a drinking life style.  We are warned not to look at wine when it is red and seems so grown up and attractive.  Like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, alcohol is presented as delicious, attractive, and promises us confidence, prestige and freedom.  This is not the end of this path.  What starts out as fun, ends up biting like a serpent.  You cannot hear the serpent creep up on you.  Serpents are usually camouflaged whether they are green in the jungle or brown in the dessert.  Alcohol is usually camouflaged as well.  Whether it’s partying when your are young or distressing you when you are older, it will bite like a serpent.  Soon the venom of alcohol will take over your life before you have a chance to react.  You can end up in compromising sexual situations, saying things you regret later and feel like you are on ship being tossed in the ocean.  You can end up being in a fight or getting hurt and you don’t even know what happened.  You wake up the next day having said and done things you can’t even remember.  Yet, you go to that bar again.   You order that margarita one more time.  You open up that wine at dinner again.  Look not at the wine when it is red.  We don’t need alcohol and our children need to be warned about the potential disasters in taking up drinking.  Have you warned them?  Are you patterning a sober lifestyle for them?  You may be able to handle the alcohol but your child may not.  It is always better to avoid alcohol use at all rather than risk exposing your children to a vice they may not be able to handle.

Knowing God - The Lord Leads With Righteousness

Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

The Lord Leads In A Straight Path

The Lord is a righteous God who leads us with righteousness.  This means that we can look to Him and ask Him what the right thing to do is in a situation and trust that doing it will lead us in His will.  He is able to make our way straight.  He can deliver us from the twists and turns we experience when we make decisions based on fears or feelings.  The twisty road that leaves us a bit disoriented with motion sickness doesn’t have to be our path.  When we seek the Lord and His righteousness in a matter He will make our way straight and protect us from the traps of the enemy.  Lead us, O Lord, in Your righteousness today.

                                                                                                 

Proverbs - Instructions to a Son

Proverbs 23:26 -28

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

A father is asking for his son to trust him with his heart.  A father is asking his son to observe the ways that his father is going.  This subject is important to the father.  It involves his son’s sexuality.  He lets his son know that a woman who considers herself entertainment for men is a deep ditch.  She is not just a ditch, but a deep ditch.  This implies that if men go into this ditch it is a deeper fall than they had expected it to be.  He warns his son that if he goes this way he will end up deeper into things than he could ever imagine.  Pornography, prostitution and recreational sex is laying wait for him as for a prey.  The intention is to devour and consume.  Our sons must be warned.  Hopefully our husbands can sit down with our sons and not just explain the ‘birds and bees’ but also the ditches and pits.  Hopefully our husbands will have lives that our sons can observe and follow in this manner.  Even if they don’t we must warn them as well.  We should pray that they will never look at women as objects but human being created in God’s image with eternal souls.  We should pray that they will consider sexual sin as dangerous and that they will believe God to help them keep themselves for their wives.  They should see us showing them modest dress and wholesome conduct.  Oh Lord, protect our sons from these pits and give them a good life rich in all you want it to be.  Be ours sons’ shield and may they marry the women you pick out for them.