“Lord, Lord”
You are about to sit in the presence of the King. Yet with the hearing of the wisdom of the King comes responsibility.
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?’ – Luke 6:46
LUKE 6:49
“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Can you sit before the King and heed His words of wisdom?
The Way of Wisdom
Proverbs 9:
Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars…
She has also furnished her table.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.
7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Account for your actions
Do you answer the tweets of a fool? Would you correct this scoffer?
Does the world recognize a wicked one without you answering a fool?
Contentious words provoke angry response,
While silence speaks softly to those who hear.
A fool speaks loudly and carries no stick.
The wise one withholds comment from deaf ears..
What basis have you to judge another? Are you so infallible or have you never transgressed righteousness?
Learn from the Lord and ask forgiveness for your errors. Fear the LORD! Then you will begin to have wisdom.
Wisdom of the King
Earthly kings and leaders have appointed times, yet often they fail. Even Solomon forgot wisdom in his later days. The king’s banquet may become an event of singular honor or delectable cuisine, but wise words nourish the guest of the king’s table.
Hear just a few morsels of wisdom from King Solomon. My reflections follow, as I invite your consideration.
Savor wisdom’s words on the pallet of your understanding.
Feast upon wisdom’s flavor before digesting a proverb as common fast-food.
Proverbs 10:
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
I am a sinful man; therefore I will keep silence before the King.
I recall the actions of so many wicked men and wayward women. We abhor their violence, yet the Lord will judge.
9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity – Proverbs 2:7
Integrity – completeness, fullness, innocence, simplicity.
Acting in the Lord’s will, considering my imminent action as simply evil or good. Choosing good before exercising evil in thought, word or misdeed.
And perversion? We have forgotten it’s meaning in an onslaught of common evil. Perversion twists the truth of righteousness with corruption of the pure and defiance against God. Consider the lives of an evil one:
The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths;
they have made their roads crooked;
no one who treads on them knows peace. – Isaiah 59:8
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. – Proverbs 19:1
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.
How we continually hear the news of the world; taunting words of hatred from the lips of arrogant men and unbound women.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8
More than everything, soft words of love and the mirror of time will turn harsh words of hatred into regret.
More wisdom from Proverbs 10:
14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.
18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.
The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 15:33
Don’t think of Proverbs as only a few pithy sayings by Solomon and other ancient Kings.
Think of Proverbs as personal advice from the King of kings; then consider your own words and actions.
Will you be invited to the banquet of the King?
To be continued…
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.