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Proverbs 30-31

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6/29/1989
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Proverbs 30-31
Proverbs 30-31
Skip Heitzig
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20 Proverbs - 1989

Proverbs is a book of wisdom, the thoughts of Israel's King Solomon on the righteous and godly way to live. Skip Heitzig examines its teachings of discernment, discipline, and prudence.

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Is the words of Agur the son of Jakeh-- his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel have you called. We don't know who these guys are and this is the only mention of them. But the Holy Spirit for some reason, decided to use their words to speak to us as well as the Proverbs of Solomon. Some believe actually that these are the Proverbs of Solomon under another name, probably not. There probably really was a guy named Agur, and these are his words given to him by the Holy Spirit to be included in the text.

He opens up by saying a verse that probably few would claim is their life verse-- surely, I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One. In these two verses, Agur shows the relationship between stupidity and not knowing God, which is the chief stupidity in this world, or let's say ignorance.

The highest knowledge to which a man can attain is knowing God. Of all of the things man can attain in his education, no matter how many degrees he has, the highest knowledge is the knowledge of God. And that's why people can be very educated fools. Always learning, never coming to the knowledge of the truth. It's wonderful having degrees. It's wonderful to get a higher education.

In fact, one of my greatest joys is to watch the Lord raise up out of the body professionals who have studied and learned and are respected in their fields to take the gospel to others who are around them in the field. They have a built in educational respect. And many look to those higher learned people. But the highest knowledge is knowing God, which makes the highest ignorance being ignorant of God.

And so he says, I am more stupid than any man, because he admits something, that he does not have knowledge of the Holy One. Now if the highest knowledge is knowledge of God and the highest ignorance is being ignorant of God, then the greatest sin must be to ignore God when you know something about him.

The book of Romans, there is a very sad picture about the world and unbelief. And it says, even though they knew God, they neither glorified him as God, neither were they thankful. But they became futile or vain in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. They had a primary knowledge of God but they shoved it to the side and that is the greatest sin, because you are taking the ultimate knowledge to which a man can attain and throwing it away.

They knew God, but they weren't thankful, they didn't glorify God. They became puffed up. Their foolish hearts were darkened. God through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 9, gave an admonition to the wise and the wealthy. He said, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Nor let the rich man glory in his riches, but let he that glory, glory in this, that he understands and he knows me. That I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness and judgment and righteousness in all the earth, for in these I delight. That's the highest knowledge.

And so Jesus when he prayed in John chapter 17, He prayed that men might know the Father, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Because to know God is the ultimate knowing. And though you might know many other things and are very well educated, if you don't have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, you are going to stand before Heaven's gate and say, oh, wait a minute, I've got a master's degree, I have a doctor's degree in comparative religions Lord. Yeah, I never knew you. Depart from me because you work lawlessness.

Knowing God. When kids grow up, one of their first questions about God is what God is like. They want to know God. Kids have an in-born God placed desire to find out who God is and to relate to God. Hey daddy, what's God like? What does he look like? How big is God? Where is God?

To not give a child an adequate explanation is to let a person grow up and go through life without having any bearing. Without knowing where he came from, who put him here, the purpose of his being here and who runs the world. Those essential questions, without that you really lack bearing and direction. And it's cruel to have a person go through life without knowing all of those important issues.

If you were to take a primitive Bushman from a third world country who'd never seen advanced civilizations, blindfold him, put him on an airplane, bring him over here and say let him loose in the mall. That would be one of the cruelest things you could do to him. Without any explanation of what he is seeing, what a techno urban society is all about.

Now imagine a person from a country like that going through the mall by a Radio Shack. The first time he sees a television-- he's never seen it before, he has no explanation, and all of a sudden he sees little people inside of a box. He would be destined without any knowledge of his bearing, where he came from, where he's going. He would lack direction.

Now people living in this world without the knowledge of God-- it's a crazy painful place to be. And it could be said, surely, I am more stupid than any man, because I lack the knowledge of God. Now J.I. Packer, in his book, Knowing God, which is an excellent book by the way, said that the root problem of the weakness in the church is that many Christians really don't know their God. And I have to agree with that.

Most of the problems that I face are because I lack an adequate knowledge of God or the principles of God in a given situation. Not knowing the mind of God, I'm confused as to the proper choice and direction. Ask the average Christian to talk about God, and get past all of the pat answers that Christians are supposed to give. You will find that many Christians have a very tiny God, a God who has gone into retirement.

They don't live in the conscious reality of the presence of God in their lives. They really don't know this infinite, eternal powerful being today. It's the root weakness of the church. It is interesting that this is his opening statement, because He says, I have neither learned wisdom, nor have knowledge of the Holy One. And he admits his being impoverished. He admits his foolishness really. And this is the very first step-- mark that-- that a person must make toward God is having an admission like this.

