The Master Of Justice

I have made the earth, and created man upon it: Isaiah 45:12. References from Proverbs 20:22-21:3. 

The story is told about a revengeful man who was recently arrested. This man had been rejected by a graduate school several years earlier. He blamed a professor, and for the next few years, he called him about ten times a night... always during the middle of the night. 

This account shows how we often take revenge for ourselves rather than trust God to bring about justice. One of the major themes in Proverbs is the Lord's sovereignty. And letting the Lord avenge is where many people have a hard time trusting God. Whether through human courts or His own final courtroom, the final say belongs to God, for He hates injustice and dishonesty (v23). 

Even though we make choices for which we are responsible, our steps are ultimately directed by the Lord. Perhaps that's why this section contains proverbs about the king... reminding us that even powerful people are under the Lord's sovereign control. 

The depth of the human heart (including our own) is hard to know. That's the point of verse 24. Only the Lord truly knows hearts (v27). We can conceal things from others, but we can't conceal them from God. The lamp of the Lord may refer to God's Word and His Spirit working to show us who we really are and who God is. Some reject this idea of the Lord's sovereign leading because they feel it limits individual freedom. 

Proverbs indicates that both our choices and God's direction are at work in our lives. We can be grateful for God's gracious intervention that protects us from wrong, such as rash promises (v25). 

In Proverbs we see a picture of the ideal king, who reveals God's intention for human government. Notice that a wise ruler acts justly (v26). Like chaff, law breakers are separated from those who keep the law. But even a powerful ruler is still under the sovereign control of the Lord (21:1). Indeed, for all humans, only the Lord can truly see the motives of the heart (v2). In the end, the two key qualities of love and faithfulness are what matter to the Lord. 

Some things in God's Word are beyond comprehension. That doesn't mean that we don't wrestle with the reality of human freedom and the complete sovereignty of the Lord. But it does mean that, at a certain level, we just have to accept that these two truths hold together. 

The tension between these truths can comfort us, however. We do our best to discern a course of action, through prayer, God's Word, and wise counsel. Then we trust that God will direct our plans, and we step out in faith. 


Misusing Our Minds

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5

The Lord gave us a mind to think with, to reason, and to apply the knowledge with which he supplied each of us. But sometimes, us humans act as though we've 'lost our mind'. We do the strangest things, out of character for someone that should be intelligent.

We should keep our mind on good thoughts, acting like we are Godly people, and have the power that God gave us. Instead, we moan and groan about things not being the way they should be. Yet we don't realize we are the reason. 

We have to want a change, act as though we are changeable, and trust in God that He can and will change us. But we can't be double minded. We have to believe that He can do the things which we want and need changed, and not deviate from those thoughts.

Satan is smart; he knows where and when to tempt to make the most progress. If you leave open a door, be sure he's going to put a toe in, and, when he does, the whole foot is sure to follow! The way to keep him out, is never give him room to enter. Keep your mind fixed on the Lord, and the things that He has supplied in the scripture to keep us out of danger. 

Don't let Satan get you into his clutches with doubt and disbelief. If he can sway your thinking on one little thing, then he has you under his control.