Lessons from Proverbs: Step Ten
Israel experienced the most peaceful and prosperous time in her history when Solomon reigned, therefore, God’s people listened to his wise words. His desire was for them to rule and reign in everyday life, mashal, maintaining a kingdom of shalom. That’s what God wants for us as well.
He began Chapter 25 with an inside look at governmental leaders. He wrote from experience giving us insight into national leadership. Since we’re not on that platform how practical are his words for us? Answer: prayer. We use verses 1-7 to help us pray for our President and his advisors on any level. That our President has a righteous heart, whoever he is, should be at the top of our list as well as removing any advisors who are wicked.
Jesus stressed humility:
Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 14:10-11 NLT
Humility in prayer says to God, “You made the final decision on the election, whether I agree with it or not, and I’ll be obedient to pray for my leaders with humility.”
Check out Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Tim. 2:1-4 and see how Paul agreed wholeheartedly with this chapter from Proverbs and our call to pray for government leaders including a clear mind and healthy body, humility when listening to influencers, and purging of the wicked from his presence.
Solomon went on to target a warning for court cases (Pv. 25:7b-10); Paul took it to a new level in 1 Cor. 6:1-8 as he also warned believers about lawsuits.
Our discussion of words gains momentum in this chapter (vs. 11-20): pleasant words, soft words, lying words, backbiting words, and arguing words. Ouch.
Entering Chapter 26 leads us into a plethora negative warnings for foolish behavior. Remember, fools are defined in scripture as stupid, ungodly, and insensitive. They hate knowledge, have no understanding, and delight in causing annoyance, irritation, and malicious behavior. Fools are reckless and delight in destroying someone’s reputation. Be on guard.
Every verse of this chapter, as well as chapter 27:1-5, give descriptions, using many metaphors (like or as), to help us recognize foolish behavior in our own hearts but also a fool in our presence. Learning to walk in the higher life, Jesus called it the Kingdom of God, means that we humbly analyze our words and actions toward others, repent when they’re not in alignment with scripture, and receive His transforming forgiveness and empowerment to live more like Him. Shouldn’t that be the goal of a believer in Jesus Christ; to look and sound more like Him? Watch your words and pray for your leaders: that’s golden (25:11).
Comments are closed.