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| Duerer |
The Pastoral Epistles are difficult to work into the current schedule, so the upcoming book projects are:
- Finishing the I Am Sermons;
- All the Parables - next.
- Proverbs - probably third for printing.
KJV Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Wisdom is lacking in our society today. The reason might be the abundance of silly success books creating a poverty of Scriptural knowledge. Not only is there a famine of the Word, but also a desecration of the Apostolic Word - or Majority Text, preserved, by God's will, in the King James Version.
The antidote is simple and almost free - using the KJV Proverbs, marking them in a favorite study version, and making them part of daily work, worship, and family. If the Word of God is always efficacious, then it only makes sense to apply God's wisdom to the world's follies.
To receive instruction, to seek wisdom - that is poison to the foolish, ignorant, and superficial. We are either conditioned to learn God's Word through parents, or teachers, or elders, or by experiencing the calamities of life. The foolish pursuit of pleasure leads people to horrible consequences where they cannot find any escape or answers to their agony. Proverbs give us a view of life which is accurate, God-inspired, and comforting.
Spiritual wisdom, coming from the Spirit active in the Word, is a habit. God's wisdom moves us to study what He teaches us, to grow in the knowledge of God. Many pastors, teachers, and parents fail to grasp the eternal truths when today's successes seem so appealing. The beginning of wisdom seems uncomfortable, but this is God speaking to us through King David and King Solomon.
KJV Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Here is a great divide, with a chasm between, greater than the Grand Canyon. Knowledge and wisdom begin with realizing the awesome power, might, and grace of the Lord. Just as copper thieves cut into power lines for the metal, so do people merchandize God for their own gain. Fools do not want wisdom and instruction - they want success, popularity, and admiration. Like the Prodigal Son, they want what they think is theirs, and run off to lose everything. They waste their inheritance on fast women and slow horses, without gaining wisdom or an honest vocation. They do not listen to their fathers or mothers, or respect them at all. In fact, they will lecture their parents about the poor job father and mother have done, missing the irony of their self-centered wrath. Children may be late in realizing this - as many adults confess with sadness - their parents are ornaments and treasures to love, admire, and cherish. A frequent question is - "Who would you most like to sit down and talk with for 30 minutes." Many answer, "My mother. I would give anything to have that pleasure again." Men say, "It took me a long time to realize how much my father taught me, how the rough language prepared me for life."
