Proverbs 20:13-16 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 20:13-16, which read,

v.13 - Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.

Solomon is speaking to us again about being lazy.  Another way to escape the responsibility of this world is to never get out of bed.  Sleep, of course, has its place in our lives with restoring our bodies but then comes the time to rise and exercise what has been resting.  Physical problems come to light when we don't get enough sleep and when we get too much sleep.

This picture is of someone who is not just sleeping too much physically but also spiritually.  We get poor in the Lord when we figuratively "sleep" through those times that we could be focused with eyes open on His food for us.  We get up and get dressed to meet with Him for breakfast and live our lives in the glory of Him so that our rest in the evening is sweet in His assurance of hope.  The point is to not start loving things that hinder your relationship with the Lord but rather keep your eyes open to what He loves.

v.14 - "Bad, bad," says the buyer, but when he goes his way, then he boasts.

Solomon gives us another bad practice.  The picture is someone who is buying something but points out all the flaws in the potential purchase to drive down the price.  After the purchase is made, he or she boasts of the practice to others of this deceptiveness.  The question I have is why did the buyer buy something that was bad?  There must have been some value in it, otherwise why buy it?  Why not buy something good or was it really good and the idea was to not pay full price for something that deserved it?  

Proverbs have spiritual sides to them so when I look at this I wonder if we don't do this with our relationship with the Lord?  Are there times that we might take advantage of God or the church and then boast about what little we paid for what we got.  The danger when applying this to spiritual things is that you might not have received what you thought you were getting.  You might be boasting for nothing when I think of the Lord saying to those on His left, "I never knew you."  The principle of not paying full price may have some upsides in certain situations but when it comes to salvation, it is all or nothing and the only boasting you do is of the Lord and not your cleverness to work the system.

v.15 - There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; but the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.

Another trap of the world is to focus on things rather than on God.  Gold and jewels catch out eye but the wisdom of the Lord is told to us by Solomon who had plenty of gold and jewels is more precious.  Here is someone who could compare the two side by side.  This is a theme that is reinforced over and over again in the book of Proverbs with the first mention in chapter 3, verse 14 which reads, "For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold."  The "her" in the proverb is wisdom or knowledge that comes from the Lord.  

How is your pursuit of the Lord's wisdom and knowledge going?  Does it compare to your pursuit of the world's gold and jewels?  Know that one is greater or more precious than the other.

v.16 - Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; and for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

One more foolish practice this morning is given to us in banking terms.  You have someone who has loaned money to a stranger or a foreigner, namely someone they do not know.  They will probably not get paid back because they do not have a solid relationship with that person.  They are a stranger to them and not a friend or family.  So now they come to you looking for help because they are without.  How will you handle the situation?  The proverb says to ask for his garment or hold him in pledge.  The garment or pledge was a downpayment until the loan could be repaid.  It kept you connected to the one who had made the commitment.  You actually had to return the garment by evening to its original owner because it was used to keep warm through the night.  This daily contact back and forth with the garment was a constant reminder of what was owed and a lesson to the one who loaned to the stranger and foreigner of his foolish practice.  

We do something foolish and we have to go to someone wise to get us out of the jam we are in.  The wise does not do what we just foolishly did but they put into practice a wise move that will help us to grow rather than just let us go on our foolish way.  Many times, those who are foolish will not accept the wise help because it is not easy enough for them but that is the whole point.  This is not just a proverb for the foolish to not loan but also to the wise about how we handle those who are foolish.  Let us pray.

"Lord, deep things to think about today.  Have I been sleeping when I should have been rising up to meet with You spiritually?  Have I been trying to work the spiritual system rather than surrendering fully as You did?  Have I had my focus on the world's goods more than Yours?  Have I be looking for the quick fix rather than looking for the solution of Yours that changes my behavior?  Lord, help me for I have been guilty of all of these at one time or another.  Forgive me for seeking wisdom where wisdom is not.  Amen."

Pastor Adam