Daily Devotional For Saturday, March 16, 2024

Well, it is super Saturday. Spring seems to have come early. Pollen is everywhere. My red Tahoe looks like a yellow Tahoe. Saturdays are a day when many of us use as a “catch-up” day for things we did not get done during the week and for some do yard work. When you read the Bible, especially Proverbs, you see how the God has different words describing people who intentionally rebel against God. And such people are often compared to those who are wise and listen to God.

Look at Proverbs 1:20-22, “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; (21) at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: (22) “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing  and fools hate knowledge?” (ESV).

Here we see the word “simple” or “simple ones” used. The Hebrew word used her for these terms is [פְּתָיִם֮, petayaim]. This Hebrew word means “to be spacious, open and wide.” Chuck Swindoll gives us a better explanation of this term:

“It carries the idea of being completely open, undiscerning, unable or unwilling to distinguish between truth and falsehood; of being easily misled, quickly enticed, and easily falling prey to deception. The naive are susceptible to evil and easily influenced by any opinion. They are usually unable to cope with life’s complexities, especially if the situation requires a great deal of mental effort” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Proverbs: Insight For The Daily Grind, Kindle Edition, p. 184).

And sometimes both the simple and the sophisticated can be in opposition to God’s will and purpose. Ever since God started creating, it seems that His creations have been rebellious. Take the devil and his demons (fallen angels) who rebelled at some time in eternity. They were cast down to the earth. Take Adam and Eve, created in God’s image, rebelled and opposed the limitations God put on them. All of these were originally existing in perfection and they corrupted it. We may wonder, “Why would they mess things up?” The answer to that is simply look at ourselves.

Even those of us who are redeemed, we still oppose and resell against God. This was the Apostle Paul’s struggle and feelings as well. Look at Romans 7:15-20, 24-25:

“ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (16) Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. (17) So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (18) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (19) For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (20) Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me . . . (24) Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (25) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (ESV).

Can anyone relate? I sure can. So, we all need to ask ourselves some questions about our resistance and opposition to God. First, are there certain environmental or circumstantial or even locations where we are more vulnerable to oppose God? Second, is it an arrogance or pride issue? You think you know what is better for you than God? Third, are there certain people I am around where peer pressure makes me more vulnerable to oppose God? Fourth, is there a specific area of my life that is more resistant to God’s will in my life? If so, why am I so resistant to let God’s will be in this area? Fifth, has my opposition to God in this area become habitual and chronic? Consider the following verses:

• Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (ESV).
• Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (ESV).

The Greek New Testament word translated as “redeemed” is [ἐξαγοράζω, exagorazo] and it is the word used of buying a slave’s freedom. That is exactly what Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross did for us. He paid the price or redeemed us from slavery to sin to live a life for His glory and purpose. 

Look at Proverbs 1:29-32, “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, (30) would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, (31) therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. (32) For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them” (ESV).

This describes those who are not wise and refuse to listen to the wisdom of God. Through my years as a Christian and in ministry I have always been amazed how every week when I preach, how some are quick to listen, heed, obey and repent to the wisdom of God while others, continue to rebel and wonder why their lives are not blessed. 

It is not for a lack of knowledge. God’s will is clear. It is due to a lack of love, appreciation and adoration for a God who died on the cross and came out of the tomb for them. Think about when you were dating. You would move the world and change your schedule for your date. You learned what they loved and liked and you make sure they got that from you. That is love — sacrificing for others. That is gratitude — thankful they are not dating someone else. That is adoration — a respect and awe of who they are and what they mean to you.

There are many Christians who are “fools” the Bible says for their arrogance, pride, self-sufficiency, egotism, and independence. Have I ever seen this change? Yes, usually when something painful or catastrophic occurs — a medical test comes back with bad news; a spouse walks out; a loss of job and income. God often has to resort to drastic measures to get our attention. Not because He is mean; just the opposite. It is because He loves us unconditionally. Look at Proverbs 18:2, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (ESV).

