6-23-12. Proverbs 30b. Be Noble and Courageous as a Lion

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF   Saturday, June 23, 2012

Proverbs 30:11-33    Key Verse: 30:30

“a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;”

Dear Lord, thank you for a wonderful Sunday worship service. Help us to have good heart soil. Cultivate our hearts and help the word of God to be planted deeply so that it can grow and bear much fruit in our lives. I pray that you may help us to find an appropriate place for the summer retreat. May we find ourselves as those who were once lost, but now are found in Jesus. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto through this passage. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part l: Be Courageous to Honor Your Parents? (11-20).

In this parable we find see an indicator of the wicked. Look at verses 11-14, “There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; 12 those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth; 13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful; 14 those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind.” The indicator is cursing their fathers and not blessing their mothers. The Bible tells us that we must honor our fathers and mothers. It does not mean that we should honor them only if they are good parents and only do everything right. We must honor them simply because they are our fathers and mothers. Many people will not agree with this, but that is what the Bible says and there is some wisdom in that. We can still honor our parents, even if they are in prison, even if they are in rehab, even if they are living dysfunctional lives. Maybe there are legitimate reasons to curse our parents. Maybe they have done something so heinous and brought that response on them. But most of the time, the reason we want to curse our parents is because we get self centered, thinking that we have not been provided for. It becomes all about us. That is why we read in verses 15-16, “15 “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: 16 the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’”

But we must realize that they are only human with their own unique “sin” problems. They need love and understanding too. Maybe God has brought you into their lives in order for you to be shepherds for them. Think about Jesus who unconditionally honored us, even when we were wallowing in the depths of our sins. Think about Christians who have tried to obey Jesus to honor us, even when there was no reason to do so. Think about the parents who fed and clothes and changed your diapers to get you where you are today. When we think about these things in terms of grace, then it is a lot easier to honor our parents.

There are consequences for not honoring our parents. Verse 17 reads, “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.” I have seen it many times. Those who have unsolved issues with their parents, seem to have unsolved issues with other people in their past. They need to learn how to forgive and move on and if it is the will of God, be shepherds for those whom have been brought into their lives. If they don’t, then their lack of forgiveness will eat away at them like tooth decay.

There are ways to respond. We try to respond like Jesus, the ultimate forgiver. But look at verses 18-20, “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: 19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman. 20 “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’” An eagle is noble and soars on high seeing the big picture. We can do this. A snake is careful, always on alert and sees the rock, not as an obstacle but as a source of shelter and heat. Our bad relationships with our parents can be the same way. Like the snake we must be weary of spiritual attackers, like bitterness. The ship on the high seas is also noble. It rides the high waves to get somewhere. May we ride the waves of our stormy relationships with our parents with noble hearts. The man with a young woman is very forgiving. We can learn a lesson from the adulterous woman and realize that we are not perfect either. We may even be doing the same sins that we judge our parents for. We must get rid of our self righteousness and forgive those closest to us.

Part ll: Be Courageous To Change Our Ways For God’s Glory? (21-33).
There are some things that just can never happen. Verses 21-22 read, “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: 22 a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, 23 a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress.” They should not happen, but they happen. When they do, the way to overcome is to forgive. We can pray for them and teach them and support them until they are changed. This is grace.

We can look to nature to find truth. Verses 24-28 read, “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; 28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.” We find unity in nature; co-working; getting somewhere through humility; the humble are raised up to great places.
We should also look to nature to see the truly noble things and emulate them. Verses 29-31 read, “There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: 30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; 31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt.” We may be very ordinary but in Jesus we can walk in this life with a stately bearing. It is not about how much money you make, it is about who you are on the inside. We can be brave and courageous in Jesus.

We need to be careful. Verses 31-33 read, “If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! 33 For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.” We may be playing the fool. If this is the case we must not exalt ourselves. We must repent and come to Jesus and grow in the grace of God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to learn wisdom from everything and glorify you in everything.

One Word: Practice Jesus’ grace and honor your parents.