Every person before he comes to God must at some point come to the acknowledgment that he is a sinner. He must come to a hopelessness about himself. Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit, because that causes a person then to mourn. And blessed are those who mourn. The very first step in moving toward God is always evaluating yourself and coming to the truth that I am spiritually poverty stricken. I am poor in spirit.

I look at myself, I see that I'm a sinner, and in that state I then mourn in my sinful condition. And I turn in my morning and repentance and I become merciful. Or excuse me, I become meek. Jesus said that was the third beatitude, blessed are the meek.

In seeing his impoverished condition, he mourns and repents for it. And he starts to be changed. He's meek, he's humbled by what he sees in himself-- his sinfulness, his depravity. And that causes a hunger and a thirst for God's righteousness, and he's filled with it.

And then he starts taking on all of those attributes-- merciful, peacemaker, on and on and on. But before you go up toward God, you must first go down and see that I am poverty stricken, poor in spirit. You know that is the opposite value system from the world. The church and the world-- the system of the church and the world are two opposite kingdoms.

And you'd never know by looking at many believers lives. You'd get the impression that there's not much difference between a nonbeliever and a believer except that one hangs out at a building called a church. But the value systems are opposite at the very beginning. The world never says, blessed are the poor in spirit. No, they say, blessed are the self reliant. Blessed are those who have great self-esteem, and rely upon themselves, and are confident in themselves.

God says, no, in my kingdom, first you have to be poor in spirit. That doesn't make sense, that's the opposite of what I learned. I know, that's why you need to repent. That's what repentance is all about. You change your direction. You see where you've been going and you say, OK, that doesn't please God, that's not according to his value system, I stop it, I'll change and go that direction. That's what repentance is. It's the opposite of the value system of the world.

Isaiah, when he saw the Lord High and lifted up, seated upon the throne, his train filled the temple, he said, woe is me. I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amongst the people of unclean lips. In seeing the holiness of God, he saw the sinfulness of himself. He was conscious of his own sin. And he didn't say, I'm confident before God. I have great esteem. He said, woe is me.

He saw the holiness of God. He saw his own sinful condition. And he said in a sense, I am more stupid than any man. Peter, the self-reliant fisherman, when he finally knew who he was hanging out with, that this Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, and Jesus comes and says, hey, throw you're nets right over here, and he catches a big catch a fish. Peter didn't say, good job for a beginner, Lord. He fell down on his knees and he said, depart from me Lord, I'm a sinful man. Peter was broken. In seeing the holiness of God, he saw the sinfulness of himself and he craved for the knowledge of God. And until a person has come to that point, he does not enter the kingdom.

There is no one in the Kingdom of God who is first not poor in spirit and has made this first step, I am a sinner, I need the grace of God imputed to me, the righteousness of God by faith. Because the presence of God strips all of your facades, all of the veneer, all of the righteousness, all of the works, and says, I need to know God.

And a person who says, no, wait a minute, I'm religious. You're talking to a religious person tonight, Skip. I've gone to church all my life. Why, since I was knee high to a grasshopper, my mommy and daddy told me about Jesus. I've gone to church, I've given money. Well if you haven't come to the place where you've acknowledged that you're a sinner, poverty stricken in spirit and craved for a personal knowledge of God, you don't know Him.

And Jesus said, Father, I pray that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. He was saying, Lord, I pray that they may know by experience, not just by head knowledge. But by the experienced life, a life that's committed to you.

In verse 4, he asks a set of questions, five questions after he's come to this point of lacking the knowledge of God. He now directs his attention to the vastness of God. Five questions that are meant to evoke a yes or a God would be the answer. The answer would be God to all these questions. Who has ascended into Heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established the ends of the Earth?

This is an interesting question-- what is His name, and what is His Son's name if you know? Now back in the Old Testament before the messiah ever was on the scene, came the question, which can only be answered, God, because of the context, for only God has bound the waters in a garment, has the winds in his face. And it says, what's his name, and what's his Son's name if you know? Of course, they didn't know back then. We in the New Testament looking backwards say, Jesus is his name. Yeshua. And we see a beautiful thumbprint of the Holy Spirit in the scripture way back in the Old Testament. And of course, Jesus commented on this when he said, no man has ascended into Heaven, except the Son of man. He is ascended. He is in Heaven. In the book of John, the Gospel of John, what is His name, and what is His Son's name if you know?

