4.d. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

Nehemiah 8:13  On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law.

Proverbs 2:1-6    My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,  making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;  yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding.  if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 8:33-34   Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.  Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

Mark 6:33-34    When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

Blessed is the one who listens.  I wonder if we truly cherish God’s word.  Are we inching our hearts to understanding?  Are our ears attentive? Are we calling out for understanding?  Are we seeking God’s word for hidden treasures?  Do we hear instruction? Are we watching and waiting to hear and be led? God’s compassion, grace, mercy, purpose, plan, and love are revealed to those who seek it.  It is one thing to desire and seek God’s word and another to just be exposed to it.  There is a difference.  Exposure is not necessarily something that is desired but rather something that just happens.  If we take this approach to God’s word there is no effort, no commitment, no longing, no searching for it like a hidden treasure.

Now is a good time to examine our heart, mind, and soul to see if we are searching God’s word for hidden treasures or are content with complacent exposure.

Waiting beside My doors

Psalms 95:4  In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalms 135:6     Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Psalms 65:6  the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;  who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,  so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.  You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.  You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.  You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Genesis 1:9-10     And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Proverbs 8:29     when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,  rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.  “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.  Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.  Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.  For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD,  but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Jeremiah 5:22     Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

Psalms 97:5    The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

Micah 1:4    And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire

Job 9:5     he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger,

Nahum 1:5    The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.

We take a piece of wood and make something out of it – our creation.  God made the micro cellular seed structure for every tree species, the means for nutrients, the means for respiration, photosynthesis ( and while we think of this He made the sun and the earth too).    We look at what we or others have put together as something creative and maybe inspiring.  Some architects even go down in history as leaders of their time.  Books are written about them.  And yet we only need to open our eyes to God’s creation to see the awe inspiring magnitude of Him.  We are a creation of His.  He has given us life and free will to choose to praise, honor, serve, follow and obey Him.  Those who choose this path, He gives life (eternal).  Those that choose to reject Him, He gives death and torment eternal. “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.  Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.  Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.  For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD,  but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Remember the Creator

“So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.”

Psalms 29:1   Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Psalms 2:10-12  Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalms 68:32  O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord,   to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.

Psalms 96:7-9   Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!  Ascribe to the LORD the glory.due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!  Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

Isaiah 60:12   For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste

Jeremiah 13:16-18  Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.  But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.  Say to the king and the queen mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head.”

Revelation 5:11-14  Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,  saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”  And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”  And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Ecclesiastes 11:8  So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-2  Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;  before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain,

Remember your Creator!!  What is to be remembered? He is the creator of all there is.  The creator is Holy.  He created mankind in His own image.  He did not abandon mankind after they disobeyed Him.  He made a way for man to be forgiven and their sin forgotten/blotted out.  He filled men of old with His spirit to record His word for mankind.  He sent His son to redeem mankind.  He placed on our hearts knowledge of Himself. He gave many promises, blessings, and warnings.  He is all knowing.  He is all powerful. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will guide us. He will protect us. He has a plan and purpose for our life.  His son died for mankind, rose from the dead, and is coming again.  He will judge mankind. He will divide those who love and serve Him from those who do not.  Those who serve Him will receive reward – Heaven.  Those who do not serve Him will receive punishment for rejecting Him and His son – Hell.  Remember your Creator.  Serve Him with all of your heart, mind and soul.  Listen to His leading.  Bring honor and glory to Him in all you think, say and do.

Reverence & Respect – King of Glory

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

Psalms 24:10  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!

Isaiah 6:3-5  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

John 12:40    “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.

John 14:9   Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Psalms 2:10  Now therefore, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  O kings, Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Luke 9:26   For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

2Peter 1:3  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Who is this King of glory – The Lord Of Hosts. Look at what Isaiah said after a vision of the Lord of hosts: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips”.  Isaiah had a starting point “Fear of God”.  I know “fear” can be misunderstood so I have copied this for a reference to help understand the meaning intended: “The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence” and the Hebrew noun yirah “usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God’s good intentions (Ex. 20:20). … This fear is produced by God’s Word (Ps. 119:38; Prov. 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Prov. 1:7; 9:10)” (Warren Baker and Eugene Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, 2003, pp. 470-471”.  Isaiah began with a reverence and respect of God and who He is.  Without this reverence and respect for God, His word will be meaningless, His promises empty, His salvation rejected, and His purpose seems foolish.  Without this reverence and respect our heart is hardened and though we may read or hear the word of God it will have no place to root in our heart.  Proverbs says the beginning of all wisdom is fear (reverence and respect) of the Lord.  The verses today speak of those who have this reverence and respect of God and those who do not.  Hold tight to this reverence and respect.  With this as a firm anchor in your life His word will have great impact and purpose in your life.

Be wise, be warned

  • “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them”

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

 

Psa 2:10
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Hosea 14:9
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Isaiah 49:23
Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

John 8:47
Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

John 18:37
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Romans 9:32-33
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Be wise! In light of God’s word what does it mean to be wise? Serving Him, loving Him, fearing Him, listening to Him, hearing Him, trusting Him, resting in Him, seeking Him, relying on Him, and obeying Him are all scriptural.   Spend time in His word, listen for His voice, and humbly obey His leading.