I just read something that completely blew me away. Seriously, I had no idea that this had happened….
Before I bubble over with excitement about my new find….let me offer this quick disclaimer about today’s blog entry. “There is no possible way to comment adequately on everything mentioned in these two chapters in one blog entry”
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I have to mention this: I had no idea that Solomon’s wise sayings weren’t being written down in a book while he was speaking them, and put into a library. Maybe they were, but the first sentence leads me to believe that these wise words of a very gifted man had been misplaced. Can you imagine? Hezekiah and Solomon are separated by roughly 250 years, and in that span of time Solomon’s words have been set aside somewhere. Thinking of that I am struck with the realization that those same sayings are included in the Bible and in almost every home in America…..and still being missed today. That’s sad, but not as sad as the realization that the plans of God for eternal life, forgiveness of sins and adoption as His children are also being missed. They are literally “hidden in plain sight”
People love to go to yard sales and find things of great value being sold for pocket change. Of course, you have to know what you’re looking for, and the current owner has to be ignorant of the value. Think of all those Bibles in homes filled with wisdom that is beyond value….and the owners have no idea of what they have. Sadly, some Christian homes are the same way. That’s hard to believe, but I know it’s true.
Such is not the case for you and I, for we are Bible readers. (Yay!). So I wonder, what did the Lord intend for me to learn today as I read through two chapters?
It seems that there is a lot mentioned about “fools” and “honey”. Ha! I don’t think the two are related… Solomon says that you shouldn’t answer a fool, but then in the next sentence he says that you must. This is the problem with fools, they are a source of frustration regardless. No one shouts louder about their disapproval of those in charge than the fool. In his mind, he can do a better job, no matter what the job is.
I suppose what I need to learn here is the fine balance between responding to the false claims of the fool without becoming engaged with him. Wisdom must speak, but not quarrel. The second thing I learn is to be quiet about those in charge…the mark of the fool is to always be speaking and sounding wise….I don’t want that description to be true of me. You learn more when you are quiet anyway.
The comment about honey was sort of meant to be funny, but Solomon must have been serious. This tells me that there are things that are good for me in small doses, but will harm me in large doses. That’s only a problem if I like it, and want more. Cough syrup helps me, and I never seem to want more than a spoonful of that. Ice cream on the other hand….
I wonder if there are other examples of things that are good in small doses, but could be addictive and harmful if not kept in check? Would wine and alcoholic beverages fall into this category? How about work? too much work isn’t good, but in small doses it’s actually good for you. Speaking of work, how about recreation? I know a CPA that told me he picks up clients while on the golf course…but he can’t spend all his time there, because he wouldn’t get any work done.
Solomon is speaking of balance. There should be balance in all things, between listening and speaking, between eating, resting, working and playing. If you look closely, nature exists in a balance. Too much rain and there are floods, too little rain and everything dies. We need certain birds and bees to pollinate the flowers and blossoms, so the other animals have something to eat when it ripens (and let’s not forget us eating it as well!) Much has been written lately about climate change and the ozone layer. It’s as if we are suddenly realizing the fragile balance in which we exist. Stepping out away from the earth for a moment, you realize that if we were any closer to the sun we would burn up, and further away we would freeze. God has placed in the perfect place in the universe, and keeps us balanced there.
Consider your marriage. My wife and I live in a balance as well. We have different opinions, food preferences, ideas for recreation and what to watch on TV. We don’t like the same colors, or the same style of clothing…..how do we get along? you may ask.
Balance. Love allows us to enjoy something that we wouldn’t prefer simply because the other person enjoys it. When something good happens to my wife and she’s happy about it, I am happy to. Her being happy makes me happy… even though the event that made her happy is generally not interesting to me at all.
Solomon has much to say in these chapters about slander, lying and flattery. I haven’t ever considered flattery to be as bad as lying, but it seems that it is. Compliments are fine, but only when genuine, and not intended to manipulate. When I worked as an “inside salesman” for a local company, I would call receive and make calls where we would joke about this very thing. I would pick up the phone and say to the buyer “hey, you are looking great, have you lost weight?” or “is that a new tie? man, you are looking sharp!” Then we would both laugh, because we both knew what was going on. It became a standing joke between us, and generally served to break the ice before we dug into other more serious business.
Well, I suppose I have barely touched on what this chapter contains. As I glanced back through it again I am saddened that I cannot commit the whole thing to memory, there is so much good here. “There’s more gold than I can carry away”.
Faithfully,
PR