Proverbs
27:20 ¶ Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never
satisfied.
So perfectly true in the consumer age. Ever
since the powers that be decided back in the 1930’s that we must be a nation of
consumers and ever since Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Ed Bernays, created modern
advertising and got us buying things we didn’t need, eating things we didn’t
eat before, and never satisfied with anything we had we’ve just wanted NEW
STUFF.
The lust of the eyes is one of the world’s ways
of drawing you away from the Lord.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
Christians should reject consumerism because it
makes us unthankful and we never have enough. But we learn it at a young age.
We teach our children to covet things at Christmas and on their birthdays. It
gives us great joy to spend money on them for things that teach them nothing
about nothing. I know children who have so many toys that they don’t even open
some of the ones they get at Christmas and they get packed away. I know adults
with sheds and attics full of the latest whosiewhatsits, much of which they’ll
never use. The eyes of man are never satisfied.
Hell and destruction are never full. There is
never a time when the Bible says, “Enough. Hell is full.” And so men and women
never say, “I’ve had enough. I’ve got everything I need.” We need to learn to
be happy with what we have and to focus on only what we need.
1 Timothy 6:6 ¶ But godliness with
contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be
therewith content.
Adam and Eve could have whatever they wanted but
one thing and that’s what they wanted. We inherited that. We have a problem
with our eyes. They see, they want. Job had to make an agreement, so to speak,
with his eyes.
Job
31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Jesus warned men in those days;
Matthew 5:27 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said
by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.
King David had an eye problem.
2Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an
eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the
king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman
was very beautiful to look upon.
And yet, God had warned the Hebrews about this
very thing.
Deuteronomy 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire
thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his
field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing
that is thy neighbour’s.
While men use pornography to generate that
dissatisfaction with their spouse, women have romance novels to make them feel
unsettled, as if maybe they could get more than the hardworking yutz they have
who isn’t clever, funny, and dashing like the guy in the Harlequin books.
And let me tell you something. If you live in a
constant state of dissatisfaction with what you have, your social status, your
possessions, or your spouse you have a sin problem. You’re not focused on
Christ. You’re focused on your SELF. I refer you to the Proverb before this
one. God is not pleased with your attitude, Christian. It’s all through His
Bible.
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
For the descendants of Adam and Eve that scene
plays itself out a thousand times in a lifetime. It is the shame of American
Christianity along with pride, self-righteousness, a desire for revenge, no
compassion for lost souls, etc. etc.. It is akin to envy.
Be content. Be satisfied. Fill your eyes with
God’s word.
Psalm 119:16 I will delight myself in thy
statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Proverbs
27:21 ¶ As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to
his praise.
A previous Proverb mentioned the process of fining or refining silver and
heating up gold to purify it. A fine state is a pure state. A fining pot is a
pot in which you melt silver to rid it of impurities.
Proverbs 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but
the LORD trieth the hearts.
Matthew Henry points out that as a fining pot removes the impurities from
silver and as the furnace does the same for gold so does praise test whether or
not a man is conceited or if he gives God the praise and glory offered to him.
He might be like Herod, full of self-praise and self-worship, deserving of the
same fate.
Acts 12:21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his
throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying,
It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the
Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms,
and gave up the ghost.
Earlier in this chapter we read;
Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a
stranger, and not thine own lips.
Offering praise to a person is a sure way to tell what he or she is about. If
they, in turn, give the glory to God that is one thing but if they become
puffed up with their own glory it is another. The athlete who glories in his
efforts with screaming, dancing, and prancing in the end zone or jumping up on
the boxing ring ropes with hands outstretched in self-praise encouraging the
adulation of the crowd is a stone, cold fool, as are the fans who adore him.
The type of glory that men enjoy is merely a poor counterfeit of the glory of
heaven where those who belong to Christ will praise Him for eternity in what
will make any Super Bowl event look like a pale joke.
I am not very impressed either with the athlete who drops to his knees and
supposedly offers a prayer to God as that is simply a way of drawing attention,
again, to yourself. Paul tells us with the wisdom given to Him by the Holy
Spirit with regard to our personal convictions;
Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Jesus warned about the false piety of many public prayers;
Matthew 6:5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou
shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee
openly.
We’ve had so many presidential
candidates supposedly told by God to run for office that I can’t help but
wonder who He told first and if their god, little “g”, perhaps, can’t make up
his mind. We’ve also had a president speak publicly about how God told Him to invade
a country, which is patently absurd in the light of doctrine given to
Christians in the letters written by Paul.
So, if you want to find out what a man or woman
is made of, the Proverb tells us, see how they handle praise, and who they give
the glory to for their successes. Beware yourself of how much self-glory you
heap on your own successes. Remember;
Psalm 108:1 «A Song or Psalm of David.» O
God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
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