“To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His
mercy endures forever; and brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy
endures forever; with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His
mercy endures forever; to Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy
endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy
endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His
mercy endures forever; to Him who led His people through the wilderness, for
His mercy endures forever; to Him who struck down great kings, for His mercy
endures forever; and slew famous kings, for His mercy endures forever—Sihon
king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; and Og king of Bashan, for
His mercy endures forever—and gave their land as a heritage, for His mercy
endures forever; a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy endures
forever. Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever;
and rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; who gives food
to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of
heaven! For His mercy endures forever,”—Psalm 136:10-26, NKJV.
Observe the multiple
verses in Psalm 36 which praise God for His “mercy” as He destroys Israel’s
enemies: “To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn…overthrew Pharaoh and his
army in the Red Sea…struck down great kings; and slew famous kings…for His
mercy endures forever.” (Ps. 36:10, 15, 17-20.)
This is a perfect example
of how the definitions of mercy, love, and the like, rely quite heavily on
one’s perspective; God’s chastisement to one may be His mercy toward another.
It is extremely important for us to view a matter from all sides before
pronouncing a judgement. In many instances, it may seem that God is
unreasonably afflicting us when His actions are actually sparing us from some more severe trial. Do not be too quick to
pronounce God cruel or capricious, or even to search for some wrong for which
He may be punishing you or a loved one—we do not see the greater picture. Know
that God does, and be comforted by His everlasting mercy and omniscience.
The book of Proverbs is full of intricate
allegories, perhaps the most recurrent being those of wisdom and “the adulteress.”
Wisdom is
repeatedly depicted as a woman (see Prov. 1:20, 4:13, 7:4, 8:1, and (9:1),
although in Proverbs 8:30, she refers to herself as “a master craftsman,”
(emphasis added). In short, Solomon, presents numerous perspective on wisdom,
but combines them all in the depiction of a woman—specifically a woman who
directly opposes the other woman, i.e. the adulteress. Perhaps the most
enlightening passage concerning wisdom is found in Proverbs chapter eight,
especially verses 22:31, where wisdom reveals, essentially, her oneness with
God (see verses 22-23). In this, we are not surprised, since wisdom is, in
fact, an attribute of God; but in verses 30-31, it becomes a little deeper:
“Then I was beside Him as
a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.”
Who fits this description?
Who was “with God” at the beginning? Hint: compare to John 1:1-3. The wisdom
spoken of in Proverbs represents the Word of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy
Spirit—which, of course, are all one. Moreover, we, Christ’s servants saved by
grace, are His temple, His church, and His
bride—we are joined with Him. Thus wisdom
is personified as a woman.
The adulteress (aka, the
forbidden woman, the seductress, etc.) represents wickedness, or the world—the
opponent of the church. She is the exact opposite of wisdom and life, but she
tempts us with her “enticing speech” and great beauty. Beware of the deceptive
flamboyant and glamor of sin—“Her house is the way to hell, descending to the
chambers of death,” Prov. 7:27, NKJV. “Do not let your heart turn aside to her
ways,” Prov. 7:25. We are the bride of Christ—beware, lest we become unfaithful
to Him.
Understanding these
allegories (you may even call them “the Parables of the Old Testament”), and
others like them, bring a deeper and more applicable meaning to many Old
Testament passages—the book of Proverbs is only a portion.
“The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the
tent of the upright will flourish,” Proverbs 14:11, NKJV. (See also Prov.
15:6.)
Note the contrast between house and tent. The basic message of this verse is that although the wicked
may prosper for a time, living luxuriously and being praised by the world, they
will be overthrown in the end; if not in this life, certainly in the next. On
the other hand, the righteous, who fix their eyes upon eternity and do not
cling to temporal things, may lead a humble life, but in the end, their tent will flourish, while the house of the wicked will fall.
With this knowledge, as
Christians, we ought to praise God greatly for the righteousness with which He
has clothed us, and rejoice in the fact that, though our present state may be
humble, our eternity will be glorious. But beware! There are Christians who
sadly misconstrue this knowledge. They gaze with jealousy upon the earthly
success of wicked people, and then comfort themselves with phrases like: “Ha!
They’ll get what’s coming to them.” Each one of us knows that we have had
similar thoughts deep down inside at one time or another. Fickle humans that we
are, we take a great deal of pride in the righteousness that God has given us,
and actually believe that we somehow earned it by our own holiness. Abominable
thought! It is by God’s unfathomable grace that we are saved, wretched worms
that we are! Our wickedness is washed away by the blood of Christ alone. After
this, we are commissioned to admonish those in the world who have not been
saved—not to gloat upon their wickedness, or envy their earthly opulence, and
then sit idly by, as Jonah, to await their impending destruction!
In summary, knowing our final destination, we
ought not to complain if we lead a humble life; and, knowing also the final
destination of the unsaved, we ought to “speak the truth in love,” reminding
the wicked that this world is passing away, and that, unless their house is
founded upon the Rock, they will fall.
Comments
Post a Comment