Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.
2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.
3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
Jeremiah lived during a very challenging time in the history of the nation of Israel. He was a faithful prophet of God. The Jews that surrounded the king hated him because he prophesied they were going to go into captivity. The king was a “wet noodle” who did not trust in the God and allowed his self-appointed goons to intimidate him into yielding control to them. At one point they locked Jeremiah in a prison and gave him only bread. Jeremiah was humanly powerless. However, God was with him, even though he suffered persecution. Jeremiah did not make a fuss about his lot. He did complain to God about it, but not to the king.
Jeremiah could have chosen to be a puppet who would tell the king and the people what they wanted. He could have lived a nice life, but it would not have been a peaceful life. In fact he might even have been killed by the imminent invasion of the Babylonians. Instead, he was kept by God and Zedekiah watched his sons be murdered before his eyes and then his eyes were plucked out by the wicked Babylonians.
There are thousands of false teachers today who love the praise of men. They like their fancy pay checks and they love the “respect” given them. They are supposed to be men of God, but they cannot see past their noses. Their eternal destiny is anything but pleasant. Faithful preachers are in short supply and often disrespected, but they have a home in heaven. Not a difficult choice to make if a person is truly saved.
It is better to be a wise servant than a foolish son. The foolish son like Absalom will lose his life. The wise servant will be given opportunity to rule in the place of the foolish son. The wise servant will even be adopted into the family of the brethren.
Joseph was a servant in Egypt. He became a prisoner. In prison he honoured God. God gave Pharaoh two dreams he could not understand. His pagan “wise men” were clueless in interpreting the dreams. At just the right moment Joseph was called upon to interpret the dreams. He proved himself to be the wise man and he was promoted to second in command. The entire nation of Egypt needed to come to him for food. Nations around there also had to come to him for food. Joseph did not scheme to get that position. He just served God faithfully. He did not understand what was going on at the moment. God revealed His plan to him at the right time. Joseph needed to trust God, and he did.
There are special instruments required to purify silver and gold. Without those proper tools, the metals will not be pure and thus not worth as much.
The LORD tries the hearts. He does not need any special tools. He is holy and just and righteous. He sees the heart. He knows our thoughts before we think them.
Man can deceive man. He cannot deceive God. Adam tried and failed. Eve also tried and she failed. Jesus warned of the many who would try to deceive Him. His response in Matthew 7 was that He never knew the deceivers. They had rejected the truth and chose to believe a lie. God is not swayed by smooth talkers or by money. He owns everything. He cannot be bribed and He cannot be threatened. His children need to learn that important Truth.
Today is the Lord’s Day. The very name tells us the purpose of the day. It is one in seven. It was established by the Lord Jesus Christ as the day to honour Him. The love of the world has caused many to relegate Jesus to second or third or even worse place in their lives. It is not wise to do so. The mind of man is capable of convincing him that wrong is right.
Be sure you seek God’s wisdom in how you will spend this special day that He has given you for His glory. If you are in our area, we would welcome you to our service.
Pastor Bartel