How To Be Blessed

Proverbs 19:19-20 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again. 20 HEAR counsel, and RECEIVE instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

You Must HEAR And RECEIVE To Be Blessed

How can you be blessed of God? You must first of all submit your flesh to God. This is hard for many people. I had a lady who once came to this Church tell me, “I have so many questions. How can I learn to be a strong Christian?” I told her that …

You must consistently submit yourself to God. Come to Church regularly. HEAR the preaching of the Word. Not just HEAR it, but RECEIVE it, believe it, take it to heart. Make it your own.

Sadly, she never did this. Her visits to the Church were sporadic at best, here a little, gone a lot. In time she became one of the faceless shadows on the fringe of Christianity.

Word Study: You cannot allow your flesh to control your spirit. Look at the phrase, “A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment”. The words “A MAN OF GREAT WRATH” in the English is but two words in the Hebrew: gāḏôl ḥēmâ. The word “GREAT” doesn’t apply to the anger, but to the man. Someone who, as Clint Eastwood once said “is a legend In their own mind”, the one who thinks he or she is infallible, always right. That self important person cannot hear anything from others, nor even focus on another person’s point of view, because they believe they are impervious. The word gāḏôl is used in Scripture to describe the sun and the moon (Genesis 1:16), the whales (Genesis 1:21), and God used the phrase with Abraham when He promised him “I will make of thee a GREAT (gāḏôl) nation”. Those who are proud and arrogant are especially dangerous when angered. The word “WRATH” is the Hebrew ḥēmâ, which refers to “rage, hot displeasure, deep indignation, venomous anger”. That sort of person will not hear counsel, will not hear the Word of God. The Bible warns us:

Proverbs 25:28 (ESV) A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Proverbs 29:22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Illustrate: That type of person gets into trouble, and seeks to draw others into trouble as well. You can step in and save them, you can do your best to help them out, but “thou must do it again”. I knew a minister one time I’ll simply call “Larry” who, through anger and arrogance, burned every bridge at every Church he served at. In time he came to me, dejected and despondent, and I stepped in to help him. I asked my Church to take him on as a Worship Leader. Bad mistake. I spent most of my ministry until he left our Church getting him out of binds. He spoke without thought. Mark Twain once said,

“It is better to keep your mouth shut and be assumed a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.”

Proverbs 19:19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment …

Such a person brings punishment on themselves. “Larry” eventually quit our Church and went on to nothing. He brought that on himself.

Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

The self important and arrogant will not “HEAR COUNCIL” AND “RECEIVE INSTRUCTION”. The wise man or woman will do BOTH. My commentary notes:

“One of the first marks of wisdom is the readiness to receive more wisdom. A teachable person, one who will listen to counsel and receive instruction, has already made much progress on the path of wisdom.”

There is a difference between hearing and receiving. A lot of people hear. The Pharisees heard what Jesus said, but refused to receive His Words because they prioritized their humanistic interpretation of Scripture over what Jesus said. Though Jesus proved He was Messiah by the miraculous things He did, the Pharisees believed that when the Messiah came He would overthrow their enemies, and make Judaism a world wide religion. When Jesus began to teach not a conquering the Roman message, but

Matthew 5:44-48 I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

They HEARD, but did not RECEIVE God’s instruction. They despised Jesus and His teaching because it did not fit THEIR IDEA of what God planned for Israel.

Jesus implied they were imperfect, because they neglected the “Weightier matters of the Law”. God told them:

Matthew 23:23 (LSB) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

The Pharisees were giving – as God had commanded – but only materially. They were also required to give “justice and mercy and faithfulness”. They HEARD Jesus, but couldn’t RECEIVE His Word.

