Tag: doing evil

53.g. Wilderness – 17.m. “For this is a people without discernment”

 

 

Deu 32:28  “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.

 Job 28:28     And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

 Psalms 81:12    So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.

 Proverbs 1:7     The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 Isaiah 27:11    For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor.

 Jeremiah 4:22   “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

 Jeremiah 8:9     The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?

 Hosea 4:6     My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge,

 Matthew 13:14-15     Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

 1 Corinthians 3:19   For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.

Void of counsel; that have not wisdom to direct themselves, nor discretion to desire and receive counsel from others, but rashly and madly go on in those courses which will certainly ruin them. (Poole)

Where does the counsel for our soul come from? How do we grab hold of wise counsel? What is wise counsel? Who do we get this counsel from? God’s Word. It is here where we find true wisdom and counsel for our souls, hearts, and minds, and how we should think, speak, and act.

The problem is that very little time is given to God’s Word. For many, it is seen as the Word of God but it is seldom studied. Oh, it might be searched for a nugget of hope or a promise, but it is not studied for the wisdom it contains and how that might be applied in everyday life. Far too often worldly wisdom consumes the hearts and minds of those who should know better.  Many times you will hear someone say, “I think” when they should be able to say, “God’s Word says”.

Wisdom of the world fills the souls of those void of God’s Word. There is no want for it, searching for it, or desiring to apply it. 

Much of the wisdom expressed by many is garnered from social media, media outlets, and culturally accepted views. Think about it. Should there be any confusion about abortion? And this whole gay pride and tolerance foolishness is mind-numbing. We should know right from wrong based on wisdom from God’s Word. Just because someone can twist and confuse the Word of God to adopt worldly and cultural norms does not make it right. 

We do well to seek wisdom from above and pray for understanding so that in all thoughts, words, and actions Jesus Christ is honored and glorified.

12.c. “It will surely come; it will not delay.”

Habakkuk 2:2   “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Daniel 8:19     He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.

Acts 1:7     He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8    And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

Daniel 11:27   And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.

Psalms 27:14    Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Isaiah 30:18     Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

James 5:7-8    Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

2 Peter 2:3    Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The news these days seems to relish in digging up as much mud as they can.  They throw it on the clear water of life and then continue to stir it up, mix it up, and cloud it up to the point where it is impossible to see worth in anything at all.  The muddy waters are a mixture of half-truths and sometimes lies.  It is hard to tell their intent or to what purpose they are focused on.  Much of the mud they cloud the waters of life with, most hearers would never have heard of unless these pessimistic and “the sky is falling” proclaimers had told them.  We do well to keep the likes of them out of our heads.

Habakkuk is told to make the vision plain and understandable.  Make it so plain that the people who read it will run away/turn away from that which is causing what is proclaimed to be coming.  Even so, there are many who read and hear it and give it no continued thought.  It is as though they don’t believe it at all or say it will never happen in my lifetime so why think about it.  Or, they may think that they have time for doing something about it later.  All of these lead to a life that forfeits the grace, mercy, and love of God.  It allows a person to think there is no danger in waiting and there is no consequence for waiting, and no worry in waiting.  All of which is false.  The time of salvation is NOW.  The time of God’s grace, mercy, and love are NOW.  Jesus Christ is coming again, soon.  No one knows when death will knock on their door.  No one knows when their end will come.  It could be today, tomorrow, or years from now.  Trust me, many people have waited for another time to trust in Jesus Christ and have died before they thought they would.  The day of salvation is NOW.  Right NOW.  Just because you see no imminent danger does not mean it is not there.  Don’t allow the things and news of this world to muddy up your vision of the need for Jesus Christ.  Do not allow this muddiness to rob you of purpose in this life and eternal life in heaven.

124. “He catches the wise in their craftiness”

2 Samuel 13:1 Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

Jeremiah 4:22     “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Job 5:13    He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end

1 Corinthians 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

James 3:15    This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

Psalms 9:15-16     The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.  The LORD has made himself known

 

Psalms 7:15   He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Pro 14:12  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

This may refer to the blinding effects of passion and self-will; for these make a man think his own way best and most desirable. But it seems better to take it as a warning against following a perverted or uninstructed conscience. Conscience needs to be informed by God’s Word and ruled by God’s will to make it a safe guide. When properly regulated, it is able to pronounce a verdict upon contemplated action, and its verdict must always he obeyed. But warped by prejudice, weakened by disuse and disobedience, judicially blinded in punishment and in consequence of sin, it loses all power of moral judgment, and becomes inoperative of good; and then, as to the way that seemed at the moment right, the end thereof are the ways of death. The man is following a false light, and is led astray, and goes headlong to destruction.

Matthew Poole; There are some evil actions or courses which men may think to be lawful and good, either through gross and affected ignorance, or through partiality or self-flattery, or through want of necessary diligence in examining them by the rule of God’s will or word; all which are culpable causes of the mistake, and therefore do not excuse the error:

Gill; There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,…. As the way of sin and wickedness does, it promising much carnal pleasure and mirth; there is a great deal of company in it, it is a broad road, and is pleasant, and seems right, but it leads to destruction;

Joy or Gloom

” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. “

Psalms 32:8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Psalms 33:18  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

Proverbs 3:1   My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,

Proverbs 8:10  Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,  for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Matthew 11:29   Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Proverbs 26:3  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

Jeremiah 4:22   “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Jeremiah 8:6  I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle.  Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the LORD.

“My people are foolish”, “they have not spoke rightly”, “everyone turns to his own course”, “they have no understanding”, “they do not know Me”. How many are the paths people will follow to find peace, joy, and rest for their souls following blindly and headlong on a straight path to hell?  God is not blind to the actions and thoughts of man.  Nothing is hidden from Him and rather than humbly submit, follow and obey Him they pick their own course.  This course is one with temporary satisfaction at best but does not satisfy deep into the heart.  Turn to God and He will instruct and teach you.  His gentle guiding will give rest to your soul. He will set your feet on solid ground and make life fulfilling.