It seems that Agur, in these passages, looks at the universe. And he looks at his environment, his atmosphere, his world. And he sees the power of God, the majesty of God, the winds, the waters, the natural environment, and it reminds him of God. And by the way our natural environment was one of the testimonies God set forth in this world to tell people about God. In fact, Roman says that God has revealed his divine majesty through his creation so that people have no excuse.

No matter if they explain it away saying, well, fortuitous concurrences of accidental circumstance, protoplasm blew up years ago. We evolved from a toad into a frog into a human being, isn't it a miracle. Their without excuse. God has made it plain, he has revealed through his creation, his divine power and majesty so that they are without excuse.

Agur, in looking at the world around him, sees the vastness and the power of God. And it reminds us of what David said in Psalm 8 when he said, when I see the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you visit him?

When I look at this wonderful creation in which we live, it's so big, it's so vast, it reminds me of the power of God, but it also reminds me of the finite nature of man. Who are we that you take knowledge of us? And then over and Psalm 19 is that beautiful depiction of God's creation. Let me read it to you. It says the heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utter speech. Night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone throughout all the Earth, and their words, to the end of the world.

Considering the heavens and the vastness of God, I've shared it with you before, but just for a moment, pause, you're on the surface of a planet called the Earth. We represent a tiny little spectrum of people amass a great ball of matter called Earth-- Terra Firma. We are in the Milky Way galaxy. In our galaxy, there are 200 billion stars, each one larger than the sun, which is one of the smallest.

You say, well, how big is the galaxy in which we live with 200 billion stars? The Milky Way galaxy, it is estimated, and of course it changes every few years depending on how big telescopes get, but the width of the Milky Way is estimated to be 10,000 light years wide by 100,000 light years long. Which means if you could strap yourself to a ray of light-- and light travels at, remember, 186,000 miles per second-- going 186,000 miles per second, it would take 100,000 years to go from one end of our galaxy to the other.

200 billion stars in that Milky Way galaxy. Now outside of that galaxy, there's 100 billion other galaxies. 100 billion. There are more galaxies than all of the people who have ever lived on the face of the earth from the beginning of time until now. You could name a galaxy after every individual ever born, and you'd still have a few galaxies left over, several of them.

Now start from that big and go down. You've got 100 billion galaxies. Go down to one tiny little speck of that, which is the Milky Way galaxy, 100,000 light years long, 10,000 light years wide. And one little tiny corner of that galaxy is the sun. And around it little planets are revolving. And one of those tiny specks is called the Earth. And you're sitting on a tiny speck of the Earth tonight.

What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you would visit him? Considering the vastness of God, we should number one think, I'm in safe hands, I've got no worries. And number two, I shouldn't argue with God.

To verse 4 is actually some of the same questions God asked Job toward the last part of the book. 29 chapters of debate in the Book of Job between Job and his three friends, and then finally Elihu gets up and start spouting knowledge. Finally God breaks in with an avalanche of 57 questions. He silences everyone and he says, where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth?

You have so much understanding, tell me the measurements, surely you know. In other words, you don't have my knowledge. Quit trying to figure me out. You are so tiny, so finite, and yet you try to take all of the infinite knowledge of God and stick it inside your brain. Forget it. And if you think you're that smart, where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth? When I strung out 200 billion stars in the Milky Way and 100 billion other galaxies, and I put the sun and the orbit of the planets in motion, where were you? You know all this stuff.

Who established the ends of the Earth? What is His name? What is His son's name? Every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. Do not add to his words lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar. Every word of God is pure. There's nothing to clean you up like a good bath in the scripture.

Jesus said, now you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. Nothing like after a long hard day of putting up with all the smut in the world, and just living in the world, you rub up against it, you get dirty a little bit. You've heard foul language, you've seen people make suggestive gestures toward you. Just the tension of the freeway. Well, it's not that bad in Albuquerque, but someplace, sometimes it can be.

And all of the tension of the world, and you come home and you just need a good bath. The pure word of God to clean you up, take away the stain, get your perspective right. And then it says, don't even add to his word. Do you know what this means? It means that the scripture is enough. It's all sufficient. And one of the things that Christians, I believe, in the 1980s have lost sight of is the all sufficiency of the word of God. Even though they declare, oh yeah, we believe the Bible, There is a loss of, the scripture is enough. Don't add to his words, it's enough.

All scripture is God breathed, the Bible tells us, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be completely furnished in all good works. You're complete in Him. A while back, I sat down and I had lunch with a Christian psychologist, whom am I really enjoyed in his presence and his love for the Lord, and yet I saw something fundamental lacking in him, and that was the scripture was not all sufficient. Phrases like, well I know the Bible says, but-- now I know the word of God can help, but then there's these-- the word of God wasn't sufficient.

