Proverbs 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Life can be quite uncertain. God knows all, but we do not. Things can come up for us that we had not planned for. I read of a pastor from Sweden who, with his wife, were raising their two daughters. Three years ago their eleven year old daughter made a false claim of parental abuse. She soon recanted what she had said, but the state decided to take both girls away from the parents. For three years, they have not been able to get those girls back. The parents were not abusive, but the state decided that having no T.V. in the house and attending church three times a week was abuse. They also did not want their girls to wear fingernail polish or makeup. None of that is abuse. Godly parents follow God’s direction, not the world’s.
Those parents have no control over what is taking place there. It is not that they abandoned their children. It is not that they put money ahead of their children. However, the state decided they were the moral compass by which all their citizens need to live. Canada is not far behind the wickedness of Sweden.
This week I read that the Canadian army has decreed that no chaplain can talk about God to any in the army. The powers that be have decided that speaking of God could be offensive to some soldiers. Of course the true God would be offensive to Muslims. He would also be offensive to Catholics and many others. Canada is far from being a God-fearing nation. They tried to shut down Truth shortly after the introduction of the Wuhan virus. Most religious groups bowed to the government. Most religious groups have long ago submitted to governmental authority. They chose to register with the state in order to be able to collect more money from people. Some people are willing to give if they can get a tax break. Otherwise they won’t give as much. Many religious groups have such big budgets that they need to have large donations in order to be keep going.
The second half of verse 25 speaks of the desolation of the wicked. The governments are not doing this. This would be the judgment of God upon them. The governments defend wickedness. God sends judgment in different ways. Notice that judgment will come. It is just a matter of when.
In verse 26 we are reminded again that the son needs to have his confidence in the LORD. This is not just for the son. Any true child of God needs to have his confidence in the LORD. Heretics abound. False teaching is on the increase. Churches that once seemed to be strong in the Lord are falling. People are leaving godly churches because their children don’t like it there, or their friends are not pleased with them being there.
The true child of God needs to have his confidence in the LORD. When we have our confidence in the LORD, we will not be moved by false teaching. We will be grounded and we will know that God is not the author of confusion. He has given us sound doctrine that never changes. His doctrine is just as relevant for today as it ever was. We need our confidence in Him.
In verse 27 we see more practical teaching. Honesty and fairness are important for the child of God. Godly people do not cheat others. If we make a deal with someone, we keep our end of the deal. Godly people do not get involved with the ungodly in business deals. The ungodly will change the goal posts depending on what their whims are.
President Trump is trying to fix the money problems of the U.S. They are in big trouble. They have had bad government for years. He is trying to fix that. In doing so, he is trying to renegotiate deals he previously agreed to. He is trying to do some good things, but is going about it in a wrong way. Of course, we know he does not have his confidence in God. He has a god, but not the true God.
Notice in verse 27, our dealings need to be within our means. Our charity needs to be within our means as well. We don’t borrow money to help someone else out of a bind. We help where we can, based on good judgment.
In verse 28 God explained this further. If the neighbour comes for help today, and it is a legitimate need and you have the ability to help; the time for help is now. His situation will just get worse, the longer a solution is not found.
In verse 29 we see the dependency we have upon one another. It is good to have neighbours who are trustworthy. In our time, we have abandoned neighbourliness, and have accepted the lies of the government. We have become far too dependent upon the government and the governments are power-hungry monsters. There may be a politician who talks as though he has a genuine concern for the people in his riding, but as soon as he talks of using tax dollars to fund some project you know he is just buying votes. Romans 13 tells us the responsibility of government. They are not our “sugar daddies”. However, in Canada, too many people seem to forget that the government has no money. The only money they have is what they take from us. The government is the worst money manager you could ever find.
We should be living as neighbours and seeking to help one another with legitimate needs. We would be much better off if we did that.
The true local church is made up of true believers who are motivated by the love of God. A true local church is not a community charity. It is a place that practices brotherly love. It is a place where the preaching and teaching of the Word is central. One of the products of that preaching and teaching is the genuine care for fellow members.
God’s Word is Wisdom. If we want to know the blessing of the LORD, we need to know Him and submit to Him. The world is hungry for Truth, but often is deceived by false teachers. Godly people have the blessing of knowing the Truth and being a light to the lost.
Pastor Bartel