The Application of the Proverbs - Exhortation to Fear God

This second discussion on the Book of Proverbs deals with fearing God, wisdom and obeying and honoring parents and may be viewed by clicking the link under honoring parents.

The Application of the Proverbs

At the outset, let us have a look at a few of the biblical statements regarding the author, Solomon.

Good and Evil - God Exists

Just recently I read a discussion concerning good and evil that included an assumption that God had created both. But, since God is good and God is not a created being it is more accurate to assume that neither good nor evil are created things. They are, rather, more like states of mind or attitudes.

In a narrower, or more restricted sense, they are not even truly opposites like up is the opposite of down or push is the opposite of pull. Evil is the absence of God’s goodness and love. In that sense they are more like heat and cold, light and darkness or life and death. We know these to be opposites and they are in the same sense as good and evil. In each case one is the absence of the other and in each case only one can be measured. Heat can be measured, but cold cannot; cold is only the absence of heat. Light can be measured, but darkness cannot; light can be bright or moderate or low, but darkness cannot get any darker for it is only the absence of light. Life's quality can be measured, but dead doesn’t get any better or worse; it is the absence of life.

Love, compassion, kindness, grace, justice and mercy are attributes of God and attitudes of His people. Attributes or attitudes contrary to goodness and love demonstrate the absence of God and constitute evil by their nature. Therefore, it is safe to say that neither good nor evil were created by God. However, both exist because of God and the contrast between the two is realized solely because He exists.

Learn Humility-Know Charity-Know Christ


During the Christmas season, decorating our homes with brilliant colors and lighted Christmas scenes / themes, baking and cooking, entertaining family and friends, singing Christmas Carols, sending Christmas greetings and gift giving are the traditional ways we celebrate. Excitement and love seems to be everywhere present.  Actually, Love is the fuel that ignites and spreads this excitement, because our Creator is Love, and by His grace, humanity has received a portion of this attribute. While it may seem that some have received a larger portion than others we should also be aware that God works His love in the hearts of those who do not even acknowledge Him.


The giving and receiving of gifts at Christmas time is one of our traditional ways of celebrating Christ's birth, but giving throughout the year to those in need is also an expression of God's love, for we meet Christ at both ends of the spectrum. For most, it is easier to see Christ in the giving, but Scripture reveals that Christ is also in the receiving.



Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as, ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.



As Christians we should know that we can give to God nothing that is not already His. In this Scripture we can see Christ in the Receiving. When we give to the least among us, we have given to Christ, but He provided that we may have it to offer. He is in the Giving and the Receiving. While we cannot give Him anything that is not already His, we may withhold from Christ the things to which He is so rightly entitled; our will, our hearts and ourselves.

Spiritual v Religious


The phrase, "I am spiritual, but not religious" seems to be thrown around quite freely these days. I hear it all the time. People offer this statement up-front and unsolicited, as if it had redeeming qualities. To the folks that use it, it seems to qualify them as one of the "good guys."

With the increased use of this phrase, and since I did hear it again just within the past couple of days, I thought it needed some consideration. Is it just a cliché or does it bear any significance to what they believe and the way they worship their creator? What do these, seemingly, well-meaning folks intend by this statement? And, equally important, does the spirituality they claim measure up to Jesus' statement in the gospel of John that we must be born again spiritually to see the Kingdom of God? Or, is it more of the sort that the apostle Paul condemns in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans where he says their misguided spirituality has led to worshiping the creature instead of the creator?

Indeed, many of us have learned from our secular history classes, as well as the Bible, of people who worship the spirits of birds, bears, buffaloes and many other animals and gods made with their own hands (idols) which are not gods at all. Some even worship satan. This practice goes on even today with folks worshipping the sun, moon and even the earth itself; worshipping the creation instead of the Creator who lives forever and ever. Amen!

Those who do these things consider themselves to be quite spiritual, but Paul tells us that their foolish hearts were darkened and professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

In this same realm of confusion lurks the idea that traditional worship, with a liturgical service, Hymnal and organ, should be put away in favor of a contemporary service that does not appear to be, or sound like, a Church service.
(For more on this subject see my article on "Liturgical and Free Services Compared")
Having said that, there may be yet another direction in which we could move concerning this statement. It seems there could be some who would mean they are intent on drawing closer to God, and moving away from what they believe to be merely "religious trappings" combined with worldly philosophies. Psychology, "feel-goodism" and love yourself, as a prerequisite to loving anyone else, are being taught from many pulpits in our time. It is right to reject these philosophies as they are contrary to biblical teaching. On the latter, Jesus said that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, indicating that we already (love) think more highly of ourselves than our neighbor.

