This morning I read my daily chapter of Proverbs. Since it is the third day of the month, I read chapter 3.
Then I went to the New Testament to read the next chapter in my daily reading of the Epistles, which was James 4.
In James 4:6 there is a quotation from Proverbs 3:34.
James 4:6 – “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Proverbs 3:34 – “Surely He scorneth the scorners: but He giveth grace unto the lowly.”
Before reading this I was struggling with unrighteous thoughts. I was tempted to avoid reading my Bible. Instead, by God’s grace, I decided to read despite my thoughts and emotions. So I read Proverbs 3 out loud. That helped me to pray, to consider trusting the Lord with all my heart and leaning not to my own understanding, to acknowledge Him in all my ways so that He would make my paths straight, to even pray for help on a work related issue where my path is currently not straight and clear.
Then I flipped over to James. The first half of the chapter spoke directly to me in my exact current frame of mind as far as the unrighteous thoughts go. James cuts right to the heart.
James 4
1. From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2. Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye might consume it upon your lusts.
4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6. But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
This passage was so mightily helpful to me this morning. The “coincidence” in my reading made me smile as soon as I saw it. The thought of being an enemy of God by being a friend of the world made me recoil from my unrighteous thoughts. The idea that friendship with the world makes me an adulterer made me think that I want nothing to do with such a shameful thing. Therefore, I prayed, I read more Scripture, I wrote this – instead of allowing worldly thoughts to dominate me first thing in the morning.
“God, grant me Your grace to carry on through the day on a straight path. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.”
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
Bread of Deceit
Yesterday, I wrote about the struggle with sin and how it is like venom of poisonous serpents. (“Of Mercy, Truth, Departing from Evil, Walking in Integrity, and Redemption”) “Just as the Israelites in the desert turned their eyes upon the brass serpent and were healed from the deadly venom of serpents, so I must look to Jesus only as the antivenom for my iniquity.” Today, I was impressed by the deceitfulness of sin when I read Proverbs 20:17: “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” Yesterday, my thoughts were on the “afterwards,” the mouth full of gravel, the venom in the veins. But it’s the lure that gets one there. It starts with the deception. That’s the sweetness, the delicious bread. It ends with a mouth full of rocks.
There are some verses in Job that make the same connection between the deceitful sweetness and the bitter end result. Job 20:4, 5 says: “Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?” Several verses below we find:
12. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
13. Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
14. Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
15. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
16. He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper’s tongue shall slay him.
Job 20:12 – 16
It’s impossible for my mind to not go straight back to the Garden of Eden when reading this. To be right there in that time of old, “since man was placed upon earth,” and to hear the tempter, “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world,” (Revelation 12:9) saying, “You shall not surely die,” and to see Eve look upon the pleasant and desirable fruit… until Adam ultimately joined the feast and we all ended up with mouths full of gravel.
Hear a quote from Charles Bridges on Proverbs 20:17:
It is with deceit, as with every other sin, Satan always holds out the bait; always promises gain or pleasure as the wages of his service, and as surely disappoints the victims of his delusion.
Lead Me Not Into Temptation
Yesterday, I used the heading, “Deliver Me From Evil.” This morning I need to step back in my heart and pray, “Lead me not into temptation.” If the battle with sin is present every day, if I still have tendencies to indulge my flesh, if it remains so until I die – then I cannot flirt with temptation and expect to not experience the consequences. I shouldn’t even look at the deceitful bread, let alone pick it up and put it in my mouth. My eyes need to be elsewhere. They need to be on Jesus Christ. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of my faith.”
In the End
I will close this brief blog post with another quote from Bridges on Proverbs 20:17, as well as the words of Scripture from James.
Holiness is sweet in the way and in the end too. Wickedness is sometimes sweet in the way, but always bitter in the end. Whatever be the tempter’s proffered advantage, his price is the soul, to be paid in the dying hour. Oh! The undoing bargain! An eternal treasure bartered for the trifle of a moment! Charmed we may be with the present sweetness; but bitter indeed will be the after-fruits, when the poor deluded sinner shall cry – “I tasted but a little honey, and I must die.” (1 Samuel 14:43) So surely is the bitterness that springs out of sin the bitterness of death.
13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man:
14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16. Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for His mercy endureth forever.
O give thanks unto the Lord of lords: for His mercy endureth forever.
To Him alone who doeth great wonders: for His mercy endureth forever.
Psalm 136:1 – 4
Deliver Me From Evil
I did not sleep well. I woke up with anxious thoughts about work and the temptation to indulge sinful imaginations, the lure of escaping into a fantasy realm that is ultimately vain, empty, not satisfying, which ends up causing me shame and regret.