One of the best Old Testament examples that comes to my mind is the reign of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, the successor to the Throne of David. In 1 Kings 12 Rehoboam becomes King of Israel, and shortly thereafter a delegation comes from the Ten Northern Tribes led by Jeroboam. The delegation came with a simple request:

1 Kings 12:4 (LSB) Your father made our yoke harsh; but you, now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.

Rehoboam HEARD what they requested. He went to the advisors that King Solomon had serving him, wise men who helped Solomon maintain the peace for the 40 years he ruled. The wise men told Rehoboam:

1 Kings 12:7 (LSB) If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.

Lighten their tax load. HEAR and RECEIVE what they ask, and you will maintain the integrity of the Kingdom to the glory of God. Did Rehoboam do this? No.

1 Kings 12:8 (LSB) … he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and stood before him.

His young friends, puffed up with pride, encouraged Rehoboam to double down on the Northern Tribes because he was, after all, King. It was a bad idea. Rehoboam had to run with his tail between his legs back to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:18). When Rehoboam called out the army, 180,000 chosen men to fight the House of Israel, The Bible says:

1 Kings 12:22-24 (LSB) … the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, 24 ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You shall not go up and fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of Yahweh, and returned to go their way according to the word of Yahweh.

God allowed this to happen to teach us, His people, the foolishness of HEARING but not RECEIVING, and the dangerousness of arrogance and uncontrolled anger.

Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

If you want to end well, HEAR and RECEIVE Godly instruction.

Live According To The Word of God

Proverbs 19:21 There are many DEVICES {maḥăšāḇâ} in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

Word Study: The word translated “DEVICES” {Hebrew maḥăšāḇâ}, which means “cunning plans, thoughts, purposes”. As humans we often have good intentions, and make great plans. But in the end it is “the counsel of the LORD shall stand”. Sometimes man plots against God. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 2:1-3 (LSB) Why do the nations rage And the peoples meditate on a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against Yahweh and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”

But how does God respond?

Psalm 2:4-6 (LSB) He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord mocks them. 5 Then He speaks to them in His anger, And terrifies them in His fury, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

God is in control at all times. We make many plans, but when we plan we need to ask God and plan according to His will. It is the certainty of God’s call in our lives that gives us courage. Before Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, God told that dear Saintly Warrior:

Joshua 1:2-9 (LSB) Moses My servant is dead; so now arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous to be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be prosperous wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way successful, and then you will be prosperous. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be in dread or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”

God said “Follow Me. Follow My Word. Move as I direct you, and you will be undefeated”. Always follow the Word and Will of God. Always include God in your plans. The Bible says:

James 4:13-15 (NKJV) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

What Is A Man?

Proverbs 19:22 The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.

We live in a day when people, because of wokeness, cannot answer the question “What is a man?”. Biologically a “man” has an X chromosome from his mother, and a Y chromosome from his father. Mark Twain said years ago,

“Clothes make the man, because naked people have little
or no influence on society”.

He lived in simpler times. Men today have become effeminized and socially castrated, and are celebrated when they are weak and malleable. The Bible says of this behavior:

1 Corinthians 6:9 (KJV) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, {malakos} nor abusers of themselves with mankind

The EFFEMINATE {malakos} is a reference to the catamite, or young boys kept for homosexual relationship, males that submit to unnatural lewdness. This is the idea on “man” that is being pushed by the liberal or LEFT. Then there is the BRUTAL concept of the man that is pushed on the extreme RIGHT.

A real man – Biblically – is defined by his kindness:

Word Study: The word “KINDNESS” is the Hebrew ḥeseḏ, which means “lovingkindness, goodness, mercifulness”. It is the desire to bestow graciousness and goodness, even on those who are undeserving of it. The word is used to describe God Himself:

Numbers 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great MERCY, {ḥeseḏ} forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty …

The Biblical man does not look the other way on sin, and yet shows mercy and kindness to others. Real men act from controlled strength. There are many who are rich, who have lied and cheated others in order to gain great status. But God says,

a poor man is better than a liar

I was watching a video the other day where various “women on the street” were asked what they wanted in a man. Shallow women will say they want a man who “makes over $100,000 a year”. But smart women, Godly women want honest men who are merciful and good. The Apostle Paul tells men:

