We were near the end of a great Bible Study during Man Cave at the Sunshine Rescue Mission. All of a sudden Police cars were all over the neighborhood with Officers carrying high powered rifles. A hostage situation had been reported and every precaution had to be taken. The situation ended peacefully. Somebody had done something we might call stupid. Our Bible study was a about a man who called himself stupid - and yet he wrote a chapter in the Book of Proverbs.
Now you probably might ask, "How can a stupid man write a chapter in the same Book of Proverbs that were mostly written by Solomon - one of the wisest men ever to walk the planet?" Here's Proverbs 30 in its entirety so you can begin to chew on it and digest some wisdom about stupidity. In parentheses and bold print following some of the passages I've included parts of what we discussed. Our target verses were 24-28. The main theme of our lesson was: "Weak flesh covered in wisdom creates spiritual understanding."
Now you probably might ask, "How can a stupid man write a chapter in the same Book of Proverbs that were mostly written by Solomon - one of the wisest men ever to walk the planet?" Here's Proverbs 30 in its entirety so you can begin to chew on it and digest some wisdom about stupidity. In parentheses and bold print following some of the passages I've included parts of what we discussed. Our target verses were 24-28. The main theme of our lesson was: "Weak flesh covered in wisdom creates spiritual understanding."
PROVERBS 30
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 I am more stupid than any other man, and I lack man’s ability to understand.
(Agur is stupid only in comparison to God's wisdom.
The knowledge of God is limitless.
The knowledge of man in comparison is less than
a grain of sand on the world's beaches and deserts.)
3 I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— if you know?
(These verses sound like Job.
His story details the loss (or weakening) of every strength he had.
In the end God blessed him with more than he could ever imagine.)
5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Don’t add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.
7 Two things I ask of You; don’t deny them to me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
(This verse does not point to Solomon as the Author of this Proverb.
He had more wealth than anyone in the world.)
9 Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.
10 Don’t slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth.
13 There is a generation—how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land
and the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!” Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough!”:
16 Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, “Enough!”
17 As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.
18 Three things are beyond me; four I can’t understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
21 The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: 22 a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
24 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
25 the ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
(These four verses are about weak things imparted with the knowledge of God's strength and wisdom.
They have no rational ability to think for themselves yet follow God's sovereign plan.
He created them and us for a purpose.
When we are weak, in Him we become strong.)
29 Three things are stately in their stride, even four are stately in their walk:
30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31 a strutting rooster, a goat, and a king at the head of his army.
32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you’ve been scheming, put your hand over your mouth.
33 For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife.
2 I am more stupid than any other man, and I lack man’s ability to understand.
(Agur is stupid only in comparison to God's wisdom.
The knowledge of God is limitless.
The knowledge of man in comparison is less than
a grain of sand on the world's beaches and deserts.)
3 I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— if you know?
(These verses sound like Job.
His story details the loss (or weakening) of every strength he had.
In the end God blessed him with more than he could ever imagine.)
5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Don’t add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.
7 Two things I ask of You; don’t deny them to me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
(This verse does not point to Solomon as the Author of this Proverb.
He had more wealth than anyone in the world.)
9 Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.
10 Don’t slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth.
13 There is a generation—how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land
and the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!” Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough!”:
16 Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, “Enough!”
17 As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.
18 Three things are beyond me; four I can’t understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
21 The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: 22 a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
24 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
25 the ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
(These four verses are about weak things imparted with the knowledge of God's strength and wisdom.
They have no rational ability to think for themselves yet follow God's sovereign plan.
He created them and us for a purpose.
When we are weak, in Him we become strong.)
29 Three things are stately in their stride, even four are stately in their walk:
30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31 a strutting rooster, a goat, and a king at the head of his army.
32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you’ve been scheming, put your hand over your mouth.
33 For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife.
NOTHING WE DO FOR GOD IS USELESS
Many times we feel weak when our best efforts fall on deaf ears. Folks we bend over backwards to help overcome an addiction or change their lives fall back into destructive lifestyles. It's easy to let our emotions sink into a depressing place. We feel the sting of rejection.
Everything we do for God has value. We told a story about a dad driving with his son. A bee started buzzing around the boy who was allergic to bee stings. He cried out to his father who caught the bee in his hand, squeezed it and then let it go. As the bee was now free, the boy cried again. The father opened his hand and said, "Son, I took the sting for you. The bee can no longer hurt you."
Jesus took away the sting of our sin that separated us from our Father. Jesus was rejected, killed and buried. It looked like He was weak and useless, but that wasn't the end of the story. No matter how futile your efforts appear, what you have done for His glory is valuable. You may not see the end of a person's life, but you will know that God sees your efforts as worthy and valuable. Carry on.
Everything we do for God has value. We told a story about a dad driving with his son. A bee started buzzing around the boy who was allergic to bee stings. He cried out to his father who caught the bee in his hand, squeezed it and then let it go. As the bee was now free, the boy cried again. The father opened his hand and said, "Son, I took the sting for you. The bee can no longer hurt you."
Jesus took away the sting of our sin that separated us from our Father. Jesus was rejected, killed and buried. It looked like He was weak and useless, but that wasn't the end of the story. No matter how futile your efforts appear, what you have done for His glory is valuable. You may not see the end of a person's life, but you will know that God sees your efforts as worthy and valuable. Carry on.
1 Corinthians 15:55-58
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
For sin is the sting that results in death,
and the law gives sin its power.
But thank God!
He gives us victory over sin and death
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters,
be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
O death, where is your sting?
For sin is the sting that results in death,
and the law gives sin its power.
But thank God!
He gives us victory over sin and death
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters,
be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
We always try and bring books with us during our Man Cave Mentoring sessions at SRM. The guys are hungry for more Bible studies and any books they can read to deepen their faith. If you have Christ-centered books to donate, please call us at 716-830-8240.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
YWAP IS BIG ON MENTORING & COMMUNITY SERVICE! YWAP empowers people in Christ to become collaborators in a community effort to create a better world for children and their families. Investing in youth is a preemptive strike against sexual abuse, drug addiction and human trafficking. We appreciate your prayers and support. For more information about YWAP programs, to volunteer or become a guest speaker, please call us at: 716-830-8240 or email, [email protected].
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