Then this Scripture entered my mind:
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
Proverbs 16:6
So I got out of bed. I would rather give up sleep, or the attempt at sleep – which wasn’t going to happen because the pull to indulge was growing. I got up to reflect on God’s mercy and indulge in His truth instead. In this manner I sought to have this particular iniquity purged from my heart. I departed from the evil that was embracing me as I lay in bed. “Up and at ’em, fella! Time to seek the Lord!”
Integrity
The first thing I turned to was Psalm 26, which was the next one on my list of random Psalms to read. (The second one was Psalm 136.)
Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
Psalm 26:1
Oh! My integrity seems so flimsy compared to the statements that David confidently made! But in my weakness I did trust in the Lord. I did make an effort to maintain integrity. My track record in maintaining inner integrity – there in my heart where only God can see – is so very far from flawless. That’s for sure! There is no perfection here. But David had a questionable track record at times too. Didn’t he? He should have fled off his roof instead of indulging his lust for Bathsheba. (See 2 Samuel 11) “Flee fornication, David!” (1 Corinthians 6:18) I humbly thank God that He gave me grace to shut the eyes of my mind to the Bathshebas of fantasy and seek His word instead this morning.
As for my flimsy integrity,
This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13, 14
It is God’s mercy that has purged me from iniquity this morning. “Therefore I shall not slide.” I cannot worry about later or tomorrow. I must look to Jesus. Just as the Israelites in the desert turned their eyes upon the brass serpent and were healed from the deadly venom of serpents, so I must look to Jesus only as the antivenom for my iniquity. (See Numbers 21 and John 3:14, 15)
Mercy and Truth
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For Thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in Thy truth.
Psalm 26:2, 3
How similar in theme are these two verses and Proverbs 16:6.
EXAMINE me. PROVE me. TRY my reins and my heart.
By mercy and truth iniquity is PURGED.
Thy LOVINGKINDNESS is before mine eyes.
By MERCY… iniquity is purged.
I have walked in Thy TRUTH.
By… TRUTH iniquity is purged.
It is all so beautiful.
Redemption
But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
Psalm 26:11
David’s immediate flip from a declaration that he will walk in his integrity to a prayer for redemption and mecy causes me to see that integrity includes the acknowledgement that I need redemption. I need mercy. The act of turning from my self-confidence and relying on God’s redemption in Jesus Christ is fundamental, is necessary, is essential to my integrity – regardless of the stability of my integrity. Without this foundational acknowledgement of my need for salvation, I have no true integrity. Iniquity is still present with me. I can’t ignore that glaring fact of my daily experience. I can’t pretend that I don’t sin. I can’t pretend that I don’t struggle. I can’t pretend that I don’t often lose the struggle. To ignore the venom is to die. Both the need to live and the battle for integrity demand that I cry out to God for mercy and that I look to Jesus Christ as my Savior in this battle. He is my redemption – not just from the penalty of sin, which I deserve, but also from the ravages of this war with sin (aka – “sanctification”).
Of course, St. Paul said this so much better:
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, WARRING against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The last word:
O give thanks to the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever!
I was thinking this morning about how my heart is not in a good state right now. My “flesh,” as St. Paul terms it, has gained an advantage over me. It has taken the higher ground. It has its foot upon my chest and is ready to sever my head while I am fallen in my weakness.
My “flesh” is my mind. It is not just my physical anatomy, as if that were the residence of sinful passions. No, my flesh includes my sinful mind, my fickle often hard heart. Even if there isn’t an outward manifestation of sinful behavior, the thoughts are there in my mind. Lust is running amok in my mind. It usually does show itself in my body sooner or later, in one way or another – even if it’s only the slightest glance of my eye in a lustful manner. My “flesh” is in my mind and body.
I have not been mortifying my flesh – in the sense of putting these things to death through the Holy Spirit. I want it to be dead at the source – in my mind. I want a pure heart – not just reformation or restriction of my behavior. But right now I am so far from that. Anger and passion and worldliness. The pursuit of pleasure. How did it enter in when I was walking closely with God? (Or maybe just thought I was.) How have I again resorted to idolatry?
This is where it has lead me: to a place of mind and heart where I can’t read the Scriptures with a true desire to walk in God’s ways; I can’t pray with a full united heart; I can’t speak to others about Truth without hypocrisy; I can’t love others. This is hell and death and barrenness.
