Proverbs 24:7 ¶ Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not
his mouth in the gate. 8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a
mischievous person. 9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an
abomination to men.
The fool has nothing to say, particularly in the
place of judgment, which I’ve shown in previous Proverbs was the gate. In fact,
“the gate” or gates is a place of judgment.
Deuteronomy 16:18 Judges and officers shalt
thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout
thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
2Samuel 15:2 And Absalom rose up early, and
stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a
controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and
said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes
of Israel.
Amos 5:15 Hate the evil, and love the good,
and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will
be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
Zechariah 8:16 These are the things that ye
shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment
of truth and peace in your gates:
This should give you a heads up for what this
verse means in Matthew;
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it.
The very thought of foolishness is sin and the
evil person shall be called mischievous. It is a statement on our world today
that these words have been downgraded to mean so very little. We’ve already
discussed previously what a scorner is and in these verses he is also shown to
be a fool. He is proud and even haughty and is someone who deals in proud wrath
(Proverbs 21:24). And when he leaves, contention goes with him (Proverbs
22:10). He will not hear rebuke and can’t be corrected (Proverbs 13:1).
Proverbs 24:10 ¶ If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy
strength is small.
This is an indictment of most of us who go through
troubling times. We are told we are sick and its possibly life threatening and
instead of running around the doctor’s office and praising God that we’re going
to get to go home, maybe, we cry and plead with God to keep us HERE for some
more time with our loved ones who should be going where we’re going anyway if
we’ve done our duty so our parting will be only a brief moment in time. But,
the Bible gives us an example of that sentiment so we don’t feel too bad about
our worry.
Philippians 1:21 ¶ For to me to live is
Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of
my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt
two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
Again, we are jobless, perhaps, or in dire
financial straits for other reasons and instead of simply resting in Christ
when He has promised us;
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all
your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
We worry and fret about how we’re going to pay
bills we didn’t ask God if it was alright for us to accrue in the first place,
for material possessions that were a reflection of our worship of Self rather
than God’s will. And yet, God has always provided what we actually needed to
survive and to glorify Him.
And again, we find that we have a chronic
illness. Perhaps it’s aging. Perhaps something debilitating when we are younger
and desire to be more active. We are told;
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be
exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given
to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should
be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it
might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I
strong.
But, our usual response might be self-pity,
worry, and a constant looking to modern medicine to relieve the symptoms of our
disorder. Now, it’s human to be concerned, to worry. I was raised by two
worrywarts and that tends to rub off onto you. But, even in the death of a
loved one, a child, for instance, or a spouse, we have this;
1 Thessalonians 4:13 ¶ But I would not have
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The hymn goes, “I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is
small, Child of weakness, Watch and Pray, Find in me thine all in all….”
When adversity arrives, and for many of us, it
has been a guest in our homes for many years, that is when our faith is an
example to others who are not saved. All of your church attendance, soul
winning, and passing out tracts will pale in comparison to the effect your
witness has when you are facing tribulation in faith and hope and expectation
of God’s mercy and justice and grace. It is very difficult to put on a happy
face especially in troubles that you know you could have done more to prevent,
that are so much your own fault. Perhaps you smoked for dozens of years, or drank
alcohol, or didn’t take advantage of opportunities you had to put your
financial house in order, eat properly, exercise, or take care of your health,
or any one of a number of things but now, here you are, face to face with
trouble.
When the day of adversity comes that’s when the truth or
falsehood of your proclamations of your faith in Christ are made apparent. We
have no strength within ourselves. Our strength is Christ. Will you be a
witness to His mercy and goodness in the day of adversity or will you be just
like every other human being in the world with nothing to look forward to
beyond death’s door but the misery of Hell and the Lake of Fire? I suppose the
question can be asked, if you faint in the day of adversity, did you really
believe at all? There are two things that reveal faith or faithlessness more
than any others. One, is your willingness to take wrong and not to seek
revenge. Two, is your faith and joy in the day of adversity. I think if you
examine yourself closely, you’ll find that most Christians fall short in some
way. Thank God that He understands.
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