Today's verses come from Chapter 30 of Proverbs, which taken as a whole focuses on the need for humility.
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Prov. 30:2-3
I often wonder about the certainty with which believers assert their beliefs in terms of faith practice and judgment. Some people, for instance, fervently believe that homosexuality is a sin so despised by God that they will lash out in hate to inflict pain on innocent bystanders to make their point. Others believe that it's perfectly Godly to call in bomb threats to the mosque being built in their community. These people quote Scripture to justify their actions. They think God is on their side, that they are on God's side.
When is hate ever an act of wisdom? "Forgive them, Father. They know not what they do."
Over and over again, Proverbs teaches that wisdom comes from trusting God, from walking humbly in His ways, from being honest, faithful, and good, from sowing seeds of peace and harmony among family, friends, and neighbors. Think of the lesson of Ruth, who humbly trusted God by maintaining bonds of family, and came through hard times to a place of honor in the lineage of Jesus.
But we fail often, don't we? We think we know the mind of God and act out in certainty with anger or hate when we should be humble, leave justice and judgment to God, and share His love for us with the world boldly and faithfully. We are like the speaker in Chapter 30...we have not learned wisdom...or knowledge of the Holy One.
May God open our hearts with His eternal and unchanging love so that we are filled with that love to overflowing, and wisely share that love abundantly with the world.
How do you fail to be humble and wise? Do you give vent to hate or anger and seek to justify those feelings by invoking God? How can you move from stupidity to wisdom, and embrace being a beloved child of an infinitely loving Father?
I fail to ask for wisdom often enough and sometimes am too ready and quick to open my mouth. Anger can be stemmed if we learn to seek the mind of Christ, give thanks in all circumstances instead of letting something brew, and be quick to forgive.Think action not reaction! We fail to handle the scriptures correctly if we do not practice exegesis, and test all things. If we follow what leaders and teachers say without checking, then we are still accountable for our handling of scripture. Let God be true and every man a liar....... God doesn't make everything crystal clear which is why we have to surrender to Him, trust in Him and learn from Him. I had a long chat with our son recently about sharing the scooter at school. He was being bullied by a few into giving them the scooter when he had just got on it. We got that sorted out but then he felt he didn't have to share it. After I went through with him the lesson of doing unto others what we would have done unto ourselves, he found the fun in sharing. They now take it in turns to do 2 circuits of the playground each then change over. It's also more fun! We can learn a lot about ourselves from our children. I now look closely at what I don't want to share or what I believe is mine, like 'my' time.......this is still a work in progress.....! :O) x
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