Reflecting on these things, I then thought, I must repent right now, pray – however feebly, and open my Bible. After all, I am 61 years-old. How much earthly existence do I have left? I should prepare my heart for my exit. I should be banking up treasure in heaven with much more determination than I have in piling up cash in my retirement fund. I’ve been reading Ecclesiastes lately. Oh God! Help me to learn the lesson: VANITY! VANITY! VANITY! Twelve chapters proving the emptiness of earthly existence. BUT: “Let us hear the conclusion of the WHOLE matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the WHOLE duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14)
So, I got up at that moment. I did open my Bible. As my habit is, I first ready my daily chapter of Proverbs. Since today is the 23rd, I read chapter 23. What did I find there?
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:17, 18
The words that struck me most were, “All the day long.” It pressed upon me that my concern should be for THIS day. Fear the Lord THIS day – for that is the whole duty of man – THIS day. The whole duty for THIS man THIS day. Forget the past – with all its failures, all its wayward moments, all its hardness of heart. Focus on THIS day. Forget the future – with its anxieties and fears. It’s tempting to say the cliched line, “One day at a time.” But it’s true. “TODAY if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart.” (Psalm 95:7, 8) “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) “All the day long” are words that brought me abruptly to the present. Honestly, it’s a relief. Didn’t Jesus say, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:34) The verse before it is better known to most of us: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” That is very much in line with the words from Proverbs 23: “Let not thine heart envy sinner: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.” God keeps bringing us back to the present. That is where the action is. The present is where we live. The present is where we can obey Him and walk with Him.
But also He points us to His righteous future kingdom: “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” Expectation is hope. Ultimately, what is our hope? It is “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ,” our “blessed hope.” (Titus 2:13) I was going to now point “us” to the previous two verses in Titus 2. But I need to shift from “us” to “me.” I need to speak verses 11 and 12 to myself: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” I must have the hope of that glorious future. For surely there is an end! “Faith is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) I must walk by faith, certainly. “For surely there is an end!” It is a sure and certain fact, which my faith holds onto, that Jesus Christ will appear! “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2) What is the very next verse? “AND EVERY MAN THAT HATH THIS HOPE IN HIM PURIFIETH HIMSELF, EVEN AS HE IS PURE.”
I cannot escape the message: I must mortify my flesh THIS DAY! The blessed hope gives me incentive and courage to begin hammering the nails to crucify my flesh. Come, Holy Spirit, make such death of my flesh real and effectual THIS DAY! Help me, Lord, to let go of the anger, to resist the lust – to cut off my right hand and pluck out my right eye. Breathe Your life into me. Create me anew, with a clean heart and a right spirit. Bear Your fruit through me this day, Lord. Keep me moment by moment to fear You. For there is the place of peace and joy and love. There is where kindness and goodness dwell. Lord Jesus, let me desire what You desire. Let my heart beat with Yours.
Reading Psalm 119 is a great enjoyment to me. I am endeavoring to memorize it. (Progress is much slower than I would like.) The Psalm consists of 176 verses divided into 22 stanzas. Many days I read through the entire Psalm by reciting a stanza every 30 minutes through the day. I start at 9 AM and finish at 7:30 PM. For me, it’s a good way to meditate on the Word of God – especially since this Psalm is specifically about the Word of God!
Now imagine my delight when I discovered (thanks to Hywel Jones) that Thomas Manton preached 190 sermons on Psalm 119 and they are available online for FREE! Sign me up!
I read the first sermon on Psalm 119:1 this afternoon. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.” The following paragraph struck me, created a thirst in me, and motivated me to pray.
Take the law of God for your rule. Study the mind of God, and know the way to heaven, and keep exactly in it. It is an argument of sincerity when a man is careful to practice all that he knows, and to be inquisitive to know more, even the whole will of God, and when the heart is held under awe of God’s word. If a commandment stand in the way, it is more to a gracious heart than if a thousand bears and lions were in the way – more than if an angel stood in the way with a flaming sword: Proverbs 13:13, ‘He that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.’ Would you have blessing from God? – fear the commandment. It is not he that fears wrath, punishment, inconveniences, troubles of the world, molestations of the flesh; no, but he that dares not make bold with a commandment… Thus a child of God doth reason when the devil comes and sets a temptation before him, and being zealous for God, dares not comply with the lusts and humors of men, though they should promise him peace, happiness, and plenty. A wicked man makes no bones of a commandment; but a godly man, when he is in a right posture of spirit, and the awe of God is upon him, dare not knowingly and wittingly go aside and depart from God.
Thomas Manton, Sermons on Psalm 119, Sermon 1
One clarification from Manton: “This is called a way [‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way’], and this way is said to be God’s law, and in this way we must be undefiled; which implies not absolute purity and legal perfection, but gospel sincerity.”
“Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, create in me such sincerity that I might walk with you.”
