Proverbs 25:26 ¶ A righteous man falling down before the
wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.
It is a terrible shame when a Christian,
particularly a Pastor or a leader in a church body, but really any professing
Christian, falls down morally in front of the unsaved. Corrupt and troubled, in
this context, are synonymous so a fountain or a spring that has been polluted
or made worthless for drinking is likened to that Christian, in our
application, who has done this. Jesus said in the context of talking to His
Jewish disciples which, I believe, we can rightly apply to our situation
practically;
Matthew 5:13 ¶ Ye are the salt of the earth:
but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is
thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot
of men.
Commentators also point out that the meaning can
refer to a good man, righteous only by virtue of him having the Holy Spirit
residing in him, humbling himself before the wicked unsaved, wicked because
they reject Christ, not calling them on their sin and need for Christ, being
afraid or ashamed to confront the person that God has put in your path for the
purpose of witnessing.
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A
city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The Holy Spirit is then first and foremost,
lamenting the fall of Pastors and prominent professing Christians who succumbed
to sexual sin or other types of sin, which sin is trumpeted by the unsaved in
newspapers and Christianity is mocked in blogs and forums online because of it.
As Nathan said to David concerning his wicked sin with Bathsheba;
2 Samuel 12:14a Howbeit, because by this deed
thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme……...
Secondarily, he is pointing out the shame to the cause of
Christ when Christians are unwilling to speak of the things of God to the
unsaved for fear or shame.
We are not justified by good works, not saved by
them, nor do we keep our salvation by simply looking morally pure and keeping
our heads down, out of the radar, and we can’t lose our salvation by a moral
failing but when we deliberately do wrong and fall, the world is eager to latch
onto it as the ultimate truth of Christian faith, that it is an hypocrisy that
they are justified in turning away from.
1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as
strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak
against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold,
glorify God in the day of visitation.
Proverbs 25:27 ¶ It is not good to eat much honey: so for men
to search their own glory is not glory.
Everything on earth from sports, to
entertainment, politics, education, and almost every single discipline is
designed for man’s glory. We want to know who had the most home runs, the most
yardage, who built the tallest building, discovered the most important cure, or
who made the most money. Hands are raised in victory, the stands erupt in
chaos, the audience stands to applause, prizes are handed out in the form of
cups, trophies, awards, and money. It is all about self-glorification, the kind
of counterfeit, false glory that mimics the triumph of God over the darkness,
but lasts only for a moment, rather than an eternity, and, in the end, is
meaningless and empty.
Rather than teaching them to glorify God,
Christian parents want to see their children learn to seek self-glory. But that
isn’t glory. It’s simply empty and vain self-worship. Success in sports or
academics or in business and entertainment is sweet to the person who succeeds.
His or her adoring fans partake of it and applaud their approval but, like
honey, they eat too much. The mind is overcome with self-worship and self-glorification.
And, in the end, there is nothing but a hunger for more, usually frustrated as
one’s time in the sun is past. Then, there is nothing but some halfhearted
acknowledgement of the former champion in the stands or the retiree in the
audience who once held the record.
We are obsessed with false glory and instead of
giving credit to God and exulting in an eternity of glory sharing His glory we
look for an empty medal signifying nothing, that will languish in some closet
collecting spiderwebs while we brag at some dinner to young people who are sick
of hearing it of how we scored the winning touchdown, shot the final free throw
that won the game, received awards for being number one salesperson in the
company, or a trophy for some success. But it’s all gone now. Just a memory.
But the glory God shares with us, the real glory, lasts forever, an eternity.
Finally, the word of God is like honey, but if a
man is searching to justify himself, too much of it will make him sick with his
own self-praise, his own self worship. Come to the word of God, the King James
Bible, emptying yourself of all excuses or justifications, of all attempts to
justify oneself. Seek God’s glory and praise the name of Jesus Christ in all
things. Seek not your own. Your triumph will last an eternity rather than until
the last fan leaves the stadium or your obituary is burned with last week’s
newspapers.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me.
Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
1 Corinthians 3: 21 ¶ Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are
yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death,
or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ’s;
and Christ is God’s.
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