The
voice and heart of the godly teacher: “My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline
your ear to my understanding; that you may observe discretion and your lips may
reserve knowledge...now then, my sons,
listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth” (5:1,2,7).
The
voice and heart of the one outside the covenant of God (2:17): “For the lips of
an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech; but in the end
she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to
death, her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; her
ways are unstable, she does not know it.
Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, or you will
give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one; and strangers will
be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien” (5:3-6,8-10).
The testimony
of the unhearing student: “And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and
your body are consumed; and you say, ‘How I have hated instruction! And my
heart spurned reproof! I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor
inclined my ear to my instructors! I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of
the assembly and congregation’” (5:11-14). “For the ways of a man are before
the eyes of the LORD, and He watches all his paths. His own iniquities will
capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die
for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray”
(5:11-14,21,22).
“The
hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made both of them” (Proverbs
20:12). LORD, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand the words of Your covenant with Your people in Christ; make
us blind, deaf, and unconcerned with the tempting words of those outside our
covenant with You in Christ. Give us a love for instruction and – yes – even correction
(such a love is supernatural!). Thank You for gifting us with teachers and
companions on the Way who – through Your enabling, Holy Spirit – apply Your
Word to our lives as Your Church.
Praise the Revealer Who is Our Father in Christ by the Spirit:
- “At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him’” (Matthew 11:25-27).
- “Jesus answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear” (Matthew 13:11-16).
Be blessed and glorified this day through the seeing eyes, hearing ears, and knowing hearts You give to Your Church!
No comments:
Post a Comment