Cornerstone

Proverbs 16:13-16 (16)

¹³ Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value a man who speaks the truth.

¹⁴ A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
but a wise man will appease it.

¹⁵ When a king’s face brightens, it means life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

¹⁶ How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to choose understanding rather than silver!

Biblical Wisdom properly defined is when we “see things from God’s perspective.”  The problem is identified in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus demonstrates in practical terms what Biblical Wisdom is all about.  Strangely enough the human reaction appears normally to be the direct opposite of the Divine desire.  Proverbs 2:10-15 gives an “if-then” statement of promise.  “When (if) wisdom enters into your heart, and (if) knowledge is pleasant to your soul; (then) discretion shall preserve you, (and then) understanding shall keep you.”

In Phuket, Thailand, a sign hangs outside a doctor’s office. The words in Thai are followed by an English translation, which proudly proclaims: FAIRLY RELIABLE DOCTOR.  Although this interpretation probably does not convey the intent of the doctor it does describe our human endeavors that lack godly wisdom.  When our life’s intent is to see things from God’s perspective we can then be assured that the results will be different.  They may be confusing to the world but they will be pleasing to God.

James’ admonition is encouraging.  James 1:5 tells us that if we discover that we look at things only from a human perspective that we should ask God to help us to learn how to look at things from His view point.  When we ask, James says we can be sure of two things:  1) God will generously bestow this ability upon us, and 2) He will not scold us for our spiritual sluggishness that causes us to be slow to make this request.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7; Psalm 84:1-4, 10

To make a vow (what we often call “a pledge”) – nadar – is a serious thing. It should never be taken lightly. A nadar means the act of verbally devoting something or a person to the service of God. It can be positive or negative in intent. In other words, it may be a vow to do something for God, or give something to God. On the other hand it may be a vow to NOT do something because of the relationship with God. It involves promising God something. It is a freewill offering. Laws concerning vows can be found in Numbers 30.

Biblical vows were both conditional and unconditional. Genesis 28:20-22 is an example of a conditional vow. Usually they are preceded by the condition, “If.” God ALWAYS considers an unconditional vow (a pledge) to be binding. Deut 23:22 says that if someone promises something to God he is obliged to fulfill his promise. The Biblical vow is ALWAYS to God. This word never refers to a promise made between individual human beings.

Almost anything can be vowed to God. A person can vow himself to service. Land, houses and possessions are even Biblical examples of vows that have been made. God will not accept any vow that is an abomination to Him, however, such as the wage of a harlot. Both men and women can make vows. Vows, however, are not a religious obligation. They are voluntary acts of devotion and love. Biblical examples show that they either preceded or followed divine blessing and were accompanied by joy.

In our lesson for today verse 4 states the rash vows should never be made. It fact, it is better not to make a vow (verse 5) than to not pay it. Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.” A vow is an expression of love, Thanksgiving, zeal and devotion to God. The context indicates that to make a vow in haste (vs. 1), to be rash in declaring what you will do for God (vs. 2), and then not to fulfill the vow (vs. 4,5) is to cause your flesh to sin (vs. 6). It is considered to be obnoxious to God for someone to say, “Oh, I made a mistake,” or “I didnt really mean it.” To make a vow is an act of worship that is not required but once done is binding.

Two special vows should be mentioned. The Nazarite Vow of Num 6:13ff and the herem of Num 21:1.

(Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) (Keil and Delitzsch)(Vines Complete Dictionary) (Smiths Bible Dictionary)

Dr. Gayle Woods