Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
My grandfather was instrumental in starting the Mennonite Brethren church in the town I grew up in. At that time, the M.B.s preached the Gospel of Christ. They had some problems, but they preached the Gospel. In my youth I watched that church change, not for the better but for the worse.
When the M.B.s started in Russia, they broke away from the General Conference Mennonites because the General Conference Mennonites had made an agreement with the Russian government that they would not evangelize the Russian people. The Mennonites wanted to be left alone on their parcel of ground.
Some of the Mennonites were studying the Scriptures and they saw that Christians are commanded to go and preach the Gospel to all creatures. The General Conference said no, and so the M.B.s were formed.
As mentioned, over the years the M.B.s became even more worldly than the General Conference Mennonites. Today, the M.B.s are not worth attending at all. They now need to be evangelized. They are so proud, that they do not want to listen. They have always been Mennonites and why should they change? The problem is they have been changing drastically but seem to think the changes are for the better.
Our text tells us that the person that refuses instruction shall find poverty and shame. There are a lot of rich Mennonites, as far as materialism goes. However, they are poor as far as spiritual health goes. It is a shame to see how they have abandoned the truth for the sake of a name and tradition.
Sadly, this same problem is developing among the Independent Baptists as well. They may be a little behind the Mennonites, but many of the Independent Baptists do not accept the Bible as their final authority. Men like Jack Hyles and Paul Chappell are far more important to them than the Word of God. That is a shame.
God says the person who regards reproof shall be honoured. It is important to hear God’s ‘well done’ at the end of this life. It is also important to know that you are doing His will in accordance with His Word, now. If we want to close the Bible and set our own standard of righteousness, that will not work well.
In verse 19 we are reminded of the importance of right desires. In the context, it is referring to the desires of the soul that has been made alive by the Lord. The true child of God desires to know Him better. In Philippians 3 the apostle Paul was directed to write about the desires he had as a true child of God. He was not completed yet, but he was pressing on for the high calling in Christ Jesus. It is a high calling to be a faithful child of God.
Fools, on the other hand, think it is an abomination to depart from evil. That is why they refuse to attend a good church. They want to keep their liquor and their foul language and their worldliness. They love that and they despise those who would suggest that is sin.
God says:
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Nothing flattering about God’s Words there. They are completely accurate and right. God does not take kindly to people who claim to be His children, but who want to be friends of the world. You cannot help the lost when you behave like the lost.
In verse 20 we see the importance of choosing good company. The wise person will help another wise person to become wiser. The disciples were wise in leaving their previous occupations to follow Jesus. You will not find a wiser “person” to follow than Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of God.
Today is the Lord’s day. It is the day for wise people to choose to set aside the world’s attractions and head to a good, Bible-believing church. There is nothing more important than being in God’s house on the Lord’s day.
As the verse says, the companion of fools shall be destroyed. There are thousands of fools out there. They will find themselves in hell one day. That is not their plan but because they are fools, they reject the Truth and pursue their own imaginations. That never works out well. A few of those people will get saved, but sadly, it will only be a few.
Be sure you are a wise person today. God has a blessing for each person. Don’t push that blessing away for the temporal pleasure the world has to offer.
Pastor Bartel