Proverbs 13:17-20 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 13:17-20, which reads,

v.17 - A wicked messenger falls into adversity, but a faithful envoy brings healing.

We have a messenger and we have an envoy and both words basically mean the same thing but there is an official feel to the word "envoy" over the word "messenger."  The envoy is bound to another so he or she is bringing the message of another while a messenger could be just reporting something he or she has witnessed.  The envoy brings official word and is bound to convey that message to whomever it is assigned to.  The messenger just broadcasts like the newspaper boy on the corner yelling out the headline of the day.

The real difference comes in the adjectives and the outcomes.  One is wicked and one is faithful.  One falls to adversity while the other brings healing.  The one spreading a message coming from his or her wickedness will fall to that evil from within.  The one sharing the message of another coming from his or her faithfulness to the message and the one who gave it brings a way to be healthful.  Who will you listen to today, the messenger or the envoy?  Will you listen to the one who is just spouting off at the mouth or the one who brings official word of another?  

v.18 - Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored.

To be corrected is never a pleasant event but if you get past the initial human nature need to defend yourself and your actions, some good can come of it.  Sometimes we might actually ask for discipline or rather ask to be examined to see if some correction is needed.  You go to the doctor to be examined and he or she is looking for something you can't see at the moment.  It might be a routine check up or it could be that you go in because something isn't quite right.  You expect the doctor to tell you what they find and not hide it from you.  You also expect the doctor to prescribe what is needed if there is a problem.  The question is if you will take the prescription that has been given.  If you neglect it then the problem will increase but if you accept it and follow the doctor's orders then you will receive the benefits of a healthier life.

Do you have a doctor in your life, a spiritual doctor who can examine you and point out any blind spots that have crept in?  As they apply Scripture in their prescriptions do you fill them and take them religiously as prescribed?  You didn't want to hear the news you heard, it stung, but the good doctor is thinking of you and offering sound Biblical instruction that if followed will bring an honor you would not have received if you had rejected it.  

v.19 - Desire realized is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

Obedience is sweet.  When you win by observing the rules or when you obey and you see the good result either immediately or with some delay, it warms your soul.  You can not replace that feeling deep in your soul of following what is right in God's eyes with anything Satan throws your way through selfish instant gratification.

On the flip side, the fool can be in so deep into evil that he or she can't think of any other way than to please oneself with wicked ways.  "Give up this, no way" would be their response to a total surrender to God.  Many live in this state where they know of God but they have not submitted to God.  They hold onto some evil as good for them and they miss the blessings of total obedience to God.

v.20 - He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

The benefits are given here of who you are associated with.  If you walk with those who are wise, listen to them and learn from them then you too will be wise because you will accept the One who is giving them wisdom for yourself.  The wise men don't make you wise but they point you with their words and lives to the Giver of wisdom.  

If you are with the fools then you will suffer the consequences of the fools.  It doesn't say that you will become a fool but you truly might when you accept their leader's direction rather than God's but it says that you will feel the effects of their foolishness.  The word for companion means to graze or eat.  So the wise is walking while the fool has stopped and is eating.  The wise is moving in a direction while the fool has stopped to focus on self.  The wise are taking you somewhere while the fool is feeding you something that could end up with you sick to your stomach.

What is the nature of those around you?  Are they speaking officially on behalf of another, an envoy of the King or are they promoting a selfish message of sinful activity?  Are they a good doctor giving you Biblical prescriptions to your life or are they giving you feel good drugs with no lasting benefits?  Are they walking in a direction that invites others to walk in the footsteps of Jesus or are they wanting you to sit down and eat the junk food they are eating to experience the sickness they have come accustomed to?  The proverbs today are to look closely at who you are associated with for the purpose of growth.  Let's pray.

"Lord we are to be a witness of You to all but we are also to be fed by those who honor You with their words and deeds.  May we see the value of those wise You have put in our lives and also the line we have crossed over when someone we are witnessing to has become someone we are now following in the ways of their foolishness rather than the ways of the wise.  May our eyes and ears be trained by You and discipline used to correct us when we have stopped to eat when we should be walking on.  Amen."

Pastor Adam