Proverbs 14: Foolish Pride

"In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them." Proverbs 14:3

"Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor." Proverbs 14:9

"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD:...he shall not be unpunished." Proverbs 16:5

Let's get real shall we. We all like to believe that we are right all the time. Husbands understand that sometimes being right, but not dwelling on it is the best way to keep your wife happy. Sometimes we are flat out wrong, but still refuse to admit it. Pride can manifest in a number of ways.

I used to wonder why sometimes no matter how constructed my argument in favor of God was, people would still disagree. So many people I grew up with at one time believed, but somehow over the course of time, turned away from the message of the cross. This verse makes some sense of why it is sometimes impossible to have a discussion with someone who does not believe, no matter the evidence.

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." 1 Corinthians 1:18-19

I will be the first to admit that I am not the best witness for Christ. It is through my lack of ability to back up my arguments in the heat of the moment. Given time to write, I can provide sufficient evidence for my positioning, but in the midst of discussions, the words never come. I have made peace with this. I have also tried to stay away from discussions that would ultimately put people further away from Christ by my lack of solid evidence for my positions. Now obviously, to a Christian, the evidence is and always will be the Word of God. I don't need any other evidence than God's word, but to the skeptic, this is not sufficient. They inevitably launch into the argument of how old the Bible is and how many writers over a long period of time have had their hands in it, editing and changing.

What they fail to take into account is that while man did write the words, it was the Holy Spirit who was speaking through them. Therefore, God-inspired is the better way of putting it. Each verse in the Bible has a purpose. What many fail to realize, and what I am slowly learning, is that often verses much further into the Bible explain inconsistencies in earlier passages. Most people will not read the Bible entirely, studying to find those correlations to further prove its inerrancy. But, I digress.

What is it that makes us believe we can question everything? More importantly, if one has the capacity to believe in Christ, why get hung up on what happened in the Old Testament that doesn't align with your modern political ideals. Just because our government and people do things one way, does not mean it is the absolute right way of doing it. An example is the Israelites conquering the promised land in the Old Testament.

You can argue that it is all genocide and ethnic cleansing and baby murder and whatever else you can come up with. But you are also placing God on trial for acts that are clearly explained and justified based on scripture. God's covenant with Israel was for them to inherit the promised land. Over the course of MANY year, God constantly gives the nations of that area time to change their ways. Rather than turn from their idolatry and wickedness, they continue in their behavior. Keep in mind also that these were the same nations who consistently sacrificed children to Molek. The reference to passing through the fire refers to them burning their children as offerings to the false god Molek.

"And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molek, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God. I am the LORD." Leviticus 18:21-

 In reference to a question I read about ten commandments not covering protection of children. This was the ultimate law protecting children because this was a huge problem during that time period. Every pagan nation besides the Israelites were practicing this, and God needed clear laws establishing that Israel was not to do the same.

According to an article by Justin Taylor titled, "How Could God command genocide in the Old Testament," there are some good explanations to this. The title itself is already taking position of judge against God. Ironically the same people who tell Christians not to judge -based on the passage in the New Testament- are constantly judging God Himself. They put him on the stand and bombard with questions as to why certain acts were allowed in old times. The following are some explanations, many taken from the previous article, as to why God is always justified in whatever He commands.

Keep in mind first that as ultimate ruler, maker and owner of this world, what God does is inherently just. By questioning God we are putting our own arrogance as the ultimate universal standard by which things are judged. The Bible is clear that God's nature is unchanging. The same "Mean" God from the Old Testament (as many call Him), is also the God of the New Testament, the Father part of the Trinity. What changes are the laws and how they are applied. God's nature stays the same.

All of us deserve God's judgment- We all are undeserving of mercy, yet it is offered freely. If one is to investigate every Old Testament act that they believe was "unjust" of God, when taken in ongoing context, and consistent with the just nature of God, they will realize God always gives numerous chances to turn towards him. Something else to consider is that often in the Old Testament, an act of judgment on one nation is an act of mercy for another. The plagues of Egypt were a judgment to Egyptians, but mercy to Israel, whom God had made a promise (covenant) that He would not break.

Another misconception is that God just wanted people to have the promised land and kicked out all of the innocent people living there. In reality, the people of the land were beyond wickedness. Again, THESE people were the ones sacrificing children, with no law in existence to say otherwise. Since all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, God would have been justified in enacting judgment on all humans. Instead through mercy, He saved those who would turn from their ways and follow Him. The flood was an act of mercy for Noah's family because they were faithful. What many don't take into account is that the Bible clearly explains that ALL of the rest of the world had turned to unspeakable wickedness. They had been given chance after chance and continued to ignore God. We would be wise to take a page from this book. A nation in rebellion to God cannot expect to stand forever, no matter how strong.

God appoints rulers to government and gives authority to all men who are in positions of power all over the world. What they do with that power is determined by their choices, their free will.

Despite most believing that America was created as a Theocracy, it was truly advocated that the church and state be separate entities. Now, as stated before, God allows rulers to run the day to day operations here in the world, but it is He who has ultimate control. It is wrong to compare America to ancient Israel, because Israel WAS a Theocratic nation. To be a citizen of Israel required an individual to be faithful to God's covenant and vice versa. Therefore, nations not following the God of Isreal- The God who created everything, were not under God's protection, and therefore subject to invasion. If God allowed Israel to live with the nations who practiced idolatry, it would only be a matter of time before Israel (being fallen humans) would break His covenant with them. It was therefore necessary, after MUCH warning, to eliminate those nations from the land promised to Israel. They could have turned and been spared, but instead continued in their wicked ways.

This is a foreshadowing of what it will be like when Christ returns in final judgment. We are all sinners in need of a savior. Christ repeatedly makes it clear that we are either with Him or against Him. As stated before, God is the same yesterday, today and to come. The alpha and omega, beginning and end. There has been no change in God, just changes in how mercy is offered to fallen creation. We are not under the law for our salvation, but rather need to only trust in Christ.

There will be people who on the day of Christ's return will be judged for their actions. No matter how good you think you are, without faith in Christ, you might as well be those Caananite nations of old, fully cut off and separated from God and His people. This time, it is eternal. Rather than projecting our expectations of what God should be based on our society, we need to search God's word to find what he expects from our society. We are not the judges, and some people are going to find that out the hard way. It is a sad fact that many who are continuing in pride will eventually be humbled in the worst way.

Before questioning the Word of God with arrogance, try asking God to show you the answers you seek. Read the Bible expectant of God to reveal to you His nature.

The verse above from 1 Corinthians can be overridden if you will put trust in God, and know that your answers, if He desires them to be answered, will be answered. You will find, once you have trusted Christ for your salvation, many of your prideful questions become irrelevant when you are covered by mercy and love.

Do not be people of arrogance and pride. Question, but not with hateful intent. God doesn't mind your questions, just be respectful when asking, and open to Him revealing the answers. Whether through His word, or someone he puts in your life at the right time. Look around and see the beauty of creation. Know that we have a God who loves us, and searches for US.

Religion is man searching for God, Salvation is God searching for man. Will you respond?