Jesus to the Pharisees said, you are teaching for doctrine the commandments of man. And he reproved them for it. Don't add to his words. If you rest completely on the word of God and in the arms of God, you'll be safe. If you don't, you'll be chasing your problems all around the world and you'll never get solved.

And of course, when you think of adding to the scripture, you think of the cults that have come along, like the Mormons. And the word of God isn't enough, so you have the Book of Mormon-- doctrines and covenants. You have Seventh-day Adventism with the visions and prophecies of Ellen G. White.

You have Christian Science, which is neither Christian nor science. Simply, the unchristian, unscientific words of Mary Baker Eddy in her book, Health and Science with Key to the Scriptures. And the Jehovah witnesses, which with the Watchtower society.

If you really want to understand the Bible, read our book. Be leery of people who say, read our book if you want to understand God's book. God made a book that's easy for anybody to understand. As long as you're open to it, and the spirit of God is in enlightened your mind in your eyes to understand. Now verse 7 through 9 have become one of my prayers of my wife and I since we have been married. It says, two things I request of you-- it's a balanced prayer, notice-- deprive me not before I die. Remove falsehood and lies far from me. That's the first prayer, make me a person of integrity. Secondly, give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food you prescribe for me, lest I be full and deny you, and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

He's saying, Lord, make me middle of the road. Don't let me be an extremist in any position, not to poor, but not to rich. Now that's an interesting prayer isn't it? I've heard people say, Lord, don't let me be too poor. But I haven't heard many people say, now Lord, I don't know about this raise, maybe this isn't from you, maybe I should deny it. Don't let me get too rich Lord, don't let me get too much money.

But you know that an excess of wealth can be just as dangerous, in fact more dangerous, perhaps, than an excess of poverty. Because a person in his wealth has a tendency to become independent in his thinking and can disown the trust that he has in God. You see when your poor, your hanging on faith. You got white knuckles. Lord, if you don't pull through, I'm sunk. I'm trusting in you. It's paycheck to paycheck. Provide for my family, my wife, my needs. But when you have an excess in abundance, that faith has a tendency to diminish. And you know God warned his people about that. I'd like you to keep your finger here and turn back to Deuteronomy chapter 8.

Moses says, every commandment which I command you today, you must be careful to observe that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness to humble you, to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Look at verse 10 now, skip down, when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by keeping His commandments, his judgments, his statutes, which I command you today, lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage.

Remember when the children of Israel were cruising through the desert? What were they depending on everyday for their food? OK, that takes faith. That takes faith when, honey, at 7 o'clock, manna has got to be on the ground. Let's go check it out, because if it's not, we're not eating. And every morning, by faith, going out and getting your food, that's one thing, but then going into a land that flows with milk and honey where the manna stops. And you have abundance of grapes, and fruit, and cattle, and you don't have to trust as much.

The possibility is that you start disowning God as your ultimate provider, and you become independent of God. And so the test of prosperity is often a tougher test than the test of adversity. God knew it, and he warned in fact, Agur praised, Lord, just give me what I need.

Paul said, I've learned whatever state I am in, to be content. I know how to abase, I know how to abound. I'll be content Lord in whatever. Lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Jesus said, when you pray, say, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread-- one day at a time-- not, Lord, giveth us this month. Interest on our account.

But Lord, just today, give me what I need to survive. You've provided for me, I have another day to live, and you know what's best for me, you prescribed it for me. You've written a prescription, and it says, Skip needs this, so help me not to complain. Don't make me too rich, don't make me too poor.

Do not malign a servant first then to his master, lest he curse you, and you be found guilty. And now verses 11 through 14-- there are four classes of people which describe four classes of sin. It says there is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. That's the sin of rebellion. And I'll tell you this scripture is fulfilled. This generation curses his father and doesn't bless his mother.

I grew up actually cursing my father. My dad and I in the beginning stages had a pretty rotten relationship. And it was so rotten that I came to my mom one day, and I was so mad at my dad and I said, mom, I'm going to blow his brains out. I hate him. And I just stunned my mother. I was so rebellious. I was so angry. I was so hateful.

And when the Lord touched me, he started working on this area of rebellion, because ultimately I was rebellious against God, and I was just showing that in all of my relationships. And when I started falling in love with Jesus, he said, start falling in love with your dad now. Go tell him you're sorry. I'm sorry? He was a rotten dad. You're a rotten kid. Yeah, but he raised me. Yeah, but you didn't let yourself get raised. Go repent.

And I had to go back to him and say, I am sorry for being such a rotten kid, and for the rebellion. And what happened in my life is that as soon as I became a Christian, my rebellion took on religious garb. I figure now I can be rebellious in the name of Jesus. So I go up to him and say, you're not going to heaven, you're going to hell, unless you repent.

