What looks good, sounds wonderful and drives great might be corroded underneath with spreading rust on the undercarriage of that hot car that has our attention. Flashy appearances catch our eyes and fuel our desires in life; but the wise look beyond appearances to what lies underneath.
A recurring theme is that appearances deceive. Contrary to appearances, the more solidly built house of the wicked is less secure than the portable tent of the righteous. Our proverb of the day instructs the son to live by faith, not by sight. Likewise, our own sense of what is right or wrong, apart from God, is not always reliable. A life that honors God is one who is honest from the core of their being. “Wise speech evokes nothing but respect.”
A movie that captured the hearts of millions a couple of decades ago was Forrest Gump. This was a story of a simple but wise man. The movie begins with his background of being raised by single mom. Forrest loved her greatly and depended on her love for him. She protected her son at all costs and provided the encouragement needed when bullies abused him. Forrest had great respect for his mother who was his “lady wisdom” for his life.
By all appearances; Forrest was a simpleton who couldn’t even run correctly as a child but when he became a young man until he decided within himself to cast off the restraints that had held his bones straight to run like the wind! His life was lived with remembering the wisdom of his mother through all of life’s challenges. One of the greatest lines delivered by Forrest was, “Momma always said, “Stupid is as stupid does”. This was his simple evaluation of how people can make stupid choices that result in making life harder.
Our next proverb is basically saying the same thing…
Proverbs 14, The Message
A Way That Leads to Hell
Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home;
Sir Fool comes along and tears it down brick by brick.
2 An honest life shows respect for God;
a degenerate life is a slap in his face.
3 Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile;
wise speech evokes nothing but respect.
4 No cattle, no crops;
a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.
5 A true witness never lies;
a false witness makes a business of it.
6 Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it;
the open-minded find it right on their doorstep!
7 Escape quickly from the company of fools;
they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.
8 The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track;
the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.
9 The stupid ridicule right and wrong,
but a moral life is a favored life.
10 The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends
will be an outsider at their celebrations.
11 Lives of careless wrongdoing are run-down shacks;
holy living builds soaring cathedrals.
12-13 There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
Sure, those people appear to be having a good time,
but all that laughter will end in heartbreak.
Sift and Weigh Every Word
14 A mean person gets paid back in meanness,
a gracious person in grace.
15 The gullible believe anything they’re told;
the prudent sift and weigh every word.
16 The wise watch their steps and avoid evil;
fools are headstrong and reckless.
17 The hotheaded do things they’ll later regret;
the coldhearted get the cold shoulder.
18 Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion;
wise realists plant their feet on the ground.
19 Eventually, evil will pay tribute to good;
the wicked will respect God-loyal people.
20 An unlucky loser is shunned by all,
but everyone loves a winner.
21 It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need,
but compassion for the poor—what a blessing!
22 Isn’t it obvious that conspirators lose out,
while the thoughtful win love and trust?
23 Hard work always pays off;
mere talk puts no bread on the table.
24 The wise accumulate wisdom;
fools get stupider by the day.
25 Souls are saved by truthful witness
and betrayed by the spread of lies.
26 The Fear-of-God builds up confidence,
and makes a world safe for your children.
27 The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water
so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.
28 The mark of a good leader is loyal followers;
leadership is nothing without a following.
29 Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding;
a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.
30 A sound mind makes for a robust body,
but runaway emotions corrode the bones.
31 You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless;
when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.
32 The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold;
the integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.
33 Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart—
fools never even get to say hello.
34 God-devotion makes a country strong;
God-avoidance leaves people weak.
35 Diligent work gets a warm commendation;
shiftless work earns an angry rebuke.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Life cannot be built upon the saying of the fictional character of Forrest Gump; but rather built on God’s Word, our rock-solid foundation of wisdom that goes beyond our thinking to God’s higher thoughts as the Creator of Life. True wisdom begins and ends with God. God wisdom is based on His forever faithfulness and relentless love for us. God is wisdom. God is Love.
Our confidence comes in knowing that we are redeemed and set free to love like God loves us because of Jesus who died for our sins and rose in victory over death to give us hope of eternal life! In truth, our only confidence is in Christ alone! We cannot rely on own sense of what is right or wrong because apart from God what we think is not always reliable. We cannot simply “follow our hearts” as the world teaches today. When Jesus walked the earth, He quoted God’s prophet Jeremiah to prove this heresy; He reminded the people “our hearts are deceitful”. (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jesus explained that evil comes from within, out of the human heart—listing things like evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, deceit, and pride, concluding that “all these evil things come from within, and they defile a person”. The wisdom of God’s Word, inspired by God, and is the truth from God consistently contrasts popular modern advice (“follow your heart”) with the need for spiritual transformation, pointing out that human emotions and desires can easily rationalize wrong behavior.
We all do it. It seems our first line of defense for sin found out is to rationalize it.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, says Paul. (Romans 3:23) The phrase “fall short” describes missing a target or failing to reach the honor, character, and glory that God intended for His Created humans. While the verse points out human failure, we praise God for the verse that immediately follows in Romans 3:24 with God’s message of grace and redemption through Jesus Christ, meaning people can be justified freely as a gift from God. Humans rationalize sin. God freely forgives and justifies (just as if we had not sinned in the first place) with His gift of salvation. Wow, what a gracious God we have! This gift cost God the life of Jesus, His One and Only Son—who died in the most excoriating way—nailing the sins of the world, yours and mine, to a cross. God loved us that much! Jesus willingly suffered because He was obedient to the Father. Jesus, because He who was part of God but Son of Man who felt all the physical and mental abuse, loved us that much!
That’s why we trust God and depend only on the security of his love, mercy, and grace for our lives. Trust God inspires our confidence to walk humbly with God.
Finally, we are warned against hot tempers. Patience recognizes that a violent temper makes matters worse by damaging relationships and causing internal distress. Instead, we are called to show compassion to all people. In doing so, we are come full circle back to the most important commandments according to Jesus;
1. Love God. 2. Love each other.
Ignoring, oppressing the poor shows contempt for God because God has made all of us—rich and poor—in his image. And God shows no favoritism. Neither should we.
Lord,
May your Kingdom thinking come to dwell in my heart and guide my actions. May Your Will be done in all the details of life today. Give us this day your agenda and I will rejoice and be glad for your wisdom. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptations to “follow our hearts” for this is prompted by the Enemy. Instead, deliver us from all evil and evil’s schemes to deceive, distract, with efforts to dismantle our faith in You. Thank you for your that overcomes evil. To you be all the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever, Amen!
