Proverbs 22:8-11 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 22:8-11, which read,

v.8 - He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, and the rod of his fury will perish.

We have someone who is living a life a sin, of participating in iniquity, and his outward action is anger that has a rod attached to it.  He is violent with his actions but it produces a temporary vanity or attention to self.  We see this today.  Someone who is doing wrong is sometimes glamorized in our media and minds.  We make the "bad guy" to be the one to aspired to.

I remember standing with the pallbearers of my first funeral in my first church that were talking about wanting to go like the deceased someday.  The deceased was drunk at the time and driving his car at a high rate of speed. He lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree after leaving the road killing himself. 

The point of the proverb is that this type of thinking will perish and it will produce a vanity that is just that "15 seconds" of fame.  We now need to compare it to the next proverb.

v.9 - He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.

Someone who shares with others with a concentration on them instead of self will receive something that is not temporary but of an eternal value.  Notice that the event that the generous one is participating in is not something huge but just sharing his food with another.  We usually think to have some type of blessing that really means something is to do something big in the eyes of the world.  This proverb says that something small in the eyes of the world is seen by the God who created the world.  Also notice that what is given is given to someone who would not be able to give it back in some monetary way.  The poor have nothing to give but maybe a "thank you" and sometimes you don't get that.  The generosity of the generous is not based on a return but on the meeting of a need with the resources at their disposal.  I also like the picture that maybe this person is sitting down with the poor and sharing more than his food but also his attention and conversation.  Now we go back to the other side with the next proverb.

v.10 - Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease.

This sounds to me like church discipline.  Many times scoffers are allowed to linger in the church.  They speak negatively of the church and church members and produce division and hurt.  We allow them to stay hoping they will change but never address the change that is needed.  The sacrifices are the ones who are feeling the affects of the sins allowed to go unchecked.  If we allow this to go on for very long then it becomes "normal" and "just the way they are" rather than calling it sin as the Bible does.  We don't think they will ever change so we will do the loving thing and just live with it.  Someone from the outside comes in and spots it immediately and also the solution that is given in this proverb.  You need to remove the one who is making it a practice of sinning that is injuring others and what is replaced is a place of peace rather than contention, support rather than strife, and an atmosphere of building people up instead of tearing them down.  Church discipline is a hard thing to do but it is necessary and therefore God's Word gives us specific instructions on how it is to be done and our internal preparation to perform it.

v.11 - He who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.

We have some Biblical examples of this.  Joseph became the friend of the Pharaoh of Egypt not because of his position and power but because he honored God with is actions and attention.  Nehemiah was cherished by King Artaxerxes not because he was someone who was of his family or country but because he was faithful in service and thinking of others rather than himself.  Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego became friends with King Nebuchadnezzar not because they were so smart but because of their devotion to follow after God no matter what in a way that was pleasing to their God.

After the scoffer is removed get back to promoting, preaching and presenting self as ones who are pure of heart and speaking graciously.  The presentation of righteousness has an affect on others and it can be some powerful people.  In the previous proverb the recipient was the poor and now in this one the recipient is the king.  This is because God's love is not for a certain class, gender, or nationality of people.  We do not know who God will put in our path to touch from the poorest of poor to the richest of the rich, but we do know how we are to be by His instructions in these proverbs.  Let's be about being His people to the world around us.  Let us pray.

"Lord, may we see the effects of living a sinful life.  May we see it's limitations that lead to destruction and end.  May we see how a life lived after You and for You will put us in places that we never dreamed of because You are the One we are following after and doing Your will.  We receive blessings because it is a reflection of who You are in our lives.  May we share with the poor what we have and may we stand with a pure heart and gracious words before the king.  Amen."

Pastor Adam