As I said above, God calls such persons fools. In the Hebrew Old Testament, two different Hebrew words are used to designate a fool. Chuck Swindoll helps us with this:

“The Hebrew language has two primary terms for this kind of fool: [נֵבֶל, nabal and [כְּסִיל, kasal] . Both have the basic meaning “to be stupid, dull.” The fool has the capacity to reason; he simply applies logic incorrectly. Fools are absolutely convinced they can get along quite well without God. Fools fashion for themselves a rationale that creates the appearance of honest logic. In truth, however, they begin with their desired conclusions and then support them with rationalizations.

A good example of kasal might be a man who suffers a terrible, tragic loss, becomes intensely angry with God, and then decides the Creator doesn’t exist. He then spends his life building a logical case against the existence of God using what appears to be credible reasoning. To further convince himself and others as well, he proposes alternate theories of how and why the universe exists in order to replace a biblical worldview.

In truth, atheism is simply a modern form of idolatry—a willful rejection of God in favor of a man-made cosmos. Perhaps this is why the Bible uses kasal most often for idolaters: these people create for themselves an idol and then convince themselves it has supernatural power. absurdity in the tale of a man who cut down a tree: Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says in Isaiah 44:16-17, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” (NASB). 

In similar fashion, a nabal decides what kind of sinful behavior he most enjoys and then rationalizes it. A woman preparing to leave her family for the sake of an affair will, for instance, spend many weeks mentally preparing herself for the break. She’ll convince herself that her husband and family are better off without her, that she has served others long enough and now it’s her time to enjoy life, or that the other man is her true soul mate and that God would want her to be happy” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll,  Living the Proverbs: Insight For The Daily Grind, Kindle Edition,    pp. 186-187).

Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, `There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; and there is non who does good” (ESV). Take this story below where a man decided to break the law and in an attempt to thwart law enforcement, he causes his own apprehension and arrest:

“In the town of Merced, which is named after the Spanish word for “mercy,” a bumbling robbery attempt was quickly brought to a merciful end. According to authorities, Stephan Stanley began breaking the glass in the jewelry department of a JC Penney store in Merced Mall. He was grabbed by two nearby men in the store, who attempted to hold him down to prevent him from getting away with any merchandise. Angered at their intervention, Stanley tried to use pepper spray against his sudden captors, but instead he sprayed himself.

Temporarily incapacitated by his own pepper spray, Stanley was easily subdued, and was eventually arrested on suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and drug charges. He was subsequently booked into Merced County Jail, where he is unlikely to receive much in the way of mercy” (Source: Madeline Shannon, “JC Penney robber foiled when shoppers step in. He made it worse with pepper spray, police say,” Merced Sun Star (5-7-22).

Questions To Consider

1. Please read Romans 7:15-20, 24-25 again above. What in the Apostle Paul’s words do connect with or can relate with or identify with in your own life and why?
2. You were given five major reasons people oppose or rebel against God’s will and purpose for their lives. Which of these most describes you and why?
3. Please read Ephesians 1:7 and Galatians 3:13 again. Also read what the word translated from the Greek New Testament “redeem” means. How is it foolish not to respond with gratitude, love and obedience to God for redeeming you?
4. When have you heard the Word of God, but foolishly and stubbornly opposed it in your life? What were the results?
5. Look again at the definitions and explanations of the two Hebrew words translated as “fool, foolish.” When was a time or an example when you have done both? What was the lesson God taught you and did you learn it?

Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 28:26, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I do not want to be a fool or do foolish things or even think foolish thoughts. I must confess there are times I trust my own gut, feelings, thoughts, and experiences more than I trust You and Your Word. I want Your wisdom to guide me from Your Word. I acknowledge that when I live without You and Your Word guiding me, I am exactly like the fool who says `there is no god.’ Thank You for redeeming me. Though I may not live like or act like it, I know that I would be lost and on my way to hell without Christ’s redemption of me. He paid the ultimate price with His life to redeem my life from the slavery to sin. You say in John 15:5 that apart from You I can do nothing. No thing. Please forgive me from thinking I can. Thank You for forgiving me, loving me, redeeming me and giving me Yourself, Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. I commit to trust You with everything and not myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside — Pastor Kelly