See now I could get angry in the name of the Lord at him. And I wasn't telling him the truth in love. And I had to repent of that attitude, and that was a rebellious heart, and come clean with him. And in doing that, the Lord has softened the relationship and bridged the gap more and more. No one can withstand that kind of love. No one. It's the greatest force on Earth.

This is a generation that curses its father and mother. This last Sunday night in Riverside, California, had a neat meeting, or really, a neat altar call. And afterwards, a kid came up to me, had his arms folded, he had our little survival kit that they gave out there too, and he kind of had his arms full. He had red hair stuck straight up. And turned to me and he just said, I have been on cocaine. He probably was no older than 16.

Crack, cocaine, heroin, I mean, he named so many drugs, on and on and on. He said, I have been involved in Satanism. I performed animal sacrifice rituals with my friends. I have hated my parents, and I was going to kill my parents very soon. But tonight, I gave my life to Jesus Christ, and it's changed it all. Just a total breaking in this kid. So rebellious, so angry toward his parents. But a breaking and a softening, as that night he gave his heart to Jesus Christ. It's the only thing that can cut that kind of rebellion.

Next, there is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. . This is the sin of self-deception. This is the sin of the religious person. Who says, I go to church, I was told about Jesus since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I'm an American. I go to church-- on and on and on-- the little list of things. I'm not as bad as some of those people out there. I'm not the best, but not all that bad. Yeah, I have a little-- you I flirt at the office a little bit, have a few drinks with my buddies. But I'm not that bad. And God probably grades on a curve anyway, so I'll make it.

Well, that's being pure in your own eyes, because we always-- well, we have no problem usually loving ourself and excusing ourself, but it says that it is not washed from his filthiness. Remember the Church of Laodicea, Jesus said, you say that you are increased with goods and that you are rich and you have need of nothing, but I say that you are blind, poor, miserable, naked, wretched. You have one evaluation of yourself, Jesus says, I have another.

Many will come to me in that day and say, Lord, Lord, didn't we do these things, but I will say, I never knew you. The sin of self-deception. What's the answer? Humble yourself, get back to verse 2 and 3, say, boy, I'm spiritually poverty stricken and I need the knowledge of the Holy One so that I can be washed from the filthiness. There is a generation-- verse -- oh, how lofty are their eyes. And their eyelids are lifted up-- the sin of pride, that look of pride.

There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, whose fangs are like knives to devour the poor from off the Earth and the needy from among men. The sin of maliciousness-- biding with the tongue, tearing down other people behind their backs. Verse 15-- the leech has two daughters crying, give give. Or a better translation, the leech has two daughters and their names are give and give.

The point here is that the greedy man will raise children who become dissatisfied just like the parents are. Because they are dissatisfied, and they are always complaining and saying bad things about everything and their lot in life and they are greedy, they're going to have kids that are just like that. Who never are satisfied-- give, give.

There are three things that are never satisfied, four things never say it is enough. First of all, the grave. Profound statement. It's important to get that in perspective as we live. The grave is never satisfied. You and I live in a long funeral procession. You ever think about that's what life is. From the very beginning, outside the garden, when Cain killed Abel, Abel's death began a long march through history where people die. The planet that we occupy is a graveyard, filled with the remains of people who have gone before. Death is a reality. The grave is never satisfied.

Second, a barren womb. Those who can't have children and long for the touch of a child, to nurture a child in their arms. And because of the maternal instinct that is inbred, really not a complete satisfaction until she can hold one. The Earth that is not satisfied with water. And these days around this city, that is a reality. And the fire that never says it is enough. Southern California in the summertime.

The eye that mocks his father and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, the young eagles will eat it. There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand. The way of an eagle in the air. See this guy is really checking out nature. He was really observing his surroundings. The way of a serpent on the rock. The way of a ship in the middle of the sea.

Now that does baffle me I have to admit, when I see those huge ships made out of metal, weighing tons yet floating. And I know that there is a perfect ratio of the displacement of water and I could figure it out, but the fact that there's that much metal sitting in water and it floats. And the way of a man with a virgin.

This is the way of an adulterous woman-- she eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness. Here's a person living in sin, living in adultery, and arguing that what she is doing is not sin. I'm not doing any sin. We're not sinning, we love each other.

And we kind of went before God on our own and said, well, we love each other and God, is this OK? And he didn't say, no. So it's OK isn't it. You'd be surprised at the amount of people who occupy pews in churches who do that. Living in sin and argue that it is not sin. But the truth is God hasn't changed his mind.

