Proverbs 29:25-27 says,....

Today's verses are Proverbs 29:25-27, which read,

v.25 - The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD be exalted.

It is so easy to be fearful in our world today.  We can easily live in fear and it traps us to hesitate when we should act in the confidence of the Lord.  We are caught in that snare of fears of what others might think or the snare of what is unknown or the snare of negative assumptions that aren't realized because they haven't happened and might never happen.  We stop because we don't think the word of the Lord is going to happen.

Sunday I got to read the passage about the widow in Zarephath in Sidon who was making her last meal but was asked by the prophet Elijah to make it but first give him some of the food.  Elijah then said these words in 1 Kings 17:14,

For thus says the LORD God of Israel, "The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth."

The widow was a crucial point to fear what was in front of her or to trust in what the Lord said.  Many times we disregard the words of the Lord for the fear of man.  She would have never experienced the miracle every day when she went to the bowl and jar if she would have stayed with the fear of man but she trusted the words of the Lord and meal after meal was blessed because it came from Him.  Are you living a life of fear of what could happen or are you living a life of trust in the Lord of words that are actually recorded?  

v.26 - Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice for man comes from the LORD.

We are to honor the king and pray for our leaders but our ultimate seeking is to glorify our God.  As we glorify our God we will honor those who govern over us and be on our knees in prayer for them.  Our sights, allegiances and trust are in One who is the Creator of all those rulers who are like us, fallible, finite and feeble in comparison to our great God.

Solomon is a ruler and he realizes that he wants his subjects or his people to honor the Someone who created the justice that he just administers.  Solomon doesn't create it, he just uses it and hopefully for the glory of God.  A group of citizens who love and honor God because they love and honor God will out of love and honor for God seek to obey the governance over them and live quiet lives that making ruling easy.  They know where the real power comes from and they put their ultimate trust in Him and not just the dispensed power of the earthly ruler.  This reminds me of the verses in Psalms 20:7 and 8 which says,

"Some take pride (which can also mean boast or trust) in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride (boast or trust) in the name of the LORD our God.  They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm."  

v.27 - An unjust man is abominable to the righteous, and he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.

We come to the end of another chapter in the book of Proverbs and Solomon reminds us of our state before God when we don't follow after His words and ways.  How do we want to be an abomination?  Is it before the righteous who are following after God or before the wicked who are far from Him?  We are going to be abominable to someone so lets be abominable to the wicked as we are pleasing to the Lord, trusting Him and living under His justice.  

We are going to be an "un" or an "up".  We are either going to be unjust or upright.  If you are upright then you are not without challenges for Jesus told His disciples and us these words in John 15:20 which says,

"Remember the word I spoke to you:  'A servant is not greater than his master.'  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept My word, they will also keep yours."

Being an abomination to the wicked will come with some bumps and bruises but all those will be taken care of by our heavenly Father.  Take pride in Him, boast of Him, and trust His words above all others.  Let us pray.

"Lord, how we fear man who You created and listen to his words over Your own.  Help us to see that we need to go to the source and stand on what we know because it is written down rather than the unknown of what others might say or might do.  May the justice we seek be that which comes from You and may we be upright in the midst of persecution because that's what happens to those who follow after You.  You said it and we believe it and live it.  Amen."

Pastor Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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