For The Proverbial Palate- 07.19.2008

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. Proverbs 16:2

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 16:25

I have chosen two verses from the 16th chapter of Proverbs for this weeks consideration. They really fit together well to bring forth the truth that we want to look at.

Verse 2 tells us that oft times when we do something, our reasoning for doing them may not be as clear as we think it is . Greater yet, the Lord sees beyond our reasoning and most of the time what the Lord sees and our reasoning are not in sync. This old adage pretty much hits the nail squarely on its head…

“we see things not as they are but as we are”

…eh, pretty true? There are two places we can witness this in the scriptures. The first is in the Book of Isaiah and the second in the Book of the Revelation.

“Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.   Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?” Isaiah 58:2-5

Here’s the deal, the people were going to church every Sabbath, but they were only  going through the motions. Isaiah had previously stated that “they were drawing near to the Lord with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him”. Not only were they going to the worship services but the fast were for their own profit and own gain, yet they saw absolutely no problems with it. It sure was not the case with God. He looked at it quite differently, in fact He told them in Isaiah 1:11-15 not to come worship anymore. Not to bring their vain sacrifices and lift up their lame prayers, because He would not accept the offering nor answer their prayers.

We find a very similar spirit in the letter that John the Revelator was instructed to send to the church in Laodicea.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3: 17-18

It appears, at least from what Christ tells us that these folk were going to church, Sunday after Sunday, singing the hymns and lifting their hands in praise and worship. The church was probably growing doing both good works in the community and abroad. May have even been supporting globally a number of missionaries. Pretty successful church, by any standard, would you say? Not by the Lord’s standard. He saw them entirely different than how they saw themselves.

This should tell us a couple of things…

• The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We have to be very careful about trusting our own heart and intentions as they can fool us.
• We can think that what we are doing is right in line with what the Lord would have us to do…. only to hear His catastrophic response…

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”……

 

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

malachi

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