Just because this is the '80s and people are more progressive, God doesn't change his theology to accommodate people. And this generation can't teach God a new thing. What was wrong then, it's wrong now. For three things, the Earth is perturbed, yes, four who cannot bear up.

For a servant when he reigns. I think of Jeroboam, who is a servant and he became the first King of the northern kingdom when it broke up. A fool when he is filled with food. Remember the rich fool Jesus spoke about who said, boy, I've got barns and I've got all these crops and I can take my ease, drink, and be merry. What shall I do? Ah, I'll build bigger barns. He was so full and satisfied, but he didn't make plans for eternity.

Verse 23-- a hateful woman when she is married, and a maid servant who succeeds her mistress. I've got to tell you a story. Awhile back I was ready to marry a couple. They had gone through counseling classes and made it through. They were recommended with some reservations saying that the gal in this relationship was a little headstrong, and the leader, and the guy was a little bit passive. And I looked at it and had an appointment with the couple on a Friday. Their wedding was the next day.

And on the evaluation sheet it said, we have some reservations, because it doesn't seem that this couple is locked into any Christian fellowship. So I brought it up, I said, you know the sponsor couple raises a concern about you not being locked into the fellowship of the saints. And that could indicate that there is perhaps a problem, let's just discussed it. Try to be as low key as I could.

She became indignant. None of your business. What? Why are you asking us these questions? Well number one, I'm concerned about your spiritual welfare. Well, you don't have to worry about our spiritual welfare, it's fine. So I try just to ask a few questions to get some dialogue going and she became so indignant. She stood up and she pounded on the desk saying that I have no right to ask these questions. He was just kind of sitting there.

And I said, listen, I love to cooperate with you guys. But how can I in all faith marry you knowing that God has called you together when at this point I'm not sure. I'd love to discuss it because tomorrow is your wedding. And I'm coming to the point where I don't feel like you ought to be married. I'd actually come to that point minutes before, but I was letting that out nicely.

She slammed her hand on the desk, stormed out, and she said, fine. And slammed the door and walked out. And the guy was just sitting there. I said, is this normal? He says, well, yeah, sort of. We've been under stress a lot lately. I said, look, I understand the stress, but where are you in this situation. I ask both of you a question, you didn't answer a question, she became hateful and indignant. And he went on to say, that's really basically what their relationship has been like. I said, you have till five o'clock to talk to her and get her back in here or I won't do your wedding tomorrow. I never saw him after that.

Then after phoning people that knew the couple, I said, oh, I have known about this situation for a long time. This has gone on all of her life since she was a little girl. There had been problems and nobody's called her bluff or curve them, and she's had a real problem in just submitting to the Lord. It's a tough relationship to enter into. So once you're in a relationship like that, you're in it, you're in like Flynn.

And that's why the next chapter gives us some good advice on dating. And it's actually for both sides, but quickly look at verse 26, 24. There are four things which are little in the Earth, but they are exceedingly wise. The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer. I have much to say concerning these things, but for lack of time, we will go on to the next chapter.

The rock badgers of the coneys are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags. The locust have no King, yet they all advance in ranks. The spider skilfully grasps with its hands, and it's in kings palaces. Actually the word could be, the house lizard, rather than the spider.

And if you have been to Hawaii or the east, you know that these are called, gecko's. They're the lizards that live inside your houses, you can't get rid of them. You can try but they can figure out a way to get in, and you'll go in your house and they're up on the ceiling, right above your bed. They're nothing to worry about, they don't hurt, they just kind of stare at you.

When I was in India in one little place, there were these two lizards that the scripture speaks about up on top of the ceiling. And I noticed that when I would go to one side of the room, they'd kind of go to that side of the room. And I go to the bathroom and-- so I called one goodness and one mercy because they followed me all the days of my life.

Let's get to chapter 31. The words of King Lemuel, the utterance, which his mother taught him. What my son, and what son of my womb, and what son of my vows, do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. This chapter could be called, advice on how to choose a godly wife.

Now it is the words of King Lemuel, which his mother taught him. It has believed and I agree with it, that this is written by Solomon, because Lemuel is simply a Hebrew word which means, I have dedicated him to the Lord, or he is devoted to the Lord. And it seems like it was written in the same style of Solomon.

And probably Lemuel was a pet name that his mom gave him as he was scurrying around the palace as a little kid. And she says, don't give your strength to women. Perhaps she noticed that in Solomon were those tendencies like his Father David. And so she was warning against the problem of sexual impurity and infatuation with women at an early age. Because she knew that it can rip many men off, and Solomon really had a problem with this.

700 wives, 300 concubines. My God, talk about arguments. The tragic thing is that one of his wives eventually turned his heart away from the Lord. Instead of serving God, he started turning and serving other gods.

Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. A bad marriage can really hurt a person's-- well it can really hinder a person serving the Lord, because there is an unequal yoke if that person is not a believer. That's why it's important-- we tell people what the scripture says, to don't marry an unbeliever.

If you're a Christian don't marry an unbeliever. Don't be unequally yoked, the Bible says. Which means, if you have two oxen and they have a cross-piece between them, which yokes or binds one oxen to another as part of a work team. When a farmer would choose two oxen, he would choose two oxen of approximately the same size and strength and species so that they're equally yoked. So they're going in the same direction at the same pace.

If you choose an ox and a donkey, or a pig and an ox, they're going to go in different directions. One's not going to want to do the work, one will want to do something else. And so in a relationship, especially in a marriage relationship, to be unequally yoked, you have a believer and an unbeliever who have spiritually absolutely nothing in common at that point.

One wants to go the direction of serving the Lord, and the unbeliever doesn't want to go the direction of serving the Lord, you're not going to be able to effectively serve the Lord in that capacity. If you don't believe me, ask the many unhappy people who have shoved the voice of God to the background in their dating, and are today paying the consequences. And they'll tell you. They are ways to that which destroys kings.

Versus four through seven speak about the effects of intoxicating drink and we've covered that. Verse 10 talks about the virtuous wife, and this is what I want to end with. It's a great ending. It ends on a positive note.

And what's beautiful about it is that it would seem as though Proverbs has given the back of the hand, in some respects, to women. 'Cause it talks about the woman who nags, talks about the adulterous, and now it talks about the virtuous wife. It puts such a beautiful balance of womanhood.

And this women woman here that is spoken about is wonderful. There are some noteworthy principles. First of all, that she's quite a leader, by the way. And she is able to make good decisions. And although her husband is obviously the head of the home, she does have some decision making capabilities, and it seems, runs the house. In deference to her husband, yes, but nonetheless is able to make real estate investments, money management, and is a brilliant lady.

And men, I think you really should use the talents that God has given in your wives. They can make great decisions, not all the time, it doesn't mean they're always right, it doesn't mean you're always right either. But women should be used in making decisions and in many leadership positions.

Some of the best managers of institutions I've ever seen, who have an ability to come in and clean up things and organize and make good decisions have been the women. Simply use what God has given in your life. Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies, the heart of her husband safely trusts in her, and so he will have no lack of grain.

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She's dedicated to her husband. What he lacks, she provides. She seeks wool and flax-- and beginning in verse 13 is sort of the catalog of her daily, weekly routine-- she willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships. She brings her food from afar. She goes shopping in the marketplace in other words.

She also rises up while it is yet night and provides food for her house. So she is the first one up, getting breakfast ready for the kids, getting their clothes out, getting things ready for hubby as he goes off to work. I remember always my mom up early in the morning getting things ready, doing stuff around the house, having breakfast made, and making sure that everything was ready for the day for her family.

Something's funny over there, I don't know. And a portion for her maid servants. She considers a field and she buys it. Not only does she work well at home, but she can make investments. From her profits she plants a vineyard, she girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms.

She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out and buy night. She stretches out her hand to the distaff and her hand holds the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor. She is never too busy at home to see the needs of others.

She reaches out her hands to the needy, she is not afraid of snow for her household. For all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself, her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing. She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praises her.

When you go through the catalog in this chapter of her daily events-- the spindle, the distaff, the shopping, the investments, you think, what kind of a life is that? Day after day, a woman's work is never done. And yet when is the payoff? When the children rise up and say, mom, I love you, thank you for the investment. You've trained me mom. And her husband says, honey, you are the greatest. I love you.

Many daughters have done well and by the way, verse 29 and 30 are traditionally spoken every Friday evening in Shabbat, the Sabbath meal by the husband to the wife. He reads that to her, and he says, many daughters have done well that you excel them all. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is empty or vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Not only is this a beautiful portrait for a woman, it's a beautiful checklist, in a sense, for a man. When it comes to dating, look for someone who has the godly qualifications of the wife you want to spend the rest of your life with.

And let's reverse that. Look for a man who has those godly qualifications. Make sure that it is indeed love and not infatuation. And there's a big difference. Infatuation is on the level of the physical and the emotional, and that's an important facet in your dating relationship. It doesn't end there.

You know that every person has on an average, one study shows, of five real loves. And I really love this guy, I really love this girl-- from high school through college. Those years, those critical years-- five real, this is it, really love him, real loves. Because much of it is based on the physical and the emotional. And for a Christian, there has to be the spiritual compatibility.

