Patience (Proverbs 14-15)

Today, in preparing Sunday's sermon, I was thinking a little about patience. By patience I mean not the ability to wait but the ability to graciously overlook the faults and foibles of others. Proverbs 14 and 15 make two statements about patient people. 14:29 says, "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly." In Proverbs, wisdom/understanding and folly are moral terms. Solomon is saying that person who is patient with the faults of others will live righteously while the one who is impatient will make poor moral choices. Patience with others is a key component to a God-pleasing life. Without such patience, we feel license to do all sorts of things we should not do.

Proverbs 15 also comments on patience. Verse 18 says, "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Here, the verse states quite explicitly that being patient with the fault of others leads to peace and the avoidance of conflict. If we want to have peace, we need to be patient.

I find it interesting that both verses contrast patience with anger. Looking at this from the anger side of the coin, it suggests that anger is caused by a lack of patience with others. The more we tolerate others faults and extend grace as Jesus extended grace to us, the less angry we will be.

Keeping the Peace

This past Sunday, we started a series both in Sunday School and in our Sunday morning service. The series is called "The Peacemaking Church." Through this series, we hope to learn how to promote peace both inside and outside of the church. One of the foundational truths of that series is found in a small verse in our reading today. Proverbs 12:16 says: "A fool shows his annoyance at one, but a prudent man overlooks an insult" (NIV). I think we all need to do a better job of following the truth of this verse. We need to learn not to take every offhand comment and every poorly worded remark so seriously. And even when the intent is there, we need to follow the example of Jesus. " To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:21-23, NIV). We have all said unkind words to others that we didn't really mean. In doing so, we have hoped for the forbearance of others. We need to extend that same courtesy to those who hurt us.

Hold Your Tongue (Proverbs 10-11)

The tongue is a common theme in the book of Proverbs. More than that, hold your tongue is a common theme in the book of Proverbs. 10:19 summarizes the broad point here. It says: "When words are many, sin is not absent; but he who holds his tongue is wise." Clearly, there is a virtue in not saying much.

This is something that we as a society need to learn. I think our culture is largely afraid of silence. That is why we have TVs and radios and Ipods that are blasting all the time. It's also why we talk so much. To us, silence isn't golden. It is just plain awkward. The Bible, though, calls us to a different way of regarding silence. Proverbs reminds us that there are times that we just don't need to speak.

A good example of such a time is Proverbs 11:12. "A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue." If we have a negative thought about someone, we don't have to share it. Somehow, we feel compelled to always speak our minds about the failings and shortcomings of others. Proverbs suggests a different tact. It agrees with my grandmother who used to say: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Proverbs 3:5-6

As I read Proverbs 3:5-6, I was reminded of this beautiful song by Sixpence None the Richer so I thought I would share. I wish I knew how to embed video, but I don't. So you'll have to follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYwIzHGMP3g

Strike Up the Band (Psalm 150)

When Tammy and I were on our honeymoon, we visited a small church in Sarasota, Florida. (At least by the standards of the South it was small). The congregation was a part of the Church of Christ denomination. Neither Tammy or I had visited a Church of Christ congregation before so we didn't know what to expect. We did immediately notice that some things were different. Chief among those differences was a lack of instruments. In the sanctuary, there was no guitar or organ. Not even a piano could be found. In fact, even the human voice seemed to not be trusted as an instrument of praise. I remember that there was a note of the hymnal that said something to the effect of unison singing only. Singing the harmony or singing in parts would not be permitted.

The Church of Christ is a denomination that does not allow for practices not found in the New Testament. Since instruments are not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament, they are not allowed in church. (Of course, air conditioning isn't mentioned in the New Testament either. But they had air conditioning. I certainly wasn't going to quibble over that point on a hot June day in Florida.)

I am glad that Fellowship Bible Church takes a broader view of Scripture. Instruments may not be mentioned in the New Covenant, but they are a celebrated part of the Old. In Psalm 150, God is praised with many different instruments. (He is even praised with dancing!). It is clear from Psalm 150 that ancient Israel's worship of God was loud and energetic. Enthusiasm was not one thing that Israel's worship lacked. We use instruments of many different types because they help us show how enthusiastic we are for the worship of our Savior and Creator. Piano and guitar and drums help us communicate our joy at how great our God truly is.

I am glad that I don't worship at that church in Sarasota each Sunday. And I am also thankful for our FBC instrumentalists who lead us in praise and worship of our mighty God each Sunday.

Grace (Genesis 31)

Genesis 31 is a very "messy" chapter. If you ever wanted proof that the heroes of the Bible weren't perfect, there is plenty of that proof here. Jacob deceives Laban. Rachel steals his idols and lies about it. Genesis 31 does very little to convince me that I would want to spend any time with Jacob or his family. In some ways, the chapter sounds more like a modern day reality TV show than a passage of Scripture.

One might despair for encouraging truths in this chapter but I do see at least one. Genesis 31 certainly teaches that God watches over those who belong to Him. This idea is found most clearly in verse 42. There, Jacob says that if God had not been with him, Laban would have robbed him blind. He would have worked twenty years like a slave with no reward. But, of course, that didn't happen. Up to very last minute (verse 24), God was working to protect and to bless Jacob.

If we were in God's shoes, Jacob might seem like one man we wouldn't care to protect that much. His life is certainly full of "moral challenges." We might think let him take his lumps and learn his lessons. And certainly God does allow some of that (see yesterday's post about Jacob's first wedding). But in the end, God will not allow Jacob to suffer injustice. He works for the good of Jacob because Jacob was chosen by grace not merit.

I guess there times when I wonder why God doesn't say "Enough!" to me. I wonder why He puts up with me as long as He does still pouring out His blessing into my life. But then I remember that I am chosen by grace not merit. And being chosen by grace through the work of Jesus, God blesses and protects even when I don't deserve it.

What Goes Around Comes Around (Genesis 29-30)

If ever there was an illustration of why to follow the Biblical maxim: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," it is found here in Genesis 29-30. We know how Jacob has treated Esau. Jacob has used deception to rob his brother of his blessing rather than trusting God to provide it. Jacob (in concert with his mother) took advantage of his father's weak eye sight to deceive and to trick.

Now, in Genesis 29-30, Jacob has the very same thing done to him. Don't miss the obvious here. The deception that Jacob foisted upon his father, Laban now foists upon him. One might wonder how such a thing could happen. How could one marry the wrong woman and only discover the mistake after the wedding night? Our society's guess would be that alcohol was involved, but that wasn't necessary here. Brides in Jacob's day were covered from head to toe on their wedding day with a veil around their faces. And even on the wedding night, modesty was preserved according to Middle Eastern custom. In the relative dark of a tent, it would have been difficult for Jacob to realize what was happening, especially if the bride was an accomplice.

Whatever the explanation of the deception, one certainly believes that Jacob got what he deserved. In Jacob's deception, the youngest was elevated above the eldest. Now, the eldest (Leah) is elevated above the youngest (Rachel). God has reversed the trick on him.

It is interesting also to note how Leah is described in this passage. She is said to have "weak eyes." Scholars aren't sure what this means. Most think, the phrase was probably a euphemism meaning she was "ugly to the bone." Whatever the phrase's meaning, Leah's condition is not an insignificant detail. Think about it. The one (Jacob) who deceived one with weak eyes (Isaac) now is deceived into receiving one with weak eyes (Leah). At every turn here, the justice is complete.

I think it was on Hollywood Squares that Peter Marshall used to say: "Turn about is fair play." That lesson is certainly learned here. Genesis 29-30 gives us a good reminder: "Do unto others or God may see that the same is done unto you."