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (LSB) Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

A godly man strives to live in a way that glorifies God and honors the Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

A “real Man” has “fear of the Lord”. Fear of the Lord means to put God first, to love God more than you love others. For the unbeliever, they do not fear God, but they fear judgment and eternal damnation. Jesus said:

Luke 12:5 (ESV) I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

God has the power to both kill and cast. The Bible says “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God” (Hebrews 10:31). To fear God, Who is the Author of Life, is to have a good life. But if you depart from fearing, respecting God, you “may be visited with evil”. Bad things happen when we forsake God.

Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

Illustrate: I heard U.S. Senator John Kennedy talking about the Park Avenue Skyscraper shooting that happened recently. Shane Tamura went into New York City’s Blackstone Building with a rifle, and killed three people and a police officer before killing himself. News media initially identified the shooter as “white”, which was wrong. Asked about the shooting Senator Kennedy said,

“On Capitol Hill, probably beginning in the morning, there’ll be the inevitable call by some of my colleagues for more gun control laws,” Kennedy (R-La.) said … “We’ve got hundreds of gun control laws, Sean. Maybe thousands. We don’t need more gun control, we need more idiot control, and I don’t know exactly how to do that. … I don’t want to hear anyone feeling sorry for this guy who did this,” Kennedy said of the shooter. “I believe there’s objective evil in this world, and we saw it today. I’m just sorry”.

Why did this happen? Because “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life”. This young man was raised without fear of the Lord, in a permissive and sin saturated environment. Rather than acknowledge this, we tend to justify criminal and godless acts while blaming the weapon used. That is insanity. When someone runs over people with their car, we don’t demand there be more “car control”. We need to be sorry and pray for the families of the victims. But we need to lay the blame on the perpetrator – the criminal – and stop making excuses for them or feeling sorry for them.

As a nation, we need to get back to “fear of the Lord”!

Those who have fear of the Lord “shall abide satisfied”. That young 27 year old man was obviously unsatisfied with his life, and the lives of those around him. “The FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). The idiocy that is Darwinian Evolutionary Theory has taught us that humans are animals, and that life is accidental. This is the reason that evil continues to manifest itself among humans. My commentary notes:

“A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. When we were children, our fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions on our part. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in a way that pleases Him.”

Proverbs 19:24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his BOSOM, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Word Study: God has no respect for the “good intentions” of those who do nothing for Him. Those who are slothful in serving God harm themselves. The word translated “BOSOM” is the Hebrew ṣallaḥaṯ, which means “something deep, like a bowl”. The NKJV translates this text as:

Proverbs 19:24 (NKJV) A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

The lazy person will seek for pleasure, but will forever be dissatisfied. No blessing comes of those who refuse to serve themselves and God. This same proverb is repeated again in,

Proverbs 26:15 (NKJV) The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

The lazy man is always looking for something for someone else to do, but will never do it himself. They are not content, but always blaming others rather than themselves for their lack.

Scorners And Stripes

Proverbs 19:25-29 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge. 26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach. 27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. 28 An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity. 29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

The “SCORNER” (Hebrew lûṣ) is the person who “mocks or boasts against the truths of God’s Word”. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 1:1-6 (KJV) Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. [3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. [4] The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away. [5] Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. [6] For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The “SCORNER” of God’s Word is not to be tolerated. Those who are God’s people who are corrected will respond to correction judiciously. But the scorner hates truth. We are not to tolerate them, but back away from them. “Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools”. We do not heed them, but walk away from them. When I hear someone on television speaking of “evolution” and “millions of years” of natural selection, I turn it off. Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. I won’t listen to it – and neither should you.

We are not called to be “open minded”, but God minded. “An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity”. The only way you can compromise with the darkness is by dimming the light.

Stay in the Light of God’s Word. Amen.