Are we equally yoked, are we going the same direction? Do we have our perspectives right in life? Women, when you see a guy, ask, does he represent Jesus Christ to me? Doesn't mean he has a staff, and long hair, a robe. But simply, is there the nature and the character of Christ that you see as a leader of the home?

Does he lead? Does he take leadership in spiritual things? Is he in love with Jesus Christ? A spiritual checklist-- does she love the Lord? I've told you before about a friend of mine who had an incredible list for a wife who wanted to marry, the perfect wife.

She can jump tall buildings with a single bound, go faster than a speeding bullet, beautiful girl, on and on and on. Just he rattled this large list, and I said, there's not a girl in the world that can match up to that. And even if there were, why would she want to marry you?

I mean, do you have all of the qualifications of the perfect male? What if she has the same checklist reversed, are you going to match it, because boy, I never thought about that before. Now listen guys, beauty is vain. Hey, now wait a minute. What do you mean, beauty is vain? I'm looking for a wife that's good looking.

Beauty is vain. Yes, beauty is important. It's the initial catch in a relationship. It's the initial hook, you are drawn to a person usually by what you see on the outside, and then you develop the relationship. But please develop the relationship. Because beauty is vain. And if the Lord tarries, you and her are going to get old and have wrinkles.

And Mr. Macho man, your hair is going to fall out. And she's going to get little wrinkles under her eyes and jowls and so forth, and that's just part of life. If a relationship isn't deeper than that, you're walking on real empty stuff. The greatest beauty in a woman is the inner beauty. A relationship with Jesus Christ that shines forth.

That meek and quiet spirit, Peter says, which is in the sight of God, of great price and value. Someone who is in love with Jesus Christ, you've got a beautiful gal. Someone who shines that forth, you've got the most beautiful girl in the world.

And girls, you're looking for the right guy. Make sure that he can represent Jesus Christ to you. Make sure that in you're dating relationship, there's a goal. Your goal is, will this person bring me closer to Jesus Christ? Not, will this person fulfill my needs? But will this person lead me closer to Jesus Christ? That's the goal. It must be your goal in a godly relationship, or you are building your foundation on the rocks, not the rock of Jesus, on the rocks. It will fail. Build it solidly.

I'll never forget, when my wife and I were dating and I asked her to marry me, and of course she said, of course, sure. I was having some ambivalence about the commitment. And I think, well, you know, I'm thinking about this again, and this is a tough decision, and it's going to be forever, and I don't know if we should do it right now, and I went back and forth. And she said, you know what, if I am not God's highest for you, then I don't want to marry you.

And that floored me. She didn't say, you got to marry me, you can't do this to me. She said, look, I love you so much that if I am not God's, in a sense, perfect mate, or God's highest in your life, I don't want any part of you. Because I want what's best for you, that's how much I love you. And maybe it's somebody else and not me, then that's who you need to marry.

So have a goal in your relationship. Guys, don't give your heart to women who could turn your heart from the Lord. Gals, don't go out with unbelievers who can turn your affections away from Jesus Christ. Oh, but what about missionary dating? Let some guy go out on the mission field with him, at work, or wherever else. Or if they say, oh, I want to go out with you. Say, great, meet me at church 7:30, or 9:00 in the morning. Just meet me there.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that we would take on the wisdom of God in our relationships. That we would learn from Solomon himself, a man who had it all, a man who got burned out in the process, and ended up by saying, just seek your creator in the days of your youth.

I pray, Lord, that our relationship with you would determine the level of our relationship with others. That we truly could be people who say we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And Father, I pray that we would attain that highest possible knowledge, all of us, the knowledge of an intimate walk with Jesus Christ, the only true God.

I pray that we would not boast in our wisdom, in our riches, in our might, but in the fact that we know and understand you. Who you are and what you do. We commit ourselves to you, Lord.

Additional Messages in this Series

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2/26/1989
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Proverbs 1
Proverbs 1
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3/16/1989
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Proverbs 2-3
Proverbs 2-3
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3/23/1989
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Proverbs 4
Proverbs 4
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3/30/1989
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Proverbs 5-7
Proverbs 5-7
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4/6/1989
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Proverbs 7-8
Proverbs 7-8
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4/13/1989
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Proverbs 9-10
Proverbs 9-10
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5/11/1989
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Proverbs 11:31-12:16
Proverbs 11:31-12:16
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5/18/1989
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Proverbs 12:17-14:35
Proverbs 12:17-14:35
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5/25/1989
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Proverbs 15-18
Proverbs 15-18
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6/1/1989
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Proverbs 19-22
Proverbs 19-22
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6/8/1989
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Proverbs 23-25
Proverbs 23-25
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6/15/1989
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Proverbs 26-29
Proverbs 26-29
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There are 12 additional messages in this series.
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