Also, many who claim some sort of elite spirituality seem to worship a god they have manufactured in their head who is not the God revealed to us in Scripture; a sort of "designed-it-myself" god. So, it can be seen that there is quite a difference in being merely spiritual and in worshiping the God of Scripture in truth and in spirit as the Bible tells us we must do.

In The Beginning Was The Word


This statement made by John as his opening remark in his gospel encompasses more than most of us will see at first glance. As we continue on through this first chapter we see that the Word referred to is actually Jesus Christ.

(Verse 14a, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.")

While, as Christians, we are very familiar with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, and His ministry as counselor we can find, by closer examination, the intention of God that we should always require and seek counsel from the written Word and the Holy Spirit.

(Matt. 4:4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
(Eph. 6:17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Going back to the beginning we see that man did not leave the hand of God at his creation knowing all he needed to know, or with all the resources he would ever need. In the garden we see God counseling Adam and Eve even before the fall. Before they had ever sinned we see God's Word instructing them how to use the plants in the garden.

(Gen. 1:29) And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

We see God's word instructing them concerning their purpose in life and the authority given them by His Word.

(Gen. 1:28.) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

This, of course, flies in the face of the popular teaching of our time that man is an autonomous being. This teaching, all that man needs is found within himself, constitutes outright rebellion against his creator, but this is the substance of the self help that one gets from psychiatry and psychology. We are being fed a steady diet of self improvement methods that tell us that we can do anything we set our minds to and without God's help. However, God's authoritative proclamation says that we were created to be forever dependent upon Him and that from the outset we were in need of His Word.
God spoke the universe into existance. He had the first Word, and, certainly, He will have the last.
"In the beginning was the Word."

Confessions and Creeds


I can recall from my childhood hearing preachers lecturing from the pulpit about the uselessness of creeds and confessions. Many times they would declare them an "addition to the Scriptures" and say they should be done away with because churches were placing equal authority with the Scriptures upon them. The result of this teaching has been so effective that unless you happen to be a member of a denomination that still subscribes to these early creeds and confessions you probably have no idea what they are, or that they even exist. For that reason, I will try to revisit this issue very briefly.

Just recently I began to examine a few of these early documents to try to understand what made them objectionable to so many "modern theologians." It isn't difficult to see the writers intent. The intention was to frame up, collectively, their understanding of biblical teaching on various issues that were being challenged in their time. These issues were set forth in numbered articles with each being eloquently elaborated on to stipulate their understanding and stance on each successive issue. Having agreed upon said articles in advance, they were adopted as their statement of doctrine; not unlike many denominational, Church constitutions of today.

These confessions and creeds are the cement that still holds together several, large, liturgical Churches. Unike many doctrinal statements of more recently started religious orders, however, these confessions and creeds have remained unchanged for hundreds of years thereby limiting most, but certainly not all, confusion among the members. Conversely, the doctrinal statements of today vary with every newly started congregation. Mass confusion exists among the denominations (as well as the non-denominational sects) and unity is foreign to all. The wisdom contained in these old documents is far superior to anything that has been written in the last one hundred years and It would seem that the abandonment of these creeds and confessions by many former subscribers has precipitated the theological missunderstandings of our time.

Is Jesus Inside My Church?


Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

By taking this verse out of context, many pastors use it within a salvation message to reach new converts. However, if we examine it in the proper context we see that Jesus has been left outside the Church and is knocking and pleading to get back in again. Here, He is clearly speaking to professing Christians who have put Him out of His Church and locked the door.
When we look at the letters to the seven churches in Asia, it should be noted that although these churches existed at the time of John's writing, the letters also appear to have symbolic and prophetic messages concerning future ages of the Church with the apostate, Laodicean Church representing the final age.
Also, we see that most of these letters have a few points in common. Most contain a compliment, a complaint and a warning. However, about the best that can be said of the Church at Laodicea is that it is only lukewarm.


Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

We know that hot water is useful and cold water is refreshing, but lukewarm water is nauseating and Jesus makes plain His disgust with this wealthy, but blind and naked Church. He even makes a point of the fact that He is no longer inside, but on the outside knocking with a strong warning to repent and open the door.


Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Shouldn't we be asking, "Is Jesus inside my Church?" It is all too apparent that many perversions have been brought into the Church under the pretense of open mindedness or the guise of arriving at a new level of understanding, and the Hymnal, tradition and Jesus have been pushed out. Truly these churches are blind and naked.